Who Is Your Favorite Pastor Among John Piper, John Macarthur, Max Lucado, Joshua Harris, Aiden Tozer, And Charles Spurgeon. Why?

[Genevanpreacher]

I have to say that of the few in this post that I know, Spurgeon is the only one that I have read that encourages me every time I read his sermons.

I have never read J. Piper, Max Lucado (except a childrens book), nor Joshua Harris. But I have read some John MacArthur (have found him a bit encouraging).

As for Tozer? I find him very boring reading (and I usually love the dry stuff).

 

[I do wanna add that I have read some negative things on OB about MacArthur of which I have never observed, so please don't 'bash me' for saying he is encouraging, after all Billy Graham also has some encouraging messages, and we know his 'problems'.]

[Ukulelemike]

Surpried no one mentioned Piper and his Christian Hedonism heresy, or the fact that he counts such heretics as CS Lewis among his great influences.

I read early on in this that it was this person's pastor's wife that was recommending these books to people, and it reminded me of when I was visiting a church some years back, and the pastor's wife  there was gushing about how wonderful the Shack was-I had not heard of it at that point, so looked it up, and was shocked at what a mess it was, and how badly a prreacher's wife could fall for such claptrap.  My wife recommends a lot of books to people in our church, and in fact, we buy books for people here, but I always reveiw them. I trust my wife's judgment, but ultimately it falls on me what goes to others in this church. I think only once did I have to reject one, and it was because a very good book shared the same title with a bad one, (Bones of Contention), and she accidentally bought the bad one.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

Surpried no one mentioned Piper and his Christian Hedonism heresy, or the fact that he counts such heretics as CS Lewis among his great influences.

I read early on in this that it was this person's pastor's wife that was recommending these books to people, and it reminded me of when I was visiting a church some years back, and the pastor's wife  there was gushing about how wonderful the Shack was-I had not heard of it at that point, so looked it up, and was shocked at what a mess it was, and how badly a prreacher's wife could fall for such claptrap.  My wife recommends a lot of books to people in our church, and in fact, we buy books for people here, but I always reveiw them. I trust my wife's judgment, but ultimately it falls on me what goes to others in this church. I think only once did I have to reject one, and it was because a very good book shared the same title with a bad one, (Bones of Contention), and she accidentally bought the bad one.

​My wife had several IB pastor's and missionary's wives gush over "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" and asked me to order a copy. She chucked it only 1/2 way in, totally amazed at the shallowness and lack of discernment of the women who recommended it (and yet should have known better.)

[John81]

Unfortunately even some IFBs get caught up in the latest trend and "coolest thing". I recall hearing a group of women gushing over two or three different "I died and went to heaven" books; two by children (one since recanted) and the other book mentioned was by an adult.

On another occasion I heard some talking about a book about some guy who claimed to have spent time in hell.

During the summer library reading program I read two of the books by children claiming to have died and gone to heaven and found both of them to have so many unscripturally valid statements that I couldn't understand how any Christian could accept them.

I also checked out the book by the guy who claimed he died and went to hell. That book didn't waste any time in putting forth an abundance of unscriptural garbage and was also poorly written so I knew I didn't need to bother reading any further. Again, wondering to myself how any Christian even sightly above babe in Christ maturity could accept such.

[Potatochip]

​My wife had several IB pastor's and missionary's wives gush over "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" and asked me to order a copy. She chucked it only 1/2 way in, totally amazed at the shallowness and lack of discernment of the women who recommended it (and yet should have known better.)

There is just not that much there in the Bible about Mary.  Everything in the Bible is about God.  Mary it would seem is left to the imagination. Unless you get involved in Catholic teachings.  

David Clouds documentry on the Catholic Church is very good.   If you get tired of seeing SDA documentries lol.    

[OLD fashioned preacher]

There is just not that much there in the Bible about Mary.  Everything in the Bible is about God.  Mary it would seem is left to the imagination. Unless you get involved in Catholic teachings.  

David Clouds documentry on the Catholic Church is very good.   If you get tired of seeing SDA documentries lol.    

​Wrong Mary, this is Martha's and Lazarus' sister.

[Ukulelemike]

Unfortunately even some IFBs get caught up in the latest trend and "coolest thing". I recall hearing a group of women gushing over two or three different "I died and went to heaven" books; two by children (one since recanted) and the other book mentioned was by an adult.

On another occasion I heard some talking about a book about some guy who claimed to have spent time in hell.

During the summer library reading program I read two of the books by children claiming to have died and gone to heaven and found both of them to have so many unscripturally valid statements that I couldn't understand how any Christian could accept them.

I also checked out the book by the guy who claimed he died and went to hell. That book didn't waste any time in putting forth an abundance of unscriptural garbage and was also poorly written so I knew I didn't need to bother reading any further. Again, wondering to myself how any Christian even sightly above babe in Christ maturity could accept such.

​Yes, the 'Been to Heaven/Hell' book are very popular. I just remind people of what Paul said, that when he went, the things he heard there were not lawful for a man to speak-basically, he wasn't allowed to tell what he had seen and heard there. I also suspect that, what we were to see there, we here in this life have no context for understanding it. Look at Revelation-John's writings have been available for us for 2,000 years, and we're STILL arguing over what it all means. Intelligent, godly men, who still can't come to an agreement about it. because we have so little context to understand it all. Is it literal? Allegory?  Six of one, 1/2 dozen of the other? Is John describing things from a spiritual perspective, which we will see differently here, physically?

So all these book that describe heaven according to very earthly descriptions, from the books you mention, to the writings of Ellen G. White, are clearly seen as fakes-Paul wasn't allowed to speak of it, and John's writings, as well as those of Ezekiel and Isaiah, make very little, or no sense, from an earthly perspective. Yet these other people go and talk about flowers and birds and little flying children and this and that. No, not buying it.

[John81]

I've pointed out to folks that of all those raised from the dead mentioned in Scripture, there is nothing about any of them remembering anything about where they had been, no accounts of reunions with lost loved ones, nothing about meeting a favorite pet in heaven, no private chats with Abraham.

Paul only saw a glimpse of heaven and it was so powerful God had to allow a messenger of Satan to buffet him in order to keep his head from exploding!

Now imagine one actually dying, entering and living in the wonders of heaven only to be suddenly drawn back to earth and have full memory of their time in heaven. If heaven is so wonderful beyond our comprehension (and I believe it is) and being in the presence of the Lord is great beyond description (and I believe it is) how could they be happy to be back here, once again subject to temptation and sin, the effects of the fall and curse, to no longer be in the presence of the Lord?

As well, if a person truly suffered the torments of hell, such a horrid experience would make earth seem like paradise and one would think the fear would be gnawing at them and they would become one of the most devoted followers of Christ and spreaders of the Gospel.

It's only speculation, but I believe all those who were raised from the dead returned to us as if from a long sleep or coma or something, with no memories of heaven...or hell.

In any event, I've never yet read an account of someone coming back from the dead which didn't have things in their story which didn't agree with Scripture. Therefore, I have to believe their stories are false.