Customer Reviews

Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus

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1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you are looking for a book that preaches a comfortable, easy, complacent version of Christianity, then this isn't the book for you. This book will hit you between the eyes. Kyle Idleman pulls no punches. If you are open to it, this book is like a giant mirror. It will help you take an honest look at yourself and realize what is truly in your heart. Jesus was never interested in drawing a crowd. He was interesting in gaining followers. Not of religion or legalism, but followers of Him. Idleman goes to great lengths to help the reader understand what it means to truly follow Christ. We live in an age where the Gospel and cost of following Christ are often softened and watered down. I think there are many people in American churches who have chosen to "follow Christ" with little or no consideration of the cost. Following Christ is about much more than just a "Get Out of Hell Free" card. It involves sacrifice, dying to self, and surrendering everything to Him. He may not ask us to give up everything, but a true follower is willing to do so if He does ask.

I think we all know someone who is obsessed with a particular celebrity. For example, say someone is obsessed with Britney Spears. A true fan probably is a fan on Facebook, has every CD she has ever made, and possibly even a scrape book of every magazine article ever written about her. If something new comes out, they will go to great lengths to attain it. But Jesus has never been interesting in having a fan club. He wants all of us. If you read this book with an open heart and mind, and are willing to be honest with yourself, this book will help you know if you are really a follower of Christ or if you are merely a fan of His. It is one thing to CLAIM to be a follower, it is an altogether different thing to actually LIVE like a follower of Christ. Jesus is not interested in mere lip service.

I have to ademit, that I spent a lot of years as a fan of Jesus. I knew all the right lingo, all the rules (don't drink, don't swear, don't have sex before marriage) and I knew a lot of knowledge about Jesus and the Bible. But what I didn't realize is that Jesus is interested in the heart. It is entirely possible to look great on the outside and be rotten on the inside. After awhile, I started going through the motions of prayer, worshiping God, and reading in the Word, but my heart wasn't really in it. I cared more about looking good on the outside than the state of my heart. I claimed to love Jesus, but in reality, it was all about me. I realized I wasn't following the Jesus of Scripture, I was following a false version of my own creation. A version that didn't demand too much, expect too much out of me, or expect total, unconditional surrender. I honestly believed that I could have Christ and my own way. Looking back, I can see now how completely self-centered I was. Even when a close friend cared enough to point this out to me, I didn't listen. Instead, I got angry and defensive. I claimed that Jesus was Lord of my life, but when it came right down to it, I was Lord of my life. But no more. Now, I can honestly say "I am not a fan of Jesus."

In brief, I became a fan of Kyle Idleman and Not A Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus.

Let's be honest. This is a popular sub-culture of Christian writing -- this concept of being fully devoted, going all out, not standing on the sidelines, and becoming more than just a "Christian."

But Idleman proved he could take a subject that is being written about often, and provide a fresh take and motivating spin on this concept.

Here's why I loved this book:

1. His heart.
Idleman time and time again displayed the authenticity and transparency my generation (20s) love. I respect him for his willingness to share his authentic self, not just the pastor self who occasionally says bad words.

2. His humor.
This was easily the most surprising aspect of the book. I found his footnotes and off-handed side comments to be hilarious and refreshing.

3. His message.
More than anything, I believe his message is one that needs to be heard time and time and time again. As a pastor of the 5th largest church in American, I imagine it can be tempting to not want to offend people and therefore lose "customers." But Idleman makes it clear, he is no longer going to just create fans (people who stand on the sidelines, know about Jesus, and cheer for him). He is going to help create followers (those who are in the game of becoming more and more like Jesus by KNOWING him).

Personally, I can tell you this was a timely read as I was preparing to give a message about giving your lives to Jesus. I wasn't presenting the full cost. Now, I will. I don't want fans of Jesus. I want followers.

This is a book for pastors, ministry leaders, lifelong Christians and first time Christians.

Become a fan of Kyle Idleman and Not A Fan. I know I am.

Just when every pastor of every mega-church seems to be coming out with a book on how to really follow Jesus... which of course ties in with a sermon series and sells thousands of copies all over... there's another one...

I was really expecting that this book wouldn't be challenging, but it is. Big time.

Enough of the "come follow Jesus and you'll have every blessing you can imagine". how about "Come and die. Come and give it up. Come and surrender."

This book is in "Come and die" territory, and I recommend it highly. If you've had enough of the shallow Christianity practiced and even taught by so many... this is your book.

I do not want to be a fan.

Our Bible study group was looking for another book we could go through together. Our study group is comprised of parents of teens and the intent of the group is to find ways to raise more Godly young men and women and become more adept Christian parents. We decided to take a break from overt parental study and go through a book that would develop us each spiritually. Since our church youth pastor highly recommended this book, we each bought one and got started.

When I downloaded the Kindle version of "Not a Fan," I quickly scanned through the Amazon reviews and noted the preponderance of positive reviews. Even the less enthusiastic reviews were positive. One 3-star reviewer's only criticism of the work was that the author did not advocate a more radical approach to Christianity.

I was raised in a very legalistic Christian denomination and now have a finely tuned antenna for calls to legalism. As I read through the book and we discussed it, I understood and resonated to the call for a deeper commitment to Christ. But I became more and more concerned with the underlying message of the book. For about the first 8 chapters or so, I kept hoping that the author was simply calling the Body of Christ to a deeper commitment. But the author finally clarified that when he is talking about his definition of "follower" or "fan" he is really talking about "saved" or "lost." From my reading of his book, the author believes and attempts to make the case that while there may be a large population of people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, only the most radical and extreme are truly "Christian" and are therefore saved. Throughout the book, he gives examples of people who fit his definition of extreme Christianity, though to me some of the examples were fairly prosaic. In his view, continually expressed throughout the book, (despite his caveats to the contrary) it appears that one's actions (works) are the gauge of one's salvation, not acceptance of Christ as one's Savior.

Of course, the terms "radical" and "extreme" are, by definition, relative and vary based on any defined population group. I remember reading about a group of "radical" Christians who, to help fulfill an obscure prophecy regarding the return of Christ, are engaged in trying to breed a cow to carry an umblemished red calf. Since it must be born in Israel, they have been trying to figure out a way that they could first breed such a calf, and then smuggle the cow into Israel so the calf can be born there and thereby hasten the return of Christ. Are those actions radical enough to qualify to be saved? Of course that's crazy, but I'm using hyperbole to make a point. What exactly is extreme? How extreme does one "need to be" to be saved?

I spent some time in Scotland where only about 5% of the population attends Christian services. Why? After hundreds of years of wars waged in Scotland between Christians of different denominations, Christianity has largely been rejected. These were radical, extreme Christians who fought the wars against each other. They profoundly believed they were right and the other denomination was wrong and were willing to die for those beliefs. The point is, a call to "Extremist Christianity" without a clear idea of what is defined as being extreme, with the underlying message that if you aren't extreme enough in what you "do", you aren't really saved does not strike me as a helpful Christian message.

In my opinion, the book's message works to tear down the Body of Christ, not build it up. It causes believers to judge others as not commited enough and therefore lost. "Oh, I see that you are only a fan of Christ, not a true follower like me because you don't do (insert your personal belief here)" Time after time throughout the book, it calls on follower's of Christ to question their personal salvation in a kind of smart-alecky "ha-ha bet you aren't REALLY a follower" way; to question whether they are "only" a "fan" and not saved, or if they are a "true follower" who will be saved. This is a corrosive message to anyone's assurance of salvation.

Since terms like "extreme" and "radical" are relative, people who accept the core premise of the book can never know if they are "committed" enough to be saved. That is antithetical to my understanding of the Good News of Salvation and the assurance that Christians can have through faith in Christ's robe of righteousness that covers them.

The good news of the Gospel is fairly simple and I praise God for it! I received such a blessing from the book "Gracewalk" that I plan on reading it again after studying this book.

Our society today is polarized and continues to become more polarizing. Perhaps that helps explain the positive responses that many Christians seem to have with this book. I must note that the majority of our study group found "Not a Fan" to be beneficial and did not have the reaction to the content that I had.

By the way, there is an interesting circular logic to books like this that attempt to brand one group as something inferior and another group as superior. And you don't get more inferior/superior than lost/saved (fan/follower). Anyone who criticises the premise or content is automatically suspect and assigned to the inferior group by definition.

No, I'm not a fan of "Not a Fan."

Kyle Idleman has written a book with a terrific concept. In his book he challenges people to answer the question: Are you simply a fan of Jesus, or are you a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ?

The first section of the book presents the reader with several diagnostic questions to challenge the heart of someone trying to discern if they are a "fan" or a follower. These questions are very pointed, helpful, and will be convicting to many who use these questions as they were intended.

The second section lays out the case for Jesus wanting disciples and instead of fans. Each chapter focuses on a key quote from Jesus that encourages the reader to go deeper in their understanding of what it means to be a true follower of Him and his Word.

The third section offers an inspirational invitation for radical discipleship.

The book is written with passion and energy. A great book for someone who feels like they need a little inspiration in their faith.

(This book given by Amazon Vine for an honest review)

First, I did not read the whole book, I skimmed it. But, I can appreciate what the author is trying to convey. Many profess to be followers and yet their lives do not demonstrate that they have been born again. But, defining what a follower is, is no easy task. How does one define being a follower? Bible teachers have different ways of defining what it means to follow Jesus.

Also, I do not believe that one should just toss out the concept of being a fan. Let me explain. No doubt you have seen die-hard fans. These individuals know everything they can about a person or some sport. They live, breathe, eat and sleep, whatever they are focused on. So, there are some positive elements of being a fan. Therefore, perhaps a better title for this book would have been, "More than a Fan."

I agree that we are called to be followers and not just fans. However, fans get excited, they have zeal. And yet, walk into many churches during the morning service, and you will sadly walk into something more resembling a tax seminar rather than a worship service. I am not saying that we should do cartwheels down the aisle, but, smiles and joy, during the praise time, does seem appropriate.

I also found the many "real life" examples to muddle up the message of the book. Examples are good, but, there were far too many.

Lastly, the author seems to suggest that making a commitment to Jesus rather than simple belief in Him, is the basis for salvation. This is very dangerous territory. Is our salvation to be based on our fallible ability to keep a commitment to Jesus? The result of TRUE belief/trust in Jesus will be that we WANT to be obedient, we will WANT to follow Him, we will WANT to tell others about Him, we will WANT to worship and adore Him. Our commitment to obedience, to following Jesus, will be due to an overflow of love in our hearts, a love saturated in thankfulness for what He has done and who He is.

Kyle Idelman has written a pointed and thought provoking book about following Jesus, not just being a fan. His premise is that many of us in the country and in many churches have given into being a fan of Jesus but not willing to sacrifice our creature comforts for truly following Jesus. Kyle gets us into the book by defining what a fan is or rather what he does and doesn't do. From the dictionary a fan is "An enthusiastic admirer" (24). Idleman goes onto say that a fan is "..the guy who goes to the football game with no shirt and a painted chest. He's got a signed jersey on his wall at home. But he's never in the game" (24). It's the lady down the street who obsessed with pictures of dogs in her house, her wallpaper, and her house but who never has actually owned and trained a dog. Basically, Idelman points out that these type of people go crazy for the benefits of the team or celebrity but never commit themselves to staying with something when it gets difficult. Idelman points out that many are fans of Jesus but are not sold out to following him whatever the cost.

The chapter on one of many or your one and only was a very poignant and striking few pages. The basic thrust of his argument is that Christians have too long placed their affections for other things, objects, peoplet (etc.) than Jesus. Idleman asks a series of questions that get at the heart of the matter of realizing our distorted affections: For what do you sacrifice your money, when your hurt, where do you do for comfort, what gets you most excited, and what disappoints or frustrates you the most" (62-66). Idleman used the personal example of himself getting so excited about a football game that his daughter exclaimed, "I've never seen you so excited" (63). I was guilty as charged right here. Sports definitely captivates my attention and affections to a great degree. Does being so in tune with sports shift my affections away from Jesus and loving others (my family and others) to a place of idolatry, absolutely. I think that this point was good because in times of prayer we need to realize our need for God's forgiveness and the ability to bring repentance to bear on our lives. What Idleman is getting out in this chapter is what we traditionlly refer to as sin and its consequences, but maybe more concretely we might be looking at idolatry (placing before God and his Son anything that controls the affections of our heart, mind, and body).

I thought the chapter on anyone-open invitation was provocative and what the church needs to hear and take heed from. Idleman gets into the heart of the matter by stating, "But when Jesus says anyone, it turns out what he really means is anyone" (124). Idleman details the hypocrisy of the church in saying everyone is welcome, yet refusing those who are in grave sin, in divorce, have too long hair, and don't dress in a certain way. These callous sins come straight from a desire to place rules upon rules over what the Bible actually teaches. Lastly, in inviting all to come, Jesus is the embodiment of the grace of God that does not turn away sinners, but welcomes them with open arms. Idleman does a good job at focusing on the wrongheadedness of the church here. My only criticism of this chapter is a desire that he would expand what it means that Jesus invites anyone and how that relates to the grace of God both in the OT and the NT.

Overall, I thought this book was a good work in calling to the floor our tendency to want to follow Jesus without us costing anything. To be a follower means to follow at all costs, including our comfort, time and money. Idleman points his finger at us but also calls us to a different way of life. The only criticisms I have with the book are that I would hoped he would deal with following Jesus and taking up your cross through more examples from the early church and the New Testament. The history of the Christian faith is chalk full of men and women who have laid down their life for their Savior. Lastly, I would also add that having a fan view of Jesus is how many unbelievers think of him. Since this is true, we should seek to use this view as a conversation piece in showing them the Christ of the Scriptures.

If you've read this book, and it has deepened your walk with Christ, I am sincerely, genuinely happy for you. However, if you have not read this book, you really need to be careful as I found it has the tendency to encourage legalism and self-righteousness. Basically, it sets up readers into two categories: the fans and the followers. The fans are those who root for Jesus, but won't necessarily give up everything for Him. The followers are those who will pay any price for Jesus. There are a couple of problems with this viewpoint. First, the theme of the book is how much better followers are than fans, not "following" versus "fannish" behaviors, but the actual people themselves. This sets up one group to feel superior to the other. If you read the Bible, the only time Jesus ever got really angry was at self-righteous religious people; in fact, He held them in the utmost contempt. However, if you read Not A Fan and decide that you are, indeed, a follower and not a fan, you automatically can pat yourself on the back as being elevated above other Christians. Congratulations.

Not A Fan continually focuses on what YOU need to do to become a more devoted follower, what YOU should give up and what YOU should commit to and what YOU should tithe. Mr. Idleman cites himself as an example of this in stating that he looked at his accounts to make sure that nothing received more money than tithing (maybe in publishing this fact he missed that whole not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing bit, but oh well [Matthew 6:3]). This is but one example of how, in Mr. Idleman's view, YOU should let nothing be more important than Jesus. The problem with this belief is that it indicates that God needs our help to do His mighty, awesome, and perfect work, and elevates us by our own hand, when in fact, it is only through Him that we can work, not the other way around.

I read this book and, like some others who gave a one- or two-star review, immediately became plagued with neurotic doubt. What if I wasn't good enough? What if I wasn't a big enough fan? Should I deliberately piss off my husband and my family to prove what a good and devoted "follower" I was? Well, I didn't see the benefit of that, so I began to doubt if I even was saved at all. Church became anxiety-provoking and I became very down about Jesus and my relationship with Him...

...until I read Grace Walk: What You've Always Wanted in the Christian Life by Steve McVey, who said, "relax, you ARE saved, you ARE righteous, trust in Jesus, let Him work through you and all will be well." This approach is hardly watered down; in fact, it is very powerful. If you trust in Jesus and not your own works, the anxiety goes away. Being a Christian does not mean taking on a long set of duties, chores, or obligations, it means trusting in the Lord by letting His faith and love for you in. If that results in mighty works, that's absolutely wonderful, but you can't say, "see? This proves I'm a follower. Yay, me!" I feel that Mr. Idleman's message, though well-intentioned, results in people feeling either guilty or prideful, two things Christians are not supposed to feel.

Such a wonderful little book. It all boils down to the difference between being a fan vs. being a follower of Jesus.

A fan sits on the sidelines with perhaps some, or even a lot of admiration but no commitment. A follower on the the other hand, to quote a phrase from the book..."Followers will do some crazy things for love, but fans want to play it safe."

At some point during our walk with God we have to make a choice. Not doing so, in my opinion, is like being stuck in no-man's land. It's safe, somewhat secure, but also bears little fruit. Plus...it's pretty boring. It's definitely more rewarding to not be a fan!

Kyle Idleman's book makes the highly relevant point anyone can be a fan of anything. But so what? Why are we fans of things we are?

People are "fans" of sports teams, places, authors, cuisine so the term is cheap, but idol producing. Stadiums are filled with people who cheer for ego driven over paid primadona's. Auditoriums are filled with people who cheer and scream for half dressed, vulgar, drug using musicians. Movie theaters are filled with people "dying" to see the latest super hero retread.

But why is there no response like this for the Son of God and Conqueror of Death? Kyle Idelman's book ask these and other hard questions of the reader. Don't read this book if you are unwilling to be challenged, but you'll be a stronger person of faith and more likely to follow Jesus Christ if you do.