A while back, John Shore asked me to review his latest book… I’m OK — You’re Not: The Message We’re Sending Unbelievers And Why We Should Stop. As easy as it was to read (I could have let myself read it in one setting)… somehow it took me over a month to actually get around to finishing it. That’s certainly not the fault of the book!
“I’m Okay — You’re Not” was an awesome read… I enjoyed every bit of it. And it even made me think! I really can’t say enough good things about it.
So you’ve got an idea what you’re getting into when you read it (and I do mean when… it’s a must read!), John’s book is quite controversial amongst evangelical Christians. Why? He basically proposes that evangelism, as we know it here in the States, really needs to stop. Sounds heretical, doesn’t it? The Great Commission… on the back burner?
Yeah. It does sound heretical. But if you read the book, you’ll likely agree with him (at least to some extent).
How so? John’s premise is that the Great Commandment (to love our neighbor as ourselves in case you’ve forgotten) takes precedence over the Great Commission. When we evangelize the lost, most times our message is not one of love… it’s, as John’s title suggests, “I’m okay [because of my relationship with Christ]… you’re not [because you’re going to hell without Jesus].” When we share the gospel with a “Normie” (as John refers to your stereotypical lost person), the message often sounds like one of superiority and arrogance. We almost instantly build a wall between us and them that prohibits any real relationship to develop.
John proposes a somewhat radical alternative… just love people, as they are. Get to know them… develop a real relationship… don’t see them as just another person to convert… another “notch on your belt”. Chances are, if you do that (love them, that is), you’ll eventually get the chance to share your faith with them… they’re bound to ask at some point. At that point, share with love, and don’t insult what they hold oh so dear in the process. Just don’t let loving them simply be an end to a means.
Again, I have to emphasize that this is a great book, and I really think it would be an excellent text to use for a Sunday School class or small group. The chapters are all relatively short, very thought-provoking, and extremely easy to read (John’s writings are very entertaining!). What makes this book even more special, though? At the end of each chapter, John includes several “Ouch!” statements (messages written by nonbelievers, intended specifically for Christians) followed up by some questions to reflect upon. Both are guaranteed to provoke some awesome discussion… if that’s all that were in the book, it would be worth reading.
All in all, this book is phenomenal… even if I don’t agree with everything he has to say 100%. If I had to rate it, it would get six stars (on a five-star scale).
Anyway, be sure to get a copy of I’m OK — You’re Not. You’ll be glad you did.
That is an awesome idea and one which speaks to many alternatives.
One is that our evangelism needs to change. We don’t need to simply tell people they are lost. God’s love is a very powerful thing and that’s what we need to focus on, and not the alternative. And no I did not say we need to stop telling about hell.
Second is that we have to stop the “love’em and leave’em” hit & run tactics. That happened to my wife when she was early teens. She walked the aisle, prayed, got dunked, and it all stopped there. Like get thyself into Sunday School and all will be well.
I wonder what it is that the world sees in us that makes them not want to have some of whatever it is we have.