Yibbie > Status Update

"There are thousands of books and blogs written every year by those who profess to be Christians. Many of these have serious theological problems that can derail readers who do not engage such works with biblical discernment. Christians must learn to exegete such literature using the same hermeneutical principles they use when reading Scripture. In addition, they must develop the skill of filtering everything they read through the grid of Scripture to determine whether what they are reading truly emerges from the Word of God. It is not enough that a piece of writing does not contradict the Bible; the issue is whether it is drawn from the teaching of the Bible itself. If not, then what is being read may be practical, helpful, or interesting, but it does not carry the weight of “thus says the Lord.” This is essential when an author is explaining their understanding of the gospel, or sanctification, or spiritual disciplines, or the functioning of the church, or doctrine.

Approaching Christian literature in this matter would quickly reveal destructive teachings in many of the most popular books and websites floating around within evangelicalism today. Books like, Girl Wash Your Face would be exposed as second-rate motivational teaching, The Circle Maker as a false system of prayer based on myths rather than Scripture, The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective as a personality typing system drawn from Roman Catholic and Muslim mystics, with no biblical base, Deep and Wide as a pragmatic church methodology lacking biblical ecclesiology, and Jesus Calling as an affront to the inspiration of Scripture.[1] Scores of similar books are read annually by millions of Christians to their detriment. Such literature often replaces the Bible in a real sense for multitudes of believers, and few are aware of the consequences." Gary Gilley

And "Your Best Life Now" is absolutely not biblical. Joel Osteen's teachings focus totally on oneself rather than God. Just the title of the book alone is telling enough.

Thanks for sharing, Yibbie!

Reader wrote: "And "Your Best Life Now" is absolutely not biblical. Joel Osteen's teachings focus totally on oneself rather than God. Just the title of the book alone is telling enough."

So true!

Gary Gilley is pastor and author. He writes really good books, articles, and reviews. You can find the later on his website. I heartily recommend them.

I'll check it out. Thanks.