“If you are looking for biblically solid, encouraging books from a husband and wife who live for Christ and His Kingdom, I encourage you to buy Captured by Love and The Elijah Generation.”
Wade Burleson
Wade and Katie McHargue
Looking for a good book (or two) for yourself or someone on your Christmas list? Wade Burleson recently recommended two books written by a married couple, Wade and Katie McHargue, who are are serving as missionaries in Africa.
I am especially interested in Katie’s book, which I will order tomorrow. After reading it, I plan to write a review for our TWW readers.
Wade and Katie McHargue Are Must Read Authors (link)
– Wade Burleson
Anytime I come across good books, I like to pass them on as recommendations to those who read this blog.
Wade and Katie McHargue are a couple who’ve been missionaries on the field, pastors in a local church setting, and all-around Kingdom people.
I recently read Katie McHargue’s book Captured by Love: And Raising a Generation Captivated by God. Ladies, this book would be a superb read for your church, small group, or women’s Bible study. Katie shows the importance of learning to rest in God’s love and raising kids in an environment of love.
An Amazon reviewer had this to say about Katie’s book:
I got the book today and couldn’t put it down so I just finished it! God is so amazing and this is a story of an ordinary mom who chose to follow our Extraordinary God and many lives have been impacted including my own. I highly recommend this book. Its an easy read yet very powerful. Full of Scripture and Truth for everyday as well as testimony that will inspire and challenge!
Another reviewer said:
This book is valuable to any woman of any age, married or not, with children or not, young or old. If you want to love Jesus more, you will find inspiration in Katie’s story. She has whetted my appetite for more of Him!
When I was with the SBC International Mission Board, Wade and Katie were missionaries in Africa. I became acquainted with them then, but have enjoyed seeing how God has used them in ministry now that they have returned to the states.
Wade McHargue has written a book entitled The Elijah Generation, where Wade challenges men who are living in this age of “decadence, degradation, and despair” to take a good, hard, and honest look at our lives in light of the standard of God’s word.
Wade challenges Christian men:
To lose our lives for Jesus’ sake, that we can truly find them.
To see, “What would happen if I gave myself completely over to God?”
To offer all we can offer to Jesus for the praise of His glory as we live in light of eternity.
If you are looking for biblically solid, encouraging books from a husband and wife who live for Christ and His Kingdom, I encourage you to buy Captured by Love and The Elijah Generation.
Thank you McHargues! You are a blessing to many!
Here is a short clip featuring the McHargues.
WOTC – Wade & Kate McHargue from Steele Creek on Vimeo.
Looks fantastic… ordering
I think the parenting book is something that should be read and discussed with both parents!
It’s not the sole responsibility of the mom to try to mold their child’s personality & faith, if one is in a 2 parent household.
If you want to hit a target, you must first identify the target….Both parents need to read and discuss their mutual aims for raising children!
After raising 3 spirited girls, I can tell you for sure you need a game plan in advance!!
3
Molly245 wrote:
I agree, and the same goes for The Elijah Generation. It’s not just the father’s role to “prepare the family”.
That being said, they sound like books with a lot of helpful and constructive thoughts and concepts.
@ Juulie Downs:
Yeah, I don’t want to be critical. They are probably nice people and there is clearly a market for books directed at men and women specifically so I get that from a marketing perspective, but I’m not particularly interested in reading them.
Thanks for the heads-up, Wade.
Not to be overly critical, but one could make the case that these two books typify what is wrong with marketing and selling a particular version of the “Christian Life”.
Find two people who are prototypical “super Christians” who are visually appealing, who are obviously in the top 1% on the spirituality scale being missionaries to Africa and all, and sell their view on parenting and correct behavior.
Our old church used to push this kind of thing all of the time, partly I think, because the “do more, try harder, be better” narrative was a fundamental part of their theology. This genre of book fills the “christian” book stores here. They carry very little of anything that is doctrinally challenging, or even challenging to read. I think people like them because they appeal to our emotions, and so much of 21st century Christianity is about emoting.
I wonder when the explosion of the Christian book/media industrial complex happened? It must have been somewhere in the 1970s, because it has been around all my life. Does anyone know? Since I tend to read books written about 100 years ago or older, before all of the conferences and celebrities exploded on to the scene, they wouldn’t be for me either.
My personal take on the whole genre, having read my share of them in days past, is that they are the spiritual equivalent of a donut. Tasty and somewhat satisfying, but not for very long. Then it is on to the next one. Just my 2 cents.
A.Tumbleweed wrote:
Like the Trickle-Down Effect in Youth Ministry. Find and convert the Quarterbacks, Head Cheerleaders, and Chads and Megans and Muffies and Buffies and Debbies at the Cool Kids’ Table and everyone will follow.
Unfortunately, Chad and Megan and Muffy and Buffy and Debbie are only interested in holding court at the Cool Kids Table and kicking to the curb all undesirables like you and me. Just now they do it as Spiritual Giant Christians.
A.Tumbleweed wrote:
– the Willem ten Boom family
– George Müller
– Watchman Nee
– Hudson Taylor
– CT Studd
– Dave Wilkerson
– Gladys Aylward
– Brother Andrew
– the praying ladies, blind Peggy, and arthritic Christine, and the Hebrides revival
etc.
A.Tumbleweed wrote:
You might try contacting Certa Publishing to learn when they began getting involved in publishing Christian books. This is the publisher of Captured by Love. They basically can do everything from A to Z. This would include editing, graphics, preparing a Christian press release, marketing, distributing information about your book to 1,200 key Christian outlets nationwide, etc. They could be the epitome of the Christian book industrial complex.
Ken G wrote:
I suppose that’s why they all look the same. Although standard graphic/picture ‘looks’ are present in all genre’s…
JYJames wrote:
A few years ago, a guy came into our old church to attend what used to be the men’s bible study. (They have long since stopped studying the bible, and now study books on the so called christian life and movies like courageous. But I digress) Anyway, he hands me a Watchman Nee book and tells me that it will change my life. Whenever someone tells me that alarm bells go off in my brain.
Little did he know, but I once had a pastor who was a huge Nee fan and fed us a regular diet of that guy. So, I took his book, and beginning with page one, marked it up in red noting all of the errors, and gave it back to him. Needless to say he was not pleased.
There were certain celebrity pastors who were off limits for discussion or criticism there too. They were just to be accepted without question, and still are as far as I know. Even we Lutherans have our share of celebrities. Maybe that’s just part of our sin natu……
nevermind.
@ A.Tumbleweed:
Very good points, Tumbleweed.
@ A.Tumbleweed:
I also agree with your view of Watchman Nee. Serious issues there.
Forrest wrote:
During my time in-country in the Seventies, Watchman Nee was a big fad. Couldn’t quite displace Hal Lindsay as the 67th book of the Bible, but he had his True Believers.
JYJames wrote:
Of that list, I recognize Watchman Nee, Dave “Cross & Switchblade” Wilkerson, and Brother Andrew (Bible Smuggler to the USSR?).
“The praying ladies, blind Peggy and arthritic Christine” is a new one on me, but sounds like it has a story behind it.
Forrest wrote:
I know Watchman Nee was some sort of Chinese Christian who got snuffed when Mao won the Chinese Civil War (and founded the Hong Dynasty) and that Nee’s writings became a Christian Little Red Book in the Seventies, but other than that I don’t know any details. Could you give a quick summary?
Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:
Another name pops up in my rather fuzzy brain that is linked to Watchman Nee: Witness Lee. Somehow both names are linked to cultic teachings in my brain. I could be wrong.
@ Headless Unicorn Guy:
Oh, and here I was thinking “Brother Andrew” was the author of “Practicing the Presence of Christ.” Different guy? Wires crossed?
A.Tumbleweed wrote:
Perhaps the list is to show that even 100 years ago, writers of “christian guides to life” could be off. Another comes to mind: Ellen G. White.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.apologeticsindex.org/2694-watching-out-for-watchman-nee/amp
I became a Christian through the ministry of a Chinese church. They were wary of Lee’s teachings, partly due to the “extreme shepherding” in his churches.
A.Tumbleweed wrote:
And if they (the McHargues) help to build a better world in the here and now with real life nitty-gritty and the rubber meeting the pavement, why should ethereal and obtuse doctrine intrude?
I wish them well and God Speed in their endeavors.
I follow this blog regularly and rarely comment. I am really suprised at the immediate assumptions and negativity by some many of you who haven’t even read their books! I happen to know this family personally and they are the real deal—humble and filled with love for others. God has given them audiences and opportunities to share the gospel around the world with important leaders and even royaly. Yet I have seen firsthand how they are willing to go door to door in the worst Charlotte neighborhood to seek out those who have a need.
I am totally on board with the importance of weeding out abuse and a false gospel, but we must be careful that, in the process, we are shooting our own soldiers. The Lord needs a strong united army for the “facing of these days”.
Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:
They were instrumental in the start of the Hebridean Revival in the 1940’s.
Also, Brother Andrew was indeed “God’s Smuggler” (the title of his book). There are many things that come out of said book that I like. One was the fact that he doesn’t mind asking difficult questions of God when things didn’t seem to be working. The other was the central reason his ministry was about, which was described by a Czech pastor, struggling behind what was then the Iron Curtain, something like this: It’s not what you preach about that matters. Just the fact that you’re here among us tells us that the rest of the church hasn’t forgotten us. This resonates a great deal with us…
Nick Bulbeck wrote:
To clarify: the “us” in that sentence is myself and Lesley, not the Czech pastor as such.
Lesley and I are trying to work against the persistent injustice faced by the unemployed (particularly, but not only, the young as they leave education and try to enter a workplace that doesn’t want to pay them). Very few Christians are willing to support us in this.
@ K Husband:
Thanks for chiming in. I respect Wade Burleson and appreciate his book recommendations. I have ordered Katie’s book and look forward to writing a review here.
@ K Husband:
It’s not the people being discussed per se, it’s the genre. Book recommendations are fine by me. I heartily recommend “Carlisle Vs. Army” by Lars Anderson or almost anything by John Feinstein.
@ Becky Thatcher:
“They” — I see what you did there.
refugee wrote:
I think Witness Lee was a disciple or follower of Watchman Nee who achieved fame in his own right.
Linn wrote:
“Extreme shepherding” — say no more.
The Watchman Nee groupies I encountered were connected in some way to that heavy Shepherding cult that messed me up. One fad backing up another.
@ Headless Unicorn Guy:
P.S. Went down the link. This part stood out:
“Koinonia House Christian Fellowship” (the not-a-cult that messed me up) was also heavily into Rapture eschatology (a la Hal Lindsay) and rejected all “Apostate/Heretic” external authority. (Except for a local hyper-Fundy church that may or may not have been connected to them – I remember attending one all-night Prayer & Praise session at a small local non-denom/Fundy church but nothing else.)
Slight tangent– a recent 9Marx mailbag asked if preaching is needed on the mission field.
https://www.9marks.org/mailbag/66/#a
Zane Pratt of the SBC’s IMB answered, then Jonathan Leeman quoted one of his own books. I found that excerpt troubling. One part, “Every Christian (including the preacher) must understand that first and foremost we live under God’s authoritative Word. This reality is best demonstrated and practiced through the preaching event, a place where we learn to sit quietly and listen.”
My answer– if “preaching” is understood in the 9Marx way– not only is such preaching unnecessary– it’s harmful.
BTW the Mailbag is the only 9Marx page which accepts comments, if anyone is brave.
@ Headless Unicorn Guy:
It looks like you have enough on Nee from previous responders. As to Koinonia, that is Chuck Missler’s site. Missler has a reputation for plagiarizing other’s work. Many fundy’s love his stuff.
refugee wrote:
Yes, different guy. You are thinking of Brother Lawrence who lived in the 17th or 18th century.
A.Tumbleweed wrote:
“Whenever I run into somebody that blissed out, I expect to hear about the Will of Landru.”
— James Lileks
“YOU ARE NOT OF THE BODY! YOU ARE ARCHONS!”