Mercy Never Sleeps by Jamie Blaine

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

I picked up this book to read because I like Blaine's first book so much. I don't like Mercy Never Sleeps any less, but it does feel very much the same. Blaine is a textbook misfit - an oddball kid who turned into an oddball adult -
he's worked as a DJ, both for events and on the radio, came from a less than ideal childhood situation, and currently (at least as far as the book is concerned) works as the overnight crisis hotline guy in his small southern hometown.

The book is a bit rambly, but in a good way - switching back and forth between trauma hotline stories and childhood memories, with a bit of existential self-reflection mixed in. Blaine is honest and real in ways you rarely see in Christian publishing. He's enamored with the miraculous, but very much steeped in realism, walking the tightrope between faith and reason profoundly and with authenticity. He's not an intellectual, but he's also not blind to complexity.

The stories are great and the writing style makes them more mysterious. You continually wonder if he's going to get life right or fall off the cliff so many of his clients seem poised atop. There's no resolution. That's the takeaway from Mercy Never Sleeps - some people may find peace,
stability, and purpose through Christianity, but perhaps its ok if the rest of us just make it through another day intact. There's a sense in which Blaine captures the context of the gospel in ways that most of us never consider. Jesus was hope for the hopeless, not a get your life together plan.

At the same time, with a second edition of the same kind of material, there's more pause to ask what the point of it all is. According to the bio, Blaine lives in Nashville now, presumably to write for a living. I imagine he'd be a great speak for any number of events. The acknowledgments mention a wife, who's supportive so long as she doesn't appear in the writing. That's both refreshing, but also puzzling.

It leads one to wonder how truly confessional Blaine's stories are and to what level they're crafted to make a point. I'm not sure either reality is wrong or bad, but it's tough to reconcile apparent authenticity with an author who's not as open as he appears. Perhaps this just adds to the takeaway for Mercy Never Sleeps, that we don't get life wrapped up in a nice little package, we just get life, with questions and reflections and lenses that keep us from seeing clearly.

Mercy Never Sleeps feels true, even if it doesn't depict events in a purely historical fashion. It's a modern gospel in the purest sense of the word: one man's reflections on how his life intersected with Jesus. It might not be all we want it to be, but it's a compassionate, genuine,
and sincere portrayal of what it means to face the world unselfconsciously and with open arms.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


Jeff Goins provides a really compelling, motivational guide to practicing art in the age of capitalism. His main focus is to counter the "starving artist" narrative with stories of people who make art on different terms. Real Artists Don't Starve captures the "new renaissance" by emphasizing key principles that artists can use to maximize their place in society.

I don't necessarily have a problem with this approach and certainly found some good ideas for my own art and life, however, Goins does present his perspective on art - namely that capitalism is a given and artists should be a part of it in very specific ways - as the only option (much as the title indicates). On page 145 he does raise the question of artists who genuinely don't care about money and practice their craft purely for their own enjoyment - however he fails to answer the question in any meaningful way, instead telling the story of a web designer who shifted his clientele from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, because he enjoyed the work more.

There's also some lip service paid, in the final chapter, to alternative forms of community. He calls it "art as gift," in which people are rewarded for art in the same ways people value and reward the work of doctors, but there isn't a ton of depth here and he really does explain what he's talking about very well.

As I said, it's a great primer for artists attempting to live within capitalism and for that, I highly recommend, however, for anyone, like me,
who may not be looking at their art or their life in the same way, there's a lot left to be desired. I'm trained in theology, so I tend to think about these things theologically, but even in a practical sense, at least mentioning the notion of a national minimum wage - an economic theory that's becoming more popular - might be helpful, since one of it's main selling points is the freedom it provides for people to follow their passions and create.

I'll overlook one of my major pet peeves (using "creatives" as a noun to describe creative people) and commend Goins for the effort. He manages to provide a very standard, practical perspective on art that actually feels like art. It's a conventional book about art that won't turn artists off - which is certainly an accomplishment of sorts.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

What Happens After You Die by Randy Frazee

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


Randy Frazee is a good pastor. I've read a number of his books and I'd characterize him, above all, as someone who loves and cares for people. He's not an ideologue or someone in search of fame. I've also dedicated most of my theological exploration in recent years to issues of afterlife and scripture. So seeing a book called What Happens After You Die by Randy Frazee was an easy choice for review.

Frazee addresses this looming question in a loving, careful and personal way. It's rooted in the narrative of his mother's death and both her questions and his explorations relating to what happens when we die. He sets the book up as a biblical exploration of the matter and I'm certainly glad to see a popular pastor and author talking about resurrection vs afterlife and new creation vs disembodied heaven. We need more access to such important, foundational scriptural concepts beyond what's available from NT Wright.

However, I was a bit disappointed in the way Frazee goes about structuring the book. Rather than actually present texts dealing with various issues of life, death, afterlife, resurrection, and new creation, he more explains his conclusions on the matter and provides some scriptural support to back them up. In most cases, his interpretation is certainly not the only reliable and orthodox opinion; it would be better to deal with the passages themselves and guide people through possible answers, rather than supplying the answers and ignoring differing opinions. In this way, readers of this book will not really be able to internalize and process the very questions he hopes to answer. A theologically conservative approach that leaves conclusions open to the reader can be found in Steve Gregg's All You Want to Know About Hell.

I disagree with some of the specifics Frazee presents as "biblical" fact, although certainly he nails the basic outline from scripture with great ease. Frazee essentially lays out a traditional, systematic system of answers for the questions he poses from with the framework of penal substitution theory. Essentially he's working under the assumption that "justice" is God's core character trait - specifically a kind of justice that's informed by our treatment of justice in human society today.

While I won't take a ton of time to present alternative interpretations and conclusions in this space - Rob Bell's book Love Wins deals with the same material in a different way. It's not exactly how I'd answer the questions, but I think it's a much better framework.

Frazee does not beat people over the head with his opinions, while he takes a perspective on eternal destiny that offends my understanding of God and the world, he does it with great sincerity and utmost care. My disagreements are with the substance and not the style of a well-written book that comes off genuine, positive, and encouraging.

I think his lack of symbolic treatment where the specifics of resurrection and new creation are concerned probably creates more problems than it solves. Issues of the cubic footage of the new Jerusalem of how one might be marked on the forehead are simply unnecessary at best and distracting at worst. It provides an incorrect perception on what is an entirely symbolic book - and one already difficult for Christians to understand.

Similarly, I find his picture of heaven far too indulgent to be reflective of Christ or the Kingdom of God. Frazee did not put in enough effort (or explain that effort well enough) to wrestle with the call of God to sacrifice and selflessness in terms of heaven and resurrection life. To say heaven is where our dreams come true without doing the hard work of examining what our dreams are and whether they might be righteous in the first place, is to leave untouched the most difficult aspects of heaven and hell.

I've written plenty of other places, and would be happy to speak personally at more depth, but I just don't believe a future in which some are forever lost, punished, or destroyed accurately represents the God revealed in Jesus Christ. Similarly, a God who lets us off the hook is also unworthy. But a God who loves us unendingly and allows us to be shaped and formed and transformed by the love of God into the beings we were created to be over whatever time it takes is surely the kind of God to whom I can commit my life.

Frazee takes a decidedly hopeful position on the future and the present, but I think there is even more cause for optimism and celebration to go along with our good struggle to be more like Jesus. For what it is, What Happens After You Die is well-written and compassionate, but I'm not sure it adds much of anything to the conversation besides pointing the cultural searchlight to important topics that need more attention.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Dawn of Christianity by Robert J Hutchinson

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


Hutchinson proposes this book as a narrative account of Jesus' ministry and the first decades of the Christian movement. He claims to write as a Christian for Christians, but also as an unbiased seeker of truth. This is definitely a conservative perspective, although not militantly so - he gladly posits that Jesus probably didn't cleanse the temple twice, as a harmonized version of the gospels would indicate.

However, there are some basic problems with this approach - 1) it's a bit haphazard. In some areas the logic and argumentation is thorough and spotless (even if I don't always agree); in other areas the argumentation is beyond thin and poorly discussed.* 2) it's a bit cyclical. As a skeptic of the skeptics, Hutchinson is taking a pretty standard perspective on the historicity of the New Testament and puts more value than many on the New Testament witness - this requires a strong foundation of faith, essentially starting with an end point and giving the evidence as much benefit of the doubt as possible. This, in and of itself, is sound, but to then go and build a historical account of the same material using that faith-infused witness as foundation makes the process ever more dicey.

Finally, and this is the biggest issue we have using scripture as historical evidence, is that it leads us to shift the focus from the purpose of scripture - to tell us something about God - and makes it more about history. That might seem self-evident, but, if one is not careful, it ends up in a fundamentalism of both theology and history. I don't think Hutchinson arrives there (or anywhere close), but he uses the road, perhaps without enough caution.

I believe the New Testament is a valid historical witness, but we can never divorce that witness from the theological purpose of the text. If we begin to draw historical conclusions without the lens of genre and purpose we find ourselves in a very untenable position.

That being said, the book is really interesting. It does portend to take a critical-historical look at the timeline of Jesus' last days with an assumption that the gospels are fairly valid historical documents. Part of his plan seems to be to show, from archaeological evidence, that indeed scripture is more accurate to historical reality than often assumed. That case is made. However, there are many times when he uses a traditional perspective and, I'd argue, irresponsible attempts to harmonize the gospels (for example with the anointing of Jesus' feet and the timing of the Last Supper) that detract from this purpose.

It's almost as if there are dual purposes to The Dawn of Christianity - both to provide historical background, but also to affirm traditional understandings of history, sometimes regardless of their appropriateness based on evidence. I was often surprised, though, that Hutchinson presented many parts of the narrative that would shock the typical evangelical; his Jesus is very much human, planning events without the disciple's knowledge and working in very "human" ways to grow a movement strategically.

There are some biblical references Hutchinson obviously deems ahistorical and thus doesn't include (like Jesus re-attaching Malchus' ear at Gethsemane). At the same time, he presents historical and archaeological discovery in the same measure and voice as simple scriptural references, which ultimately makes this book useless to anyone but an expert. It's a great juxtaposition of the biblical narrative with outside information, but with no real division between the two, it lends itself to the grave error of taking scripture as historical narrative rather than just historic theology.

I'd say, if you're really interested in archaeology and history, it's got some great information wrapped in a convenient package, but if you're looking for a serious, critical address of the historicity of the Christian narrative, you'll find very little of value here. It's not that the book is bad; I think its gracious, thorough, and generally well done. I just don't see much practical use for it.


*For example, Hutchsinson compares the historical witness for the New Testament to the historical witness for the Battle of Thermopalae, specifically the 300 Spartans who held off the Persians - and this is an apt and well argued comparison - but he fails to mention that no historian worth their salt actually thinks the story of the 300 is anything but dramatic embellishment; it's not historically received in the same way he believes the New Testament should be. His defense of the possible historicity of John the Baptist's birth prediction is equally erratic.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Selfish Plan to Change the World by Justin Dillon

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


As part of A Selfish Plan to Change the World, author Justin Dillon talks about finding our passions and strengths and leveraging those to change the world for the better. I suspect he would have done well to stick to that plan and have someone else write this book. Dillon has been a successful non-profit innovator and has done tremendous work to combat modern slavery, but the book is a mashup of the history of his organization, Made in a Free World, and some of his personal insights on activism and passion.

The title is catchy, although a bit ill-informed. I agree that doing good for others provides a personal benefit and perhaps this is a solid motivating factor for people to begin to engage in fighting injustice. I'm not sure, however, that this kind of work actually provides the solace and fulfillment Dillon claims. Theologically, I'd argue its only when we give up the fight for fulfillment that we can approach some kind of genuine humanity. This book might be but a mid-level step towards larger goals. But it is a catchy title, for sure.

Dillon is a gifted narrative writer - most chapters open with a story that provides depth and feeling - however when he gets to the part about explaining how that story applies, the metaphors tend to wander and prose gets repetitive. I thought the book would've been stronger if it had focused just on the third section and done more with each narrative; the best work is near the end.

I whole-heartedly endorse Made in a Free World and the need for people to jump in to living out their passions where they are, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to anyone for any reason. I do hope it secures Dillon's financial future a bit, though, so he can remain devoted to an incredibly worthy cause.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Reclaiming Hope by Michael Wear

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

Reclaiming Hope is a pretty straightforward look at the author's involvement with two Obama Presidential campaigns and one full term in office, mostly as liaison with the religious community (and primarily with evangelicals). I imagine Wear has no real "home" in the polarized world of American politics and religion. He explains and defends the positive involvement of the Obama White House in religious affairs as strongly as he critiques the missteps. I've heard some of the left are pretty upset with his condemnation of the administration's political leadership - particularly their distaste for evangelicalism and religion in general and their devotion to political strategy - this is justified anger, for sure, but that doesn't make Wear wrong.

It's rare to see someone in politics who is also loyal to some non-partisan moral standard. Wear seems to truly be committed to seeing his faith convictions played out in the public sphere regardless of what party they may help or hinder. It's an amazing and admirable portrayal that can be seen as equally biting and approving of President Obama and his personal as well as public faith. I can't believe anyone truly politically connected would find any enjoyment in Reclaiming Hope, but the book does as the title implies - it gives great hope, especially to someone like me who finds literally nothing redeemable in just about any human institution, let along the halls of power, that people can actually enter the demon fray and emerge alive.

Now, that being said, the book ends with a sort of philosophical and theological treatment on hope that Wear isn't really qualified or all that good at elucidating. I find many of his presumptions narrow and his opinions weak, but although this is the conclusion of the book, it's not really the important part.

For example, one sentence pretty much sums up the nagging at my conscious throughout the book, but particularly the final section: "A holistic approach to justice and the well-being of our neighbors is inconceivable without political involvement." I agree with Wear's next sentence, that politics is one way in which Christian can love their neighbors, but I vehemently disagree with the first. I believe strongly that the Church, the people of God, are called to be an alternative to the world. That quoted sentence makes sense if you're using "politics" in the generic 'way humans interact with each other,' definition; I'm just not sure that's how Wear defines it and it's why I can't quite go there with him.

He repeats the old tropes that not voting means muting ones voice and even, at one point, says "Christians are obligated to participate in politics." I have heard him speak in other venues and I respect Wear as a person, but I find that mentality so misguided and anti-gospel, it hurts my soul. At the same time, this book is proof, as I said, that people can survive DC with a conscience intact, so far be it from me to think I'm right about everything.

The book is good, truthful, honest, and well written. It's engaging and not overly long. It's not preachy or partisan and it wreaks of integrity. It's a good book written by a good man for no ulterior purpose. Quite a rarity, both in politics AND evangelical publishing. If you think it sounds interesting, it almost certainly will be. Check it out.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Great Good Thing by Andrew Klavan

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


It's pretty amazing to see a really high quality fiction writer attempts non-fiction. It can go one of two ways - either it's stilted and formal, like a baby learning to walk a la John Grisham's Innocent Man, or it's chock full of descriptive, inventive prose and non-traditional narrative arcs. The Great Good Thing is definitely the latter. It's almost jarring to see a "Christian" memoir that's also artistically written and engaging for its prose. For that reason alone, this is one of the better books I've reviewed under this program.

Andrew Klavan is a writer of mystery and suspense, as well as a screenwriter, and occasional essayist. This book is his telling of a lifelong journey to Christian faith - from a dysfunctional, nominally-Jewish upbringing through rebellion, atheism, and mysticism, to a baptism in middle age. It's not any sort of conventional conversion story, though, and that is refreshing. Klavan doesn't have any dramatic change of heart, nor does he particularly alter his personality or outlook on life - he simply lives and deals with the realities of life as best he can. If anything, this is a survival tale with a faith-based frame.

I find the uniqueness and honesty in the book fascinating, although without the stellar prose, it probably would not be as rewarding a read. Klavan doesn't provide the kind of detail one typically finds in such memoirs, which makes it difficult to connect to the story. I'd also argue that Klavan doesn't necessarily explain a story of conversion or faith, but a journey to accept and understand love in profound and healthy ways. There's no theology here, but a reckoning of common sense and life experience with an utter intellectual pragmatism. This is a story of one man staying sane and finding peace that just happens to intersect with Christian faith.

Like any relatively new believer, the faith Klavan describes is very personal and therapeutic; it doesn't necessarily resonate with a self-sacrificial, community-centered faith that's more aligned with the gospel - but the immaturity of this faith and the need for growth and development is something that Klavan recognizes and helps to frame the narrative.

Overall it's a book, a well-written one, with some interesting perspectives on life and faith, but it really is the novelty of the piece that makes it stand out. I suspect a book like this gets published because the author already has a built-in audience. Hopefully it will do well enough - and from a new crowd - that Christian publishers will look to non-traditional and alternative narratives to broaden the spectrum of faith journeys to which the reading public is exposed.

If you're a fan of his work or someone interested in Jesus, but not the trappings or dogma of the various Christian sub-cultures, this might be an interesting read. If you like beautiful prose; it's a good choice. If you're looking for some mirror of self-reflection or the typically inspirational story of conversion, you should probably look elsewhere. A good, not great book - but certainly something, I'm sure, that was important for him to tell.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Outlaw Christian by Jacqueline A Bussie

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


In many ways, Outlaw Christian is part of a recent trend - mainstream Christian books emphasizing the importance of doubt to faith. Don't get me wrong - this is a wonderful development, certainly better than the alternative. At the same time I'm a little skeptical when a challenging position becomes mainstream, almost as if the system is embracing the danger in order to denude it. I don't believe this is the author's purpose. Her writing is deeply personal and heartfelt; she is genuinely interested in sharing "good news" with people who might otherwise have given up on faith. At the same time, I'm not sure if the publisher has the same pure motives.

There are really two halves to Outlaw Christian - almost as if there are two books in one. The first half is very wordy, in many ways. There is a lot of explaining - about anger and doubt and theology and scripture and the ways in which Christian culture has tended to rob life of its complexity and joy. It's honest and I agree with it, but it sounds an awful lot like every other book about doubt and faith. This first half gives the impression of fighting a battle between co-option and co-operation in naming the relational sins of this culture and presenting alternatives. It's also wordy in that there are too many words. The writing is dense, a bit awkward, and repetitive; it was hard to find motivation to keep reading.

When you get about halfway through, though, it's a joyful ride to the finish. The second half of the book is less formulaic and more built around narrative. Bussie tells stories - her own, those of her students, and those of people around the world. The second half personalizing the more esoteric conversations of the first half into powerful examples of the kind of "outlaw" life she wants for those who need it. It is powerful, emotional, and vulnerable in ways that signify her authenticity and connection to the material.

I struggle with how to rate this book or even how to recommend it. I really did not like the first half - even though I agreed with most of what she presented and find it important information for Christians (and anyone else) in the world, it was boring and impersonal. It wasn't fun to read. The second half, though, was brilliant, poignant, and important in a whole different kind of way.

Maybe that's the point of a review, then - to present the whole picture and let the reader make up their mind. Do with this what you will (but if you start on chapter 5, I doubt you'll have any complaints).


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Daniel Code by OS Hawkins

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

OS Hawkins opens The Daniel Code with a summary of his experience by decade. He speaks glowingly of the '60s, both its exploration and introspection; reservedly about the '70s; optimistically about the '80s, and forgets the '90s altogether, lumping it in with all the years of the new millennium. Context is everything. I know this is just his experience, but he could have talked about the '20s and the introspection following WWI; the '30s skepticism following the stock market crash, the optimism of the '40s, and the forgotten '50s. History does tend to repeat itself.

I also noticed this personal context because I am a child of the '90s. More than any other decade, this one, often forgotten between the end of the cold war and 9/11, shaped who I am. I see the world differently than OS Hawkins because I remember the '90s with great fondness and respect. I ordered The Daniel Code to review largely because of the subtitle: Living Out Truth in a Culture That is Losing Its Way. I suspected that my understanding of what's implied by "culture" and "losing its way" would vary greatly from what the author had in mind. I wasn't wrong.

Hawkins talks about the "de-Christianizing" of US society. He's one of many children of the '50s and early '60s who look longingly on that time as "the good old days." You can tell this almost instantly (like when he doesn't talk about Civil Rights or protest in his description of the '60s; it's like he's living a decade behind US history). That's not to knock his experience. It was a different time and context and people should be allowed to experience what they experience and process it in their own way.

What he's expressing here is very true... for a specific group of white, largely suburban, people, born during the Baby Boom. It's not universal.

I assumed, therefore, that I could take the universal principles presented in The Daniel Code and apply them to the accomodationist fundamentalism of modern evangelical culture that I presumed the book represented and that I seek to distance myself from. I was hoping to "decode" The Daniel Code and use its biblical secrets against it. Sadly, though, the ideas presented by Hawkins in this book don't appear particularly effective and certainly feel, in many cases, anti-biblical and counter-productive. It's a real stretch to find something redeeming in these pages and I suspect readers who take The Daniel Code seriously are far more likely to be harmed than helped in the experience.

It's an irresponsible book that should never have been published, finding more in common with the great cultural sins of individualism, consumerism, and nationalism than with faith, hope, and love. There's a presumption that Christendom, with all its faults, was actually somehow more reflective of Christian life and values than any other time period, that Christians now have a difficult mission of subversion and cultural combat that didn't exist in the 1950s or the 1800s. It betrays an extreme lack of historical understanding and a cultural blindness that is downright disturbing (and I didn't even mention a selling out to conservative US electoral positions and passing them off as biblical).

I was hoping The Daniel Code would represent a general call to live differently in the world as Christians with ideas and true biblical support that would encourage life in the Kingdom of God as an alternative to the kingdoms of the world. Instead, it seems, we have a thoroughly ignorant primer on how to win over the kingdoms of the world by playing their own game, or die in the process. This book plays games of power and control and attempts to sanctify them with poor exegesis and baseless theological malpractice.

I briefly thought about countering the bad ideas contained in this book, as I often do in these reviews, but I realized were I to do so, the review would be longer than the book itself. Hawkins presents vaguely good ideas like, "Stand up for what you believe and resist cultural pressure to change," with very little discussion of how you might do that. When such explanation comes, it's in the form of conservative political talking points or unfounded generalizations.

Towards the middle of the book he uses the phrase "you have what you tolerate" to once again attack the notion of tolerance as anti-Christian and argue for throwing out wholesale that with which you disagree. I have read every word of every book I've reviewed in this BookLook program since I joined, even those with no redeeming value that ended up being utter disappointments. I have broken with that tradition here, because this isn't an intellectual argument or a presentation of ideas with which I disagree, it's a blatant, uncharitable attack on people for whom Christ died, and it contains none of the love, grace, or compassion that are personified in that Christ.

I'd like to think Hawkins knows better, but he can't. I'm sure he's a kind old man who genuinely believes he's serving the Church and his God with this book. I couldn't imagine someone saying the things in this book simply to serve a policy position or back an agenda. The Daniel Code represents a perspective on scripture and theology that exists all too commonly in the world, but there is something to be said for the idea that "the medium is the message." Even if this is a cry from the heart of a concerned pastor, it has to be delivered in a way that reflects the nature of the truth it claims to present. The Daniel Code fails on that account.

I wanted to say this book isn't worth the paper it's printed on, but I suppose it's worth exactly the paper its printed on; the words certainly add nothing to the value. Typically I donate the free books I receive but do not wish to own to Goodwill so someone else who might appreciate them can. In this case I've used the paper so kindly provided to help start a fire - one that we routinely sit around with our neighbors in conversation about things that matter in life, with some hope that our love and acceptance can model Jesus' life and ministry, counteracting the negative, unholy message they've received from people who represent Christ in the ways this book does, to the utter detriment of everyone involved.

For God's sake, literally (and for everyone else's), please do not read The Daniel Code.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Subversive Jesus by Craig Greenfield

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


If you work with young Christians or work to understand them, Subversive Jesus is a great book to read. It chronicles the life of Craig Greenfield and his family, from high school in New Zealand, to a home in the slums of Cambodia, to a fledgling Christian community in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Greenfield traces his attempts to follow the radical theology of Jesus to life with and for the poor of the world.

The first two chapters are breathtakingly simple and straightforward, highlighting how one couple has attempted to be faithful to God's call, while also supplying a really intense, concise explanation of the Kingdom of God and how it intersects with our world today. The rest of the book fleshes out these concepts and lessons learned through some really unique experiences.

If there's any downside, it's simply that Greenfield doesn't answer a lot of the logistical questions one has while reading, but I imagine that's intentional, as he challenges readers to explore the radical, subversive message of Jesus on their own, rather than following any model (other than Christ's).

It's a quick read, with short sections, and lots of excitement. It also approaches radical Christianity from an obviously conservative perspective. It's not that the book is conservative or liberal, but you can tell how the author understands theology and scripture and it's quite different from the perspective you most often see in these radical Jesus books. I think that helps set up an important exegetical and practical position as outside the mainstream arguments of religion and interpretation.

This is a book for everyone, although this kind of radical challenge can be scary and easy to write off, Greenfield presents it in a way that should enable any reader to take simple steps towards a Kingdom life without having to make the kind of leap that often scares people away. It's fun and quick, and the kind of book that will benefit any person, especially those looking for a faith worthy of committing one's life to live.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jesus Called, He Wants His Church Back by Ray Johnston

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


The main idea of this book is great - that many people, including most Christians, have not allowed Jesus to actually change who they are and how they live their life. I agree with Johnston that if we allow Jesus to guide our thoughts and lives, we will be taken to unexpected and beautiful places.

I'm less agreeable to some of the way he presents this idea. The book begins with "bad news," a whole three-chapter section talking about all the things wrong with the United States and the Christians who live therein. While his case can certainly be made, I'm not sure it needs to be made in such a guilt-ridden, negative way. Further, he over-makes his case, with generalization and false representations of a number of ideas (and thus people who value them).

It was so troubling, I almost put the book down after chapter three. It's only because I was given the book for free and feel obligated to read the whole thing before reviewing it, that I continued. He talks about Jesus and compassion and service in the right ways, but the details and method are really difficult to get through. As much as Johnston wants to encourage a relationship with Jesus as truth, a lot of times his particular perspective on what that should look like seeps through. Now, this could be a really great example of how we're all human and fall short of Christ's example of grace and humility, but there is some sense of irony that Jesus Calls employs some of the narrow judgmentalism it condemns in delivering its message.

With each new heading titled, "Five Reasons Why _______________" or "Seven Steps to Doing __________________ Better," my shoulders drooped and I let out a long sigh, before summoning the strength to continue reading. The book reads like a conglomeration of all the worst evangelical sermon cliches. Again, Johnston clearly means well and he's been an effective communicator - he's got a congregation with thousands of people and I don't - but this is just as far from my style as one could possibly get.

As effective as this approach might be, it doesn't sit well with me, mostly because, in my experience, its those are the sorts of easy answers that actually keep people from making the difficult sacrifices necessary to see real change. There's a lot of pastor lines and conversations stoppers, Sunday School answers, and over simplifications. The underlying message is strong: this Jesus guy was on to something, check it out - but the narrow, churchy, evangelical box its packaged in is just that: narrow.

There is certainly an audience for this kind of thing and for that reason, I'm glad Jesus Called exists, I am just not part of that audience and neither are the people I've come to care about and feel blessed and burdened to love.

We are not all the same - and while I felt reading this book was a true struggle, with some questionable practices and theology, it might be right up your alley (although perhaps that kind of relativism wouldn't sit so well with the author).



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This is Awkward by Sammy Rhodes

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

This was supposed to be a comedy. Perhaps it was some marketing flaw, but I signed up to receive and review this book because I thought it was straight comedy - just some pastor guy making jokes. I expected it to be tacky and bad (because "Christian" versions of regular things generally are), but it seemed intriguing and lighter fare than what I've been reading, so I got it.

Then like, paragraph three comes along and it's serious. Now I'm confused. The introduction tells the reader to look this guy up on the internet, because he apparently survived some Twitter plagiarism scare. That's not super-endearing, although: points for honesty. Sammy Rhodes is a pastor guy trying to be funny - he's a guy who works with college students and I think this book is designed for them and will appeal to them.

At the same time, its really important. I wanted to say "deadly serious" there, but that sounds ominous and is, well, wrong. The book talks about serious things, but not really in a serious way. He's casual and honest and that makes what he has to say easier to hear. Rhodes is open about his problems - with marriage, self-esteem, depression, lust, parenting, life in general. He talks openly and honestly in ways the Church has long needed to do and largely avoided. There's a lot of good stuff here.

Plus, the book gets better as it goes along, which is always nice.

Now I want to say this next part carefully. Sammy Rhodes is a guy who knows the rise and fall of internet fame. He understands deeply how easy it is to devalue people, ignore them selfishly, and make them feel "less than;" he's pretty open about all of that in the book. At the same time, he's not funny. There are, indeed, lots of attempts at humor, including some random journal-esque pieces that reflect on the task of writing and help to separate sections of the book. They're just not funny.*

As I said before, Rhodes' real gift is being casual; discussing important things in a calm, friendly manner that de-escalates the stress and pressure these topics so often invoke. When he's being self-deprecating or humble, yes, there's humor there, but it's more the creation of a safe space. The attempts at jokes are painful (although I did laugh, for some reason, at the joke about Whoppers tasting like "old people covered in chocolate") and almost detract from the book. Sorry, Sammy, just trying to write an honest review.

I started out this book with really low expectations, soon was surprised to find out it might be pleasantly mediocre, and finished with a real appreciation for what Rhodes was able to do with This is Awkward. It's a good book about important things that feels graceful and safe; it's something I'd certainly recommend people read, especially people trying to tackle the minefield of relationships and self-worth.

I can't help but thinking that's more than any author could ask for.




*Except the idea for writing a book about Disney movies four years later - that's a killer idea and should definitely, seriously, 100% really be his next book. I might even buy it.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Midnight Jesus by Jamie Blaine

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

I've had Midnight Jesus sitting on my shelf for almost two months now. I've been afraid to read it, because a lot of the books I've been getting for review lately have been disappointing. Jamie Blaine, though, has gone a long way in saving the reputation of Christian publishing. This is a collection of narratives, both autobiographical and otherwise, about the messiness of life and reality of love.

Blaine recounts stories from his years of working with people suffering from mental health issues. He also recounts stories from his own journey to figure life out and the ways in which God intersects with everything. There's no theological agenda, though, and no easy answers. He doesn't really provide any answers at all, other than to just keep moving forward and to pay loving attention to the people around you. It's profoundly mystical and profoundly concrete.

There's pretty much nothing but gospel here - and by that I don't mean words about belief and technicality, but words about life and grace and forgiveness, and faith. I think it's officially listed under "inspirational" which is definitely true, but not in the way you normally expect from so-called "christian" books. It's inspirational in a very real way, freeing the reader to be both realitic and hopeful about the human condition and our own personal life conditions individually.

I found great comfort and peace in these pages and I sincerely hope other people will pick it up. This book will do you a lot of good.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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It's Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware a free book isn't enough to assuage my cutting honesty. If I've failed to write a bad review, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

I had never heard of Jefferson Bethke when I picked up his new book, It's Not What You Think. I had heard of the title of his first book (Jesus > Religion - which, by the title, sort of seems more interesting to me than this one). He is evidently a youtuber, although I was unaware (which is understandable since this week I also found out my own cousin has 5 million subscribers - I am decidedly NOT a youtuber). It seemed like an interesting title nonetheless - I'm a fan of anyone challenging conventional notions of anything.

It's a great book. It's really good. Bethke does indeed, as the title (and my intro) suggest, challenge some basic assumptions of Christian thought in ways that encourage people to make their faith more a lifestyle than an accessory. This is good. He has clearly done a lot of study and reading to inform his position and writes with the freshness and excitement of youth. The book is lifegiving and graceful. It's good for people to know that love is at the core of all creation, that people and relationships are foundational to life, that the Kingdom of God and the narrative of sacrificial love embodied in Jesus Christ are present realities that both counter and defeat contemporary notions of right and power. Just about anyone would benefit from reading this book.

Based on the suggestions for further reading in the back, Bethke and I have read a lot of the same books and thus it's not surprising he's arrived at many of the places I've arrived in faith. You won't see a lot different in this book than you see on this blog. Bethke is a young man, and one clearly interested in learning and development. His thinking will continue to evolve. Because of that, critique seems less than helpful. Instead I'd like to offer a challenge.

Throughout It's Not What You Think, Bethke shows great willingness to question and challenge traditional interpretations to better capture the free and expansive grace of God in the human story. In the same way, I'd challenge him to look past some traditional assumptions that have arisen to support particular interpretations of creation, humanity, and sin - particularly in the first few books of the Bible. For example, he refers to the notion of a six day creation, to the idea Moses wrote the Torah, even the concept that heaven is a return to some Edenic paradise. Now, these are not really central to the arguments made in the book, but one's perspective on them does have far reaching implications that, I think, would dovetail well with the direction his faith and thought seem to be progressing.

Overall, it's a great book. I think it's immensely accessible and could in now way harm someone's faith (which sounds like a backhanded compliment, but being non-threatening while talking about God, especially while challenging traditional beliefs, is pretty impressive). It's not something advanced faith thinkers will really find groundbreaking, but that's not the target audience. I look forward to seeing what contributions Jefferson Bethke will make in the future. I pray he avoids the trapping of evangelical celebrity and continues to focus on relationship and theology - there's a real gift there to share with the world.



*Although, because I just have to be a little nit-picky, I'd challenge the editing team to spend a little more time on the theological review - after a stellar, concise explanation of baptism, the comment is made that "of course Jesus didn't have to be baptized." That's certainly a legitimate position to take, but not in light of the description of baptism preceding it. Also, there's one reference to Israel "worshiping Baal because Moses took to long on the mountain." Israel made a golden calf, yes, but as representative of Yahweh. There's some pretty important theological distinctions (not to mention worship lessons) there.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Death on Hold by Burton and Anita Folson

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware I would relish the chance to give a bad review in exchange for a free book. If I've failed to do so, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


I chose this book because addressing the way we talk about life and killing is very important to me. The death penalty is one aspect of this issue that I've been involved with recently. Death on Hold, the story of a death row inmate, intrigued me. I was interested in what it would say, especially since so many of the books on the BookLook review list tend to skew pretty conservative. I figured, even if it's the story of a couple do-gooding white people trying to save the poor black guy, it would be focused on a topic I'm interested in.

I found a lot to like in this book and some real head-scratching questions.

Death on Hold is the story of Mitch Rutledge, a young boy growing up in poverty in Georgia in the 60's and 70's. His father left early in life and his single mom died when he was 15, leaving Mitch alone and illiterate. Not willing to admit he couldn't read, his only choice for survival was a life of crime and drugs, using his natural intelligence and abilities to scrape together some food and place to live. Eventually this lead to an attempted robbery wherein he killed a man - certainly intentional, but not pre-meditated.

The murder occurred just over the border in Alabama and Mitch soon found himself in Death Row. Shortly thereafter, Time Magazine did a story on death row and visited his prison. When the story was published, it discussed Mitch by name, calling him "defective" and concluding, he was "not worth killing," a crushing condemnation of his humanity.

This story spurred Mitch to learn to read, which he did, on his own, slowly, using a bible and the TV which was on constantly during the 23 hours he spent in his cell each day. It also drove him to take faith seriously. He prayed for someone in the world to care about him. Other people saw the Time article, a nun in California, a married, college professor couple in Kentucky, and a housewife in Virginia, who all began to write and visit Mitch, encouraging him in his education and eventually working with the Southern Poverty Law Center to get him re-sentenced to life without parole.

As Mitch entered the general prison population, he earned a GED and then most of an associate's degree, began mentoring other prisoners and was soon a leader, teaching coping classes and speaking to at-risk youth, eventually filming a video that became part of the regular curriculum in Alabama schools. Mitch went to prison in January 1981 - a few months before I was born - he is still there.

It's a pretty inspiring story and it's well told in short chapters, written by Mitch himself, interspersed with some sections from the perspective of one of his adopted family members from around the country. It talks of life transformation and the power of love. Perhaps those who wrote to him were just do-gooders at first, but it becomes apparent by the end of the story that they really had adopted Mitch as part of the family, sometimes closer than actual blood relations. It's a great example of what Christian community should be.

There's not a lot of direct address in terms of the death penalty and policy. The authors, the college professor couple, are politically conservative and even say they support the death penalty for some people, so it's not at all an "issue" book. The tale of Mitch's life, though, gives a harrowing depiction of life in prison, the tragedies and injustices that are so often hidden from the outside world. He doesn't comment on them much (since he has no real frame of reference outside prison to draw on), but it should provide enough impetus for any moral human being to hope for change.

I really wonder why Mitch's name is not on the book. He wrote 95% of it, but Burt and Anita Folsom have the copyright and author credit. I hope this is simply a legal issue (perhaps prisoners in Alabama aren't allowed to collect royalties or something), but it would really help if there was some note in the book explaining this - otherwise it would be pretty easy to draw the conclusion that this couple is profiting off Mitch's life. (If they are the way they're portrayed in the book, this isn't likely, but then again, they got to control how they're portrayed in the book).

Overall, Death on Hold is engaging and I think it would be a really great introduction into issues of prison reform and capital punishment, especially for conservatives who may be turned off by the rhetoric of liberal crusaders. It's well written and I hope Mitch Rutledge both finds a way to get out of prison and is able to write more books in the future. I think he's got a unique voice that deserves to be heard, and a lot of positive things to contribute to the larger world.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Berenstain Bears' Harvest Festival by Mike Berenstain

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware I would relish the chance to give a bad review in exchange for a free book. If I've failed to do so, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

I've never been a big fan of the "Christian" commercial market, things marketed specifically to Christians, so I'll admit a natural bias towards this new incarnation of the Berenstain Bears which seem intent on outright evangelism. I always thought the old books captured important life lessons without potentially alienating an audience that might be averse to religion.

At the same time, these books are relatively innocuous as far as evangelism goes. The Harvest Festival is exactly as it sounds, a book about a church festival at Farmer Ben's celebrating the harvest. The bears pick apples and have a hayride and pray before dinner. It's an interesting story, but nowhere near as involved or interesting as some of the Berenstain classics. I'm still not I'm still not sure the point of a book like this is, but if there are more Berenstain Bear books coming down the pipe, my three year old will love it. Her review: "I love it because it's so fun."


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Fellowship of Differents by Scot McKnight

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware I would relish the chance to give a bad review in exchange for a free book. If I've failed to do so, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.


Scot McKnight is a pretty popular author, although I've not read any of his other books. I've read blog posts and articles from time to time and I respect his suggestions greatly when it comes to biblical commentaries. He's a top-notch scholar and I was excited to read his new book, A Fellowship of Differents, a challenging look at how God calls Christians to live and worship together.

The book follows largely the life and teachings of Paul in an attempt to re-orient the often confused nature and construction of modern congregations. At the same time, McKnight is gracious and uplifting in addressing these congregations and the value of a local worshiping body in the formation and continuation of the Christian faith.

The book is difficult in places, a real challenge to what we've come to see as normal comfort in the American Church. In other places it reinfuses a love of those people who nurtured us in faith, even if we may now differ in perspective quite greatly. But overall, McKnight addresses the positive, essential attributes of what it means to live together in Christ. Chief among those is diversity, not just racially or culturally, but also theologically and politically and in every way imaginable. For him (and for Paul), the core of the gospel is making room for all people to live together in love.

It's a loft goal and as the book is fleshed out, the many ways in which that can be difficult are addressed. In the Afterward, McKnight mentions the book was once much longer than its current 250 or so pages. That becomes pretty clear as he seems to be writing the bare minimum of his thoughts in some sections. He is careful to step forward and address some topics in detail. He addresses the unique issues of homosexuality in the modern Church with grace and calm. His treatment of scripture is both responsible and full of integrity. He addresses without antagonism, those areas where he disagrees with others on interpretation and meaning, but one of my great regrets in reading the book is that he chooses not to engage those Christians who agree with him on scripture, but disagree on the ultimate course of gay Christians (marriage or celibacy).

Ultimately, though, this is one small chapter in a much larger work, which deftly maneuvers over many difficult and rocky topics without sounding judgmental or pushy. This is largely because he maintains the focus on unity, love, and mutual submission that was so important to Paul and so essential for faithful Christ-like living. This is not a book about hot topics or religious controversies, although a number of them are mentioned; it is a book about how the Church can remain unified and healthy in the midst of a world with disagreements and difficulties. For that, it is an important read.

Maybe I read it too fast - I suspect A Fellowship of Differents is best digested a chapter at a time - but there were obviously some places that meant less to me than others. It wasn't a book where I was dying to get to the next page. I thought the first half was better than the second, but largely, I think, because the first half was more general and the second more specific (as is necessary for the form it takes). Overall, it is an interesting perspective and a unique way of presenting some deep intricacies of Pauline theology in ways that are entirely accessible to the average Christian.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware I would relish the chance to give a bad review in exchange for a free book. If I've failed to do so, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

So, I've not ready any of Rachel Held Evans other books, but I've read a fair amount of writing on her blog, especially when a post resonates with people. I also believe we share some mutual acquaintances and certainly some experiences. This book, about her sojourn in and out of church is both familiar and foreign to me. It's well written and personal (to get the perfunctory specifics of a typical "review" out of the way). It hits home most deeply when she's sharing stories and less so when she's explaining stuff. Fortunately, she keeps each chapter brief and on point. I'm not sure I quite get the organizational structure, but that neither adds nor detracts from the book overall.

Searching for Sunday is and will be popular because I imagine there are points of intersection between her life and the lives of almost every reader. At times I found her experiences difficult to understand; at other times I knew exactly all the emotions present in a situation, whether they were expressed or not.

I can only do justice to this book as a review by inserting myself and my story into it. I grew up among a people who fancy themselves evangelical - although the label was probably not one most "real" evangelicals would apply. The Church of the Nazarene is a Wesleyan people and thus have always had room for incongruity and some bit of rebellious streak. I wrestled with many of the questions she raises here and still do in some sense. I am an ordained minister in my particular tribe and remain involved - but perhaps only because I found wise leaders willing to let me do my non-traditional sojourn with the blessing of the powers that be.

Towards the end of the book, Rachel tackles an interesting question - why she remains connected to evangelicalism when she no longer identifies with the theology and practice of her youth. I imagine the answer is the same one I have for remaining a part of the tribe that raised me. Beyond the core of fundamentalism, beyond the interpretation of scripture, the anti-intellectual leanings, beyond the legalism and the doctrine and the problems, at the core of evangelicalism is the firm belief that God's love changes the world. Not that evangelicals are the only people to believe this, but they are the most fervent representatives of the notion that this belief should be the center of our being.

If I can give any sort of review for Searching for Sunday it is simply this: Rachel Held Evans has written a book for those prodigal evangelicals, both those born into the traditional and those watching from afar, who have deep reservations about what evangelicals do and how they do it, but a deep, abiding, almost co-dependent love of why they do it.

She takes a simple, if meandering, story about her own struggle to find place and purpose in the community of Christ and manages to include all the good and bad of those experiences in a hopeful, life-giving package, that leave the reader neither filled with warm-fuzzies, nor feeling cold and alone. It is a real picture of real people and it somehow feels a bit ideal.

It might be cliche to say a voice like this helps people feel they're not alone. If that is the only thing one gets out of the book, it's probably enough - yet there's also a lot more there if you need it. I'm not sure it spoke to me as much as it might to others who've not stumbled into the same supportive system I have, but it was fun to read and certainly more interesting than most of the stuff that gets the "Christian" label these days.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Grand Paradox by Ken Wytsma

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. My integrity is not for sale. Those who know me well are aware I would relish the chance to give a bad review in exchange for a free book. If I've failed to do so, it has nothing to do with the source of the material and only with the material itself.

There comes a time in the life of a Christian - more often for those who've been raised in faith, but certainly applicable for anyone - when the box constructed to hold one's system of belief becomes unstable. The walls shake; the contradictions become too much. We're faced with the reality that life (and faith) is not something so easily contained. In those moments, if faith is to endure, we must be willing to knock down the walls and expand the box.

The Grand Paradox by Ken Wystma is a book designed for faith-box expansion. The very title clues the reader to his premise - that life (and faith) don't always make the kind of sense we'd like them to make. He explores some of the various problems we encounter - problems that TV preachers or shallow teachers might like to gloss over or ignore - and presents some ways in which these problems can be addressed without losing faith entirely.

I chose this book for the latest edition of the book review because I'd read Wytsma's previous work, Pursuing Justice, and found it pretty good. I wasn't drawn to this book in the same way. To me, the chapters read more like loosely (or barely) connected essays. There wasn't a great narrative flow. They also varied greatly in passion and excitement, some soaring with possibility and others feeling rote and required.

The other element that didn't quite work for me was simply Wytsma's habit of replacing those faith-box walls with others farther out. I imagine this book would be good news and great comfort to many in a particular part of their journey, which is why I can't give it a bad review. At the same time, I found his pushing back of the walls falling short of the questions I still ask. If we're reconstructing a faith box based on this book, in many chapters, I'd be left on the outside.

I've come to know a God for whom a box is not necessary, a faith that exists well beyond whatever wall we might construct or tear down, a God roaming wild in the open of life, faith, doubt, and belief. You get a glimpse of this God when Ken writes on Love and Justice - those two chapters separate themselves from the rest of the book. I suspect this is why I found his earlier work so much more pleasing - it is closer to his real passion. The other chapters felt more obligatory - as if a book from a Christian publisher must be sure to define the parameters of acceptable faith and felt unable to leave some thing open-ended.

This isn't an incorrect approach necessarily, but it's one that, at least for me, leaves something to be desired. There's real value here. I'm not going to dump this in the recycling bin or anything. At the same time, if any of you wants my copy, you're welcome to have it.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Scary Close by Donald Miller

I've read a lot of Donald Miller's books. I read Blue Like Jazz when it got popular, along with every other Christian College student at the time. I needed to read it. It met me where I was. It was really helpful. Miller is a wonderful writer, supremely talented. He's witty and funny and, as he says in Scary Close, he works incredibly hard to make his prose seem casual and effortless. I went back to read Blue Like Jazz a year or so ago. It's not where I am anymore. It doesn't resonate with me the same way it did, but it's still damn good writing. I read To Own a Dragon, his book on growing up without a father. I have a father - a pretty good one - Miller's book was still fantastic. I have never laughed harder or more often reading a book (and that's a good thing, despite the subject matter).

So when the BookLook program offered Miller's new book, I was pretty happy.* I was less happy when I saw it was only available for review as an ebook. I've never had an ebook before. I had to download a program on my laptop even to read one. I like his writing enough and wanted to read this book enough, I did all of that. I read the whole thing on my computer today. It was ok. What wasn't ok was that thirty pages in I wanted to share it with my wife and my therapist and a million other people who all struggle or walk with people through troubles in relationships and intimacy... but I couldn't, because it's an ebook.

Scary Close is real. It's honest on a level that one wouldn't expect from another human being - even one, like Miller, known for being honest. He uses personal stories from friends (semi-famous friends) and uses their real names (presumably with permission). In its very honesty, it is a scary challenge for the reader to embrace honesty.

It's a beautiful book. The writing is superb, as always, and, as the book discusses, it doesn't feel like Miller is writing "in character" or with the mask that subtly seems to fuel his other work. Halfway through I had to stop and look up "behind the scenes" info on Miller - since this book is so blatantly up front about life. I ran across this short interview that helps as a companion to the reader.

It's tough to say this book is "life changing" since I only finished reading it 27 minutes ago, but I saw enough of myself here - scratch that, I saw myself on nearly every page, in such honest and loving and difficult ways, I'm not sure there's any response but to use it in my life. I, and hopefully everyone reading this, am always desirous to improve my relationships. I've been married ten years now and it's often tough. Even when it's good and right and awesome it's tough. I think there are a lot of tools, stories, ideas, honesty, whatever, in Scary Close, to help anyone along that journey towards health and growth and wholeness (or as close as we're ever going to get to those things).

I found myself saying, "yeah, but" to a lot of stuff and Miller certainly does come off a little bit as the "Self-help" character the interview I liked to above halfheartedly claims him to be - at the same time, the familiarity I see and feel between the words on the page and the reality of my life rings far more true than the reputation of Donald Miller could ever hope to present. It's easy to resonate with something because it's presented well and comes from a familiar source; I found a deeper resonance here.

This may be largely emotion talking and I'll be more sane and less gushing in the morning. Who knows? I hope not. I do think it's a well written book with a courageous amount of honesty that could really help all of us think through the important relationships in our lives. I won't say "everyone should read it," because that comes off less than genuine. I do think, however, that absolutely everyone could benefit from reading it. Do with that what you will.

I'll even let you borrow it... oh wait, it's an ebook.



*I didn't put my typical disclaimer on this post mostly because it doesn't feel like a typical post. Yes, I was given this book in exchange for a review. No, the publisher did not influence my review in any way. At the same time it doesn't feel like every other review I've done. This was a profound and personal experience and one I didn't want to cheapen with the standard disclaimer.