Resources for a New Christian?

[Rylan -redacted-]

Can anyone recommend any resources for someone who is new to the faith, but not to the Bible? I've found plenty of great material for new Christians, but much of it assumes a lack of familiarity with Scripture. While it's important not to lose sight of the basics, this can be frustrating for a recent convert who began studying the Bible in depth before committing to Christianity. Suggestions?  

[Dragonbait]

I've no doubt there's a Christianity for Dummies, as there seems to be a for Dummies book on everything else. I've read The Bible for Dummies and Revelation for Dummies and found them both to be enjoyable and educational -- despite me knowing the Bible for years now.

Hmm ... this one's a challenge indeed. I suppose it depends on what you're looking for. I personally learned a lot by studying books about cults -- learned what we believe by looking at what we don't, as it were. But I'm strange, I know.

They're kind of dated now, and not exactly deep, but a lot of the Q&A books by Josh McDowell & Don Stewart (Answers To Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About The Christian Faith, Reasons Skeptics Should Consider Christianity, etc.) were good reads back in the 80s and 90s.

I know Jack Chick had a book for new Christians called The Next Step, but ... well, Jack Chick. neutral

Throw us a bone here. What are you looking for? Spiritual growth? Doctrine? Apologetics?  

[Garland-Green]

I'll name drop some decent Biblically sound expositors.
Try reading some sermons by the puritan minister John Edwards,
or by the prince of preachers; Charles H. Spurgeon. I am never disappointing when I read something of Spurgeon. David Jeremiah - though he is a televangelist he is not one that makes things up to garner support, he is not a charismatic, not a proponent of the prosperity gospel and similar, but follows the Bible, writing and speaking on many topics. It's well worth your time for example if you buy a book of his on the Revelation, or on The Book of Daniel. Books by C.S. Lewis. Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century to quote the official site dedicated to him. Personally I think that is a fair assessment.

Stay away from anything by; Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Kenneth E. Hagin, T.D. Jakes. I would also stay away from anyone who say they belong to the emergent church. The emergent church espouse ideas that are closer to New Age teachings than orthodox Christianity.  

[Dragonbait]

Hmm ... although I don't disagree with that assessment of Lewis, I do have to say I'm not sure I'd trust his "official website" saying that. It comes across as vain -- or it would if he were the one writing it. That said, though, Mere Christianity is excellent.

And certainly I'd agree with your dismissal of most of those (never heard of Creflo Dollar before, but ... ah, more "prosperity gospel". Never mind), but why Hagin? I've one of his booklets on speaking in tongues and not found it to be unscriptural (though it's been a decade or two since I read it, I admit).

And Copeland ... I just had someone in another guild advising me to try the Copelands (and a third, Kellie Copeland Kutz), so I'm curious as to your reasons for avoiding it.

I'm not trying to argue; I'm just forever trying to understand.  

[Garland-Green]

Dragonbait

Hmm ... although I don't disagree with that assessment of Lewis, I do have to say I'm not sure I'd trust his "official website" saying that. It comes across as vain -- or it would if he were the one writing it. That said, though, Mere Christianity is excellent.

And certainly I'd agree with your dismissal of most of those (never heard of Creflo Dollar before, but ... ah, more "prosperity gospel". Never mind), but why Hagin? I've one of his booklets on speaking in tongues and not found it to be unscriptural (though it's been a decade or two since I read it, I admit).

And Copeland ... I just had someone in another guild advising me to try the Copelands (and a third, Kellie Copeland Kutz), so I'm curious as to your reasons for avoiding it.

I'm not trying to argue; I'm just forever trying to understand.

Kenneth Copeland got his start in ministry as a direct result of memorizing Hagin’s messages. It wasn’t long before he had learned enough from Hagin to establish his own following. To say his teachings are heretical would be an understatement — blasphemous is more like it. Copeland brashly pronounces God to be the greatest failure of all time, boldly proclaims that “Satan conquered Jesus on the Cross” ,(1) and describes Christ in hell as an “emaciated, poured out, little, wormy spirit.”(2)

The Copelands are adherents to and teach the little gods doctrine. The basic idea behind the controversy is that humans are actually divine, created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27) not only in having a soul, having dominion over the earth, or living in relationship with others, but by being of the same “spiritual class” as God Himself. It is more inline with Mormonism than with orthodox Christian doctrine.

The father of the movement is Hagin. He was one of the first to teach these ideas that were later picked up by the televangelists we know today. He taught that Jesus took on the nature of Satan, that the atonement on the cross was insufficient.

"spiritual death means something more than separation from God. Spiritual death also means having Satan's nature.... Jesus tasted death - spiritual death - for every man." - Hagin

Hagin also teaches that by our faith, we can have whatever we want. According to Hagin:

Then the Lord Jesus Himself appeared to me. He stood within three feet of me.... [Jesus said] "Write down: 1, 2, 3, 4.... if anybody, anywhere will take these four steps or put these four principles into operation, he will always receive whatever he wants from Me or from God the Father."

God, however, is not a means to our ends; He is the end. Nowhere does the Bible promise we will receive whatever we want; it does however, teach that we will receive whatever we ask for if our hearts are aligned with His, in which case we will be asking for what He wants anyway ( 1 John 5:14-15).

1. Kenneth Copeland, Holy Bible: Kenneth Copeland Reference Edition (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1991)
2. Kenneth Copeland, Believer’s Voice of Victory (television program), TBN, 21 April 1991.

Edit:
If you are interested I came across a documentary style video on the Word of Faith teachers on youtube; Word of Faith Teachers: Origins & Errors of Their Teaching  

[Garland-Green]

"Here is a picture of Christ in awful combat with the hosts of darkness. It gives us a glimpse of the tremendous victory He won before He rose from the dead. The margin of King James reads, "He put off from Himself the principalities and the powers." It is quite obvious and evident that whole demon hosts, when they had Jesus within their power intended to swamp Him, to overwhelm Him, and to hold Him in fearful bondage. But the cry came forth from the throne of God that Jesus had met the demands of Justice, that that man's redemption was a fact. And when that cry reached the dark regions, Jesus arose and threw back the host of demons and met Satan in awful combat. God has made this investment for He has made this deposit on which the church has a right to draw for. Oh that our eyes would open, that our souls would dare to rise in the realm of the omnipotent where that name would mean to us all that God the Father intended it to mean! In one sense, this is practically unexplored table land in Christian experience." (Kenneth Hagin, "The Name Of Jesus: The More Excellent Name," The Word of Faith [April 1976], pp. 4-6)

"Here in Genesis, God refused to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until He had talked it over with Abraham, His blood covenant friend. Abraham's prayer is one of the most suggestive and illuminating prayers of the Old Testament. Abraham was taking his in the covenant. Abraham had, through the covenant, received rights and privileges which we very little understand. The covenant Abraham had just solemnized with Jehovah gave him a legal standing with God.... we hear him speaking so plainly... "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" All through the Old Testament we find men who understood and took their place in the covenant. Joshua could open the Jordan. He could command the sun, moon and stars to stand still in the heavens. Elijah could bring fire out of heaven to consume the altar as well as the sacrifice. David's mighty men were utterly shielded from death in time of war as long as they remembered the covenant." (Kenneth Hagin, Plead Your Case [Tulsa: Faith Library, 1979]), pp. 4-9; cf. pp. 23-32)

"Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth" (Kenneth Hagin, "The Incarnation," The Word of Faith 13, December, 1980).

"Why did He need to be begotten or born? Because He became like we were - separated from God. Because He tasted spiritual death for every man. And His spirit and inner men went to hell in my place. Can't you see that? Physical death wouldn't remove your sins. He's tasted death for every man. He's talking about tasting spiritual death. Jesus is the first person that was ever born again. Why did His spirit need to be born again? Because it was estranged from God." (Kenneth Hagin, "How Jesus obtained His Name" (Kenneth Hagin Ministries, audio tape #44-H01)  

[Garland-Green]

“It wasn’t a physical death on the cross that paid the price for sin…anybody can do that.”?

Kenneth Copeland (What Satan Saw on the Day of Pentecost, audiotape #BCC-19, side 1)

“Every prophet that walked the face of the earth under the Abrahamic covenant could have paid the price if it were a physical death only. When He said ‘It is finished’ on that cross, He was not speaking of the plan of redemption. The plan of redemption had just begun; there were still three days and three nights to be gone through.”

Kenneth Copeland (What Happened from the Cross to the Throne, 1990, audiotape #02-0017, side 2)

“The Spirit of God spoke to me and He said, “Son, realize this. Now follow me in this and don’t let your tradition trip you up.” He said, “Think this way — a twice-born man whipped Satan in his own domain.” And I threw my Bible down… like that. I said, “What?” He said, “A born-again man defeated Satan, the firstborn of many brethren defeated him.” He said, “You are the very image, the very copy of that one.” I said, “Goodness, gracious sakes alive!” And I began to see what had gone on in there, and I said, “Well now you don’t mean, you couldn’t dare mean, that I could have done the same thing?” He said, “Oh yeah, if you’d had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did, you could have done the same thing, ’cause you’re a reborn man too.”

Kenneth Copeland (Substitution and Identification, 1989, tape #00-0202, side 2)  

[Rylan -redacted-]

Thanks for your suggestions and other comments. I'm looking specifically for resources related to prayer and spiritual growth, but I'm also open to other topics that you think would be beneficial.