It is a shame that that any Christian writer finds cause to publish a book to remind fellow Christians that they ought to be spending their time in God's word; in so doing, the book could easily become a contradiction within itself. Still, Pink penned this brief work, remaining consistent with the apparent goal of his book writing ministry: to correct the course of a large portion of church membership, who were already out of the Word, and into serious doctrinal errors.
At the risk of seeming a hypocrite -- for I am drawn to books -- I feel obligated to comment upon the ceaseless production of so-called Christian literature by a handful of publishers. Perusing a popular Christian online store, one is dizzied by the display of numerous books by numerous authors, promoting instructions for managing just about every imaginable facet of Christian life: parenting, choosing a spouse, maintaining a Christian marriage, church government, addiction, loving God more, believer's security, obedience to God's will, finding purpose, determining God's will in your life, improving communion with God, addressing fears and uncertainties and devotion. Add to this, a heaping of Christian fiction and some rather dubious books on near-death experiences. With all of these books that purport to be about the Bible, sure to have an audience based upon sales and the fact that there has only been growth in their publishing, it's truly a wonder that many self-identified Christians have any time for the reading of God's Word. In my view, this can only be the case because of the widespread avoidance of God's Word in churches today. Why is this? Because God's Word gives the soundest doctrine; it admonishes as it exhorts, and it challenges as well as quickens. There have always been those who do not submit themselves to sound doctrine. In the modern era, there is a continuing, disturbing trend among many church members to satisfy themselves with what they expect is an illuminating work, an approximation of Scripture -- a tool with which to better understand Scripture itself! We live at a time when a popular devotional book is allowed to stand in for communion with God while reading His Word. It's as if those caught up in this commercialization of Christian ideas would rather have any paperback token than a direct, supernatural communion with the Spirit of God while reading His book, the book that God wrote! When these poor substitutions are preferentially relied upon, there is no spiritual sustenance to be had; moreover, there is often the insertion of doctrinal error, minus the usual means of trying doctrine (i.e., referencing God's word as the ultimate authority). Want to grow spiritually? If yes, then divest yourself of these distractions and read your Bible and pray; spend time alone with your Creator.
Updated 03/09/2014.
Updated 03/09/2014.
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