17) Books We Do Not Recommend…and Why

Please Note: as can be seen from our section entitled “Recommended Books”, we recommend some books which, although not written by true Christians and therefore not to be read for doctrine, nevertheless contain accurate factual and historical information, making them valuable for documentation and reference purposes. After all, historical and factual works are written by authors of various religions or none, and we read them for their information, provided it really is accurate and factual. The books listed below, however, which are doctrinally unsound, are not recommended even for documentation and reference purposes, because they contain serious factual and historical inaccuracies.

1. THE “CRUSADERS” COMIC BOOKS (notably ALBERTO, DOUBLE-CROSS, THE GODFATHERS, THE FORCE, THE FOUR HORSEMEN, and THE PROPHET, but also all the others in the “Crusaders” comic book series)
by Jack T. Chick (Chick Publications, Chino, California, USA)

These six comics purport to be based on the life story of “ex-Jesuit priest” Alberto Rivera, and on other information provided by him. However, the truth is that Rivera was never a Jesuit, and that he was a fraud and a deceiver, even while claiming to be converted to Christ; and furthermore, much of the supposed “factual information” in these comics (other than that which he gleaned from various Protestant books) is in fact historically inaccurate.

Evidence is available from us: the e-book entitled ALBERTO RIVERA: THE TRUE STORY, by Roy Livesey (see under “E-Books”); the MP3 entitled ALBERTO RIVERA: A FALSE BROTHER, by Shaun Willcock; plus a documentation package exposing Rivera compiled by Donald R. Blanton (see the “MP3s” section, under the sub-category “False Teachers”).

2. NEW AGE BIBLE VERSIONS
by Gail Riplinger (A.V. Publications, Munroe Falls, Ohio, USA, 1993)
This book, popular in some circles as a defence of the King James Version, contains various doctrinal and factual errors, and “contrived evidence.” In addition, she claims divine inspiration for the King James Version, not merely providential preservation.

3. OUR AUTHORISED BIBLE VINDICATED
by Benjamin G. Wilkinson (Leaves-of-Autumn Books, Payson, Arizona, USA, 1982)
This book, although written in defence of the King James Version, was written by a man who was a college “dean of theology” and a missionary of the Seventh-Day Adventist cult, and contains a number of factual inaccuracies, making it unreliable for documentation in addition to doctrine. It is to be greatly regretted that an edited version of this book was included in David Otis Fuller’s otherwise very useful book entitled, WHICH BIBLE?

4. DID THE CATHOLIC CHURCH GIVE US THE BIBLE?
By David W. Daniels (Chick Publications, Ontario, California, USA)
This book, although written in defence of the King James Version, is full of doctrinal and factual errors, and “contrived evidence.”