"Viral Jesus" (Ross Rohde)

TITLE: Viral Jesus: Recovering the contagious power of the Gospel
AUTHOR: Ross Rohde
PUBLISHER: Lake Mary, FL: Passio-Charisma House, 2012, (224 pages).

Based on the principle of viral movements like wildfires and epidemics, the author essentially asks the question:

"Why is it that we will allow Satan to use movements to spread disease, lies, riots, fires, and immorality, but we tend not to tap into the principles of movement when it comes to the gospel and the kingdom of God?" (xii)

Thus begins the book about wildfire Christianity, or "Viral Jesus" forms of evangelism. By looking at the example of the early Church in Acts 2, the author pushes for a organic movement that has an "organic structure" of seeding the faith through networks and contagious enough to be "sneezable."

What the Viral Jesus Movement Looks Like?

Firstly, it looks like one that is intentionally fragile, so fragile and flexible that the Holy Spirit can use it.  The offices of Ephesians 11 are seen as "spiritual" rather than "positional" gifts. Secondly, it is supernatural and mystic. The author says that every time one becomes convicted of sin, one becomes a "mystic." Prophecy is also another sign of the mystical experience. Thirdly, the early Church is the first model of the Viral Jesus Movement. For Rohde, the aim is to build a bridge to bring the Early Church contagious movement into the 21st Century Church.

What Makes the Viral Jesus Movement Crumble?

Here, Rohde goes on the assault to bring the institutional Church to task, criticizing the hierarchical structures, civil religion, ordination, church buildings, political correctness, and others. Essentially, Rohde blames the structure of the Church, saying that the very nature of the institution is preventing the spread of any viral Jesus strain. Rohde then uses the example of the Church in China as a living example of how the viral Jesus concept has been embraced.

On Viral Discipleship

Here, Rohde continues his assault on the conventional ways of discipleship, saying that Christianity has been reduced to an "information only" faith, that Christianity has been reduced to training to do certain tasks, techniques, and talents. The positive is the leadership training he has received. For Rohde, the better way to do discipleship is:

• Start with the new covenant on harnessing God's power (not human ability)
• Continue with relating with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit (not Bible or doctrinal facts)
• Letting Jesus lead the discipleship process, with different process, that responds to God.
• Letting the Spirit lead the discipleship process through the Holy Spirit via changed lives.

Rohde then uses Luke 10 as a model for church planting. He proposes five principles of effective evangelism:

1. More communicators rather than more listeners
2. That everyone lives like missionaries
3. That God guarantees every believer the necessary resources
4. To trust God to work spontaneously
5. That believers are empowered.

My Comments

I find the initial ideas in the book commendable, especially the part about becoming a contagious Christian for God, to spread the gospel like wildfire. After chapter 1, the rest is downhill for me. I find it hard to accept the way Rohde defines mysticism. Instead of researching on the mystics of old, like St John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, St Teresa of Avila, and many more, Rohde opts for the common dictionary's definition!  Such a way is bad scholarship. The Medieval mystics themselves are intent on seeking God deeply toward union with God. They let their learning bless the people around them. 

There is also the problem of simplistic criticism of the institutional Church. Chapter 7 is especially bad.  If Rohde thinks that the way to instill his brand of "Viral Jesus" is through the dismantling of Church hierarchies and structures, he is way too naive. The problem with the Church is not the structure. The problem is sin, and the nature of man. A case in point is this. Even if Rohde and the movement he is proposing can tear down all conventional structures of Church, what is there to guarantee that the new organic, simple, or viral structure will NOT end up as such? His discipleship proposal looks good but lacks the concrete specifics.

In conclusion, I feel that the book's good idea is not well sustained through adequate research or plausible historical understanding of Church. In a nutshell, this book has a good idea, but fails for an overly simplistic view of the conventional church. Instead of doing more good, it has done itself a disfavour as well. I tried to read the book with positive eyes. I do not like to give negative reviews. However, given the overly simplistic way the book has waylaid the Church, I cannot recommend this book for general reading.

Ratings: 1.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Charisma House Book Publisher without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Book Review: "Unconditional?" (Brian Zahnd)

TITLE: Unconditional?: The call of Jesus to radical forgiveness
AUTHOR: Brian Zahnd
PUBLISHER: Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2011, (256 pages).

This book is poised to be one of the most important books on forgiveness this decade. It argues that Christianity is essentially about forgiveness, in particular, radical forgiveness that is unconditional. This requires us to go back to our roots of the Christian faith. The basic assertion is this.

"If Christianity is about anything, it is about forgiveness. Not forgiveness as merely an end in itself or a legal means of escaping pubishment, but forgiveness as reconciliation and total restoration." (xix)

"Too often the message of Jesus has been misrepresented by the ugly faces of legalism, triumphalism, and religiously inspired hatred. My hope is that you will allow me to present to you the beautiful face of Christianity - the face of forgiveness." (xx-xxi)

Zahnd leads readers through the dark trenches of sin and evil. From the Holocaust memories, he shares about how an Austrian Jew called Simon Wiesenthal comes face to face with a Nazi officer who has brutally killed and tortured his fellow Jews. He raises the question of how can any Armenian ever forgive the Ottoman Turks, who have murdered, raped, massacred and enslaved millions of Armenians during the genocide of 1915-1917. He even talks about the 21 terrorists who turn September 11 into a tragic display of evil. As if these stories are not enough, the author brings up Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn horrible 8 years of suffering in a Soviet prison under the hands of Joseph Stalin. He shares with us the story of Nikolai Velimirovic, a Serbian Orthodox bishop who was betrayed by one of his priests, and sent to a concentration camp. Enroute to persuading readers that it is possible to forgive in the light of impossible crimes, the author highlights classic examples of how Corrie Ten Boom forgave her SS officer who killed her family, and about how Pope John Paul II forgave Mehmet Ali Agca who tried to assassinate him.

While the usual options when it comes to justice is either to exact payment, or inflict punishment, Zahnd offers a third option, costly grace.

"Allowing forgiveness to purge the unforgiveness in our hearts is what enables us to move beyond injustice and not be chained to it for life." (64)

Through the example of Ingrid Betancourt who suffered 6 years of torture by Colombian security forces, learns that forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about breaking the' cycle of revenge' (65). It is about letting God take care of the revenge part, while we kill any desire to prolong the cycle of violence. Through the example of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, Zahnd shows us that forgiveness can also save another person's soul.

Page after page, story after story, the author tugs at our hearts to move us from conditional forgiveness to unconditional forgiveness, and gradually toward radical forgiveness. Along the way, he deals with the barriers that prevent us from forgiving. Through the examples of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, he asserts that there is no future without forgiveness. Through the example of the tragic shooting of five schoolgirls in the Nickel Mines' Amish community, the author shows us that it is possible to let forgiveness transcends tragedy. He deals with the very important question of justice by saying that justice + mercy = reconciliation. Zahnd also criticizes some Christian quarters tendency to justify their revengeful ways. Here he uses John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath to say that the justice that some Christians attempt is actually 'self-righteous' and 'self-appointed morality police' (147). In Christ, the ugliness of sin when washed by the blood of forgiveness, will result in a beautiful scene of God's redeeming grace for the world.

This book is a bitter pill to swallow, especially for those of us who have gone through deep hurts and suffering. It is not easy to forgive. It is harder to forget. What is most important is that while Zahnd raises the need to forgive, he provides the Source from which true forgiveness can flow. In Christ, we have an example of forgiveness. We have the power to forgive that is not of our own strength. If we claim to follow Christ, we need to be prepared to imitate what Christ has done. This book is certainly not for the faint-hearted or the tough-minded person. It is for those with open minds, willing hearts, and forgiven souls, and all persons who WANT to forgive but don't know how. The stories in the book alone are worth the price of the book.

"We are to be the light of the world and the sons of God - through a proclamation and practice of a gospel of peace based in forgiveness." (207)

"The hope for peace that I see is where the disciples of Jesus don't just watch in admiration as Jesus carried his cross, but practice an imitation of the same kind of cross-bearing forgiveness." (216)

"As followers of the Lamb, we must come to realize that it is only through the practice of radical forgiveness that we can achieve real peace. Peace with God comes by forgiving and being forgiven." (218)

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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Book Review: "Change Agent"

TITLE: Change Agent: Engaging your passion to be the one who makes a difference
AUTHOR: Os Hillman
PUBLISHER: Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2011.

Os Hillman is most famously known for his daily devotionals, TGIF (Today God is First). Since the early years, he has moved from simply marketplace ministry and work-faith integration to a larger domain. This new domain is a call to believers in the marketplace to engage not only business but to reclaim 7 mountains of cultural influences. They are business, government, media, arts & entertainment, education, the family, and religion. The 7-mountain idea is adapted from his own pastor, Johnny Enlow's series of sermons entitled: "The Seven Mountain Strategy." Basically, the key idea is:

"The more liberal and ungodly the change agents at the top, the more liberal and ungodly the culture. The more godly the change agent at the top, the more righteous the culture will be. It doesn't matter if the majority of the culture is made up of Christians. It only matters who has the greatest influence over that cultural mountain. And the mountain of family must undergird all other cultural mountains."  (9)

The book begins with biblical foundations. The author uses a six stage framework from his own experience and equates them to Old Testament characters like Moses, David, Joseph, Daniel and Esther. The six stages of a change agent are as follows:

1. Divine circumstances: Sudden call
2. Character development: Solidify person's faith
3. Isolation period: Separation from worldliness
4. Personal cross: suffering
5. Problem solvers: solving real needs
6. Networks: spreading

After describing the process of development of a change agent, Hillman dives right into the 7-mountain strategy. Each mountain begins with a definition of what it is, followed by a diagnosis of why the mountain is worldly and needs to be recaptured. With many illustrations and testimonies of well-known names of corporations, groups, and individuals, he shows the way to tip the balance in favour of Christians for the Kingdom of God. He ends each mountain category with an exhortation to claim the mountain in God's name, with practical steps. At the same time, he lists down in vivid detail how a successfully claimed mountain looks like.

My Comments

I read this book with mixed emotions. Hillman starts off well by sharing about how various individuals have been talking about conquering several spheres of culture. Francis Schaeffer, Billy Graham, and many prominent names were mentioned to raise interest. There are many familiar names, powerful figures, and intriguing stories to keep the reader interested. His concern is genuine, and the message is filled with a conviction that the world can be won, and that there is a good chance for change agents to bring about the kingdom of God through conquering the seven mountains. He also acknowledges that these seven mountains are not the only mountains, sharing about Loren Cunningham who suggests a seventh (science) and eighth mountain (technology). The practical applications are easy to follow. The stages described are appealing. The examples given are indeed very captivating.

My biggest problem with the book is its weak ecclesiology (Theology of the Church). For all its wonderful convictions and knowledge of the culture, the theology of the church is sadly lacking. This runs contrary to Jesus's words to Simon Peter about God using the Church to build his kingdom (Matt 16:18). Granted that the church is a community of believers gathered in Jesus' Name, a called out people (ekklesia),  the role of the church is unfortunately relegated to the last chapter, instead of 'undergirding' every attempt to conquer any mountain. Even if I were to give Hillman the benefit of the doubt, that he meant the people of God to be the church, it is not clearly emphasized. It is true that one needs passion to become a change agent to make a difference. It is also true that one needs to be convicted about conquering the mountains in society. However, it needs to be done through the church and in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Another concern is the overwhelming focus on the 'top.' What about the rest? Mind you, God can choose to use anyone, anywhere. 

In summary, this book has a noble purpose. It shines in giving examples even though some of the names given are not as credible over time. It also excels in terms of engaging readers through sections of easy to read stages and illustrations. Ultimately, it disappoints because of a weak theology of the church. It is a para-church implementation of the 7-Mountain strategy that is unsettling.

Rating: 3 stars of 5.

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This book is supplied to me, courtesy of Charisma Publishing House without any obligation for a positive review. The comments made are freely mine.

conrade