9 Common Lies Christians Believe and Why God’s Truth is Infinitely Better

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 cliché 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. (Feb.)