Discernment of Books
.
'Bibles' To Avoid
▼ For more details, click on the respective title. ▼
.
Amplified Bible (AMP) by Mrs. Frances Siewert (Presbyterian)
Joseph Smith Translation (JST) by Joseph Smith, used by Mormons
New World Translation (NWT) used by Jehovah's Witnesses
Reader's Digest Bible by John Walsh and Bruce Metzger
Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible by D. Willard, E. Peterson, R. Foster and W. Brueggemann
Scofield (Reference) Study 'Bible' promoting (Christian) Zionism
Simplified Cowboy Version (SCV) by Kevin Weatherby
The Everyday Life Bible by Joyce Meyer
The Evidence Study Bible: NKJV: All You Need to Understand and Defend Your Faith by Ray Comfort
The Green Bible by Harper Collins Publishers
The Living Bible (TLB) by Kenneth Taylor, used by Billy Graham
The Message Bible (MSG) by Eugene Peterson
The Mirror Bible by Francois du Toit, used by New Age
The New Geneva Study Bible / The Reformation Study Bible used by Calvinists
The Passion Bible (TPT) by Brian Simmons, used by the NAR
The Talmud (Including the Mishnah = Oral Law despised by Jesus) used by Mainstream Judaism
The Voice Bible by Ecclesia Bible Society
Tony Evans Study Bible by Tony Evans
Books To Avoid (Non-Canonical)
▼ For more details, click on the respective title. ▼
Acts of John, Acts of Paul, Apostolic Fathers (specifically the Letters of Barnabas, 1Clement of Rome and all of Ignatius of Antioch), Book of Enoch, Book of Jubilees, Gospel of James, Gospel of Judas, Gospel of Marcion, Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Infancy Gospel of Thomas ...
▶ see also 'Introduction to Non-Canonical Writings'
Books To Avoid (Mainstream)
▼ For more details, click on the respective title below. ▼
.
23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese
90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber
Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber
A Discourse On Inequality by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong (Catholic)
Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris (monastic Roman Catholicism mixed with Presbyterianism)
Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson
A Secular Age by Charles Taylor (Catholic, probably Jesuit)
A Severe Mercy: A Story of Faith, Tragedy, and Triumph by Sheldon Vanauken
A World Waiting to Be Born by M. Scott Peck
Awakened Heart by Gerald May
Become A Better You by Joel Osteen
Being Called, Being Gay by Gregory Millikin
Bring on the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault
Centering Prayer by Basil Pennington
Chasing The Dragon by Jackie Pullinger
Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Christian. Muslim. Friend. by David W. Shenk
Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley
Close Encounters of The God Kind by Jesse Duplantis
Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton
Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli
Convergence by Jon Thompson
Deeper Still by Pearl Moses
Early Christianity and the First Christians by Brian E. Daley (Jesuit)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson
Emergence, the Rebirth of the Sacred by David Spangler
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero
Escaping The Matrix by Richard Moore
Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer
Everything Belongs: Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr
Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation by Miroslav Volf
Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
Finding God by Ken Kaisch
Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog by Whiteley and Maynard
Gifted Hands by Ben Carson (Seventh Day Adventist), Gregg Lewis
God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines
God Calling by A.J. Russell
God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God by Ken Shigematsu
G-d Is A Black Women by Christena Copeland
God's Joyful Surprise by Sue Monk Kidd
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew, John & Elizabeth Sherrill
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
Hosting the Presence by Bill Johnson
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor
I Declare War by Levi Lusko
I Don't Believe in Atheists by Chris Hedges
Invitation To Silence and Solitude by Ruth Haley Barton
Invitation to the Septuagint by Karen Jobes, Moisés Silva
Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World by Andy Stanley
Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
Killing Jesus: A History by O'Reilly & Dugard
Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality by Philip St. Romain
Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holcaust by Immaculée Ilibagiza
Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Love Does by Bob Goff
Love Wins by Rob Bell
Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley
Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike
Naked Spirituality by Brian McLaren
Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God by Kaitlin B. Curtice
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Open Heart, Open Mind by Thomas Keating
Original Blessing by Matthew Fox
Out of Control by Ben Young and Samuel Adams
Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. by John Mark Comer
Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson
Primeval Chronology by William Henry Green
Rees Howells: Intercessor by Norman Grubb
Reimagining Christianity by Alan Jones
Return from Tomorrow by George G. Ritchie
Sabbatical Journey by Henri Nouwen
Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas
Sacred Way, The by Tony Jones
Seeds of Peace by William Shannon
Setting the Gospel Free by Brian C. Taylor
Sexual Behavior in the Human (Fe)Male by Alfred Kinsey
Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by Kevin Leman
Silence on Fire by William Shannon
Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N. T. Wright
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus by Ann Spangler
Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Jake Colsen
Spiritual Classics by Richard Foster and Emilie Griffin
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg
Spiritual Friend by Tilden Edwards
Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Charles Marsh
Strange Fire by John Mac Arthur (teaches Cessation of Spiritual Gifts)
Strongman's His Name...What's His Game? by Jerry Robeson
Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
Switch on Your Brain by Caroline Leaf
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Anointed: Evangelical Truth in a Secular Age by Stevens & Giberson
The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns
The Big Book of Christian Mysticism by Carl McColman
The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance by John Trent
The Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley
The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven by Kevin Malarkey
The Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel
The Case For Faith by Lee Strobel
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
The Cloud of Unknowing by Anonymous Monk
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ by Matthew Fox
The Communist Manifesto by Marx & Engels
The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and the Sherrill's
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
The Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud
The God of Intimacy and Action by Tony Campolo
The Good and Beautiful God / Community by James Bryan Smith
The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking
The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Wray Gregoire
The Healing Light by Agnes Sanford
The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg
The Heavenly Man, by Brother Yun, Paul Hathaway
The Imperfect Pastor by Zack Eswine
The Jesus We Never Knew by Marcus Borg
The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Listening Life by Adam McHugh
The Lost Gospel by Simcha Jacobovici
The Mission of Mysticism by Richard Kirby
The Moral Vision of the New Testament by Richard B. Hays
The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings by Edwin Thiele
The Mystic Heart by Wayne Teasdale
The Naked Now by Richard Rohr
The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Alan Jacobs
The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
The Other Side of Silence by Morton Kelsey
The Papa Prayer: The Prayer You've Never Prayed by Larry Crabb
The Passover Plot by Hugh Schonfield
The Pivot of Civilization by Margaret Sanger
The Physics of Heaven by J. Franklin, E. Davis, B. Johnson, C. Vallotton
The Power by Rhonda Byrne
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Unknown
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Cron, Suzanne Stabile
The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian D. McLaren (Kingdom Now theology)
The Shack by William Paul Young
The Signature of Jesus by Brennan Manning
The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker
The Soul at Rest by Tricia Rhodes
The Story Of Reality by Gregoury Koukl
The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen
The Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise
The Widening of God's Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story by Richard B. Hays amd Christopher B. Hays
To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davison Hunter
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
Walking with God by John Eldredge
When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin (teaching penance)
When God Winks at You by Squire Rushnell (Freemasonry)
When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent
When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd
When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson
Why Not Women by Loren Cunningham
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen
* among the links are some discernment ministers I agree with on the respective discernment, but not with their theology or religion
Authors To Avoid
▼ For more details, click on the respective name. ▼
.
Alister McGrath (Evolutionist, numerous books on C.S. Lewis)
Andy Crouch (Genesis & Revelation are myths)
Angie Smith
Anthony Doerr (Catholic)
Bill / William Schlegel (Calvinist, denies divinity of JESUS)
Brother Lawrence (Catholic Monk)
Chris Brauns (Calvinist)
Curt Thompson ('Christian' Mysticism)
Denny Burk (Calvinist)
Donald Miller
Don Piper
Doug Pagitt
Eckhardt Tolle
Edward Donelly (Calvinist)
Elizabeth Gilbert (Mysticism)
Elizabeth Sherrill (God's Smuggler, Return from Tomorrow, The Cross and the Switchblade)
Eugene Peterson (The Message)
Frederick S. Leahy (Calvinist)
George G. Ritchie (Freemason)
G.K. Chesterton (Catholic)
Gloria Furman (Calvinist)
Heather Lindsey
Heath Lambert (Calvinist, SBC)
Jay Adams (Calvinist)
James Davison Hunter (Catholic)
James White (Calvinist)
J.D. Greear (Calvinist)
Jennie Allen
Jennifer Kennedy Dean
Jennifer Rothschild
Jentezen Franklin
Jill Briscoe
John & Lisa Bevere
Joni Eareckson Tada (Calvinist)
J.P. Moreland
Karen Armstrong (Catholic)
Karen Kingsbury
Ken Boa
Keri Wyatt Kent
Lauren Chandler
Leonard Sweet
Lee Strobel (Catholic, a con-man)
Loraine Boettner (Calvinist)
Loren Cunningham
Lynn Vincent (Heaven is For Real)
Matthew W. Bates ("I consider Catholics my full brothers in Christ")
Michael (Mike) Todd
Michael Scott Horton (Calvinist)
Kelly Minter
Marianne Williamson (New Age)
Mark Driscoll
Michael (Mike) E. Wittmer (Calvinist)
Moisés Silva (Co-Author The Message Bible, Invitation to Septuagint)
Nicholas Wolterstorff (Calvinist)
Norman L. Geisler (Calvinist / soft Catholic)
Norman Vincent Peale (Freemason, The Power of Positive Thinking > Humanism)
Pearl Moses (Mysticism, Spiritual Formation)
Peter Kreeft (Catholic)
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (known as the Father of the New Age Movement)
Priscilla Shirer
Rachel Hollis
Richard B. Hays (Methodist)
Richard Moore
Rhonda Byrne
Robert D. Jones (Calvinist)
Robert Webber
Ross Douthat (Catholic)
Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj
Sean Perron (Calvinist, SBC)
Shane Claiborne
Sharon Hodde Miller
Sheila Walsh
Shel Silverstein
Thabiti M. Anyabwile (Calvinist)
Tim and Beverly LaHaye
Walter Brueggemann
Wayne Mack (Calvinist)
Magazines / Publishers to Avoid
▼ For more details, click on the respective name. ▼
.