Has American Christianity Failed?

Book Recommendation: Has American Christianity Failed? by Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

Much of modern American Christianity centers on the self: my decisions, my spiritual experiences, my obedience, and my internal feelings. When our assurance relies on these unstable foundations, the inevitable results are self-righteousness or deep despair.

In Has American Christianity Failed? (published by Concordia Publishing House), Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller diagnoses this pervasive, me-centered theology and points readers back to the only sure foundation: the objective work of Jesus Christ for us.

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Drawing from his own journey out of modern American Evangelicalism and into confessional Lutheranism, Pastor Wolfmueller contrasts popular theological errors, such as mysticism, decision theology, and pietism, with the sweet comfort of the Gospel. Rather than looking inward to measure our faith, we are directed outward to where Christ has promised to meet us: His Holy Word and Sacraments.

If you have ever wrestled with doubts, felt exhausted by the demand to generate your own spiritual fire, or simply desire a clearer understanding of how the Lutheran confession delivers true peace, this book is essential reading. It serves as a gentle yet firm guide away from spiritual self-reliance and back to the quiet certainty of Christ’s finished work on the cross. We highly recomend this book. But this book is not only a diagnosis. It is a call back to what is sure.

With clarity and care, Wolfmueller re-centers the Christian life where it belongs: not in what we do for God, but in what Christ has done for us and continues to give to us. Here, the Gospel is not a starting point to move beyond, but the daily bread of the baptized. Here, Christ’s promises come to us concretely in His Word and Sacraments, outside of us, sure and certain, for the forgiveness of sins.

In this book, you will:

• Recognize how common teachings can turn faith inward onto your own works and experiences
• Recover the distinction between Law and Gospel as the key to a clear conscience
• Find solid comfort in Christ’s objective work, given and declared for you
• See how God delivers His gifts through His Word and Sacraments
• Learn to rest in the certainty of forgiveness rather than searching within

This is a clear and faithful exploration of the heart of the Christian faith, leading you back to the church’s confession and to the sure and certain comfort, freedom, and peace found in Christ alone.

‍Has American Christianity Failed? is available in paperback and eBook formats from Concordia Publishing House. Buy Has American Christianity Failed?

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