Video
Robert Hutchinson is a frequent guest on national radio broadcasts and as a guest columnist in newspapers and websites. His topics include the philosophical foundations for human rights, political freedom and the development of modern empirical science.
You can link to radio interviews Hutchinson has had in the past by clicking on the radio and TV shows mentioned below:
Bill Handel (KFI Los Angeles) Interviews Robert Hutchinson
January 2, 2008
Recorded 10/30/07 – Air Date: 11/3/07
Phyllis Schlafly Interviews Robert Hutchinson
Aired 12/29/2007
Latest in PIG Series Documents the Bible’s Conservatism
By Ericka Andersen,Human Events
Latest in PIG Series Documents the Bible’s Conservatism The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible(TM) By Robert J. Hutchinson Regnery, 2007 $19.95,262 pp.
Available at HEBookService.com
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible (Regnery, a Human Events sister company) takes a no-nonsense approach to combating some biblical criticism and arguing that the best-selling book of all time indeed embraces and promotes the conservative perspective of human rights and limited government.
Author Robert J. Hutchinson examines the historical and archaeological accuracy of the Bible through documentation and records kept throughout the years. Taking on controversial issues such as abortion, homosexuality and creationism versus evolution, Hutchinson counters anti-Bible arguments with quotations from scripture placed in historical, geographical and spiritual context.
Alleged ‘Errors’
Skeptics often confuse biblical stories to be literal interpretations when they are meant to be read in a metaphorical sense or as pieces to a larger puzzle. In an interview with Conservative Book Club Editor Elizabeth Kantor, Hutchinson addressed the story of Noah’s Ark. He explained that, though the Bible says the “whole earth” was flooded, the Hebrew word for “whole” is “kol,” and according to Hebrew language, this could simply mean a “whole region” of the earth was flooded and not the entire earth.
“Most of the alleged contradictions or alleged ‘errors’ in the Bible really are bogus,” Hutchinson said, explaining further that often “the language being used is that of ordinary life, not the technical language of science.”
Hutchinson notes that people rarely question the existence or reliability of other historical figures and texts such as Socrates or Caesar because they are not the basis for a religion. But by disproving Jesus Christ or a foundational event such as the Exodus, it would “undermine the basis for Judeo-Christian civilization and all it represents.”
“Christianity and Judaism remain the last bulwark against the sort of pagan totalitarianism championed by some liberals,” Hutchinson said. “The Bible believes in an all-powerful God, not an all-powerful government.”
Hutchinson said he wanted to write the book for “ordinary people” in order to “show them that the ideals and be lief s they hold sacred really do ultimately come from the Bible.”
Americans value a free society that upholds personal choice. The Bible-which was on the Founders’ minds as they created our government-has much to say about the concept that government should be chosen wisely and trusted minimally. Hutchison titles a chapter of the book after a bible verse that says, “Put not your trust in princes …” (Psalm 146:3). Hutchinson also includes an analytical glance at the percentage of Christian population in countries worldwide compared to that country’s rating for political rights and civil liberties. According to the Freedom House study, the countries with the highest Christian populations (Australia, United States, etc.) are also the countries with the most freedoms and liberties.
Hutchinson said in writing the book he hoped to counter the myth that the Bible is an enemy of science, human rights and freedom. “The ideas found in the Bible, and nowhere else, paved the way for the development of science, the recognition of human rights and the championing of liberty.”
A few years ago, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code exploded onto the entertainment scene in book and movie form, challenging the validity of the Bible by recognizing the Gnostic gospels and the Gospel of Judas and promoting biblically unsound arguments. This questionable presentation of the Bible sparked major debate, one reason The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible is so relevant right now. Hutchinson says that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction with no relevance or reputation to real history.
No Cover-up
When I asked him how we can know that vital information wasn’t omitted in some of the “lost” books of the Bible (not the Gnostic gospels), those not selected for the final text, Hutchinson said, “You can check for yourself.” He mentioned that most books left out of the Bible are easily read in translation and that there was no cover-up, as some have suggested. He said these particular books were left out because they were “not recognized as inspired scripture” by the Christian and Jewish communities who decided on them.
Many people do not regularly read the Bible, and Hutchinson wanted to show people through the book that “if you take the time to read… I think you’ll find [it] much more shocking, subversive and yes, even more ‘politically incorrect’ than imagined.”
The book examines hot issues of today and demonstrates biblical application and understanding in the contexts of history, government and faith. Hutchinson said that Jesus “threatened the religious and political establishment to the core” and his parables were like “cultural time bombs.” That ought to be compelling enough for even the greatest skeptic.
Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Nov 12, 2007
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved
