Statement by D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.
regarding Hank Hanegraaff

As you perhaps know, in the past several weeks Coral Ridge Ministries’ President and Speaker, Dr. D. James Kennedy has been the target of outrageous accusations of heresy from another broadcast ministry concerning Dr. Kennedy's book, The Real Meaning of the Zodiac and the series of messages under the same name that were scheduled to be re-broadcast on Truths That Transform this month. To respond more fully to these charges, we have elected to postpone the Zodiac series and schedule replacement programs for July.

For now, let me say that Dr. Kennedy states repeatedly in his messages and in the book that the purpose of the series and the book is two-fold: 1) to present the Gospel, and 2) to expose astrology as a fraud and pagan practice. To suggest the opposite demonstrates a lack of a simple grasp of the facts and the content of both the book and series.
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The Real Meaning of the Zodiac , Dr. D. James Kennedy. Dr. Kennedy, famous pastor of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, does not like astrology. In twelve sermons, one per sign, Dr. Kennedy gave his evidence that astrology is a fraud. The sermons were later published in this short book. The book gives a fine history of the 48 astrological constellations (Aries, Perseus, Andromeda, etc.) and their 48 ancient myths. Taken together, the 48 myths tell the story of Homecoming. Dr. Kennedy is aware of this and carefully explains it from the Christian point of view. There are other books like this, but Dr. Kennedy's is scholarly and carefully researched. Paperback.

In his book, The Real Meaning Of The Zodiac, Dr. James Kennedy echoes such ideas, pointing out that the ancient signs of the Zodiac record a singular and original revelation—a kind of Gospel in the stars—and that the message of the stars, although converted into astrology after the fall of man, originally recorded the Gospel of God. He writes:

There exists in the writings of virtually all civilized nations a description of the major stars in the heavens—something which might be called their ''Constellations of the Zodiac'' or the ''Signs of the Zodiac,'' of which there are twelve. If you go back in time to Rome, or beyond that to Greece, or before that to Egypt, Persia, Assyria, or Babylonia—regardless of how far back you go, there is a remarkable phenomenon: Nearly all nations had the same twelve signs, representing the same twelve things, placed in the same order....The book of Job, which is thought by many to be the oldest book of the Bible, goes back to approximately 2150 B.C., which is 650 years before Moses came upon the scene to write the Pentateuch; over 1,100 years before Homer wrote the Odyssey and the Illiad; and 1,500 years before Thales, the first of the philosophers, was born. In chapter 38, God finally breaks in and speaks to Job and to his false comforters. As He is questioning Job, showing him and his companions their ignorance, God says to them: ''Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?'' (Job 38:31,32).

We see here reference to the constellations of Orion and Pleiades, and the star Arcturus. Also in the book of Job there is reference to Cetus, the Sea Monster, and to Draco, the Great Dragon. I would call your attention to Job 38:32a: ''Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?'' Mazzaroth is a Hebrew word which means ''The Constellations of the Zodiac.'' In what may be the oldest book in all of human history, we find that the constellations of the zodiac were already clearly known and understood....Having made it clear that the Bible expressly, explicitly, and repeatedly condemns what is now known as astrology, the fact remains that there was a God-given Gospel [universally acknowledged original revelation] in the stars which lays beyond and behind that which has now been corrupted.

In his book Dr. Kennedy strongly condemns the practice of astrology, while asserting his view that the constellations of the zodiac were likely given by God to the first man as ''record-keepers'' of the original revelation of God. [...more...]