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unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters by Gabe Lyons, David Kinnaman
2.0
I read unChristian at the recommendation of a friend. We were reading a book called God Space at the request of our church, and many of the themes of that book are reiterated at greater length in this one.
UnChristian focuses on data collected by the Barnum Group, which to my understanding collects statistical data on various groups of people for to aid churches. The book focuses on the beliefs of individuals between the ages of 16-29, particularly the way that non-Christian individuals in that age group feel about Christians. The book uses the top ten stereotypes (e.g. "too political," "anti-gay," and "hypocritical") to offer solutions for how the church can share the Christian message with this group of individuals and, to some extent, overcome these negative stereotypes.
To be honest, I found this book to mostly be a mixed bag for my reading purposes. I think a lot of the reasoning for this is because I am part of the very generation he writes about, as a 23-year-old. The book is definitely written in a style to "inform" older adults about the lifestyles of a younger generation and convince them that perhaps they should pay attention, which can be off-putting to someone of that generation. Otherwise, I didn't necessarily find the data unsound, and they actually made the case for why changing these stereotypes is important so carefully (i.e. without making it seem like all that matters in faith is other peoples' opinions about it) that it seemed fairly compelling. The data was simply not news to me, however. As someone of that generation, it was not surprising to learn what "we" think - it is simply an accepted part of my daily life that those are the stereotypes that surround Christians.
The specific advice for how Christians can change those stereotypes was the most compelling portion of the book, although it almost completely boiled down to a simple principle. If Christians would work harder to exhibit God's grace in their own lives (along with all that entails), hopefully many of the stereotypes would boil away. Being given a chance to reflect on grace and practical ways to exercise its meaning to one's life is never wasted time, and is indeed one of the better attributes of this book.
That said, I feel like there are a lot of other books that can help one to focus on grace just as well. I would not recommend this book to someone else of my own generation, since I'm not sure it offers them much they don't intuitively already know. Instead, I would only recommend this book to someone in youth work, or a Christian who truly feels out of touch with a younger generation. I am not sure it would be very compelling otherwise.
UnChristian focuses on data collected by the Barnum Group, which to my understanding collects statistical data on various groups of people for to aid churches. The book focuses on the beliefs of individuals between the ages of 16-29, particularly the way that non-Christian individuals in that age group feel about Christians. The book uses the top ten stereotypes (e.g. "too political," "anti-gay," and "hypocritical") to offer solutions for how the church can share the Christian message with this group of individuals and, to some extent, overcome these negative stereotypes.
To be honest, I found this book to mostly be a mixed bag for my reading purposes. I think a lot of the reasoning for this is because I am part of the very generation he writes about, as a 23-year-old. The book is definitely written in a style to "inform" older adults about the lifestyles of a younger generation and convince them that perhaps they should pay attention, which can be off-putting to someone of that generation. Otherwise, I didn't necessarily find the data unsound, and they actually made the case for why changing these stereotypes is important so carefully (i.e. without making it seem like all that matters in faith is other peoples' opinions about it) that it seemed fairly compelling. The data was simply not news to me, however. As someone of that generation, it was not surprising to learn what "we" think - it is simply an accepted part of my daily life that those are the stereotypes that surround Christians.
The specific advice for how Christians can change those stereotypes was the most compelling portion of the book, although it almost completely boiled down to a simple principle. If Christians would work harder to exhibit God's grace in their own lives (along with all that entails), hopefully many of the stereotypes would boil away. Being given a chance to reflect on grace and practical ways to exercise its meaning to one's life is never wasted time, and is indeed one of the better attributes of this book.
That said, I feel like there are a lot of other books that can help one to focus on grace just as well. I would not recommend this book to someone else of my own generation, since I'm not sure it offers them much they don't intuitively already know. Instead, I would only recommend this book to someone in youth work, or a Christian who truly feels out of touch with a younger generation. I am not sure it would be very compelling otherwise.
Blankets by Craig Thompson
5.0
This book was so beautiful. The art was so evocative, and the story so honest and detailed.
Above all, though, I think this book does a fantastic job of conveying some of the difficulties of growing up in a very conservative Christian home, and the hopes, fears, and general ways this can inform all of adolescent life - sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.
Above all, though, I think this book does a fantastic job of conveying some of the difficulties of growing up in a very conservative Christian home, and the hopes, fears, and general ways this can inform all of adolescent life - sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.