Review: Still Christian

Still Christian by David P. Gushee
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley provided me a copy of this book. What follows is an honest review.

Mr Gushee and I share some common things in life. We were both raised Catholic and both came to know Jesus at about the same time, though we were 10 years apart in age. Major differences are that he went on to become a minister with the support of people around him, mine was a journey of people blocking me from full time ministry, but I still do what I can from the tools that I have.

We also share a common problem in our politics. Like him, I cannot be classified as a republican. Unlike him, that is where I tend to vote as I do not see the democrats are any better but the positions I do have lean more towards the right. I would guess his politics put him left of center and mine more right, but we are, what appears to be, more central on most issues.

The book is a journey from the time the author received his salvation in high school until the present day. It is a interesting journey because, even though I did not go through seminary of Bible school, I had a lot of the same interactions with the people around me that he did. While a strong evangelical, that does not mean that you through compassion out the window, something that many Christians seem to miss. As he tries to show this to people again and again, he gets frustrated at those not hearing him and at himself for not being always true to his ideals. His constant referrals to his journals show that this is not looking back at something and remembering the good times. In fact, in one section he shows all three sides of a situation. The liberal, conservative and the true version of the story. It shows that not all situations can be wrapped up in I am right and you are wrong.

I recommend this to anyone. Younger people may not get the significance, but anyone over their teens may get a good look at a man who wrestles with his Christianity each day and what it means to be a true Christian. I may not agree with all he says but I know that he is speaking his conscious.

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