Shane Pruitt - 9 Common Lies Christians Believe: And Why Gods Truth Is Infinitely Better

Do you cringe when hearing another Christian clich? Are you weary of how unhelpful (and unbiblical) some of our Christian vernacular has become? In this book my friend Shane Pruitt addresses some of the statements that have run amuck in our midst and have inevitably weakened the voice of the church in our culture. I highly recommend you read this book and discuss it with a group of friends.

E D S TETZER , Billy Graham distinguished chair at Wheaton College

Shanes book will help all of us understand the true character of God in a deeper way and be ready to encourage friends and family who have fallen prey to these common lies.

S COTT E VANS , founder and president of Outreach Inc.

Its the book we all need to read. Its the book we need to encourage others to read. Its the book about lies we have heard and maybe even believed throughout our Christian lives. Shane Pruitt takes the lies and turns them upside down to point us to biblical truth. He writes from the heart of one who loves Scripture but also from the heart of one who has had to endure these lies amid his own heartaches in his family. Thank you, Shane. Nine Common Lies Christians Believe is a gift to all of us.

T HOM R AINER , president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources Church Answers, ChurchAnswers.com

Shanes book encompasses my two favorite themes: the restorative grace of Jesus Christ and adoption. This book is sure to encourage you!

L ISA S HARON H ARPER , speaker and author of The Sacrament of Happy

The evangelical world has been waiting to hear from a fresh young voice like Shane Pruitt. He has a passion for people and a love for the Lord and is straight as an arrow theologically. Read this new bookand reap!

O. S. H AWKINS , president and CEO of GuideStone Financial Resources and best-selling author of The Joshua Code

Finally! I am so thankful that Shane has addressed these lies so winsomely and pointed us toward the real truth of Gods Word! This book will be a tremendous encouragement to people going through a difficult time, wanting to know Gods Word better, or simply looking to increase their faith. I urge you to read it and share it with everyone you know!

J ONATHAN JP P OKLUDA , teaching pastor at Watermark Community Church, leader of The Porch, and author of Welcome to Adulting

Ive been in church my entire life and had no idea that some of the clichs that are often regurgitated arent at all biblical. In Nine Common Lies Christians Believe, Shane Pruitt articulately lays out a biblically sound doctrine that is both convicting and a breath of fresh air!

L AWRENCE B. J ONES III, news contributor for Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC and editor in chief of Campus Reform

Heres a clear and compelling antidote to the kind of common clichs that so many people uncritically believe. Thanks, Shane, for pointing readers to biblical wisdom, where hope and truth reside!

L EE S TROBEL , New York Times best-selling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith

Without consistent discipleship, Christians can fall prey to lies theyve heard regularly in the church. In Nine Common Lies Christians Believe, Shane successfully navigates some of the most common false beliefs told in the church. By speaking the truth in love, he firmly and gracefully provides a much-needed course correction. Every Christian will benefit from reading this book.

R OBBY G ALLATY , senior pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church and author of Growing Up and The Forgotten Jesus

Like Paul Laurence Dunbars We Wear the Mask, Shane Pruitts Nine Common Lies Christians Believe allows us to collectively exhale, exposing humanitys propensity to hide. Unlike Dunbars poem, Shanes prose welcomes us into the land of vulnerability, embraced by a Father who loves us.

B RYAN L ORITTS , lead pastor at Abundant Life Church and author of Insider Outsider

Jesus never said that following Him was going to be easy. When Christians reduce faith to pithy statements like the lies Shane breaks down in this book, it doesnt helpit actually hurts. So stop believing these lies! Let my friend Shane guide and lead you to understanding the heart of God.

D ANIEL I M , teaching pastor at The Fellowship, director of church multiplication at LifeWay Christian Resources, podcaster, and author of No Silver Bullets

In my time in ministry, I cant tell you how often Ive heard Christians articulate some version of each of the statements in this book. Im so glad Shane wrote this book, addressing these lies from a biblical perspective. Shane Pruitt is a voice we need to hear more from.

M ATT C ARTER , pastor of preaching and vision at The Austin Stone Community Church and author of Steal Away Home

N INE C OMMON L IES C HRISTIANS B ELIEVE

All Scripture quotations 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.

Trade Paperback ISBN9780735291577

Ebook ISBN9780735291584

Copyright 2019 by Michael Shane Pruitt

Cover design by Kristopher K. Orr

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

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This book is dedicated to the love of my life, Kasi. Also to our children, Raygen, Harper, Titus, Elliot, and Glory. Getting to take this journey called life with you is an absolute joy and privilege. May we always walk in Gods truth.

Oh, magnify the L ORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

P SALM 34:3

INTRODUCTION

The Truth Shall Set You Free from Bad One-Liners

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One one-thousand. Two one-thousand. Three one-thousand. Deep breath. Keep it in. Just breatheIt took every ounce of willpower within me to suppress the urge to scream at the top of my voice. But with God as my witness, I never uttered a word. Instead, if you could have seen the thought bubble above my head, well, lets just say it wasnt one of my most spiritual moments. Yes, rather than completely freaking out my neighbors who were outside at the time, I bit my tongue (almost off) and set my sights on an orange flowerpot and viciously spiked it into the ground like a football. That helped, a little. No, not really.

Here I was, a church planter and pastor of a rapidly growing congregation. My wife and I were happily married. We lived in a multiple-bedroom house. We had friends and family surrounding us with love and encouragement. Yet I was standing in the backyard, screaming in my head and spiking flowerpots with my hands. In case you dont know, heres the deal. We pastors consistently feel extreme pressure to mask our weaknesses. We dont have the freedom to be ticked off. We must always keep it classy and cheesy with an arsenal of Christian clichs at our disposal. On the outside, we love for you to believe were walking in the freedom of truth, but on the inside, we know its fake. Sadly, were too good at selling the fake, and were trapped by common lies that we believe all too quickly. Or at least I was.