They Like Jesus But Not The Church – Review

So far so good on my read one book at a time resolution. With the writer’s strike on really the only thing to watch in the evening is Reality TV and I despise most so while Kathy watches Project Runway I read (for example).

So last night i finished up Dan Kimball’s They Like Jesus But Not The Church. This book is a good compliment to UnChristian, which I recently finished as well.   This is a less formal, less scientific study of outsiders feelings about the church.  It is chock-full of personal statements from people that Dan knows personally.  And I found myself agreeing with a lot of the statements people were making and I also found myself upset by other comments.

The best chapter in the whole book is “What They Wish the Church Were Like”.  In this chapter Dan outlines some different dreams and ideals that people wish the church would be. And I think there are a lot of great lessons in this.

What Dan Kimball has done in They Like Jesus But Not The Church, is not write a heady and impersonal book on outreach.  Instead he asked the people that he knows personally to shape this book, instead of telling people what they think, he asked what they think.

This is a great book, and if you want to get a pulse on outsiders views of the church, then  this and UnChristian are both great resources.

My Next Book:  Jim and Casper Go To Church