9 Common Lies Christians Believe
And Why God's Truth Is Infinitely Better
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4.4 • 17 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Maybe God isn't who you think He is. Maybe He's much better. Pastor and speaker Shane Pruitt guides readers in identifying the Christian cliches we've all heard that are actually unbiblical lies. He then counters with the truths about God as presented in the Bible, truths that bring encouragement and freedom for our lives.
God won't give you more than you can handle. Really? Pastor and speaker Shane Pruitt shines a light on this and other Christian cliches that upon further inspection are actually unbiblical lies that keep far too many believers stuck in spiritual immaturity.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pruitt (The Secret Place), director of evangelism for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, challenges readers to question whether what they think they know about God lines up with scripture in this persuasive book. When Pruitt and his wife discovered that their adopted son had severe health challenges due to gangrene, despite their heartache and anger, they felt they had to keep up the appearance of being in control and at peace. Meanwhile, Pruitt discovered that well-meaning members of their congregation's clich comments about being the "good Christian" proved more annoying than helpful. Realizing that many Christians hold unproductive, untrue ideas about the nature of Christianity, he decided to structure the book around nine common lies he believes Christians tell themselves often to help deal with difficult circumstances. For instance, God actually does give people more than they can handle, Pruitt suggests, because otherwise, followers would have no need to turn to him in prayer. Also, the phrase "God gained another angel" is false, he writes, citing the difference between "angelic" and a human being, reminding readers that scripture doesn't say that everyone who dies will spend eternity in heaven. Other false statements he argues Christians believe include "God just wants me to be happy" and "Follow your heart." This is a wonderfully reasoned book that strikes at the core of unhelpful platitudes distorted from Biblical scripture.
Customer Reviews
good points, but a little reliant on common tropes
All in all, I felt this book did a great job of addressing some commonly held misconceptions around Christian belief. I’ve wresteled with some of these ideas myself, and Shane’s chapters help reinforce my thinking on several issues.
That being said, I felt that a few chapters (5,6) were somewhat weak. For example: after reading myth 5 (follow your heart), I was a bit disappointed to come away from the chapter with the trope ‘don’t follow your heart, follow Jesus instead.’ So little time was devoted to the point 'follow your heart' as a euphemism for do what feels right, which needed much more attention. Stronger point: sometimes what feels right isn’t right. However, the heart is metonymous with love and Shane goes there. Shane’s relationship stories (Bertha & high school) convey feelings of emptiness for which the topic of grace would be relevant. Following Jesus feels like an easy answer, but this millenial wants more substantial ‘food for thought.'
Many problems needed a deeper dive and some counterpoints to really flesh them out. The book is still worth your time, but do choose to explore these myths in more depth outside this book. You’ll be richer for it.