As Christians, it’s easy to fall into various traps that
cause us to view the Bible through a worldly lens. People start relying on
human logic instead of scriptural truths, and what results is a false, or
“counterfeit gospel”. Trevin Wax explores six specific counterfeits common in
American culture, along with ways Christians can counter them. He first
describes the gospel as a three-legged stool, with each leg being a different
approach to the gospel: the gospel story, the gospel announcement, and the gospel
community. Although many Christians stand by one of these approaches, all are
in fact necessary and interdependent. After each chapter describing one of
these true gospels approaches, he then describes two counterfeits associated
with each one.
I will admit I spent the first couple of chapters trying to
figure out if the author’s theological beliefs lined up with my own. I couldn't
find any flaws in his approach to the gospel, however, because he has a
strictly Bible-based view. Each chapter ends with lists of Bible references to
back up several points he made throughout the chapter. After a solid
explanation of each approach he delves into the counterfeits. It’s pretty easy
to recognize them when he describes them, as they are so prevalent in our society.
There is the “all roads lead to Heaven” approach, the “God is Love and won’t
really judge” counterfeit, and the “I don’t need to be part of a Church” among
others.
What I really liked was the time in each chapter spent on
ways to proactively avoid the counterfeits. Several of them are difficult traps
for most Christians to avoid and it helps to have tools to actively protect one
from falling in to them.
I highly recommend this book for Christians looking to
strengthen their faith. It is not a difficult read and is well backed up by
Scripture.
I received this book
for free from the publisher through the Moody Publishers blogger review
program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and
thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with
the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
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