Three Things the Top 25 Christian Books Sold in 2014 Reveal About American Christianity

Earlier this week the list of the top 25 books sold in Christian bookstores in 2014 was released.  Among the 25 books on the list there is exactly one that I would remotely consider Christian.  Ironically enough, that one is authored by a man, Thom Rainer, who makes his living selling the other 24.  Some of the books are harmless enough, perhaps even helpful, but not really Christian.  I would put books like The Five Love Languages and Boundaries into this category.  While written by Christians and supposedly based on Biblical principles, they’re not really Christian books in the sense that they don’t have any real connection to the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

Unfortunately, and unfortunately not surprising, many of the books are beyond problematic.  Five of the books are some form of Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, a woman who claims she’s writing the very words of Jesus.  Only, it turns out there are factual errors, and her Jesus doesn’t really sound anything at all like the Jesus of Scripture.  Sarah Young is a false prophet.  Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes teach Word-of-Faith theology, a theological system that diverges from orthodox Christianity on virtually every point.  Heaven is for Real is not true.  Heaven is for real, but the Bible tells us so, and tells us that no one can go and come back.  Paul saw Heaven and he wasn’t permitted to tell about it.  He certainly didn’t write a book to profit off of the experience.  

I could go on, but frankly looking at the list just hurts my heart.  I get accused of being arrogant, divisive, unloving, judgmental, and Pharisaical quite frequently online.  I do listen when the accusations are made, but I don’t think the accusations are correct.  I grieve for the church in America.  I really do.  The things I say, the articles I share, and now write, are all from a place of genuine grief over the state of the church in my home country.  

What does the list of 2014 Christian bestsellers reveal about American Christianity?  Here are three things I see.

1.) Most professing Christians in America have no discernment at all.  American Christians, generally speaking, cannot distinguish truth from error.  The top 25 list is full of verifiable false prophets and false teachers.  No one seems to recognize this or even care.  The sad reality is that many professing Christians are actually taught not to care.  Their pastors not only fail to teach and rebuke sound doctrine, although that is a Biblical requirement for a man to hold the office of pastor (Titus 1:9), they actually tell people not to engage in theological study and questioning whether or not what is being taught is true.  Jesus had a word for men like this though: hirelings (John 10:7-18).  

Question to ask yourself: Does my pastor teach sound doctrine?  Or, does my pastor tell me doctrine and theology don’t matter?  If it’s the latter, run for your life!  Seriously.  Nothing less than your soul is at stake.

2.) Most professing Christians in America practice a faith that is completely divorced from historic Christianity.  A few years ago some researches coined the phrase Moralistic Therapeutic Deism to describe the religion that is practiced in America under the name of Christianity.  The basic premise is that professing Christians in America believe that there is a God, that he wants them to do good things, and he exists to make their lives better.  The list of 25 best sellers is full of books that fall into this category.  You probably won’t find much, if any, talk about Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected for the forgiveness of sins, the reality of Hell, or God’s judgment on unrepentant sinners in any of the 25 books.  Mostly you’ll find how to live a more enjoyable life right now.  

Question to ask yourself: Does my pastor preach Christ crucified and resurrected for the forgiveness of sins, or does he preach my best life now?  If it’s the latter, run for your life!  Seriously.  Nothing less than your soul is at stake.

3.) Most professing Christians in America are not Christians.  I know this is awfully judgmental of me, but I am convinced it is true.  Research has shown that professing Christians can’t articulate the basics of the Christian faith and usually believe things to be true that are outright contradictions of Scripture.  This is why my heart breaks.  This is why I’m constantly trying to point out the problems in American Christianity.  I am convinced that the vast majority of professing Christians in America are going to stand before Jesus on the Day of Judgment and hear, “I never knew you; depart from me.”  

Questions to ask yourself:

If someone asked me what it means to be a Christian, could I tell them with confidence that I am delivering the same message delivered by Jesus and the Apostles?  If the answer is no, how can I claim to believe what I cannot explain?

Do I believe that people are basically good, or that they are born under the curse of sin with no good in them unless they are given new life by Christ?  If you believe the former you don’t believe what the Bible teaches.

Do I believe that it is possible to get to Heaven by being a good person?  If you believe this you don’t believe what the Bible teaches.

Do I believe that saying a sinner’s prayer and being baptized means I go to Heaven no matter what? If you believe this you don’t believe what the Bible teaches.

Do I believe that the outcome of a Christian life is a life relatively free of problems and full of personal fulfillment?  If you believe this you don’t believe what the Bible teaches.      

Do I believe in the God of the Bible or the false god of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism? Do I know the difference?

Friends, I’ve mentioned several times in this article that nothing less than your soul is at stake.  That is the truth.  Religion is not a game; we are talking today about the difference between eternal life in glory with God or eternal death in Hell separated from God.  Do you know where you stand with God right now?

The message of the Bible is actually quite simple.  All people born from Adam and Eve onward are born under the curse of sin.  We are born physically alive but spiritually dead.  Because of the curse of sin we rebel against the good, loving, and holy God who made us in his image every chance we get.  The Bible repeatedly says there is none who does good, that all have gone astray.  God is loving and merciful, but he is also just and holy.  His holy righteousness demands a penalty for sin.  That penalty is death, physically in this life and eternally in Hell.

Because God is loving and merciful He sent His eternally existent Son, Jesus, to live on the earth as a man and die a sacrificial death in order to redeem a people from the curse for Himself.  Jesus lived without sin all the days of His life.  God poured out His wrath on His own Son, allowing His creation to put His Son to death on a Roman cross.  Three days later, to prove that Jesus didn’t deserve to die and that His sacrifice had been accepted, God raised Jesus from the dead.  He lives to this day at the right hand of God the Father and will live forevermore.  

Jesus’ message was simple.  Repent and believe the gospel.  Repentance and belief means believing Jesus’ message and forsaking your sin and all else to worship Jesus as Lord.  There is no amount of good that you can do to erase your debt of sin.  The forgiveness of your sins comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  When you come to true faith in Jesus, all of your sins are washed away and Jesus' righteousness is credited to you so that you can stand before God holy and blameless.  While your good works can’t save you, the evidence of genuine faith is the doing of the good works commanded in Scripture.

Do you have genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you ever repented of your sin and trusted in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins?  Does your life look like the life of a believer in Jesus as described by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament?  If not, please don’t delay.  Believe, and have eternal life today.