Further Conversation on Christian Books

I am not against all Christian books. On the contrary, there are many well written and thought provoking books available. I have been meeting with a group of woman once a week and we have been going through a book by Jay E. Adams tittled From Forgiven to Forgiving. I have found it to be a challenging work and it has encouraged me to make several changes in how I deal with relationships. BUT, whenever I decide to read a book like this I have to keep several things in mind. First and foremost this book is not on the same level as the bible and should not be treated as an equal to the bible. No work published by man is on equal footing with the bible.

I have to actively read the book. I can not be passive and accepting of the material. Ideas and concepts must be checked against scripture. I have to be aware and on the look out for scriptures that are taken out of context or used as a single support for an idea yet contradict Gods word when the entirety of scripture is consulted. This is an often found abuse of the word of God. Gods word is consistent. One verse is not the same as the whole counsel.

Sometimes, things that contradict Gods word are presented as "new revelations". Gods word has been studied for centuries and held under a microscope time and time again. Whenever a new interpretation is presented we should be leery. It takes a tremendous amount of ego to believe that the church has had the bible wrong for centuries and you are just now interpreting it correctly.

Not all ideas and concepts are blatant. Sometimes they are hidden in the shadows and under a rock but a writer always writes with a bias. Knowing the bias of an author can be helpful in discerning the content of the work. Bias often turns into an agenda that is being promoted.