When I received this book, I was pretty excited simply by the fact that Leonard Sweet wrote the forward. When I actually engaged the book itself, I was more than pleased and challenged.
The angle Mark Sayers took on this subject was very interesting, and that angle is this: For far too long people in general, and Christians specifically, have taken their cues of who they are from a horizontal reference, i.e., their peers and culture around them. He used the oft used terms, "cool, sexy and glamorous" as cultural idioms that we use to describe everything from an actor or actress to a car to a political perspective.
Sayers feels, and I think rightly so, that we find the REAL us when we find God's view of us and what He wants for us. This book truly challenged me from the angle that, I too, have been guilty of wanting to appear to be the "cool Christian" as opposed to the stereotypical "nerdy Christian" that seems to always be played out in front of us, whether it is the TV preacher with the bad suit and hairstyle or the dorky neighbor praying and answering everything with "Hi-diddly-doh"! Sayers even addresses how churches can fall for this image projecting malady that has befallen the world, which on one hand is refreshing to see, because then we can recognize the feet of clay that traditional Christianity can have, but it is also sad to realize how weak the church has been to allow this to happen.
I would really recommend this book to anyone, but especially to followers of Jesus and leaders within the Jesus Movement. Read it, take it to heart and realize that to follow Jesus is above and beyond cool, sexy and glamorous.
I am a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger.
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