I first read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers in high school or early college, and I loved it. Like most women, I had not read or even known the story of Hosea in the Bible until I read the book, and I was blown away by God's love for His people that was told through this story. I recommended the book a lot in those days.

But at that point, I was also a young Christian. I had not yet read the Bible in full even once. In fact, I rarely read the Bible on my own. I went to youth group and I grew up in a Christian home but I had not yet truly come to know God for myself.

A decade later, I look back and see that no matter how good the book is at illustrating God's love, it is a manmade recreation - a secondary source - trying to capture something that requires a firsthand encounter with a God that can't be put into words. It serves its purpose, but it is not the real thing. And the problem is, that's where most women stop, and so a secondary telling of God's love is all they know.

Recently, a Christian author, Phylicia Maisonheimer, published a blog post / podcast episode with a warning to Christian women about watching the movie version of Redeeming Love. I shared it on my social media and not surprisingly, got a slew of messages from women defending the book.

Secondhand Beliefs

Here is the thing: it is not about this book or this movie. This is just the book and movie that happens to be trending right now.

It's the fact that too many Christian women love and trust secondary sources more than the word of God. We become blindly devoted to Bible teachers, preachers, movements, influencers, books, brands, and ways of thinking until they become what guides our life choices and shape our beliefs.

If you've read Redeeming Love and are eager to see the movie, but you haven't read the book of Hosea in the Bible, we have a problem. In fact, I'd even go as far to say that if you're a Christian and you've read this book and are the one fiercely defending why Christian women should read and watch this story, but you are (1) not in the word of God daily and (2) have not read the Bible in full at least once, you need to seriously consider the authenticity of your faith.

When I started out my career, one of my managers gave me this advice: "Before you come to me with a problem, make sure you've taken the time to find the answer for yourself. You don't have to waste hours on it, and it is okay if you can't find an answer, but I need to see you tried to develop your own view point before you come to me for answers."

A lot of Christians need to hear that advice today too. Because one of the dangers of having access to so much information and being constantly influenced is that we tend to opt for the easy way of taking on someone else's opinions and teachings instead of developing our own view points and beliefs. We may justify it because they call themselves "Christian."

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. -2 Corinthians 11:14-15

It is harder to take the time to do our own research, to go study the Bible on a topic, and to pray through an issue. Not only does that take an investment of our time, but it very likely could lead us to a conclusion or a belief that is different from our family and friends; that may even be set apart from popular belief and take us on a path less traveled. And few of us want that.

Women especially are susceptible to this. In 2 Timothy 3:6-7, Apostle Paul writes to a young pastor warning him of the dangers facing the women in his congregation:

"They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth."

These are women who:

allow false teachings and various influencers into our homes (today, we do this through what we watch and listen to, as well as who we follow on social media!)
fail to guard our minds, and so we're often captured by the latest news, movements, and ways of thinking
often feel guilty and burdened by sin
are controlled by emotions and feelings
are never satisfied even though we consume a ton of information
lack solid convictions, because we are so easily influenced by so many different voices and because we don't know the word of God for ourselves.

So, let's go back to Redeeming Love as an example of what happens when your spiritual discipleship is mostly from secondary sources.

You miss things when you only get the secondary take on the original

Redeeming Love is meant to illustrate God's love for His people who commit adultery. Obviously, since this is a fiction book based on a real story, the author takes great liberty to embellish details and fill in parts to create the plot of a love story.

A woman who only reads the fiction book and not the actual book of Hosea does not get the full message included in Scripture. And the woman who only watches the movie, gets the Hollywood version meant for entertainment and to drive box office sales instead of something holy and sacred.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. - 1 John 2:15

The irony is that the book of Hosea in the Bible is about a people who love other things and gods more than their God. They earn the title of adulterers because they went to find comfort, blessings, pleasure, love, acceptance from secondhand places. There was "no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land" (Hosea 4:1). The people were destroyed for lack of knowledge, because they rejected the opportunity to know God and forgot His laws (Hosea 4:6).

Their love for God was like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away (Hosea 6:4). You know the kind that only lasts for two hours on Sunday morning but lives a lot like the world the rest of the week because the rest of the time, we consume from the wells of social media, television, friends, podcasts, books, and every other source other than Bible.

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. -James 4:4

That's what we do when we go to secondary sources for our spiritual food and to be discipled: we become influenced by the embellished and filtered version of the Truth. We commit adultery and then defend our wandering ways. Yes, the book of Hosea is about God's mercy and love for His people, but it is also a judgement call to a people who left their God for secondary sources.

"Sow for yourself righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you." -Hosea 10:12

We become what we see and hear

Again, I want to speak to the women, because we are also the ones who consume all the romance novels and chick flicks: What you take in through your eyes and ears is who you become. Kind of like people say that you are what you eat. Once it's in, it's there to stay. Eventually, it begins to shape who you are as a person, filling every nook and cranny of your mind, heart, and life.

Jesus doesn't compete with the world though. He will wash you clean as a fresh blanket of fallen snow and cast your sin into the greatest depths of existence. He will fill your heart with peace and love. But, you can't have one foot in the world, and one on the narrow path. You can't serve two masters at once.

Growing up, I read a lot of romance books, but I told myself it was okay because they were Christian books. It wasn't until I got married and my interest for those books completely disappeared that I realized those books and stories were unknowingly filling a hole in my heart for love and romance. They may have been just stories, even Christian wholesome ones, but they still influenced me, eventually becoming a gateway for reading erotica and a struggle with masturbation.

Which is where Phylicia is coming from when she warns young women against blindly recommending and watching/reading books and movies like Redeeming Love. Maybe for some women, it's just a book or movie, but for other young women, it can be a stumbling block for her mind and heart.

What for one woman is a book about God's love, for another woman can be triggering. Because even Christian books can lead to unrealistic expectations of love, relationships and marriage; as well as serving as a gateway to ongoing struggles with erotica, porn, masturbation and other sexual sins.

1 Corinthians 6:18 tells us to flee from sexual immorality, which definitely includes not consuming content that may trigger us to commit sin. We are called to make no provision for the flesh and to not gratify its desires, but to instead put on Christ (Romans 13:14). That is a call to the highest level of diligence to guard our minds and hearts.

Because for women who are called to be pure in heart (Matthew 5:8), what we watch and listen to matters.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. -Philippians 4:8

So, what should we do?

I am not here to tell you to watch or not to watch this movie. Or any movie or book, really. This is a question of discernment that each woman should make in prayer and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

What I would like for you to take away is this: Before you pick up another devotional, follow another Christian IG account (including mine!), watch another movie, attend another women’s conference, or pick up the latest best selling Christian book, READ THE BIBLE daily. From cover to cover, study the original source before you go to any human interpretation (even if it’s anointed by the Holy Spirit) of the Word of God.

Can God speak through a book to reach a woman's heart? Absolutely. There have been many books that have shaped my faith and that God used to teach me what I needed in a season. But, that should not be our daily or primary spiritual nourishment, because faith only comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). True transformation and teaching comes from the primary source of Scripture, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

As Albert Einstein once said, “The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.” Don’t follow the crowd. Follow Jesus. Don’t follow popular culture. Follow the narrow way. Don’t follow lukewarm Christianity that embraces the world. Follow the Holy Spirit that sets a standard of holiness.

Don't settle for wordly entertainment when your soul thirsts for delighting in God alone.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:2

Build a Scriptural foundation in the Truth instead of blindly stepping on to someone else’s platform. Do your research and go to the source of all knowledge before you listen, read or watch someone else's take on the issue.

Fiercely guard your heart and home, being careful what information you consume and the sources you listen to and watch.

Know the primary source instead of devoting yourself to a secondary knowledge of God.