Granger Community Church Pastor (Mark Waltz) posted this on his blog because people matter
Don’t Read This Book: The Fine Line
Kary Oberbrunner’s third book will hit the shelf in the next couple months. With the economic squeeze on, you may be a little more cautious about where your media/library dollars go. Or maybe you’re making your reading decisions based on your schedule and the limited time you have with the holidays around the corner.
However it is you’re making choices about your reading material these days, I offer this list of reasons to not read Kary’s latest book. Don’t invest your time or money. Here’s why…
- Kary simplifies “relevance” … right down to the personal daily rub. He doesn’t allow us to keep the topic of “relevance” limited to our church talk.
He says, “relevance isn’t about the brand of clothing we wear or the music we listen to. It’s not about our vocabulary or even the exact shape of our theology. These are externals. Relevance is fundamentally internal. It’s having the courage and the grace to look at a wounded man and stop to help. From that internal decision flows our relevant actions. As depicted in the story of the Good Samaritan, what makes us relevant is our love for God and people.”
- Kary messes with the fine line between culture and Christianity.
He notes, “The perceived opposition between Christianity and culture stems from a dualistic, Western worldview that divides life into categories – categories like sacred and secular…God shows up in spiritual places, like church and nature; he is absent from secular venues, like sports arenas.
” This type of worldview is toxic on multiple levels.” I’ll stop there. Nuff said.
- Kary holds up a mirror with an often painful reflection. I saw my own life image as he talked about being a recovering Pharisee (that’s his card-carrying title). I winced at the notion that I’ve spent too many years of my life as a separatist. I recoiled at the revelation that I’ve been guilty of swinging the pendulum in the opposite direction, happy to live as a conformist. I hate the fact that there’s such a fine line between the two.
He observes, “Walking the fine line looks different for every person. God intends for you to wrestle with him through what it means to live in the world, not of the world. This is true especially of those “Christian liberty” issues where there is no standard answer that applies to all people, an idea that Separatists are none too happy about.”
- Kary writes with an honest vulnerability that compels an equally honest and vulnerable look into your life. You’ll find yourself wrestling with questions of relevance related to your ministry, and you won’t escape the illumination of your internal motives as you interact with God and people on a day-to-day basis.
Finally, I’ll make it really simple:
- If you don’t want to wrestle with buzz topics of church world like relevance, pop culture, and relationships – don’t read this book.
- If you don’t want to re-read scriptures that you’ve sewn up and put behind you – don’t read this book.
- If you want to stay comfortable in a separatist mindset that keeps you safely in a sterilized, Christian bubble – don’t read this book.
- If you want to stay comfortable in a conformists mindest that keeps you immersed in culture with no balance – don’t read this book.
- If you don’t want a layman’s guide to Dallas Willard’s, The Divine Conspiracy – don’t read this book.
It hits shelves on December 5th. You can pre-order it for only $10.19. You can learn more here. Watch the video here.
I warned you. It’s a fine line.
