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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A simple approach to spiritual growth, December 17, 2008
This review is from: Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended (Paperback)
Soul Revolution reads like a daily devotional or small group study book, tracing what Burke calls the "60-60 experiment" through discussions of various aspects of the Christian life focused on loving God and loving others. Burke uses illustrations and stories from the church he founded in Austin , Gateway Church, offering examples of the kind of transformation that took place when the church practiced the 60-60 experiment. The experiment was essentially a challenge for people to turn their focus to God every 60 minutes of their day for 60 days. The goal of this practice is "to stay consciously aware all through your day that God is with you and desires loving, trusting relationship" (43).
Obviously this is an extremely simple practice and nothing terribly new, yet the book is filled with stories of people who feel their lives have radically changed through regularly turning their attention to God throughout the day. I did not find the ideas Burke presented as particularly radical or revolutionary looking back on Christian history, but the stories of change in the book are both radical and revolutionary. Burke describes a community struggling with addictions, violence, abuse, greed, selfishness who were able to find a new freedom from these vices through the community of Gateway journeying together.
At times, the stories Burke shares makes the 60-60 experiment seem like a kind of magic cure for the problems that plague us in life. In the chapter on tithing, Burke warns that no one should "give to get" (240), but each of the stories recounts people who have decided to begin tithing for a period of time and experienced unexpected material or financial gain. While I respect the way that Burke frames his discussion of wealth and the Christian journey as a whole, it is hard not to feel like the 60-60 challenge is in some sense being pushed as the miracle cure for addictions, poverty, depression, etc.
I have been having several ongoing conversations with different people in my life about what spiritual growth looks like. It is easy to say that the goal is to 'look like Jesus' or to 'keep your focus on God,' yet difficult to make any kind of broad generalizations about what that might actually like in someones life. I found Burke's approach to be helpful, particularly in it's simplicity, but I think there needs to be more discussion about what it means to grow spiritually when you don't see radical changes or results in 60 days.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simple steps to a more radical faith, December 8, 2008
This review is from: Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended (Paperback)
We have lost the ability to see and hear and understand how to truly follow the way of Christ moment by moment, according to John Burke in this book. As a first step to reconnecting, John invites us to try a simple experiment: for a period of sixty days, have your watch set so that it beeps every hour to remind you to abide in the presence of God.
A major problem with the way Christianity is lived in western countries today is that Christians do not resemble the disciples of Jesus as described in the New Testament in the ways they think and act, and the priorities they hold. The book invites us to imagine ourselves as being loving towards unlovable people, increasingly generous, relishing the gift of life and making a lasting difference in the lives of others.
A soul revolution is what we need, and we can gain it by practicing the presence of God each moment in our lives. The book is divided into five sections: Preparing for a soul revolution; Loving God; Loving people; Building character; and Being the Body. Each section contains fresh and insightful commentary and moving testimonies. I found it to be one of the best written and most inspiring Christian books that I have read in recent years.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hope for Pastors, December 2, 2008
This review is from: Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended (Paperback)
John Burke is the founder of Gateway Church in Austin TX. Soul Revolution is a roadmap through an experiment that he tried with his congregation. He basically asked a "what if" question and discovered tremendous results.
Burke asked the question, "What if we improved our relationship and communication with God?" From there he developed the 60-60 experiment. The experiment is based on the concept that our deepest longing are fulfilled in our relationship with God. Thus, we need to be in constant contact. Burke had his congregation attempt to connect with God at least every 60 minutes for 60 days. People filled their work areas and homes with reminders. Many people carried timers that sounded every hour.
The book chronicles the results. It is filled with testimonies of how people, through frequent communication with God, broke addictions, restored relationship, and grew by spiritual leaps and bounds.
It is a great reminder to pastors that spiritual growth can take place in a congregation without million dollar budgets or buildings.
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