Notes on two books I’ve read recently:
Not a Fan:
Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus
Kyle Idleman (Zondervan)
***1/2
In Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman, teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, critiques a nominal Christianity that distorts the historic faith, focusing on the benefits of salvation while ignoring what it costs to follow Christ.
Idleman contrasts “fans of Jesus” (those content to remain passive spectators with a Christian label) with “followers of Jesus” (those who seek a life of submission to Christ’s lordship). His book is a restatement of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on dying to oneself in order to live for Christ.
With:
Reimagining the Way You Relate to God
Skye Jethani
**** 1/2
We were made to live with God; sin cuts us off from Him. Unfortunately, many in the church adopt a posture toward God that only exacerbates the severed relationship. We try life over God, under God, from God, or for God – each posture offering a different way to manipulate God out of fear.
Skye Jethani calls Christians back to a life of intimate communion with God, made possible only by Christ’s work on the cross. In treasuring God for who He is, we are offered an enthralling vision of life with the only One who can satisfy the deepest longings of our souls.
– These reviews were first published in Christianity Today (August-September 2011).
