Excel Publishers has released its first e-book since the publisher's September launch, Authentic Fire: A Response to John MacArthur's Strange Fire by Michael L. Brown. The house’s debut release confronts one of the most explosive current debates among Christians.

As a charismatic Bible scholar and theologian, Brown responds in Authentic Fire to the November release of Strange Fire (Thomas Nelson), where MacArthur charges the charismatic church with irreverence to the Holy Spirit, heresy through prosperity teaching and other offenses. In direct contrast to the “collective war” launched by MacArthur, Brown’s book shows that the New Testament gifts of the Spirit are for today and demonstrates the unique contribution to missions, theology and worship made by the charismatic church worldwide.

“We feel there's a real urgency to get this message out,” said Tom Freiling, director of Excel Publishers and founder of Xulon Press. “That's why we're releasing Authentic Fire as an e-book. MacArthur unfairly criticizes charismatics in his book, and the body of Christ deserves a response. There's no better scholar and author than Michael L. Brown to make the biblical case for charismatic theology.”

Brown also calls for an appreciation of the unique strengths and weaknesses of both cessationists and charismatics. He demonstrates how charismatic leaders have been addressing abuses within their own movement for decades.

“This project is innovative on many levels,” Freiling added. “First, the author wrote the book miraculously in less than one month—all 420 pages with hundreds of endnotes. Second, we designed, typeset and produced the e-book in a mere two weeks.”

Owned by Charisma House, Excel is the first self-publishing endeavor to offer print-on-demand technology specifically for Christian authors. 

• Prev
• Next