Friday, December 08, 2006

Link Alert!

My sidebar is getting longer. Tonight in doing some research I was on one of my old stand-by favorites for researching cults. Well, I don't actually research in detail what cults believe and where they meet. But if there is some book, movement, or spiritual group I hear about and I need information on whether they're legit or what's wrong with them, this is the place to go. The website is Let Us Reason. Since it is such a good site, full of Bible-based, evangelical Christian doctrine, I feel pretty confident recommending them.

Let Us Reason is the reason I abandoned my local Christian bookstore. I thought some of the "books of the month" looked a little too flashy, prosperity-gospel, in this to make a buck. Upon checking into some of the books and authors, I'm pretty sure I could be doing better things with my time and money. The Spirit helps us discern, but there's no use spending all our time discerning. Here's my two number-one (is that possible?) clues that a book isn't strongly biblical:

  1. they have ten versions - one for men, women, teens, ethnic groups, grandparents, children...
  2. on the back (or even the front) they promise this book will ____________ (change your life, make you a better person, get you to heaven, make you rich).

Shouldn't the Bible be our primary reading for theology and Christian living? I read Christian books, because they're like written forms of teachers, which the Bible does advocate. Christians with the gift of teaching can teach the Bible to other Christians. Except... some of these books in my local Christian bookstore weren't teaching the Bible. They were teaching tradition, innovation, pop psychology, pragmatism, new-age, mysticism, compromise, tolerance... Seriously, I get more out of a secular novel like Emma than out of those books.

Lots of ellipses. I can ramble (ahem, rant) about this subject a lot. Such a course of action wouldn't be edifying.

Do you know what I find beautiful? How the Bible flows. Read a large portion of it aloud to yourself, even from Psalms or Proverbs - several chapters. Think about how the transitions are made, and similar imagery or themes are tied together. For me this week I've been reading John 14-17. The whole thing is Jesus' last conversation with His disciples and His Father. Note the themes. Note how He turns from what is going to happen to what He expects of His disciples to what they can expect of others to what He requests of God. How sweet and simple. The pure milk of the word is refreshing, isn't it?

To God be all glory.
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4 comments:

  1. The WarriorDecember 08, 2006 9:47 PM

    I don't know who this group is, but will check it out eventually. It might prove useful.

    And btw, do you read Walter Martin? He's good.... 8)

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  2. Lisa of LongbournDecember 08, 2006 11:51 PM

    Who is Walter Martin? On what topic does he write?
    To God be all glory,
    Lisa of Longbourn

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  3. The WarriorDecember 09, 2006 9:07 AM

    You know, the famous cult researcher?

    An indespensable resource. Plus, your own copy of things like the Book of Mormon come in handy more than you would think, actually.


    http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Cults-Walter-Martin/dp/0764228218/sr=8-1/qid=1165680312/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5790748-6013709?ie=UTF8&s=books

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  4. Lisa of LongbournDecember 09, 2006 12:50 PM

    Ah! Of Kingdom of the Cults I've heard. I do have a copy of the Book of Mormon, but I've never read any of it or used it. Once I read almost everything Josh McDowell had to say on Latter Day Saints, which was very interesting and supplies the rudimentary knowledge I have of why Mormons don't believe the same thing I do. McDowell has a book about cults and religious that was less daunting a reference than Kingdom of the Cults, so that's what I've read. My mom refers to Kingdom of the Cults, so she's probably read parts of it.

    Thanks!
    To God be all glory,
    Lisa of Longbourn

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