When I saw the title of this book, which is “Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Discipline of Being Different“, it piqued my interest and made me want to look a little more into it. I have to admit that often, I will look at the book on an online retailer first because sometimes you can read a few pages there to get an idea if it’s something you really are interested in or not. I did that with this book and I was still very intrigued, so, I decided to request a review copy from the publisher.
This book is very challenging and is designed to get you to think outside of your normal viewpoint that you might have as a Christian.
It’s a fact that too often, we get stuck in our paradigms of how the church should operate or how we should live our lives as Christians. Oftentimes, we let the world or culture we live in mold us. Rather, we are to be set apart by God.
I would highly recommend this book as a challenge to look at your life and determine if you are needing some changes in your life.
I received a copy of this book from NavPress though the Tyndale Blog Network for me to do a review on it. In full disclosure, I was not required or requested by the publisher 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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I would give this book a 9.5 out of my normal 10 point rating scale. On a “5 star” scale that some websites use, I would give it a solid 5-star rating.
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QUICK SUMMARY:
**See all sections below for full detailed review**
When I saw the title of this book, it piqued my interest and made me want to look a little more into it. I have to admit that often, I will look at the book on an online retailer first because sometimes you can read a few pages there to get an idea if it’s something you really are interested in or not. I did that with this book and I was still very intrigued, so I had to get a copy to check it out.
For me, this book took a little while to get to the meat of the book by building the background of the meat first. It is not a hard read, so I didn’t feel it was that big of a deal for me. There are nuggets of great ideas and concepts throughout the book so I wouldn’t skip the buildup portion as there are some in there as well.
This book is very challenging to get you to think outside of your normal viewpoint that you might have as a Christian. Often we get stuck in our paradigms of how the church should operate or how we should behave as Christians. Oftentimes, we let the world or culture we live in mold us. Rather, we are to be set apart by God.
It’s not about strategies and programs, but rather, it needs to be about habits – habits that show the world that we live a lifestyle that is an alternative to what they are living – a lifestyle that is better because of Christ.
To be honest, I think this book is a good challenge for every believer. I can’t count how many times I have seen how we as Christians have let the culture around us invade our lives. Sometimes, to the point of somewhat (or completely) becoming indistinguishable from the culture around us. This book is an excellent challenge to wake us up and come back to being set apart by Christ. This book is definitely a thumbs up from me!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
DESCRIPTION OF THIS BOOK:
Type of Bible: Christian Ministry / Discipleship
Publisher: NavPress / Tyndale
Author: Michael Frost @michaelfrost6
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
ISBN-13 of Bible Reviewed: 978-1631468513
Price: At the time of writing this review, the cheapest place to get this book is from Christianbook.com. They have it for $6.29 (retail is $9.99) – Please note that these prices do not include any potential shipping charges.
If you would like to purchase this book, please support my page and purchase by clicking any of the links to Christianbook.com on this page like the one below. If you want it in an eBook format, you can CLICK HERE to get that for only $5.80. Or you can get the book in an Unabridged Audio CD (available around 12/4/2018) for $12.99 by clicking HERE.
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Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Discipline of Being Different By Michael Frost / NavPress |
Physical Characteristics:
- Paperback
- 192 pages
- Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 6.9 inches
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
My Favorite Part:
I will give a favorite quote from the book that is on page 79 and is actually a quote from Alan Kreider, who was a pastor, speaker, and teacher.
“Kreider says the early church focused their attention not on strategies, but on habits, prayer, teaching and worship.”
To me, this statement really dovetails very nicely into the overall concept of this book, and kind of sets the necessary foundation for what the author is presenting.
Recommendation:
To be honest, I think this book is a good challenge for every believer. I can’t count how many times I have seen how we as Christians have let the culture around us invade our lives. Sometimes, to the point of somewhat (or completely) becoming indistinguishable from the culture around us. This book is an excellent challenge to wake us up and come back to being set apart by Christ.
Book Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 – Here’s to the Crazy Ones
Chapter 2 – What Are Weird Cities Telling Us?
Chapter 3 – Jesus Was the Original Weirdo
Chapter 4 – Before We Became Conventional
Chapter 5 – What Kills the Weird?
Chapter 6 – Seeing Things Weirdly
Chapter 7 – If We’re Not Weird, We’re Doing It Wrong
Notes
Company Summary:
From the publisher’s website: NavPress exists as the publishing arm of the Navigators, whose motto is “To know Christ and to make Him Known”. We serve to advance the calling of the Navigators by publishing life-changing products that are Biblically rooted, culturally relevant and highly practical. We seek out works that are for clear-thinking, disciplined followers of Christ who are looking to grow spiritually. NavPress provides life-transforming resources that will edify, instruct and inspire.
@NavPress
@TyndaleHouse
@michaelfrost6
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– Michael
The Christian Reviewer 