I just got done with Jesus Wants to Save Christians. The book, by Rob Bell and Don Golden, is subtitled "A Manifesto for the Church in Exile." Reading though this book, I found myself struggling with a lot of what they were trying to say. A lot of the concepts within this book, I'd have to say, are pretty radical thinking. If one didn't know any better, you'd begin to think that Rob Bell was trying to start a revolution, of sorts; manipulating the hearts and minds of the common christian into joining in for a "greater cause." I realized, at the end, that this wasn't just my imagination...

He is.

Now, obviously, if you are not a Rob Bell fan, then this probably isn't the book for you. I use the term "Fan" loosely, as I understand that what Rob tries to do with his preaching and his methods is not to gain notoriety. This is not someone trying to become a new face of Revolution or even make a name for himself in the history books. Regardless, Bell is a person who does gather a lot of following; especially with his earlier books Velvet Elvis, and when you have a person like this who has a lot to say and the amazing power to speak what can only be construed as the truth, there will be those that just don't like where it's going. That said, I can guarantee that from this point forward in Rob's career things are going to start changing. This book will be the start of controversy, and probably a turning point in the face of Christianity as we know it.

That is, if you end up reading this book.

Here's the deal, the back of the book actually explains all of what you might witness within the pages:

There is a church in our area that recently added an addition to their building which cost more than $20 million. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty.

This is a book about those two numbers.

...It's about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some poeple fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers.

Reading this will no doubt get a person excited to hear Rob Bell expand on this concept. I will guarantee you that he expands on it like no other. In this book you will even look at the Bible with a new found knowledge on how exactly it was like to hear God's word back in the days before there was anything called a Bible. Rob is pretty good at that. It all comes down to a point where we have to understand as a church to become a body of Christ, hear the cry of the oppressed, and to answer that cry. It's about taking down these walls (not literally) that we put up between ourselves and the impoverished; these ideas of bigger churches/services, louder music, and appealing to a certain demographic. This book is about helping out those that are in need, instead of living ourselves as wealthy people thinking that we deserve what we've worked for and that America is a God Blessed Nation.

This book is all about that, and it will do a good job from the beginning to the end to convince you that the way we think and live needs to change a little. He ties things together remarkably, and all the while he will be sure to tell you that it is "not about feeling guilty."
It's not.
But it will.

Never-the-less, by the end of this book you will have a deeper understanding of what he's talking about. My problem with the book, however, comes somewhere in the midst of the second act.

In this book will we have a history lesson about Egypt, Sinai, Jerusalem, and Babylon. It follows the endless cycles of "Empires", ranging from Egypt, to the Romans with their "God" Caesar, and eventually to America as we know it today. First there was Egypt and Pharaoh, the man who enslaved the Israelites and gathered wealth and power at the expense of God's people. Then there was the Roman Superpower, who acquired nations and followers with the edge of the blade; destroying those who would not bow down to Caesar. At present we have America, a nation that - though we stand for justice and peace - is just another Empire like the rest which is dedicated to serving ourselves more than we are those that aren't capable of serving themselves. Now, let's be clear, you really have to read this book to understand what I'm talking about, but the part that I don't understand is what exactly Rob is trying to say in all this.

He speaks a lot about these empires and there are many statistics regarding America versus the poor, but what he never quite explains is whether or not we should be a part of the American system.
Does he mean we should feel ashamed?
Are we supposed to make ourselves poor to help out others?
In our effort to not be hypocrites, where we "own three cars per family where millions of people in other countries don't even own one," do we get rid of our cars and our houses and other things we have become so accustomed to?

No, obviously, he's not saying all those things, but again, what is he really trying to say?

He does explain that as a church, as a whole, we need to get away from certain mindsets and put our focus on the path that Jesus meant for us to have. To not forget where we came from in our own struggles, how God saved us, so that we might help and save others. That's what it's all about. We shouldn't be living our lives with our own luxuries while neglecting the luxuries of others...more or less.

Still, what's all this in the middle, where we compare the Empire of America to the Empire of Egypt and Babylon; these Empires that fell and were destroyed because the obviously lost sight of God grace he has given them. And those that take part in the workings of these Empires will also fall and therefore suffer.

He's very motivating in his reasons, but at the same time it's very sadistic in a way. I found myself struggling with these concepts, in that I wasn't sure if that meant I shouldn't even take part in anything America has to offer me. I mean, I agree that America needs to get off it's high horse; in fact I think that when people realize that we are all human beings, the world will be a better place, but at the same time I love America and all it has to offer me.

The future I want for myself fully depends on taking advantage of America.

Am I supposed to be like Paul? Throw it all away and dedicate my life to following the footsteps of Jesus?

Yes, in all seriousness, I think that's what Rob Bell was trying to say, and if that's the truth then I would regrettably have to disagree. I know that, in the end, this was all about the Church, and not the individual, but I can't shake all these questions that were never answered.

In the end, I found one passage that put my mind at ease a little:

Our Destiny, our future, and our joy are in the Eucharist, using whatever blessings we've received, whatever resources, talents, skills, and passions God has given us, to make the world a better place. Disconnection from the suffering of the world, isolation from the cry of the oppressed, indifference to the poverty around us will always lead to despair.

Maybe that was the answer all along. Maybe what he was trying to say was "Hey, you can be passionate about the things God has made you passionate about, and even use the gifts and talents he's given you, but never forget who you represent or where you came from. Never forget those that are suffering, and those that have less than what you were given." Maybe that's it, or maybe that's what I'm trying to say. I've known this to be truth for a while, and I can promise that I will do all that's in my power to follow the word and make this world a better place.

Does this mean that I will worry about how much gas I'm using or the amount of food I eat?

It's a struggle to figure out what exactly was the point of a good chunk of that book, and I'd really like to get some answers to my questions,but until then I'm just going to stick with the path that God has shown me.
I'll keep praying.
We'll see if God has something else in store.
Read the book, tell me what you think.