One of the more (sometimes) entertaining aspects of being a pastor is the “would you look at this and let me know your thoughts” process. I must say that I feel incredibly blessed to minister in a congregation that takes the care of its own souls seriously as well as the application of the Word; they are great about weighing everything against the Word and I pray that I might simply aid in that process. But as people bring items for my thoughts, some of them are more entertaining (shall we say odd?) than others.

I recently encountered one that took more than a second look to make sure I was reading it correctly. A friend recently brought the book “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac (Special TBN Edition)” by D. James Kennedy, Ph.D. with the “what are your thoughts” question. I must say that at first I had to do a double-take. Though I’ve had some concerns regarding Kennedy over the past few years, none of them prepared me for a “Special TBN Edition” of one of his books, complete with Paul and Jan Crouch on the back.

According to the book flap, “Cataclysmic events have shaken world. Uncertainty is on the rise, and so is interest in the occust and astrogology.” But thank goodness that “Startling discoveries related by eminent theologian Dr. D. james Kennedy prove that God created the Zodiac! God intended the stars to foretell the future of the world.” Friends, fear not because now we can “Discover what Dr. Kennedy calls biblical astrology or the Gospel in the stars.”

You read correctly. D. James Kennedy wrote a book defending the practice of astrology and it was published by TBN ministries. Kennedy bases his arguments from Genesis 1:14 which reads:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years

As you might guess, Kennedy bases his argument on the admonition that the “lights in the expanse” are to be for “signs.” He pauses here to ask “what is a sign” and answers: “A sign is something which proclaims a message.”

From this flimsy foundation, Kennedy moves to reference Job 38:31-32 which mentions “Pleiades” and “Orion” and Psalm 19:1-3 which says that:

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard

Kennedy argues that

The Gospel in the stars is just another example of God’s original message being perverted by Satan and sinful men. Instead of trusting the Christ to which the stars point so gloriously, people who practice astrology trust in the stars themselves. The modern corruption of astrology expresses the idea that some mysterious, magical, and supernatural powers emanate from the houses of the zodia which affect and control destiny and lives. That is the lie of Satan which will destroy every soul that believes it. Instead, what God put in the stars is a glorious sky-painting of Jesus Christ as the Lord of Glory. Our goal is to rediscover this original message and proclaim it for God’s glory.

throughout the rest of the book, Kennedy argues through each of the twelve signs of the zodiac, arguing how each of them points to Christ and that believers ought to learn the art of astrology to learn these “signs” God has given us. As you can see, Kennedy’s book is not strong on exegesis. In fact, it is extremely poor in its handling of Scripture and potentially dangerous in its portrayal of astrology as something somehow “Christian.”

I won’t spend too much time refuting Kennedy’s arguments other than briefly looking at Genesis 1:14 which he uses as his foundation. Umberto Cassuto argues that

“Various interpretations of the clause, and particularly of the word signs have been suggested. The correct explanation appears to be this: the verb is used in its normal connotation of “signs”, that is, let them serve as signs unto the inhabitants of the world (Gunkel), to wit, as signs for the determination of the seasons and for the division of time.”

Likewise, Allen P. Ross notes that the

“verse may be translated ’signs for the fixed seasons, that is, days and years. What folly it was to follow the astrological charts of the Babylonians or to look to the sun god of the Egyptians, thinking that the answers to destiny were there. Rather, Israel must trust in the personal God who created all these stars and planets by his Word.”

In other words, yes the stars were placed in the sky as “signs” but not in the astrological sense. Rather, they serve to mark the passing of time and the progression of seasons. One possible sense in which the stars might be used for “signs” not mentioned is navigational, but that hardly qualifies as a “story in the stars” as Kennedy would like to argue.

Kennedy argues that “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.” He therefore concludes that since “virtually all civilized nations” have engaged in astrology, that it must be from and for God!

Kennedy’s book is a sobering reminder for us all that Scripture is the final authority. Simply because we can argue that something might be used for Christian purposes, this in no way means that we ought to use everything. Kennedy’s careless use of Scripture is a terrible reminder that all of us are prone to following the thinking of the world rather than of God and that discernment is often harder to practice that we might like to think.