The "primacy of Peter" doctrine asserts that Jesus gave Peter, and Peter's successors, authority to function as the sole custodians of true Christian teaching—and as Pope Benedict asserted, "This primacy is for all time" (ibid.). Supporters of this doctrine point to one key passage of scripture, in which Jesus said, "you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church… I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven" (Matthew 16:18–19). A careful study of this passage and other scriptures, however, reveals something very different from what Benedict has in mind.

Millions of people throughout the western world have read The Da Vinci Code. This last summer, millions saw a film based on the novel. It is challenging the faith of many churchgoers! And it is confusing millions about what the Bible really says.

Not long ago, most people assumed that slavery was a thing of the past, and that the idea of one person holding another as property—to be used involuntarily, by coercion, for the master's benefit and profit—had disappeared as human civilization had become more civilized and enlightened.

Imagine that you have almost reached the pinnacle of your life's ambition, but a painful dilemma stands between you and your goal. What choices do you really have—and what are the consequences?

Does a united Europe sound plausible to you? It did to the ancient Romans, whose empire provides a model that many Europeans appreciate even today. A look at ancient Rome's techniques can help us understand Europe's very near future.