THE DRIFT INTO DECEPTION
The Eight Characteristics of Abusive Christianity
by Agnes C. Lawless with John W. Lawless
Kregel Resources, 232 pages, $10.99

Coming off their own experiences yet laced with much research and biblical support, Agnes and John Lawless show us the patterns of deception within even some “evangelical” fellowships and offer help to those who have been deceived to recover by laying out practical steps for the recovering.

If one wants to know how to spot an enslaving authoritarian structure, this is the book.

On page 11, in the introduction, the reader gets a hint of what’s ahead: “Today we Christians are just as blind to impending danger. Hoping for exciting spiritual experiences, we join the crowd climbing aboard the ‘cruise ships’ of evangelical ‘superstars.’ As the band plays, we sing rousing choruses. We listen breathlessly as famous leaders, dressed in designer suits, promise us health, wealth, and self-fulfillment. All for a price, of course. ... Because of our experience, we learned that we can all drift into deception if we loosen our moorings and ignore the winds of false doctrines. In this book, we want to show you how vulnerable we all are.”

The eight warning signs on pages 59-155 are in themselves worth the price of the book. The questions at the end of each chapter are helpful and thought-provoking and could easily be adapted to a study class.

The authors have succeeded in sounding the alarm with a very timely and helpful book.

—GRF

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