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Bad Christian, Great Savior
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING 5 THINGS (otherwise you will probably just think we are a-holes)
1. This book is intense. It is not soft. It contains real stories about us that are less than flattering. We talk about problems more than solutions. This is not done in order to be divisive, or to grumble. The aim of this book is to promote honesty for the sake of the Gospel. It contains strong language and descriptions that WILL be offensive to some. This book is written this way because…
2. This is the way we really talk, and this is the kind of stuff that we really talk about. We want you to know who we are and where we come from. We are Matt and Toby from the band Emery, and Pastor Joey Svendsen. Certain paragraphs are written from one perspective, but everything in these pages comes from one collective voice. We have spent the last twelve years in a mix of bars, nightclubs, churches, tour buses, church counseling sessions, greenrooms, youth groups, Christian retreats and festivals, wild parties, prayer circles, and circles of people doing hard drugs. We recommend that you read the articles that we reference. They are the prequel to this book and will provide you with some experience of our approach.
3. We believe that the Church is awesome and is carrying out Jesus’ mission. We fully support the church. In fact, all three of us work and/or serve at large mega-churches. We believe that Jesus changes people, frees them from their sin, and makes them more like Him. We have seen and experienced this first-hand. We believe that Jesus commands us to make disciples and to teach all that He has commanded, which is why…
4. We had to write this book. We feel called and led by God to build BADCHRISTIAN. Jesus’ victory, as well as the change we see in believers’ lives, is REAL, so we don’t need to pretend that we are better than we are. We don’t need to be defensive about our institutions or ourselves. We have to tell the truth and we know that by telling the truth, He is glorified.
5. This is not a book of Theology. This is not Christian Inspiration. This is Matt, Toby, and Joey being themselves. We know that you will disagree with individual points we make or approaches we take. We also admit that we may be wrong, and we humbly ask you to stick it out with us as brothers and sisters. Again, this book is mostly just an assessment of some current problems in Christian culture. Our next book, THE BADCHRISTIAN MANIFESTO, will roll out our plans and potential solutions. For now, we have decided to just give you a personal look at who we are and how we think. Our agenda is the Gospel, and the aim of this book is simply to tell it like we see it: that you are worse than you think you are, and that Jesus is better than you think He is.
1. This book is intense. It is not soft. It contains real stories about us that are less than flattering. We talk about problems more than solutions. This is not done in order to be divisive, or to grumble. The aim of this book is to promote honesty for the sake of the Gospel. It contains strong language and descriptions that WILL be offensive to some. This book is written this way because…
2. This is the way we really talk, and this is the kind of stuff that we really talk about. We want you to know who we are and where we come from. We are Matt and Toby from the band Emery, and Pastor Joey Svendsen. Certain paragraphs are written from one perspective, but everything in these pages comes from one collective voice. We have spent the last twelve years in a mix of bars, nightclubs, churches, tour buses, church counseling sessions, greenrooms, youth groups, Christian retreats and festivals, wild parties, prayer circles, and circles of people doing hard drugs. We recommend that you read the articles that we reference. They are the prequel to this book and will provide you with some experience of our approach.
3. We believe that the Church is awesome and is carrying out Jesus’ mission. We fully support the church. In fact, all three of us work and/or serve at large mega-churches. We believe that Jesus changes people, frees them from their sin, and makes them more like Him. We have seen and experienced this first-hand. We believe that Jesus commands us to make disciples and to teach all that He has commanded, which is why…
4. We had to write this book. We feel called and led by God to build BADCHRISTIAN. Jesus’ victory, as well as the change we see in believers’ lives, is REAL, so we don’t need to pretend that we are better than we are. We don’t need to be defensive about our institutions or ourselves. We have to tell the truth and we know that by telling the truth, He is glorified.
5. This is not a book of Theology. This is not Christian Inspiration. This is Matt, Toby, and Joey being themselves. We know that you will disagree with individual points we make or approaches we take. We also admit that we may be wrong, and we humbly ask you to stick it out with us as brothers and sisters. Again, this book is mostly just an assessment of some current problems in Christian culture. Our next book, THE BADCHRISTIAN MANIFESTO, will roll out our plans and potential solutions. For now, we have decided to just give you a personal look at who we are and how we think. Our agenda is the Gospel, and the aim of this book is simply to tell it like we see it: that you are worse than you think you are, and that Jesus is better than you think He is.
- GenresNonfiction
51 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2013
17 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 5, 2014
Hmm, not sure this is a fair rating but I only read it this evening and want to think about what I did and didn't like about it.
After a couple of days thought, I have decided not to change my star rating. I did agree with certain aspects of the book and the message that the three men are trying to promote. It would be good if Christians were more open with each other and confessed their faults to each other. I'm just not sure this means putting them out of the internet - or encouraging others to do the same. Once something is on the internet, it has a life of its own.
My second fear with being so open with all our sins is that it may actually cause others to stumble. I don't believe that enough emphasis is given to the dreadful cost of sin. Yes, there is no sin too great for God to forgive - but this doesn't mean that there won't be dreadful costs to pay. Will some see it as an excuse to go on in sin? In fine, the message in this book is too one-sided.
After a couple of days thought, I have decided not to change my star rating. I did agree with certain aspects of the book and the message that the three men are trying to promote. It would be good if Christians were more open with each other and confessed their faults to each other. I'm just not sure this means putting them out of the internet - or encouraging others to do the same. Once something is on the internet, it has a life of its own.
My second fear with being so open with all our sins is that it may actually cause others to stumble. I don't believe that enough emphasis is given to the dreadful cost of sin. Yes, there is no sin too great for God to forgive - but this doesn't mean that there won't be dreadful costs to pay. Will some see it as an excuse to go on in sin? In fine, the message in this book is too one-sided.
April 22, 2014
I continue to love this concept and these guys. I'm eagerly awaiting the second book, because all of this first one speaks to me, it's just too bad that there's only fifty pages (in the print version at least).
July 20, 2014
Finally! honest christians :) Thank God for His controversial Grace.
June 11, 2020
I am a bad Christian. I want to think of myself as good and I want others to look and me and think I am good but I know I am not. Looking at my life and some of the things I do and think I would be insane to say that I am good. I am not good but Jesus is. That is the central point of this book and any book that has this explicit gospel is 5 stars. This book is great for anyone struggling with trying to follow all the "rules" of Christianity or for anyone who has failed for so long to follow the rules that they have given up hope of ever being good. That is my story. I have been a Christian for years but still struggle with sin so much that I question whether or not I am saved. To me looking at my badness meant that I had not received Christ's goodness because his goodness was supposed to make me good. I am just now learning that yes, I do have Christ's goodness and righteousness but that does not automatically make me good or sinless. It is in my sin that I need to learn to trust and rely on Jesus. He is the only thing that can sustain me and change me. His power is made perfect in my weakness. I can openly admit to being weak. It is a practice I need to do more, especially with the people closest to me. Please, pick up this book and read it. If you can't afford it I will buy it for you. It is worth it.
December 20, 2017
I really like the concept of what these guys are doing. The dudes who started hardcore band Emery created Bad Christian as a way to take a little of the hypocrisy out of Christianity by admitting everybody is inherently bad, no matter how desperate we are to look good and portray an image of perfection. This is more a collection of small essays and doesn’t quite fully dive into a full on explanation of how they propose to change the mindsets of a countless “high and might” Christians, but it’s a decent start.
June 17, 2017
You guys lost me at.....
"we respect artists like Kanye because he does not hold back. "
Really?! Come one that guy is a text book egomaniac rude jerk!
Anyhow. Appreciate how real and authentic these guys are. Not everyone is going to get this. I wish more people did. People on both sides of the fence when it comes to spirituality and the people sitting on it. Stuck putting people in boxes. Gotta let go of that.
"we respect artists like Kanye because he does not hold back. "
Really?! Come one that guy is a text book egomaniac rude jerk!
Anyhow. Appreciate how real and authentic these guys are. Not everyone is going to get this. I wish more people did. People on both sides of the fence when it comes to spirituality and the people sitting on it. Stuck putting people in boxes. Gotta let go of that.
January 5, 2019
Everything written here was from the heart.
May 30, 2014
I highly recommend this book to anyone of any religion. Even if you are not a christian (like me) and are just a fan of Emery, you will still take a lot out of this. Just be warned that it is brutally realistic (aka graphic) and honest - and that's what I enjoyed about it. A few of the best quotes:
"And that is just Emery. If it didn't fall squarely into the biblical category of gossip, I could write a whole book about what we've seen from other bands, particularly those in the 'Christian scene'. It would probably be a bestseller."
"What kind of christian looks at porn, anyway? I would guess most."
"Our stories are real. You have real stories too, but you just won't talk about them."
Yeah, stop reading this review and go pick up this book.
"And that is just Emery. If it didn't fall squarely into the biblical category of gossip, I could write a whole book about what we've seen from other bands, particularly those in the 'Christian scene'. It would probably be a bestseller."
"What kind of christian looks at porn, anyway? I would guess most."
"Our stories are real. You have real stories too, but you just won't talk about them."
Yeah, stop reading this review and go pick up this book.
November 14, 2015
I'm an avid listener to the BC podcast, and this book is an extension of that. I'm not sure if I'd find this book intriguing if I weren't already listening to the podcast. Being able to listen to hours upon hours of conversation between these guys definitely kept me engaged with the narrative.
Essentially, the message of Bad Christian is: you are way worse than you think you are, and Jesus is way better than you think he is. So instead of acting like we have it all together, let's just have real talk about how jacked up we really are, and let's let Jesus be the hero... not us.
I recommend this book if you listen to the BC podcast. If you don't, I'd recommend checking out a few episodes before you pick up this book.
Essentially, the message of Bad Christian is: you are way worse than you think you are, and Jesus is way better than you think he is. So instead of acting like we have it all together, let's just have real talk about how jacked up we really are, and let's let Jesus be the hero... not us.
I recommend this book if you listen to the BC podcast. If you don't, I'd recommend checking out a few episodes before you pick up this book.
June 13, 2015
There are some good critiques of the modern church buried in this muddle of mediocre writing, but it's hard to imagine anyone being swayed by it. It's a shame that it's not better written, because the central point - that Christianity is not meant to be about rules and condemning others, but about relationships with God and other believers - is important.
Add a couple stars to the writing if you love Emery and would be totally into the band members constantly reminding you how much they also love themselves.
Add a couple stars to the writing if you love Emery and would be totally into the band members constantly reminding you how much they also love themselves.
June 8, 2015
Dang it. I wrote out a nice review and a glitch lead to it being lost! Anyway, I recommend this book to Christians and non Christians. The guys from BC take an honest and refreshing take on the gospel. The church needs more Bad Christians and less legalistic religion pushers. This book is an easy read, entertaining and thought provoking. It's not for everyone but if you're at all open minded and not easily offended then you should check it out for sure!
July 29, 2014
Thank goodness for fellow, honest, no BS Christian brothers. They have a lot of wisdom and some controversial things to say about today's church and religion in general.
A good, quick read with a lot of heart.
A good, quick read with a lot of heart.
January 6, 2016
Good book. Short. Focus on real purpose of church.
March 11, 2016
These guys are very raw and very real. They hold an interesting view of Christianity, but it is one that is helpful to know for believers of various contexts and lifestyles.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews