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I Am a Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus [Paperback]

Leonard Sweet
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (149 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 3, 2012
“FOLLOW ME.”

These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples. 

Sadly, this life-changing invitation has lost much of its original meaning. Immersed in a society that worships success, we have succumbed to a trendy
fixation with leadership. In I Am a Follower, author Leonard Sweet explains how Christians in a twenty-first-century corporate-obsessed culture have shifted away from a Jesus art of following toward a popularized form of leading.

Through a colorful mélange of practical applications, imaginative metaphors, and probing biblical exposition based in gospel truth, Sweet reveals that the summons of Jesus and the message of the New Testament point clearly to an emphasis not on imitation but on incarnation, not on leading but on following.

Join Sweet on an exciting and intentional journey from leadership cult to followership culture. Discover for yourself the way, the truth, and the abundant
life of following Jesus Christ and what it truly means to “Follow Me”!

“At times I felt like I was reading Jeremiah, challenging the shepherds of Israel. This is a much needed and long overdue book.”
—BOB ROBERTS, senior pastor, Northwood Church

“If there was ever a leader who could convince me that it’s really never been about leading, that would have to be Len Sweet. May we all, like Len, become followers.”
—MARK BATTERSON, lead pastor, National Community Church

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I Am a Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus + Jesus: A Theography
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“At times I felt like I was reading Jeremiah, challenging the shepherds of Israel. This is a much needed and long overdue book.”
-Bob Roberts, senior pastor, Northwood Church


“If there was ever a leader who could convince me that it’s really never been about leading, that would have to be Len Sweet. May we all, like Len, become followers.”
-Mark Batterson, lead pastor, National Community Church --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University (NJ), a distinguished visiting professor at George Fox University (OR), and a weekly contributor to Sermons.com and the podcast Napkin Scribbles. A pioneer in online learning with some of the highest "influence" rankings of any religious figure in the world of social media (Twitter, Facebook), he has authored numerous articles, sermons, and more than fifty books.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 3, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0849946387
  • ISBN-13: 978-0849946387
  • Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1 x 8.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (149 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Len Sweet (www.leonardsweet.com) was born of a mixed marriage: his mother was a fiery Pilgrim Holiness-ordained preacher from the mountains of West Virginia and his quiet father a Free Methodist lay leader from the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York. After a deconversion at 17, when Len set about less sowing wild oats than planting prairies, he became an atheist intellectual and scholar dedicated to exposing the nincompoopery and poppycockery, if not tomfoolery and skullduggery of all religions. After this seven-year period of liminality, Len came back to the faith of his ancestors, where he has been ever since, exploring the "insterstices" and "semiotics" of religion, culture and history. He uses two words to describe himself: semiotician and interstitial. In other words, he is obsessed with two questions: "Where have you been?" and "Where are you going?"

Customer Reviews

As always, I think Leonard Sweet writes very well and this book is easy to read. Ian Watkins  |  35 reviewers made a similar statement
This makes it seem like the author doesn't have one solid theological point of view himself. Tokio Girl  |  15 reviewers made a similar statement
After reading these words by Dr. Sweet, I know it's time for some changes in thinking and in doing. Kris McGarvey  |  20 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Delight to Read and a Spur to Thought December 28, 2011
Format:Paperback
I am a Len Sweet fan. In my opinion, Sweet, the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University (as well as Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Fox University), is one of the most innovative and influential thinkers in the Church today.

So I was excited to read his newest book, I Am a Follower (The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus). I was not disappointed. The book skewers the modern church's success-worshiping, corporate-obsessed "leadership" fixation, and contrasts it with the example and message of Jesus--what Sweet calls "followership culture." He says, "Leadership is an alien template that we have laid on the Bible." And then he goes about showing us the more excellent way of Jesus, in his typically colorful, thoughtful, biblical, and entertaining style.

After the prologue (don't skip it), the book is divided into three sections, characterized by four Latin words: Vece (the place), Via (the way), Verita (the truth), and Vita (the life). It features "Interactives," suitable for individual and group use, in which the author offers questions for discussion and more content for further application. The text is enriched with quotes from a diverse spectrum of voices--from Wendell Berry and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Hunter S. Thompson and Tom T. Hall. It is a delight to read and a spur to thought.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!! January 23, 2012
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic book that I plan on reading many times in the years to come! I say this with the utmost confidence because Leonard Sweet does a fantastic job of shining a bright spotlight on one of the major issues in the church today. It seems that everywhere you look, there is a major Christian conference going on that is expressing the need to develop more and more leaders in the faith. But, as the author points out in I Am a Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus, Christ never called us to be leaders, He called us to follow. Nothing more, nothing less. We are to serve, and when we are placed into a leadership position, we are to serve even more! There are no leaders except Jesus, and all who are followers of Christ should take the time to sit down and read this book. The author shows how many churches are taking on the mindset of the world, using business principles to grow churches and leaders, instead of relying on God to sort it out. This is a huge problem for Christians, and the devil loves to play to our egos! Please do yourself a favor and pick up this book!
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Fails to Add to the Conversation February 22, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition
Leonard Sweet's I Am A Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus is another addition to the growing field of books pushing back against Western Christianity's leadership obsession. From the outset, however, one can't help wondering about Sweet's argument against leadership and for followership when he contends "following is the most underrated form of leadership in existence" (14). Is Sweet really challenging the leadership obsession, or is this little more than a game of semantics in which the real issue is a different way of or means to leadership? Sweet tries to distinguish between leadership and followership by suggesting "leadership is a function" and "followership is an identity" (34). Yet while the distinction between function and identity may seem plausible in writing, it seems much less plausible in reality.

As a means of exploring what it might look like to be a follower, Sweet shares extensive meditations on the three metaphors of Jesus in his well-known saying recorded in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life." Unfortunately, these meditations read more like stream-of-consciousness ramblings than carefully thought-out ruminations on these metaphors. It is not uncommon for Sweet to make startling assertions for which he provides little if any warrant, such as his attack on the focus on spiritual giftedness (pp. 161-169), or his claim that "the new relationality of the localized and organic . . . is creating a web of strength and a fortress of freedom that won't be broken or pulled asunder" (176), or his discussion of New Testament notions of priesthood and church polity (174-178), or his baseless contention that "the major fruit of the Spirit is joy" (252). Really?
... Read more ›
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet is Back!! December 30, 2011
Format:Paperback
Sweet has produced what I consider to be his best work lately. Apparently, I am not alone in my opinion as the book has numerous recommendations preceding the title page. To add anything more than what has already been said seems unnecessary, but since my name is not one of the recognized group I will try to add something from the bottom tier of readers.

Sweet once again is coming against the business model method of church leadership. Yes, even the word leadership is a problem, but Sweet has a difficult time avoiding its use. He is correct though in opposing the mentality of professional churchmen and business practices that have driven the marketing of Christianity of late; however he is not opposed to "plundering the Egyptians" for items or techniques that might be useful. His repeated admonishment to the leaders of Christianity does help refocus on Who is actually supposed to be leading and who is to follow that lead is important.

I did found the early part of the book more difficult to follow than the latter parts and kept urging him to get on with what he had to say. I got his point about leadership holding itself above the followers and the followers exalting those leaders. So onward to what needs to happen to correct that dichotomy.

Sweet still loves to play with words, but he keeps that to a minimum in this book, happily. Much more readable in my opinion that way. The interactive sections were challenging and interesting at the same time.

I do recommend this book, but be ready to work a bit harder on this than what other books of this sort generally require. I appreciate that challenge.

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishing through the BookSneeze blog site.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW what an awakening!
This is a must read for those who are confused about our mission and journey. This pretty much sums it up as to where our pilgrimage must lead and whom should be leading it!
Published 25 days ago by Isidore Earhart
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
I always find Dr Sweet stretches me. After attending some leadership conferences and reading many leadership books, I found this refreshing and thought provoking.
Published 1 month ago by T W Douglass
2.0 out of 5 stars Fails to make it from speaker to page
I tried reading this book who knows how many times. A number of years ago I heard Leonard Sweet speak and was absolutely blown away by his stories and inspired by his speaking. Read more
Published 1 month ago by N. Mccorkindale
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent.
Perfect! How many more words must I write to be polite? Seriously, if one is satisfied
stop with the word requirements!
Published 4 months ago by Brian Glubish
5.0 out of 5 stars Leonard Sweet: I Am a Follower
Leonard Sweet turns the world of discipleship and ministry upside-down in his book, I Am a Follower. His premise is that grasping for leadership is contrary to the heart of God. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Amanda Furbeck
4.0 out of 5 stars A thought provoking read
I Am a Follower by Leonard Sweet

I received this book a few months ago, but didn't have time to read it beyond the first section. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Blogmeister
4.0 out of 5 stars worth a read
Most people think of leadership as a position but I like to think of it as a process and in a sense the same can be said of following. Read more
Published 5 months ago by B. Wheatley
4.0 out of 5 stars great thoughts!
Leonard Sweet's book, "I Am A Follower; The Way, Truth and Life of Following Jesus" was written for any Christian that is looking for effective leadership models. Read more
Published 5 months ago by meaningfulhomelife
5.0 out of 5 stars I Am A Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus
Excellent read. Couldn't put the book down until I had finished reading it. An excellent guide for today's Christian believer.
Published 5 months ago by Richard C. Brannan
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book on leadership
The primary point of this book is that leaders who do not concentrate on their relationship with Jesus Christ cannot represent him very well. Mr. Read more
Published 6 months ago by JimD
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