Review for “Your Church Is Too Safe--Why Following Christ turns The World Upside-Down" by Mark Buchanan
Published by Zondervan 2012
I’ve been trying to think of an artsy way to try and get you
to read this book but I guess I’m just not that creative. You still need to
read the book. It will challenge you It will cause you to see things in
Scripture much differently; and you will begin to notice in the Scriptures how
Christ and his followers turned their world upside down.
They made unclean things clean; they made sure that love overtook hatred; and that everyone was given the opportunity to be different.
This is the first book written by Mark Buchanan that I’ve read.
His writing style reminds me a bit of Max Lucado. By that I mean he is a wordsmith
and is able to describe things in a way that are easy to relate to and
memorable.
I realize the book was not intended to be a commentary on
Scripture or a Bible study reference book but to be honest, after reading “Your
Church is Too Safe” I’ve taken a different approach to my own Bible reading
and study. I’ve spent more time in connecting the dots of context and searching
out why something was done; to whom it was done; and what the reaction of those
surrounding the event.
For too long the church has been a place where folks have to
believe to belong rather than belong to believe. And for too long the church
has been a “safe place” where Christians could gather and not be bothered by
the things of the world. But that’s too safe. It’s not what Christ intended for
the Church. If the Christ came for those in need of medical attention…..the sin
sick…..then the Church is probably not going to the safe place that some desire
it to be. And Buchanan provides example after example of how this has happened
in his own church and in his own life as he became more and more aware of those
who had turned their world upside down.
I was challenged by Buchanan’s fresh take on the statement
of Christ that his followers would do “greater things.” For most of us this has
been understood in light of technology and other advancements that have come
about over the years. But when you look at it, Christ was talking about the
indwelling power of the Holy Spirit causing us to do greater things, not
technology.
I loved the sections of the book that dealt with James &
John; Rahab and the Samaritan woman in John 4. I was deeply challenged and I
know you will be too.
Towards the end of the book there was a story about a woman named Wanda….a woman with a not so great past but a wonderful future. She came to Buchanan’s church and sat on the front row. If you want to know the rest of Wanda’s story you are going to have to get the book and read it. You won’t be sorry!
I want to thank the folks from Zondervan for the opportunity to read this book. I’m looking forward to reading other books written by Mark Buchanan in the days ahead.
