I enjoy going to Barnes & Noble to look at books, check out what's new, or just hang out. It seems like I can't escape any B&N without visiting the Christian book section to see what they have and especially which titles by some of my favorite authors they have. Lately it seems I'm discouraged when I look through the selection of some of the more popular books.
Of course, the most prominent books are the latest thing. With the exception of CS Lewis, good luck finding many books written by dead authors. For that matter, even some older books by current authors. I suppose people want the latest thing, so they're only responding to customer demand; it's hard to fault them for that.
It's also irritating to see books that really aren't Christian at all passed off as such and offered in the Christian book section. There is of course the latest heresy of the daVinci Code and things like that. Perhaps more disturbing are things like the emerging church movement, which seems to deny absolute truth and certainty in faith, the liberal church movement (again, losing sight of absolute truth, refusing to deal with sin or discipline).
Then, we get into the world of books written by those considered to be evangelicals and what do we find? One popular book that is basically promoting the prosperity gospel written by a pastor of a very large, influential church. Another author who is very popular and prolific doesn't believe in the Trinity. I could probably think of some more examples if I tried, but I think you get the point. Even those who we label as evangelicals seem to be slipping away from the truth of Scripture.
Of course, heresy has always been around. Interestingly enough, a lot of the same false teaching around today has been around since Biblical times; just read some of the NT letters to get a feel for that. But what does seem to be getting worse as of late is those who seem willing to distort or overlook the truth of Scripture in order to make people feel better, to be more welcoming, etc. Truth is truth and we have a responsibility to embrace, practice and teach it. Jesus told us that the Gospel would divide people. Now, I don't think that's an excuse to not try to reach people and love people regardless of where they are, but it does show us that watering down the Bible for the sake of bringing people in doesn't work. That's not how God intended it.
How nice would it be to have a bookstore with lots of Christ-centered books grounded solidly in Scripture by wise saints! I guess I'll have to deal with what I can get for now.
-JRO
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5 comments:
Why don't you visit a Christian bookstore then, dufus? We've got two in town, you know. I haven't been to the one on Hooker, but I know The Rock is really nice. I mean, I see your point about there being so many super popular books that are completely off-base and I agree that it sucks, but don't complain about Barnes & Noble when you've got a great Christian bookstore just down the street.
Sam, haven't we talked about cussing? "Dufus" is just crossing the line. You should apologize to Jamie and say 3 positive things about him. This is what I tell the kids I babysit to do when they say something negative about their sibling.
1. Jamie hangs out with some really cool people (Maggie and myself).
2. Jamie has a hot sister who's pretty much in love with me.
3. Jamie has a huge freakin' TV that I plan to steal from him someday.
Also, the word verification right now is, "fckwe." That's way closer to a curse word than "dufus."
Much better, my dear, much better. Don't you feel so good now!!? ;)
I think some of the same sketchiness at least within the real Christian book realm is still there at a lot of Christian book stores. The Rock is generally pretty good, but I've actually found a better selection of some of my favorite authors at B&N. Plus, most of the time I'm going later in the evenings when The Rock is closed.
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