If the affluence of America impressed me, the affluence of Christians impressed me even more. The United States has about 5,000 Christian book and gift stores, carrying varieties of products beyond my ability to imagine–and many secular stores also carry religious books. All this while 6,800 of the world’s 13,500 languages are still without a single portion of the Bible published in their own language! In his book My Billion Bible Dream, Rochunga Pudaite says, “Eighty-five percent of all Bibles printed today are in English for the nine percent of the world who read English. Eighty percent of the world’s people have never owned a Bible while Americans have an average of four in every household.”
– K.P. Yohannan
Christ Alone Wyoming 
Of course, when referring to Christian bookstores, Mr. yohanan could have put the word “Christian” in quotes. There’s a local chain called Cedar Springs, and I think my wife and I may have to bnoycott them. The last time I was in there, they had crap from TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, Brian McClaren, etc. And to top it all of, in the video section they had movies like “Evan Almighty”.
I see you’ve been wondering about my whereabouts. My wife and I are in Mobile to visit her family for Thanksgiving. My mom-in-law had DSL. We have high-speed at home. I feel like I’ve gone from a Porsche to a Yugo. I might put something up this week.
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fourpointer,
I am apparently the resident “liberal” here, as I disagree with lots of pilgrims thoughts on the modern church. I do agree, however, that Jesus might head to the Christian bookstores to repeat his encounter with the money changers if He returned today.
But maybe not. Most folks who own and operate stores like the one you mentioned are just trying to make a living, and they are doing so trying to provide resources for Christians. I don’t know that Jesus would have a problem with that.
I think problem comes at a point further up the food chain, with the publishers and producers who see the Christian audience only in terms of dollars and cents, as well as the lost. This is why we have all kinds of plastic crap with the name of Jesus stuck onto it and sold. If I owned a Christian bookstore, I wouldn’t sell any of the crap. If it doesn’t have a point except to make a few dimes, don’t stick Jesus’ name on it and sell it, IMO.
This is why “Evan” failed at the box office, because the folks making it were trying to repeat the strange event which was “The Passion of the Christ”, and they don’t know what the heck they’re doing.
Not sure where I’m going with all of this. Just wanted to add my 2 cents, which you can take and use to buy a WWJD bracelet the next time you visit Cedar Springs. 😉
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The reason I am so set against what these people do is that when the weak believers go into these stores, and they see this crap from people like Jakes, Osteen, stec, they think “Ooh! These people are popular! They must know what they’re talking about!” In fact, I know a guy that was like that–Me.
I can look back and remember times when I was going to pick up one of these guys’ books, and something (No, Someone) told me not to. But how many times are people–people who are sincerely searching for the truth–led down a path that leads to their eternal destruction because someone is “trying to make a living”? (Not trying to pick a fight here, just sayin’)
The way I see it, if they can’t make a profit from the store without compromising with Jezebel, then they need to shut their doors. Besides, the area where they keep their Bibles is about a fifth of the rest of the self-help–I mean, Christain authors–section. Kinda shows where their perspective is.
Oh, and you’ll have to give me another 148 cents to get that WWJD bracelet 🙂
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I agree with fourpointer’s comments. I have experienced this very thing first hand. I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, so when I was saved at the age of eighteen I was starved for knowledge of the Bible, of God, and of sound doctrine.
Walking into my first “Christian” bookstore and having little to no discernment of the truth, I picked up a book by Kenneth Hagin. Thus began a period of being led astray by the false teaching of the “Word of Faith” doctrine.
Over time I read the Bible, grew in Christ and gained the spiritual maturity and discernment to realize my error in following the teaching of Kenneth Hagin. I burned the books I had collected and my notes and prayed for God’s forgiveness. Thanks be to God for rescuing me from such deception.
When a person presents spiritual teaching, whether it be for profit or as prophet, he/she is responsible for the outcome. God holds teachers to a greater degree of judgment (James 3:1). By spreading false doctrine no one is helped. It may seem acceptable that “they’re just trying to make a living”, but at what cost? Will the “living” they earn cost someone an even greater death?
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I close my eyes and imagine a man standing before God on the day of judgment uttering the words:”I was just trying to make a living.”
I fear for those who will stand before our holy God relying on that excuse. Not only does that philosophy shipwreck the souls of multitudes, but in essence you are calling God a liar by compromising your faith to make a buck when His word tells us to seek first His kingdom and all these things (sustenance) will be added to you.
There will be no excuse.
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But how can you stand in judgment (man that word comes up a lot here, doesn’t it?) and say that the man running the Christian bookstore isn’t seeking His kingdom first?
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Judgment on where he will end up? No.
Judgment on his behavior and fruit? Yes.
I wish you would quit blurring the lines between the two. Stick around here for a while and you’ll eventually see the difference.
And yes, that word does keep coming up a lot, and it’s always coming from you.
The bookstore owner who chooses to sell apostate, heretical, false doctrine from his bookshelves (not out of ignorance but out of “making a buck”) must be double minded. If he was seeking first the kingdom, he wouldn’t have to sell material that will damn the soul in order to make a living. God’s Word does not lie. He’ll take care of His own.
One foot in the world Nathan, and one foot in Heaven will cause both feet and body to be in Hell.
It’s also very telling that you take more issue with me than with the damage being caused by these men just “trying to make a living.” Apparently Cruci-Fide’s testimony wasn’t enough to wake you to the danger lurking in these stores.
You see, all of us that are commenting on this kind of stuff didn’t just fall off the turnip truck yesterday. We all have experiences with the errors that permeate modern Christianity and by the grace of God have been rescued from them.
The ex-Jehovah’s Witness who loves those still in the Watchtower enough to tell them the truth are merely labeled “apostates” and dismissed.
The ex-Mormon who loves those still in the LDS organization enough to tell them the truth are said to be disgruntled and are dismissed.
The ex-lukewarm, Word of Faith, seeker-friendly, etc. Christian who loves those still caught up in all this error enough to tell them the truth are labeled “judgmental” and dismissed.
Do you see a pattern here?
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“But how can you stand in judgment…and say that the man running the Christian bookstore isn’t seeking His kingdom first?”
I don’t judge him, nor would I even try. Jesus said that the words He spoke will judge men in the last day. (John 12:48) So what’s the point?
The fact that a proprietor would knowingly become a purveyor of false doctrine that he/she might make a profit places them, and those who buy from them, in danger. This is spiritual adultery.
As Pilgrim pointed out, we’re not talking about a sin committed in ignorance. I don’t think God would expect a Christian store owner to read every book and listen to every CD before placing it on the shelf. However, he/she should do their due diligence in discerning whether something glorifies God or blasphemes Him.
For example: If I were a Christian store proprietor John Hagee’s new book, in which he denies that Jesus is the Messiah, would never pass through the doors of my store.
Notwithstanding the questionable wisdom of being a Christian store owner in a time of apostasy, no one is exempt from judgment in taking part in heresy. We must cling to the truth and preach it in love. If we can’t do that, then what is there left to be done?
Have I become your enemy simply because I tell you the truth? (Galatians 4:16)
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answeringcoc,
With all due respect, I don’t think there’s any doubt that if any of us was to walk into a bookstore that advertised itself as “Christian” and saw that they carried materials from the LDS or the Watchtower that we would probably not be patronizing the place again. The doctrines of these groups is no more blasphemous than those of the TD Jakes’ and the Brian McClaren’s of the world. These are men who have led countless people astray by teaching them the doctrines of devils, and these places are helping to put these materials into the hands of uwitting victims.
Much like Jesus told John to write to the church at Pergamos, who allowed those who held false beliefs into their midst. Revelation 2:12-16–“These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: ‘I know your works, and where you dwell…But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold to the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumblingblock before the children of Israel…Thus you also have those who hold to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.’ “
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