Customer Reviews

Being a Christian Without Being an Idiot

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I had heard Brad Stine's comedy before and even had one of his CDs. Then, I had the pleasure of seeing him in concert last week.

His performance was fabulous. He is not only hilarious; he is extremely bright and relevant.

After his show, I bought some of his material. One of the things I got was, `Being A Christian Without Being An Idiot'. The title is certainly provocative. The material inside is relevant and thought provoking.

The main purpose of this book is to get Christians to think about many things that they consider to be Christian `truths', but which are oftentimes more about cultural and denominational traditions. He makes the point that, `Christians are different from each other in our theology, denominations, and social interaction,' and goes on to contend, `That's AS IT SHOULD BE!'

Some of the `assumed truths' that Stine dissects include the following: Satan causes most of the problems for Christians, drinking and smoking are sins, all `true' Christians will be offended by the same things, and sinners are worse people than I am. There are also several others.

Regarding smoking, he makes several points: 1) the Bible doesn't say anything about smoking, 2) `It does bring up gluttony, though, and our country by far has more health issues with overeating than they do with smoking, 3) many Christians don't drink or smoke, but have serious weight problems. He says, `Some temples have some extra rooms added on that weren't in the original architecture'. He goes on to point out that he is not judging, nor is he trivializing smoking. He uses this example to show that our culture does not take gluttony as seriously as smoking.

He points out such inconsistencies as the intense focus that many Christians have on the gay marriage issue while virtually ignoring the sky high divorce rate for heterosexuals including Christians.

Mr. Stine manages to get his humor in even while making serious points. While discussing the reaction of some Christians to the Harry Potter books, he talks about some book burnings that have occurred. He makes the point that Christians should be working to `draw people to the cross, not send them fleeing in horror.' He says, `I think a good rule of thumb is, if HITLER tried it, you may want to go another direction!'

This is really a terrific book. It is one that will make Christians think about important issues while having fun reading it. I highly recommend it. I also recommend that if you ever have a chance to see Brad Stine in concert, you take advantage of it.

I saw a story online about a group called Godmen and heard about a Brad Stine mentioned. Hopped over to Amazon, read about this book, bought it and read it cover to cover in one sitting. Trust me, I don't do this. I've been working on Anna Karenina for more than a year, but I digress...

This book has so much common sense and just shatters the silliness we Christians find ourselves part of. I laughed out loud several times (gotta love the word 'nipple')and even got a bit teary a time or two...there's much to ponder, quite a bit of poignancy and there's a bit of a two-by-four upside the head action, too. Just what is needed.

A highly recommended read!

Brad Stine's humor can be biting, but true. He applies it to Christians to point out our shortcomings so we can laugh at ourselves, and, hopefully, learn from it. My family always enjoys his humor, whether written or on dvd.

Brad Stine has written a real funny book with a lot of spiritual truths. It is a good read for Christians as well as people who question God's existence. He does a good job talking about things non-Christians see "us" do which turns them off to God. He also has a great chapter about agnostic/atheists beliefs and why what they say contradicts themselves. HIGHLY recommend reading it and giving it to a friend who is questioning God. This book has the potential to lead people to Christ. I am giving it to a friend to read who is questioning God. The great thing is that it is a humorous read. Easy to follow, with compelling arguments.

It seems that far too many people have a faith that is a regurgitated form of what has been passed down from the previous generation. Brad Stine forces the reader to think for him or herself. Aristotle put it this way, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Thank you, Brad, for reminding us that we are to "work out our salvation with fear trembling."

Okay, so masterpiece is a bit strong of a word for his writing. In Brad's first book, he is willing to take on the Christians who have a very narrow view of the Bible and Christ. He covers such interesting topics as a minister witnessing in a strip club as well as other "assumed truths" that make Christians look bad. Brad has a way with words that can make us all look at ourselves and wonder, "why am I taking this all so seriously?" Perfect read for someone who considers themselves better Christians than everyone else......if they are willing to learn from it.

Leave it to Brad Stine to make you use the gray matter between the ears. Some very insightful ideas and possibilities are presented in this book. Read it for yourself and see if you at least don't challenge some of your long held convictions.