Rob Bell teams up with Don Golden to write this short, but very informative book. Its written in the same style as Velvet Elvis and Sex God, and it is about as long. As usual, the end notes are as informative as the book itself. I finished it in a day, in a room at the Shangri La in China. The irony to this will only be seen by those who read the book.
Bell/Golden spend a lot of time focused on the Exile, and for good reason. I think Christians (myself included) don't focus enough on the exile of the Jews. We tend to focus more on worship style, instrumental music, what to wear to church, what to give this Sunday, will I be able to fill my SUV after worship, who is going to show up at small group, etc. They go into much more literal detail with statistics that will absolutely astound you. The book continues to marry the exile with communion, again something most 21st Christians just don't get. There is more to church than just showing up. During the discussion of communion (Euchurist) they ask one amazing question: "Is it really possible to take communion in the presence of someone you are mad at?" We miss the point, when we ignore the thousands- year-old meanings behind the exile, communion, and the death of Jesus. Bell/Golden do an amazing job describing how all of this is put together.
I do have slight issue with some of the authors' "literal" stretches of Biblical stories. True, they do make a good point the way they are told in the book, but I felt they sometimes came a little too close to what some would see as "taking out of context". You can call that my traditional upbringing speaking, and I will be fine with that at the present.
Bell/Golden also have a discussion on the current state of affairs of the US government. The reader is bombarded by statistics of "better use of funding" on the several trillion dollars being currently spent on the War in Iraq. There are even more statistics on what an average American's daily spending could do for someone in the middle of Africa. I feel the point behind this, is to show that the US is the "empire" on the likes of Egypt and Babylon. This I don't deny, but the reader is in someway left feeling that ALL Americans have no pity in wasting stuff, or that ALL Americans never share any of the things they purchase, or that ALL Americans don't appreciate what they just ate for dinner tonight. I personally know plenty of millionares that provide seemingly endless amounts of money to people that are in need in all kinds of different ways. These millionares would never want the attention or feel "entitled" in any way. I also know of numerous middle class Americans that do plenty without the giving of money. So, on this topic I take particular issue. It could have been written differently, as to not make the reader feel that ALL Americans have a sense of entitlement to the things they possess, believe, vote, work, live, etc.
The authors make very good points however. It is very difficult for someone who doesn't need anything to follow Jesus. Why should they? Young, rich, Americans are the hardest to evangilize to. This, I do agree with. They also discuss that entitlement is a word that Americans tend to throw around way too easily. Americans tend to say things like, "I worked hard for this job", or "I deserve that new car." Entitlement is a word that has no place in Christianity. They also talk about how that God is not against "things", as long as the purchase of those "things" does not in some way "enslave" someone else.
The book is worth the read, but if you have a 50" HD television in your living room, you may take issue to some of the comments.....
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