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Author writes book about his conversion from Freemasonry to Christianity

A former Freemason who is now a Presbyterian minister wrote recently a book about his spiritual journey and his conversion to Christianity.

Neil Cullan McKinlay, author of From Mason to Minister: Through the Lattice documents his travels to Scotland, Australia and Canada, and also detailed his spiritual journey from having no faith to joining the Freemasons, and then converting to Christianity, BlogCritics.org said.

McKinlay has been an ordained Presbyterian minister since 1998. He lives in Brisbane, where he works part time as an army chaplain. He writes as much as he can. His book, From Mason to Minister, is described as “Neither an apologetic nor a polemic,” Nordskog Pulbishing said on its website.

The book tries to correct a lot of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of Freemasonry, including its alleged relationship with mysticism and the occult. WordJourney Magazine said the book shows how Freemasonry is actually a “fraternal organization” that follows a moral code and uses symbols that are derived from the bible to contain its beliefs.

“Godly values are taught, but God is missing from the equation,” WordJourney Magazine said. In its review of the book, WordJourney notes that McKinlay comes to see that more than a moral code, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the “more excellent way.”

In an interview that was featured in BlogCritic.org McKinlay said his first bible was actually given to him by the Freemasons. It was “an expression of thanks for the Masonic research papers I had been writing and presenting. These papers came as a result of my reading of dusty tomes in Masonic libraries in my search for God. I then searched the pages of Scripture by and with which God revealed Himself to me in Jesus Christ.”

McKinlay told BlogCritic.org that his book talks of “Christ Moments,” where “Christ and His Kingdom is flashed before us in even the mundane activities of our daily lives.” Even, he said, while doing rituals in the Masonic Lodge. He adds, “After meeting Christ I left the Lodge and went on to study for and became a Christian Minister.”

McKinley also told BlogCritics.org that his book has subplots regarding “Solomon and his Temple, two predominant themes in Masonry. I posit the idea that, in the Bible, Solomon’s Temple, the Garden of Eden, though historical and real, pose as pictures of Christ’s Kingdom which is to come.”

The subtitle, “Through the Lattice” in McKinlay’s book is taken from the Song of Solomon 2:9, WordJourney Magazine said. The verse says, ““My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind our wall, He is looking through the windows, He is peering through the lattice.”

McKinlay likens his own spiritual journey in this way, believing that at every stage of his life, God was always watching him, WordJourney Magazine said. The book is deemed highly inspiring. It is considered a useful piece for pastors, and is lauded for being very informative about the inner workings of Freemasonry.

http://www.amazon.com/Mason-Minister-Through-Lattice/dp/0982707479/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313790214&sr=1-1