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Scripture Twisting: 20 Ways the Cults Misread the Bible
How often have you encountered some bizarre doctrine only to be stunned to hear a Bible verse quoted to support it? With new religious cults springing up almost daily and old ones growing rapidly, this is more and more common. How are they seemingly able to twist Scripture to mean something orthodox Christians have never believed it to mean in two thousand years? James Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and How to Read Slowly , has isolated twenty separate kinds of reading errors which are characteristically made by cultists as they interpret the Bible. He covers the full range from simple misquotation to complex argumentation which links one slightly eccentric interpretation to another, mixes in a few orthodox readings and ends with a conclusion totally foreign to the biblical world view. Sire also handles twisted translation, overspecification, virtue by association, ignoring the context and other flawed interpretations. A book to help us all become better readers of the Scriptures.
177 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1980
28 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
James W. Sire
37 books72 followersJames W. Sire was a Christian author, speaker, and former editor for InterVarsity Press.
Sire was an officer in the Army, a college professor of English literature, philosophy and theology, the chief editor of InterVarsity Press, a lecturer at over two hundred universities around the world and the author of twenty books on literature, philosophy and the Christian faith. His book The Universe Next Door, published in 1976 has sold over 350,000 copies. He held a B.A. in chemistry and English from the University of Nebraska, an M.A. in English from Washington State and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri.
Sire was an officer in the Army, a college professor of English literature, philosophy and theology, the chief editor of InterVarsity Press, a lecturer at over two hundred universities around the world and the author of twenty books on literature, philosophy and the Christian faith. His book The Universe Next Door, published in 1976 has sold over 350,000 copies. He held a B.A. in chemistry and English from the University of Nebraska, an M.A. in English from Washington State and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 28, 2021
5 stars // finished December 2021
This book examines 20 logical fallacies that are commonly made when reading the Bible. It critiques specific examples of errors made by cults such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, and others. Honestly, I’m not sure if some of the cults mentioned are still around or as popular as they used to be (I read an older edition than the one listed on GR), but the principles can still apply to whatever belief system that incorporates the Bible in some way. “Scripture Twisting” also addresses the fact that Christians themselves can misread the Bible, and thus need to be cautious to “rightly handle the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) The tone of the book was respectful and serious, yet still straightforward and engaging. Overall, would recommend.
This book examines 20 logical fallacies that are commonly made when reading the Bible. It critiques specific examples of errors made by cults such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, and others. Honestly, I’m not sure if some of the cults mentioned are still around or as popular as they used to be (I read an older edition than the one listed on GR), but the principles can still apply to whatever belief system that incorporates the Bible in some way. “Scripture Twisting” also addresses the fact that Christians themselves can misread the Bible, and thus need to be cautious to “rightly handle the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) The tone of the book was respectful and serious, yet still straightforward and engaging. Overall, would recommend.
October 19, 2010
The only bad thing about this book is the title, and the idea behind it. Someone does not have to be part of a cult to twist and misread the Bible. In fact, just about all of us and all of our various kinds of churches do the things listed in this book all the time. We just vary which ones we do, based on our own personal failings, denominational biases, and cultural impressions.
This book ought to be a study for all Christians, as in:
"What things can twist God's message into a human one?"
"How do I/we twist God's message?", and
"How can I/we stop doing it?"
This book ought to be a study for all Christians, as in:
"What things can twist God's message into a human one?"
"How do I/we twist God's message?", and
"How can I/we stop doing it?"
June 14, 2025
“To read a text out of context is to violate the integrity of the original writer and to set up one’s own frame of reference as the arbitrary absolute into which any sentence by any body must fit.” James W Sire.
April 25, 2013
This book is a very helpful resource! The style it's written in is simple and covers a very important and well thought out subject! This is a must for every Christian's resource library.
June 1, 2009
Excellent.
October 21, 2020
Nothing too fancy here (which is probably why it’s not in print anymore), but I’m still glad I read it. The subtitle of the book explains the whole of it—it’s him listing and explaining twenty ways that cults misread and misapply the Bible. For the twenty, he organizes them into nine chapters, and then for each he spends a handful of pages giving examples and explaining why it doesn’t work.
Sire writes that the book’s purpose is more than just giving information about the cults. Instead, he intends to promote good Bible readers. And I see his point; if someone was in the cults, this book would’ve been helpful for that. But as for me, so many of these misreadings are so obviously wrong that I wasn’t benefited in this way. Rather, I was most benefited and helped just by reading about the cults, specifically, how they began, how they argue, and what they believe.
Finally, the appendix where he takes about 10 pages to summarize the 20 misreadings was really well done. In fact, the whole book was worth it for that. If you only read the appendix, I don’t think you’d understand everything he was saying. But if you read the book, that 10 page appendix is a really well written summary of basically the entire book. I’ll keep it for reference.
As for recommendation, I’m sure other books on the cults exist that are more detailed. However, it was a pretty interesting read, combining information about the cults with applications on how to properly read the Bible.
Sire writes that the book’s purpose is more than just giving information about the cults. Instead, he intends to promote good Bible readers. And I see his point; if someone was in the cults, this book would’ve been helpful for that. But as for me, so many of these misreadings are so obviously wrong that I wasn’t benefited in this way. Rather, I was most benefited and helped just by reading about the cults, specifically, how they began, how they argue, and what they believe.
Finally, the appendix where he takes about 10 pages to summarize the 20 misreadings was really well done. In fact, the whole book was worth it for that. If you only read the appendix, I don’t think you’d understand everything he was saying. But if you read the book, that 10 page appendix is a really well written summary of basically the entire book. I’ll keep it for reference.
As for recommendation, I’m sure other books on the cults exist that are more detailed. However, it was a pretty interesting read, combining information about the cults with applications on how to properly read the Bible.
December 22, 2018
This is a good book for anyone trying to learn more about how some religions twist Scripture for their own needs. Sire focuses on only a few religions, but this is a good primer for those interested in the topic. I will say it's a bit dated, so it doesn't include some of the more mainstream fringe religions from today.
November 19, 2018
I love this book! It covers 20 different ways cults misuse the Bible. The biggest warning to heed is to read the Bible like all other literature. Don’t take verses out of context. Know how it fits into the story.
January 6, 2025
Good, but this book should contain examples from the Seventh-Day Adventism cult.
May 15, 2015
A clear and well-organized survey of the various sorts of fallacies employed by so-called non-mainstream Christian churches (he calls them "cults") as they invoke the Bible to give authority and credibility to their recruiting efforts and sometimes bizarre doctrines. While cults like the Moonies are included here, the major villains are the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian Scientists, who have encoded these specious arguments into their liturgies, scriptures, and theological systems.
At times, Sire's counterarguments seem just as strained; at others, I feel he doesn't quite make his case. All the same, this is a very useful volume for helping the reader penetrate the fallacious arguments and misrepresentations with which our culture is, in the era of Fox News and the 700 Club, constantly bombarded.
At times, Sire's counterarguments seem just as strained; at others, I feel he doesn't quite make his case. All the same, this is a very useful volume for helping the reader penetrate the fallacious arguments and misrepresentations with which our culture is, in the era of Fox News and the 700 Club, constantly bombarded.
May 11, 2012
This includes a very good overview of the various ways in which cults mistreat and misunderstand Scripture. We actually borrowed this book from a church library - and it is a book that I would consider purchasing since I think it would be valuable to have on hand when meeting JW's and Mormons at the door.
April 30, 2013
I gave this 4 stars because a lot of the content seemed really good. But it was incredibly difficult to read! I consider myself a fast reader, but this read a lot like a textbook and could have been more helpful to me had it been written more in layman's terms. Maybe I'm just not used to this type of writing, but it made the book hard to enjoy.
December 5, 2016
Excellent book for helping one understand how to read the Bible for the real meaning and intent. It is also a good source of information on how the cults misread the Bible. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the Lord.
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July 27, 2011What a great book! A great opportunity to pick through twisted Scripture use as a case study to find the fallacy. Highly recommended.
October 13, 2013
Very interesting about how "cults" interpret scripture. This is a subject that I am quite ignorant. Mr. Sire's final chapter, The Discipleship of the Word can be very useful.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews