A Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God
Spirituality for the Rest of Us
(Multnomah, 2018)
WHO: Larry Osborne, senior pastor at North Coast Church in Vista, California.
HE SAYS: “The simplicity of knowing God through Jesus Christ and the accessibility of genuine spirituality get obscured by the thick fog of traditions, well-intentioned extra fences, and our assumption that whatever’s good for us would also be great for everybody else.”
THE BIG IDEA: This updated and expanded edition aims to challenge many widely accepted ideas about what it means to know God and what it is that actually produces spirituality.
THE PROGRESSION:
Part 1, “Genuine Spirituality,” raises questions that many people have but are hesitant to ask: “What does it mean to know God?” “What is the difference between religion and relationship?” “How can two utterly different people both please God?” and “Is it a sin to be average?”
“How Does Spiritual Growth Happen?” is Part 2, a breath of fresh air that lets readers know that the amount of light they have isn’t as important as what they do with it.
“What Does God Want?” is Part 3, the largest section for such a big topic. It examines why extra rules undercut spirituality, what callings and gifts mean, finding what works for you, and much more.
“Whenever the bar gets raised higher than the actual standard set by Jesus and the Bible, the result is a lot of Christians who see themselves as saved yet incapable of ever experiencing a spirituality that genuinely pleases God.”
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