It may seem odd to mention the book Jesus Calling, given that I’ve named it in a few posts through the years. For example, “Uh… We’re Not Habakkuk” illustrates how easy it is for us to make unfortunate parallels. (You can site-search for others.)
What jumped out right now is that the Jesus Calling phenom, from 2004 on, continues to have such a following. After all these years, the original book and assorted spin-offs still show on the top 50 Christian bestseller list. In August 2025 Jesus Calling products ranked #1, #14, and #46.
Please pause right now and read this clear and thought-provoking 2015 Tim Challies review of the original book. Challies’s 10-pointer includes the unfortunate background of Jesus Calling and also shows one example of “Jesus” needing to be edited by the publisher!
Rereading that review these years later, it also seems to highlight today’s increasing focus on self and feelings. Surely the Jesus Calling premise—that Jesus will talk to you whenever/however you want—triggers its readers to consider trying to invoke a similar experience. A reader could hardly resist thinking, Ooh, maybe I can get Jesus to talk to ME like that. Which then would tempt that person to try some of the occult/pagan ideas being promoted all over the place (like drawing a circle around yourself, saying a mantra, holding a crystal…).
Reading books other than the Bible is fine. But before buying (and recommending) what’s promoted as a Christian book, let’s aim to use a high standard for determining legit spiritual (that is, true to the Bible) guidance. “I Choose to Read That Because…” exposes how easy it is for us customers to be drawn in without really evaluating.
