Right now, Truth is under attack and much is at stake. In a postmodern culture, Christians are caught in the crossfire of alternative Christian histories, emerging faulty texts, and a cultural push to eliminate absolute Truth altogether. As a result, many churches and Christians have been deceived. Worse still, they propagate the deception that poses itself as Truth! In The Truth War, John MacArthur reclaims the unwavering certainty of God's Truth and anchors Christians in the eternal, immovable promises found in His Word.
Right now, Truth is under attack, and much is at stake. Christians are caught in the crossfire of alternative Christian histories, emerging faulty texts, and a cultural push to eliminate absolute Truth altogether. As a result, many churches and Christians have been deceived. Worse still, they propagate the deception that poses itself as Truth! In The Truth War John MacArthur reclaims the unwavering certainty of God’s Truth and anchors Christians in the eternal, immovable promises that are found in His Word.
Looking for a good book on the importance of fighting for and defending biblical truth? Look no further. John MacArthur's The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception is just what you need. When those like the Emergent Church leaders are claiming we cannot know for sure what the Bible teaches, that we cannot be certain whether things like homosexuality are sin, MacArthur shows how the Bible is not ambiguous about these matters at all. And further, the Bible warns that we would see false teachers claim such things. The fact of the matter is, the church is warned often by the writers of the New Testament, and Jesus Himself, that wolves in sheep's clothing would come.
The Truth War has eight chapters, which are all prefaced by the introduction "Why Truth Is Worth Fighting For." Right off the bat, MacArthur explains why truth is important to defend. Each following chapter deals with an important aspect of the battle: "Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?" (Chapter 1); "Spiritual Triumph: Duty, Danger, and Guaranteed Triumph" (Chapter 2); "Constrained into Conflict: Why We Must Fight for the Faith" (Chapter 3); "Creeping Apostasy: How False Teachers Sneak In" (Chapter 4); "Heresy's Subtlety: Why We Must Remain Vigilant" (Chapter 5); "The Evil of False Teaching: How Error Turns Grace into Licentiousness" (Chapter 6); "The Assault on Divine Authority: Christ's Lordship Denied" (Chapter 7); and "How to Survive in an Age of Apostasy: Learning from the Lessons of History" (Chapter 8). All this great discussion is followed by the appendix: "Why Discernment Is Out of Fashion."
An important theme MacArthur takes up in the book is Postmodernism, the philosophical engine that drives the Emergent Church movement. He is right when he says "Postmodernism is simply the latest expression of worldly unbelief," and that it is "proud rebellion against divine revelation" (p. 25). While false teaching masquerading as biblical Christianity has always posed a threat to the church, "most Christians nowadays simply don't care about the prevalence of false doctrine, nor do they take seriously their duty to fight against apostasy" (p. 47).
The real problem, as MacArthur sees it, is that the true church is battling apostate teachers who are espousing corrupt teaching. "They frequently remain and continue to function as preachers, teachers, or authors. Certainly they pretend to be Christians. They cover up their defection with subtlety. They profess faithfulness to the truth even as they try to undermine its foundations" (p. 66). "[A]postate religion is dynamic in the same way gospel truth is---but it produces exactly the opposite results. It intensifies sin's bondage, multiplies sin's pollutions, and magnifies sin's consequences" (p. 122).
The level of apostasy now in the church is not helped by the amount of people filling our pews who may not be genuine Christians. "Churches today are filled with people like that. They drift from church to church. They are often more concerned about whether they like the music than they are about whether they are hearing the truth. They are usually absorbed in religion for self-centered reasons. They want a better life. They are 'recovering' sinners looking for fellowship. They are therefore susceptible to anyone who promises to meet their 'felt needs.' They are the first-line victims of false religion" (p. 182).
The Truth War is must-reading for all Christians. It reminds us of the essential fact that Christianity is a matter of truth. And truth is always worth fighting for. – Ray Hammond, Christian Book Previews.com
Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(4.5 out of 5 stars)
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Oswaldo Molina (Miami, FL), January 21, 2010
Great job by John M. This book explain how easy can we as a Christian make terrible mistakes not understanding the right way to keep living the true gospel and doctrines.We are living in a time of deception and confusing spiritualy movement.The Bible.true.gospel.doctrines.ect are been changed for many things that are heretic and lies. Great teaching and proof with the Bible this book is a must have in your arsenal I recommended
0.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David Bell (Iowa City, IA), January 16, 2010
The Truth War by John MacArthur is timely and desperately needed topic for individual Christians and the Church at large.
For truth to be effective it must be prsented in a truthful and honorable manner. Early church fathers believed that character and message were inextricably intertwined. Mr. MacArthur states that with Biblical issues compromise is never appropriate (p. 192). Truth, honesty and character are surely Biblical issues.
The way the world works is spin, half truths, innuendo, and being deceptive and misleading.
In my opinion Mr. MacArthur has compromised with the world. Perhaps the most glaring example culminates on p. 147, "In the words of Rick Warren, "If you want to advertise your church to the unchurched, you must learn to speak and think as they do."" MacArthur goes on to denigrate Warren's concept and approach. Leading up to this quote, p.139, MacArthur states "The recent wave of popular books written by leading figures in the Emerging Church movement has unleashed an unprecedented flood of vulgarity and worldliness onto Christian bookseller's shelves." On p. 146 MacArthur states that for Evangelicals "Maintaining a positive image has become a priority over guarding the truth. The PR-driven church." The quote from Warren is a sentence or so later, and taken from Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Church." The implications of these statements are unescapable. I looked up the quote from Warren and read it in context. To summarize, Warren wants the words and methods the churched people use to be more user friendly to the unchurched. He wants to communicate the message more effectively to reach the unchurched. I see no hint that Warren wants to compromise the message. Those engaged in the war on truth must be scrupulously truthful and honest. I believe the truth war needs to come closer to home for Mr. MacArthur.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Regine Mackenzie (Mountlake Terrace, WA), October 07, 2009
I love this book even though there is a lot of repetition. In some of the chapters, it seems as if the author is trying really hard to add words just to make the chapter long enough. That's especially the case in the middle of the book. No matter, this book is very informative. Lack of discernment in the church is rampant and this book truly opens your eyes as to how far the church has backslidden just to accommodate the world. Every church should have this book in its library and every churchgoer should read it. We need to be aware of what's going. This book does a great job making people aware (also good historical info - wish there could have been more).
I highly recomment this book!
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Glenda Hendry (Ellisville, MS), September 30, 2009
My husband and I wanted multiple copies to pass around to our church family. This is a great book that will help anyone that is struggling for the truth.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Linda Pugh (Oregon City, OR), September 28, 2009
If you are searching for Truth, this book will show you what it is and where to find it. It helped me understand the historical background from which came many false philosophies and heretical distortions of the Truth, beginning in the New Testament era, and continuing to this day. The good news is that God does not change, the Truth - proclaimed and lived by Jesus Christ - does not change, and His people today need to grasp this message.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Jennifer Mcpeters (Newport News, VA), September 27, 2009
Absolutely essential reading!!!! It gave me a wake up call as to what is happening to the church today and it prompted me to have a long face to face meeting with the pastor of my church about how we can counterattack the postmodernism thinking that is so prevalent amongst my generation(20-30) today. Highly recommended.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Nathan Weidman (Trumansburg, NY), September 25, 2009
This is a must read book for every Christian. We are in a war and we need to be ready for the battle. This book is very eye opening.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Willie Brown (Houston, TX), September 19, 2009
Excellent! Its the best book on truth available today. I would reccomend this book to all that want to know the truth.
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