“The Christian bookstore industry is being haunted, not by Halloweenish ghosts, goblins, and children dressed as demons with pitchforks, but by real false prophets, real false teachers, real demonic doctrines, and real people masquerading as Christians. But the failure of the Christian bookstore industry to monitor their own bookstores is not due to their lack of knowledge. They have been informed time and time again, over and over and over, almost to the point of saturation.” ~ Bud Press, Director Christian Research Service, Special Report, October 13, 2006
In CRS’
“Now before you lose your cool and fire off an indignant email or letter to some editor, Webmaster or religious leader, you need to know this: Many of them don’t know what they’re selling. That’s the good news. The bad news is, some of them do,” states Paul Proctor, columnist for NewswithViews.com.
For Bud Press’ entire article, read Special Report .
Interesting article from CBA Marketplace: How Can You Keep False Doctrines Off Your Store Shelves?
Other sources:
Beware ‘Christian’ Bookstores
Lifeway removes books
Are Christian publishers promoting…interspirituality?
Deception in the Databases
What ever happened to Eerdman’s?
CRS Master List
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on October 31, 2006 - 1:54 pm
Wow. This is really interesting. Thanks for the post.
on October 31, 2006 - 8:17 pm
Hey!
Read your bio, you sound so much like me, its scary! And I too, find the Christian publishing industry problematic. A few years ago, an author friend of mine who was invited to one of the big bookseller’s conferences . . . .told me a frightening account of what he witnessed . . .. some of these guys (you could guess - they often have bestsellers on the endcaps at the bookstores or WalMart) arrived amd exited in limousines (that’s bad enough but not what really shocked me) with BODY GUARDS. Now . . . if that doesn’t repulse even the most undiscerning -nervous laughter here- then again, I think I’ll cry. . .
guess I figured out some time back that if everybody and their brother is clamoring after a thing, it’s probably not “the way of the Cross” if you kwim. People don’t normally heavily desire those things that grate on (or call for the denying of) the flesh. Thus, the writings of the “endcappers” help us have a great life here and now instead of Jesus’ way - storing up treasures in heaven - partaking in Jesus’ suffering…so as to partake in His Glory. I dunno….just a thought.
on October 31, 2006 - 8:20 pm
Oh, I just couldn’t resist
http://sacredsandwich.com/advertisement14.htm
on November 1, 2006 - 5:21 pm
This is an alarming report made by CRS. I can’t imagine what they are talking about. I’ll go read the whole article. Thanks for bringing to our attention.
on November 1, 2006 - 5:58 pm
I read their report, and then visited their website. I had the feeling in the pit of my stomach that this was the same group that has been attacking Benny Hinn for years. Benny Hinn is no false prophet as they suggest. He’s not perfect either. But they show their own error in attacking Benny and many other main stream televangelists.
Please beware, CRS has a long track record of pointing their fingers and name calling. Sometimes they make valid points, but often times they go way too far.
Personally, I think that it is far past time for the body of Christ to stop with their bickering over issues of present day use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Calvinism -vs- Armenianism, and untie under the basics of salvation through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God. Disagreeing on these other issues does not make one a heretic, it just makes them a Baptist or Full Gospel.
Be very careful, my friend.
on November 1, 2006 - 7:40 pm
* Melissa, thanks for visiting. Thought I’d throw the info out there and let folks reach their own conclusions.
* Hope, I appreciate your insights and feedback. Thanks for the link to Sacred Sandwich–I actually visited there last week and had to smile.:-)
* David, you know I appreciate you! Thanks for the follow-up comment. But my post wasn’t about in-house bickering over doctrinal issues. The post and all the resource links provided address the many Christian bookstores (online and walk-in) that have been found selling books written by folks who distort the GOSPEL. NO group mentioned here has attacked anyone. I have personally found New Age books in my local Christian bookstore before, and hand-carried them to the manager, asking why.
Too many stores are carrying questionable material. Books that support universalism, gnosticism, pantheism, self-atonement, defective Christology and skewed bibliology have no business on our shelves IF we called ourselves Christian booksellers. Lifeway was quick to respond to CRS, thankfully.
Be careful, my friend, yes.
on December 30, 2006 - 4:34 pm
Dear Victoria:
Thank you for posting the article, “The Haunting of an Industry,” and linking to my Special Report on the Christian Bookstore Industry. Hopefully, your readers will be better equipped and informed when shopping both online and walk-in Christian bookstores.
Concerning Benny Hinn and his being a false prophet, please permit me to refer your readers to “Benny Hinn’s False Prophecies for the 1990’s” at http://www.christianresearchservice.com/BHinn1.htm. This is a word-for-word transcript from an audio-tape obtained from Benny Hinn’s December 31, 1989 church service at the Orlando Christian Center.
While reading the transcript, please note Hinn’s usage of the words, “God tells me to tell you” and “The Spirit of God tells me to tell you.” By doing so, Hinn not only placed himself into the office of a prophet, but claimed to be a mouthpiece for God.
It is also important to note that Hinn falsely prophesied: the destruction of the homosexual community by 1994 or 1995; the destruction of the east coast by an earthquake; the death of Fidel Castro; the coming of a a world dictator, and the return of Jesus Christ.
In addition, Benny Hinn has claimed to be a messiah and a god, and that Jesus Christ had to be born again. Hinn has also played the intimidation and scare tactic card by placing curses on those who disagree with him (including children).
Finally, truth rests solely on factual evidence and irrefutable documentation. The evidence proving Benny Hinn a false prophet and false teacher is irrefutable, and an open-and-shut case.
Indeed, truth will stand up to investigation.
But most important, God has already spoken about the false prophets of this world, and has given us the guidelines to judge the validity of their prophecies (Deuteronomy 13:1-3 and 18:20-22; Matthew chapter 24).
Sincerely in Christ,
Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service
Jude 3
on January 2, 2007 - 1:12 am
Mr. Press, thank you so kindly for taking the time to visit and offering additional info on this subject. May the reader pray for discernment and take heed. God bless you.