Happy Lies by Melissa Dougherty

Happy Lies

How a Movement You (probably) Never Heard of Shaped Our Self-obsessed World

Melissa Dougherty

Zondervan · Print & ebook · January 28, 2025

In this groundbreaking book, popular apologist Melissa Dougherty helps us understand how our society got to be so toxically subjective, why endless positivity is inherently destructive, and how we can live with faithful truth and genuine love in these self-obsessed times.

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Who it’s for
A clear-eyed look at a hidden influence on our self-obsessed habits.
Genres
Christian Apologetics, New Thought, Christian Social Issues
Published
Zondervan, January 28, 2025

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About this book

In this groundbreaking book, popular apologist Melissa Dougherty helps us understand how our society got to be so toxically subjective, why endless positivity is inherently destructive, and how we can live with faithful truth and genuine love in these self-obsessed times.

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Melissa Dougherty skillfully diagnoses the issue and provides the cure: the authentic and life-giving truth of the Christian worldview. - Wesley Huff Have you ever wondered how we ended up in a world where personal feelings could become the authority for reality? Or why so many of us are on a relentless pursuit for happiness yet somehow feel more exhausted and sadder than ever? You're not alone. Melissa deftly traces the roots of today's social chaos back to a little-known (but very influential) 1800s philosophy known as New Thought. A former follower of its teachings, Melissa provides clarity and compassion mixed with a dash of loving snark as she exposes New Thought's deceptions and its many concerning tendrils within the church and our "self-help" culture. You'll be shocked, grieved, and encouraged as you learn: - How you can experience true freedom, hope, and peace instead of the world's counterfeits - How an anti-God ideology so easily hijacked Christian-sounding ideas - Why thinking positively is entirely different from the unbiblical and burdensome "positive thought" movement - Why fake "authenticity" short-circuits real redemption - How understanding the New Thought mindset can help us share our faith more effectively Uncover a dangerous ideology that nearly everyone has met, yet few of us can name, in order to better understand our culture and joyfully live faithful to the gospel that is so much better than our world's Happy Lies.

Hidden Influence

A clear-eyed look at a hidden influence on our self-obsessed habits.

Come here for

  • faith, self, and culture in one frame
  • straightforward Christian critique with a wry edge

Expect

  • accessible prose
  • serious, practical, and a little playful

Where it sits

Christian Apologetics92%
New Thought62%
Christian Social Issues34%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • New Thought
  • Evangelism Guides
  • Christian Counseling & Recovery
  • Religion & Philosophy
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Christian Apologetics
  • Pastoral Resources
  • Theology
  • Spiritual Growth
Authors
Melissa Dougherty
Publisher
Zondervan
Published
January 28, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
New Thought