Foundation: 5 imperative truths of the Christian faith

By Cort Tangeman

This book is the product of over 40 years of piloting experience and nearly 30 years of teaching and pastoral ministry. It combines the critical and exacting nature of information management of airline transport operations and the challenges of separating the unnecessary and confusing narratives of many of our current church doctrines. Imperative biblical truths are clear in scripture and are given freely and simply for the edification of every person who is earnestly seeking for eternal truth. Understanding and appropriating these imperative truths is essential to our eternal outcome, as no human activity or achievement is of any lasting value if, as Jesus states in Mark 8:36, “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Oct 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781662944963

Book preview

The straight plain truth

Vigilance: don’t be deceived!

On June 1, 2009, Air France flight 447 was in route over the Atlantic Ocean on a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. At 11:14 pm the aircraft stalled and after failing to recover from the stall, crashed into the Atlantic, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board. The descent from 38,000 feet only took 3 minutes and 30 seconds, during which time the aircraft remained stalled for its entire 3 minute 30 seconds, impacting the ocean surface at a speed of 152 knots.

The accident reports on Air France 447 are public record and backed by evidence recovered from the flight data recorders. These reports leave very few unanswered questions about the events that occurred on the flight deck that fateful evening. The recovered data recorder indicated the pilots stalled the Airbus 330 after receiving false airspeed indications that created erroneous auto pilot responses and false aural and visual warnings. The primary cause was ice accumulation on the airspeed sensing system. However, the recorded data also revealed that both engines were operating at full capacity and the flight controls were also functioning normally. In other words, despite the false indications, the pilots still had full control authority through normal manual control inputs. Tragically, they were unable to overcome the false visual and aural guidance presented by the instrument indications and recover the aircraft from its stalled condition.

I recently retired from a 43 year piloting career, 24 years of which I was a Captain for a large U.S. International airline. In all air transport pilotage operations, the imperative operating principle is simply to always fly the airplane, no matter what. That means one of the two pilots is always tasked with keeping the aircraft in a safe flying attitude, either by controlling it manually, or if the auto pilot is engaged, by monitoring the aircraft’s pitch, power and bank angle. These operational priorities are imperative actions and the shared responsibility of every crew member on the flight deck at all times.

I don’t believe that Christians can approach their eternal future with any less vigilance than the vigilance required to safety fly an airliner. We invest countless hours and millions of dollars into safety protocols in our schools, homes and work places. We are careful to attend to our own physical safety and that of our children, but our vigilance regarding eternal spiritual matters is many times trivialized or entirely absent. Jesus repeatedly warns us to be ready at all times for His return. This means we must maintain an eternal vigilance, not out of fear, but out of reverence and caution. The Air France 447 crew was faced with multiple warnings and indications that were misleading and deceptive. These deceptions caused enough confusion that a total loss of control resulted in the death of all onboard.

When God created man and woman and placed them in their perfect garden habitat, He gave Adam a very clear and simple command regarding the only real threat in their environment. Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV says, And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

But shortly thereafter, Satan, the enemy of God, said to Eve in Genesis 3:4-6 NLT… You won't die! the serpent replied to the woman. [5] God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil. [6] The woman was convinced.

Note the mixed messages…a lie followed by a half truth, a deceptive offer of equality to God, followed by the amplified allure of that tasty looking fruit! So many mixed messages. But God’s truth was simple and clear, don’t eat that fruit! Later, God asked them in Genesis 3:11 NLT, "Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not