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Catholic Answers Press

Twisted Unto Destruction: How "Bible Alone" Theology Made the World a Worse Place

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SKU:
CB490
UPC:
9781683572756
$18.95

Description

“There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.”—2 Peter 3:16

Martin Luther and his fellow “Reformers” turned Christendom upside-down by rejecting the authority of the Church that Jesus founded and claiming instead that personal interpretation of Scripture is to be our rule of faith. This infamous principle of sola scriptura—the “Bible alone”—created 500 years of doctrinal chaos and sectarian division.

But that awful aftermath is not the only legacy of sola scriptura.

In Twisted Unto Destruction, Donald J. Johnson (Convinced, Unprotected) shows how ditching the Church in favor of private Bible interpretation has also enabled some of the modern world’s worst crimes and vices.

Once an Evangelical Protestant who took sola scriptura for granted, Johnson came to realize that setting ourselves up as little Magisteriums—whose opinions on the Bible’s meaning have to be as valid as anyone else’s—not only leads to endless splintering, but makes it possible to use Scripture to justify anything.

Like puppeteers, Christians could make the words of the Bible dance on command, inventing “biblical” endorsements of violence, greed, racism, abortion, sexual depravity, and more. Without an authoritative Church to hold the line, and long removed from a practical consensus, Protestantism has been unable to resist the tide of modern errors.

In fact, as Johnson shows, in many cases, it has endorsed and expanded those errors. Read Twisted Unto Destruction to learn how we can fight this abuse of the Bible and reverse the damage it has caused.

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Additional Information

Author:
Donald J. Johnson
Format:
Softcover, 154 pgs
Other Formats:
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8 Reviews

  • 5
    Bible Alone Theology

    Posted by Steven Skrok on Oct 19th 2023

    Not only is Bible alone theology illogical but it has been used to justify the worst social evils in the past several hundred years , and Donald Johnson references the documents that prove it!

  • 5
    Twisted

    Posted by Mark on Sep 20th 2023

    Great book, easy read. Short and to the point. The best book I’ve read on this topic hands down. Recommended read for anyone who claims they go by the Bible alone

  • 5
    Excellent Read!

    Posted by Paul Curry on Jan 16th 2023

    This book is so good I couldn't put it down, and I managed to read it all in three sittings! As Catholics we understand that 'sola scripture' doesn't stand up to scrutiny, and the proliferation of Protestant denominations in only 500 years attest to that as each and every pastor interprets Scripture to his own beliefs, and without a Magisterium to keep things in check it runs amok and out of control. However, the author in this book gives examples of how 'sola scriptura' has damaged society and culture beyond all recognition in ways you would never have thought possible. It truly is frightening what it has done. If you are a protestant reading this, don't be offended, but have an open mind and think things through carefully as you read this book to understand the pitfalls and weaknesses of 'sola scriptura'. The author himself used to be an evangelical protestant which adds more weight to his well structured research. Highly recommended!

  • 5
    A must read for nominal Catholics

    Posted by Paul Thorne on Dec 28th 2022

    read my subject review

  • 5
    The subtitle is accurate

    Posted by Jeffrey Miller on Dec 5th 2022

    The subtitle is justified as he backs up this assertion. I had thought about this in bits and pieces and why this was true, but not in a cohesive fashion. Reality has shown that using the bible alone can justify anything, as history shows. Cultural fads and other drivers tend towards eisegesis, putting into the bible and justifying what you want it to mean. If you get to pick your teaching authority, you are the arbitrator of that authority. You either have a magisterium or a me-gisterium. Sure, Catholics are often guilty of ignoring the magisterium for the same reasons, but they can objectively see that they dissent from it. So throughout history, the Catholic Church is always the cultural odd duck, not bowing down to the present moment. The individual fail, but not the teaching authority of Jesus’ Church. Don Johnson goes through various examples of this, starting with slavery and later moving on to abortion, contraception, and related issues. I found especially interesting the chapter regarding greed and rampant consumerism most popularly spread via the health and wealth gospel. Mr. Johnson, a long-time Protestant and now Catholic, talks about his experience and that such issues are not even on anybody’s radar and certainly not the subject of sermons. Bible-alone theology often undermines the family as the problem of divorce and what ends up being serial polygamy. Jesus’ very words on divorce are countermanded with a different interpretation. Don Johnson’s case here is not an attack on individual Protestants and how well they follow the Gospel to the best of their ability. It is a look at a hermeneutic that can mean what you desire it to mean, unconsciously done or otherwise.

  • 5
    One of the best books I've read!

    Posted by Holly Allen on Nov 9th 2022

    Over of the best books I've read. I've read it too my husband (non catholic) as we drive. I've bought several in digital and print. I've recommended it to many, mostly anti or non catholic. It's so incredibly good with morality most of us agree on, with a different perspective than bemoaning the "other" who doesn't believe like we do. It gives a very different perspective on being Christian and using the Bible. As a convert, 23 years ago (from evangelical seminary), I already knew Bible alone didn't work. This book made it simple and clear, while covering the very real divide on so many issues. It seems crystal clear to me that Bible Alone has caused tremendous boys and in the Civil War as well as most of the divided moral thinking now. Yet it is a book I can recommend to all, especially non catholic without being too offensive. It is hard hitting without belittling. I don't see how anyone can read it and not be affected. I will be buying more, and giving them to people. It's short enough to ask folks to read. Awesome book. It needs to be available at every church.

  • 5
    Twisted Unto Destruction..how the "Bible Alone" theology made the world a worse place

    Posted by Denise on Oct 19th 2022

    This is an excellent book and very helpful.

  • 5
    Couldn’t put it down! Shocking and heartbreaking truths revealed.

    Posted by Anna on Oct 5th 2022

    I’m not a Catholic, yet. I’ve been studying the Church and comparing its teachings to the Protestant teachings I’ve adhered to as a Christian. Sola scriptura/Bible alone is *the* hallmark teaching in most evangelical Protestant churches, so I was curious what the author had to say about this teaching and its impact on the world. To say the effects of it are devastating is an understatement. Don Johnson gives a fair, well-reasoned argument, or indictment really, against Sola Scriptura. I was shocked by what he wrote about the use of “Bible alone “ theology to both support and fight slavery, endorse and malign materialism, encourage and discourage the use of contraception/having children. How could the Bible be used to support opposing positions on these issues? Many times I had to stop reading to process the information because I couldn’t believe it. Yet I knew what Johnson wrote was true. I wept while reading the chapter on contraception and abortion. Sola scriptura has been a plague on Christianity. I’m thankful that the Catholic Church has stood firm against the evils of slavery, greed, and contraception/abortion. I pray that Catholics would recognize the absolute truths their Church is maintaining and not abandon these truths for the progressive lies being pushed all over the world. I appreciated Don Johnson’s heartfelt honesty, and I found the book engaging and persuasive, especially since he is a convert to Catholicism from evangelical Protestantism. This book is definitely worth reading whether one is Catholic or Protestant or holds any other belief. I think it’s time for Protestant adherents to Sola Scriptura (“where is that in the Bible?”) teaching to take a hard, honest look at this teaching and the utter devastation it has had on the world at the hands of both well-meaning Christians and those who implement it for harm or power.

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