The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist [Paperback]

Craig Groeschel (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 19, 2011

'The more I looked, the more I found Christian Atheists everywhere.' Former Christian Atheist Craig Groeschel knows his subject all too well. After over a decade of successful ministry, he had to make a painful self admission: although he believed in God, he was leading his church like God didn't exist. To Christians and non-Christians alike, to the churched and the unchurched, the journey leading up to Groeschel's admission and the journey that follows---from his family and his upbringing to the lackluster and even diametrically opposed expressions of faith he encountered---will look and sound like the story of their own lives. Now the founding and senior pastor of the multicampus, pace-setting LiveChurch.tv, Groeschel personal journey toward a more authentic God-honoring life is more relevant than ever. Christians and Christian Atheists everywhere will be nodding their heads as they are challenged to take their own honest moment and ask the question: am I putting my whole faith in God but still living as if everything was up to me?

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The thing I've always appreciated about Craig is his willingness to be honest when his life doesn't match up with the Scriptures. Too many people are quick to make excuses for themselves and others who call themselves 'Christian.' Craig challenges us to think deeply, honestly, and fearfully about how our lives may be contradicting our message.' -- Francis Chan, pastor and author, Crazy Love <br><br> --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

"The more I looked, the more I found Christian Atheists everywhere." Former Christian Atheist Craig Groeschel knows his subject all too well. After over a decade of successful ministry, he had to make a painful self admission: although he believed in God, he was leading his church like God didn't exist. To Christians and non-Christians alike, to the churched and the unchurched, the journey leading up to Groeschel's admission and the journey that follows--from his family and his upbringing to the lackluster and even diametrically opposed expressions of faith he encountered--will look and sound like the story of their own lives. Now the founding and senior pastor of the multicampus, pace-setting LifeChurch.tv, Groeschel's personal journey toward a more authentic God-honoring life is more relevant than ever.

Christians and Christian Atheists everywhere will be nodding their heads as they are challenged to take their own honest moment and ask the question: am I putting my whole faith in God but still living as if everything was up to me? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Reprint edition (April 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310332222
• ISBN-13: 978-0310332220
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (189 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv. Meeting in multiple locations around the United States, and globally at Church Online, LifeChurch.tv is known for the innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel.

With a passion for serving the Church and partnering to reach people for Christ, LifeChurch.tv develops and shares resources and applications with churches worldwide.

Craig, his wife, Amy, and their six children live in the Edmond, Oklahoma area where LifeChurch.tv began in 1996. He speaks at conferences worldwide and has written several books, including his recent release: The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

168 of 182 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a must read! March 24, 2010

By Samuel Roberts

Format:Hardcover

WOW!!!! This is a must read, rarely do I find a book that pushes me past my comfort zone and into the game, but "the Christian Atheist" does just that. If you have been looking for a book to challenge you out of the mundane status quo living then read this book! Here is what you will find inside:

Chapter 1: When You Believe in God but Don't Really Know Him

Chapter 2: When You Believe in God but Are Ashamed of Your Past

Chapter 3: When You Believe in God but Aren't Sure He Loves You

Chapter 4: When You Believe in God but Not in Prayer

Chapter 5: When You Believe in God but Don't Think He's Fair

Chapter 6: When You Believe in God but Won't Forgive

Chapter 7: When You Believe in God but Don't Think You Can Change

Chapter 8: When You Believe in God but Still Worry All the Time

Chapter 9: When You Believe in God but Pursue Happiness at Any Cost

Chapter 10: When You Believe in God but Trust More in Money

Chapter 11: When You Believe in God but Don't Share Your Faith

Chapter 12: When You Believe in God but Not in His Church

As you can see there are so many chapters relevant to were many of us live our lives. One word of advice DON'T miss the "Afterword" where Craig talks about stepping across the third line. You will leave the book challenged and inspired!

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A challenging call to believe what you say you believe April 29, 2010

By John Gibbs TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

It should be easy to spot people who really believe that God exists and Jesus was who he claimed to be, because they should be acting as if God is an ever-present part of their reality, and yet surveys tend to show that there is very little difference in the way people who claim to be Christians behave when compared to others. Craig Groeschel explores why this is so in this book.

The book examines a number of ways in which Christians fail to act consistently with their stated beliefs: not really knowing God, remaining ashamed of your past, being unsure of God's love for you, not believing in prayer, not trusting that God is fair, failing to forgive, not believing that you can change, clinging to worry, pursuing happiness at any cost, trusting more in money than in God, not sharing your faith, and not being part of the church.

The book demonstrates that a lack of faith can be manifested in many different ways, and it points out what are likely to be some key areas of sin in the reader's life, although it does this in a non-judgemental way because the author confesses that he commits the same sins. This is a very well-written book which anyone who claims to be a Christian would benefit from reading.

80 of 91 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven, but worth reading April 12, 2010

By Saul Good

Format:Hardcover

I've never read any of Groeschel's books before. This book stood out to me in the bookstore with its red cover and the words "Christian" and "atheist" juxtaposed. I've been reading several different books lately on how to be a better Christian, and this fit right in. Christian atheist is just a catchy term to suck the reader in, and it worked for this reader.

While I didn't find it as hard-hitting as other reviewers, Pastor Craig does make some good points. The chapters on worry and forgiveness are the best. The chapters on money and some others aren't as strong, and the points he makes aren't as profound. I'd wish he go into more detail on how to handle certain issues. He brings up Christian singles who want to meet that special someone, and suggests they visit gatherings of those with similar morals. Outside of church, and some volunteering, I am still trying to meet such people!

Pastor Craig is at his best when confessing his own faults. While he is not as overly dramatic as Jimmy Swaggert, he does admit to more than the fairly innocuous admissions you may hear in a typical Sunday sermon. This is where he is at his most real.

This is still a good read on how to be a better Christian, but the title of the book implies something more. I thought that Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" made similar points but with a more radical approach and I enjoyed it better. I'd also recommend John Ortberg's "When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box".

42 of 49 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Title That Fails To Deliver June 18, 2011

By Mediaman

Format:Paperback

This disappointing book has a misleading subtitle--it's supposedly about helping people who believe in God but live as if He doesn't exist, yet most of the book is made up of the author's personal failures and how God forgives people anything. Instead of upholding Godly standards or setting guidelines for Christian living, it's mostly about trying to do away with shame and guilt by focusing completely on God's grace, where you can live however you want and not feel bad about it.

The people he talks about in the book are not "Christian atheists." He has a very broad view of what it means to be a Christian (he was raised Methodist apparently but doesn't get specific in the book--all he tells us is he went to church twice a year and had a Bible in the home that he never read) and an atheist (here defined as living like God doesn't exist, which is different from believing that God doesn't exist). Most of the people in the book are believers who don't hold themselves to godly standards--that's not the same as being an atheist.

This writer is now the pastor of a huge church with multiple locations--yet this book seems to dwell on his need to constantly confess to his own sins. He tells us about everything from his having an affair in college with his buddy's girlfriend to stealing a pack of gum as a kid. The book appears to be his way of still dealing with his own guilt and shame. Yet instead of stepping up and concluding that Christians today are not choosing to do right, instead he concludes that they're not choosing to accept God's forgiveness. Those are two very different choices and instead of him exhorting followers to do right in the first place, he emphasizes the need for do-badders to instead forgive themselves....

His response to "Christian atheists" in every chapter is one of empathy and emotion--if you sin, then God "cares" and "hurts." That is true but where is the corresponding reflection on God's disappointment and holding believers accountable? The God of the Bible that the writer claims to preach is a God who shows many other responses to sin than just caring and hurting. The author goes out of his way to claim that the big, mean punishing God of the past is not accurate--yet that is what causes "believers" to live like He doesn't exist. If they can say they follow Him yet are never held accountable for their actions, then there is no purpose for really living their faith.

The author doesn't seem to see that he is preaching the very thing that causes Christians to act like non-believers. He is emphasizing all the wrong things. People can hear from any unbelieving pop psychologist that they shouldn't feel guilty about a terrible sin or that they shouldn't feel shame for their past. What takes guts (and true love) is to let people know that they are making bad choices with consequences--and that the New Testament says that they will be held accountable. So instead of encouraging people to stop doing a specific act, he instead focuses on encouraging them to "stop worrying." No! They should be worrying about what they are doing that displeases God! He represents the modern church's tossing away of God's specific commands and its focus on soft emotional support for those who don't want to feel guilty.

This guy also wallows in tragedies. His brother-in-law died at 34, his little sister revealed she was molested as a child, he mother has strokes, his church is filled with people having affairs, illnesses and deaths. He makes some odd choices for story examples and illustrates his points with negatives instead of positives. (He also started a really weird website where people can confess their sins--so you can go on and read story after story of people's sinfulness with no resolution!)

A few times he wanders into almost recommending some standards (like questioning two young women going to see R-rated Wedding Crashers for a second time) but he never quite gets to the point where he is willing to take much of a stand. He does make the bold statement, "God doesn't want us to be happy," but then squanders the chance to bring it home in a meaningful way by comparing it to a five-year-old disobeying her parents by riding a zipline. Most of his stories are the standard messages of forgiving others, not confusing workaholism with serving God and trusting God to turn bad situations into something positive. But the book says almost nothing that hasn't been seen in other recent wishy-washy bestsellers from people like Joel Osteen. The one specific standard he brings up, like most evangelical pastors, is that people should be giving financially until is hurts--a typical message from someone who lives off donations and admits that he overbuilt a ministry that has bills to pay.

In the end he doesn't fulfill the subtitle's claim--he doesn't really teach Christians how to live the life they say they believe in. It's a touchy-feely Christianity that fails to uphold what believers needs to do to live what they believe. On one hand I'm surprised such bland theology can attract a large audience, but on the other hand Groeschel reflects exactly what's wrong with Christianity today by failing to require that people live up to God's standards. Read more ›