Saving Christianity?

The Danger in Undermining Our Faith - and What You Can Do About It

By: Michael Youssef

Narrated by: David Cochran Heath

Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A clear and frank exploration of the future of Christianity and whether it needs to be saved.

We live in confusing times. Our society has shifted on its moral axis, and many are asking whether Christianity needs to be reinvented - or even reimagined - in order to save it. With Newsweek declaring "The Decline and Fall of Christian America" on its cover and The Daily Beast questioning "Does Christianity Have a Future?", bloggers and Christian commentators are discussing whether we need a "new of kind of Christianity."

In Saving Christianity?, Dr. Michael Youssef explores this train of thought and its pitfalls. He describes how similar discussions in Christianity's recent past explored the very same question. Saving Christianity? will help you discern what is going on within the church while it reviews the essentials of the Christian faith as described in the Bible.

We dare not abandon this "mere faith," as Dr. Youssef describes it, because it is the light for all humanity - and especially for those of us living in today's chaotic times.

After listening to Saving Christianity?, you'll have a renewed confidence in the future of the church and the central place it will occupy for generations to come.

©2020 Michael Youssef (P)2020 eChristian

A Must Read

I highly recommend you read this book! I have often listened to Michael Youssef preach on the radio, but this is the first book of his that I have read. This book delivers a rallying cry to contend for the Christian faith (Jude 1:3). Enjoy and pass it on 😀!

For such a time as this.

What a timely message. Thanks for the encouragement to hold fast to the infallible word.

“Saving Christianity?“ speaks the TRUTH in love…

“Saving Christianity?“ paints a clear picture of the dangerous anti-Christian apostasy that is happening in too many churches.

May we, as Dr. Youssef leads and encourages us, pray and work to return the church to her solid Biblical foundation:
1) that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and
2) that God’s Word is true, complete, and inerrant – the final authority for every area of life.

Holy Spirit led Book

Thank you God for guiding pastor Youssef to write this book. This was a Holy Spirit guided book.
It is important to have a statement that clearly says it as it is in Truth and Love.
Satan’s best ploy is to infiltrate slowly but surely and destroy lives and churches. But God’s Love always wins.
God’s Grace through Jesus the Christ is the only way to Salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Eye opening

In formative and explains much of what I am observing in religion today. Points out many concerns.

Well organized, not well argued.

The author does a good job of using the Apostles Creed as a framework for his book. This is a better framework than Alysa Childer's "Another Gospel". He succeeds in identifying a troubling pattern of blaming Christianity for all the woes of the world. However, like Childer's, he fails to articulate arguments that are as robust as the so called "progressive christians" he is critiquing. He inasmuch as admits that he says nothing new. Unfortunately, this means that his argument will only persuade those who are already persuaded to think like he does. This will not bridge any gaps. He certainly sticks to his uncompromising position, but this book sounds like an echo chamber. I trust Youssef loves Christ and the so called "progressive christians" but his arguments need to be refined with more research and deeper study on the topics he is addressing. That is the appeal of what he labels "progressive Christianity", a thorough searching and fearless questioning of sacred cows. If we believe Christ is who he claims to be and we have met Him, then our fearless questioning, like Thomas the Apostle, should be welcomed in our churches because of our confidence in Christ, rather than the fear mongering "slippery slope" accusations he is espousing. I contend that if all our Churches were willing to open up the dialogue the mass.exodus would not be happening. Onto his arguments: He is wrong about Christian universalism, reducing it to "Jesus doesn't matter", when in fact their is an astounding amount of solid literature and historical weight to the eschatological position held by many in the patristic period. He is wrong to assume that Penal Substitutionary Atonement is the only orthodox atonement theory, overlooking Christus Victor and many others. He is naive to assume that the literalism ascribed to evangelicalism by so called "progressive Christians" has never run aground in overly wooden interpretation. Christ is the Word , and the words of the Bible are inspired signposts that point to Christ, but inerrancy and infallibility are unhelpful categories. The patristic writings only ever referred to God as infallible, so when we speak this way we not only confuse ourselves but we confuse our children who begin to conflate the Word (Jesus) with the Bible. They are not the same. Interpretation is also not as clear cut as he likes to make it. It takes almost no time at all to realize biblical interpretation is an ocean of mystery, learning, and lessons in humility. Rhetoric, metaphor, and literary devices are all over the text. In many cases "the Bible clearly says" is just wrong. Christ is the full revelation about himself, and all scripture mist be read through that lens. Brad Jersak is much better here in "A More Christlike Word", but Youssef would probably call Jersak a progressive Christian. That's the danger of holding a hammer: everything begins to look like a nail. I could say the same for so called "progressive christians" as well: we need not destroy the faith to rediscover and restore it to it's beautiful historic heritage. We certainly ought to reevaluate our current doctrines against the early church fathers and mother's and lean on recent historical research when needed. We also need to be led by the Spirit AND remain in our Churches, loving the assembly and urging them to consider a new set of lenses. There needs to be a better response that what Childer's and Youssef have put together. is anyone up to the task?

Wonderfully Biblical (with caveats)

With two exceptions the work is totally biblical. Fundamental Christianity. Very well presented & organized to follow beginning to end. 1- mislabels Greek “pisteo” to include a prayer, a confession, and a lifestyle change. 2- misleads spirituality as being a dedication or lifestyle change, instead of a status quo by simple confession of sin (1 Joh 1:9) back into fellowship with God & with other believers (1 Joh 1:3, 6, 7).