They Like Jesus But Not The Church

I just finished reading Dan Kimball’s book, “They Like Jesus but not the Church” and it was very much worth the read.  Let me start off by saying that I’m not much of a Dan Kimball fan.  I’ve read another one of his books, and we see things a little different.  And to be honest, it kind of scared me off of this book until a  friend of mine recommended it to me.k

One thing I found out is that Dan Kimball seems to be pretty solid theologically.  As best I can tell, he preaches the Gospel as it appears in Scripture, not some watered-down, tell people what they want to hear “Jesus” thing.  Over and over again he talks of his beliefs, and for the most part, I’m right on with what he says in this book.

But this book is really about what unchurched people think about Jesus and the Church.  And it is a great piece of work.  Kimball spent time with people, interviewing them, asking questions, and they were very honest with their answers.  Kimball deals with some of misconceptions about the church today, and at the end of each chapter, asks some questions to help direct some focus into the areas we are lacking in. 

One thing that I want to point out is this:  Kimball’s church is in California.  Not all of the people interviewed have the same views as the people in my community do.  So you’ve got to take the information and apply it to your community, your ministry sphere.  But in saying that, I think the book is very much a picture of our culture and society itself, on a national level.  I can see the attitudes and perspectives of the people in the book in the people that I minister to here in southern Missouri.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone.  It’s a great read, with lots of information, whether your a Pastor or not.

Simple commands…vast consequences

Ps. 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…” (NASB) This has long been one of my favorite verses in the entire OT for various reasons.