Posted on 05/01/2015 2:12:49 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
(RNS) When Republican presidential hopeful Scott Walker spoke last Saturday (April 25) to an influential gathering of Christian conservatives in an Iowa church, he brought along a little reading material.
Standing before more than 1,000 people at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, the Wisconsin governor used part of his time to read from “Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence,” a Christian devotional written in the first-person voice of Jesus by missionary-turned-author Sarah Young.
“‘The way to walk through demanding times is to grip my hand tightly,’” Walker read to the crowd. “‘Regardless of the day’s problems, I can keep you in perfect peace as you stay close to me.’”
According to reports, the crowd was “rapt.” In the days after Scott’s talk, the book shot to the top of a couple of online retailers’ best-seller lists, including Amazon.
Not that the book needed Walker’s help.
“‘Calling Jesus’ didn’t need Scott Walker to get a bump,” said Marcia Z. Nelson, until recently the religion reviews editor at Publishers Weekly, which tracks the publishing industry. “Christian publishing has had a massive hit on its hands ever since ‘Jesus Calling’ was published in 2004.”
And that may have been the point of Walker’s use of the book: a quiet signal, to evangelicals that Walker is one of them, that he even reads the same books. “Jesus Calling” is more of a megaphone for the still-undeclared candidate, a preacher’s son who opposes hot-button issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
Phyllis Tickle, former religion editor for Publishers Weekly and the author of multiple Christian titles herself, said she could not remember another book — let alone a religion book — being read in public by another presidential hopeful.
“I mean, sure, candidates will cite books,” she said, “but not like this.”
(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...
Wow. Very interesting; thank you. I haven’t read the book, but it reminds me of Eben Alexander’s “Proof of Heaven.” He, too, is a New Ager.
We have to be very careful, use our discernment, and compare these books to Scripture before committing to their contents.
Exactly. I do not mean to be smug about it. I have purchased plenty of bad books, too. Like you said, it is important that we use our discernment and compare them to Scripture BEFORE committing to their contents. You said it perfectly. It is not enough to just follow the crowd because the book is popular.
Thank you, and I agree. A few years ago my mother-in-law gave me a copy of one of Joel Osteen’s books. I didn’t know anything about him then. Today, that book is in a landfill somewhere.
I read your link...
Are you serious?
Reading “Jesus Calling” is addictive...?
Totally concur with you! I wonder if any of the people knocking this devotional ever read anything other than the Bible. They shouldn’t because it might be contrary to Scripture. This is a wonderful devotional and I’m certainly not “addicted” to it.
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