4 LifeWay Red Flags That Should Send You Running

LifeWay Christian Resources is a publishing company that is well-known throughout the Christian community as a “fantastic” resource for Bible studies, books, Bibles, and many other things you might need in your church, ministry, or even your personal spiritual growth. Personally, LifeWay has never sat well with me, but I kept quiet as my churches used LifeWay resources and advertised its sponsored events. Christians have appeared to ignore every LifeWay red flag, no matter how obvious it may be. I’m done being quiet on the subject, and I’m asking everyone who has used LifeWay in the past to speak with his or her wallets. Demand better, and don’t give LifeWay another penny.

LifeWay Red Flag #1: The Connection To The SBC

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and LifeWay are intrinsically connected. That fact on its face is enough to give me pause. You can read about a major concern I have with the SBC HERE concerning the invading wokeness. I also spell out some concerns about a well-known Southern Baptist church (Saddleback) HERE.

What’s The Bottom Line?

What is the bottom line of a church? Put another away, what is the goal of any church? Well, it should be a church’s goal to fulfill the Great Commission.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Matthew 28:28-20

How about a business? The bottom line is dollars and cents. I don’t care how Christian it looks on the outside. It doesn’t matter if the mission of the business is to reach others for Christ or assist churches in doing so. At the end of the day, a business needs money to stay open. Money pays those employees. And money helps make book deals and put on special events. LifeWay operates as a non-profit organization, but unlike a church, it cannot continue without salaried employees, buildings, and other costly overhead.

Speaking of which…

Actual numbers are difficult to get our hands on, but one source claims that directors earn annual salaries between $57,000 and $700,000, depending on the position. In addition, other sources indicate that former Lifeway CEO, Thom S. Rainer, has received over $1 million in pay and benefits since leaving his position in 2019.

Please, make money at your jobs. You need it. But it is important to keep in mind that LifeWay is, in fact, a business. A business, as it turns out, that had to close all of its retailers and rely on its website because of poor earnings.

Strange Bedfellows

With two very different main goals in mind, why would the SBC and LifeWay yoke together? If anything, it speaks poorly of the SBC. Frankly, a church has no business having such a vested interest in a store. Could the goals of LifeWay contradict the goals of the SBC at some point? And when they are so reliant on one another, how can they effectively operate without the other’s support?

LifeWay is considered the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, but I think the SBC should be concerned about having a retailer so closely associated with it. To be honest, a retailer might want to think twice about getting too close to the SBC, too. I think it’s time to remove the arm.

LifeWay Red Flag #2: The Sunday School Materials

Growing up Catholic, I was used to worship being guided by the missal in Mass. The missal is the book that contains the texts for the Masses throughout the year. The homily (the priest’s message) would be unique from church to church, but my neighboring Catholic churches were using the same text.

After I was saved, I realized that my pastor was not preaching from a list of topics or verses given to him from someone else or a governing body. Instead, he preached according to how the Holy Spirit led him. Then I went to Southern Baptist churches, and I began participating in their LifeWay Bible studies. I discovered that the studies were mass produced and sent out to churches who purchased them, and they were labeled by date. So, again, I was in a church that taught based on the day of the year.

I could get past that because a teacher can really make any lesson his own. Ask five men to teach about Israel crossing the Red Sea, and you’ll have five different, albeit accurate, versions. Each man would emphasize something different as he was led by the Holy Spirit. But there was still a problem.

These Bible studies were aimed at the least Biblically literate people in the church. The adult class had barely any more depth to it than the children’s class materials. These studies were clearly intended for seeker-friendly churches with milk-dependent congregants.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

LifeWay Red Flag #3: Selling Questionable Books

When I walk into a Christian bookstore, I understand that Christian is likely being used rather loosely. I’ll see the likes of Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer on the shelves. There will be a whole section set aside for Catholic traditions, and I’m going to run into a great deal of home décor with verses plucked out of context. That all comes with the territory. A business needs to appeal to as many potential buyers as it can, and that requires the business owners not to take too hard a stance on anything. However, LifeWay should be different.

Because LifeWay is the publishing arm of the SBC, it should, theoretically, sell books that are congruent with SBC (aka: conservative) beliefs. Sadly, consumers need to be just as discerning when they shop at Lifeway as they do any other “Christian” store.

A Few Questionable Books Removed

1. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

LifeWay pulled all books about people’s personal experiences going to Heaven in 2015. This would include 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey. (No, I’m not joking. That’s really their last name.) In fact, Alex Malarkey eventually admitted the story in his book was made up.

Why were these books questionable? For one, they don’t give a biblical account of Heaven. Heaven is about Jesus, but these people told stories that focused on family and friends. Our focus will be on Him, not them. So, for that reason, these books should not be taken seriously.

Second, people tend to mix their theology up with Bible and entertainment. As an example, a ladies group in which I participated watched a popular movie based on the book of Esther. The writers took some liberties to make it more palpable to the lady folk.

The relationship between Esther and King Xerxes was portrayed as a love story. He wasn’t nearly the imbecile we read about in the Bible, either. Also, Esther had a necklace that had some secret message inside. Honestly, I don’t remember all the details. Anyway, a woman in the group said to me after the movie ended, “I didn’t know about that necklace! That was pretty interesting.”

Selling books with unbiblical accounts of Heaven is mediocre entertainment at best and confusing readers at worst.

Third, the Bible doesn’t say we can sightsee in Heaven, but it does say this:

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Hebrews 9:27

We die one time. No do-overs, ya’ll.

So, LifeWay Got It Right?

LifeWay eventually did the right thing. On the other hand, why were they selling books that contradict how the Bible describes Heaven and death? I’m glad they removed these works of fiction, but, for me, it was too little too late.

2. Jen Hatmaker Books And Resources

Jen Hatmaker announced her support for the LGBTQ+ community in 2016. In fact, she said that she affirms gay marriage on a spiritual level. LifeWay reacted as it should have, and it discontinued selling her books because her beliefs were against the biblical standards of the SBC, and by extension, those of LifeWay.

There’s a problem, though. Her materials should have never been sold as a Christian resource to begin. She is funny, though many of us think a bit too irreverent, and she has been willing to tackle those struggles that moms go through. But how does that prove she is a solid Bible teacher?

Hatmaker is an example of a pretty, funny, outspoken woman whom other women love to listen to. They feel understood, and they recognize her from HGTV. So, obviously, she’s legit!

A closer look would have revealed a woman that offered little more than personal stories, humor, opinions on biblical themes like grace, and a generally poor handling of Scripture. Nevertheless, LifeWay kept her on their shelves because…money. And the SBC, as often seems to be the case, offered very little discernment concerning a female Bible teacher.

Alisa Childers did a great job reviewing a recent Hatmaker book. In her review, Childers makes some of Hatmaker’s insufficiencies clear.

3. Mark Driscoll Books

Driscoll founded Mars Hill Church and was its lead pastor from 1996-2014. He was known for being blunt and calling Christians to action. He was immensely popular, and LifeWay jumped on board. In 2014, when the publisher suspended the sales of any of Mark Driscoll’s works, LifeWay carried only one of his books, A Call to Resurgence.

It was a good move at the time. Driscoll had been accused of plagiarism, buying his place on the New York Times bestseller list, and being a vulgar troll on the internet. If you don’t mind some mild to moderate language, you should give The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill a listen. This podcast was created by Christianity Today, a site I highly discourage Christians from reading. On the other hand, this series gives some interesting insight into how someone as power-hungry, misogynistic, and manipulative could ever be so accepted by professing Christians.

Just like with Hatmaker, how did LifeWay not see the problems with Driscoll? He was popular and the kind of character who could get books sold, but he was also clearly an unkind man with no character of which to speak. Either LifeWay didn’t care, or they didn’t do their due diligence and research the pastor.

LifeWay Red Flag #4: Queen Beth

Beth Moore had long been the reigning queen of LifeWay before her abrupt exit from the SBC in March 2021. The website heavily featured her image, books, and Bible studies. LifeWay also pushed her simulcasts. These were events she put on that women were encouraged to watch live at their churches. All hail, Queen Beth. *sigh*

NOTE: Although she has left the SBC, LifeWay is still currently selling her books and resources. Although, they have announced they will no longer publish her books.

If you’re not clear on why promoting Beth Moore is considered a LifeWay red flag, you can read what I wrote about her HERE. Some concerns I address in that post include:

1. She unrepentantly preaches to men.

2. Moore endorses and yokes with false teachers.

3. She thinks God is giving her new revelation.

4. Moore is woke. She is a feminist and a CRT supporter.

One more thing about Beth Moore… She spends an uncomfortable amount of time drawing attention to herself when she teaches, and I think it is, in part, to distract her listeners. She uses humor, charisma, and story-telling to obscure the fact that she is mishandling Scripture and giving unbiblical teachings.

For instance, in her Bible study on Esther, she spends a great deal of time discussing how hard life is for women. Maybe that’s true, but that isn’t what Esther is about…at all.

Final Thought

No Christian store is going to be perfect, but I do expect its resources to hold to biblical doctrine and be meant for growing Christians deeper into their faith when said bookstore is essentially a part of a conservative Christian denomination.

I only highlighted a few of the concerns I have with LifeWay. The list of questionable teachers is quite long, and the willingness to share music from Hillsong is disconcerting. The reliance that Southern Baptists have on LifeWay is the greatest red flag of all. Rather than rely on a business for our sanctification, let’s return to where we know Truth resides.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

What do you think about LifeWay?

Image courtesy of Kai Pilger via Unsplash.