“I’ve often wondered where Jesus would apply His hastily made whip if He were to visit our culture. My guess is that it would not be money-changing tables in the temple that would feel His wrath, but the display racks in Christian bookstores.”― R.C. Sproul, Lifeviews: Make a Christian Impact on Culture and Society

              While truth always blesses and benefits one’s life, truth does not always feel good. Hearing R.C. Sproul’s biting words of rebuke against the average so-called Christian bookstore will bless all who respond rightly to it, yet the realization stings when accepted. Simply put, not all that self-proclaims itself as Christian truth actually teaches Christian truth despite its popularity on a store bookshelf.

              R.C. questions whether or not Jesus would respond to the promulgation of such lies and deceits in these stores as he did with the money-changing tables. The money-changers painted themselves as ones who enabled the public to bring the correct type of currency to the temple service for offerings. In reality, their business opportunity included unjust exchange rates that extorted money from their customers. To Jesus, they were bringing deceit and evil into the very house of God they claimed to serve. He saw them as wicked hypocrites and drove them out.

              Today’s popular so-called Christian authors portray themselves as sources of Christian truth, yet much is repackaged worldly foolishness. Psychological approaches to life and convenient justifications for one’s sinful lifestyle compete with over-simplified legalistic approaches to serving God depending on one’s natural bias towards one or the other. The books often feed more of what one already believes about God, faith, and life than changing one’s sinful nature with God’s actual truth.

              While Jesus no longer walks physically on this earth and we should not take a whip into the local bookstore for any such similar action, some response is needed by those who pursue God’s truth. A correct response to these contemporary distortions begins with knowing what God’s Word actually says and discerning the distortions of today’s books whether explicitly Christian or simply offering an alternative view of life to Christianity. From there, courage can carry one through to engagement with the broader culture starting with one’s friends, church community, and neighbors.

              With knowledge, discernment and loving engagement, we can proclaim Godly beliefs, teach others to value what God values, align our thoughts and feelings with God’s ways, and direct Godly practices in ourselves and our communities. We and others around us who follow this example will flourish in God’s blessing through such work.