Hashtag Faith: A Powerful Gospel in the hands of a Distracted Generation Paperback – January 23, 2015

For a time around the turn of the millennium, it seemed that all Bibles were going to have to be reprinted to include a fifth gospel – “The Prayer of Jabez.” It was a wildly popular book when it was published in 2000, and it became wildly controversial. An obscure Old Testament passage had become the basis for a new theology. At one point, I was hearing the book preached from the pulpit, studied in a small Bible study group, and serialized in a Sunday School class.The message of the book: pray to God and ask him to “enlarge your territory,” that is, bless you spiritually and materially. And he’ll do it. If that sounds like a modernized version of the prosperity gospel, that’s because, in my opinion, that’s exactly what it is.I was reminded of “The Prayer of Jabez” and its teaching as I read “Hashtag Faith: A Powerful Gospel in the Hands of a Distracted Generation” by Chris Buscher, co-founder and CEO of Lay Me Down Ministry. One of the things Buscher does in this relatively short book on faith is take the prosperity gospel head on and strip it down to the false teaching it is. Faith is not about gaining material wealth, enlarging your territory, or experiencing worldly success, he says, and he’s exactly right. Jesus and the apostles did not teach “how to become rich and be as powerful as the Romans.”Buscher provides a primer on what faith is, and what it isn’t. He explores what the foundation of faith is and where the word “faith” comes from. Faith is not the prosperity gospel; neither is it the social gospel, “which secularizes the faith and attempts to secure harmony and recognition with other religion and people groups.” Both the prosperity gospel and the social gospel are creations of humanity, not creations of God. What we do in this world for this world is aimed at spreading God’s kingdom.He particularly takes aim at the prosperity gospel. It is motivated by greed, he says, and it shares one essential element in common with all false teachings – that our thoughts control reality. “Whether it is the power of positive thinking or the ‘prosperity gospel,’; he writes, ‘the premise is the same: what you think or believe will happen is ultimately what controls what will happen.” It other words, it’s all about us, and all about me.Buscher, a pastor, is also the author of “My Confession: Finding Myself at the Feet of Jesus” and “Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me: A Christian Devotional Inspired by Those Who Gave Their Life for Jesus.”True Biblical prosperity has nothing to do with material wealth or riches. It is seeking God first, understanding the purpose for which you were created, dying to self, and making heaven your goal. That’s the core message of “Hashtag Faith,” and it is a welcome one.

I just got thru reading this. It was very good. I hope when the time comes I can say I fought a good fight and have keep the FAITH. I hope when the time come and I am ask if I am a CHRISTIAN I can stand up and say so. I recommend this book to all. It will help you to see what you have to do to keep the faith and that you must always put CHRIST first in every thing no matter what. He should always be number one. The author is a very good writer. I hope to read more of his works.

Not What I Was Expecting:Given the title and info on this book I was expecting a book on being a follower of Christ, geared more for younger adults or teens. This book was mostly about how unbiblical the “Prosperity gospel” is. It does use many Bible passages to explain why heath and wealth is not what a disciple should expect or demand. And it does a good job of explaining the history of that movement. But it just wasn’t the book that I was expecting.

I was happy to read this book and see that someone is addressing the issue of "real" faith. I was not aware of the Word of Faith group so it was helpful to read about them.The only criticism I have is that Chris needs a good editor.

While the author makes great points, in his third chapter he goes to great lengths to attack Christians who have different beliefs than him. It was very unfair and misrepresenting of the other viewpoints. In a world where Christians are being persecuted, we need to be unified, not squabble over differences of opinions.

I absolutely loved this book it taught me alot about my own beliefs in faith. My daughter sent me this and told me to read it I'm glad she did.

Wonderful book to restore faith in Jesus and help those navigate through these often distracting and confusing times. Buscher once again offers a sound mesage to avoid the modern day pitfalls and traps that keep fellow Christians from enjoying the true joy that only that knowing the Lord can bring.

I need to engage the author.