LifeWay and Tyndale House Have Brought Reproach Upon the Bride of Christ

When #the15 was first becoming whatever it is, there were several groups that showed up on Twitter to tell us to shut up. First were the racists complaining about the fact that #the15 seemed to be comprised mostly of white men, even though we weren't talking about race. Then a group of gay post-graduate students from liberal seminaries came by and mocked us even though we weren't talking about homosexuality.  Then the rabid SBC anti-Calvinists, whose understanding of grace and forgiveness is as tortured as their understanding of  ὁ πιστεύων in John 3:16, showed up with their usual vitriol.  Finally, the tone police stepped in shaking their e-heads and wagging their e-fingers with the standard refrain, "the world is watching."

When I hear people complain about the tone of those few Christians in North America who think that truth matters I can only assume they've never actually read the Bible. The Old Testament Prophets, John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, John, and Jesus himself all used much stronger language than I or anyone I follow has ever used when calling out false teachers for what they are.

The truth is the world generally doesn't pay attention to Christians debating right theology and practices, and even if the world was paying to attention to #the15 they would have seen a few hundred people calling on LifeWay to stop profiting off of the sale of false teaching and the various groups above telling us to stop talking and crawl back into the holes we came from.  I'm not exactly sure how #the15 would reflect poorly upon Christ.

So the unbelieving world wasn't paying attention.  Then the Pulpit and Pen ran an open letter from Alex Malarkey, "The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven". He publicly stated what he and his mom had both been trying to communicate for years, that the book was fiction.  He was a six year old boy who wanted attention and told lies.  A sin, yes, but his public repentance evidences that his faith in Christ is now genuine and his sins are washed clean by the blood of Christ.  

The world still didn't know who #the15 were, but the story made international news and more than a week later continues to do so. The initial story was only that the boy recanted his story. Those of us who have been paying attention, those who have for years been begging and pleading with LifeWay to stop selling these heavenly tourism books that contradict Scripture and each other, knew that there was much more to the story. Now the story behind the story is in the international news.

Beth Malarkey, Justin Peters, and Phil Johnson had all been doing everything they could to inform Tyndale House, the publisher of The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, and LifeWay, the world's largest Christian retailer and a Southern Baptist entity, that Alex did not stand by his original story.  Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer of LifeWay knew this, and they continued to sell the book.  The executives of Tyndale House knew this, and they continued to produce and market the book.

To make the whole mess worse, although Alex Malarkey, who is a quadriplegic with many medical expenses, is listed as a co-author of the book, he and his mother haven't received a dime in royalties.  Tyndale House knew this also. 

When Alex first wrote his open letter last week, both Tyndale House and LifeWay released statements stating that they had just learned of his recantation.  Both Tyndale House and LifeWay lied.

For years LifeWay and Tyndale House have both knowingly and intentionally participated in the exploitation of a quadriplegic boy for their own profit.

For years both LifeWay and Tyndale House have knowingly and intentionally sold lies for profit.

For years both LifeWay and Tyndale House knowingly and intentionally defrauded customers, selling them a book they knew was not true.

Now, with the world paying attention not to the supposed petty bickering of #the15 but one of the scandals we were upset about to begin with, both LifeWay and Tyndale House are bringing reproach upon the name of our Savior in the eyes of the unbelieving world.  

Thom Rainer and Ed Stetzer need to be relieved of their duties at LifeWay.  They have betrayed the trust of the Southern Baptists who gave them those positions.  More importantly, they have grievously sinned, and until they repent the church should treat them as Scripture instructs us to treat unrepentant sinners.   

Before anyone accuses of me of being a cold-hearted legalist, let me say that the good news for Thom Rainer, Ed Stetzer, and everyone at Tyndale House, the good news for all of us, is that Jesus has an unending supply of grace for sinners who come to Him in humble repentance.  Jesus also said that we will know true believers by their fruit, and right now the fruit of Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer appears to be rotten to the very core.  

I remain hopeful that Stetzer, Rainer, and the executives of Tyndale House will soon do the right thing and confess their sins and repent. I pray it happens.  But at the time of this writing, neither LifeWay nor Tyndale House has even acknowledged that a scandal exists.  

I also pray that what's been dubbed the Evangelical Industrial Complex, the Christian publishers, TV/radio stations, music producers, and conference circuit, will take notice and clean up their acts.  For too long they have blasphemed our Lord by peddling false doctrine for profit.  #the15 aren't going away.  When we see corruption we're going to do whatever we can to bring it into the light. We do this not from a twisted desire to see lives and careers destroyed, but out of love for our neighbor and the glory of the name of our Lord. 

(If you think I've been too harsh today, I would encourage to listen to the Justin Peters Program episode dated January 19, 2015.)

Three Reasons I'm Calling on Lifeway to Reform

Over the last week a movement has come together on Twitter known as #the15. I won't go into all the details of what the group is or how it came together, but if you're interested you can read this Baptist News Global article that does a good job of explaining the origin.

The name #the15 came about due to a comment by Ed Stetzer, head of LifeWay Research. The primary objective of #the15 at this point is, at a very minimum, hearing an answer from Thom Rainer, Ed Stetzer, and the LifeWay trustees on why LifeWay sells books and materials that are not just outside of Southern Baptist beliefs, but clearly outside Christian orthodoxy.  For years phone calls, e-mails, and Twitter questions have gone unanswered.

An acknowledgement that rank and file Southern Baptists have questions isn't really enough though.  LifeWay needs to remove all books, music, and other materials coming from false teachers and false churches.  Furthermore, they need to not offer to order books by Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and gay "Christians" that they don't carry in the store on the basis of doctrinal differences when those books are requested.  The Biblical standard is to rebuke and have nothing to do with those who teach false doctrine, not sell their materials for profit.

Unsurprisingly, #the15 has gained critics.  Some are criticizing things we haven't said. Some have a personal ax to grind with some of the more well known people who have joined the15. One common objection has been that reforming LifeWay won't prevent people from buying bad books. That's true. Unbelievers masquerading as Christians will find teachers who will tickle their itching ears and feed their carnal desires. Paul told us so in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

Still, I am among those who will continue to call for LifeWay to reform.  Here are three reasons why.

As a Southern Baptist I have both a right and a responsibility to demand doctrinal purity in Southern Baptist entities.  I have an obligation to warn against false teaching wherever I see it, but I don't really have any right to appeal to Rome or cults like Bethel in Redding, CA to change what they sell in their bookstores. I'm an outsider.  I do have a right to demand the leaders of my own denomination adhere to Biblical doctrine.  I can't force them to change, but if I make my concerns known I can sleep at night knowing my hands are clean.

Weak and Immature believers are easily led astray.  Imagine there's a woman named Becky.  She's the typical Southern Baptist wife and mother.  She faithfully attends her church with her family and serves where needed.  She hears a steady diet of topical, a-doctrinal sermons with an emphasis on what she needs to do rather than hearing what Christ has done.  One day she goes to LifeWay and sees a big display highlighting the book Jesus Calling.  She reads that a woman heard from Jesus every day for a year! How exciting!  Becky buys the book and begins reading every day.  She feels so loved and encouraged by the words Sarah Young heard from "Jesus." She has no idea that she's probably reading the words of a demon.  The Jesus of Jesus Calling is not the Jesus of the Bible, but Becky is clueless because she hasn't actually been taught the Bible.  She begins to tell her friends about the wonderful book she discovered.  Soon half the church is listening to the voice of a false Jesus.

The same scenario could unfold with any of the dangerous books Lifeway sells.  A little leaven leavens the whole lump.  A little false doctrine in one church member opens the door to more false doctrine in that person's life and in the life of the whole church.  A person who wants to buy false teaching can find it, but when Lifeway sells false teaching they could inadvertently lead well-meaning people astray.  As the operator of a Christian bookstore, the burden is on LifeWay to ensure that they are selling Christian rather than pagan books to people who don't know better.

People who are caught up in false doctrine generally don't realize they're caught up in false doctrine.  In my home town LifeWay is the only Christian bookstore that I know of.  So they're not just serving Baptists.  People who are in Word of Faith/Prosperity churches will shop there alongside Roman Catholics next to hyper-legalistic Bible-belters.  Someone who comes in looking for a book by a certain false teacher may not realize the author is a false teacher.  As a supposedly mission-minded denomination, the Southern Baptist owned and operated LifeWay should not miss out on the opportunity to share the gospel with someone who has never actually heard it.  Yes, the person may storm out in anger, but they may just listen to what the person speaking to them has to say.  Either way, the LifeWay employees will have done what they're Biblicaly required to do rather than participating in the spiritual equivalent of selling crack to a junkie.

I don't know if #the15 will achieve anything in the end.  We will rest in Christ knowing we've done what our King has commanded us to do.  Please join with me in praying for LifeWay to reform, for the true gospel of Christ to be proclaimed and defended, and for the Southern Baptist Convention, and all denominations, to grow in purity and obedience to her Lord.