40 Common Misconceptions
MICHAEL WITTMER
brentwood, tennessee
Copyright © 2023 by Michael Wittmer
Published by B&H Academic
Brentwood, Tennessee
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-0877-5607-3
Dewey Decimal Classification: 230
Subject Heading: CHRISTIANITY / JESUS CHRIST / CHURCH
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations noted ESV are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
The web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of the book’s publication but may be subject to change.
Cover design by Darren Welch and Emily Keafer Lambright.
Cover illustration by Gustave Doré, from The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, Canto 23, sourced from Realy Easy Star / Alamy.
For the fun and generous family of Cedar Springs Baptist Church:
I love you and I like you.
1. It Is Important to Believe in Something, and It Does Not Matter What
3. Faith Begins When Knowledge Ends
4. Theology Is Western and White
5. Doctrine Divides. Love Unites
6. The Bible Is Our Only Authority
7. A High View of Scripture Turns the Bible into an Idol
8. Jews, Christians, and Muslims Worship the Same God
9. God Created the World Because He Was Lonely
11. You Should Pray Like It All Depends on God and Work Like It All Depends on You
12. This World Is Not Our Home
13. You Shouldn’t Waste Your Life on Temporal Things
14. My Body Is a Temporary Residence for My Immortal Soul
16. Freedom Explains the Problem of Evil
18. All Sin Is the Same before God
19. Jesus Never Spoke about Homosexuality
20. You’re Not Supposed to Judge
22. The Safest Place to Be Is in the Center of God’s Will
23. God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle
24. The Son of God Put on Skin
25. Jesus Loves Sinners and Dislikes Religious People
26. Jesus Is More Loving and Compassionate Than the God of the Old Testament
28. All Children Who Die before the Age of Accountability Will Be Saved
29. Any Religion Will Save You as Long as You’re Sincere
30. We Must “Preach the Gospel at All Times and If Necessary, Use Words”
31. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
32. Justification Means Just-as-If-I’d-Never-Sinned
33. We Should Not Be Motivated by Fear
34. We Should Forgive Others for Our Own Good
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About Urban Legends of Theology: 40 Common MisconceptionsUrban Legends of Theology surveys 40 of the most common misunderstandings of Christian doctrine. Some of the urban legends are cultural truisms that turn out not to be true; others are misconceptions of what the Bible and Christian tradition actually teach. Author and theologian Michael Wittmer writes in an engaging and incisive manner, probing beliefs nearly every churchgoer has heard at one time or another, such as: • The Bible is our only authority • All sin is the same before God • God won’t give you more than you can handle • Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship • We are the hands and feet of Jesus Urban Legends of Theology corrects these misconceptions and offers a better alternative in each one’s place, guiding readers into the full riches and freedom of Christian theology rightly understood. |
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