The Truth War

The Truth War, John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson Books, 2007

A person either accepts the revealed truth of Scripture through Jesus Christ, or they don't; there's no middle ground. An increasing number of "good" Christians are unknowingly choosing the latter option.

False teachers in the Church are nothing new; they have shown up all throughout history. Jesus even predicted their appearance in the Bible. Unfortunately, such people are not easy to spot, then or now. They don't wear signs around their necks saying "I am an evil person. Don't listen to me." The modern-day Emerging Church movement asserts that God is actually some sort of unknowable force in the universe, which is about as far from Church teaching as one can get.

Among the lesser-known, and shorter, Books in the Bible is the Book of Jude (not Judas). Originally, it was going to be all sweetness and light, but Jude turned it into an alarm against false teachers and heretics in the early Church. The author spends considerable time talking about the Evangelical movement. He has no problem with churches occasionally bringing outside trends into the Church. But, a church that jumps from pop culture trend to pop culture trend, forgetting what "church" is supposed to be all about, should be viewed with great alarm.

Christians should learn to pick their battles; don't engage in a life-or-death struggle over every little religious disagreement. But, when the stakes are big enough, don't be afraid to fight back, hard. Which is worse, ruffling some feathers and damaging some egos, or losing the Word of God?

For anyone in the evangelical church, pastor and churchgoer, this book is very much recommended. Those in mainline churches should also read it, and keep an eye out for false religious teachers.