A BadChristian reader shares his thoughts on our forthcoming book, BADCHRISTIAN GREATSAVIOR.
I have had the privilege of reading through an early copy of a book titled, BADCHRISTIAN GREATSAVIOR. And I do mean “privilege”. This book was written by Pastor Joey Svendsen and his close friends Matt Carter and Toby Morell, from the rock band “Emery”. Most importantly, it was written by three hearts that are fully surrendered to God, which is made apparent through their complete humbling of self and the complete praise given to Jesus for what He’s done in their lives. They discuss certain sin issues that I have never heard mentioned behind a closed door, let alone in a public space. What I read blew my mind into a thousand pieces, not because of some age-old mystery that has now been unravelled thanks to the authors, but due to the heavy veil of iron that their insights allowed me to remove from over my eyes. And I cannot wait until you all are able to experience that for yourselves.
“Enough of that crap, tell us about the freaking thing!”
Alright, so here’s the deal, from a random Christian dude who loves God and is excited about what’s happening at BadChristian.
If my first few sentences weren’t clear enough, I loved the book. First of all, every page is brimming with honesty. No attempts were being made to sell me on the idea of becoming a super happy and healthy Christ follower, or to lure me into a weird marketing ploy where I could subscribe to their junk and hopefully send them twenty bucks a month so BadChristian can make me the best Christian I can be! Each one of the authors digs into the very fabric of their sinful nature – our sinful nature - and as a result, I feel more connected to them and their lives than I do with most folks at my church.
If you are a Christian, you need to read this book. You need to see the incredible picture that is painted of what a Christian life looks like, according to the Bible.
If you are the most staunch and un-moving non-believer (since Paul), you need to read this book. You will see every reason you hate bible-thumping Christians exposed, and you will see that every Christian, both those highly praised and publicly sinful, is a lot more like you than you might think.
The ideas presented here are not flimsy or soft. This book has challenged me. It’s been a catalyst for the Holy Spirit to work in me in a different way than I ever thought it could. It’s challenged my marriage. I have felt a conviction for my sins, stronger than I’ve ever experienced before as I’ve opened up to my wife and begun to make myself more transparent about my failures. And It’s challenged my relationship with God.
It also challenges the church. A lot. The church criticised in this book might look an awful lot like your church. It certainly looked like mine. But the criticisms were exciting. I never once thought, “Dang, these guys are dicks who really don’t like churches.” Their enthusiasm and love for the body of Christ was apparent throughout the entire text, and I felt like I was being led side-by-side, never preached at or scolded. By the end of the book I saw an amazing picture of the church. It was the church I wanted to attend, not because they served the best coffee or had the best worship team, but because it was a church of people who follow God the way the Bible tells us to.
The movement BadChristian presents has lifted up a mirror, the mirror of God’s Word, and shown me that I’m not all I crack myself up to be.
why your small group and this blog sucks
Are you like my friend? Are you doing well, stable, prefer to help others, and think you are supposed to be a constant giver?
If so, then both you and the people you hope to help are in BIG TROUBLE. Frankly, this is the unhealthy attitude that surrounds a large amount of followers and commenters on THIS BLOG.
Christian, you want to give advice and drop knowledge on others. Why is this the way you choose to help others? Is it so other people can become more like you? Ouch, I hope not. Yet when we say that we want to give help, but we don’t want/need to receive help from others, that is exactly what we are saying. Even worse, some of us like to GIVE INSTRUCTION to others because we like the power. (This one we especially like to do on the Internet). Sometimes it is much more subtle, like my dad never letting anyone else pay for dinner, or the lady who always cooks and has people over, but doesn’t want to intrude on others’ homes or let anyone bring stuff for the party.
Christian and non-Christians, our PRIMARY position IS NEED and it is anti-Gospel to pretend any other way. It is selfish to have the attitude that you “just wanna help other people” if you don’t first and openly acknowledge your needs and weaknesses. Showing and embracing our need as sinners is a more useful, powerful, AND honest approach to giving.
You were not changed by advice. If you look back on your life, you were changed by suffering, grace, the Holy Spirit, long-term relationships and role models, a lifetime of tiny shaping experiences, and maybe some intentional advice during a time when you probably asked some one for it; some one you really trusted. Why would you expect anything different for anyone else? In other words, The Gospel of Jesus Christ changed you, not advice.
How long did it take you to get the way you are? How long did it take the person you want to help to get to be the way they are? Real help and change are not usually the result of a quick fix or correction but rather a long term investment. Continue reading “why your small group and this blog sucks” »
Help Un-learning grow:
Posted by Matt Carter on March 12, 2013
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