I just finished this book. If you had asked me if I would recommend it while I was reading the first half, I would have definitely said, "no." But, I pressed on. And when I came to the second half, I discovered that this book is definitely worth reading.
So, first, skim the first half and then read the second half. The premise of this book is the question of what does real church look like? What should the churches we belong to look like--but more importantly who should we as members be? How should we love the body that we belong to? What does that even mean?
The reason I would recommend a skimming of the first half is that Crabb seems to spend a very long time talking about the opposite side in order to make the points that he wants to make in each chapter in the first half. And as a reader, I got mired down and distracted and even upset by what I was reading as he tried to make his point. He uses words that could definitely cause the hairs on your back to stand up (like a cats) when you're wary. The specific example I have in mind is when he mentions that one of the two churches he likes to go to is led by a Biblically Grounded Mystic, who I believe is a woman. What image does that conjure in your mind? It conjured very strange ones in mine--I kept thinking of Saul and the witch that he consulted. I consulted a bookstore owner I respect and he explained that a biblically grounded mystic is someone who believes that experiencing the relationship with Christ is important but that that experience doesn't trump the Bible. Ah, that helps! But, I wish Crabb had explained that (even as a footnote) in his book. I had a hard time understanding where he was coming from when he said that was his favorite book. A second statement that caught me off guard was when he talked about the results by of a study done by Willow Creek. What he states isn't true. I did some checking via Google.
But, I digress. At this point, you may wonder why I think this is worth reading if it ruffled my feathers so much! The second half is good. In fact, very good. He talks about what it means to really have a relationship with Christ. And what that looks like in a church--in a real, rather than superficial way. That is where the good meat of this book is--the part really worth reading. Eugene Peterson wrote a book several years ago about Spiritual Theology. Basically, Crabb is writing about the same thing--the need to have a spiritual theology in a less academic way. I greatly respect Peterson's writings, but they are often too deep for me to digest. He is my husband's favorite author. But, I understand the need for this discussion and so I am very glad I read this book.
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