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Hanging in There
Hanging in There is a guide to choosing Jesus through the ups, downs and round-abouts of your teens and early twenties. This is a book about God, you, the Bible, prayer, church, relationships, sex, feelings, doubts, love and, above all, hanging in there as a Christian.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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47 people want to read
About the author
John Dickson
96 books131 followersJohn focuses on the big ideas that have shaped our world.
His journey is an eclectic one. Starting out as a singer-songwriter, he now works as a writer, speaker, historian of religion (focusing on early Christianity and Judaism), media presenter, Anglican minister, and director of a multi-media think tank.
With an honours degree in theology from Moore Theological College Sydney, and a PhD in history from Macquarie University, John is also an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Ancient History (Macquarie), and teaches a course on the Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies) .
John is a founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity(CPX), an independent research and media company promoting informed discussion about social, ethical and religious issues in modern life.
His book “The Christ Files: How Historians Know what they Know about Jesus” was made into a four-part documentary which aired nationally on Channel 7 in 2008. Now a best-selling DVD, it also won the 2008 Pilgrim Media award (see www.thechristfiles.com.au). His more recent Life of Jesus also aired on Channel 7 in 2009 (see www.lifeofjesus.tv).
His journey is an eclectic one. Starting out as a singer-songwriter, he now works as a writer, speaker, historian of religion (focusing on early Christianity and Judaism), media presenter, Anglican minister, and director of a multi-media think tank.
With an honours degree in theology from Moore Theological College Sydney, and a PhD in history from Macquarie University, John is also an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Ancient History (Macquarie), and teaches a course on the Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies) .
John is a founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity(CPX), an independent research and media company promoting informed discussion about social, ethical and religious issues in modern life.
His book “The Christ Files: How Historians Know what they Know about Jesus” was made into a four-part documentary which aired nationally on Channel 7 in 2008. Now a best-selling DVD, it also won the 2008 Pilgrim Media award (see www.thechristfiles.com.au). His more recent Life of Jesus also aired on Channel 7 in 2009 (see www.lifeofjesus.tv).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 24, 2024
A solid read for those who are newer to the faith or need to hear the foundational ideas of faith in different aspects of life.
September 7, 2014
I thought Hanging in There was really good. It’s a short and easy read, but it’s very encouraging and sticks closely to the message of the Bible. The blurb describes it as such:
Hanging in There is a book about God, you, the Bible, prayer, church, relationships, sex, feelings, doubts, love and, above all, ‘hanging in there’ as a Christian.
If you’re new to the Christian faith or a long-serving Christian who could use some encouragement, this book is for you.
I think this book would be really good for young people who have recently put their trust in Jesus. It’s very simple and down-to-earth, and it covers a broad range of issues where new Christians might have questions or where they could do with encouragement. And as the blurb said, it’s helpful and encouraging for long-time Christians as well.
What I loved most about this book is how closely it stuck to what the Bible has to say. It really tried to answer questions based on God’s word. Books that don’t hold closely to the scriptures seem to end up being either moralistic and pharasaical — putting across a message of salvation by works rather than by God’s great gift and sacrifice — or they try to become politically correct and water down the inconvenient truths of the gospel. Hanging in There mostly avoids both traps. John Dickson is careful to stress the importance of “checking out” anything you hear with what the Bible actually says. He says : “I’ve been very careful to do my best to explain what the Bible says, but if you find something in [this book] that isn’t biblical, rip that page out”.
Even though Hanging in There does a good job of sticking to the core of the gospel, it does not explore the topics it discusses in very great depth. It’s main purpose is to give a brief word of biblical advice and encouragement to new believers, not to be a weighty theological tome. While it’s a light and easy read that’s good for helping you think about issues in a logical, biblical manner, a Christian would want to read about most of these things in more depth, both (obviously) in God’s word, as well as in other books (while making sure to test those other books against the scripture).
Though less relevant for me, this book gives good advice to young Christians who are growing up with non-Christian parents. John Dickson himself had non-Christian parents and became a Christian when he was 15, so he speaks from personal experience. Even though I’ve been blessed to grow up in a Christian family, his advice is helpful and encouraging.
It’s not a weighty, in-depth tome, but I think Hanging in There is a very helpful for Christian young people — especially for new believers, but also as encouragement for longer-time Christians. Highly recommended.
Hanging in There is a book about God, you, the Bible, prayer, church, relationships, sex, feelings, doubts, love and, above all, ‘hanging in there’ as a Christian.
If you’re new to the Christian faith or a long-serving Christian who could use some encouragement, this book is for you.
I think this book would be really good for young people who have recently put their trust in Jesus. It’s very simple and down-to-earth, and it covers a broad range of issues where new Christians might have questions or where they could do with encouragement. And as the blurb said, it’s helpful and encouraging for long-time Christians as well.
What I loved most about this book is how closely it stuck to what the Bible has to say. It really tried to answer questions based on God’s word. Books that don’t hold closely to the scriptures seem to end up being either moralistic and pharasaical — putting across a message of salvation by works rather than by God’s great gift and sacrifice — or they try to become politically correct and water down the inconvenient truths of the gospel. Hanging in There mostly avoids both traps. John Dickson is careful to stress the importance of “checking out” anything you hear with what the Bible actually says. He says : “I’ve been very careful to do my best to explain what the Bible says, but if you find something in [this book] that isn’t biblical, rip that page out”.
Even though Hanging in There does a good job of sticking to the core of the gospel, it does not explore the topics it discusses in very great depth. It’s main purpose is to give a brief word of biblical advice and encouragement to new believers, not to be a weighty theological tome. While it’s a light and easy read that’s good for helping you think about issues in a logical, biblical manner, a Christian would want to read about most of these things in more depth, both (obviously) in God’s word, as well as in other books (while making sure to test those other books against the scripture).
Though less relevant for me, this book gives good advice to young Christians who are growing up with non-Christian parents. John Dickson himself had non-Christian parents and became a Christian when he was 15, so he speaks from personal experience. Even though I’ve been blessed to grow up in a Christian family, his advice is helpful and encouraging.
It’s not a weighty, in-depth tome, but I think Hanging in There is a very helpful for Christian young people — especially for new believers, but also as encouragement for longer-time Christians. Highly recommended.
June 12, 2022
Great book for youth either starting out in the faith or struggling with running the race and would benefit from simple but important reminders why and how to keep at it! An encouraging read
June 28, 2021
A great message, and some helpful reminders, but the way it was written did not appeal to me. It definitely sounded like it was written for mid-teenagers who were relatively knew to Christianity (rather than people in their 20s who already know God) and a lot of the jargon and jokes were outdated (as were the illustrations).
May 26, 2021
Excellent. It helped me grow in my faith when I was a teen. It gave me hope and assurance of the promise of a future....
May 30, 2015
Living the Christian Life in a hostile world
28 December 2012
Having written some books on why one should be a Christian and who Jesus really is I guess Dickson saw the need to actually write a book not simply on living as a Christian, but surviving what may be quite a tough walk. I have recently read some reports on a website called cultwatch about certain speakers who live a wealthy lifestyle by writing a endless numbers of books and charging exorbitant fees on a speaking circuit and I sort of wonder if Dickson falls into this category. Personally, while of late I have not been impressed with some of his debates (namely those against Atheism) I would hardly say that he would be one of those speakers. The reason I say that is because these particular speakers tend to promote the (incorrect) prosperity doctrine, being that if you love God and give your money to his church then he will bless you with worldly wealth. Out of all of the books that I have read of Dickson I have never seen him mention this doctrine, and further, I have never seen him act in an ostensibly wealthy manor. However I do issue a challenge to John Dickson and ask him to openly declare is income and the value of his assets.
Look, I am not having a go at John Dickson per se, but having been a member of the Anglican Church in Australia for such a long time it is very hard not to come across John Dickson, and I have numerous times heard him being promoted as a great evangelist and one that you must go and hear because of his gift at speaking and being able to open up the Bible. To be honest with you I have heard him speak a number of times, and have read a number of his books, and he is not that bad. At least his books are not written like the Rick Warren book A Purpose Driven Life wherein he tries to 'covenant' (which is a Christian word which pretty much means to commit, but has much stronger overtones because it invokes a divine connection) with him and his church, but prevents you from actually criticising any of the actions of him or his church (because the Bible says that it is not your job to criticise another of Jesus' followers, despite the fact that Paul and Jesus would do that quite often).
Look, I have probably drifted off tangent, but as mentioned it is about how the Christian life is tough, and I must admit that it is, but not as much here as it is in post-invasion Iraq. Here in the Western World we are mocked and ridiculed by a small minority for our apparent out-dated and medieval beliefs, but at least we are not threatened and killed or our churches fire bombed. However, that does not mean that living a Christian life in suburban Australia is easy, and one of the reasons that I would suggest is not so much to do with that small minority who laugh at people who profess a faith, but rather from over-zealous members of the church that seek to emotionally blackmail you through the doctrine of sin and hell.
The truth is that when you are being attacked from the outside by hostile forces then that tends to create a much stronger community that relies upon God for protection, however take away that hostility and what you end up with is complacency. I have seen churches that actually go out of their way to create a perceived hostility in our society where none exists. Okay, it may be true that you may suffer some form of persecution, but to be honest Christians are not the only ones who are passed over for jobs, nor are they they only ones that will make an ethical stand against their employer. I have seen and known people who have been persecuted outside of the church, and the church does nothing to actually support them (other than the pathetic 'I will pray for you', which I suspect never actually happens).
I feel that the greatest danger the Western church faces today is not liberalism or persecution, but rather the sin of the Pharisees: self-righteousness. With established churches in the Western World we have literally a pyramidal structure where members try to climb up that structure, not for money (because there isn't any) but for status and power and to be seen and admired by those below them. One of the biggest freedoms that we have (thankyou Martin Luther) is that here in the Western World we are not tied to a single church: we have the freedom to walk out of the door, down the road, and into the next church, and if we don't like that one, we can do it again. Beware, however, because the churches themselves do not like that, and will argue about liberalism in an attempt to prevent you from escaping their grasp.
28 December 2012
Having written some books on why one should be a Christian and who Jesus really is I guess Dickson saw the need to actually write a book not simply on living as a Christian, but surviving what may be quite a tough walk. I have recently read some reports on a website called cultwatch about certain speakers who live a wealthy lifestyle by writing a endless numbers of books and charging exorbitant fees on a speaking circuit and I sort of wonder if Dickson falls into this category. Personally, while of late I have not been impressed with some of his debates (namely those against Atheism) I would hardly say that he would be one of those speakers. The reason I say that is because these particular speakers tend to promote the (incorrect) prosperity doctrine, being that if you love God and give your money to his church then he will bless you with worldly wealth. Out of all of the books that I have read of Dickson I have never seen him mention this doctrine, and further, I have never seen him act in an ostensibly wealthy manor. However I do issue a challenge to John Dickson and ask him to openly declare is income and the value of his assets.
Look, I am not having a go at John Dickson per se, but having been a member of the Anglican Church in Australia for such a long time it is very hard not to come across John Dickson, and I have numerous times heard him being promoted as a great evangelist and one that you must go and hear because of his gift at speaking and being able to open up the Bible. To be honest with you I have heard him speak a number of times, and have read a number of his books, and he is not that bad. At least his books are not written like the Rick Warren book A Purpose Driven Life wherein he tries to 'covenant' (which is a Christian word which pretty much means to commit, but has much stronger overtones because it invokes a divine connection) with him and his church, but prevents you from actually criticising any of the actions of him or his church (because the Bible says that it is not your job to criticise another of Jesus' followers, despite the fact that Paul and Jesus would do that quite often).
Look, I have probably drifted off tangent, but as mentioned it is about how the Christian life is tough, and I must admit that it is, but not as much here as it is in post-invasion Iraq. Here in the Western World we are mocked and ridiculed by a small minority for our apparent out-dated and medieval beliefs, but at least we are not threatened and killed or our churches fire bombed. However, that does not mean that living a Christian life in suburban Australia is easy, and one of the reasons that I would suggest is not so much to do with that small minority who laugh at people who profess a faith, but rather from over-zealous members of the church that seek to emotionally blackmail you through the doctrine of sin and hell.
The truth is that when you are being attacked from the outside by hostile forces then that tends to create a much stronger community that relies upon God for protection, however take away that hostility and what you end up with is complacency. I have seen churches that actually go out of their way to create a perceived hostility in our society where none exists. Okay, it may be true that you may suffer some form of persecution, but to be honest Christians are not the only ones who are passed over for jobs, nor are they they only ones that will make an ethical stand against their employer. I have seen and known people who have been persecuted outside of the church, and the church does nothing to actually support them (other than the pathetic 'I will pray for you', which I suspect never actually happens).
I feel that the greatest danger the Western church faces today is not liberalism or persecution, but rather the sin of the Pharisees: self-righteousness. With established churches in the Western World we have literally a pyramidal structure where members try to climb up that structure, not for money (because there isn't any) but for status and power and to be seen and admired by those below them. One of the biggest freedoms that we have (thankyou Martin Luther) is that here in the Western World we are not tied to a single church: we have the freedom to walk out of the door, down the road, and into the next church, and if we don't like that one, we can do it again. Beware, however, because the churches themselves do not like that, and will argue about liberalism in an attempt to prevent you from escaping their grasp.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews