Review of The Circle Maker by Tim Challies (excerpt)
On one occasion when God did not send rain well into the winter (in the geographic regions of Israel, it rains mainly in the winter), he drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and informed God that he would not move until it rained. When it began to drizzle, Honi told God that he was not satisfied and expected more rain; it then began to pour. He explained that he wanted a calm rain, at which point the rain calmed to a normal rain. |
Batterson says, “The prayer that saved a generation was deemed one of the most significant prayers in the history of Israel. The circle he drew in the sand became a sacred symbol. And the legend of Honi the circle maker stands forever as a testament to the power of a single prayer to change the course of history.” From Honi he has learned the value of big, bold, audacious prayers. On a very practical level, he has learned the value of drawing figurative (and sometimes literal) circles. The promise of his book is that it “will show you how to claim God-given promises, pursue God-sized dreams, and seize God-ordained opportunities. You’ll learn how to draw prayer circles around your family, your job, your problems, and your goals.” Read entire review
The wildly popular book by Mark Batterson called The Circle Maker is not only a New York Times bestseller, it is hugely popular in “conservative” Christian circles who turn to it for inspiration in prayer.
The problem is, the book is doctrinally unsound. The Circle Maker is more legend than Biblical teaching. It is a string of success stories that relate to health, wealth, and prosperity.
In this extended video teaching, Dr. Randy White overviews the premises and problems of the book, then teaches about Spiritual discernment.
See more: http://www.randywhiteministries.org/the-circle-maker-expose/