Gospels -- Faith -- Wealth -- Health -- Victory -- American blessing -- Megachurch table -- Naming names.

Be faithful in your giving and God will reward you financially. It's not always stated that blatantly but the promises of the Prosperity Gospel--or the name-it-and-claim-it gospel, the health-and-wealth gospel, the word of faith movement, or positive confession theology--are false. Yet its message permeates the preaching of well-known Christian leaders: Joyce Meyer, T. D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and many more. The appeal of this teaching crosses racial, gender, denominational, and international boundaries. Why are otherwise faithful Christians so easily led astray? Because the Prosperity Gospel contains a grain of biblical truth, greatly distorted. For anyone who knows that Prosperity Gospel theology is wrong but has trouble articulating and refuting the finer points, this concise edition contains all the robust arguments of the hard-hitting original edition in a shorter, more accessible form.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A meditation on sense-making when there’s no sense to be made, on letting go when we can’t hold on, and on being unafraid even when we’re terrified.”—Lucy Kalanithi “Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.”—Bill Gates NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live. Praise for Everything Happens for a Reason “I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping—she’s like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate’s story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for?”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising

Nearly two decades ago Hank Hanegraaff’s award-winning Christianity in Crisis alerted the world to the dangers of a cultic movement within Christianity that threatened to undermine the very foundation of biblical faith. But in the 21st century, there are new dangers—new teachers who threaten to do more damage than the last. These are not obscure teachers that Hanegraaff unmasks. We know their names. We have seen their faces, sat in their churches, and heard them shamelessly preach and promote the false pretexts of a give-to-get gospel. They are virtual rock stars who command the attention of presidential candidates and media moguls. Through make-believe miracles, urban legends, counterfeit Christs, and twisted theological reasoning, they peddle an occult brand of metaphysics that continues to shipwreck the faith of millions around the globe: “God cannot do anything in this earthly realm unless we give Him permission.” “Keep saying it—‘I have equality with God’—talk yourself into it.” “Being poor is a sin.” “The Jews were not rejecting Jesus as Messiah; it was Jesus who was refusing to be the Messiah to the Jews!” “You create your own world the same way God creates His. He speaks, and things happen; you speak, and they happen.” Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century exposes darkness to light, pointing us back to a Christianity centered in Christ. From the Preface: “Having lost the ability to think biblically, postmodern Christians are being transformed from cultural change agents and initiators into cultural conformists and imitators. Pop culture beckons, and postmodern Christians have taken the bait. As a result, the biblical model of faith has given way to an increasingly bizarre array of fads and formulas.”

This masterful book was written especially for those Christian entrepreneurs, professionals and consultants who are looking for the more abundant life that God promises in John 10:10. It is filled with hundreds of scriptures that give concrete, definitive, Godly instruction on how to be more prosperous in all categories of life; physical, mental spiritual, professional, social, familial and financial. "Prosperous Christian" takes you on a deep dive into the ten commandments that are essential to have true Godly abundance and prosperity. In addition, it gives supporting teachings on our competition, conflicting scriptures, and even the dangers of financial prosperity. You'll learn the truth about- God's definition of prosperity- Does God want His children to be prosperous?- How to unlock the truths in the Bibl- How to pray effectively- The most dynamic and powerful law of God- How God works in the workplace- What God says about the rich- And more!Each of the ten commandments is illustrated by remarkable real-life stories, thought-provoking questions, and strategic real-world action steps you can implement right now. Impactful teachings you'll find in this book: -God's definition of prosperity (pg. 7-11)-Meaning of life (pg. 12) -5 Godly motives for prosperity (pg. 13) -Exactly what God thinks of His children (pg. 24-29) -Money as a tool (pg. 40) -Satan's meeting (pg. 45) -Our wrestling match (pg. 50) -The devil's only objectives (pg. 53) -How exactly does the adversary endeavor to defeat Christians (pg. 58) -Keys to Biblical research (pg. 63) -History of the complete English Bible (pg. 68) -God's Biblical time table, the seven administrations: (pg. 76) -Can a camel go through the eye of a needle? (pg. 86) -God's disciples who were wealthy (pg. 92) -Financial status of Jesus (pg. 99) -Your state versus your standing (pg. 102) -What exactly is sin (pg. 107) -Unanswered prayer (pg. 116) -The exact outline for prayer (pg. 126) -The most dynamic and powerful law of God (pg. 133-135) -Process simulation conditioning (positive-believing action) (pg. 142) -What Enthusiasm really means (pg. 151) -Retirement (pg. 156)-How God segments humans (pg. 165) -How we can be five times more effective, guaranteed (pg. 167) -The only thing in the entire Bible God asks us to prove Him (pg. 183) -The difference between tithes, alms and offerings (pg. 195) -The upward spiral of giving (pg. 198) -The conundrum of bacon of eggs (pg. 205) -There is no status quo (pg. 205) -Two types of knowledge (pg. 207)-Free resources for further study (pg. 207) Notable quotes from the book: "Having wealth doesn't change you, it exposes you. Some people truly cannot handle a major influx of money. It would bring out the worst in them." "These teachers are sincere, but sincerity means only that they are sincere. It doesn't mean they have rightly divided the Word of Truth. You can pretty much get the Word of God to say whatever you want, if you torture His words long enough." "GET YOUR MIND ALIGNED WITH THE DIVINE!" "Doubt, worry and fear is a conversation you have with yourself about the things you cannot change. Prayer is a conversation you have with God about things He can change." "Pious words and seemingly impressive deeds mean nothing if a person is not living a godly life and following the example of Jesus Christ! That's why we should be extremely particular about whom we give our time to and whom we hang out with." "Abundance, possessions, and achievements, without God, are like an unsharpened pencil; they have no point."

Explaining how to become a Christian hedonist, a bestselling author offers guidance on how to find spiritual joy to readers who are unsure of where to seek it.

A profound exploration of how to hold on to hope when our unchanging faith collides with a changing culture, from two respected Christian storytellers and thought leaders. “Offers neither spin control nor image maintenance for the evangelical tribe, but genuine hope.”—Russell Moore, president of ERLC As the pressures of health warnings, economic turmoil, and partisan politics continue to rise, the influence of gospel-focused Christians seems to be waning. In the public square and popular opinion, we are losing our voice right when it’s needed most for Christ’s glory and the common good. But there’s another story unfolding too—if you know where to look. In Gospelbound, Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra counter these growing fears with a robust message of resolute hope for anyone hungry for good news. Join them in exploring profound stories of Christians who are quietly changing the world in the name of Jesus—from the wild world of digital media to the stories of ancient saints and unsung contemporary activists on the frontiers of justice and mercy. Discover how, in these dark times, the light of Jesus shines even brighter. You haven’t heard the whole story. And that’s good news.