The Road Trip that Changed the World: The Unlikely Theory that will Change How You View Culture, the Church, and, Most Importantly, Yourself [Paperback]

Mark Sayers (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 20, 2012

What if the problem is us? Sixty years ago a goatee beard would have gotten you beat up in a lot of places. Chin fuzz was the symbol of the Beats or Beatniks, a mid-century, marginal group who pioneered a new kind of lifestyle. Their approach to life was hedonistic, experiential, fluid, and individualistic. Their contradictory approach to spirituality combined a search for God with a search for 'kicks'.

 
In 1947, these Beatnik heroes set out on a road trip across America re-writing the "life-script"; of all future generations. Theirs was a new kind of lifestyle for a secular age. Their lives then (like so many of our lives now) were built upon experience, pleasure, mobility and self-discovery. They would also model a new approach to faith: desiring Christ, while still pursuing a laundry list of vices. Yet this dream would turn into a nightmare and the open road would lead back to an ancient half-forgotten path.

This was a path trodden by millions of feet over thousands of years. It was a path that began with a single step of faith as a pilgrim named Abraham stepped away from a cynical culture. A path of devotion that would lead to a cross on a hill named Golgotha.

Editorial Reviews

Review

ON THE BACK COVER:

In this masterfully written book, our friend Mark Sayers has pretty much unlocked the cultural code of millions of young adults. His insights into mass culture, the corporate psyche, and of spirituality sometimes border on the uncanny. With this work, Mark rightly takes his place as a major prophetic voice to the contemporary western church today.

Alan and Debra Hirsch, Authors, Activists, Dreamers

--

 

ON THE INSIDE PAGES:

Mark Sayers is one of the most important thinkers in the church today. This book is filled with his typical insights and genius in answering the question of why the church is struggling today. You will be informed, inspired, renewed and compelled to recover a serious, Jesus-centered discipleship and hunger for the Kingdom of God. Highly recommended.

Jon Tyson, Pastor, Trinity Grace Church New York & City Collective

--

In this masterfully written book, our friend Mark Sayers has pretty much unlocked the cultural code of millions of young adults. His insights into mass culture, the corporate psyche, and of spirituality sometimes border on the uncanny. With this work, Mark rightly takes his place as a major prophetic voice to the contemporary western church today.

Alan and Debra Hirsch, Authors, Activists, Dreamers

--

In his book, The Road Trip that Changed the World, Mark Sayers invites us to take a seat next to him as he guides us through the landscape of church, culture, consumerism, Christianity, religion, and faith. In the end, we can arrive at a place we long for: Home. A home not found in a creation of materials or in a geographical space but wonderfully discovered in a relationship with Jesus.

Dave Gibbons, Founder of Xealot.org and Newsong Church, and Author of XEALOTS

--

As a keen student of culture, Mark Sayers unpacks how the primary narrative we inhabit will either lead us on the road, trying to capture as many "woosh" experiences as we can, or enable us to take the road less traveled. If the church is going to answer her sacred calling and not allow the culture of the road to squeeze the life out of her, this book is a must read!
 
JR Woodward, Co-founder of the Ecclesia Network and Kairos Los Angeles; author of Creating a Missional Culture

--

Many writers can exegete the Bible, few can exegete our culture. Mark Sayers does both with illuminating clarity and perception. The Road Trip that Changed the World is masterful depiction of our media-saturated world and the subtleties of its influence. Through the unique intersection of faith and culture, Mark's observations are fresh, timely, buoyant, and full of hope.

Darren Whitehead, Author of Rumors of God (with Jon Tyson), Teaching Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

--

This is a book I wish I had written but know I never could. In a mesmerizing blend of anecdote and literature, pop sensitivity and cultural analysis, earthiness and biblical reflection, Mark Sayers gracefully calls the 'travelers' of the world and the church home-via the signpost of a cross. Brilliant!

Dr John Dickson, author, historian, and director of the Centre for Public Christianity

--

Mark Sayers again proves himself to be a state-of-the-art connoisseur of the times in which we live. The Road Trip that Changed the World is a brilliant and gripping portrayal of what ails church and culture, combined with the redemptive wisdom of how to fix it. People stream into our Swiss L'Abri community from all over the world. They deeply struggle with a myriad of issues, including which direction to take in life. So many roads go nowhere. Sayers' book, by contrast, is an exceptionally valuable guide that can decisively help counter dead ends and lead us home. I highly recommend it. This is a vital read. Sayers at his best.

Dr Gregory J. Laughery, Author, Spiritual Rhythms For Today, and Director of L'Abri Fellowship, Switzerland.

--

If you desire to better understand the condition of a culture that has lost its sense of the transcendent then pick up The Road Trip that Changed the World. As a pastor in a secular global city, I find Mark's writings to be an invaluable resource for understanding the soul of my city and learning how to address its hopes, angsts, and aspirations with the Gospel.

JR Vassar, Lead Pastor of Apostles Church, NYC

--

Mark Sayers once again skewers the cultural narrative we have been given and, while it wriggles impotently, invites us instead to make our home in the Story of God. Rich with cultural, personal and biblical insight, The Road Trip that Changed the World leads us down the dusty path countless feet have trodden that results in our becoming truly human. Highly recommended.

Sean Gladding, Author of The Story of God, the Story of Us

--

This book will at once make you very uncomfortable and inspire you to take a fresh look at the true influences of your life. Will "the road" or the One who calls us to serve those on it be the dominate influence in our lives? Will we be the Church? 

Ellis Brust, Lead Pastor, Epiphany Anglican Church, Orange County, California

--

Mark Sayers is one of the best readers and analysts of culture that I have met and read. In his new book he takes us on a road trip through our western culture and shows what it is that is shaping and what has shaped our culture. This is a must read for all who wants to find a way of discipleship and mission in a western context.

Thomas Willer, sociologist and pastor of Regen Church, Copenhagen

--

The Road Trip that Changed the World exposes our modern obsession with novelty, entertainment, and self-actualization while sketching a compelling vision for abiblical alternative. Mark Sayers is a keen exegete of contemporary culture and a wise guide for true seekers.  He's written an important book that will help readers name, and resist, the gods of this age.

Drew Dyck, Managing Editor of Leadership Journal and author of Generation Ex-Christian

--

Mark Sayers's gifts as a cultural critic, theologian, and story-teller are all on fine display in this remarkable and well-written analysis of western culture. Through the prism of Jack Kerouac's novel, On The Road, Sayers tells the story of our culture and then offers a better way-a way home-through his reflections on God's call of Abraham. This, and much more, make The Road Trip that Changed the World a gripping and profound work.

Douglas Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy, Denver Seminary, and author of Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith.

--

Mark Sayers is a thoughtful, insightful, and observant leader who will push your thinking. At times he will make you mad. At times he will make you shout with affirmation. But you will not come away from this book unchanged. I'm thankful for his voice into the wider church world.
 
Gene Appel, Senior Pastor, Eastside Christian Church, Anaheim, California

--

We often talk about what "culture" is doing to "them." We rarely think deeply about what "culture" is doing to "us." Sayers reveals what our cultural addiction to infinite choice has done to our stability as individuals-both inside and outside the church. The Road Trip that Changed the World is a terrific work of cultural hermeneutics, and we need to take Mark's challenges very seriously.

John Stonestreet, Speaker and author for Breakpoint and Summit Ministries

From the Back Cover

We follow the culture of the road

because it is everywhere.

There's no shortage of prescriptions for restlessness out there: Seek adventure. Live your life. Don't hold back.

Sound familiar?

Like the characters in a Jack Kerouac novel, we've dirtied the dream of white picket fences with exhaust fumes. The new dream is the open road-and freedom.

Yet we still desire the solace of faith. We like the concept of the sacred, but unwittingly subscribe to secularized, westernized spirituality. We're convinced that there is a deeper plot to this thing called life, yet watered-down, therapeutic forms of religion are all we choose to swallow, and our personal story trumps any larger narrative.

This is the non-committal culture of the road. Though driving on freely, we have forgotten where we're headed.

Jesus said His road is narrow. He wasn't some aimless nomad. He had more than just a half tank of gas - He had passion, objectives, and a destination.

Do you?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (April 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802409318
• ISBN-13: 978-0802409317
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARK SAYERS is a cultural commentator, writer and speaker, who is highly sought out for his unique and perceptive insights into faith and contemporary culture. Mark is the author of The Trouble with Paris and The Vertical Self. Mark is also the Senior Leader of Red Church, and the co-founder of Uber Ministries. Mark lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Trudi, daughter Grace, and twin boys Hudson and Billy.

www.marksayersthinks.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A poignant and masterful look into your head May 1, 2012

By Stevie

Format:Paperback

I have been a keen reader of all of Sayer's books and was eagerly awaiting this one. I am confident that it is his most important work so far.

Anyone who is familiar with his writing or speaking will know his signature mix of meta-cultural reading meets prophetic voice and solution. I repeatedly found myself thinking "how does he know that's what I think?" his poignancy is like a punch to the stomach at times. At other moments in the book I found myself wanting to cry as he paints his stunning pictures of the redemption of the church and the self.

This is a vastly important book for anyone ministering to youth or young adults, or anyone wanting to understand how our culture of `the road' has infiltrated and subverted God's church. As a minister myself I will be re-reading this book and bringing it's implications to my congregation.

Funny, gentle, shocking and nourishing. I'll be buying it for all of my friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Journey to nowhere or Pilgrimage Somewhere May 24, 2012

By Dr Conrade Yap

Format:Paperback

This is a book that has an inviting title with surprising insights into how to read our modern culture. It does this by looking back to our historical past to make sense of the present. It reads our current environment of secularism and the reasons for the downward spiral of morality and the upward rise of relativism. It tells of two road trips rather than one, of the road and the home. If the sixth century marks the beginning of the home pilgrimage, the enlightenment in the 17th Century marks the beginning of the road journey. The former produces virtues such as "obedience, eternity, foundation, and devotion." The latter adopts "journey, feeling, and experience" over and above the attributes of loyalty, faithfulness, and commitments. In other words, how our modern culture has come to be is mainly because of this road trip which has resulted in our modern society becoming secular and increasingly meaningless. We are modern refugees of this road trip looking aimlessly for a home. Sayers makes a distinction between pilgrimage and secular journey. The latter relates to secularism making a trip to nowhere. The former talks about a trip that has a destiny.

Part One talks about the road narrative, Sayers points out three stages. The first stage is one of happiness, fun, and pleasure. The second stage is about the barriers that impede any progress to happiness, pleasure, and fun. The third stage is true happiness once all the obstacles are removed. In doing so, these stages reflect the traveler on a journey that progresses on the outside but remain adolescent on the inside. One's sense of lostness becomes the journey itself. The secular world is a spiritual wasteland where morality has been de-emphasized in favour of subjectivity. The transcendence has been surrendered in favour of the immanence, of immediate gratification. Such a culture has been condemned by Sayyid Qutb, an influential Islamic thinker, whose teachings have influenced Muslim terrorists, the most notorious being Osama bin Laden. As one journeys along the path of nothingness, aimlessness, and meaninglessness, people soon believe that nothing matters. Since the 60s, the Church has been declining. The spiritual climate of America has been "Californianized" into a culture of individualism, narcissism, materialism, and entertainment. In a secular environment without morality, it is easy to objectivize women, rank feelings above faith, prefer the therapeutic above transcendent beings, nonconformity over authority, and where absolute freedom becomes an intense form of slavery. Jesus becomes not a deliver of sin but one who grants wishes and delivers wants. There is also a lot of cultural observations on social media why we reveal so much of ourselves in public, on why we continue to watch in glee the humiliations of people on TV, and how we remain connected online but disconnected from everyday life. We prefer the sensational 'wow' instead of the firm Word.

Thankfully, Sayers does not end by giving secularism the prize. The end of the road narrative is the cross. There is hope. There is truth coming amid our gloomy journey of doom. Part Two is about the home narrative. One of the first things we need to go up against is our tendency toward pleasure, comfort and a negativity-adverse mindset. Instead, the essence of life is to be willing to embrace our "fragility and mortality" and be open to be led back to God. Instead of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" metaphor, Sayers proposes we learn with Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" which begins with a deserted and desolate world. Without the distractions of attractive options, we are forced to seek out the fundamentals of life, to do what is deeply necessary, and ultimately most meaningful. It reflects a life of sacrifice, of putting others above self. It reflects a life of dependence on the transcendent. It is a call back to the "old kind of Christian" that is concerned about belonging to God and a real community. It is that kind that is mindful of one's true identity and destiny. The journey is no longer an aimless one of wandering in the wilderness, but a purposeful one of traveling the path toward God. Page after page, Sayers pulls in biblical images, personalities, and Scriptural references to paint a picture of hope of the future kingdom. In contrast to the secular image of building a home on the road, Sayers gives us an image of moving homeward while traveling on the road. The key to this homeward narrative is in getting God right first. We need to rid our idols and to accept God's sovereignty over us. For our sake. For our children's sake. For our community's sake. For our society's sake.

Further Thoughts

I must say that this is one of the most insightful books that intelligently analyzes the modern secular environment, and points us to reasons why it is secular. It blasts the Western model of Church that has substituted personal self-discovery instead of discipleship, self-actualization under the guise of worship. It cleverly adopts the secular terms and models that we are all accustomed to, makes a measured interpretations of it all in the light of both Christian and non-Christian literature, and explains the predicament of the Church so that the Church can do something about it. I admit that the first part of the book seems to be more depressing and painful to read. While the insights look so spot on and distressing, it leaves me gasping for Part Two. After all, it cannot be all that bad, I thought. I am grateful that from the point of the Cross, things change for the better. The road trip can be redeemed. The pilgrimage can be set right. The world has hope in God.

Well-researched and eloquently argued, this book is a must for anyone interested in Christianity and culture, evangelism and mission in the urban Western environment. I have not read Mark Sayers before, but after this book, I am looking forward to the next.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

This book is provided to me free by Moody Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read more than once May 25, 2012

By Todd

Format:Paperback

Recently, I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review, and giveaway. As I read through the book I had to think a lot. At times it reminded me somewhat of some of Donald Miller's writing but with much more depth and theological strength. The book explores much of the reasoning for why Christianity is so shallow and uncommitted at times. It does this in a very provocative and telling way. As I read I begin to see that some of my thoughts are actions are much much more influenced by culture than by the Bible. I think this is a good thing to discover. It gives me cause to go back and to rethink why I am doing certain things and to really examine my motivations and my heart leanings in these matters.

I do highly encourage you to pick up this book and read it. Read it twice, maybe three times. The first time you can go through fast and enjoy the story. The second time and after read it slow and really soak in the wisdom that it contains and let it change you to living more based on the Gospel.