Review: Christianity in Crisis, 21st. Century (Thomas Nelson book review)

As the religious right gained in influence and power over the last few decades, challenging the all-important separation of church and state in the U.S., the character of mainstream Christianity has changed as well. Lured by the money and power, it's attracting more than its share of snake-oil salesmen who preach that we are on an equal footing with God, and have only to voice our desires vigorously, and He will have no choice but to grant them! It would also seem that poverty is a sin (notwithstanding the numerous New Testament citations which would seem to suggest just the opposite) creating a culture of I'm-rich-therefore-I'm-right.

Hank Hanegraaff does a good job of presenting these post-modern heresies in a fairly clear light, naming names and showing how each of the so-called religious leaders in question stray from scriptural truth with twisted interpretations of the Bible. What Hannegraff does not manage to do is to hold the attention of anyone who is not immersed in contemporary Christian thought. I know it's going to lose readers because it's dry and, a little gimmicky. The moment I see people creating acronyms, using mnemonics, or making charts to explain religious concepts my eyes glaze over. Personally I think most people have the intelligence to follow a simple, orderly argument. Nevertheless it helps to expose the charlatans in contemporary Christian society, and points out the errors and outright lies which allow them to ply their trade.