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Your Church Is Too Safe: Becoming a Church that Turns the World Upside Down Audiobook
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(4.06) - 282 listener ratings
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“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” That was the startled cry, circa 50 AD, from a hastily assembled mob in Thessalonica. These men who have turned the world upside: their description of Paul and Silas. Holy vandals on the loose, anointed marauders running amok, men out ransacking Roman cities with the gospel. You’d think they were heralding the arrival of Barbarian hordes, fierce Berserkers descending on poorly fortified villages, not two hungry men with no more than a fire in their bellies and a wildness in their eyes. These were just two ordinary men. But, as Paul says to the Corinthians, he was a man who preached “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,” a man whose weapons were not of the world but had “divine power to demolish strongholds.” Two simple, ordinary men, walking in the power of God. A whole town in uproar because of them. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the likes of this. Your Church Is Too Safe is an unabridged audio download based on a simple idea: that God meant his church to be both good news and bad news, an aroma and a stench – a disruptive force to whoever or whatever opposes the Kingdom of God, and a healing and liberating power to those who seek it. That the church has not always lived this mandate is well-documented. That the church needs to recover this mandate is much touted. Your Church Is Too Safe is a plea, a celebration, and a manifesto. It’s an attempt to call the church to be the church. It is a tribute to the many churches that seek to be this. And it is a roadmap to become this. Above all, Your Church Is Too Safe is a biblical reflection and exhortation on why we should be this. Its main narrative is rooted in the story of how the early church, for all her failings and heresies and squabbles, managed to turn the world upside down. And its principal claim is that the modern church, for all her failings and heresies and squabbles, has every advantage they had, and maybe more, and faces no more challenges than they did, and maybe fewer.
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"I love rereading this book. Buchanan is a very poetic author (sometimes his flowery words get annoying). I didn't realize that this was a book about Christian spiritual disciplines until I was mostly through it (a very great accomplishment on the part of the author). Reading this book made me excited about practicing spiritual disciplines. The author does not make you feel guilty but rather he inspires you with the reality of a spiritually disciplined life. I highly recommend this book!"
— Dustin (4 out of 5 stars)
Your Church Is Too Safe Listener Reviews
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" One of my all-time favorites! Very powerful! I wish I could talk with the richness in which Mark Buchanan writes. He cuts through the fat of spirituality and causes one to wonder why they would settle for a relationship with a distant and weak God instead of embracing a passionate life in the arms of a powerful, limitless, and dangerously awesome God. "
— Melinda, 2/20/2014 -
" This is going to kick you in the teeth. Good stuff "
— Melvin, 2/19/2014 -
" Currently reading this as part of a book study with some coworkers. Very intriguing, sparks lots of good conversation. "
— MJ, 2/16/2014 -
" WOW! It scratched where I itched. Too often I fall into a faith funk. This book calls me away from re-creating God in my image, but to see the true God as He really is. He is not safe or controlled makes no petty promises of A+B will always = C, does not promise a nice comfortable, complacent, consumer christianity, but a real God who can take on real life, in a real way. A MUST READ! I'm onto HOly Wild next.... "
— Wendy, 2/10/2014 -
" Learn about serving a God who has more in mind than your comfort and safety. "
— Rodger, 1/31/2014 -
" Can you accept and honor a seemingly unpredictable God, who doesn't always give you what you want? Excellent book. "
— Mary, 1/20/2014 -
" Inspirational, motivational, and used by God in my life! "
— Catherine, 1/18/2014 -
" Very challenging book and something I needed to read at this stage of my life. Our God is anything but safe!! "
— Matthew, 1/9/2014 -
" Love this book. It was one of those that I read and thought, "now this is the God that I know!" "
— Rebecca, 1/2/2014 -
" Love this book so much! One I want to read again and again. "
— Laura, 1/2/2014 -
" Great book! Challenging...worth a second read. "
— Val, 12/31/2013 -
" One of my new favorites? His insights into life in the "borderland" are profound, his counsel is simple yet powerful, and his prose is rich and vivid. "
— David, 12/29/2013 -
" If you're looking for a book that summarizes the reality of a Christian walk, then this is the go-to book. I don't know that you could read this book and be unmoved if you're being honest with yourself. If you've got you act entirely together, this book will still challenge you. "
— John, 12/21/2013 -
" This book is a pretty good overall wide general challenge to your Christian lifestile and how to avoid getting stuck in a faith rut. At the same time the tone is nonjudgemental or threatening and the book is quite easy to follow. "
— Philip, 12/19/2013 -
" God does not fit in our box - he is scary but he is safe (to quote Lewis in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). This book will refresh stale faith, challenge long-held beliefs and make you think like you've never thought about God and the church whilst never disrespecting both. Read it! "
— Anna, 8/7/2013 -
" This book took me to a new place - challenged my perception of what it means to follow God and how he challenges me to risk it all "
— Michelle, 5/22/2013 -
" God used this book to jump-start my heart, and reawaken my love for reading books with substance... "
— Nicole, 4/1/2013 -
" Wow. A book challenging our too-safe, too-predictable rut of Christianity. "
— Kate, 3/26/2013 -
" Hands down the best book I've read. It challenges you and it changes you and how you think about religion. "
— Charlene, 2/19/2013 -
" Awesome read! I like Buchanan's matter-of-fact speak of how much Christians pigeon-hole God into their own image. The metaphor of "borderland" will always be with me. I absolutely loved this book. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is looking to re-evaluate their faith. "
— JM, 12/7/2012 -
" One of my favorites! Great insights. "
— Kim, 8/22/2012 -
" Read it during a time of a spiritual funk and it was fantastic. He writes unlike any other Christian devotional author and that helps a lot. His insights change the way you see things spiritually. "
— Cale, 7/13/2012 -
" Buchanan offers a stirring and wrenching, honest but eloquent call to meet God in the holy wild. You need to read this book. "
— Bryana, 4/1/2012
About Mark Buchanan
Maurice England moved to the Chicago area in the fall of 2006, after a twelve year run as a long-haul trucker, to continue the cultivation of his lifelong interest in the expressive arts and oral interpretation. A veteran audiophile, Maurice listened to well over one thousand audiobooks while on the road and fell in love with the genre. From his past experience in broadcasting, community theater, music performance, and ministry he saw narrating as a means to merge his love for books, ideas, learning, and spiritual evolution with his interest in artistic expression. While his narration experience has primarily been nonfiction, personal development, and spiritual-growth titles, Maurice anticipates using his authentically warm and folksy southern style to entertain and inspire through storytelling. Inspired most by the behind-the-scenes artists who engineer, direct, edit, and master the audiobook productions we hear, Maurice has become an absorbed student and participant in the process.
About Maurice England
Maurice England moved to the Chicago area in the fall of 2006, after a twelve year run as a long-haul trucker, to continue the cultivation of his lifelong interest in the expressive arts and oral interpretation. A veteran audiophile, Maurice listened to well over one thousand audiobooks while on the road and fell in love with the genre. From his past experience in broadcasting, community theater, music performance, and ministry he saw narrating as a means to merge his love for books, ideas, learning, and spiritual evolution with his interest in artistic expression. While his narration experience has primarily been nonfiction, personal development, and spiritual-growth titles, Maurice anticipates using his authentically warm and folksy southern style to entertain and inspire through storytelling. Inspired most by the behind-the-scenes artists who engineer, direct, edit, and master the audiobook productions we hear, Maurice has become an absorbed student and participant in the process.