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Josh Harris, pastor and author of the influential dating/relationships book I Kissed Dating Goodbye recently went on record with his concern over the negative effects his book has had.
Many people have been helped by his approach to forming relationships outside a formal dating system. But over the 10 years since its publication he has also had feedback from people who feel they have been negatively affected by something that gave birth to a system of unhelpful rules in some churches. Josh is planning to film a documentary thinking through and responding to the damage his book has done.
Such ownership of the influence of his work is commendable, but it does lift the lid on a dark side to our world, from which Christian publishing and media are not immune. In an interview with Christianity Today, Josh comments:
“The truth is that complex statements on situations are not the things that get the clicks; they don’t fit into a statement on twitter, or get the clicks on social media. The books that sell are the books that either use fear to scare people, or the books that give simple promises. You do this and you’ll have this amazing life; you follow these steps and things will work out for you in this way.”
He went on to wonder whether I Kissed Dating Goodbye could be the relational equivalent of a health, wealth and prosperity book.
We are promised transformation by the gospel, yes. But often that will be painfully slow, and with distressing setbacks.
The use of these two ideas—fear and quick fixes—are common in all kinds of marketing. If someone has a worry, you stoke the flames and generate a sense of fear about the possible outcome. And then, when tension is at its height, you offer your simple solution: pills, soap powder, a gadget, or a new self-help perspective.
But it’s not completely the fault of the marketing copywriters, and publishers. We, the consumer, are just as culpable here. Because who doesn’t want a quick fix to knotty problem that constantly interrupts the flow of your day. And we are all tempted to grasp at the simple quick fix to the complex problem—because we are too lazy or lost to figure out the bigger changes that need to be made in order to address things properly.
And sadly, Christian preachers and publishers easily slip into the same mentality.
You feel like a failure as a Christian? Feel like your church is not as great as it could be? Feel like a failure in evangelism/bible reading/prayer life? Which Christian isn’t plagued by those feelings—most of the time? You can fill in your own answers from the pulp end of Christian publishing here. We big up the problem, suggest that this issue will inevitably lead to apostasy/church decline/economic disaster/personal failure. Wrap the whole package in a lovely cover, with apocalyptic endorsements and then go to the world with our message:
Your problem is so much bigger than you think. But this little package is the answer. Press “buy” to solve your worst nightmare with a single click.
Real life
But real life is far more subtle and nuanced than that. Although we can all indulge in what the psychologists call “catastrophizing”—imagining the worst outcome possible—the reality is that very few of the things we are worried about will actually lead to where our advertising-fuelled nightmares suggest. And the quick fixes we are offered rarely prove to be effective. The truth is that the Bible’s answer to many of our perceived problems is one we would rather not hear.
We may never be rid of these things, but God’s grace and loving support will see us through them as we trust him. We are promised transformation by the gospel, yes. But often that will be painfully slow, and with distressing setbacks. Growing in holiness involves patience, self control, prayerfulness and mortification of our worldly desires. These are not words you find in a quick-fix self-help book.
Perhaps we are reaping what we have sown.
When we sow a gospel message that is boiled down to a quick fix, we are unwittingly creating an expectation that this is how all of the Christian life will be. But while the gospel can be simply expressed in similar categories, at heart it is very different.
Yes, Jesus tells us, there is something to fear. He tells us that Hell is real. He tells us that we should fear God who has the power to throw us into Hell. He tells us that there is a quick fix—that all who labour and are heavy laden should come to him, and that they will find rest. So on one level, the Gospel of Grace is a “quick fix” for me: I can put my trust in Christ at any moment, and receive forgiveness, new life and the gift of the Spirit.
But here’s the difference. What is a quick fix for me was not for God. His “slow-fix” plan of salvation revealed with a flourish in the last days, was planned from all eternity, and worked out with care, precision and in incredible detail across millennia. And although the gospel promises are freely given, it is the most costly commodity in all creation. It cost the precious blood of Christ.
It is this slow-fix, but experience right now; completely free, but incalculably costly gospel of grace that we must cling to, and publish with passion.
Tim Thornborough is the founder and Publishing Director of The Good Book Company. He is series editor of Explore Bible-reading notes, the author of The Very Best Bible Stories series, and has contributed to many books published by The Good Book Company and others. Tim is married to Kathy, and they have three adult daughters.
