Best Selling "Christian" Books of 2014

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

The Need for Discernment in Christian Reading and Listening

Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth and I am your host. Typically we have Mondays, one of the sermons that I preach at Bethlehem Bible Church, bbcchurch .org. Tuesdays, I�m with Tuesday Guy, the Tuesday Guy, as his Twitter handle.

What do they call that? Twitter name? Twitter feed? Twitter mania? I saw something on Twitter a while ago, pastors, when they were preparing sermons, they used to say, �That�ll preach. And now they say, �That�ll tweet.

What else do we do? Wednesdays, I have interviews. Thursdays? Positive, encouraging. Fridays? Usually woodshed. I don�t know what today is, but it feels like Friday. Actually, in real time, it is a Friday.

Big snow coming tomorrow. I have here the best-selling Christian book titles of 2014. What day of the week do you think this is going to fit into? A sermon? Discussion with Pastor Steve? That�d probably be funnier.

Wednesday interview? I guess I�m interviewing myself. Thursday? Positive, K-love. Friday? Woodshed Friday. Friends, the best-selling Christian titles of 2014, top 25, compiled and distributed by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, the ECPA, ECPA, as we say in New England.

And so we have fiction. We have nonfiction. We have the best Bibles. We can talk about those as well. What else do we have? Best Bibles under $10. Best translations. Best sellers for juveniles. That's juvenile Bibles.

That's a juvenile Bible. Books under $5. And this could be a variety of shows. So what we're going to do is we're going to talk a little bit about discernment, as they might say over the pond. Discernment.

So, should a Christian be discerning? Should we be known for what we're for or what we're against, or what we're for and what we're against? How do we relate in today's society where everybody just has to be kind and nice, except people that hate Christians?

They don't have to be, but we all have to be. Now, of course, the response to people that don't like us is gentleness and truth and 2 Timothy 2. I get it. I understand. But what about discernment? And so I've talked about discernment a lot over the years, and I have always said that discernment is commanded 1 Thessalonians 5.

Examine everything carefully. And so you're commanded to be a discerning person. You can't say, oh, that's a discernment blog, and I don't like these people and no co-radio. They're just discernment people.

Friends, on a side note, if I wanted to go for just shock value, shock theater, shock radio in terms of Christianity, I could do it. Now, that's probably prideful statement, but I could do it. I could turn it up a lot, but I'm a pastor after all.

And so I have to be somewhat pastoral. I mean, I don't want to be crazy man on no compromise radio. And maybe someday if I'm not a pastor, I might turn it up a little bit, but then the giving would go down.

I know. So discernment is commanded. I mean, let's just think about it. When you go to the bookstore, you should be discerning. When you hear sermons, you should be discerning. When you listen to radio stations like this, you should be discerning.

When you listen to this podcast, you should be discerning. What does the Bible say? And in light of what scripture says, is this person measuring up? And so discernment is commanded. Additionally, in the Bible, discernment is discernment.

We just, it's like Arkansas, discernment. I think we have some listeners in Arkansas. If you're a listener in Arkansas or Mississippi, I'd like to know who you are. How do you get the internet there? I'm just kidding.

Discernment is commended. Remember the Bereans? It was a couple of years ago, I was with the group as we were off to Greece and we swung by Berea. There's not really much there to see in terms of Christian iconoclastic rummaging.

But we were in Berea and then I opened up our, you know, I said, open up our Bibles to Acts 17 and the Bereans were commended. I've always remembered that. I think maybe it was on some, one of my brother's, I don't know, documents.

Commanded and commended. I've always remembered that. So if that's Pat Abendroth's alliteration, then kudos to young Patrick, Patrick Abendroth, OmahaBibleChurch .org. You have to listen to that young man.

Comes from a long line of crazy people. So discernment is commended and commanded. So when I look at the 2014 top selling titles underneath the banner of Christianity, I have to tell you, all right, you ready for the no-co week here, the no-co moment of the week?

This is pathetic. It's the only word I have. If this is an accurate description, an accurate bestselling titles taxonomic chart, this is just so sad. This basically tells me that the people who call themselves Christians aren't.

This tells me that people just buy books and maybe shame on the publishers. There's been enough shame on Christian publishers lately, rightfully so. I think if you're a Christian publisher and you want to sell, you know, Arminian and Wesleyan and Calvinistic books, fine.

You want to sell Premill, Amill, Postmill, Panmill. I've happened to be Promill, I'm for the millennium, who wouldn't be? I'm not talking about that. We're not talking about in-house debates, but when you sell things that aren't Christian, you know, what do we do with doctors who aren't really doctors?

They don't do doctoral things. What do we do with people who do the, you know, the fake plastic surgeries in their back rooms and they say they're a doctor and then somebody dies? This is malpractice.

This is something not to be trifled with. This is the word of the living God and we have to be very careful. Paul, as he is talking about scripture in 2 Timothy chapter 3, he says earlier in the chapter, or earlier before these, before the verses 16 and 17, that scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, training in righteousness.

He also says these sacred writings are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. This is very important. I joke around, of course, on the radio and in life as well, but I'm telling you, when I stand in the pulpit, and there might be a little comic relief here or there, but I'm deadly serious about trying to stay faithful to what the Bible says and to try to uphold Trinitarian faith, to uphold the sovereignty of God and salvation, to uphold Jesus Christ and the exclusive salvation found in Him, the God-man only, to talk about substitutionary atonement, literal resurrection.

I mean, if the Lord would give me grace to do it, I have to say those are things that you die for. You do not back down. And then you come to this list here and you see the top 25 best-selling titles, and I'm trying to find out some that are even written by Christians.

Now there are one or two off the top of my head, but I'm just going to read down the list, and it is just pathetic. It's appalling. It's awful. Now I pretty much want to say, if you own one of these books because you're a new Christian, well, okay, I get it.

But a lot of you know better. Anybody that listens to this show would know better. And you know, here's what happens. Most everybody that listens to this show would already know these things that I'm going to say anyway.

But when you go to a friend's house, they say, oh yeah, we're Christians, and you go to their house, these are the books you'll find there. When you go to Barnes Noble, these are the books you'll find there.

You go to CBD, these are the books you'll find there. And by the way, these are the moneymakers, right? So best-selling titles, these are the moneymakers, and it is incredibly pathetic. I'm just going to use that word all the time.

It is awful. And so what could I do? I could just trash these guys the whole time, that's sure. I'm sure of that. But let's pick some good books. And by the way, that's why in No Compromise Radio, I regularly have guests on so that you'll say, oh, I should maybe read that person.

Somebody said on Facebook a while ago, you know, just negative, you know, maybe kind of just like only a MacArthur guy or select few people. I wrote back and I said, well, you know, probably quoted 70 different people recently.

You know, if you listen long enough and look at the Facebook and tweets long enough on No Compromise Radio, there are so many faithful men who have taught the truth and or are teaching the truth now. It's not a matter of everything's wrong.

I'm saying here, this is the litmus test for what's wrong with Christianity. Man-centered gruel is what it is. It's just awful. And so if your plan is to read one good book about the Lord and his church and his word every month, don't go to these kind of lists.

Walk into a bookstore, walk past, if it's a Christian bookstore, quote unquote, walk past the Roman Catholic section, walk past the word faith section, walk past the hyper charismatic section, walk past the Greek Orthodox section, walk past the Armenian Orthodox section.

I didn't say Arminian. Okay. Walk past the Arminian section, walk past the CDs, walk past the trinkets, walk past the Jesus pick me guitar pick section, walk past, you know, Joyce Meyer's section. She has a whole, she has a whole wall and then get to the very back and you'll find a little section on Christian doctrine or something.

That's what to look for because it is just awful. Look at, look at the list here. Now, before we go to the list, these little sub category lists are kind of interesting and it's a little bit lighter because, you know, we have light things around here regarding the evangelical Christian publishers association, bestselling translations.

This is just interesting. Before we get to the flogging part, the NIV, that's the bestselling translation. According to these guys in 2014, King James version, okay. They had to put that on there. It doesn't really sell that much outside of a couple of colleges and areas, but they were forced to do that.

So nobody was sending them Gail Rippling or books, kitty new living translation, right? It's not the living, it's the new living new King James version and the English standard version. Those are the best selling Bibles by category of translation.

And I'm quite shocked that the message isn't up there, but you know, now we've got the message with the Deuterocanonical books, the Catholic books. And so, you know, you can get whatever you want. Best Bibles under $10.

I mean, if you're going to pick a Bible under $10, we should have a list for that, right? Everybody needs cheap Bibles. You know, these are the ones you give to the missionaries, Santa Biblia RV 1909.

That's under one category one. That's not three different ones. It's not the RV Bible, the 1909 Bible, economy Bible, ESV, okay. Large print Bible, NIV, gift and award economy Bible, NLT and gift and award Bible HCSB.

So we've got new living translation at number four and the Holman Christian standard Bible. I believe the Holman Christian standard Bible translates lowered all caps as Yahweh. I think that's so. It's not really one of my preferred translations, but I will give them props for that.

Now we have the best of 2014 juvenile. Now the top 25 list is the juvenile delinquents, but here we have the juvenile. I need Steve here because that was pretty lame. I know the Jesus storybook Bible.

That sounds good. Doesn't it? Good. Maybe it's really great. The story of Christmas, the action Bible, just, you know, it's, you know, takes out all the, you know, the genealogies or something. Jesus calling 365 devotions for kids.

That's awful. That's pagan. Really wooly bedtime prayers. You know what? That might be really nice. Could be great. I don't know anything about it now that my kids are older and driving and stuff like that.

I don't know about the wooly bedtime prayers. Best of 2014. My name is Mike Ebendroth, by the way, that I'm not the best of 2014, but that's my name. It's just, you know, you have to say that on radio once in a while.

I don't know why. Why do we, why do we do that? In case you're just tuning into the middle of the podcast. Best of 2014 under $5. Best sellers according to the ECPA. So in case you want cheap books and you get what you pay for, of course.

Laugh out loud jokes for kids. LOL. Knock, knock jokes for kids. I guess these are all Christians. Knock, knock. Who's there? Noah. You know, that kind of thing. Knock, knock. Who's there? Jabesh. Whatever happened to Jabesh's prayer?

Oh, it's still in the Bible. The Berenstain Bears. Now it doesn't say Steen. Okay. This, I'm just reading exactly what this says. I skipped over know your Bible all 66 books. That's probably good. The Berenstain Bears and the Easter story.

So we've either got a typo or I don't know what I'm talking about. Or it's a blatant ripoff of the Berenstain Bears. I don't know. Are the Berenstain Bears? Who are they? The Jewish bears? Are they Protestant bears?

Are they kosher bears? I have no idea. The Berenstain Bears. These, these are like Bereans, I guess. Number five, the Easter story. So those are the little subcategories. And now we get to the pathetic category of 2015, 2014 rather, best selling titles.

And so again, think about it. What do you give your children to eat? You're careful for the nutritional value. And for our house, it's usually Fritos in the morning with a little bit of half and half on top, right?

For lunch, ice cream sandwiches, deep fat fried. Can't fry them very long because otherwise they just kind of goop out. Number one, Jesus Calling, Sarah Young. It's awful. It's pagan. It's not just charismatic.

It's mysticism. It's, it's Ramtha. It's channeling. It's New Age. Number one bestseller. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Shame. Number two, Heaven is for Real. Paperback. Todd Burpo. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Shame. Along with the Malarkey book, we have now, of course, the Burpo book. And we have things described about heaven that are false. It's a false book. And the guy's got 10 million in his pocket. That is the dad.

And probably Thomas Nelson has 40 million in their pockets. And I, with Don Green, would call on Thomas Nelson, Tyndale, and these kind of people who are fleecing the flock. I don't know if they're the flock if they're buying such tripe.

But it's just wrong. It's so wrong. Number three, Heaven is for Real, the movie edition. If it couldn't get any worse. This just makes me sick, basically. As a pastor, if I went to your house and I saw these 25 books, I think you need an intervention.

Seriously, I'd be nice about it. But I'd say, you know, here's how I'd approach it pastorally. Oh, you know, I'm so glad you like to read. There's a couple books I'd love to give you. And I would try to help, sorry to use the word channel, especially talking about Jesus calling books.

I would help channel your desire to read to something good. Because maybe you don't know any better, right? You're a new Christian. So I would be nice. Remember, as a pastor, I try to be nice. But no compromise means no compromise.

Always biblical, always provocative, always in that order. You don't need these books that are lies. These are lies. These will not help you in your Christian faith. What makes me think about Heaven more?

No, it's the wrong Heaven. The way you think about Heaven is in the Bible. That's the only way you know anything about Heaven. Not from some anesthesia or oxygen deprived person given information from his father, in my opinion.

Four, five love languages. Gary Chapman, Moody Publishers. You know what? What kind of day is it on No Compromise Radio when I say that's the best so far? What kind of love language do you have? Well, mine is receiving gifts.

That's my love language. Five, four blood moons, John Hagee. Six. Here's the one book. I don't know how. Maybe Lifeway bought a bunch of these and it got put up on the list or something. I'm not sure.

I think Rainer's got to, Tom Rainer's got some issues with Lifeway that he's going to have to clean up. Maybe by the time this airs, it will all have been cleaned up. But the guy's orthodox. The guy's evangelical.

The guy's not Romp the Channeler or something like that. I am a church member, Tom Rainer, Broadman and Holman Publishing Group. So that's now replaced, Cat Chapman is the best book on the list. You know what?

It's probably an excellent book. But where are the other books that are any good? Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey. Thomas Nelson. You Can, You Will, Joel Osteen. It's Faith Words is the publisher, a division of Hatchet Book Group.

Hatchet, but it looks like hatchet. The Daniel Plan, Rick Warren. Mystery of Shemitah, Jonathan Cahn. Instinct by T .D. Jakes. Smart Money, Smart Kids, Dave Ramsey. Good Call, Jace Robertson. You know what?

That must be the Duck Call guy. Good Call. So who knows, you know, if you like baptismal regeneration in Church of Christ, maybe that's the book for you. Maybe that's a good call. Jesus Today, Sarah Young.

More Blasphemy. The Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn. Unfiltered, Phil Robertson. My guess is these Duck Dynasty books are just therapeutic, moralistic deism. Good Stories, More Law. The Best Yes, Lisa Turkhurst.

Don't know anything about it. Jesus Calling Deluxe Edition, Sarah Young. More Blasphemy. Circle Maker, Mark Batterson. Awful. Jesus Calling Deluxe Edition, L .P. Sarah Young. Love Does, Bob Goff. G-O-F-F.

I thought that was Bob Geldof when I first read it, but it's not a Monday. Thomas Nelson. Don't know anything about the book. Sarah Young. Jesus Calling Women's Edition, 22. 23, Miss K's Duck Commander Kitchen.

So, even if there's nothing wrong in the Duck Commander books, three out of the top 25. I mean, usually in these lists, you know, Chuck Swindoll will make the list. Charles Stanley will make the list.

John MacArthur will make the list. David Jeremiah will make the list. One of these guys that's well known, and of course I'm not putting them all together, certainly not theologically together, but they're all going to write things that are, they're not romp the stuff.

They're not channeling. They're not New Age. They're not sit down with a pen and listen to God, and if you hear something, write it down. And it's not anything like that, but they didn't make the list.

The Rainer book is the only book. Okay, let's put the Gary Chapman one up there with the love language thing. And it's more psychology than Bible, but at least it's not, I mean, I can't believe I'm saying I recommend the book.

I'm not recommending, but it's the two best books in the entire list. Boundaries by Heavenly Cloud. No, that's Henry Cloud. And then the Women of Duck Commanders, Kay Robertson. So we've got now four out of the top 25 are Duck Commander stuff.

So it'll basically be law stuff, do good, be good, cook good, cook well. You've got some money books by Ramsey. You've got only one dieting book that I can see. You've got T .D. Jakes who doesn't believe in the Trinity.

So it's not a Christian book when you don't believe in the Trinity. You've got four, did I count four books by Sarah Young that are derivatives of Jesus Calling? We didn't get the calendar or anything like that.

And then you've got a couple of the heaven books, the heavens, I'm telling you about the wrong heaven, the anesthesia heaven, not the Bible heaven. This is just awful. So if you like these books and you want to get mad at me, I hope you get so mad at me, you read something good.

That you pick up a book by someone else and read something about who the Lord God is. I don't care if it's Arthur Pink, Sinclair Ferguson, Jay Gresham Machen, John MacArthur, Thomas Watson. Oh wait, number 26 of the list.

It just in with a bullet. It just in across the ticker tape, a Mike Avendroth, Clint Archer, and Byron Yon, things that go bump in the church. I knew we were going to make it. That royalty checks on its way for certain.

My name is Mike Avendroth, this is No Compromise Radio. You can write us at info at nocompromiseradio .com. I hope you're a reader of books. I hope you read good books, books that convict you and confront you and talk about the Lord Jesus Christ and his work, his word, and his church.

He's my favorite topic,.

Closing Appeal for Good Books and the Show Outro

And I hope he's yours too. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Avendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life transforming power of God's word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 10 .15 and in the evening at 6. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.