Weekend Reads: Fence-sitting and total surrender

Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Tired of Taking Sides

By Scott Sauls

Jesus Outside the Lines (Tyndale House, 2015) offers, according to its subtitle, A Way Forward for Those Tired of Taking Sides. To underscore this point, author Scott Sauls has devoted each of his chapters to exploding a particular false dichotomy. His basic premise is that many Christians are tired of partisan debate and want someone to explain just how big and inclusive the faith really is. The result is a finely tuned balance between the spirit of the age (with both its “liberal” and “conservative” subheadings) and the verities of biblical Christianity.

Sauls’ mentor, Tim Keller, told him that the more faithful a preacher is to expound God’s Word, the more confused his flock will be about his politics. Sauls certainly is unquestionably orthodox, and so nuanced that his politics are, well, confusing. His opening chapter is titled “Red State or Blue State?” His answer? Both. Jesus was for the unborn (conservative) and for the poor (liberal). Sauls even questions the saved-unsaved dichotomy,favorably quoting an atheist who insists that “nominal Christians are Christians too.” Only in the epilogue—“Self-Esteem or God-Esteem?”—does Sauls admit a genuine dichotomy. Humility, otherwise known as God-esteem, is the answer to the problem of pharisaical self-righteousness.

Chapter 8, titled “Chastity or Sexual Freedom?” encapsulates all that’s right, and wrong, with this approach. The set-up is beautiful: deleting the “or,” Sauls argues rightly that sexual freedom and chastity are identical. Promiscuity is slavery. But he so affirms the authenticity of same-sex-attracted persons that one is almost left with the impression that if God isn’t pro-gay, maybe He should be.

Of course, Sauls is correct that it’s dangerous to identify any particular political cause with the Kingdom of God. But in general, I find myself skeptical of his core contention. The war between good and evil will not be won by fence-sitting.

A Beautiful Defeat: Find True Freedom and Purpose in Total Surrender to God

By Kevin Malarkey, with Matthew Jacobson

A Beautiful Defeat: Find True Freedom and Purpose in Total Surrender to God (Nelson Books, 2014) has a good point. Christians must recognize that truly living your life for God’s glory and not your own will be a painful process. But it is necessary, because God is an all-or-nothing kind of deity. Author Kevin Malarkey (with Matthew Jacobson) spent years as a psychotherapist in private practice. Despite the obvious jokes waiting to be made about his surname, his experience translates into very wise advice.

In order to benefit from the book, Malarkey insists that readers need to actually sit down and make a list of the things they don’t like about their own life. Then, they must fight those sins. Clad with the armor of God, they need to be prepared to live through struggle rather than around it. In other words, surrender to God requires fighting temptation. When difficulties come, you don’t check out; you fight harder. This can only be done in the context of the church. Specifically, Malarkey says, the church must be a church of relationships, not programs: “Don’t confuse activities with fellowship.” And need God like an addict needs a fix. That’s the best metaphor for the single-minded pursuit that Christ demands.

OK. You have a plan. Now, how are you going to mess it up?

As a psychotherapist, Malarkey asked his patients that question all the time. If you think you can get holier by hiding your sin, or if you expect that people will respect and honor you for your attempts to do the right thing, think again. These two absurd but powerful assumptions take down almost as many people as a neglect of prayer and Bible reading.

Malarkey is far from the only one who teaches these truths—but his version is very accessible.