The following includes links to actual citations used in Christian Pursuit, as well as additional sources not cited in the book. Sources marked as *b* are cited in the book and listed in the bibliography. Note: These sources are updated for the second edition and may not appear in the first edition's bibliography.

BOOKS

Chapters where referenced noted in [ ]

HOLY BIBLE, KING JAMES VERSION (Public Domain) [throughout] *b*

HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®, NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™, Zondervan Publishing. [throughout] *b*

THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. [15] *b*

Book of Tobit, part of The Project Gutenberg eBook of Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible, (Public Domain document), retrieved on June 8, 2024, www.gutenberg.org [15] *b*

Bunyan, John, The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World To That Which Is To Come, (Public Domain document), retrieved on September 19, 2023, www.gutenberg.org, originally published 1678 [2, 3, 11, 21] *b*

Complete English Talmud on halakhah.com, *b*

• Yebamoth/Yevamoth 64a Mishnah, [15] *b*

• Kiddushin 29b, [15] *b*

• Eiruvin 13b, [15] *b*

• Sabbath 13b, [15] *b*

Davies, Paul, The Goldilocks Enigma: Why Is the Universe Just Right For Life?, Publisher: Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books, London, England (2006) [1] *b*

Descartes, René, The Project Gutenberg eBook of Six Metaphysical Meditations, translated by William Molyneux, (1680), retrieved on June 7, 2024. Originally published as Meditations on First Philosophy (1641). [1, 3] *b*

Dyson, Freeman, Progress In Religion (Speech), Templeton Prize Acceptance Address, May 16, 2000, John Templeton Foundation, templeton.org, [2] *b*

Hancock, Graham, America Before: The Key to Earth’s Lost Civilization, Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY, (2019) [16] *b*

Hapgood, Charles H., Earth’s Shifting Crust: A Key to Some Basic Problems of Earth Science, Publisher: Pantheon Books, New York, NY, (1958) [16] *b*

Hossenfelder, Sabine, Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions, Publisher: Viking Penguin Random House, New York, NY, (2022) [1] *b*

Keys, David, Catastrophe: A Quest For the Origins of the Modern World, Publisher: The Balantine Publishing Group, Random House, New York, NY, (2000) [16] *b*

Luther, Martin, The Project Gutenberg EBook of Concerning Christian Liberty, (Public Domain document), retrieved January 18, 2022, www.gutenberg.org, Concerning Christian Liberty With Letter Of Martin Luther To Pope Leo X originally published 1520, alternate translated title Freedom of a Christian [3, 8, 13] *b*

Neusner, Jacob, A Rabbi Talks with Jesus: An Intermillennial, Interfaith Exchange, Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, New York, NY, (1994) [15] *b*

Pascal, Blaise, The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pascal's Pensées, (Public Domain document), retrieved on January 18, 2022, www.gutenberg.org, Pensées originally published 1670 [1, 2] *b*

Rees, Martin, Just Six Numbers, Publisher: Basic Books, Perseus Books Group, New York, NY, (1999) [1] *b*

Roberts, The Rev. Alexander, D.D., and Donaldson, James, LL.D., The Ante-Nicene Fathers. The Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325, Volume 1. The Apostolic Fathers — Justin Martyr — Irenaeus, American Reprint of the Edinburgh Edition, Publisher: Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, (1905), (Public Domain document), link to Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org, [5] *b*

Schaff, Philip, D.D., LL.D., The Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes, Volume II. The Greek and Latin Creeds, with Translations, Publisher: Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square, New York, (1890), (Public Domain document), link to Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org, [5] *b*

Schaff, Philip, D.D., LL.D., The Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes, Volume III. The Evangelical Protestant Creeds, with Translations, Publisher: Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square, New York, (1905), (Public Domain document), link to Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org, [4, 5] *b*

Schaff, Philip, D.D., LL.D., and Wace, Henry, D.D., A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, Publisher: Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, (1904), (Public Domain document), authorized reprint retrieved January 18, 2022, links to Eusebius, Church History, online at Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org [4] *b*

Shakespeare, William, The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, (Public Domain document), retrieved January 18, 2022, www.gutenberg.org [1, 14] *b*

Thérèse, de Lisieux, Saint, The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. Thérèse, located at www.gutenberg.org, retrieved on April 26, 2024, originally circulated around 1897, translated by Thomas N. Taylor (1912), (Public Domain document) [8, 13] *b*

Ward, Benedicta, SLG, The Sayings Of The Desert Fathers: The Apophthegmata Patrum: The Alphabetic Collection CS 59 (Collegeville, MN: Cistercian Publications, 1975). Liturgical Press. [2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18] *b*

JOURNALS, VIDEOS, AND OTHER WEB SOURCES

Chapter 1 - Asking a Question

1.1 Introduction

Gen Z is NOT turning away from God: more young adults say they believe in a 'higher power' — spirituality saves a generation wracked by Covid's mental health crisis - Daily Mail story from April 24, 2023 reporting that the current trend is not toward atheism or away from spirituality. People tend to believe in "something" metaphysical but that doesn't mean attaching to traditional theism.

1.3 Four Theological Enigmas

Was the universe made for us? - From Sabine Hossenfelder's YouTube channel. Sabine's book Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions (2022) is referenced under this sub-topic. Her discussion of the mystery of the Fine-tuned Universe showed the limitations of scientific theorizing. Her YouTube videos are a wonderful resource for scientific knowledge without scientific arrogance. However, Sabine makes it clear that this great mystery should not be used as evidence for God, an intelligent designer, or proof of the Matrix. This is fine for the purposes of this sub-topic which is to expose the mystery and dissuade people from having a "religious faith" in science.

Kant's Antimonies - Wikipedia page giving an overview of Immanuel Kant's Four Antimonies that are very similar to the Four Theological Enigmas. I discovered this similarity after I published Christian Pursuit. I'm not the only one who acknowledges the great mysteries of existence, time, and the metaphysical and their ever-present burden on our attempts to understand our world.

“Bank of America analysts think there's a 50 per cent chance we live in The Matrix” by Jacob Furedi, September 14, 2016, The Independent (UK newspaper) *b*

Double Slit Experiment explained! by Jim Al-Khalili - From The Royal Institution's YouTube channel, the Double Slit experiment is one of the greatest mysteries in quantum physics.

Quantum Entanglement: Spooky Action at a Distance - From Fermilab's YouTube channel, quantum entanglement is also one of the greatest mysteries in quantum physics.

Quantum Fields: The Real Building Blocks of the Universe - with David Tong - From The Royal Institution's YouTube channel, this lecture explains that there are no particles in the universe and instead reality is made of a fluid-like field energy. There are some things in physics that are understood, but there are a lot of fundamental parts that are so complicated that physicists don't even know where to begin to understand reality. Timestamp 19:30-31:30

The 9 Experiments That Will Change Your View of Light (And Blow Your Mind) - It doesn't get more basic than light, and yet its composition and behavior are full of unsolved mysteries. This video also contains an explanation of the double slit experiment.

Chapter 14 - Taking Action

14.1 Introduction

Immanuel Kant's "Murderer at the door" Dilemma - link to Wikipedia page for Categorical Imperative discussing this.

14.3 Helping the Homeless

Black Tar Heroin: Dark End of the Street (2000) - documentary, directed by Steven Okazaki. This link leads to the full documentary on YouTube with age-restricted access. *b*

14.6 Moses

Moses (2024) - documentary, directed by Francisco Guijarro. Christian Pursuit author David Beall appears in this film. *b*

14.9 SF Revival

Amélie (2001) - film, original French title Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet *b*

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) - film, directed by Mel Stuart *b*

Chapter 16 - Disasters

16.2 Pole Shifts

“Earth’s Waning Magnet: The planet’s magnetic field is subsiding—could a reversal be near?” - by Robert Irion, American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (A.A.A.S.’s) Science news, published on December 12, 2003 *b*

“Flip Flop: Why Variations in Earth’s Magnetic Field Aren’t Causing Today’s Climate Change” - by Alan Buis, NASA Science Editorial Team, published August 3, 2021 *b*

"Sound of Earth’s magnetic flip 41 000 years ago" - Animation by the ESA European Space Agency showing how the magnetic field collapsed and reformed. While long-term flips occur every million years or so, these temporary flips are equal causes for concern. What's really interesting is watching the collapse and the time animations together. It takes hundreds of years to collapse, and then stays vulnerable for hundreds of years before reforming. Whether or not this can be relied upon for future predictions as our magnetic field currently weakens is an important question. If it can be relied upon then the good news is that it happens slowly, but the bad news is the Earth is without a strong magnetic field for potentially hundreds of years!

16.3 Volcanoes

VEI Volcanic Explosivity Index - Wikipedia page explaining the VEI.

“Krakatoa’s signature persists in the ocean” - by P. J. Gleckler, et al., Nature journal, published on February 8, 2006 *b*

536 AD: The Year That The Sun Disappeared | Catastrophe | Real History - from the YouTube channel Real History, documentary based on David Keys's book "Catastrophe" which is listed in the Books bibliography above.

“Killer Volcanoes” (2017) - NOVA documentary, produced by WGBH-TV of Boston and PBS *b*

“The Toba supervolcano eruption caused severe tropical stratospheric ozone depletion” - by Sergey Osipov, et al., Communications Earth & Environment journal, published April 21, 2021 *b*

“Mercury linked to Deccan Traps volcanism, climate change and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction” by Gerta Keller, et al., Global and Planetary Change journal, published November 2020, Volume 194 *b*

16.4 Asteroids and Comets

Joe Rogan Experience, Episode #1284 - April 2019, guest Graham Hancock. Discussion of Taurid debris field 2:10:45. The parent comet of the Taurid debris was believed to be between 40-100 km wide leaving a lot of potentially dangerous chunks waiting for Earth to pass through them. *b*

NASA Comet Overview, C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) - Shows the estimated size of Hale-Bopp as 60 km wide, proof that monster comets do enter the inner solar system. *b*

16.5 Solar Flares

Carrington Event - Wikipedia page for the 1859 solar storm that showed severe electrical side effects on Earth during a rare storm such as this.

Miyake Event - Wikipedia page for the latest threat of solar storms even larger than the Carrington event and thought to occur every 1,000-2,000 years. Such a storm would really affect Earth's electrical grid, possibly destroying most of it. The last event was 1,000 years ago.

Ground Level Enhancement - Wikipedia page for the phenomenon when very large solar flares release charged particles that penetrate Earth's atmosphere and affect electrical devices on Earth's surface--such as when the telegraph machines could operate without power during the Carrington event.

“14,300-Year-Old Tree Reveals Apocalyptic Warning for Today’s Humans” - by Jess Thompson, Newsweek, published October 9, 2023 *b*

“The Approaching New Grand Solar Minimum and Little Ice Age Climate Conditions” - by Nils-Axel Mörner, Natural Science journal, Vol. 7 No. 11, published November 2015 *b*

“The Maunder minimum and the Little Ice Age: an update from recent reconstructions and climate simulations” - by Mathew J. Owens, et al., Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, Vol. 7, published 2017 *b*

“Historical Comparison of May 2024 Solar Storms” - by N.O.A.A. Space Weather Prediction Center news archive, published May 24, 2024 *b*

The superstorms from space that could end modern life - This BBC story from August 16, 2024 shows that the focus is continuing to shift from Carrington events to Miyake events as world-altering forecasted flares.

Spaceweather.com Current Solar News - a non-governmental private site that has a flair for keeping up with sunspot news and future outlook.

Space Weather Prediction Center - government site showing data for current sunspot activity.

N.A.S.A. Solar Dynamic Observatory - the photos near the end of the slide show excellent current sunspot images.

16.6 Miscellaneous Disasters

“La Palma Eruption and North Atlantic Tsunami Risk” - by Robert Muir-Wood, Moody’s, published on October 28, 2021 *b*

“Warning of a forthcoming collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation” - by Peter Ditlevsen and Susanne Ditlevsen, Nature, published on July 25, 2023 *b*

“STARSTRUCK: Atomic traces left by nearby supernovae point to ancient assaults on Earth” - by Daniel Clery, American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (A.A.A.S.’s) Science news, published on July 15, 2021 *b*

Core-collapse supernovae and the Younger Dryas/terminal Rancholabrean extinctions - The Vela supernova 12,000 years ago suspiciously coincides with the Younger Dryas climate disaster, and geological evidence exists that Earth was impacted--but how seriously? The Vela star was around 800 light years away.

Chapter 17 - UFOs

17.1 Introduction

Congress doubles down on explosive claims of illegal UFO retrieval programs - 2023 story from TheHill. There are too many stories to list here documenting the progress of hearings in Congress and those politicians trying to force transparency on the UFO/UAP/ET situation, but this story reports their seriousness giving hope for eventual Disclosure.

Inside secret UFO briefing in DC: Congress finds 'many' claims about US government harboring aliens and spaceships 'have merit' after grilling top US spy watchdog - Here's one story from 2024 showing the progress of the Congressional hearings. The testimony of whistleblower David Grusch revealed reality-altering truth of the ET presence--that is if he can be believed which many do.

17.2 Best Evidence

Mysterious Satellite Captured on Camera: The UnXplained (Season 3) - This short video on The History Channel's YouTube channel gives a brief overview of the Black Knight satellite--Best Evidence #14.

SALT iConnections Conference, New York City May, 2024 | Karl Nell (Full Interview) - One the best and most recent confirmations of senior whistleblowers revealing the existence of the ET presence on Earth and possible interference in human affairs--Best Evidence #19.

17.3 The Coming Test

‘Demonic forces’ stopped official investigations into UFOs in the UK - This UK report says that high-level government officials believed that ETs had a demonic origin. There are similar rumors within the U.S. government that some in the past and perhaps the present have reason to believe the same--which if true will present a major conflict of opinions when policy is decided during Disclosure: Are they devils trying to destroy us, or galactic "space friends" trying to help the human race?

Chapter 18 - Demons and Devils

18.2 Ouija Boards, Ghosts, and Mediums

Nick of Time - Wikipedia page for The Twilight Zone TV episode, first aired on November 18, 1960, Season 2, Episode 7, directed by Richard L. Bare. This episode is discussed in some detail to show the dangers of relying on fortune-telling devices, and how devils can manipulate us. While the TV show is fictional and entertaining, it does contain real-life lessons for people who are engaged in various forms of necromancy. *b*

“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” - Wikipedia page for The Twilight Zone TV episode, first aired on October 11, 1963, Season 5, Episode 3, directed by Richard Donner. *b*

Can Ghosts Speak To Us? | Sounds Of The Dead: Electronic Voice Phenomena | Paranormal Documentary - From YouTube channel Absolute Sci-Fi, this documentary gives an overview of how radio frequency devices are used to record electronic voice phenomena (EVPs) that many claim as evidence of spirits trying to communicate with the living.

Chapter 19 - Altered States

19.2 Marijuana, Ketamine, Psilocybin, and MDMA

“Can You Take CBD and Pass a Drug Test?” - by Lisa L. Gill, Consumer Reports, published May 15, 2019 *b*

“Efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression” - by Suprio Mandal, et al., Indian Journal of Psychiatry, published September/October 2022 *b*

Psychedelics and mental health: Having mystical experiences may yield strongest benefits - StudyFinds article stating the rising interest in using "mystical" experiences for mental health treatment.

Ketamine is better than 'gold standard' therapy for treating depression: Trial shows sedative lifts half of patients out of the blues even AFTER antidepressants meds failed - Daily Mail story from 2023 showing that clinical use of ketamine can treat difficult-to-treat mental illnesses.

Therapeutic effect of psilocybin in addiction: A systematic review - by Pim B. Van Der Meer et al., Frontiers In Psychiatry Journal, Vol. 149, published June 2023 - While using psilocybin to treat depression, PTSD, and other forms of mental illness are well-known, this links to a study that shows the promise of using psilocybin to treat a variety of addictions.

Ketamine’s Long, Strange Trip: The Cred of This Miracle Med Has Gotten Murkier and, Somehow, More Promising - Vanity Fair story from July 12, 2024.

19.3 LSD, Ayahuasca, and DMT

“Therapeutic Use of LSD in Psychiatry: A Systematic Review of Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trials” - by Juan José Fuentes, et al., Frontiers In Psychiatry Journal, published October 2019*b*

“Under pressure, Silicon Valley workers turn to LSD microdosing” by Olivia Solon, Wired, published August 24, 2016 *b*

“Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial” - by Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, et al., Psychological Medicine journal, published March 2019 *b*

Why Everyone Sees Machine Elves When Tripping on DMT | Andrew Gallimore - From the YouTube channel Danny Jones Clips, an interview with Dr. Andrew Gallimore, a neurobiologist and author who specializes in researching psychedelic experiences. Dr. Gallimore suggests that the common experience of seeing "elves" while on DMT has been documented for many decades and isn't the result of everyone trying to force-fit the same description of elves out of social pressure to conform.

Could a toad’s psychedelic venom be the next big anti-depressant? - Even the DMT compounds in toad venom are being researched for psychiatric uses.

19.4 Near Death Experiences

What REALLY happens on your 'death bed': Hospice nurse lifts the lid on six 'unimaginable phenomena' that occur when a person is just days away from dying - While the common NDE is people dying and coming back to life and recounting their experience while they were deceased, this is another variation where unexplained things happen to those who are close to death--and who better to discuss that than a hospice nurse.

Chapter 20 - Prophecy

20.3 Prophecies About the End of the World

“U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, September 21, 1987” - retrieved from Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum web site *b*

Other Useful Links

Astronomy

The Cosmic Scale - From the YouTube channel SEA, this video excellently describes the difference between the observable and unobservable universe. If anyone believes or disbelieves in God because of the vastness of the universe, know then that what we can see is only 1/15,000,000th of the true size of the universe. Meaning, the unobservable universe is currently thought to be 15 million times what we can see--which is already unimaginably big. (timestamp 24:00-25:15) The video also explains the rate of cosmic expansion after the theorized Big Bang. Another commonly unknown fact of astronomy is that the entire universe expanded much faster than the speed of light in the early moments after the Big Bang. This is why the unobservable universe is bigger and farther than 13.8 billion light years wide--or anything close to that. The observable universe is 93 billion light years wide which is still greater than expansion at the speed of light since the Big Bang--thought to be 13.8 billion years. The video cites a study where the current estimate for the size of the unobservable universe is 23 trillion light years, so obviously the speed of expansion was far greater than light speed. This is important for people to know when they think of the speed of light as the speed limit in the universe. This concept is discussed in Chapter 1 when discussing the instantaneously "faster than light" results of some quantum physics experiments such as those with entangled particles.