Many popular books offer steps and strategies.  I have found most (almost all!) full of problems.  How does one go about evaluating their worth?  In my book, The Last Men’s Book You’ll Ever Need, I offer six (!) diagnostic questions:

Does the book convey (explicitly or implicitly) that it is the “key” to living the victorious Christian life?

Does the author present more of a formulaic approach to the Christian life rather than the need to grow in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ?” (II Peter 3:18)

Does the book present a simplistic approach (read “cookie cutter”) to the Christian growth or does it value the wide variety of ways that God sanctifies His people?

Does the author tend to universalize or make normative his own experiences?

Does the author ask the reader to trust his interpretation of his experiences rather than backing those up with the word of God?

Most importantly, does the book focus on the person and work of Christ? In other words, is it a Christ-centered approach to the Christian life or is it a mechanical, moralistic, and behavioral approach?