Contact: Pastor Don Swarthout, President Christians Reviving America's Values, CRAVE, 859-219-1222, 859-619-2811

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 /Christian Newswire/ -- Pastor Don Swarthout submits the following for publication and is available for comment:

Christianity is simple if you really study it according to Don Swarthout, President of Christians Reviving America's Values.

Swarthout said, "Christianity is often misunderstood by people simply because they do not take the time to study it in detail.  People may read part of a scripture and then run off in disbelief without fully understanding what they have read."

For example, a recent television story said a presidential candidate agreed with a Bible scripture instructing wives to submit to their husbands.  However, the story did not finish the scripture which instructs husbands to love their wives as they love themselves.  Following this scripture makes men and women subject to one another which is one of the lessons being taught in this scripture. 

Swarthout said, "Studying the Bible is time consuming and even Pastors misunderstand the Bible.  I believe a lot of people are teaching lessons that come from man's thinking rather than those which are actually taught by the Bible." 

When people get a revelation from the Bible which nobody ever got before, that is exactly what they have gotten, something which nobody ever got before. If your revelation doesn't line up with the word of God, or if it is about something that nobody can possibly know, it is very questionable according to Swarthout.

Swarthout said, "For this reason, it is very important that people spend time studying the scriptures for themselves and develop a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is also very important to have a close relationship with a Pastor whose interpretations of the Bible you can trust."

If the Bible says it plainly enough that we can fully understand it, then you can be sure what it means.  If it does not then you should understand that you simply do not understand it yet.  Jesus himself said we cannot know everything here on earth, but we will understand more when we get to heaven.

Swarthout concluded, "We need to start teaching the truth of the simple Gospel.  The simple truth of the Gospel is we are given a choice whether we will be a good or an evil person and whether or not we will accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior.  It just can't get any simpler than that."