Get Rid of These 4 Books from your Church Bookstore Now! With Tim Challies

Which books should every Christian bookstore remove immediately? Which ones should they make sure and stock up on? Author, blogger, and book reviewer Tim Challies joins the podcast today to give his opinion on the best 3 and worst 4 books every church book store should be aware of. We also talk about his new book, Seasons of Sorrow, about the tragic and sudden passing of his son, Nick and how Tim and his family have navigated that loss. Tim reflects on the goodness of God, the problem of suffering and evil, and whether or not his opinion on certain “bad books” has changed in light of his personal season of sorrow.

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[JonGardner]

Books to add/keep:
8:42 The Holiness of God
10:21 Ashamed of the Gospel
13:10 The Discipline of Grace

Books to remove:
14:38 Jesus Calling
24:15 The Shack
35:54 The Purpose Driven Church
41:45 Ninety minutes in heaven

[thomaslee]

Tim Challes’ experience resonates with me!
I lost my wife of 36years due to stage 2 throat cancer in Jan 2020, and fell into depression till Aug 2021.
All throughout that dark, lonely & painful journey, i kept praying, “Father, i do not know why You chose not to heal Rachel this time, but You know what You are doing and that’s good enough for me!
Now Father, give me something worth living for!”
I am now engaged in my own initiative to provide water filters for clean and safe water for impoverished and underprivileged communities on offshore islands near Singapore!

[gracelatour]

Discernment is not the difference between right and wrong, it is the difference between right and almost right

[karenm]

My husband is a pastor and he always uses funerals as an opportunity to preach the gospel since there may be people there who may never have the opportunity to hear the good news of the gospel any other time and because people have a more tender heart towards their own need of Christ and their own mortality. Thank you for this book review (I haven’t got as far as the rest of your talk yet).

[garydodson]

Stepping out on a limb to say this but a word of caution about the three books recommended by Tim Challies. Tim himself holds to Reformed/Calvinistic theology (not to debate it as right/wrong here) as well as the authors of the books he recommends. This in itself is not damning but something to be aware of in reading their books. Understanding that there is a theological “lens” that Calvinists view things through and understanding were they are coming from can be important in understanding their presentation of the topics covered in their books. This does not mean everything they have written is wrong or that there isn’t something to be gained from their writings. At the same time some of what they have written may be colored by their theological beliefs and depending on where you fall on the subject, you may wish to read carefully and filter things from the perspective of reformed theology they are coming from.

[teresaibarra]

I attended a Women's Bible study several years ago and the Pastors wife decided it would be a good idea to use The Shack as a study. I voiced my disapproval and only later did she admit it was a bad idea. What was disturbing to me were the new believers that attended the study and did not yet have the discernment to know truth from deception. 😢

[bethsalt]

After my husband’s death, the books about heaven really helped me to process through my many thoughts and feelings. I didn’t have any shift away from truth because I saw that they were someone’s perspective of a vision rather than Biblical truth. There is always wisdom needed when reading any book about spiritual truth because we all know and see in part.

[stevecorry]

I came across your blog this morning and it really spoke to me. The words of Tim Challies were spot on and I want to see more of both of you. I am a former pastor and I lost my career due to a very unfaithful wife. I didn't ask why because I was afraid I couldn't stand the answers. I am now 81 and I haven't preached in over 30 years but I never put my faith aside. God is so good.

[olivialouise]

I also lost my son a few years ago and it only brought me closer to God and gave me a yearning to know Him more and therefore got me diving into his word more than ever before which led me to change churches and find the real Jesus. Hallelujah! Praise God! He is so good, perfect and Holy. I appreciate that more than ever before.

[rhondasmith]

So true I belong to a denomination that has completely lost its way by being what the community wanted them to be instead of what God wanted them to be. Thank you for your insights. Most are Leaving due to this. Being in the Word helps to discern these things.

[annieharrison]

Amen. I love how he finished with when suffering comes we know who God is. This has helped me with my 2 miscarriages and gives me an understanding of Gods will-- not my own. Still praying to be a mother someday but if not- all glory still goes to God.

[mosart]

A year or so ago I was our church librarian. I knew there were books I was going to get rid of for sure, but some I had never heard of. I took a tablet with me and connected to the Internet and looked up book reviews. I found Tim's review site and was able to get the scoop on quite a few heretical, questionable, or misleading books. I came to the conclusion that we (churches) should have a list of quotes from suspect authors taped up in our libraries and bookstores so people can see why we are worried. And we need to teach our congregations to look at bibliographies and see who authors are quoting in their books, If they reference Warren, or Foster or Merton, etc. get your guard up and be prepared to question their conclusions. Most people seem to think that if a book mentions Jesus or God it's OK. My motto now is: If it is popular it is probably wrong. If it is very popular it usually very wrong.

[Teal_Seal]

I’m not defending The Shack as a whole, but it helped my dad let go of his obsession with a contractor who defrauded him. He took the contractor to court, but justice was not served. It helped him trust God in that situation - even though he couldn’t understand it.

[sueribs]

This was such a great interview!
I read Tim's book to give to a friend who lost her son, 3 months before the Lord chose to have me walk through the same valley of death and season of sorrow.. The book prepared me without my knowledge, but with Gods' love.
On April 27, 2023 my youngest 35 year old son Andrew died. I continue to grieve with Hope and am so thankful to have my Cornerstone be Christ Jesus, Who is loving me through this truly life changing grief. I was recently sent a copy of Tim's book, so now I am reading it again, with tears and agreement, and thankfulness for God's gift of Tim Challies expressing what I am feeling. Thanks for this interview!

[celinebowman]

I ordered his book after listening to this interview and am reading it now. It arrived in two days. It’s wonderful. My husband went to Heaven 2 years ago this month. This book is perfect for me to be reading now. God bless Tim and his family.

[catz]

Thank you for this video. I so needed to hear every word spoken. I am in grief and struggling and trying to find my way alone. Thank you.

[lisfong]

This was wonderful! Thank you Alisa and Tim for such a wonderful conversation!

[janetsmith]

The most comforting verse for me in suffering is job: the lord gives and the lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the lord.

[ToOpenseven]

So sorry for the loss in both of your family of these precious and beautiful children. I know God has been your help and strength through it all.

[Copwriter]

Alisa, thank you for interviewing Tim. I've been blessed by his writing for some time now. We lost our oldest son in 2017. Like Tim's son, our son was following the Lord and was taken suddenly. I look forward to reading Seasons of Sorrow. God bless you both.