Competing for second place among the best-selling books of history is The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis. Since its publishing in the 1400s, it has grown to be a classic on Christian devotion and personal holiness. Although written from a monastic Roman Catholic perspective, Protestants from the Reformation onward (including Luther) have found its insights to be profound, powerful, and practical. It has tons of good counsel and teaching about humility, reverence, responding to temptation, self-abasement, prayer, the teaching and example of Jesus, learning and knowledge, and much more. HOWEVER, it must be read with diligent biblical discernment, since there is much error contained among its truths. Some of the main errors include the Roman Catholic sacramental scheme of salvation, dualism, asceticism, introspecticism, transubstantiation, venerating saints, and living in a state of uncertainty regarding one’s final standing with God.

In this discussion, Chris and Casey give you a thorough overview of this book, pointing out its various strengths and weaknesses. If you ever want to read it, or want to know how to interact with Roman Catholic or monastic books from long ago, this episode will help you to think critically, biblically, and charitably about your reading and learning. Above all, we hope you’ll be encouraged and instructed from this about how awesome God is, and how wonderful it is to serve the Lord Jesus by imitating His humility.