Call it burnout. Call it enlightenment. Call it whatever you like--it's plaguing the contemporary church. Andrew Byers calls it cynicism--the state we all too easily arrive at after passing through disillusionment. Too many saints in the making are having their wings clipped in this painful process. But wait--there's hope. Disillusionment is, at its heart, the dispersal of illusions, pointing us toward what's really real--a great cloud of hopeful realists who have gone before us and welcome us into their number. There is a way beyond cynicism, and if we follow Jesus through it, we'll find faith and life at their fullest.
Faith Without Illusions: Following Jesus as a Cynic-Saint
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"Andrew Byers asks, 'Can anyone justify being a cynic if Jesus was not a cynic?' Indeed, Faith Without Illusions confronts our tendency to forsake the example of Jesus and give up on the church in disappointment. Read the book and discover a better way, marked by 'hopeful realism.'" (Collin Hansen, editorial director, The Gospel Coalition, and co-author, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir)
"Cynicism has spread to outbreak proportions--particularly in my generation--and many of us too easily succumb to its sickness. Faith Without Illusions is exactly the shot-in-the-arm antidote we need to remain mercilessly realistic and yet still cling onto hope." (James Choung, author of True Story and national director of InterVarsity's Asian American Ministries)
"Andrew Byers takes a hard look at the broken, bitter and jaded in the church who are at a fork in the road. He offers a path of faith paved with hope and healing in the footsteps of the best models of Scripture. Byers is a humorous, unassuming and sympathetic guide, one worth following down the better road." (Nijay K. Gupta, School of Theology, Seattle Pacific University)
"Cynicism is the natural outcome of a culture whose idols have crashed and burned. The pop Christianity of our time is a narcotic but not an answer to the deepest yearnings of the rising generation. Andy Byers surveys this landscape with a sharp analytical mind and with sails trimmed to the biblical gospel. An important and timely book of hopeful realism." (Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School, and general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture)
"Cynical anger being replaced by prophetic anguish is, according to Andy Byers, the way of the prophet. It's also the way of Faith Without Illusions. With wisdom and grace, Byers inspires discerning Christians to move beyond cynicism for the purpose of challenging the church, instead, with love. Right now, it's where Byers's work is moving me." (Margot Starbuck, author of The Girl in the Orange Dress and Unsqueezed)
"Cynicism has spread to outbreak proportions--particularly in my generation--and many of us too easily succumb to its sickness. Faith Without Illusions is exactly the shot-in-the-arm antidote we need to remain mercilessly realistic and yet still cling onto hope." (James Choung, author of True Story and national director of InterVarsity's Asian American Ministries)
"Andrew Byers takes a hard look at the broken, bitter and jaded in the church who are at a fork in the road. He offers a path of faith paved with hope and healing in the footsteps of the best models of Scripture. Byers is a humorous, unassuming and sympathetic guide, one worth following down the better road." (Nijay K. Gupta, School of Theology, Seattle Pacific University)
"Cynicism is the natural outcome of a culture whose idols have crashed and burned. The pop Christianity of our time is a narcotic but not an answer to the deepest yearnings of the rising generation. Andy Byers surveys this landscape with a sharp analytical mind and with sails trimmed to the biblical gospel. An important and timely book of hopeful realism." (Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School, and general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture)
"Cynical anger being replaced by prophetic anguish is, according to Andy Byers, the way of the prophet. It's also the way of Faith Without Illusions. With wisdom and grace, Byers inspires discerning Christians to move beyond cynicism for the purpose of challenging the church, instead, with love. Right now, it's where Byers's work is moving me." (Margot Starbuck, author of The Girl in the Orange Dress and Unsqueezed)
About the Author
Andrew J. Byers is a Ph.D. student in New Testament at Durham University (England). He has served in campus ministry at Gardner-Webb University and has an M.Div. from Beeson Divinity School (Samford University) and a Th.M. from Duke University.
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I live in England where I fight dragons and other mythical beasts in the back garden with my little kids (while also working on a PhD in Biblical Studies).
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Disillusionment is the "dispersal of illusions," and many Christians are finding themselves passing through disillusionment only to drown in a sea of cynicism.
Andy Byers makes his authorial debut with a very timely book that is bound to challenge and encourage the broken, bitter, and burned-out Christian cynics among us.
"It is hard not to be cynical when you drive past a church and read a message like this on a rusted marquee sign: `To Prevent Sinburn, Use Sonscreen.' Really? Someone thought it was a good idea to go public with that?" (p.107)
It's the marquees, the bumper stickers, the shallow theology, the sappy "Christian" radio disc jockeys, and the endless clichés of pop-culture Christianity that are enough to send disillusioned believers into a cynic rage. I mean... who hasn't wanted to drive their car off a cliff after having to hear "I Can Only Imagine" for the bazillionth time?
Byers observes that, "many believers have now slid into those dark pits that cynicism is becoming vogue in many Christian circles as a self-identifying trademark of a new spirituality--the edgy spirituality of the jaded." (p.8)
There is certainly no shortage of bitter believers that claim to be "free" from the chains of religion. You can even join social networks for the caustic cussing Christians who are congregating on the fringes of Christianity and attracting others who feel abused and betrayed.
Byers says, "Cynicism is a sickness." However, it is possible to overcome this state of disparagement by reckoning disillusionment with the church as a gift from God--an "act of God's grace." Beyers acknowledges the many errors and shortcomings of pop-culture Christianity, but he claims we need to embrace a "hopeful realism" that moves folks out of frustrated cynicism and on to biblical alternatives that reflect resurrection.
"We are in dire need for redeemed cynics to dress their wounds that they may rise up and flourish in the truths revealed to them for the health of the church and for the glory of God." (p. 12)
Part I of the book addresses those things that make us cynical: idealism, legalism, religiosity, experientialism, anti-intellectualism, and cultural irrelevance. If you're even remotely sour over your past experiences and the current state of the church, you're liable to resonate with Byers assessment of the issues. I found myself laughing one minute, and sincerely examining my heart the next.
It's possible for cynics to know healing in these pages. Byers writes that his intentions for the first part of the book is, "to give voice to the frustrations of cynical readers, providing some degree of cathartic venting while at the same time providing convincing arguments that the standard cynical approaches are counterproductive." (p.13)
Part II of the book presents the reader with alternatives to cynicism that resemble the biblical patterns of the prophet, sage, poet, and the Christ who shows us how to truly be human. Byers helps his readers to see that Jesus was not a cynic. Therefore, his followers are not justified in embracing cynicism as a lifestyle.
Byers says, "Redeemed cynics have much to offer." Disciples of Jesus should find healing and recover for a new commission. Instead of being critical of the church at a distance, redeemed cynics will be active and involved in the renewing of the community of Christ.
"If we can manage to find healing and regain our footing a bit after the rug has been ripped out from beneath us, then we may be used by God to free others from faulty ideas about our faith." (p.11)
"Faith Without Illusions" contains a message of encouragement and hope for the weary. I pray that the Lord will use Byers' book to aid in spiritual renewal and church restoration.
* Thanks to InterVarsity Press for allowing me to read and review this timely book.
Andy Byers makes his authorial debut with a very timely book that is bound to challenge and encourage the broken, bitter, and burned-out Christian cynics among us.
"It is hard not to be cynical when you drive past a church and read a message like this on a rusted marquee sign: `To Prevent Sinburn, Use Sonscreen.' Really? Someone thought it was a good idea to go public with that?" (p.107)
It's the marquees, the bumper stickers, the shallow theology, the sappy "Christian" radio disc jockeys, and the endless clichés of pop-culture Christianity that are enough to send disillusioned believers into a cynic rage. I mean... who hasn't wanted to drive their car off a cliff after having to hear "I Can Only Imagine" for the bazillionth time?
Byers observes that, "many believers have now slid into those dark pits that cynicism is becoming vogue in many Christian circles as a self-identifying trademark of a new spirituality--the edgy spirituality of the jaded." (p.8)
There is certainly no shortage of bitter believers that claim to be "free" from the chains of religion. You can even join social networks for the caustic cussing Christians who are congregating on the fringes of Christianity and attracting others who feel abused and betrayed.
Byers says, "Cynicism is a sickness." However, it is possible to overcome this state of disparagement by reckoning disillusionment with the church as a gift from God--an "act of God's grace." Beyers acknowledges the many errors and shortcomings of pop-culture Christianity, but he claims we need to embrace a "hopeful realism" that moves folks out of frustrated cynicism and on to biblical alternatives that reflect resurrection.
"We are in dire need for redeemed cynics to dress their wounds that they may rise up and flourish in the truths revealed to them for the health of the church and for the glory of God." (p. 12)
Part I of the book addresses those things that make us cynical: idealism, legalism, religiosity, experientialism, anti-intellectualism, and cultural irrelevance. If you're even remotely sour over your past experiences and the current state of the church, you're liable to resonate with Byers assessment of the issues. I found myself laughing one minute, and sincerely examining my heart the next.
It's possible for cynics to know healing in these pages. Byers writes that his intentions for the first part of the book is, "to give voice to the frustrations of cynical readers, providing some degree of cathartic venting while at the same time providing convincing arguments that the standard cynical approaches are counterproductive." (p.13)
Part II of the book presents the reader with alternatives to cynicism that resemble the biblical patterns of the prophet, sage, poet, and the Christ who shows us how to truly be human. Byers helps his readers to see that Jesus was not a cynic. Therefore, his followers are not justified in embracing cynicism as a lifestyle.
Byers says, "Redeemed cynics have much to offer." Disciples of Jesus should find healing and recover for a new commission. Instead of being critical of the church at a distance, redeemed cynics will be active and involved in the renewing of the community of Christ.
"If we can manage to find healing and regain our footing a bit after the rug has been ripped out from beneath us, then we may be used by God to free others from faulty ideas about our faith." (p.11)
"Faith Without Illusions" contains a message of encouragement and hope for the weary. I pray that the Lord will use Byers' book to aid in spiritual renewal and church restoration.
* Thanks to InterVarsity Press for allowing me to read and review this timely book.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Joel Brooks
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a terrific book and great resource for those disillusioned with the church. I worked in college ministry for over ten years and wish that this book had been available then for me to hand out to every idealistic student who tried to break free from the establishment and strike out on their own. This book will help people understand what's fueling their cynicism and how this cynicism should be now be directed in light of the transforming power of the gospel. Great book. Well written, Insightful, Hopeful.
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The brokenness of human misery before God may recede into bitterness, but healing comes when we bring our maladies to him and check into his healing ward. We do this not by avoiding him in disillusionment but by crying out to him from the depths and striving with all our might to grasp onto something hopeful from his hand. Andrew Byers Faith Without Illusions, page 175-176
As a pastor who has been in full-time parish ministry for not quite 25 of the past 31 years, I have read books, attended seminars, and had numerous conversations, face to face and in writing, regarding those who either become disgruntled with the Christian faith and church or have been for quite some time whether having been a part of a church or not. Cynicism has never been in short supply just ask St Paul... and Jesus.
And Andrew Byers does, in a manner of speaking, as he addresses the issue of walking the line between despair and cynicism in a new book published by InterVarsity Press in 2011, Faith Without Illusions: Following Jesus as a Cynic-Saint.
He begins with a first person account of how "we fall into" cynicism with a grade school love story. He then goes on to state something that all of us know to be true, namely that, "cynicism often arises from painful disillusionment-when the rug gets violently jerked out from under us..." and then he turns to the focus of the book "What if we are disillusioned by the church- that one safe harbor of community on which Christians are told to rely on when all else comes crashing down? What if we become cynical toward the faith that is supposed to sustain us through all life's trials?...what if the object of our disillusionment is...the God we worship?
Focusing then on this last question, Byers takes us into a review of what he calls "pop Christianity" which he claims makes us cynical and chapters related to the common themes found in his view and discussion of pop faith: Idealism, Religiosity, Experientialism, Anti-Intellectualism, and Cultural Irrelevance. Along the way, he challenges some very common view and assumptions that are part and parcel of common and wide spreading thinking across the Church such as "just follow your heart" when he reminds us that scripture reminds us that the "heart is deceitful."
Then, as a solution, Byers offers "hopeful realism" and supports his solution with a walk through the Old and New Testaments as he draws line between cynicism and a hopeful realism based in God's grace through Christ that does not side-step questions which come from hearts of disillusionment, pain and brokenness. Along the way he reminds the reader of the passionate angst of the Psalms and the anguished cry of the prophets which are ultimately sent God ward for resolve. And he makes a case that Jesus Christ himself had every opportunity to become a cynic because of the hostility and disillusionment that he faced as he walked this earth.
I, too, have been at times, a cynic of the faith and the church. And in my journey I have had to face the truth that my cynicism was based on some of the assumptions and views presented in this book. And what I like about this book is that Byers addresses the pain and the disillusionment I too felt and understood when the rug was pulled out from under me, by my own poor and flawed attitudes and choices, that had made me a disillusioned cynic.
If you are cynical about the "popular" claims of Christianity today and have found your faith wanting, I recommend this book. If you know someone who is dealing with doubt, despair, and cynicism, I recommend this book to you to share.
As a pastor who has been in full-time parish ministry for not quite 25 of the past 31 years, I have read books, attended seminars, and had numerous conversations, face to face and in writing, regarding those who either become disgruntled with the Christian faith and church or have been for quite some time whether having been a part of a church or not. Cynicism has never been in short supply just ask St Paul... and Jesus.
And Andrew Byers does, in a manner of speaking, as he addresses the issue of walking the line between despair and cynicism in a new book published by InterVarsity Press in 2011, Faith Without Illusions: Following Jesus as a Cynic-Saint.
He begins with a first person account of how "we fall into" cynicism with a grade school love story. He then goes on to state something that all of us know to be true, namely that, "cynicism often arises from painful disillusionment-when the rug gets violently jerked out from under us..." and then he turns to the focus of the book "What if we are disillusioned by the church- that one safe harbor of community on which Christians are told to rely on when all else comes crashing down? What if we become cynical toward the faith that is supposed to sustain us through all life's trials?...what if the object of our disillusionment is...the God we worship?
Focusing then on this last question, Byers takes us into a review of what he calls "pop Christianity" which he claims makes us cynical and chapters related to the common themes found in his view and discussion of pop faith: Idealism, Religiosity, Experientialism, Anti-Intellectualism, and Cultural Irrelevance. Along the way, he challenges some very common view and assumptions that are part and parcel of common and wide spreading thinking across the Church such as "just follow your heart" when he reminds us that scripture reminds us that the "heart is deceitful."
Then, as a solution, Byers offers "hopeful realism" and supports his solution with a walk through the Old and New Testaments as he draws line between cynicism and a hopeful realism based in God's grace through Christ that does not side-step questions which come from hearts of disillusionment, pain and brokenness. Along the way he reminds the reader of the passionate angst of the Psalms and the anguished cry of the prophets which are ultimately sent God ward for resolve. And he makes a case that Jesus Christ himself had every opportunity to become a cynic because of the hostility and disillusionment that he faced as he walked this earth.
I, too, have been at times, a cynic of the faith and the church. And in my journey I have had to face the truth that my cynicism was based on some of the assumptions and views presented in this book. And what I like about this book is that Byers addresses the pain and the disillusionment I too felt and understood when the rug was pulled out from under me, by my own poor and flawed attitudes and choices, that had made me a disillusioned cynic.
If you are cynical about the "popular" claims of Christianity today and have found your faith wanting, I recommend this book. If you know someone who is dealing with doubt, despair, and cynicism, I recommend this book to you to share.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faith without illusions
I was bitter at the last church my family and I attended. After trying to patch things up with the pastor, I discovered that it was impossible to repair what was not there. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Doug
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you, Andrew
Every so often, books come along which actually live up to its title. Often, I find that authors sensationalize their titles, with very little in the book which actually relates to... Read more
Published on May 3, 2011 by Joel L. Watts
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb!!
Andrew Byers has hit a nail on it's head with this book. What is the nail? That too many believers today have a cynical faith. Cynicism has become rampant. Read more
Published on April 19, 2011 by A. Morgan
