Browsing Category:

Book Reviews

In Blog, Book Reviews, Prosperity Gospel on
April 19, 2021

God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel

What do Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and Paula White have in common? They all preach an incredibly false gospel. The gospel they preach is commonly known as the prosperity gospel, though it has also been called the health and wealth gospel or the name it and claim it gospel. Essentially, they teach their congregations that if you have enough faith, if you give enough money, you can receive whatever you desire. And they grow rich off of deceiving and lying to the people who trust them.

Maybe you think this description is a little harsh. After all, I don’t know any of these people personally. They seem like nice folks with good hearts who are truly trying to help people. Who am I to judge them? I may not know much about these teachers, but there are many who do and have come to the realization that they do not preach the truth. One of these is Costi Hinn, the nephew of Benny Hinn, and he wrote his book God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel to expose the false gospel of prosperity preachers.

Read more
By
/
1 Comment
In Bible Study, Blog, Book Reviews on
March 22, 2021

How to Eat Your Bible

The Bible can be a very daunting book. It’s a collection of sixty-six books that were originally written in Hebrew and Greek by over forty different men thousands of years ago. These books fall into all kinds of different genres – from history to poetry, from letters to prophecy. Because of this, many people choose to not read it.

According to Barna’s 2020 State of the Bible report, forty-six percent of Americans rarely read the Bible (if at all) and an additional ten percent of Americans read it sporadically. Only nine percent of Americans read their Bible on a daily basis. There are numerous reasons why Americans are so disengaged with the Bible. The language can be difficult to understand, the stories can be confusing, and the layout can be hard to navigate. Americans don’t understand the Bible’s background, they don’t have time to read it, and they’re just not excited about it.[1]

We suffer from biblical illiteracy. We don’t understand what the Bible says and what it means, and we often are too intimidated to even try. But we, as Christians, must strive to read and understand the Bible because it has the power to transform us and sanctify us and draw us closer to God. We must dive deeper into Scripture, but that’s not as difficult as it sounds! In his book How to Eat Your Bible, Nate Pickowicz provides a simple approach.

Read more
By
/
In Blog, Book Reviews, Justice on
February 22, 2021

Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth

This past year we’ve heard a lot about social justice, the importance of it, and why it is necessary to fix the injustices happening in our nation. There is no doubt that there are numerous injustices that occur on a daily basis. We live in a fallen world full of sinful beings. As Christians, we are called to do justice (Micah 6:8). We are called to help orphans and widows (James 1:27), feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and clothe the naked (Matthew 25:35-40).

However, a lot of the solutions to injustices being presented by our culture are rooted in humanistic ideologies rather than biblical truth. They seem to value perceived experiences over facts, and they divide everyone into social groups rather than treating everyone equally as image-bearers of God. Also, these “solutions” often end up doing more harm than good. These social justice ideologies are beginning to seep into churches and Christian writings all across the country and the world, but we must take a step back and analyze these ideas to determine if they really line up with what the Bible teaches. And this is exactly what Thaddeus Williams writes about in his book, Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth.

Read more
By
/
1 Comment
In Apologetics, Blog, Book Reviews on
January 25, 2021

Another Gospel?

Several weeks ago, I was searching on YouTube for a podcast episode when I came across a video from a channel called “God is Grey.” The video appeared to be a woman’s response to a critique from a Christian woman I highly admire and respect and listen to often. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the video and watched it. I discovered that the woman’s name was Brenda and that she had some unorthodox and even unbiblical views, even though she claimed to be a Christian. I decided to watch some of the other videos on the God is Grey channel, and I learned that Brenda believes things like the Bible is simply full of human writings, homosexuality is not a sin, Christians should vote pro-choice, and having sex outside of marriage is just fine to do.

I would describe Brenda as a progressive Christian. Progressive Christianity is both dangerous and harmful to the Church, which is why Alisa Childers wrote her book Another Gospel?.

continue reading
By
/
2 Comments
In Blog, Book Reviews, Spiritual Growth on
December 28, 2020

Chasing Perfect

I’ve never really been the kind of person that makes New Year’s resolutions. I’m convinced it’s because I’m a perfectionist, and I know that I won’t keep my resolutions perfectly. Perhaps you can relate. According to U.S. News & World Report, eighty percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February.[1] We can resolve to eat better, exercise regularly, or be the best mom, wife, or student possible, but what is the point? The odds are that we’ll fail within two months, leaving us more empty and exhausted than we were before. We’re attempting to chase perfection, yet it seems like we’re destined to fall short.

In Alisha Illian’s book Chasing Perfect, she reminds us that we are not perfect and that nothing we can do will ever be enough for us to achieve this perfection that we seek. Instead of pursuing resolutions, she encourages her readers to chase after something, or rather Someone, who is truly perfect-

continue reading
By
/