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Jesus without Borders: What Planes, Trains, and Rickshaws Taught Me about Jesus

Chad Gibbs (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 93 Ratings · 27 Reviews

Chad Gibbs has lived his entire life in Alabama, the buckle of America‘s Bible Belt, where Christianity is a person‘s default setting. In Jesus Without Borders, Gibbs steps outside of his very comfortable existence, to learn what it is like to be a Christian anywhere else in the world.

Over the course of many months, Chad and his Alabama worldview spent time with believers ...more

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Paperback, 240 pages

Published March 31st 2015 by Zondervan

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Jun 30, 2015 Brenda rated it really liked it

It was a very interesting and witty book. It was good to see the different ways people worship and have church in different countries. Very informative. Good book.

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Jan 22, 2015 Allison rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, religion

This is travel writing... with bonus Christianity. Chad Gibbs examines Christian culture in 13 different countries, comparing them to his base experience of protestant/evangelical Christianity in the "bible belt" southern US. I had expected this to be a book chronicling his own struggle to incorporate new information into his own belief system, and of his own growth as a Christian. It was not that. However, it is an excellent introduction to the nuances of worldwide Christianity for readers who This is travel writing... with bonus Christianity. Chad Gibbs examines Christian culture in 13 different countries, comparing them to his base experience of protestant/evangelical Christianity in the "bible belt" southern US. I had expected this to be a book chronicling his own struggle to incorporate new information into his own belief system, and of his own growth as a Christian. It was not that. However, it is an excellent introduction to the nuances of worldwide Christianity for readers who haven't yet had a chance to travel to these countries and see for themselves.

Gibbs writes honestly and openly about his life and experiences, and becomes increasingly self-aware and more analytical as his travels progress. He is someone who never really traveled in his younger years, and then caught the travel bug, and started writing this book partially so that he could visit many different countries. He is a huge football fan, and not a foodie at all (he ate a LOT of fast food during his travels), but has some surprisingly insightful comments about Christianity worldwide, especially in the later chapters (and especially in the chapters about Africa).

Gibbs focuses a lot on the difference between his own experience where being protestant evangelical Christian was normal (and everything else is abnormal, even being Catholic) and the more prevalent experience of evangelical Christians worldwide as being a somewhat-misunderstood minority population. He does a good job describing the experience of minority Christians in other cultures, and as the book progresses, he becomes increasingly aware of how far his own life experience is from that of the early Christians in the Bible who were prosecuted for their beliefs. Personally, though, as someone from the northern US who went to school with more Hindus, Muslims, Jewish people, and agnostics than Christians, his descriptions of his own home experience seemed even more "foreign" to me than those of Christians abroad.

Initially, I found his writing style a bit difficult to deal with. Having visited 11 of the 13 countries he described, I found his descriptions somewhat superficial. Some of his jokes, and his folksy "I'm just a southerner abroad" passages also chafed. For example:

"...people of all races and nationalities were... conversing in various languages and accents, some of which I'm pretty sure are illegal in Alabama."

"It's just that I wasn't really expecting to meet a girl who looks very Korean, yet talks very much like Nicole Kidman."

"statue of Vladimir Lenin sitting in a chair,... holding a book (probably The Hunger Games)."

Granted, after the third quote, he comments that it was odd sitting between a statue of Lenin and a church, being that Lenin believed that religion was used for the "exploitation and stupefaction of the working class." The history lesson and reflection about the contradictions present in modern-day Russia? Interesting. Jokes about Lenin holding the Hunger Games? Not for me. Us vs. them, otherizing comments about accents and languages, and wondering if the primary function of Japanese TV is "to bewilder foreigners"? Definitely not for me.

That said, in the later chapters, (I imagine, after he has done quite a bit of traveling and has greater perspective), I really enjoyed his insights. While in Uganda, he said some wonderful things about the role of missionaries, the inherent problem of missionary work in Africa and giving in Africa, and his own guilt-ridden impulses. These are things that everyone has felt while traveling, and he did a good job of putting them in a Christian context, while also acknowledging the limitations of his knowledge/expertise, and refusing to fall back on Christian platitudes. I loved that.

This was a solid 2.5 for me. For Christians (or those who are interested in comparative religious studies) who haven't yet had the chance to travel abroad a lot, I would say that this is a must read. For those who have travelled a lot, you might find, as I did, that you were looking for a greater depth of analysis than what Gibbs gives us.

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Apr 13, 2015 Grace P. rated it really liked it

Mostly a travel memoir about how other cultures practice Christianity, this book was told with humor and historical facts and I enjoyed it.

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May 09, 2015 Sandi rated it liked it

A book about how Christianity os practiced in different countries or how it's not practiced at all

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Mar 01, 2018 Cara rated it it was ok

Entertaining story of author's travels to different countries, but not a whole lot of 'meat'. Still, a fun, quick read.

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Mar 24, 2015 Michelle Kidwell rated it it was amazing

Jesus Without Borders
What Planes, Trains and Rickshaws Taught Me about Jesus
Copyright 2015 Chad Gibbs
Zondervan

In 2011 Chad and his wife Tricia travel to Brazil where they attend a newly formed Protestant church called The River Church and

they learn that in Brazil Protestants are the minority. They also learn that a high number of Protestants in Brazil classify themselves as unchurched.

In 2012 they go to Spain where though a large number of the population is Catholic many do not believe in God ...more

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Apr 09, 2016 Becky rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016reviews, librarybook, operationactuallybooks

Jesus Without Borders is a travel narrative written from the perspective of a football-and-soccer loving Southerner (Alabaman) who grew up as an evangelical in the Bible Belt. It is light on the theology, heavy on superficial jesting. A lot of the humor, unfortunately for me, didn't work. I wouldn't say that I always rolled my eyes every time he tried to be funny or witty. But I never laughed either.

It was also very predictable. After the first chapter or two, readers know exactly what to expec Jesus Without Borders is a travel narrative written from the perspective of a football-and-soccer loving Southerner (Alabaman) who grew up as an evangelical in the Bible Belt. It is light on the theology, heavy on superficial jesting. A lot of the humor, unfortunately for me, didn't work. I wouldn't say that I always rolled my eyes every time he tried to be funny or witty. But I never laughed either.

It was also very predictable. After the first chapter or two, readers know exactly what to expect: complaining about the plane ride there, complaining about transportation while there, complaining about traffic and road conditions, complaining about bad driving, mentioning the stereotypes he has grown up with about the country he's in, going to a church or bible study that he "discovered" online in his research, complaining about food, mentioning his lack of note-taking, mentioning sports, reporting his conversations with two to three people he met while there, drawing conclusions about a whole country based on the conversations he had with two to three people. Each chapter was supposed to include his insights about faith and God and what he learned--how he expanded his mind and his heart--by traveling. I would say these are light and it's not that they're completely absent from the text it's just that they're not very substantive and memorable.

The premise of the book was great. He is a writer who has had Christian books published. He loves to travel. He decides that it would be great fun to combine the two. To go on twelve to thirteen working vacations. His work would have him going to church in thirteen countries and talking to at least thirteen people about their faith and what it means to "be a Christian" in their various countries. The narrative style is casual, bordering on embarrassingly full of jokes that don't quite work. (I guess readers would have had to been there to 'get' the joke.) At least for me. His half-jesting style may prove quite delightful for other readers. (For example, Lenin's statue is reading The Hunger Games.)

With travel books, sometimes it's more who's doing the narrating...unless the travel writing is really good, really focused, really descriptive. Which his travel writing isn't. ...more

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Jun 01, 2015 Megan Franks rated it really liked it

LOVED this book! Consisting of part humorous travel writing (food, lodging, sites, soccer!) and part observation of Christian culture around the world, the author shares his experiences of visiting 13 international locations. This book resonated with me because I, like Gibbs, have grown up in the southern U.S. in the same Christian denomination, and it wasn't until I began to travel did I begin to understand how varied (and beautiful) the body of Christ is around the world.

I recommend this book ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Shan rated it liked it

Jesus Without Borders: What Planes, Trains, and Rickshaws Taught Me about Jesus is a chronicling of Chad Gibbs' travels to find out what life is like for believers around the world.

Gibbs writes with great honesty and humour and that makes this an enjoyable book. I was very impressed at the way he talked about his preconceptions, even if they were very silly and sometimes bordering on a bit offensive. He’s very open about misconceptions that Americans can have and the way some view themselves com ...more

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Oct 18, 2015 Georgia Herod rated it really liked it

Chad Gibbs had lived his entire life in Alabama, attending Friday night football (He is author of God and Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC.) and Sunday morning church—both religiously. At some point he began to ask questions about what Christians and their lives were like in other countries. So he decides to board planes, catch trains, and ride in rickshaws, among other modes of travel to twelve countries. What he provides is hilarious “spiritual globetrotting”—as he encounters Christia ...more

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Jan 27, 2015 Charity Andrews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christian

Traveling all over the world so you can “research how people worship” is very clever. Well played, Chad! Well played.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It is always interesting to see how other cultures worship God and live their lives. In America, for some reason, we always think we are the professionals of everything. However, Christianity has been practiced for years in other countries long before the good ol’ U.S. of A. ever existed.

Chad’s witty humor (yes, actually laughing out lo ...more

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Dec 20, 2015 Heather Truett added it

Shelves: kindle, nonfiction

This title caught my eye on the library website and I borrowed it for Kindle. I spent Christmas reading it straight through, which is something I rarely do with nonfiction. The author is from Alabama and decided to explore Christianity in other modern cultures. What is it like to be a Christian growing up and living in China? Spain? Uganda? Australia? The result is a book that combines a few of my favorite things: interesting facts, travel stories, and broadening spiritual horizons. Travel alway ...more

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Feb 29, 2016 Karen Roettger rated it it was amazing

I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed this book. I liked Chad's sense of humor about various situations and the in depth descriptions of the many places he visited. I learned a lot about Christianity around the world & how others view Christians in America. There seem to many misconceptions about religions & people because we refuse to be open minded & willing to accept the fact that Christians in other countries may not be like we are. I enjoyed the comment from the littl ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Theodene rated it it was amazing

For those of us who rarely travel abroad or have the desire to visit the far corners of the earth, Jesus without Borders is a fantastically written story summarizing various trips the author took on his quest to learn more about Christianity, Christian lifestyles, and how Christians are treated in their country. It is beneficial to know people who liven these other countries or to travel with a dear friend. Overall, I enjoyed this book as it took me to places I don't foresee myself ever visiting ...more

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Mar 30, 2015 Marcia rated it really liked it

Shelves: religion-spiritual, nonfiction, grown-up-books

I enjoyed this story of author Chad Gibbs' quest to better understand what it means to be Christian in our world today. Part personal journey for the conservative evangelical Christian from Alabama and part travelogue, it is witty and interesting. He travels to Brazil, Japan, Israel, Australia, England, China, and other places to meet Christians and discuss what it is like to practice their faith in their country and also attends worship services. He comes away learning that what we take for gra ...more

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Apr 07, 2015 Colleen Lahey rated it it was amazing

What a terrific book! I purchased this book because I was curious about Christianity in other countries. The author decides to travel to 13 countries and explore how citizens in those countries practice Christianity. From the title, I expected it to be interesting and somewhat dry. Boy, was I wrong. This book is a total hoot. Since I am not into sports, I have never read anything written by Chad Gibbs. The author did an excellent job with this topic and his humorous musings throughout the book m ...more

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Jul 26, 2015 Melissa Lindsey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: travel

I deeply appreciated this author's recognition that he barely even touched the surface as he traveled to 12 different countries to learn about the Church in those places. What was most appealing to me in this account of his travels is that he visited Christians whose practices were different from his own. His reporting of his experiences had a strong ring of honesty to it that was refreshing to me after a long line of disappointing travel accounts. I came away from this book with the realization ...more

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Jan 24, 2017 Bethany rated it really liked it

This book was interesting, inspiring, and enjoyable to read. Chad Gibbs takes you to Christian churches around the world, all with different traditions, yet all focused on Jesus. It was a great reminder that God has called us to be part of His church, not just one specific denomination of an American-based church! Even with this subject matter, Gibbs keeps the tone light and humorous (not preachy), and you learn a lot about the different places he visits. He also explains how to use the travel h ...more

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Jun 24, 2015 David Holford rated it it was amazing

I always enjoy funny travel books. This is the first one I've read by a Christian who was traveling to find out more about Christians. That's a topic I like, too. This book was already set up to be a winner for me before I opened the front cover.

The great thing is that the author finds out about himself and American Christianity in the process. Read this book and you might find out more about yourself.

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Oct 03, 2015 Clara Roberts rated it did not like it

This is a rather boring book. This is supposed to memoir of worshipping in various cultures in thirteen different countries. It really is a travel book that spends most of the time discussing the food of the various countries. Short shift is given to the churches or the worship experience. This book seemed to have no value other than to make money for the author, Chad Gibbs

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Jul 29, 2016 Karen added it

Interesting book written by a Christian humor writer who decided to explore Christian culture in 12 foreign countries. Although there were just snapshots of what he found in each country, I still found the book very interesting as someone who has never been outside the US except visits to Canada.

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Jul 22, 2015 Jessy rated it really liked it

Loved it! Very humorous. Loved reading about the ways Christianity in other cultures is similar to and different from American Christianity. Now I want to go experience worship in other cultures for myself!

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Feb 08, 2016 Marie Lay rated it liked it

Although I do not agree with some of the religious viewpoints expressed in the book and found some of those aspects a bit heavy handed I did enjoy reading about his travels and liked his sense of humor.

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Dec 15, 2016 Alison rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction-general

Entertaining and insightful. Don't expect to find Christian instruction, but rather a unique point of view. This book is a funny, light hearted travel memoir from the perspective of a Christian. It made me want to get out my passport and see a new country.

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Jul 12, 2015 Christie rated it really liked it

We read this book at a church book club. At first I didn't think it was "meaty" enough but the more I read, the more I enjoyed his stories of meeting Christians in other countries. It lead to a good discussion in the book club.

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Apr 07, 2015 Whitney rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christian

I enjoyed this book so much I finished it in 2 days, which doesn't happen for me much nowadays. Not only was this a page-turner, but it was the perfect combination of travel stories, global factoids, humor, and a picture of Jesus as He is worshipped across our diverse world. So good!

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Aug 23, 2015 Debbie rated it it was ok

Shelves: adult

Although fairly strong on humor, I didn't think this book was strong on religious insight. Nor did it offer much inspiration for spiritual growth. Overall I thought this book was meh.

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Staci Elizondo rated it liked it
Dec 20, 2016

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Mel rated it it was amazing
Aug 30, 2015

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About Chad Gibbs

Chad Gibbs

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Chad Gibbs is the best-selling (Okay, regional best-selling) author of God & Football: Faith an Fanaticism in the SEC. He has written for CNN, The Washington Post, and RELEVANT Magazine, and has made numerous (Okay, three) appearances on ESPN. Gibbs and his wife currently reside in Alabama with their son and two dogs, Harper and Bob Vance.

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“Mark Twain famously wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrowmindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” — 1 likes

“There’s nothing wrong with having a Christian heritage, but when our faith becomes a box we check on surveys, and not a life we live, we shouldn’t act surprised when the next generation says, “No, thanks.” — 1 likes

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