It’s a terrible frustration of mine—true God fearing people who are like sheep led to the slaughter simply because they believe false teachings. 

I recently did a video about the four false teachings I used to believe until I came to my senses. Just a few days after the video launched, I saw this book by Allen Parr, called Misled: 7 Lies That Distort the Gospel. I had to get my hands on it. 

I wanted to see for myself if Allen was grounded in scripture or just another false teacher with false teachings. And what I found surprised me.

False teachings with surprising depth

For starters, Allen is a bible teacher with a massive following on YouTube who is controversial. In fact, several people boldly call him a heretic. So, I had to see for myself. 

Before I dive into what I liked and what I didn’t like, I want to say that I wanted to go into this book with eyes wide open. I don’t expect to agree with every teacher on everything. As long as we stand together on the essentials, I can call you brother.

You may be saying, what do you mean by ‘essentials’?

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is an essential. If we don’t agree on this, well…

But there are non-essentials, such as speaking in tongues, Christians having demons, modern music or traditional, being slain in the spirit—things like that. These non-essentials are not supposed to cause division in the body of Christ, yet they still do. For proof, jump into the comments section of any one of my YouTube videos and inevitably there will be some negative comment coming from someone who claims to be a Christ follower. 

I’ve had enough exposure to Allen to confidently say that I can call him brother—but can I recommend his book?

In the name of full transparency, I’ve had conversations with Allen and he’s even been a guest on my YouTube channel. And while we don’t align perfectly on every issue, we do on most, and certainly on the essentials. 

So, I got myself the audio and kindle version of Misled and I dove right in. And what I found surprised me. I had a feeling it was going to be good. What I didn’t expect was how much I actually enjoyed it.

Allen went straight to the point, right out of the gate—I love that. I personally have a hard time reading fluffy stories loaded down with adjectives and superlatives and descriptions that take two pages to get the point across. I’m a direct kind of gal and this book grabbed me from the start.

Now, I’m not saying that it was at all didactic or statistical—not at all. The first story Allen opened with actually shocked me and I was almost in tears. As I continued to listen, he broke down each false teaching one by one with a depth that I didn’t expect.

So, I want to take a moment to talk about what I liked and what I didn’t like and if I would recommend that you read this book. 

What I liked:

• First off, it was an easy read. I gobbled this book up in two bike rides and a paint job. But I didn’t expect to have to stop a few times just to take some notes. I like when an author gives me cause for pause. 
• Allen gave a good biblical defense to each of the false teachings he exposed. I see too many people let scripture take a back seat to their experiences. 
• He not only called out false teachings, but also some of the teachers that promote it. Some of these teachers need to be exposed as their teachings are gaining ground among carnal, immature Christians who can be easily swayed, especially if he/she doesn’t check scripture for himself. We need to know who these false teachers are and the sly nuances they use to distort the gospel of Jesus Christ. He didn’t dance around this.
• I especially loved the chapter about progressive Christianity, which is a pervasive problem within our churches. If you’re not familiar with progressive Christianity, the book is worth it just for this chapter alone. 
• The audio book had good narration—if you’re an audiobook lover like me, you know how important that is. Sometimes on Allen’s channel, I have a tough time listening because it feels like he’s yelling. I understand differing voice inflections, but sometimes it just feels too ‘up’ for too long—for my nervous system anyway. (Sorry, Allen.) But this book wasn’t like that at all. It was expressive, yet even-keeled. 
• I loved and appreciated the entire book, but I really appreciated the last chapter. I also like that he discussed what a genuine growing relationship with Jesus looks like.

Allen dove deep into answering some key questions that are confusing the body of Christ today, such as, can I lose my salvation, and is THAT person really saved? We discuss subjects like that often in this ministry when it comes to narcissists. I believe this book will help break down the biblical traits of a true believer, so you can begin to answer that question for yourself. 

All of this was communicated in a non-judgmental, yet biblically firm manner. You could almost feel Allen’s undeniable desire to stay true to the uncompromising Word of God. 

What I didn’t like:

I gotta admit, I was surprised, there really wasn’t much.

There were a few chapters that made me think, Hmmm, where’s he going to go with this? But he always came through with sound biblical backing. 

I would have liked some more stories. Some more pulling me in. It was a very educational book but I would like to have connected with Allen a little more. But who knows, maybe that would have made the book too long.

He did make a few points to back up his teaching on eternal security—not that I disagree with eternal security for the true believer, but he made reference to how a slave once free would never want to go back. I don’t know that I agree with that. We see prisoners wanting to go back to prison all the time and the Israelites are a prime example of those who were set free, but frequently looked to go back into bondage. 

While I didn’t necessarily agree with every example, it was not a deterrent from enjoying the book AT ALL. 

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! I think it will be a game changer for many. So, yes you do need to get your hands on (or ears in) this book. It’s going to bring a lot of clarity. 

If you do want to check it out, I’ll link to it in the description below. 

Whether you listen or read, whether you agree or don’t, your theology will be challenged in a good way with sound biblical teaching and a no-nonsense approach. And if you know me, you know I love no-nonsense. 

If you want to know the 4 False Teachings I Used to Believe Until I Came to My Senses, check out the video or audio episode above.

If you are struggling in your faith or want to grow in your faith, be sure to grab your FREE 5 Day Mountain Moving Faith Devotional