We should not base our beliefs on some emotional experience we had, which we cannot really explain with any substance, other than to attribute the experience to something we want to believe was spiritual or God-inspired.
This choice, belief and faith, should not be an unexplainable gut feeling or some thought shrouded in a cosmic concept of God that is neither specific nor explainable. Neither should we hide behind peer pressure that makes us feel guilty if we denied having any real belief in the existence of God at all.
None of these aspects are the basis to knowing anything, let alone foundations of a faith.
The question then becomes, how do we know what is true and what to believe on the ground where we live? What are the facts and what is folklore? How can we know for certain? This writing is intended to discuss what is biblically spoken of behind the faith of what Christians believe. It is not, however, about conspiracies in the church or an attempt to air any dirty laundry.
The book of Revelation was chosen as the principle text of this discourse because it is intermingled throughout Scripture like no other. It provides seamless segues that will open up opportunities to address other related questions in Scripture as we examine what is behind the faith.
"To my way of thinking, what is most compelling about Dr. Mariot's book is the section on types of prayer, as well as Angels and Demons. His style places you right in the moment and expresses the best of what we all know in theology at present day. . . . What I like most about this work is that it is absent opinion, using precepts, speaking from an evidentiary point of view. Worth the read "
--Nigel John Biggar, University of Oxford Christ Church
"When he states that the book is about why Christians believe what they believe, I initially thought it was a tagline, but he actually dives into the answers. This book is not a religious writing, Dr. Mariot actually explains some often used, but never explained points. . . . If you are a Christian, you have to read this book. I did."
--Wilber Stevens, University of Oxford
Tony Mariot has over thirty years of formal and continuing education in theology and biblical studies. A biblical researcher on apocalyptic scripture and writings of antiquity, he is a research writer for the University of Oxford and has provided discourses as part of the graduate archives. Tony has been a contributor to research for National Geographic; Christianity: The Holy Trinity Controversy; and The Revelation of John.
