One of the most repeated questions in the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Facebook group is a request for Bible study book ideas.

Asking other leaders which studies they recommend is a great starting point!

The leaders in the group are usually quick to share their recommendations.

Vetting Books

In today’s episode, I want to talk about vetting Bible study books. What does it mean to vet a book? Vetting a book means you are evaluating the book’s content.

How do you decide which books to use in your church? Do you have a process in place for reviewing the contents? What should you look out for?

In this episode, I am going to answer those questions and share some examples I hope will be helpful.

How Books are Categorized

Before we get into the details, I want to talk first about how books are categorized.

If you’re using Amazon to find a book for a Bible study or a book club, you might pull up the list of best-selling Christian books to see what’s trending.

Here’s something you may not know: Amazon allows publishers and authors to select the categories they want their books to be featured in.

We might assume popular books are good books. That’s often not true.

A quick glance at some current “Christian” best-sellers included books that promote self-help, secular psychology, New Age practices, mysticism, the prosperity gospel, progressive Christianity, monasticism, and Catholicism.

Even Christian bookstores contain a wide variety of “Christian” authors. Sometimes the staff that orders the books is unaware of the issues with a book or author; other times it is a marketing or financial decision.

Just as we can’t trust Christian bookstores, we also shouldn’t blindly trust Christian book publishers. While some denominationally connected book publishers will take steps to ensure the content aligns with denominational teachings, the authors may not.

Just because someone calls themselves a Christian, does not mean they believe in the inerrancy of scripture or salvation through Christ by faith. The contents of the book may not line up with what the Bible says or what your church believes.

You’ve probably heard the term red flag used to mark and warn. I’m going to expand on that idea. You may come across content in a book that’s a clear red flag. You know immediately it doesn’t line up with the Word of God. Sometimes you may sense something’s off, but not always know why. Those are yellow flags. When we hit a yellow flag, we should use caution and investigate.

As we search for the best books to share and use with the women in our church, we want to avoid red flags and minimize yellow flags.

3 Tips for Vetting Bible Study Books

How do we pick a good book? Here are 3 tips with examples for vetting Bible study books:

1.We must vet every book ourselves.

We cannot rely only on recommendations. We usually don’t know the root of a person’s recommendation. Did they read it carefully, or are they merely passing along a recommendation they received from someone else?

For example: My recommendations have changed over time. I’ve grown spiritually, I’ve become more discerning, and in some cases new information has come to light. Consequently, I’ve removed numerous book recommendations from the Women’s Ministry Toolbox website since I can no longer endorse them.

But good news, after my summer sabbatical, I plan to add more book reviews with details I think will aid your selection.

2. Ask more than one person to help vet the book.

Select people with a high level of discernment who understand false teachings infiltrating the church to review the book.

Example: Recently, I was listening to a podcast episode of Unshaken Faith. Alisa Childers, Natasha Crain, and Melissa Dougherty were reviewing John Mark Comer’s book, Practicing the Way. At least a couple of them used colored highlighters as they read to mark what was true, what was not theologically sound, and what they had questions about. Here’s a link to the YouTube episode if you’d like to check it out. It’s also available in podcast form here.

You might find highlighters helpful too. Remember, false teaching often includes a very subtle twisting of scripture, just like Satan did in the garden with Eve.

While we won’t agree with everything an author says, we should not use a book which would cause confusion.

3. I would highly suggest that you vet the book and the author.

Look at what else the author has written. Where did they go to school? Where do they attend church? Do they serve on the church staff? What type of church do they attend? Is it connected to a denomination? What resources and people do they promote?

Example: If you serve in a complementarian church, I don’t recommend using an author that practices or proclaims egalitarianism. It could lead to division in your church.

Remember, while you may not intend it as such, using an author’s book serves as an endorsement of them, their ministry, and the other books they have written.

If there’s any doubt, select something else.

What are some other things to watch out for?

1. Emphasizing what’s not in Scripture. The focus of a book I recently read hinged on what wasn’t in a scripture passage. That’s not good hermeneutics. We don’t interpret the blank spaces in scripture; we interpret what is on the pages.  
2. Check for accuracy and proper context. Is the author pulling a verse out of context to make a point?
3. Watch out for eisegesis. That’s reading one’s beliefs into the text versus exegesis, which examines what the text says. 
4. Check the bibliography or notes in the back of the book. Who are they quoting? Look for red, yellow, and green flags. Check the context of the yellow and red flags. Are they using them as an example of what doesn’t align with Scripture? Is there a pattern of relying on unsound teachers to make a point?
5. Look for the gospel, scripture, and Jesus. Is the author pointing the reader to scripture? Do they share the gospel? Are they sharing more personal stories than they are stories from the Bible?
6. Are they feeding women the answers to homework questions, or are they inviting women to dig into God’s Word?

Build Two Lists

As you’re investigating books and authors, I want to encourage you to build two lists.

• One list of trusted Bible study authors.
• One list of authors you do not recommend.

Just because an author is on the recommended list, we don’t skip the step of reviewing the book. People change and our discernment grows.

We can and should ask our pastors to help us build these lists. However, I’ve found most men aren’t very familiar with female authors or books written for women. We can’t expect them to warn us about dangers they’ve never heard of.

Can’t We Just Chew the Meat and Spit Out the Bones?

Perhaps you’ve been encouraged to do just that. There are a few problems with this sentiment.

1. It doesn’t line up with what the Bible says about false teaching. We are to flee from it. Romans 16:17-18, is one of many verses warning us to have nothing to do with false teaching. “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. See also Matthew 24:24, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, and Acts 20:28-30.
2. 2 Corinthians 11: 14 warns us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. We can and will be tricked into believing something is true when it’s not. Satan still uses the same tactic of twisting scripture that he did in the garden. We’ve got to be vigilant to check everything against God’s Word. Let’s not forget some attacks come from inside the church.
3. And the third reason we can’t chew the meat and spit out the bones is that it assumes a perfect level of discernment. None of us will catch every issue or false teaching. Those who are more spiritually mature may be more likely to catch the things that don’t line up with Truth, but we’ve all got our blind spots.

An Example of a Book I Cannot Recommend

Speaking of blind spots, there is one more example I want to share with you. The book I want to talk about is a Christian best-seller.

It’s going to step on some of your toes. I know many of you love this book. I know many of the women you serve love this book. I pray you’ll listen to and consider the concerns I share.

I beg you not to brush them off, but to make your response a matter of prayer.

Please know I don’t speak about this flippantly. I have spent hours researching this book and even purchased a first edition copy back in 2024 since I had thrown my original copy in the trash.

I want to talk about Jesus Calling.

First published in 2004, Jesus Calling (and the other books in the brand) have now sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and are available in over 35 languages.

I picked up a copy many years ago, probably off the $10 shelf at my local LifeWay store. I remember reading the first few pages of the book, where Sarah Young shared how the book was written and thinking something was off.

Why would God tell Sarah Young to write down we He was saying to her? We already have the Bible. And we know the cannon is closed. (See this article on GotQuestions.org)

Several verses in the Bible even caution us not to add to God’s Word.

The practice of listening and recording Sarah explained in early copies of the book were later removed by the publisher because of the concerns that were raised. This listening and transcribing is an occult practice called automatic writing.

Tim Challies, in his article 10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling, explains, “She proclaims the insufficiency of the Bible. Jesus Calling only exists because Sarah Young had a deep desire to hear from God outside of the Bible.”

Challies states, Sarah Young’s “emphasis does not match the Bible’s…she speaks seldom of sin and repentance and even less of Christ’s work on the cross.”

What struck me most all those years ago, and again when I recently reviewed some of the devotionals, is that the voice of Jesus in Jesus Calling does not sound like Jesus in the Bible.

Here are some additional resources if you’d like to investigate further: 10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young: A False Jesus?, Jesus Calling: A Casual Review, “Another Jesus” Calling (affiliate link).

We are in a Spiritual Battle

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Satan does not want our ministries to be successful. Satan attaches lies to the Word of God. He will use resources, such as books, to lead us astray.

As leaders in our churches, we must take great care to protect our women from false teaching.

There are so many Christian books available to us today. When we come across red and yellow flags, let’s select a better book.

Today’s Toolbox Tasks:

1. If needed, create a process for books to be reviewed.
2. Start or review your lists of recommended authors and those to avoid.

Lord, please help us to be discerning. Give us wisdom as we review books. Help us to select the best books for the women in our church. Help us to avoid anything that may cause confusion. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

You may also want to check out:
Selecting Discipleship, Mentoring, and Bible Study Materials
Should Your Women’s Ministry Use Video-Driven Bible Studies? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives
How Bible Study Authors Shape Your Women’s Ministry
10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young: A False Jesus?
Does Jesus Have More to Say: Discovering Our Need to Defend the Sufficiency of Scripture (Expose of Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)
Jesus Calling: A Casual Review
Christ is the Cure Podcast: Jesus Calling, A Review Parts 1 & 2
“Another Jesus” Calling (affiliate link)