Best Books
A few weeks ago, I was reading the acknowledgment section in the back of a new book. Embedded within the acknowledgments was an expression of appreciation for one book/author in particular – a book that had deeply influenced the author’s spiritual development. It was Mere Discipleship (Brazos Press) by Lee Camp. I smiled when I saw the reference. It felt as if a new acquaintance and I had discovered we have a mutual close friend. I read Mere Discipleship for the first time seventeen years ago, and I still consider it to be one of the most important books I’ve ever read about the Christian life.
Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World is a call for God’s people to take seriously what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The Great Commission of Jesus was not to simply preach the gospel but to preach the gospel in order to make disciples. The goal is not converts, but followers. Mere Discipleship is a thought-provoking manifesto that challenges the reader to allow the teachings of Jesus to completely govern our words, thoughts, and deeds. What would happen if God’s people genuinely leaned into our calling to live as Christ taught us to live? What if we turned the other cheek, welcomed the stranger, and loved our enemies? What would happen if we placed as much importance on the ethical and social demands of the gospel as the orthodoxy of our doctrine?
Mere Discipleship is a prophetic call to reimagine a church attuned to the teachings of Jesus, a church which is a threat to ungodly powers and a beacon of hope to those who walk in darkness. Recently a politician created a firestorm of controversy when she asserted that if Christ came to Congress and began teaching that we should love our neighbor and our enemy, that we should welcome the stranger and fight for the least of us- He would be maligned as a radical. Perhaps one day the same could be said of more of his followers, including myself.
-Darrel Holcombe, Owner
Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts
Colonial Promenade, Alabaster
www.sanctuarychristianbooksandgifts.com
205-663-2370
