I quote below some snippets of what Marsha West had to say about what you will find in protestant Christian bookstores. You really need to read the full article to get the true drift into apostasy. Christian bookstores are a good reflection of Christianity in America today. So obviously we can see by what is selling that Christianity in America is becoming increasingly apostate. Is it any wonder then that our nation is also in great decline both morally and economically?<\/p>\n
The Christian bookstores and airwaves are full of deception and the people of this nation cannot discern truth because they have become biblically illiterate. It is really getting hard to find churches that have not bought into one of the latest heresies. These are not minor secondary issues either because they address the very fundamentals of the Christian faith. If “Christians” do not believe the fundamental teaching of Christianity how can they even claim that they are Christians? They certainly have a different gospel and a different Jesus then the one found in the Bible.<\/p>\n
Another point I think this article makes clear is that many of the books now found in “Christian” bookstores contain heresy. So do not just pick up any book and believe that because it came from a “Christian” bookstore that it is teaching Christian doctrine or concepts. Christians have to be very discerning about who they learn from because we live in very deceptive times.<\/p>\n
Marsha West — Be Careful What You Buy in Christian Bookstores<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n False teachers and charlatans persist solely because Christian\u2019s have become biblically illiterate. Many believers think studying the Bible is so dull and boring that they can\u2019t be bothered anymore. So they\u2019re ripe for the picking. And this is not the exception but the rule!<\/p>\n If it\u2019s true that the Bible is God\u2019s Word, shouldn\u2019t what He says matter to those who believe in Him? Evidently not because many people who say they \u201clove the Lord\u201d have no clue what\u2019s in the Bible \u2013 and clearly they don\u2019t care to find out!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> Let\u2019s say the Gospels were made up, as the unbeliever claims, how, then, will the person who has given his or her life to Christ know anything at all about Him? Moreover, if the Bible is merely a book of fables, when Jesus was tested by the devil, why did He quote from Deuteronomy 6:6, 6:13, 8:3 and 10:20?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> counterfeit Christians are relentless in their plan to deconstruct historical, orthodox Christianity. They want to mold Christianity into a one size fits all religion that appeals to everyone. To be successful they must refashion the Jesus of the Bible into a tolerant, all-inclusive Savior who condemns no one. Sound familiar?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> Books that put a positive spin on the cults, the occult, New Age spirituality, Eastern mysticism, homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals transgenders, and what not are available through online Christian outlets as well as in walk-in stores. Here\u2019s a point to ponder: So-called Christian publishing houses are the largest suppliers of outright heresy.<\/b> Oddly, Christian publishers and outlets are responsible (or should I say irresponsible) for much of the apostasy because they give false teachers a platform for what simply equates to heresy!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> It is amazing to see how these once faithful publishers of evangelical orthodoxy are now consistently and deliberately launching a massive but subtle attack against the “Fundamentals” for which Evangelicalism stood courageously against liberalism in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> Visit just about any Christian bookstore (CB) and you\u2019ll see display cases and shelves stocked with spiritual merchandise, including jewelry, figurines, framed pictures, greeting cards, calendars, posters, music \u2013 you name it they stock it. But what\u2019s disconcerting about these stores is that they also stock books that not only attack the fundamentals of the faith, some of the books contain out and out heresy! Christian publishers and storeowners have a responsibility to examine the material they sell!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> One of the most popular prosperity preachers is Joel Osteen<\/b>. If you\u2019re a fan of Joel\u2019s, please don\u2018t stop reading — just hear me out. I realize that it\u2019s hard to believe that Rev. Osteen would steer you wrong. But don\u2019t be fooled by his humble demeanor, his neatly coiffed hair and dazzling smile. Listen to what he says about faith in his best-selling book, \u201cYour Best Life Now\u201d:<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to begin speaking words of faith over your life. Your words have enormous creative power. The moment you speak something out, you give birth to it. This is a spiritual principle, and it works whether what you\u2019re saying is good or bad, positive or negative.\u201d [1]<\/p>\n This so-called spiritual principle is \u201cthe law of attraction.\u201d New Age guru, Rhonda Byrnes, author of \u201cThe Secret\u201d believes \u201cyou create your life through your thoughts.\u201d Joel believes the same thing! Those who choose to read his books, attend or watch his church service on TV are sitting under a false teacher!<\/p>\n Joel Osteen is not alone. The Rev. T. D. Jakes<\/b> is a spiritual advisor to President Obama. He has been labeled a \u201cblack Billy Graham.\u201d Yet Rev. Jakes teaches something Billy never taught:<\/p>\n \u201cJesus was a rich man. He had to have been, in order to have supported his disciples and their families during his ministry.\u201d[2]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> In her book \u201cThe Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make\u201d Joyce Meyer<\/b> writes this heresy:<\/p>\n \u201cDuring that time He [Jesus] entered hell, where you and I deserved to go (legally) because of our sin. He paid the price there. …no plan was too extreme. … Jesus said on the cross and in hell.\u201d she continues…. God rose up from His throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless Son of God, ‘Let Him go.’ Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus. …He was resurrected from the dead – the first born-again man. [5]<\/i><\/p>\n Admittedly some of Joyce\u2019s teaching is biblical, however her teaching on the Atonement, which is a central doctrine of the faith, is heretical. Why would Jesus Christ, who is God, need to be born again in hell?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> Here is a partial list of other word-faith apostates:<\/b><\/p>\n Kenneth Hagin, Charles Capps, Oral Roberts, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Paul and Jan Crouch, John Hagee, Rod Parsley, Todd Bentley, Paula White, Fred Price, Jerry Savelle, Robert Tilton, Marilyn Hickey, Morris Cerullo, Miles Munroe, Jesse Duplantis, Steve Munsey, Ken Clement and Ed Young<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> I would be remiss if I failed to mention William P. Young\u2019s mega-selling book \u201cThe Shack.<\/b>\u201d Like ACIM, some church groups use it as a \u201cBible\u201d study. But is \u201cThe Shack\u201d based on sound biblical principles? I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but the answer is a resounding No!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Now, if the anti-Shack folks are right in their assessment of the book\u2019s contents, wouldn\u2019t it be prudent for CBs that choose to sell the controversial book to at least post a disclaimer?<\/p>\n A disclaimer should also be posted next to books by Emerging\/Emergent Church (ECM) proponents as these men and women have been roundly criticized for their unorthodox views.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> ECM does not hold to the authority of Scripture, hence they are careless in their handling of it. They\u2019re all about political liberalism with a social gospel, pluralism, and universalism. As I pointed out in my article, \u201cEmergent Church Spreading Spiritual Cancer\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/a> Here\u2019s a partial list of prominent voices in ECM:<\/b><\/p>\n N.T. Wright, John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas, Ryan Bolger, Wilbert Shenk, Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Erwin McManus, Dan Kimball, Scot McKnight, Elizabeth O\u2019Connor, Nancey Murphy, Leonard Sweet, Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Donald Miller and Phyllis Tickle.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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