The Danger of Christian Women's Literature
Bam! Yes, I said it. A lot of Christian literature marketed to women is dangerous. However, it certainly is popular! In 2018, six of the top ten bestselling Christian books were written by women for women. If we're examining equality of the sexes, women seem to be doing fairly well in the Christian book writing category. However, the problem here isn't with appearance, it is with content.
What do women want? I've heard men ask themselves this question from time to time. However, so do marketing agencies. Marketing agents seem to be a bit more in tune with women's desires than men. Perhaps this is because the survival of marketing agencies depends, in part, on continually giving women what they want.
Speaking in generalities, women are very in tune with their feelings. Women want to feel loved. They want to feel beautiful. They want to feel valued, and while some won't admit it, they also want to feel safe and protected. Many women struggle with self-doubt and low self-esteem. Some women replay negative thoughts over and over in their head all day long. Every misstep reminds them of their failures, and the volume of their self-defeating mantra increases. Women tend to feel exhausted and look for encouragement or a boost of energy to help them get through their day. Even women who present as rather nonemotional struggle in many of the same ways as their very emotional counterparts.
The book publishing market understands the felt needs of women and capitalizes on their buying power. In a recent study, marketingzeus.com estimates that women account for 85% of all purchasing decisions. With that much cash flow, what business wouldn't want to market their products to women? Christian publishing is no exception. They make what sells. And what sells has broad appeal.
I once said, if a Christian book is at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, it probably isn't for me. I know, I can hear the complaints already, "Would you really judge a book by its place on the bestseller list?" Well, yes. A wildly popular Christian book gives me pause. In general the American appetite for sound theology is much like the American appetite for Brussels sprouts. Sure, some people like it, but the general consensus can't stomach it unless it is soaked in butter and loaded with salt.
In Matthew 7:13-15 (NIV) Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." While this passage refers to salvation, we can't help but notice the popular road is wide and filled with people, but the unpopular road is narrow and sparsely populated. Interestingly, in the very next passage, Jesus warns against false teachers. He says that false teachers will come in sheep's clothing. They will look like innocent followers of Christ. They will be relatable and convincing, but on the inside they are ferocious wolves. Inwardly, false teachers oppose God while outwardly the profess to know Him well. False teachers are not motivated by love for people or love for God. They are motivated by love for self. But if we pay careful attention, Jesus says we can know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-17).
A little while ago, my son came running into the kitchen. He had been eating an apple. The outside was shinny, and the first few bites were sweet and delicious, just like the one pictured above. But as he was watching TV and munching mindlessly on his fruit, he hit a spot that didn't taste quite right. When he took it out of his mouth and looked at it, the bottom was rotten. Upset, he shoved the fruit in my face, "Look at this!" It looked fine on the outside but the whole bottom of this apple is rotten!" Then he threw the apple away.
Many popular Christian women authors write books to feed a woman's felt needs. Even if their motivation for writing the books is not be sinful, the advice they peddle often IS sinful. Felt needs can be strong and overpowering, but the response to these felt needs is not to look inward and figure out what enneagram you are or how beautiful and powerful you are. It especially is not to meditate on what kind of mini-goddess you are in Christ. The fruit that these authors serve looks appetizing on the outside, but it is rotten at its core. It twists and perverts God's Word to make women think the Bible is about us. But the Bible is not about us; it is always about Christ. The answer to all human need is Christ. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, we all desperately need Christ. "For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28a). Any Christian book that appeals to the human desire and instructs you to feed your flesh, chase after comfort, and promote self sits ultimately opposed to God's Word. Jesus clearly said "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
The world runs after earthly things: things that bring comfort, elevate self, and appeal to the masses. Christians must run desperately after Christ: forgetting self, elevating Christ, and consuming God's Word so that we can speak truth in love to a lost world. This week, take a break from the popular Christian women's lit that pervades society, and pick up God's Word. Read the Bible until you have learned something new. And if you have trouble understanding, grab a study Bible, use a different translation, or ask someone for help. Crave the word of God more than the word of humanity. It will change your life.
What do women want? I've heard men ask themselves this question from time to time. However, so do marketing agencies. Marketing agents seem to be a bit more in tune with women's desires than men. Perhaps this is because the survival of marketing agencies depends, in part, on continually giving women what they want.
Speaking in generalities, women are very in tune with their feelings. Women want to feel loved. They want to feel beautiful. They want to feel valued, and while some won't admit it, they also want to feel safe and protected. Many women struggle with self-doubt and low self-esteem. Some women replay negative thoughts over and over in their head all day long. Every misstep reminds them of their failures, and the volume of their self-defeating mantra increases. Women tend to feel exhausted and look for encouragement or a boost of energy to help them get through their day. Even women who present as rather nonemotional struggle in many of the same ways as their very emotional counterparts.
The book publishing market understands the felt needs of women and capitalizes on their buying power. In a recent study, marketingzeus.com estimates that women account for 85% of all purchasing decisions. With that much cash flow, what business wouldn't want to market their products to women? Christian publishing is no exception. They make what sells. And what sells has broad appeal.
I once said, if a Christian book is at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, it probably isn't for me. I know, I can hear the complaints already, "Would you really judge a book by its place on the bestseller list?" Well, yes. A wildly popular Christian book gives me pause. In general the American appetite for sound theology is much like the American appetite for Brussels sprouts. Sure, some people like it, but the general consensus can't stomach it unless it is soaked in butter and loaded with salt.
In Matthew 7:13-15 (NIV) Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." While this passage refers to salvation, we can't help but notice the popular road is wide and filled with people, but the unpopular road is narrow and sparsely populated. Interestingly, in the very next passage, Jesus warns against false teachers. He says that false teachers will come in sheep's clothing. They will look like innocent followers of Christ. They will be relatable and convincing, but on the inside they are ferocious wolves. Inwardly, false teachers oppose God while outwardly the profess to know Him well. False teachers are not motivated by love for people or love for God. They are motivated by love for self. But if we pay careful attention, Jesus says we can know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-17).
Many popular Christian women authors write books to feed a woman's felt needs. Even if their motivation for writing the books is not be sinful, the advice they peddle often IS sinful. Felt needs can be strong and overpowering, but the response to these felt needs is not to look inward and figure out what enneagram you are or how beautiful and powerful you are. It especially is not to meditate on what kind of mini-goddess you are in Christ. The fruit that these authors serve looks appetizing on the outside, but it is rotten at its core. It twists and perverts God's Word to make women think the Bible is about us. But the Bible is not about us; it is always about Christ. The answer to all human need is Christ. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, we all desperately need Christ. "For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28a). Any Christian book that appeals to the human desire and instructs you to feed your flesh, chase after comfort, and promote self sits ultimately opposed to God's Word. Jesus clearly said "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
The world runs after earthly things: things that bring comfort, elevate self, and appeal to the masses. Christians must run desperately after Christ: forgetting self, elevating Christ, and consuming God's Word so that we can speak truth in love to a lost world. This week, take a break from the popular Christian women's lit that pervades society, and pick up God's Word. Read the Bible until you have learned something new. And if you have trouble understanding, grab a study Bible, use a different translation, or ask someone for help. Crave the word of God more than the word of humanity. It will change your life.
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