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Real Christians Don't Dance! Sorting the Truth from the Trappings in a Born-Again Christian Culture
Probing and questioning, John Fischer challenges believers to evaluate their Christian experience and assumptions. For many, traditions and trappings have become a protective and restrictive cocoon, inhibiting the growth of their faith. Discovering the essence of faith restores the vitality of freedom in Christ and cuts away those issues that distract from the important ones.
191 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1988
About the author
John Fischer
18 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Fischer has been mixing his unique combination of singing, speaking, and humor for a variety of audiences for over thirty years. His multifaceted talents of song writing, speaking, singing, and writing reflect the many avenues by which John carries on a spiritual dialogue with real life and real people.
John's books present a thought-provoking challenge to the Christian Church today, encouraging believers to pull the true essence of their faith from the trappings of the contemporary Christian subculture. John's debut into fiction, Saint Ben, received a Silver Angel award for fiction.
His other fiction books include Saint Ben, Saint's and Angel's Song, and Ashes on the Wind. Since l980, he has contributed a column to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine.
A graduate of Wheaton College, John and his family now live in California.
John Fischer has been mixing his unique combination of singing, speaking, and humor for a variety of audiences for over thirty years. His multifaceted talents of song writing, speaking, singing, and writing reflect the many avenues by which John carries on a spiritual dialogue with real life and real people.
John's books present a thought-provoking challenge to the Christian Church today, encouraging believers to pull the true essence of their faith from the trappings of the contemporary Christian subculture. John's debut into fiction, Saint Ben, received a Silver Angel award for fiction.
His other fiction books include Saint Ben, Saint's and Angel's Song, and Ashes on the Wind. Since l980, he has contributed a column to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine.
A graduate of Wheaton College, John and his family now live in California.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 16, 2017
An old book. Read it when I was growing up. Re-read it. The premise is really simple - "be IN the world, but not OF it".
Are Christians too concern with being right in the eyes of other Christians - behaving right, mixing with the right crowd, being in the right places, etc - then being in the world where they need our love. In fact, 2000 years ago, the Pharisees accused Jesus of exactly the same "crime". He touched unclean lepers, He ate dinner with tax collectors, He healed cripples on the Sabbath and then told them to carry their beds around for a while, and He was nice to prostitutes and Samaritan women.
Are Christians too concern with being right in the eyes of other Christians then being real. Like Michal - you know, the wife of David, watching from a window when the Ark was brought back to Jerusalem, and David was dancing in front of the procession ... "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" David didn't care. He replied, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father [Saul] or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel - I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." (2 Sam. 6:20-22). It always amazes me that Jesus gets exhausted, thirsty, lonely, angry, etc. He even wept at Lazarus' memorial service. Why did He do that since He knows He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, that there was going to be a great victory? But He cried anyway.
So here's the Ins and Outs of it (from the book) ...
"In it, not of it," the statement was made
As Christian One faced the world, much afraid.
"In it, not of it," the call was made clear,
But Christian One got something stuck in his ear.
"Not in it, or of it" was the thing that he heard.
And knowing the world was painfully absurd,
He welcomed the safety of pious retreat,
And went to the potluck for something to eat.
Now Christian Two, he knew what to do,
He'd show those fundies a thing or two!
How will the world ever give Christ a try
If we don't get in there and identify?
So "In it, and of it," he said in his car,
As he pulled in and stopped at a popular bar.
"I'll tell them the truth as soon as I'm able
To get myself out from under this table."
Now along comes Christian Three jogging for Jesus,
In witnessing sweats made of four matching pieces.
His earphones are playing a hot Christian tune
About how the Lord is coming back soon.
"Not in it, but of it," he turns down the hill
And stops in for a bite at the Agape Grill.
Like the gold on the chain of his "God Loves You" bracelet,
He can have the world without having to face it.
While way up in heaven they lament these conditions
That come from changing a few propositions.
"Not in it, or of it," Christian One thought.
But who is the world will know that he's not?
"In it, and of it," thought Christian Two.
But who in the world will know that he knew?
"Not in it, but of it," thought Christian Three.
But who in the world watches Christian TV?
And Jesus turns to Gabriel, shaking His head.
" 'In it, not of it,' wasn't that what I said?"
Are Christians too concern with being right in the eyes of other Christians - behaving right, mixing with the right crowd, being in the right places, etc - then being in the world where they need our love. In fact, 2000 years ago, the Pharisees accused Jesus of exactly the same "crime". He touched unclean lepers, He ate dinner with tax collectors, He healed cripples on the Sabbath and then told them to carry their beds around for a while, and He was nice to prostitutes and Samaritan women.
Are Christians too concern with being right in the eyes of other Christians then being real. Like Michal - you know, the wife of David, watching from a window when the Ark was brought back to Jerusalem, and David was dancing in front of the procession ... "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" David didn't care. He replied, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father [Saul] or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel - I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." (2 Sam. 6:20-22). It always amazes me that Jesus gets exhausted, thirsty, lonely, angry, etc. He even wept at Lazarus' memorial service. Why did He do that since He knows He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, that there was going to be a great victory? But He cried anyway.
So here's the Ins and Outs of it (from the book) ...
"In it, not of it," the statement was made
As Christian One faced the world, much afraid.
"In it, not of it," the call was made clear,
But Christian One got something stuck in his ear.
"Not in it, or of it" was the thing that he heard.
And knowing the world was painfully absurd,
He welcomed the safety of pious retreat,
And went to the potluck for something to eat.
Now Christian Two, he knew what to do,
He'd show those fundies a thing or two!
How will the world ever give Christ a try
If we don't get in there and identify?
So "In it, and of it," he said in his car,
As he pulled in and stopped at a popular bar.
"I'll tell them the truth as soon as I'm able
To get myself out from under this table."
Now along comes Christian Three jogging for Jesus,
In witnessing sweats made of four matching pieces.
His earphones are playing a hot Christian tune
About how the Lord is coming back soon.
"Not in it, but of it," he turns down the hill
And stops in for a bite at the Agape Grill.
Like the gold on the chain of his "God Loves You" bracelet,
He can have the world without having to face it.
While way up in heaven they lament these conditions
That come from changing a few propositions.
"Not in it, or of it," Christian One thought.
But who is the world will know that he's not?
"In it, and of it," thought Christian Two.
But who in the world will know that he knew?
"Not in it, but of it," thought Christian Three.
But who in the world watches Christian TV?
And Jesus turns to Gabriel, shaking His head.
" 'In it, not of it,' wasn't that what I said?"
June 1, 2022
A very digestible set of articles which culminate to produce a profound look at Christianity in modern culture. This was very stirring and really made to re-think how our religion can become lukewarm. Worth a read!
February 14, 2018
I love this book and I love the author. One of my favorite features of CCM magazine was the back of the magazine with John's insights. This book features many of these articles. John focuses like Jesus did on the inside of a Christian's life than the outward appearance.
January 10, 2024
Next to the Bible, this book has influenced me the most.
June 2, 2013
For such a dumb 1988 title and cover design, it was a great book from the best chapel speaker Olivet has brought in. It was a quick, easy read, but a message that needs to be more common in today's evangelical culture. Ideas were similar to Donald Miller, but delivered with a better writing style.
October 31, 2016
Or, how not to be a Pharisee. Fischer tries to sort out the essential aspects of being a Christian from the superficial trappings of Christianity. Short chapters, breezy style: there's nothing off-putting about this book. No index or notes.
April 15, 2009
Need to stop behaving like a Christian, Just need to be one!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews