Christian Books-Valid or Not?

I thought I start an interesting topic for a change-

Have you've read Christian Books that seemed Valid or Not?

(This thread has nothing to do with the Bible)

I've read Christian writers work, and I think to myself-Is it for Jesus or Profit?

I'm skeptical on many books that I've read, and wondered where do they come up with a Theory like that? Many of it is not even Biblical, or was this revealed to them in a Vision?

I think out of reading many books, only three I have favored.

So out of the Christian books you have read, do they seem Valid to you, or do you believe the author hyped it up for Profit?

Do they do this for Christ? Or themselves?

I think I have seen a mixture of this.

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What exactly do you mean by valid?

Are you suggesting Christian writers should write for free?

What sort of theories do you mean? Many books are accounts of various experiences. Or do you mean they challenge you regarding what you believe? And why shouldn't they do that? Because someone writes a book doesn't mean you have to agree, but it might just open your eyes to something you hadn't considered before!

I agree, many Christian books are badly written and badly edited. But then so are lots of other books. They don't sell, and so quietly die.

Having said all that, there are some great Christian classics, and a lot of new Christian books that I am sure will become classics.

Perhaps you could enlarge on your OP.

Like anything else Christian books can be edifying or they can be trash. Unfortunately, mass market trade books dont' have a monopoly on that....

RubiesFire1382 said:

When I mean Valid-Do they write in ways that the book can reach and teach.

It has nothing to do with what I believe-I should of made this more clear-sorry about that.

I've read Christian books that claim Jesus will come back in a UFO.
Or God and Buddha live in Heaven with many other Deitys, and these people claim to be Christian writers.

Some suggest God created Fairies and Unicorns among Earth, and we don't see them, but only children.

And no Christian's shouldn't write for free, but I've seem some boast on Television about it how much they have made, so that is why I am wondering, if they are in it for profit or Christ.

Hope that clears it up.

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I'd be real interested to know what some of these "Christian books" are that claim Jesus is a space alien (which, btw..is Mark Age) or that God & Budda live in heaven with other deities. I seriously doubt any of the books you might list are considered "Christian books" by anyone in the Christian community and are placed in either the "Religion", "Philosophy", "Metaphysics", "New Age" or "Spirituality" section of the book store.

And I'd be even MORE interested in a Christian author bragging about how much money they make as an author.

Danny

RubiesFire1382 said:

The books I have read and will point out-were located in the Christian line of books at my Bookstore, not with New Age, ect. section.

1. The Wisdom Teachings of Archangel Michael.
2. The UFO- Jesus Connection.
3. Was Jesus influenced by Buddhism? A comparative study of their lives and thoughts of Gutama and Jesus.

The Christian Authors/Preachers I speak of have bragged how wealthy they have become by books. I've heard many say it, and many of these Preachers are very popular here in America-Word of Faith teachers. It's not hard to figure out who they are, but when I begin listing names I'm sure many of Christians like them here on CF, so I'll keep it at that. I'm sure a few names have already come to your mind.

These are only a few I have read and studied, and yes they were only found in the Christian part of my bookstore, no where else.

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I do not know where you shop for books, but if it is a brandname, national chain then the Christian section is probably based on something other than theology - that is, there is no orthodox position governing the selection.

If you are looking for authors who may have something enriching to say I suggest you ask a few seasoned believers here for a suggestion or two. Anyone can write a "Christian" book, I suppose, and have it marketed in the Christian section of most bookstores if they have a good agent, especially if it is catchy and likely to sell.

There are several publishers that attempt to publish books only if they meet rather well-defined doctrinal viewpoints - and these exist for a variety of doctrinal positions ranging from Evangelical to Roman Catholic to Charismatic to Reformed/Puritan, etc.

Good reading to you.

RubiesFire1382 said:

The books I have read and will point out-were located in the Christian line of books at my Bookstore, not with New Age, ect. section.

1. The Wisdom Teachings of Archangel Michael.
2. The UFO- Jesus Connection.
3. Was Jesus influenced by Buddhism? A comparative study of their lives and thoughts of Gutama and Jesus.

The Christian Authors/Preachers I speak of have bragged how wealthy they have become by books. I've heard many say it, and many of these Preachers are very popular here in America-Word of Faith teachers. It's not hard to figure out who they are, but when I begin listing names I'm sure many of Christians like them here on CF, so I'll keep it at that. I'm sure a few names have already come to your mind.

These are only a few I have read and studied, and yes they were only found in the Christian part of my bookstore, no where else.

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Your bookstore is placing books in the wrong place. "Was Jesus Influenced by Buddhism?" is by Dwight Goddard. Dwight Goddard is a Buddhist, not a Christian. Here are some of his other books:

• The Lankavatara Sutra: An Epitomized Version
• The Buddha's Golden Path: A Manual Of Practical Buddhism Based On The Teachings And Practices Of The Zen Sect, But Interpreted And Adapted To Meet Modern Conditions
• Woman in Buddhism (Fellowship following Buddha) (Fellowship following Buddha)
• Buddhistic Concentration of Spirit to Tranquilization
• The Buddha's Golden Path: The Classic Introduction to Zen Buddhism

Obviously NOT a Christian or a Christian writer.

The UFO-Jesus Connection was written by David E Twichell. While David claims to be an avid reader of the Bible, his main focus is on UFO's and space aliens. Here are a couple of his books:

• [FONT=&quot]Filer's Files: Worldwide Reports of Ufo Sightings[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Global Implications of the UFO Reality[/FONT]

Then there's Brad Steiger, co-author of The Wisdom Teachings of the Arch Angel Micheal. Brad's primary area of interest is animal intelligence and Native American mysticism. Here are just a few of his books:

• The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings
• Totems: The Transformative Power of Your Personal Animal Totem
• Out of the Dark: The Complete Guide to Beings from Beyond
• Alien Rapture: The Chosen
• American Indian Medicine Dream Book

Your book store is more interested in selling you books than guiding you to Christian reading. I'm pretty sure there is a local Christian book store in your town. I've seen them even in the smallest locals. If not, you can try http://christianbook.com. If you're looking for some good reviews, check this out: http://vineyardnac.com/articles_and_reviews.htm.
The reviews on that site are not my own, but I tend to agree with them.

I would highly recommend "The Secret Message of Jesus" by Brian McLaren.



As for those WoFer's you are referring too...I won't even get started. I know of one WoF church here in town where the people are struggling to make one end meet the other while their pastor drives a new car every 8-12 months, has purchased a new home, several rental properties, etc...I'm all for prosperity...but like I said, I won't get into it here. We fight about that enough over on the Pentecostal/Charismatic - Spirit Filled forum.

Danny

Do some Christians write books for profit? Oh yes, no doubt.

Do all Chrsitians do so? No.

Do all Christian that write books ask money for them? No again.

There's several books written by Christians that are free to read online - granted, if you want a hard copy of the book you have to pay, but heck, they have them free online, so it's not like they're out for that much of a profit.

That's my opinion on the matter anyway

I have read a few christian books. I think that these books for the most part are good. They provide new ideas and give new insight on ideas you might be turning around in your head.

I will say this though... I will only take the book seriously if they use scripture to back up there thoughts, mostly because this allows me to see where they are coming from, and from that I can decide for myself if I agree or not.

RubiesFire1382 said:

I thought I start an interesting topic for a change-

Have you've read Christian Books that seemed Valid or Not?

(This thread has nothing to do with the Bible)

I've read Christian writers work, and I think to myself-Is it for Jesus or Profit?

I'm skeptical on many books that I've read, and wondered where do they come up with a Theory like that? Many of it is not even Biblical, or was this revealed to them in a Vision?

I think out of reading many books, only three I have favored.

So out of the Christian books you have read, do they seem Valid to you, or do you believe the author hyped it up for Profit?

Do they do this for Christ? Or themselves?

I think I have seen a mixture of this.

Click to expand...

I read Purpose Driven Life and I rather enjoyed that and found it helpful. I also have a devotional book by Charles Spurgeon that I find to be very useful.