Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope Paperback – April 1, 2011

I've been following with great interest blogger Trevin Wax's research and writing about the gospel on his blog, Kingdom People, for months. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of his new book, based on what he's learned: Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope.The premise of the book is that "counterfeit gospels"-ways of thinking and speaking about the good news that are diluted or distorted-are the biggest threat to the church today. These counterfeit gospels cause a gradual drift from the truth of Scripture that is less obvious, but no less dangerous, than blatant heresy, persecution, or a number of other threats. These counterfeits are like candy: pleasant to the taste, but leaving us spiritually malnourished. In extreme cases, they may lead to outright heresy, but in most cases, they either dilute the truth or teach it out of proportion. There's often enough of a saving message to reconcile us to God, but as Trevin says,"...the watered-down version never satisfies our longings. Nor will it empower us for service, or embolden our witness before a watching world." (p. 13)He goes on to define the gospel using the concept of a three-legged stool. The three legs are story, announcement, and community.Story is the "big picture", God's sweeping plan of redemption for all of Creation. We often see it referred to as "Creation-->Fall-->Redemption-->Restoration". This is the overarching grand narrative told from Genesis to Revelation.Announcement refers to the announcement of Christ's life, death, and resurrection and our personal, individual response to it. This is the "God-->Man-->Christ-->Response" component, addressing our individual salvation.Community describes the embodiment of the gospel as we are shaped by it and live according to it's truth as a community of believers in the world...a present manifestation of God's Kingdom.Each leg of the stool is essential. Cut one off and the whole thing tips over:"Each leg of the stool is important because each relates to the other two. The gospel story provides the biblical narrative necessary for us to understand the nature of the gospel announcement. Likewise, the gospel announcement births the gospel community that centers its common life upon the transformative truth of Jesus Christ. Though the New Testament authors generally use the word 'gospel' as referring to the announcement of the crucified and risen King Jesus, a closer look reveals that they never separate the announcement from the back story which gives it meaning-nor the community that the announcement births." (p. 16-17)He goes on to say:"The counterfeit gospels in the church today resemble the biblical gospel in some ways, and yet fail to incorporate and integrate all that the Bible says about the good news. Each counterfeit is like a colony of termites, eating away at one of the legs of the stool, and therefore toppling the stool and damaging the other components as well." (p. 17)Each counterfeit focuses on one leg of the stool, overemphasizing and/or distorting it. The rest of the book evaluates six common counterfeits, grouping them according to which leg each one targets. It explores the therapeutic, judgmentless, moralistic, quietist, activist, and churchless gospels. Each chapter addresses one of these, describing the different forms each one takes, what makes it attractive, and discussing what each gets right and wrong. Wrapping up each chapter, Trevin advises how to counter each counterfeit biblically, concluding with a list of Scripture references that address each aspect of that particular counterfeit.I really loved this book. There are so many different "versions" of what is encompassed in the gospel, and each one has parts that ring true. How do we sort it all out and keep the main thing the main thing? I grew up in an environment that emphasized the "announcement" over the "story" and "community", and for years I struggled with where those pieces of the puzzle fit...I knew they were biblical and important, but couldn't reconcile exactly where they fit in to the picture. I have to say that Trevin's three-legged stool concept is one of the most helpful models I've encountered...it really lays out very clearly what I've come to understand slowly over a number of years...that the gospel encompasses much more than just a set of facts to be believed at a moment in time to get you "in", and each aspect is essential. In fact, I'm using this model in a family discipleship class that my husband and I are teaching when we discuss communicating the gospel to our children.The way the counterfeits are categorized according to which leg they overemphasize or distort is well done. Everything is organized and laid out very clearly. The charts scattered throughout were super helpful. I especially like this one that compares all six counterfeits at a glance.Counterfeit Gospels is an incredibly timely and needed book. It seems like in general, confusion reigns in today's churches about the gospel. Counterfeit Gospels is just the prescription needed to clear through all the obscurity and bring clarity and understanding. In short, I think it's a must read and give it my highest recommendation! It released on April 1 and I encourage you to get your hands on a copy!Thanks so much to Moody Publishing for the advance review copy! All opinions expressed are my own. Also, since this was an unedited proof copy, I can't guarantee that the page numbers cited will coincide with the published version of the book.

In recent years, my husband and I have become increasingly concerned about the distortions of the gospel touted in much of today's popular Christian literature. It's an old problem: Paul wrestled with similar perversions of the truth. Counterfeits pose as the real deal. They are often not easy to spot: their ideas have enough truth in them to make them inoffensive. They are a subtle, small twist on the real good news. But the perversion is enough to change the heart of the message.Counterfeits play on what we desire or what seems instinctively right, if we are thinking in the flesh. Author Trevin Wax has a two-part strategy for exposing the counterfeits for his readers. He first teaches the real gospel truth. Then he exposes the perversions.Using the metaphor of a three-legged stool, Wax proposes there are three distinct components to the gospel message. The first is the gospel story, the overall narrative of God's plan of salvation from Genesis to Revelation. The second leg is the gospel announcement, centering on Jesus Christ and his redemptive work on earth. The final leg is the gospel community, how both personally and as a Church we are shaped by the gospel message.After giving a strong background in biblical truth, Wax exposes two counterfeits being taught today that distort each "leg" of the gospel.The gospel story:* The therapeutic gospel promises the gospel is meant to fulfill our pursuit of happiness. At its extreme, it's a perversion often cited as the "prosperity gospel."* The judgment-less gospel includes the belief that everyone in the end will be saved, with the possible exceptions of a few souls that are truly evil. It assures us that deep down, humans are basically good people who have just made mistakes.* The moralistic gospel distorts the transforming power of the gospel. God will wipe our slate clean, but it is up to us to change our lives. Repentance is nothing more than sin management.* The quietist gospel focuses on the church for the church. Believers retreat into a private sphere, shutting themselves off from the outside world, to work toward their own survival.* The activist gospel unites followers around social action or political interests instead of the common cause of Christ. In reality it is a confusion of church and culture.* The churchless gospel downplays the need (and command) to be united with a gospel community. It urges Christians to abandon the organized church and adopt other forms of fellowship.With each counterfeit, Wax gives helpful indicators to help the reader discern if they have wholly or in part fallen for its seduction. He analyzes the reasons for its appeal. He also warns against the implications of each false teaching; the spiritual results of building our foundation on a false truth can be devastating. Finally, Wax ends each section with suggestions on how to counter the counterfeit. They point the reader back to God and to the truth that will set them free.I found this book to be very helpful in putting a name and general principle on the ideas currently out there that have given me pause. Wax is solidly centered on the truth of the gospel and consistently points the reader's focus where it belongs: on Jesus Christ alone. Each of these counterfeits lures one's gaze onto something besides the redemptive work of Christ. Wax urges us to refocus, and put our hope and attention on the truth that will truly sustain and nourish us.This book is a great read and I highly recommend it. The teaching team at our church will be incorporating some of these ideas into our series on Romans this fall. We hope that the counterfeit ideas that have insidiously crept into the Christian community at large will be exposed for what they are: perversions of God's truth.

Almost every page in my book has hi lighting on it. This book helped me see the gospel clearly in a way that I had never before. Although, in the years since reading this book I have come to see what Trevin missed...or at least what he does not emphasis in the book...specifically the Kingdom of God. This book is great but I would recommend supplementing it with NT Wright How God became King and Simply Jesus.

HOLY COW. This book is piercing me to the core. And, I should add, NOT in the way I THOUGHT it might.While the author does illuminate counterfeit gospels as the title suggests (an excellent critique of our modern, westernized gospel that we can/should all learn from), the MEAT of this book is the author's emphasis on what the Gospel IS (makes a beautiful and compelling backdrop to what the gospel is not). Because the clear emphasis of this book is on the Gospel, instead of ending up as another "dump on others" session or a "they are dumb because they are not like me" rant, this book shines a POWERFUL AND COMPELLING light on God's amazing plan for his creation.This book is convicting, radically Bible based, and theologically grounded. I have cried through a lot of it (maybe I'm on my "man period" or maybe my intense, three week study on the richness of the gospel is catching up with me and overtaking my heart [I PRAY it's the latter]). :-)If you get the chance (or can MAKE the chance), read this book. Whether it's through this book or in some other way He leads, I pray that God will continue to arrest our hearts with the Gospel of Jesus!

I battled to get into this book. Following the author was difficult. Perhaps you need to be American to get it.