The Truth War Study Guide: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

Right now, Truth is under attack, and much is at stake. Christians are caught in the crossfire of alternative Christian histories, emerging faulty texts, and a cultural push to eliminate absolute Truth altogether. As a result, many churches and Christians have been deceived. Worse still, they propagate the deception that poses itself as Truth! In The Truth War Study Guide John MacArthur reclaims the unwavering certainty of God's Truth and anchors Christians in the eternal, immovable promises that are found in His Word. For those struggling with contemporary society's apparent willingness to redefine "truth", The Truth War Study Guide :

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christianity, Religion, Christian Non Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Ed Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very deep theological book. The author starts to get a little redundant toward the end. But writing a 185 page book based primarily on the short epistle of Jude would tend to be that way. The author doesn't seem to pull any punches though, and calls out apostates whoever they may be and however "famous" they may be. It made me vary aware of how many half-truths are out there, often preached from the best known pulpits. He conforts the reader somewhat, however by letting you know that false teachers and apostates have been around since the beginning of the church, and goes into A LOT of detail about many of them.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every born-again Christian should read this book. Clear, biblical warnings about the subtle attacks on Christians IN the chuches of today. The so-called "seeker movement" is exposed by MacArthur (with Scripture) for the great danger it is. Whatever goes, tailor sermonettes for Christianettes, don't preach sermons that might convict the sinner or make anyone uncomfortable...and other practices of the modern worldly churches that are undermining the truths of the Gospel. Every Christian should read this book and pray for discernment. To "speak the TRUTH in love", one must first KNOW the TRUTH.

[Callie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for any Christian. This book is an encouragement to Christians to be defenders of the truth of God's Word, and to look at ideas and doctrines with an eye for discerning the truth by comparing those ideas to God's Word. I thought this book was excellent, and it left me inspired to study Scripture more carefully and speak out against ideas that do not line up with Scripture.

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will forever be one of my favorite books.

I love how John used the Book of Jude to focus in on our need for Biblical and theological Truth. Very inspiring. I imagine most of Christianity would despise this book and its teaching - it cuts to the core of everything modern church goers are destroying (and mostly that's clear Biblical teaching.)

Thanks John for saying what many are afraid to even think. :D

[Michael Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my first MacArthur reads. Very important for the age which we live in where false teachers abound! Very highly recommended to every believer.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Austin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I should note that this book is part of a bible study I participated in at church. This was not a voluntary read)
This is an okay book with some powerful truth that I think some fellow Christians would even disagree with or find hard to stomach. MacArthur is bold and fearless in attacking the postmodern and emerging church movement, which is the main subject of this book. I have no qualms with the doctrinal truth being preached here, but my reason for giving this book a mere 2-star rating is how stretched thin this topic is.
Throughout the length of this book, the main topics are revisited and rephrased to the point where it becomes quite repetitive.
I get it: the postmodern movement is concerned with appealing to today's culture and society more than it is preaching biblical truths; there are many false teachers, apostates who have slipped into the church wearing "sheep's clothing" and are leading people astray; and we must take a stand for what the bible says instead of conforming our beliefs and views to our ever-changing culture.
MacArthur continues to rephrase the subject matter at the end of the book he has already covered quite exhaustively near the beginning. This redundancy made it difficult to hold my interest and it seemed I was learning something new maybe once every other chapter.
I'm not saying this is a terrible book and I have no qualms with the content being preached... but its length is unmerited and, after the first couple of chapters, it feels like MacArthur is beating you over the head repeatedly with his message.
I will admit I was basically clueless as to what postmodernism was before going into this. But now I can say it's been so deeply ingrained into my mind with the maddening repetition of this book that I won't ever forget it.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a REALLY good book. I'm only in the first chapter, but I have understood more out of the first thirty pages of this book than the whole book of "Postmodern Times". It's written in plain English that anyone can understand, and what's more, Pastor MacArthur uses Bible verses to back up the message that he presents in the book. This is probably the third best book I've read in my life (first of course the Bible, then 'Lord, Teach Me to Pray'). I totally recommend this to everyone.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

John MacArthur is not afraid to tell the truth and confront false teaching. Christians should read this book and examine their own beliefs and practices along with their church to make sure that false teaching has not crept into their lives or their ministries. The only thing that kept me from giving a 5 star approval is the lack of a Scripture index and a General Index. This book needs to be referred to often in examining other people's teaching to see if it is in accord with the Word of God.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really good. He really is one of only a few modern day Men of God to boldly proclaim truth regardless of of what public opinion will be. Very educational and edifying. Highly recommend it.

[Dorothy]

so far, i've found it to be a really hard-hitting look at some watered-down approaches to gospel presentation in our day

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much in this book of which the “average” Christian is probably not aware. At least I wasn’t! “Rightly dividing the truth” means so much more than reading God’s Word - studying it is essential, particularly to prevent deceit. Having read this book, I understand the meaning and danger of apostasy. I recommend this book to all of my Christian brothers & sisters.

[Eric C 1965 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong refutation of postmodernism and the 'emergent' church.

[Dkovlak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short but powerful book.

The author’s main point is that the Bible is truth! It is the one and only truth. Those that depart from any words, thoughts, or content of the Bible are departing from the one and only truth.

Those that depart from the truth are liars and false prophets. Today’s culture is overflowing with such people. We have to be discerning. Sometimes these falsehoods sounds very attractive from a worldly standpoint.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is the truth important, because it will determine what Jesus we embrace. One that we made in our own image or the one that is revealed in the whole word of the bible. In today's christianity especially in the U.S, Solomon's wise advice has never been more timely Proverbs 23:23...Buy the truth, and do not sell it. Truth is what which is consistent with the mind, will character, glory and being of God..truth is the self-expression of God. location 224 (kindle edition). The book goes into depth of the deception that is in christian circles and for us be in the battle of the truth. I do have to say that God has revealed to us plainly his character in his word and by history. I am in my 3rd year of reading the bible thru a year and books like John MacArthur are helpful and go alongside with what the word of God reveals. I appreciate his ministry tremendously and I think his books, teaching will minister to the saints to be firm in faith. We are living in times that our faith will be shaken and only in the truth will we hold firm. Glory to God.

[Jason Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

#JasonReadsBooks2018 book 26: The Truth War by John MacArthur.

I am just going to say it, I did not care for this book. I am definitely a fan of MacArthur; I trust his commentaries, and I listen to his radio show daily. This book just did nothing for me.

MacArthur’s purpose of writing this book seemed to be to warn Christians to use discernment toward so called “Christian ideas.” However, he comes across much like an old man yelling from his porch “get off my lawn!”

While I agree with 90% of what is taught in this book, it is certainly clouded by MacArthur’s generalizations about church types and movements within our churches. The 10% that I disagree with deals with engaging the culture. MacArthur seems hyper critical of Christians who attempt to engage the culture. However, I feel that he should have pinpointed instead, that there is a right way and a wrong way to engage the culture (see Acts 17).

Overall, I don’t feel that this book was useful, it may be more useful to those who are not aware of some of the issues that are currently plaguing the church.

[Noel Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

You owe it to yourself to go through this book if you consider yourself a Christian and is weak on knowing what they believe and why. This book is a great way to show the Christian what the Bible says about knowing what you believe, why you believe it, and making a case for defending it. I have heard much of the content of this book in other books and sermons, but this is a good starting point if you have never considered it. I downloaded and listened to this for free on the Library website with my iPod. If you say that you don't have time to read a book, get a library account and download the audiobook version for free. Do you have a commute to work, do you mow the lawn, do you take walks, or do chores at home that do not require use of your ears? You can listen during any of those activities and finish the book very quickly.

[Lance Weldgen Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besides the wordy technical writing, author did a marvelous job in explaining the evil deception that cause the confusion. However, author did not do well in how we should respond apologetically. Author did not tackle the age of apathy and how to wake the sleeping spirit. Otherwise, excellent job by this author. I will recommend this book to people who holds academic high regards but not somewhat to the least academic people.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth is discernible from Scripture. Truth matters. Much of of the New Testament assails false doctrine. For a number of identified reasons, apostasy has crept into the modern church. Believers fail to realize it and therefore do not respond appropriately. In sum, this is a call for discernment and a reminder to "speak[] the truth in love."

[Denton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is highly recommended for someone who doesn't understand or see the current state of Christianity in America

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is very good and recommend it.

[Gina Mcandrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my absolute favorite of John MacArthur's books!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written several years ago, this book is as relevant in 2023 as it was when first published. John McArthur highlights the dangers of the postmodern church and the danger that lies therein. This book is a wake up call to all those in the church that are walking along in the lies of the modern evangelical church. Most believers today are unable to make a stand on a defence for the gospel. John MacArthur points out how important it is to be able to defend the gospel truth in an age of deception. While there is a need to fight for truth in an ungodly world, MacArthur's main focus in this book is to point out the deception and false teaching that has infiltrated into the church. He warns that we all need to be on our guard against the lies and wiles of the devil who has crept into our pews. McArthur traces history of false teaching and gives a brief summary of some of the false teaching and heresy that has long been and continues to be. He then focuses on a practical application towards the end of the book and why it is so important to be able to defend the truth in a post modern society. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it was a good blend of historical pattern through the New Testament and practical application for today's Christian.

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was originally written in 2007 and yet, the same issues in evangelicalism then, are even more of a concern and problem today. This book addresses the rejection of truth and postmodern views of today's society. It seeks to give a biblical response to this dangerous philosophy.
In this book John Macarthur begins by giving a Christian definition of what truth is versus a 21st century definition. He then goes on to give reasons how and why we should fight this. He also gives examples of how false teachers have affected the rise to the anti truth movement and how to deal with this.
This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the concept of biblical truth better. It is a simple read anyone can understand.

[Melissa Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I didn't enjoy reading this book, I got a lot out of it. The main themes were repeated over and over, but our culture is also repetitive in its demand to silence Christians.

I learned that we must speak the truth to non-believers without watering down the gospel.

I have a new appreciation for expository preaching, even though I prefer topical, entertaining sermons. :)

I now see the value in reading these types of books, instead of being like the people this book talked about and thinking that I only need to read the Bible. I don't study Greek or Hebrew, so it makes sense to gleen the correct context of words and verses from someone who dedicates their life to this type of thing.

Five stars because almost everything he wrote was referenced by scriptures.

[Damon Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never one to pull his punches (even when, arguably, he should) John MacArthur delivers a strong polemic in this volume, defending truth, but not just confronting error, but venturing into the arena of "half-truth." Also in MacArthuresque fashion, a strong proponent of biblical truth, he makes regular use of scripture to buttress his points. While, at times, I find MacArthur's dogmatism off-putting, I also deeply respect a man or woman who stands on and speaks from conviction.

If you're a MacArthur fan, you'll enjoy this. If you are put off by directness, it will irritate you.

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness, what a sobering book! The revelation of the widespread subtleties of apostasy within our culture, and specifically the church, were equal parts astounding and convicting. This book made it clear to me that I don't study the Bible enough, and I have not been vigilant in my own life to watch out for improper and unholy thinking in how I process the world I interact with each day. In turn, I can see clearly that I haven't upheld my part in defending the faith.

This is a frightening book to read and a dangerous book to ignore.

[JT Cheek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A call to arms for church leaders to guard their flock against false teachers, primarily from the post-modern mindset. The book cover the letter of Jude and speaks of the importance of fighting for certainty and truth in our congregations. He provides a sobering view of what drives apostates to enter into the church in disguise and to utilize the church and the gospel for their own ends. It also includes a lot of interesting history on early church heresies and how they were defeated. Parts of the book felt repetitive but overall a good read.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente libro de nuestro querido hermano John MacArthur. Todo cristiano deberia leer esta obra y muchas mas de él. No quedan mucho teologos y pastores como John y este libro plantea justamente una batalla contra los que estan distorsionando la Palabra sagrada para sus propios fines. Hermanos, tenemos el deber de contender la Fe. Son los ultimos tiempos y hay "pastores" que le estan allanando el camino al anticristo. Es gravisimo y estan dentro de la casa Sagrada de Dios. Lean este libro y lean la Biblia. Lean.

[Amanda Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Fine. Yep. Typical of John MacArthur. I agree and I like what he has to say. Wish sometimes he had a more...pleasant or less dogmatic way of putting it (some of his assumptions about how "every postmodern person" thinks were so outrageous and over-generalized I laughed out loud!). But all in all, I appreciate his willingness to really look at our culture and see how Satan is waging war with it.