At their site I entered to win a CD for every day of the year. Check it out:

http://hearitfirst.com/wow

On the supposed division between requirements for becoming and requirements for calling oneself a believer, we see from the book how boasting is not excluded. I wish I had the earplugs on when the book sounded the trumpets on the amount of money they budgeted for this and that! We see how pride and exclusion of those who are not “willing” go together.

I think you’ve raised an important point. I think that Francis Chan is describing what Christians look like, not how they become Christian. If he was telling us how to come to Christ and that the path was in doing good works, I would agree with you. However, he describes someone’s heart and life as being evidence of their already having been saved. In that sense, how you spend your time and money is a good indicator of whether or not you’re Christian.

I believe 1 John and the Hebrews warning passages all give the message that if you aren’t living as a Christian, you may not be one. Jesus, in Matthew 7:15-23, states that not everyone who believes they are saved are necessarily Christian. These passages are talking about “lukewarm” Christians–people calling themselves believers, but not showing it in their lifestyles. The indicator of their faith is their fruit. A person not taking up their cross and following Christ (which includes being willing to do so) has no business calling themselves Christian.

“To put it plainly, churchgoers who are ‘lukewarm’ are not Christians.”

Many of the standards the author employs to say that someone is not a Christian have to deal with money. If you haven’t given your all, in terms of money, time, energy, then you’re not going to heaven, according to this book. If there are “any limits to how far they will go or how much time, energy, or money they are willing to give” (p. 74), then people are lukewarm and therefore not Christians.

“willing to” do x. When did the Lord say that “willing to” do x, was by itself a such a commendable litmus test that it distinguished the believer from unbeliever, whereas the record of who actually did x does not!

This is yet another example of a series of books advocating a system of watered-down lawkeeping as the entrance requirement for heaven, rather than trusting Christ.

Glenn

Also, a Crazy Love small group dvd with never-before-seen content will be available in January. Because of your wonderful blog post about the book, I’d like to offer you a free pre-release copy of the dvd to review. Please email me your address, and I’d be happy to send it. Thanks!

Angela.Ralston@davidccook.com

I am trying to get a job at the Borders equivalent here in my city and hoped that I might be able to have a look at one of your typical job descriptions to help me set up my CV (resume).
May the Lord bless you all there at the book centre.
In Him
Leani