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The Briarpatch Gospel: Fearlessly Following Jesus into the Thorny Places
Hasn’t Jesus called us into the thorns and thistles with Him to love what we find there? What if we had the courage to follow him into the briarpatch and discover life as we were always meant to live it? In The Briarpatch Gospel , dynamic young pastor Shayne Wheeler presents a radical message of grace, one that won’t allow you to remain comfortable merely sitting in a church pew. He shares his own heartbreaking personal journey through the briarpatch, and his church’s remarkable experience of creating a community in which people walk through life’s issues―even the darkest, most painful problems and questions―together. Unafraid. Like Jesus did.
Think about What is your (or your church’s) briarpatch―the area where you’re afraid to go, or feel unequipped to address? Is it sharing what you really think on controversial issues? Becoming friends with someone who’s different from you? Confronting and overcoming your own pain, doubts, or fears? Bold and challenging, The Briarpatch Gospel provides a new vernacular for Christians to have open, honest conversations about what loving each other in Christ’s name might look like in the briarpatches of their own communities.
Think about What is your (or your church’s) briarpatch―the area where you’re afraid to go, or feel unequipped to address? Is it sharing what you really think on controversial issues? Becoming friends with someone who’s different from you? Confronting and overcoming your own pain, doubts, or fears? Bold and challenging, The Briarpatch Gospel provides a new vernacular for Christians to have open, honest conversations about what loving each other in Christ’s name might look like in the briarpatches of their own communities.
272 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2013
10 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
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February 9, 2013
It was a bad sign that I found myself echoing the Preacher’s lament that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) very early in Shayne Wheeler’s The Briarpatch Gospel: Fearlessly Following Jesus into the Thorny Places, the latest book in the Hipster-Christian genre of publishing (where authors condemn “Holier Than Thou” Christianity only to replace it with “Cooler Than Thou” and “More Tolerant Than Thou” versions). I know absolutely nothing about Wheeler or his church so I have tried to constrain my critique to his book, without extrapolating it to his person or ministry, but I must admit that it is difficult to judge the latter without assuming that the former must logically be influenced by the views the book betrays.
Stylistically, the book is laden with personal anecdotes, and not very good ones at that. As one would expect, the stories that ring most true are those which impact him personally (e.g., his young daughter being diagnosed with cancer), but for the most part the book is illustrated by cliche post-modern dribble about homosexuals, street people, and tattoo fanatics, whose hatred of Jesus, Christianity, and the Church magically disappeared when they met the cool pastor who doesn’t judge people. Each chapter’s illustrations were essentially the same; the names and other specifics were just changed.
This was comically appropriate in a book that didn’t really need to be written in the first place. There’s really nothing new here. Shayne Wheeler is Donald Miller without the novelty or poetry. This book has been written and published numerous times already, and this newest version doesn’t add anything of significance to the conversation. (To be fair, this is probably more a condemnation of Tyndale, the publisher, than it is of Wheeler.)
Wheeler also seemed confused as to who his intended audience was and what he wanted the book to be about. The title, description, and endorsements make it seem like he’s writing for Christians, encouraging them to follow Jesus out of their comfort zone. But at times during the book, it seems like he’s writing a letter of condemnation to Christians for being intolerant, bigoted doofuses, and at others like he’s appealing to unbelievers, desperately trying to convince them that not all Christians are the intolerant, bigoted, doofuses that he describes. He occasionally forces the idea of a briarpatch into his illustrations and applications, but it’s not a consistent, running theme throughout the book as one would expect it to be, nor does the book live up to its billing. In the end, it’s not a book about finding Jesus in the hard places of life; it’s a book about the need for Christians to leave their comfort zone … which could be fine, if that’s how the book was advertised.
Regardless of what I thought of the style, however, it was mostly what I expected it to be. My biggest complaints have to do with the content, which unfortunately are too numerous to detail here so I will only address the 6 most worrisome aspects of the book:
1. For a book with “Gospel” in the title, there was very little Gospel in the book. The name of Jesus appeared a lot, and there were plenty of Bible references and quotes from Christian authors, but there was really only one chapter that dealt with the gospel in any detail (not surprisingly, it was the only chapter I didn’t hate). It’s a shame too because there were lots of anecdotes and assertions by Wheeler that desperately needed to have the gospel applied to them, but he never did it. He also spends a lot of time early on emphasizing that God is love, but neglects any mention of God as holy.
Even in the chapter where he finally addresses the exclusive claims of Jesus and man’s inability to save himself through works, he never actually mentions the cross outside of one generic reference to the “death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.” It’s a far cry from Paul telling the Corinthians, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2) or the Galatians, “may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). It’s great to talk about love and mercy, but disconnected from God’s holiness and from the cross, those words are sapped of their power.
2. Wheeler’s model of church hints at an unorthodox ecclesiology. In chapter two, he reveals that his church boasts that “All Souls is a place where you can belong before you believe” (p. 34). That’s a nice sentiment, but think about that for a minute. He’s proud that one can belong to his church without first believing in Jesus Christ. Apparently, one can be a member of the body, while still rejecting the head! (See 1 Cor. 12:12ff; Eph. 4:15-16, 5:23.) It’s one thing to say that unbelievers are welcome at church, but it’s something totally different to say that they belong to a church.
Wheeler also tells of hiring unbelieving musicians to be on the church’s praise team. I know of many churches (full disclosure: this includes my own) that have allowed non-Christians to participate in the music ministry, but that doesn’t make it any less wrong. A church’s musicians, no less than the preacher, have the responsibility of leading God’s people before his throne in corporate worship. The testimony of Scripture, from Aaron’s sons in Leviticus 10:1-7 to Paul’s warning regarding the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, is that inappropriate worship is offensive to God. In light of that, allowing unbelievers to lead the people of God into worship should not be taken as lightly as Wheeler does here.
At least Wheeler and I can agree that such an ecclesiology “has huge implications for how we think about the life of the church” (p. 34). It’s exactly because of these implications that Paul warned the Corinthians:
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ”I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
Yes, the church can become too exclusive, hiding its light under a bushel (Mt. 5:15) instead of proclaiming the good news, and we need to be vigilant against moving in that direction, but it’s also wrong to swing the pendulum the other way and eliminate the distinction between a Christian (who is one with Christ) and an unbeliever (whose loyalties still lie with the prince of this world). At best, Wheeler was careless with his wording and needs to better clarify his definition of what the church is and of whom it is comprised; at worst, his view of the church is dangerously unorthodox.
3. Wheeler’s view of Scripture is unclear. While he insists that the Bible is authoritative and historically reliable, he also denies that the church can hold its members accountable on the basis of its moral teachings. He writes,
“It contains many commands, but it cannot be reduced to a rule book. The Bible reveals many truths about God, Jesus, and the world, but it is not merely a doctrinal compendium. … Scripture was never intended to impart mere information; it was written less to inform and more to shape the lives of God’s children as the conduits of his call and promise to the world.”
Great. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those statements. The question I would love to hear Wheeler answer, however, is, “How then should the believer use the Bible?” He never gives a clear answer, but it seems like he advocates a “go with the flow” Christianity, where each believer reads the Bible in a vacuum and decides for and by himself what it says to him personally. That view of Scripture is post-modern, not Protestant. All orthodox Christians throughout history (including Luther, Calvin, and the rest of the Reformers) have believed in the importance of the individual reading Scripture within the context and community of the church, not as rogue mavericks deciding for themselves what the Bible says. The Bible might not be a book of commands, but it does contain truth that must be used (both by the individual and the church) to correct the life and behavior of any true disciple of Jesus Christ.
4. Wheeler separates discipleship from faith. This plays out in two ways throughout the book. Firstly, he promotes the type of “identity” thinking that is currently dividing the country and the church. Rather than seeing the world as Christian or not-Christian, he legitimizes the practice of Christians identifying with their particular communities (gay, feminist, young, etc.) more than identifying with Christ (although, again in true post-modern fashion, he does not extend the same right of identification to more traditional classifications as heterosexual, white, masculine, etc.).
Secondly, regarding homosexuality (which has a greater role in the book than the gospel does), Wheeler admits that it is incompatible with Christian discipleship, yet insists repeatedly that one can be a gay Christian (and a practicing one at that)! You can’t have it both ways. “Christian” and “disciple of Jesus” are synonymous. Either one is a disciple of Jesus or he isn’t. The entire book screams out for a correction from Abraham Kuyper:
“Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”
5. Wheeler separates Christ-likeness from morality. Let me first say that from a biblical perspective, legalism is as dangerous to the church as licentiousness. However, that does not mean that the Church and individual Christians should not concern themselves with morality. Wheeler, however, seems completely unconcerned by Christians continuing to practice habitual sin. The most obvious examples are the practicing homosexuals that he describes as gay Christians and who appear to be participating members (or at least attendees) of his church.
Wheeler calls Christians to be Christ-like in terms of hanging out and loving unbelievers, but does not call them (in the book, or, seemingly, in his church) to Jesus’ higher moral standard. When the Apostle John wrote, “By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 Jn 2:5–6), he was not simply calling his readers to a “life of love,” but also to a life of morality, as evidenced by the fact that he went on to write in the same epistle, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. … He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:6, 8).
6. Wheeler perpetuates a negative stereotype of Christians that just isn’t true. While it’s unclear who the protagonist of Wheeler’s story is (Jesus? unbelievers? nobody?), the antagonist is obvious: Christians. Throughout the book, the typical church-goer is portrayed as bigoted, ignorant, intolerant, and hateful. The lone exceptions are Wheeler, his wife, and the people who attend his church. While Christians, like all people, could obviously use some work, most of Wheeler’s stereotypes just aren’t true, and even if they were, his job as a pastor would be to correct and admonish through Scripture, not mock and berate through personal anecdotes.
Unsurprisingly (to anyone who has read this far), I cannot recommend this book to anyone. For the unbeliever, there are many books that do a much better job apologizing for the Christian faith. For the believer who wants to reach out beyond his comfort zone, there are more constructive books out there. And for believers who do not live as disciples, there are books that lay out a better and more biblical explanation of the call to discipleship than Wheeler does. At its root, The Briarpatch Gospel is a gospel that forsakes the holiness of God, his word, and his church, and therefore, it is no gospel at all.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review.
Stylistically, the book is laden with personal anecdotes, and not very good ones at that. As one would expect, the stories that ring most true are those which impact him personally (e.g., his young daughter being diagnosed with cancer), but for the most part the book is illustrated by cliche post-modern dribble about homosexuals, street people, and tattoo fanatics, whose hatred of Jesus, Christianity, and the Church magically disappeared when they met the cool pastor who doesn’t judge people. Each chapter’s illustrations were essentially the same; the names and other specifics were just changed.
This was comically appropriate in a book that didn’t really need to be written in the first place. There’s really nothing new here. Shayne Wheeler is Donald Miller without the novelty or poetry. This book has been written and published numerous times already, and this newest version doesn’t add anything of significance to the conversation. (To be fair, this is probably more a condemnation of Tyndale, the publisher, than it is of Wheeler.)
Wheeler also seemed confused as to who his intended audience was and what he wanted the book to be about. The title, description, and endorsements make it seem like he’s writing for Christians, encouraging them to follow Jesus out of their comfort zone. But at times during the book, it seems like he’s writing a letter of condemnation to Christians for being intolerant, bigoted doofuses, and at others like he’s appealing to unbelievers, desperately trying to convince them that not all Christians are the intolerant, bigoted, doofuses that he describes. He occasionally forces the idea of a briarpatch into his illustrations and applications, but it’s not a consistent, running theme throughout the book as one would expect it to be, nor does the book live up to its billing. In the end, it’s not a book about finding Jesus in the hard places of life; it’s a book about the need for Christians to leave their comfort zone … which could be fine, if that’s how the book was advertised.
Regardless of what I thought of the style, however, it was mostly what I expected it to be. My biggest complaints have to do with the content, which unfortunately are too numerous to detail here so I will only address the 6 most worrisome aspects of the book:
1. For a book with “Gospel” in the title, there was very little Gospel in the book. The name of Jesus appeared a lot, and there were plenty of Bible references and quotes from Christian authors, but there was really only one chapter that dealt with the gospel in any detail (not surprisingly, it was the only chapter I didn’t hate). It’s a shame too because there were lots of anecdotes and assertions by Wheeler that desperately needed to have the gospel applied to them, but he never did it. He also spends a lot of time early on emphasizing that God is love, but neglects any mention of God as holy.
Even in the chapter where he finally addresses the exclusive claims of Jesus and man’s inability to save himself through works, he never actually mentions the cross outside of one generic reference to the “death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.” It’s a far cry from Paul telling the Corinthians, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2) or the Galatians, “may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). It’s great to talk about love and mercy, but disconnected from God’s holiness and from the cross, those words are sapped of their power.
2. Wheeler’s model of church hints at an unorthodox ecclesiology. In chapter two, he reveals that his church boasts that “All Souls is a place where you can belong before you believe” (p. 34). That’s a nice sentiment, but think about that for a minute. He’s proud that one can belong to his church without first believing in Jesus Christ. Apparently, one can be a member of the body, while still rejecting the head! (See 1 Cor. 12:12ff; Eph. 4:15-16, 5:23.) It’s one thing to say that unbelievers are welcome at church, but it’s something totally different to say that they belong to a church.
Wheeler also tells of hiring unbelieving musicians to be on the church’s praise team. I know of many churches (full disclosure: this includes my own) that have allowed non-Christians to participate in the music ministry, but that doesn’t make it any less wrong. A church’s musicians, no less than the preacher, have the responsibility of leading God’s people before his throne in corporate worship. The testimony of Scripture, from Aaron’s sons in Leviticus 10:1-7 to Paul’s warning regarding the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, is that inappropriate worship is offensive to God. In light of that, allowing unbelievers to lead the people of God into worship should not be taken as lightly as Wheeler does here.
At least Wheeler and I can agree that such an ecclesiology “has huge implications for how we think about the life of the church” (p. 34). It’s exactly because of these implications that Paul warned the Corinthians:
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ”I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
Yes, the church can become too exclusive, hiding its light under a bushel (Mt. 5:15) instead of proclaiming the good news, and we need to be vigilant against moving in that direction, but it’s also wrong to swing the pendulum the other way and eliminate the distinction between a Christian (who is one with Christ) and an unbeliever (whose loyalties still lie with the prince of this world). At best, Wheeler was careless with his wording and needs to better clarify his definition of what the church is and of whom it is comprised; at worst, his view of the church is dangerously unorthodox.
3. Wheeler’s view of Scripture is unclear. While he insists that the Bible is authoritative and historically reliable, he also denies that the church can hold its members accountable on the basis of its moral teachings. He writes,
“It contains many commands, but it cannot be reduced to a rule book. The Bible reveals many truths about God, Jesus, and the world, but it is not merely a doctrinal compendium. … Scripture was never intended to impart mere information; it was written less to inform and more to shape the lives of God’s children as the conduits of his call and promise to the world.”
Great. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those statements. The question I would love to hear Wheeler answer, however, is, “How then should the believer use the Bible?” He never gives a clear answer, but it seems like he advocates a “go with the flow” Christianity, where each believer reads the Bible in a vacuum and decides for and by himself what it says to him personally. That view of Scripture is post-modern, not Protestant. All orthodox Christians throughout history (including Luther, Calvin, and the rest of the Reformers) have believed in the importance of the individual reading Scripture within the context and community of the church, not as rogue mavericks deciding for themselves what the Bible says. The Bible might not be a book of commands, but it does contain truth that must be used (both by the individual and the church) to correct the life and behavior of any true disciple of Jesus Christ.
4. Wheeler separates discipleship from faith. This plays out in two ways throughout the book. Firstly, he promotes the type of “identity” thinking that is currently dividing the country and the church. Rather than seeing the world as Christian or not-Christian, he legitimizes the practice of Christians identifying with their particular communities (gay, feminist, young, etc.) more than identifying with Christ (although, again in true post-modern fashion, he does not extend the same right of identification to more traditional classifications as heterosexual, white, masculine, etc.).
Secondly, regarding homosexuality (which has a greater role in the book than the gospel does), Wheeler admits that it is incompatible with Christian discipleship, yet insists repeatedly that one can be a gay Christian (and a practicing one at that)! You can’t have it both ways. “Christian” and “disciple of Jesus” are synonymous. Either one is a disciple of Jesus or he isn’t. The entire book screams out for a correction from Abraham Kuyper:
“Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”
5. Wheeler separates Christ-likeness from morality. Let me first say that from a biblical perspective, legalism is as dangerous to the church as licentiousness. However, that does not mean that the Church and individual Christians should not concern themselves with morality. Wheeler, however, seems completely unconcerned by Christians continuing to practice habitual sin. The most obvious examples are the practicing homosexuals that he describes as gay Christians and who appear to be participating members (or at least attendees) of his church.
Wheeler calls Christians to be Christ-like in terms of hanging out and loving unbelievers, but does not call them (in the book, or, seemingly, in his church) to Jesus’ higher moral standard. When the Apostle John wrote, “By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 Jn 2:5–6), he was not simply calling his readers to a “life of love,” but also to a life of morality, as evidenced by the fact that he went on to write in the same epistle, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. … He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:6, 8).
6. Wheeler perpetuates a negative stereotype of Christians that just isn’t true. While it’s unclear who the protagonist of Wheeler’s story is (Jesus? unbelievers? nobody?), the antagonist is obvious: Christians. Throughout the book, the typical church-goer is portrayed as bigoted, ignorant, intolerant, and hateful. The lone exceptions are Wheeler, his wife, and the people who attend his church. While Christians, like all people, could obviously use some work, most of Wheeler’s stereotypes just aren’t true, and even if they were, his job as a pastor would be to correct and admonish through Scripture, not mock and berate through personal anecdotes.
Unsurprisingly (to anyone who has read this far), I cannot recommend this book to anyone. For the unbeliever, there are many books that do a much better job apologizing for the Christian faith. For the believer who wants to reach out beyond his comfort zone, there are more constructive books out there. And for believers who do not live as disciples, there are books that lay out a better and more biblical explanation of the call to discipleship than Wheeler does. At its root, The Briarpatch Gospel is a gospel that forsakes the holiness of God, his word, and his church, and therefore, it is no gospel at all.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review.
December 12, 2018
I read this as a devotional and I liked that this author basically sees everyone for who they are. He also teaches Christians to do the same. He uses examples from his life and the Bible to show ways to live well and kindly and to truly show love to others. Very good book.
February 4, 2013
To truly dedicate your children to God, you need to prepare them to share their faith with others. Too often though, Christians seem to believe sharing their faith merely means showing up to well choreographed worship services. If we are feeling particularly evangelistic, we may invite a friend to join us. Churches are sometimes places where we are worshipping with people just like us. People perhaps unwilling to show any vulnerability in fear of appearing somehow unworthy of being there.
Shayne Wheeler in his book, The Briarpatch Gospel gives a view of Christianity which we need to share with our older children. In this book, we read the stories of some people who have been involved in some of the more "visible" sins often viewed as almost unforgivable by many Christians. Wheeler encourages us to realize we are all equally sinners and God has called us to something more than just evangelizing our friends.
Shayne does a wonderful job of helping us understand the stories of the people living in the world around us. People who, because of what they have seen of Christianity, feel God has no place for them. Walking the line of not endorsing the sin, but really showing people God's love, Wheeler encourages Christians to enter the briarpatch. The briarpatch of real people living sinful lives who are never offered the Gospel. The Christian world has often labeled these people as somehow "unsaveable" and moved on to save people who look more like we think a Christian should look.
In the world of the briarpatch gospel, Christians show God's love to everyone they encounter, not just those whom they believe will "fit into" their whitewashed Christian world. They are willing to venture into the briarpatch and minister to the people who are often marginalized in our churches. He points over and over again to the example of Jesus, who didn't spend all of his time at the Temple, but much of it with the marginalized people of that time - tax collectors, prostitutes and other "sinners" (In reality, everyone but Jesus who was alive at the time was a sinner!).
Wheeler never asks us to compromise the Bible calling to repent of the sin in our lives or not to expect others who are Christians to do the same. Rather he points out the hypocrisy of rejecting entire groups of people because of their sin, while refusing to address some of the sins in our own lives. He correctly points out, that in the eyes of God, all sin needs to be confronted in our lives. Our sins are not somehow "better" because we "only"gossip or lie. We are not allowed to pick and choose with whom we share the gospel message. Our calling is to share with everyone God places in our path.
My only concerns about the book were the lack of underscoring the important of baptism in the one spot where he actually went into some detail of a conversion and his slightly fuzzy explanation of heaven on the last page. His main purpose though, was not to teach us how to convert someone nor was it meant to be an examination of Heaven. The point of the book is to help open our eyes and see the people around us for who they really are and not just by the labels they have been given. Christians are called to enter the briarpatch of the world we inhabit and show everyone the way out of the briarpatch to God, forgiveness and redemption.
What better gift, than to give our children the gift God wanted them to have? I believe God wants us to raise our children to see all of the people in the world, not just those we have hand-picked as somehow more worthy of salvation than others. This generation of young people is being called by the world to minister to the marginalized of society. Many in the world are seeing the pain and hurt and know it isn't right. Ironically we are losing many of our young people because the Church is overlooking these very same people. And the saddest part of all, is we are losing our young people because we aren't entering the briarpatch God asked us to enter. The Church has something to offer a secular charity can never give the hurting people in the world. A chance at forgiveness, redemption and God's love. We can share this wonderful gift with them while we serve their felt needs.
We need to show our children how to minister to people and share the Gospel with every person they meet. We need to teach them how to enter the briarpatch. Reading this book with your teen is a great way to begin. Once you have read the book and discussed it with your teen, I encourage you to find some people in the briarpatch. Enter with your teen and see if you can't serve them together and then share God's words with those you have served.
This book was given to be for free by Tyndale in exchange for a review. I am painfully honest though, and have shared any concerns I may have. I am keeping this book on my shelves as a reminder to look beyond the surface and see the hurting person beneath. The book is scheduled to be released next month.
Shayne Wheeler in his book, The Briarpatch Gospel gives a view of Christianity which we need to share with our older children. In this book, we read the stories of some people who have been involved in some of the more "visible" sins often viewed as almost unforgivable by many Christians. Wheeler encourages us to realize we are all equally sinners and God has called us to something more than just evangelizing our friends.
Shayne does a wonderful job of helping us understand the stories of the people living in the world around us. People who, because of what they have seen of Christianity, feel God has no place for them. Walking the line of not endorsing the sin, but really showing people God's love, Wheeler encourages Christians to enter the briarpatch. The briarpatch of real people living sinful lives who are never offered the Gospel. The Christian world has often labeled these people as somehow "unsaveable" and moved on to save people who look more like we think a Christian should look.
In the world of the briarpatch gospel, Christians show God's love to everyone they encounter, not just those whom they believe will "fit into" their whitewashed Christian world. They are willing to venture into the briarpatch and minister to the people who are often marginalized in our churches. He points over and over again to the example of Jesus, who didn't spend all of his time at the Temple, but much of it with the marginalized people of that time - tax collectors, prostitutes and other "sinners" (In reality, everyone but Jesus who was alive at the time was a sinner!).
Wheeler never asks us to compromise the Bible calling to repent of the sin in our lives or not to expect others who are Christians to do the same. Rather he points out the hypocrisy of rejecting entire groups of people because of their sin, while refusing to address some of the sins in our own lives. He correctly points out, that in the eyes of God, all sin needs to be confronted in our lives. Our sins are not somehow "better" because we "only"gossip or lie. We are not allowed to pick and choose with whom we share the gospel message. Our calling is to share with everyone God places in our path.
My only concerns about the book were the lack of underscoring the important of baptism in the one spot where he actually went into some detail of a conversion and his slightly fuzzy explanation of heaven on the last page. His main purpose though, was not to teach us how to convert someone nor was it meant to be an examination of Heaven. The point of the book is to help open our eyes and see the people around us for who they really are and not just by the labels they have been given. Christians are called to enter the briarpatch of the world we inhabit and show everyone the way out of the briarpatch to God, forgiveness and redemption.
What better gift, than to give our children the gift God wanted them to have? I believe God wants us to raise our children to see all of the people in the world, not just those we have hand-picked as somehow more worthy of salvation than others. This generation of young people is being called by the world to minister to the marginalized of society. Many in the world are seeing the pain and hurt and know it isn't right. Ironically we are losing many of our young people because the Church is overlooking these very same people. And the saddest part of all, is we are losing our young people because we aren't entering the briarpatch God asked us to enter. The Church has something to offer a secular charity can never give the hurting people in the world. A chance at forgiveness, redemption and God's love. We can share this wonderful gift with them while we serve their felt needs.
We need to show our children how to minister to people and share the Gospel with every person they meet. We need to teach them how to enter the briarpatch. Reading this book with your teen is a great way to begin. Once you have read the book and discussed it with your teen, I encourage you to find some people in the briarpatch. Enter with your teen and see if you can't serve them together and then share God's words with those you have served.
This book was given to be for free by Tyndale in exchange for a review. I am painfully honest though, and have shared any concerns I may have. I am keeping this book on my shelves as a reminder to look beyond the surface and see the hurting person beneath. The book is scheduled to be released next month.
March 13, 2013
In The Briarpatch Gospel, Shayne Wheeler exposed the challenges and trials of travelling in the thick briarpatch. Living in a complicated world is anything but an easy task. The briarpatch is consisted of people out of our typical circle of Christian friends. Some people try to avoid the gays, lesbians, and bi sexual orientation, the drunks, the loners, people with tattoos, piercings, ex-criminals, people who practice other religions, or anyone who doesn’t fit in our group of friends. As Christians, we’re called to love one another as Christ would. It’s important to remember that we’re not called to judge others. Who are we to say who Christ loves more and accepts, because we have all have sinned and fallen short at some time or another. Christ is the ultimate judge and he died on the cross for all of humanity sins.
Shayne Wheeler’s story started when he and his wife decided to move to Decatur, Georgia. He had a vision and a calling from God to reach out to a community and build a church. He decided that they needed to be a church that accepted everyone for who they are. Shayne pointed out that the world views Christians as being judgment and condemning rather than accepting and loving like Christ. Non-believers are watching how some professing Christians picket military funerals and loudly and boldly say, “God hates fags”. Reading scripture and we know that nowhere is that saying in the Bible. Shayne Wheeler shared on page 189, “In Romans 1, homosexuality is mentioned alongside such issues as envy, strife, gossip and slander, lack of love and mercy, even disobedience to parents (Romans 1:29-31). It’s important to love them and not say they are going to hell or that God hates them. Shayne Wheeler continued with, “I don’t think the Bible supports same-sex relationships, but that does not mean I think you love Jesus less than I do in my own struggles with things the Bible clearly speaks against-greed, unforgiveness, or even lust. It just means we are all sinners in need of the grace God provides for us in the cross of Jesus. Brokenness is in all of us. We are all in this together. We are family” (Page 195).
One of the chapters covered the topic of the hidden icebergs in our lives. Everyone knows that the dangerous part of the iceberg is beneath the surface. It’s the part that we hide from others that damage our lives. Shayne Wheeler discovered that the two most problem areas people pursue is greed and sex. He stated that, “Yet Americans-whether Christian or no-give away less than 2 percent of their income to charitable organizations or to the poor” (Page 68). Many times we let our sole identity become how much stuff we have and how much is in the bank account. Sex is more of an intimacy longing and we want to be close to someone else but isn’t just about sex. It’s a sense of wanting to be connected and we want to be able to be ourselves with someone else. Many people turn to pornography for a temporary relief and they believe it will make you feel complete. But it never satisfies us for very long. Walking with Jesus through this life and beyond means being honest with yourself and others about your weaknesses, no matter how problematic and uncomfortable you may be.
I would recommend this magnificent book to anyone who is looking to be shaken up and wants to be pulled out of your comfort zone. This book is for people who are seeking a resource on dealing with the critical needs in the world we’re living in today. If you’re aren’t willing to overcome your own judgment and pride and befriend gays, bi, and lesbians, the drunks, people struggling with addictions, drugs, ex-criminals, and anyone who doesn’t seem like you, then this book might not be for you. It’s written for the radical people who are desperately trying to become like Christ. Christians, it’s time to reach out and show the love of Christ to all people especially people who we wouldn’t choose to be our friend. Shayne Wheeler had excellence points presented in the book that I know will offend most people. But loving others is a risk that we must take in order to become like Christ! This book will transform your life if you let it!
Tyndale House Publishers/Tyndale Momentum has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.
Shayne Wheeler’s story started when he and his wife decided to move to Decatur, Georgia. He had a vision and a calling from God to reach out to a community and build a church. He decided that they needed to be a church that accepted everyone for who they are. Shayne pointed out that the world views Christians as being judgment and condemning rather than accepting and loving like Christ. Non-believers are watching how some professing Christians picket military funerals and loudly and boldly say, “God hates fags”. Reading scripture and we know that nowhere is that saying in the Bible. Shayne Wheeler shared on page 189, “In Romans 1, homosexuality is mentioned alongside such issues as envy, strife, gossip and slander, lack of love and mercy, even disobedience to parents (Romans 1:29-31). It’s important to love them and not say they are going to hell or that God hates them. Shayne Wheeler continued with, “I don’t think the Bible supports same-sex relationships, but that does not mean I think you love Jesus less than I do in my own struggles with things the Bible clearly speaks against-greed, unforgiveness, or even lust. It just means we are all sinners in need of the grace God provides for us in the cross of Jesus. Brokenness is in all of us. We are all in this together. We are family” (Page 195).
One of the chapters covered the topic of the hidden icebergs in our lives. Everyone knows that the dangerous part of the iceberg is beneath the surface. It’s the part that we hide from others that damage our lives. Shayne Wheeler discovered that the two most problem areas people pursue is greed and sex. He stated that, “Yet Americans-whether Christian or no-give away less than 2 percent of their income to charitable organizations or to the poor” (Page 68). Many times we let our sole identity become how much stuff we have and how much is in the bank account. Sex is more of an intimacy longing and we want to be close to someone else but isn’t just about sex. It’s a sense of wanting to be connected and we want to be able to be ourselves with someone else. Many people turn to pornography for a temporary relief and they believe it will make you feel complete. But it never satisfies us for very long. Walking with Jesus through this life and beyond means being honest with yourself and others about your weaknesses, no matter how problematic and uncomfortable you may be.
I would recommend this magnificent book to anyone who is looking to be shaken up and wants to be pulled out of your comfort zone. This book is for people who are seeking a resource on dealing with the critical needs in the world we’re living in today. If you’re aren’t willing to overcome your own judgment and pride and befriend gays, bi, and lesbians, the drunks, people struggling with addictions, drugs, ex-criminals, and anyone who doesn’t seem like you, then this book might not be for you. It’s written for the radical people who are desperately trying to become like Christ. Christians, it’s time to reach out and show the love of Christ to all people especially people who we wouldn’t choose to be our friend. Shayne Wheeler had excellence points presented in the book that I know will offend most people. But loving others is a risk that we must take in order to become like Christ! This book will transform your life if you let it!
Tyndale House Publishers/Tyndale Momentum has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.
March 7, 2013
I just recently finished The Briarpatch Gospel: Fearlessly Following Jesus into the Thorny Places, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it! It definitely took me out of my comfort zone, because there are portions of the book that I don't completely agree with, but overall I thought that it was very well written and made me question why I believe certain things and also the future of the church.
I think that it is an interesting experiment to put yourself out into the world the way that Shayne spoke of in his book. He really challenges you to think about how you receive people in church, how you need to love them even if there is blatant sin evident in their lives. The question "are you sinless" continued to be revealed to me.
One of my favorite quotes happened early on in the book, and really set the stage as to how I would finish reading the book.
"I am convinced that the reason most people avoid our communities of faith - where Jesus can be discovered and known - is not the preaching, music, liturgy, or lack of programs. It is because of our own corporate self-protection and judgmental attitudes toward anyone who does not look, act, or believe like us. We are unwilling to take the risk of following Jesus into the briarpatch of welcoming and embracing our friends who don't fit, for whatever reason, into the refined and genteel Christian subculture." p-35
I see a lot of judgement in church these days, and it is sad. We all have to remember that we are all sinners, we all need Jesus. The church seems to be the judge of what is right and wrong, what is more sinful, but considering that God says in the Bible that all sin is the same I think that it is something we, as Christians need to re-evaluate. Everyone is looking for acceptance somewhere, and if we exclude them from church based on how they appear, or what they may or may not be doing, how is that showing God's love?
I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in return for my review, the opinions are my own.
I think that it is an interesting experiment to put yourself out into the world the way that Shayne spoke of in his book. He really challenges you to think about how you receive people in church, how you need to love them even if there is blatant sin evident in their lives. The question "are you sinless" continued to be revealed to me.
One of my favorite quotes happened early on in the book, and really set the stage as to how I would finish reading the book.
"I am convinced that the reason most people avoid our communities of faith - where Jesus can be discovered and known - is not the preaching, music, liturgy, or lack of programs. It is because of our own corporate self-protection and judgmental attitudes toward anyone who does not look, act, or believe like us. We are unwilling to take the risk of following Jesus into the briarpatch of welcoming and embracing our friends who don't fit, for whatever reason, into the refined and genteel Christian subculture." p-35
I see a lot of judgement in church these days, and it is sad. We all have to remember that we are all sinners, we all need Jesus. The church seems to be the judge of what is right and wrong, what is more sinful, but considering that God says in the Bible that all sin is the same I think that it is something we, as Christians need to re-evaluate. Everyone is looking for acceptance somewhere, and if we exclude them from church based on how they appear, or what they may or may not be doing, how is that showing God's love?
I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in return for my review, the opinions are my own.
March 13, 2013
Are you ready to move beyond the cozy confines of your local church and follow Jesus into those places where you can truly be the salt of the earth and the light of the world that He called you to be?
Do you believe that building real community means more than attending a weekly church service, bible study, and occasional potluck?
If so, then get ready to follow Jesus into the thorny places in life – the places Shayne Wheeler calls the briarpath!
In the Briarpatch Gospel, Shayne challenges us to stop leading safe, sanitized Christian lives and to step out into the real world – the briarpatch – and to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
Shayne encourages us to build transparent relationships with people who look, think, and believe differently than we do. He reassures us that we don’t have to have all of the answers to the questions people might ask us about suffering, about life, and about faith – it’s okay for us to grapple with the tough questions just like everyone else.
He reminds us that we’re not here to judge others – we’re here to love others, even as we stand firm in biblical truth.
When we move beyond our comfort zone and into the briarpath, we move into the places where we have the opportunity to experience God’s transformative power firsthand.
It is rare that you come across a book that you feel every Christian should read – but The Briarpatch Gospel is one of them. The Discussion Guide in the back of the book makes it ideal for church and small group discussion as well as for personal reflection.
For a fresh vision of what it means to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ, I encourage you to read The Briarpatch Gospel today!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Do you believe that building real community means more than attending a weekly church service, bible study, and occasional potluck?
If so, then get ready to follow Jesus into the thorny places in life – the places Shayne Wheeler calls the briarpath!
In the Briarpatch Gospel, Shayne challenges us to stop leading safe, sanitized Christian lives and to step out into the real world – the briarpatch – and to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
Shayne encourages us to build transparent relationships with people who look, think, and believe differently than we do. He reassures us that we don’t have to have all of the answers to the questions people might ask us about suffering, about life, and about faith – it’s okay for us to grapple with the tough questions just like everyone else.
He reminds us that we’re not here to judge others – we’re here to love others, even as we stand firm in biblical truth.
When we move beyond our comfort zone and into the briarpath, we move into the places where we have the opportunity to experience God’s transformative power firsthand.
It is rare that you come across a book that you feel every Christian should read – but The Briarpatch Gospel is one of them. The Discussion Guide in the back of the book makes it ideal for church and small group discussion as well as for personal reflection.
For a fresh vision of what it means to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ, I encourage you to read The Briarpatch Gospel today!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
December 29, 2012
Shayne Wheeler, The Briarpatch Gospel, Tyndale House Publishers, ISBN 978-1-4143-7230-3
Shayne Wheeler is a pastor from Decatur, Georgia, and in this book from Tyndale Momentum, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, he details his theory, "To live as Jesus has called us to live means we have to stop pretending."
How many of you enjoy blackberries freshly picked from the field near your home or on the side of the road? There is nothing like the delicious taste of a handful of blackberries fresh off the vine. So many good things come because of blackberries - blackberry pie for one, cobbler for another. Satisfying and makes your tummy happy right? But to get to the best blackberries you have to be very careful as you pick through the briars and the thorns - that can pinch, scratch and cause bleeding.
It is a lot like life. Our lives are not meant to be easy. God told us that. Many scriptures detail how important the trials and tribulations are for us to go through before we can achieve the satisfaction or comfort we are meant to have. Each 'blackberry picking' gets us one step closer to complete bliss.
Wheeler details this in his book in which he shares his personal testimony of walking through a number of briarpatches, as well as his church's journey.
There are a number of book similar to Wheeler's but none with such a realty reaching analogy as the briarpatch.
Four Stars (Only because it does sound so similar as many other books with the same purpose)
Shayne Wheeler is a pastor from Decatur, Georgia, and in this book from Tyndale Momentum, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, he details his theory, "To live as Jesus has called us to live means we have to stop pretending."
How many of you enjoy blackberries freshly picked from the field near your home or on the side of the road? There is nothing like the delicious taste of a handful of blackberries fresh off the vine. So many good things come because of blackberries - blackberry pie for one, cobbler for another. Satisfying and makes your tummy happy right? But to get to the best blackberries you have to be very careful as you pick through the briars and the thorns - that can pinch, scratch and cause bleeding.
It is a lot like life. Our lives are not meant to be easy. God told us that. Many scriptures detail how important the trials and tribulations are for us to go through before we can achieve the satisfaction or comfort we are meant to have. Each 'blackberry picking' gets us one step closer to complete bliss.
Wheeler details this in his book in which he shares his personal testimony of walking through a number of briarpatches, as well as his church's journey.
There are a number of book similar to Wheeler's but none with such a realty reaching analogy as the briarpatch.
Four Stars (Only because it does sound so similar as many other books with the same purpose)
February 18, 2013
“I realized that Jesus is in the midst of that jumbled thicket—the briarpatch—waiting for me to venture in. He’s waiting for you, too. And if we follow him, we will find him.”
~Shayne Wheeler, The Briarpatch Gospel
The Briarpatch Gospel is about wading out into the briarpatch of our lives. It is about getting real with God, ourselves, and each other in order to become the people that God has planned for us to be and to lead others to Him. Shayne Wheeler spreads the message of the grace and love of Jesus and how Jesus’ love for us can transform our lives.
I found that this book challenged me. As I was reading the book, I took a long hard look at my fears and the mask that I put up to keep others from seeing the real me… the messed up me…and how I do the same with God even knowing that He has always seen the messed me. It has challenged me to look at how I view other people. Am I viewing them through the lenses of the messed up me or am I viewing them through the lenses of Christ? How can I share His love with everyone I meet even those people that I don’t agree with the way that they live their lives? How can I be a reflection of Christ and represent His kingdom here on earth? The Briarpatch Gospel actually created more questions for me than answers, but that was because it caused me to reflect on my life and I am the only one who can truly answer those questions.
I received my copy courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers.
~Shayne Wheeler, The Briarpatch Gospel
The Briarpatch Gospel is about wading out into the briarpatch of our lives. It is about getting real with God, ourselves, and each other in order to become the people that God has planned for us to be and to lead others to Him. Shayne Wheeler spreads the message of the grace and love of Jesus and how Jesus’ love for us can transform our lives.
I found that this book challenged me. As I was reading the book, I took a long hard look at my fears and the mask that I put up to keep others from seeing the real me… the messed up me…and how I do the same with God even knowing that He has always seen the messed me. It has challenged me to look at how I view other people. Am I viewing them through the lenses of the messed up me or am I viewing them through the lenses of Christ? How can I share His love with everyone I meet even those people that I don’t agree with the way that they live their lives? How can I be a reflection of Christ and represent His kingdom here on earth? The Briarpatch Gospel actually created more questions for me than answers, but that was because it caused me to reflect on my life and I am the only one who can truly answer those questions.
I received my copy courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers.
March 5, 2013
The first chapter was compelling. I wanted to just delve into it and absorb as much as I could as quickly as possible. After that, I found myself arguing more and more with both myself and the author. While I agree with quite a lot of what he addresses, there are things that I have to question and shake my head over.
I absolutely love the change in my mindset to live and love more like Jesus. Love and care for the needy like never before. I want to be compassionate and act on that compassion. I don't want to just pass by and do nothing.
On the same token, I don't like being made to feel like I am part of a "self-righteous" church simply because we do not follow absolutely all of his thoughts. My church is the body of Christ and it feels like my home. It's warm, welcoming, accepting and loving.
I intend to change myself from the inside out after reading this book. I also want to dig deeper into many of the topics he addressed. I'm not a theologian. I love my Christ and I do intend to follow him into the briarpatch.
Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book, to review.
I absolutely love the change in my mindset to live and love more like Jesus. Love and care for the needy like never before. I want to be compassionate and act on that compassion. I don't want to just pass by and do nothing.
On the same token, I don't like being made to feel like I am part of a "self-righteous" church simply because we do not follow absolutely all of his thoughts. My church is the body of Christ and it feels like my home. It's warm, welcoming, accepting and loving.
I intend to change myself from the inside out after reading this book. I also want to dig deeper into many of the topics he addressed. I'm not a theologian. I love my Christ and I do intend to follow him into the briarpatch.
Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book, to review.
March 3, 2013
Shayne Wheeler is a friend of mine, but that's not (entirely!) why I gave this book 5 stars. I gave it 5 stars because I received it on a Friday afternoon and was finished by Saturday night. I'm sad to be done. Shayne is very transparent and vulnerable about his own fears, failures, doubts, and questions, and the book is filled with personal anecdotes about people whom Shayne has ministered to (and who have ministered to him). You'll meet a homeless man who spent 17 years in prison for killing two people, a lesbian couple who brought their daughter to church, an atheistic member of a church worship team, and many others whom Shayne has met in the briarpatch. The book may push the envelope too far for some, but its basic thrust is one worth wrestling with: Jesus calls us into the briarpatches of life - the places where there are thickets of thorns and thistles, hard relationships, difficult interactions, heartache, risk, and unanswered questions. And Jesus promises to meet us there.
August 20, 2013
In the book, Briarpatch Gospel, the author teaches that because the world has changed, the church must also so that more people can be reached for Christ. According to the author, the only way to do this is by entering the thorns of life and loving others in spite of it. The author explains that when Jesus was on earth, He went into the briarpatch and met people where they were. He cared for the poor, healed the sick, and forgave sins. In other words, Jesus showed His great love for people through action and He loved those that society shunned: the poor, women, children, and sinners. The author teaches that like Jesus, we must put aside judgments and love people as people. Mr. Wheeler used several quotes, Scripture verses, and true stories that made his points stick and in a way that you understood completely what he was trying to communicate to his readers. Though this is not the typical kind of book I read, I did find several things that I believe will be helpful in making more like Christ and helping to draw others to Him.
August 3, 2013
This book was given to me by my pastor. It took me a few nights to finish, but I enjoyed it! I thought his style of writing was refreshing and relatable! I love his transparency, his "pull no punches" kind of humor and bluntness, his style of storytelling, and how he communicates in a non-Christianese way. (Kind of reminds me of the way Tullian Tchividjian writes) In terms of content it's nothing I haven't read before or groundbreaking, but it's presented in a way that I think more people would understand (without all the high and lofty theological jargon). I do recommend it though!
August 22, 2013
I am sorry but this is not a good book. On Page 39 the author say we should say in church "sin is all things we do that we know are and try to keep secret, that mess up our lives and hurt others, and that keep us from living the life of joy and peace God desires for us" that is not what the bible says is sin. The bible says sin is when we think, say or do that breaks God's law. If we go by the author example sins can change depending on the person.
August 1, 2018
Everyone should read and absorb this book. It is well written and easy to understand. It is probably going to make you a bit uncomfortable
. You will be glad you read it. I just ordered several copies to give away. Please order it soon.
. You will be glad you read it. I just ordered several copies to give away. Please order it soon.
May 31, 2013
I love it when I find examples of how a person is able to sift through another person's story and present the hope of the gospel. There are a number of examples in "The Briarpatch Gospel".
March 28, 2014
Thoughtful, compassionate musings on meeting God in the abundant messy places of our lives and faith. Sometimes lacks focus, but overall a good and encouraging read.
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