Although Martin Luther saw James as merely an epistle of straw, it stands to this day as one of the most practical and penetrating books in all the Bible. Don’t be fooled by its size! It may be brief, but it’s strong. It refuses to let the reader hide behind a mask of theory or within the wall of an intellectual faith. True faith produces authenticity. “No authenticity…no faith,” that’s James’ analysis of the matter. It may make us squirm, but it gets us off the fence.