No More Mr. Nice Guy!

by Stephen W. Brown

Book by Stephen W. Brown

Genres: Christian Living

231 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Steve Brown is a radio broadcaster, author, and the founder of Key Life Network. A former pastor, he also sits on the board of Harvest USA and devotes much of his time to the radio broadcasts Key Life and Steve Brown, Etc.

Reviews

[John Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ironically, this is a book which tells you to beware of believing what you read in books, including this one. There is a tension to be sought here because we are responsible for our beliefs and practices and we may not delegate that responsibility to others nor abdicate it. Yet we need others to instruct, encourage, and correct us in our beliefs and practices. There are serious dangers to be avoided in either being radically independent or being blindly gullible. I think Steve Brown (who I personally like very much and who was my prof at RTS) seeks to challenge readers to keep the balance but he does so by emphasizing the side of personal responsibility and freedom.

It is not wrong to serve others for Christ's sake. It's wrong to serve others for our own sake: our pride, our desire for control, our own glory etc. Will we ever get this right? No. Not in this life. But we must keep on trying. We become doormats when we serve others for the wrong reasons. I want to serve others for the right reasons but I want to beware of forgetting that every need is not a call to service.

My takeaways:

Beware of allowing false guilt to control you, effectively replacing God's authority in your life.

Keep a tender conscience toward God and His Word. Be receptive to others who wisely point you toward the truth and godly living.

I grade books hard, therefore I give it a 3 but it is worth reading. Keep in mind it weighs heavily on one side of the issue, an issue we need to give careful thought to.