Book Review: When Bad Christians Happen to Good People

[JimB]

Book Review

WHEN BAD CHRISTIANS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE
Dave Burchett
(WaterBrook Press, 256pp, $15p)

I sometimes wish I had a dollar, even a quarter, for every person who has told me how they have been wounded by a Christian or church (and so have become spiritual whiners or quitters). It would be a jackpot, like winning the lottery and I could have retired a long time ago. I’m not saying these people do not have a gripe (we all have gripes), but just how responsible are Christians for influencing the bad opinions people have about us? Dave Burchett gives us his thoughts in “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People.” In the book, he contends that throughout history, and even today in the media, Christians have, of course, done much good but, sadly, have also done considerable damage to others.

In “Bad Christians” Burchett talks about those “Christians” we have all encountered: those who betray friends; those preachers who injure those they are called to serve; Christian men who careless abuse women; the business that proudly brandishes a Christian symbol but takes advantage of its clients; churches that reject young women because of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy or ostracized from their fellowship those who do not share their skin color; or churches that cause spiritual seekers to feel uncomfortable because of their habits, appearance or sexual orientation. The list goes on, sadly, on and on, made up of both believers and nonbelievers disillusioned by the modern church. And they number in the thousands, wondering why God puts up with our careless lives. Christian, they have learned, is a great noun but a poor adjective.

Burchett divides his arguments into three parts: 1). the symptoms, the silencing of the lambs: those “Indefensible Things We do to Each Other”; 2). the epidemic: “Why Those Heathens Don’t Listen to Us: Thoughts on How We Lost Our Audience”; and 3). the prescription: “Reality-Based Faith” that teaches us “How to be Real in an Artificial World.” He writes, “Many churches somehow communicate that only the spiritually healthy are welcome at their church. Many people feel that their lives are too far gone to be accepted at church, when in fact that brokenness is what makes them ready to receive God’s amazing grace.” Rich Mullins once observed to a Nacogdoches audience that he never understood why people excuse themselves from attending church “because of the hypocrites”, saying, “If you’ve got it all together, you don’t need to go to church. You can go jogging on Sunday with all the other perfect people.” Church, as Mullins and Burchett see it, is the perfect place for imperfect people. Not going to church because of the hypocrites from their perspective is a lot like not going to the hospital because of all those sick people or not taking your car to the garage because there are too many cars there that need fixed. That’s what church is for: it’s where us broken people get fixed.

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Author bio

Dave Burchett is a successful television sports director with experiences that include the Olympic Games as well as professional and collegiate sports. Dave has directed television coverage of Texas Rangers baseball for over thirty years, earning a national Emmy and two local Emmy's throughout his career. He is the author of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and Bring 'em Back Alive. Dave has developed a speaking ministry as well as regularly blogs at DaveBurchett.com. Dave is married and has three grown sons, several grandchildren and a rescued Lab.


Ref: When Bad Christians Happen to Good People by Dave Burchett | WaterBrook Multnomah

 

[Messy]

Sounds good! Lol I like the title.

 

[mourningdove~]

Book Review

WHEN BAD CHRISTIANS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE
Dave Burchett
(WaterBrook Press, 256pp, $15p)

I sometimes wish I had a dollar, even a quarter, for every person who has told me how they have been wounded by a Christian or church (and so have become spiritual whiners or quitters). It would be a jackpot, like winning the lottery and I could have retired a long time ago. I’m not saying these people do not have a gripe (we all have gripes), but just how responsible are Christians for influencing the bad opinions people have about us? Dave Burchett gives us his thoughts in “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People.” In the book, he contends that throughout history, and even today in the media, Christians have, of course, done much good but, sadly, have also done considerable damage to others.

In “Bad Christians” Burchett talks about those “Christians” we have all encountered: those who betray friends; those preachers who injure those they are called to serve; Christian men who careless abuse women; the business that proudly brandishes a Christian symbol but takes advantage of its clients; churches that reject young women because of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy or ostracized from their fellowship those who do not share their skin color; or churches that cause spiritual seekers to feel uncomfortable because of their habits, appearance or sexual orientation. The list goes on, sadly, on and on, made up of both believers and nonbelievers disillusioned by the modern church. And they number in the thousands, wondering why God puts up with our careless lives. Christian, they have learned, is a great noun but a poor adjective.

Burchett divides his arguments into three parts: 1). the symptoms, the silencing of the lambs: those “Indefensible Things We do to Each Other”; 2). the epidemic: “Why Those Heathens Don’t Listen to Us: Thoughts on How We Lost Our Audience”; and 3). the prescription: “Reality-Based Faith” that teaches us “How to be Real in an Artificial World.” He writes, “Many churches somehow communicate that only the spiritually healthy are welcome at their church. Many people feel that their lives are too far gone to be accepted at church, when in fact that brokenness is what makes them ready to receive God’s amazing grace.” Rich Mullins once observed to a Nacogdoches audience that he never understood why people excuse themselves from attending church “because of the hypocrites”, saying, “If you’ve got it all together, you don’t need to go to church. You can go jogging on Sunday with all the other perfect people.” Church, as Mullins and Burchett see it, is the perfect place for imperfect people. Not going to church because of the hypocrites from their perspective is a lot like not going to the hospital because of all those sick people or not taking your car to the garage because there are too many cars there that need fixed. That’s what church is for: it’s where us broken people get fixed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author bio

Dave Burchett is a successful television sports director with experiences that include the Olympic Games as well as professional and collegiate sports. Dave has directed television coverage of Texas Rangers baseball for over thirty years, earning a national Emmy and two local Emmy's throughout his career. He is the author of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and Bring 'em Back Alive. Dave has developed a speaking ministry as well as regularly blogs at DaveBurchett.com. Dave is married and has three grown sons, several grandchildren and a rescued Lab.


Ref: When Bad Christians Happen to Good People by Dave Burchett | WaterBrook Multnomah

Forgetting all that God has done for us, is what I believe makes for a 'bad Christian'.

When we forget, it's easy to become prideful, self-righteous, judgmental, unloving towards others.

When we remember, we got 'a good church' going!

(Looks like a good book!)