What do you think?
Rate this book
The Great Compromise
We want it both ways we want the excitement of a secular culture, but we want the benefits of the Cnhristian Faith. Thus The Great Compromise
205 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
4 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Greg Laurie
294 books230 followersGreg Laurie is an American author and pastor who serves as the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, Harvest Corona in Corona, California Harvest Woodcrest in Riverside, California, Harvest at Kumulani in Kapalua, Hawaii, and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 1, 2013
“...and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place-- unless you repent.” (Rev. 2:3-5)
In a day and age where the allure of the world no longer creeps in from every angle but rather is blaring evident from the moment we wake up until we lie down at night, living in the world but not being of the world is an ever increasing challenge for today’s believer. The temptation to compromise, even just a smidgen under the guise of well God will forgive me is unfortunately the hallmark of far too many people of God. Pastor and author Greg Laurie, in his book The Great Compromise, addresses this issue of compromise within the church, strongly encouraging the reader to resist the urge to follow the world’s ways while holding firm to faithfulness and holiness.
As noted on the cover of this great book, “We want it both ways. We want the excitement of a secular culture, but we want the benefits of the Christian faith.” In an effort to address the issue of compromise, Laurie divides his book into three parts: 1) The Force of Compromise; 2) The Faces of Compromise; and 3) The Fight against Compromise. Each section then further elaborates on each specific element of how compromise can be so alluring, what compromise looks like in our daily life, concluding with a number of practical and biblical methods to wage war against this pattern of behavior.
While this book was penned in the 1990’s, many of the issues Laurie addresses remain valid today and to some extent are even more pressing. One issue Laurie comments on is the attempt to recreate God in a way that makes Him comfortable. With a God on display that does not require any level of obedience and that is more of a “homeboy” or “pal”, compromising truth for the lies of the world suddenly becomes a bit easier. Laurie rightly notes “At the expense of reverence for His sovereignty, we have made God over into a comfortable pal, a “user-friendly” God who makes allowances for our sin and excuses for our backgrounds – a non-judgmental God who will easily adapt to our chosen lifestyles and give us “brownie points” for doing a good turn now and then.” This user-friendly or seeker sensitive approach as it is now known, waters down the message of the gospel which calls us not just to be saved, but also to live a life in obedience to God’s word and to rid ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit of the leaven that continues to reside within us.
Another area where compromise looms large is the belief among many in the church that they will never succumb to the wares of the devil because they have treated him as nothing more than an angry red man with a pitchfork and horns instead of understanding his desire to steal, kill, and destroy. Laurie correctly points out that in the last days, “we will see an increase of demonic activity….What else but a tremendous outpouring of demonic activity could be responsible for the horrendous perverse wickedness that is present on earth today?” Satan is a well versed liar and through the art of compromise, he seeks to lure believers into thinking they can have their proverbial cake and eat it too. Laurie reminds the reader there are four things Satan does not want us to know: 1) He is dramatically outgunned; 2) He’s been conquered; 3) His power is limited; and 4) He can’t be everywhere at once. This is vital information and Laurie reminds us that despite these aforementioned facts, Satan is still a formidable foe that must be taken seriously. Laurie aptly states “We must never underestimate the devil, for if we do, we do so at our own peril. Yet we must at all times be aware that for believers, he is a defeated foe.”
In part 2 of his book, Laurie addresses areas of our life where compromise is most existent. First he addresses the issue of temptation, the avenue by which Satan tries to lure us into compromise. Temptation most often is focused on our minds and “The devil knows that if he can get our minds to dwell on certain sins, then it will be just a matter of time before those sins are acted out.” This appeal to fleshly desires is what got Adam and Eve in trouble in the Garden of Eden and it is what continues to trip us up even to this day. The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life are the three tools of the trade for Satan to try and trick us into compromising our faith. God has not left us without a weapon against those tricks of the enemy. Laurie ably comments “the best defense to warding off attacks of the Temptor is a good offense. And there is just no better offense against the enemy known as “temptation” than the proper knowledge and use of the Word of God.”
Another area Laurie address is that of idolatry. For many, idolatry is an issue of a by-gone era when people physically bowed down to a golden calf or statue of a god or goddess. Far be it from me to do such a thing many say to themselves while forgetting that anything that takes the rightful place of God in their life is an idol. Laurie mentions a number of modern idols to include: 1) other people; 2) possessions; 3) ourselves; 4) our appetities; 5) our children; 6) television; and 7) money. All of these are not evil in and of themselves; however, if given the wrong stature in our lives, they can become temptations for idolatrous behavior.
Two final areas Laurie addresses that people find themselves compromising in are adultery and immorality. Ours is an age where the promiscuous is portrayed as the positive. Sex and the pursuit of it find its way into seemingly every aspect of life as after all, sex sells. Pornography and images of a perverse sexual nature are no longer just the back room fare of a few dirty old men. While many may not commit actual physical adultery, longing or lusting after another woman in their heart according to the words of Jesus, constitutes committing adultery. The lure of this lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh is a strong one. The lure of immorality in our day and age is quite hard to escape. Laurie outlines the fact that adultery and immorality damages your relationship with our spouse, with your children, the body of Christ, your witness to others, and most importantly, it is a cosmic crime against God. To fight against such temptations, Laurie provides four valuable steps: 1) Walk with God; 2) Walk with your spouse; 3) walk in the counsel of the godly, and 4) count the cost of that behavior.
The final section of this book is focused on the fight against compromise; something Laurie rightly notes is a cosmic spiritual battle. He comments that many believers are paralyzed by fear, unwilling to enter a fight they are engaged in whether they accept it or not. Hearkening back to earlier comments he made at the outset of this book, Laurie reminds the reader to pay attention to the end of Scripture, namely the fact Satan is a defeated foe. This should provide us with great confidence tempered with the recognition we are in a battle for the ages. This Christian walk is a marathon and thus we must do what the Apostle Paul admonished us to do, that of running this race with a focus on endurance. Laurie states “To win, we must run fast. We must run hard. We must run long. And we must run all the way to the end.” To run this race and to fight this battle, God has equipped us with special armor. As we continually don this armor, Laurie reminds the reader to constantly stay focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. “When you look at Jesus, your problems fall into the right perspective. They no longer loom over you so overwhelmingly. Get your eyes off them and fix them on Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will see you safely across the finish line of this race that is actually a spiritual battle.”
Jesus reminded his disciples that in this life we will have trouble. With that said, he did not stop there. He went on to state “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In The Great Compromise, Greg Laurie takes the reader through a valuable journey through what compromise is, what it looks like, and how to fight it, providing a number of key biblical concepts to fighting the good fight. Temptation appears fun for the moment but its end is the way of death. Believers must reject the lures of Satan knowing the ways of God bring life to those who obey God’s word. I encourage anyone struggling with areas of compromise in their life, to take heart the timely principles outlined in this book.
In a day and age where the allure of the world no longer creeps in from every angle but rather is blaring evident from the moment we wake up until we lie down at night, living in the world but not being of the world is an ever increasing challenge for today’s believer. The temptation to compromise, even just a smidgen under the guise of well God will forgive me is unfortunately the hallmark of far too many people of God. Pastor and author Greg Laurie, in his book The Great Compromise, addresses this issue of compromise within the church, strongly encouraging the reader to resist the urge to follow the world’s ways while holding firm to faithfulness and holiness.
As noted on the cover of this great book, “We want it both ways. We want the excitement of a secular culture, but we want the benefits of the Christian faith.” In an effort to address the issue of compromise, Laurie divides his book into three parts: 1) The Force of Compromise; 2) The Faces of Compromise; and 3) The Fight against Compromise. Each section then further elaborates on each specific element of how compromise can be so alluring, what compromise looks like in our daily life, concluding with a number of practical and biblical methods to wage war against this pattern of behavior.
While this book was penned in the 1990’s, many of the issues Laurie addresses remain valid today and to some extent are even more pressing. One issue Laurie comments on is the attempt to recreate God in a way that makes Him comfortable. With a God on display that does not require any level of obedience and that is more of a “homeboy” or “pal”, compromising truth for the lies of the world suddenly becomes a bit easier. Laurie rightly notes “At the expense of reverence for His sovereignty, we have made God over into a comfortable pal, a “user-friendly” God who makes allowances for our sin and excuses for our backgrounds – a non-judgmental God who will easily adapt to our chosen lifestyles and give us “brownie points” for doing a good turn now and then.” This user-friendly or seeker sensitive approach as it is now known, waters down the message of the gospel which calls us not just to be saved, but also to live a life in obedience to God’s word and to rid ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit of the leaven that continues to reside within us.
Another area where compromise looms large is the belief among many in the church that they will never succumb to the wares of the devil because they have treated him as nothing more than an angry red man with a pitchfork and horns instead of understanding his desire to steal, kill, and destroy. Laurie correctly points out that in the last days, “we will see an increase of demonic activity….What else but a tremendous outpouring of demonic activity could be responsible for the horrendous perverse wickedness that is present on earth today?” Satan is a well versed liar and through the art of compromise, he seeks to lure believers into thinking they can have their proverbial cake and eat it too. Laurie reminds the reader there are four things Satan does not want us to know: 1) He is dramatically outgunned; 2) He’s been conquered; 3) His power is limited; and 4) He can’t be everywhere at once. This is vital information and Laurie reminds us that despite these aforementioned facts, Satan is still a formidable foe that must be taken seriously. Laurie aptly states “We must never underestimate the devil, for if we do, we do so at our own peril. Yet we must at all times be aware that for believers, he is a defeated foe.”
In part 2 of his book, Laurie addresses areas of our life where compromise is most existent. First he addresses the issue of temptation, the avenue by which Satan tries to lure us into compromise. Temptation most often is focused on our minds and “The devil knows that if he can get our minds to dwell on certain sins, then it will be just a matter of time before those sins are acted out.” This appeal to fleshly desires is what got Adam and Eve in trouble in the Garden of Eden and it is what continues to trip us up even to this day. The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life are the three tools of the trade for Satan to try and trick us into compromising our faith. God has not left us without a weapon against those tricks of the enemy. Laurie ably comments “the best defense to warding off attacks of the Temptor is a good offense. And there is just no better offense against the enemy known as “temptation” than the proper knowledge and use of the Word of God.”
Another area Laurie address is that of idolatry. For many, idolatry is an issue of a by-gone era when people physically bowed down to a golden calf or statue of a god or goddess. Far be it from me to do such a thing many say to themselves while forgetting that anything that takes the rightful place of God in their life is an idol. Laurie mentions a number of modern idols to include: 1) other people; 2) possessions; 3) ourselves; 4) our appetities; 5) our children; 6) television; and 7) money. All of these are not evil in and of themselves; however, if given the wrong stature in our lives, they can become temptations for idolatrous behavior.
Two final areas Laurie addresses that people find themselves compromising in are adultery and immorality. Ours is an age where the promiscuous is portrayed as the positive. Sex and the pursuit of it find its way into seemingly every aspect of life as after all, sex sells. Pornography and images of a perverse sexual nature are no longer just the back room fare of a few dirty old men. While many may not commit actual physical adultery, longing or lusting after another woman in their heart according to the words of Jesus, constitutes committing adultery. The lure of this lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh is a strong one. The lure of immorality in our day and age is quite hard to escape. Laurie outlines the fact that adultery and immorality damages your relationship with our spouse, with your children, the body of Christ, your witness to others, and most importantly, it is a cosmic crime against God. To fight against such temptations, Laurie provides four valuable steps: 1) Walk with God; 2) Walk with your spouse; 3) walk in the counsel of the godly, and 4) count the cost of that behavior.
The final section of this book is focused on the fight against compromise; something Laurie rightly notes is a cosmic spiritual battle. He comments that many believers are paralyzed by fear, unwilling to enter a fight they are engaged in whether they accept it or not. Hearkening back to earlier comments he made at the outset of this book, Laurie reminds the reader to pay attention to the end of Scripture, namely the fact Satan is a defeated foe. This should provide us with great confidence tempered with the recognition we are in a battle for the ages. This Christian walk is a marathon and thus we must do what the Apostle Paul admonished us to do, that of running this race with a focus on endurance. Laurie states “To win, we must run fast. We must run hard. We must run long. And we must run all the way to the end.” To run this race and to fight this battle, God has equipped us with special armor. As we continually don this armor, Laurie reminds the reader to constantly stay focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. “When you look at Jesus, your problems fall into the right perspective. They no longer loom over you so overwhelmingly. Get your eyes off them and fix them on Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will see you safely across the finish line of this race that is actually a spiritual battle.”
Jesus reminded his disciples that in this life we will have trouble. With that said, he did not stop there. He went on to state “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In The Great Compromise, Greg Laurie takes the reader through a valuable journey through what compromise is, what it looks like, and how to fight it, providing a number of key biblical concepts to fighting the good fight. Temptation appears fun for the moment but its end is the way of death. Believers must reject the lures of Satan knowing the ways of God bring life to those who obey God’s word. I encourage anyone struggling with areas of compromise in their life, to take heart the timely principles outlined in this book.
September 18, 2018
A solid illustration of how Christians compromise their faith. Written in 1994, some of the urgency of the message has deteriorated, especially references to the immediuate onset of the end times. I think some of the hardlined message can be softened; Christians need to find a balance between living out the biblical message and being empathetic to non-believers.
July 12, 2020
Wrong cover for the book I wanted to write a review. There are few books I read over. The Great Compromise is a must read. We who were raised in church know someone who strayed away. This book is insightful for this reason. Small compromises today can turn to slipping away tomorrow. Its also a warning to those living out the faith today.
March 17, 2017
You invited Jesus into your heart but later started making compromises. I never met a Christian who fell all at once but one little compromise at a time. Satan knows how to convince us it's ok to compromise. We want a God who will tolerate our sins, give us self-esteem, 'touchy feely' and churches of psychology and New Age. Instead of dealing with guilt from sin, people boost their self-esteems and wash away the guilt. Let's get back to the basics of Christianity. The moment you lower your guard, you might fall like Israel, who played with sin. Don't fall backwards by going forward. Satan is real, don't underestiminate him! Temptation. What are your idols? Press forward, don't look back like Lot's wife. Adultery. Immorality. You're in a spiritual war but when you stop going to church and reduce time with Christian friends, you start a slow, downward spiral. To make it to the end requires real commitment. We have all the equipment: Armour of God Eph 6:11; mind of Christ Phil 2:5; Blood of Christ Heb 9:14; Jesus interceeding Rom 8:26. You're in your own lane in the race and not competing with others. Travel light on stuff: Does it build you up spiritually? Give Jesus the key and throw Satan out, giving him no compromises.
September 24, 2024
This was a very worthwhile book that my wife and I read together as a devotional. My only very minor criticism is that it contained a couple of non-biblical historical inaccuracies.
November 6, 2007
Christians are hypocrites. We espouse high ideals and end up compromising every one of them. Sometimes it's a tendency I fight against, but there are other times I find myself cutting moral corners quite comfortably. Anyway, it's because I'm such a hypocrite that I was intrigued by the title of this book. As it examined the way American Christians try to "serve two masters" and live a "Christian, but not too Christian" life, would it offer insights into some areas where I've been turning a blind eye? Well, yes and no. Mr. Laurie did indeed mention some of my sins, but it was hardly news to me. And unfortunately, even that he didn't do it very well. The whole book is basically a bad sermon--one of those that revolves around a central concept rather than the Word of God. It's one of those that tries to speak authoritatively by tacking a bunch of Bible passages onto its pre-selected subject rather than starting with the text and seeing what concepts spring from that. I also found Mr. Laurie's "preaching" lacking in a) that he read things into Scripture that aren't necessarily there and b) he focuses too much on how we Christians need to do better at not compromising our beliefs while not mentioning that Jesus died for these sins as well. Ah, well. Even if it didn't offer any new insights, I do need to be reminded of the old ones now and then.
January 28, 2016
In the world today we want both the excitement of the secular culture and the benefits of the Christian faith thus making compromises every day. Much of the time these are made without evening realizing how subtly we set ourselves up for a fall. Greg Laurie provides powerful discussions on those areas where we are most likely to be caught up and how to fight the wiles of Satan.
January 6, 2012
Not what I expected. I thought it was going to analyze sin in depth and give biblical advice on how to master it. It's pretty superficial though. I'm now reading Macarthur's "Vanishing Conscience" and it is much better and more thorough than this book.
June 26, 2011
Actually more like 3.5 stars in terms of execution, but 5 stars for the passion of the author and the importance of the message. Spiritual decline is gradual... So don't take the first small steps.
April 6, 2010
We want the excitement of a secular culture, but we want the benefits of the Christian faith. Thus we make The Great compromise.
December 3, 2011
Good heartfelt message by pastor Greg. Much needed to hear because of the many people calling themselves Christians but not walking in the Spirit or obeying Gods word.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews