Wednesday, July 9, 2014

What's Entertaining Me Wednesday: Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff

Today's What's Entertaining Me Wednesday is a book review.  And a website review.  And a Twitter review.  It is all going to be thrown together, stirred around, and hopefully by the time I'm done, you will not only have a smile on your face, but also be challenged to check out Jon Acuff.

Christians get a bad rap in the media.  We are known often for "rules" and "behaviors" that seem old fashion or ridiculous.  Christians get a bad rap among themselves too for the same oddities.  We all know they exist, sort of like that drawer or closet you don't want your guests to open up at your house.  (Yeah, THAT one.  Where all those "thoughtful" Christmas presents hang out and make friends with stuff you want to save from your childhood.)  Christians like to dance around these things, pretending, like we do with that closet, that it doesn't exist.

Not Jon Acuff.  I first ran across him several years ago when Twitter was a "newish" social media forum.  I crack up at almost every tweet.  The ones where he is pointing out the oddities of Christianity have stopped and made me think twice, and hopefully made me a more approachable Christian.  His POV on everything inside his book Stuff Christians Like has not only made me laugh but also reevaluate some things.  His section on quiet times is so humor filled yet honest.  It makes me feel ok that other people might struggle too...it is just that often in Christian circles we don't talk about it.  I don't know if it is fear from being judged.  Whatever it is, we definitely stay silent.  Thanks to his webpage, I now know what a "Jesus Juke" is.  You know, that thing where someone takes something and maneuvers it back to Jesus.  Which I've always had a problem with...I feel like that behavior along turns people off of Jesus faster than anything else.  See this picture Acuff had on his website as an example:

  

See?  Don't tell me that is not annoying.  Why I do believe that we are here on earth as Christians to share the Gospel, we live in a world that is so cynical that all this produces is mocking laughter. 

Go check out Jon Acuff.  Not only will he make you laugh, but he will make you think about the norms of Christianity.  He probably will leave you feeling that it is definitely OK to be honest and not always have a faith facade on.  And to be aware of bear attacks.  That too.

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