Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century by Hank Hanegraaff

Have you listened to TV preachers and wondered where in the world they were coming from? Hank Hanegraaff’s earlier book, Christianity in Crisis warned about a cultic movement within Christianity that would reject the very fundamentals of the Christian faith. This book is an update, providing follow-up on the people who initiated the movement as well as those who joined the movement since then.

The cult he seeks to expose is the Faith movement (or prosperity gospel), espoused by many well-known TV evangelists like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Doll and many others. It is a hard book to read because it includes so much detail on the belief system of the “prosperity preachers.” He provides detail as to how their preaching and writing goes against even the most fundamental beliefs of historical Christianity. Hanegraaff is thorough in his documentation. The book has a scripture index, a subject index, a bibliography, and notes.

For me, the reading was as interesting as it was difficult. I don’t watch the “religious” channels regularly, nor do I read the books and study material put out by them. However, I have run across some of their services as I channel-surfed. I always felt that something wasn’t exactly right with their approach, but I did not realize that many of them follow the tenets of the so-called Faith movement and are in agreement among themselves on many points. Since I’m no theologian, I won’t try to describe their beliefs to you. However, the one common thread is the belief that you can, by cultivating positive thoughts and speaking positive words, you can create for yourself the life that you want. Put simply, God is at your beck and call. I suggest that you read this book, especially if you are under the influence of one of these “faith” preachers. It is a real eye-opener.

Order the book direct from Thomas Nelson.