Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the paper it's printed on
Review: John MacArthur's small-mindnedness and shallow understanding of the Bible might get him followers but he's no real Christian. His bigoted attitude is more like the Jewish elite who howled for the death of Jesus back in Jerusalem. Worth reading if you want to know to learn more about the bigoted and egotistical superficial Christian view.
Rating:
Summary: more of "salvation is free, if you are devoted enough"
Review: Simply abysmal. More argument from MacArthur that God's free gift of eternal life is available to anyone who wants to pay a high price for it. This book will sound great to anyone whose theology tries to explain away God's invitation: "Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost" (Rev. 22:17). For those who seek eternal life from God, read the Gospel of John and drink freely of Christ's living water. For those who want to understand biblically how salvation is offered freely by grace through faith, but there is indeed a true cost to discipleship, read Bob Wilkin or Zane Hodges.
Rating: 
Summary: Thank God for a genuinely Biblical book
Review: Thank God for a genuinely Biblical book - one that tells the real truth about what the scriptures really teach us about the Christian life! John MacArthur, like his hero Spurgeon in the 19th century, has always been 101% Biblical in his preaching and this book shows this to be the case yet once again. Read this book, give 10 copies away to your friends and make sure your pastor not only has this book but has taken notes from every page - it will transform both you, your church and then the whole community around you. This is REAL Biblical Christianity folks! This is the message of the Cross that turned the world upside down in the first century and is doing so still in the 21st! Thank God for a genuinely Biblical book. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003) ...
Rating:
Summary: Poignant Truth - A Must Read!!!
Review: The simple message of the Gospel has been simply mutilated. This book indicts the present-day "church" by plainly pointing out what it does- preferring to not offend attendees, it compromises the truth. So where does God condone such action? Not anywhere in the true church- the Bride of Christ.
Read this book, challenge it with scripture and do not be hesitant to compare your "church" to it.
Can you believe it?
Rating:
Summary: The Truth At It Best
Review: The sub-title.."The High Cost and Infinite Value of following Jesus" seem to really fit MacArthur's latest. This book will get you to thinking about your life and your decision to follow Christ. I mean really follow Christ. This book is Mac's UNFLINCHING, UNAPOLOGETIC, writings on the modern tendency to alter the true message of Christianity in order to meet the whims and desires of a culture hoping for NON-CONFRONTATIONAL messages, easy answers, and superficial commitments. There is no user-friendly seeker sensitive gospel talk in this book. And this statement is only the begining of what Mac writes. If you want the hear truth as Mac explains it, then you are at the right place. You want be sorry for buying this book and I recommend you get it today.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth At It Best
Review: The sub-title.."The High Cost and Infinite Value of following Jesus" seem to really fit MacArthur's latest. This book will get you to thinking about your life and your decision to follow Christ. I mean really follow Christ. This book is Mac's UNFLINCHING, UNAPOLOGETIC, writings on the modern tendency to alter the true message of Christianity in order to meet the whims and desires of a culture hoping for NON-CONFRONTATIONAL messages, easy answers, and superficial commitments. There is no user-friendly seeker sensitive gospel talk in this book. And this statement is only the begining of what Mac writes. If you want the hear truth as Mac explains it, then you are at the right place. You want be sorry for buying this book and I recommend you get it today.
Rating:
Summary: Most Important Book of the Decade
Review: The title of the review may sound overdone but I truly believe the Christian church will look back upon this book as the salt needed to combat the "seeker sensitive", "user friendly" church phenonmenon popularized by Robert Schuller, Bill Hybels, and now the master charlatan of them all, Rick Warren. These guys, in order to build empires, have thrown away sound biblical teachings, and have structured their churches with modern, worldly music, psychology and political correctness to make people feel good. These marketing efforts do attract numbers, which of course leads to higher budgets and eventually, more square footage of building needed to entertain and make the "seekers" feel comfortable. Warren's book essentially cherry-picks the appealing teachings of the bible and completely ignores the clear teachings that are "hard to believe." MacArthur's book describes these unpopular teachings and one quickly learns why guys like Warren and Hybels won't touch them with a ten-foot pole. Our selfish American society doesn't want any negativity or discomfort with their Christianity. Whatever one wants to believe is fine. These guys have reinvented the gospel to make the unchurched "buy" Christianity because if they heard the true gospel, they never would do so. Is that really evangelism or a "bait and switch" used car salesman tactic? Read MacArthur's book and you decide.(You may wish to read my November 8, 2003 review of the "The Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warren on Amazon.com to properly compare and contrast "Hard to Believe." ) MacArthur tactfully does not take on "The Purpose-Driven Life" by name in "Hard to Believe" but there is little doubt to whom this book is responding. Rick Warren has sold ga-zillion copies of his book and churches are stumbling over themselves trying to implement "seeker-sensitive" approaches into their church worship styles and church governance. No longer can one enter a sanctuary away from the pressures of the world to respectfully worship God; church is now one big marketing blitz, complete with multimedia, entertainment, and diversity in beliefs, no different than the rest of our week. I for one want to worship with people like-minded in the exclusivity of Jesus. (John 14:6) MacArthur refutes the "seeker sensitive" heresy by using scripture. He continually reminds the reader that his statements are not opinion, but scripture which is clearly documented and referenced. The gospel is hard to believe and there is a cost to follow Christ. Some would say MacArthur risks stepping into legalism. Believing following rules determines salvation quickly invites legalism. MacArthur supports that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). But that if grace is exclusively taught, many people get into the mindset of never facing their sin and depravity. MacArthur argues that those genuinely saved will be miserable staying in sin and will want to get out of it. A balance is needed between grace and truth. But MacArthur argues that the "seeker sensitive" churches preach grace without a portrayal and definition of sin and you have many people "accepting" Christ who never realize why they really need to do so. Essentially, the good news of Romans Chapters 3 through 8 is not great news unless one fully realizes his/her sin and depravity (Romans Chapter 1 and 2.) And with seeker-sensitive churches, you will never hear Romans 1 and 2 taught. Why? Because those ideas are hard to believe and unpopular. If churches did teach that, people wouldn't come back. MacArthur then reveals the conundrum: the true gospel is easily rejected. The seeker-sensitive message is easily accepted. If you had a big church budget and overhead and sought earthly prestige and power, what would you preach? What people wanted to hear or the truth? MacArthur leaves the reader with that challenge. John MacArthur is one of God's greatest witnesses to this generation. I think when Rick Warren's ideas get truthfully analyzed, the purpose-driven concepts don't work or scandal ensues, (one or more will eventually happen), we will still have MacArthur's book quoting scripture standing the test of time. And you will be able to buy "The Purpose-Driven Life" on Amazon for a penny.
Rating: 
Summary: MacArthur tells it like it is - mostly
Review: This book effectively counters the practice of the seeker-friendly movement. The only weakness I discerned is the tendency to paint that movement with too broad a brush. Not all churches who have a heart for the lost water down the message. Very solid biblically, though, as readers of MacArthur would expect.
Rating:
Summary: The "gospel" According to John
Review: This book is all about works-based salvation, folks. It might as well have been written by the Pope or by some ayatollah. Truth is, it is very easy to be saved. Check out Romans 10:9 --"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved". This doctrine is confirmed by numerous similar verses in the epistles of the New Testament.
Yes, it is easy to be saved. But to follow Jesus and to be totally obedient is hard. That is where the doctrine of rewards comes in, a doctrine that is virtually ignored by MacArthur. This doctrine is made crystal clear in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, which deals with the Judgment Seat of Christ. Specifically, verse 15 states, "if any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Books like this do nothing but cause division and confusion. You cannot improve on the truth of the Scriptures, not even if you are John MacArthur.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to read, even harder to put down
Review: This book is an in-depth, in-your-face, like-it-or-not-here's-what-the-Bible-really-says assault on the "cheap grace" and "easy believism" of modern evangelical movements. "[Salvation and following Christ] is about self sacrifice, not self satisfaction," MacArthur says of his book. Having been a leader in a seeker-sensitive ministry (an oxymoron if there was one) I can attest to the accuracy of his razor sharp assessment of the movement. He also clearly references the heretical "Word of Faith" movement, the self-esteem movement (with strong allusion to Robert Schuler and his ilk) and the health and wealth movement. MacArthur is crystal clear and consistent throughout the book that the seeker-sensitive, Word of Faith, prosperity, and psychologized "self esteem" movements are all "false gospels" which do not lead to Heaven, only to glorification and serving of self. That's tantamount to declaring most of modern evangelical Christians to be hell-bound -- and them is fightin' words! MacArthur is too dedicated to the truth to care about that, although he clearly acknowledges the potential of the book. MacArthur declares, "Sometimes we don't preach the Gospel well enough for the non-elect to reject it." That about sums his assessment of the dangers of these false gospels. His clear concern in this book -- motivated by a pastor's heart -- is not so much for the lost, but for those who only think they're going to Heaven because they've never been given the real gospel at their seeker sensitive, feel-good, fluffbunny church. Also note that MacArthur is a dedicated, bulletproof defender of the "Reformed" (sometimes called Calvinist) view that doesn't have to skip over Scriptures containing words like "predestined" or "elect." On that note, since the Reformed doctrine hinges on the sovereignty of God, and these false gospels usually deny it, he spends an entire chapter contrasting God's sovereignty with the modern evangelical man-centered view of self-salvation. But to those who seek God for who He is, this book is also a comforting challenge of sorts. The call to have less of "me" and more of Christ is clarified through repeated journeys to the original Greek, to the core theme Scriptures of this book, as well as some choice citations from other outstanding Christian writers. For those who have already made Jesus the LORD of their life (not just another friend or self-help guru) this book is still a gem, but a troubling one. True Christians will be more motivated than ever after reading this book -- motivated to see themselves more Biblically, and motivated to reach those who attend what MacArthur clearly deems false churches. MacArthur does not, however, name names. This is to his credit, as he has set out to dispel myths and cleverly twisted false gospels, not attack other ministries. In doing so, MacArthur distinguishes himself from other "apologetics" writers such as Hank Hanegraaff. A word of warning to the superficial, casual Christian reader: This is not a coffee table book. This is a real, honest to goodness "zinger" of a book. If you love it, then it'll hit you between the eyes heard. If you don't like it, you'll hate it (because flesh hate truth).
|
