TEN LIES SATAN LOVES TO TELL

A Christian author blends self-help and biblical analysis in this religious reflection on Satan.

“Satan is real. Satan is dangerous,” declares Jones in the book’s opening lines as he reminds fellow Christians that “One of Satan’s primary tactics is deception.” Indeed, per the author’s analysis, these lies “are at the center of humanity’s fall into sin.” From the misleading manipulation by the serpent in the Book of Genesis (in which Satan tempted Adam and Eve into disobedience by twisting the words of God) to Satan’s failed attempts to tempt Jesus in the wilderness (as described in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke), lies are at the heart of the biblical character of Satan. Blending literary analysis of Christianity’s ancient scriptures with modern-day applications for fellow believers, Jones argues that the tactics deployed by Satan are the same today as they were at the beginning of creation. Devoting each chapter to an individual lie, Satan’s obfuscations as outlined in the book range from “You Cannot Trust God” and “Your Value is Based on Your Performance” to “You Are Alone” and “You Are Too Dirty/Broken/Flawed/Sinful to be Forgiven.” While there are a few references to Christian scholarship sprinkled throughout the book’s sparse footnotes, most of the author’s evidence comes directly from the Bible itself as Jones argues for the applicability of biblical stories to contemporary life.

Following his debut book, Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible (2022), the author here writes with a keen awareness of the ubiquitous temptations and difficulties encountered by Christians over the millennia. A California-based professor of preaching and a parish pastor, Jones blends a learned understanding of the Bible with an accessible writing style that emphasizes the relevancy of the topics to readers unfamiliar with the scholarly nuances of Christian theology. While leaning heavily on Lutheran catechisms and the written work of Martin Luther, the book is generally ecumenical in its approach, favoring a standard Protestant interpretation that relies heavily on the Bible itself as the source of religious guidance. Of particular note for a book centered around Christian notions of sin is the work’s refusal to engage with the “current American culture wars”; the author posits that too many Christians use hot-button political issues as a way to ignore their own personal sins as they have “abandoned basic decency to gain power.” Reflecting the book’s emphasis on applicability, each chapter concludes with questions for individual or small-group discussion, “Scripture for Meditation,” and topical prayers. Coming in right at 200 total pages, the text includes ample illustrations, textbox vignettes, charts, and other visual elements. While the book is well-written and geared toward a broad Christian audience, those who do not share the book’s literalist take that Satan is a real entity who roams the Earth may not be sold on Jones’ warnings. The work should nevertheless be applauded for its approach (one not “of shame but one of encouragement”), as it eschews judgment and name-calling in favor of providing Christian readers guidance to better live out the message of God’s love.

An engaging and earnest, if not always convincing, study of the power of Satan’s lies.