Think Christianly is about seizing the opportunities we have every day to speak the life Jesus offers into our culture. Tragically, many such opportunities pass us by unclaimed---either because we don't notice them or we have not prepared ourselves to enter into them. And those around us seem to grow increasingly unwilling to hear anything the church has to say. Jonathan Morrow helps church leaders envision and implement ways for their congregations to 'think Christianly' about contemporary questions and to speak in informed, engaging ways. Morrow explores many of the important issues that Christians often hear raised with regard to faith---questions about who Jesus was, the good and bad of religion, pain and evil in the world, the reliability of the Bible, sexuality and intimate relationships, and hope for change, among others. The life and faith issues that Think Christianly addresses lead to cultural moments where Christianity and contemporary culture intersect. This book will help churches take vital steps toward cultivating compassion and competence in speaking faithfully to a questioning world.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"As someone who has devoted many years of ministry to teaching Christian worldview. I am thrilled to see dynamic and faithful worldview leaders like Jonathan Morrow stepping to the fore. Think Christianly...equips Christians young and old to engage the culture winsomely, intelligently, and with confidence."-Chuck Colson, colsoncenter.org
"We Christians love to lob rhetorical grenades at the surrounding culture from the safety of our holy huddle. What's far more difficult...is to engage the issues of our day with intelligence, moral clarity, and biblical wisdom. That's exactly what Jonathan Morrow does in Think Christianly."-Drew Dyck, Managing editor of Leadership Journal
"In a time when truth is distorted and biblical teachings are misunderstood, our commitment to engaging culture must not be compromised...Think Christianly is a much needed resource as we seek to honor God in both what we believe and how we live."-Jason Hayes, National Young Adult Ministry Specialist, LifeWay Christian Resources
"Think Christianly is a remarkable and important achievement. Written in an...accessible style, it covers an exhaustive range of topics. Indeed, I know of no other book like it in this regard, and it is now the first book to which to turn for learning the specifics of how to think Christianly."-J. P. Moreland, author of The God Question
"We Christians love to lob rhetorical grenades at the surrounding culture from the safety of our holy huddle. What's far more difficult...is to engage the issues of our day with intelligence, moral clarity, and biblical wisdom. That's exactly what Jonathan Morrow does in Think Christianly."-Drew Dyck, Managing editor of Leadership Journal
"In a time when truth is distorted and biblical teachings are misunderstood, our commitment to engaging culture must not be compromised...Think Christianly is a much needed resource as we seek to honor God in both what we believe and how we live."-Jason Hayes, National Young Adult Ministry Specialist, LifeWay Christian Resources
"Think Christianly is a remarkable and important achievement. Written in an...accessible style, it covers an exhaustive range of topics. Indeed, I know of no other book like it in this regard, and it is now the first book to which to turn for learning the specifics of how to think Christianly."-J. P. Moreland, author of The God Question
From the Back Cover
The Bible doesn't make us choose between cultivating a thoughtful faith and demonstrating radical love. Why should the church?
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More About the Author
Jonathan Morrow is the founder of Think Christianly (www.thinkChristianly.org). He is the author of Welcome to College: A Christ-follower's Guide for the Journey, Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture, and Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists (with Sean McDowell), and contributed the chapter "Introducing Spiritual Formation" to Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ. Jonathan also contributed several articles to the Apologetics Study Bible for Students. He graduated with an M.Div. and an M.A. in philosophy of religion and ethics from Talbot School of Theology and is currently the equipping pastor at Fellowship Bible Church. His books have been featured on shows like Family Life Today, Stand to Reason, Breakpoint, Frank Pastore, The Janet Mefferd Show, and Apologetics 315.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I hardly ever read a book from cover to cover in one sitting. I was glued to this book from beginning to end because it is so relevant, so logical, so engaging, so insightful, and most of all - full of practical helps and solutions in penetrating culture with the gospel!
Every once in awhile a book comes along that as a pastor I hold it up in front of my congregation and say, "You need to get and read this book and then give it away - or buy two copies so you can use one as a resource and get another to give away."
Jonathan Morrow's book is such a book. I think we are living in as James White says, "Serious Times," and as such it's important for Christians to think seriously about how our faith and our influence in culture intersect. In this book Morrow takes on a monumental task - in four idea packed sections he addresses how our faith and culture intersect; secondly, how we can prepare ourselves to engage culture; thirdly, particular areas where we must engage; and lastly, ways our churches can engage in culture, and insight into why we think and act the way we do.
The book addresses issues like science, bioethics, relativism, sexual issues, and the stewardship of creation. There are very interesting interviews with experts in nineteen different areas where Christians are already engaging culture, and how we can learn from their examples (e.g., Craig Hazen, William Lane Craig, Scott Klusendorf, Dennis Rainey, Jay Wesley Richards, Scott Rae, and C. John Collins).
Each chapter has helpful statistics, questions, and insights to help you engage the issues. Also, in each chapter there are recommended books, websites, and DVD's on the topics and as mentioned above - helpful interviews with experts in the different areas covered.
I highly recommend this book for all Christians who desire to penetrate culture intelligently, effectively, and in a gospel-centered manner. It is absolute MUST reading for college students, pastors, youth pastors, and anyone in church leadership. However, I think every Christian who reads this book will benefit from the plethora of helps offered by Morrow and the resources at your fingertips in this very helpful book. I would also recommend that this book be used in small groups, or in discipleship groups for maximum impact - so that some of the ideas will be put into practice and thus our culture really will be impacted with the gospel.
Every once in awhile a book comes along that as a pastor I hold it up in front of my congregation and say, "You need to get and read this book and then give it away - or buy two copies so you can use one as a resource and get another to give away."
Jonathan Morrow's book is such a book. I think we are living in as James White says, "Serious Times," and as such it's important for Christians to think seriously about how our faith and our influence in culture intersect. In this book Morrow takes on a monumental task - in four idea packed sections he addresses how our faith and culture intersect; secondly, how we can prepare ourselves to engage culture; thirdly, particular areas where we must engage; and lastly, ways our churches can engage in culture, and insight into why we think and act the way we do.
The book addresses issues like science, bioethics, relativism, sexual issues, and the stewardship of creation. There are very interesting interviews with experts in nineteen different areas where Christians are already engaging culture, and how we can learn from their examples (e.g., Craig Hazen, William Lane Craig, Scott Klusendorf, Dennis Rainey, Jay Wesley Richards, Scott Rae, and C. John Collins).
Each chapter has helpful statistics, questions, and insights to help you engage the issues. Also, in each chapter there are recommended books, websites, and DVD's on the topics and as mentioned above - helpful interviews with experts in the different areas covered.
I highly recommend this book for all Christians who desire to penetrate culture intelligently, effectively, and in a gospel-centered manner. It is absolute MUST reading for college students, pastors, youth pastors, and anyone in church leadership. However, I think every Christian who reads this book will benefit from the plethora of helps offered by Morrow and the resources at your fingertips in this very helpful book. I would also recommend that this book be used in small groups, or in discipleship groups for maximum impact - so that some of the ideas will be put into practice and thus our culture really will be impacted with the gospel.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Jason Kanz
Format:Paperback
Think Christianly (2011) by Jonathan Morrow is a mystery book for me. This week, I received a package from Zondervan containing this book. I am not sure if I signed up for a contest or if it was a gift. In any case, I am deeply grateful.
Once I discovered the contents of the package, I opened the book to the first few pages and was quickly drawn in. Morrow invites his readers to examine the culture we live in, their own worldviews, and to then step out and engage culture. He deftly engages stories he has encountered in the media--stories many of us are familiar with--and examines them from a Christian perspective.
Although he addresses numerous contemporary issues such as abortion, movies, evolution, and environmentalism, ultimately what his book does is equip Christians to "think Christianly" about all of these issues. It is clear that his role is not to provide simple, thoughtless responses to these issues, but rather to help believers to go deeper by loving God and people with their heart and mind.
I could go on gushing about this book for pages, but I will simply leave it at this--I wish I had written this book and I am grateful that Morrow has done such a commendable job. Morrow has hit upon many of the issues I hold dear and presented them in a winsome, attractive way. Specifically, he teaches his readers how to develop and understand their worldview, use loving apologetics, and engage the culture at large.
Go out and buy this book.
Once I discovered the contents of the package, I opened the book to the first few pages and was quickly drawn in. Morrow invites his readers to examine the culture we live in, their own worldviews, and to then step out and engage culture. He deftly engages stories he has encountered in the media--stories many of us are familiar with--and examines them from a Christian perspective.
Although he addresses numerous contemporary issues such as abortion, movies, evolution, and environmentalism, ultimately what his book does is equip Christians to "think Christianly" about all of these issues. It is clear that his role is not to provide simple, thoughtless responses to these issues, but rather to help believers to go deeper by loving God and people with their heart and mind.
I could go on gushing about this book for pages, but I will simply leave it at this--I wish I had written this book and I am grateful that Morrow has done such a commendable job. Morrow has hit upon many of the issues I hold dear and presented them in a winsome, attractive way. Specifically, he teaches his readers how to develop and understand their worldview, use loving apologetics, and engage the culture at large.
Go out and buy this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"We live at a time in which Christians are more consumer driven than truth driven. We have unknowingly become apprentices to the blind guides of hedonism, naturalism, and pragmatism, and this is eroding our ability and motivation to communicate and embody the Word of God in this generation" (Preface)
In his groundbreaking book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll made one of the most devastating assessments of Evangelicalism when he said,"The Scandal of the Evangelical mind is that there is no Evangelical mind." Since then, those words have haunted Evangelicalism and in many ways been the wake up call to a renewal for Christians to love God with their minds as well as hearts. For too long Christian thought retreated behind closed doors where it grew stale among dust and cobwebs.
There has however, been a spark of life in the Evangelical mind. There have been many who have rightly called Christians to reclaim the gift of the mind for the glory of God. Hopefully, Noll is less right than he was almost twenty years ago in regards to the absence of the Evangelical mind.
Following a long train of books calling Christians to love God with their minds, Jonathan Morrow has recently written a book urging Christians to apply their minds in a quest for applying God's truth to contemporary culture. Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture is a balance between Christians taking their faith seriously in their own lives, the church and the world and then bringing God's truth to bear on all of life before a watching world.
The Biblical Call for Engagement
If the Christian faith is to intersect with culture than there must be some sort of engagement with it. This is precisely what Morrow is seeking to explore. How does a thinking Christianity engage the culture? The Biblical impetus for this cultural engagement is found in Colossians 4:5-6:
Walk in Wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (ESV)
These words are written for all believers and all believers are in culture. All Christians live in culture but not all Christians actively engage culture with the mind to apply God's truth to it. This is a responsibility for all Christians. Morrow helpfully gives four ways in which Christians relate to culture.
1. Condemning culture - In this regard, Christians condemn the sinful practices within culture such as porn, global slave trade, misuse of natural resources, rejection of the poor and abortion.
2 .Critiquing culture - Here, Christians analyze cultural mediums such as art. This critique should not be condemning but should offer helpful ways in which to improve the form and think about its effects upon others.
3. Consuming culture - This would involve owning and using cultural products such as cell phones or computers. These are natural products of cultural advancement and growth. Christians should still think about their use of these products but they are not bad in themselves.
4. Copying culture - There are some products of culture that the church can use to advance the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Using media like the radio and t.v. have been staples for Christians. With the advent of social media, Christians have been able to get the gospel out to more and more people.
These four basic ways in which Christians engage culture show us that culture is not inherently evil. But neither is all of it good. Christians must think about their involvement and always evaluate their involvement with it according the the gospel.
A Foundation for Engagement
Since Christians are to engage culture, then we must be ready to do so. There is no excuse for sloppy thinking or haphazard approaches to fighting at the intersection of faith and culture. What Christians need to realize is that Christianity, because, rightly understood, it is based on God's truth, speaks to all of live. It is a worldview that actually addresses every area of human existence and thought. It is a comprehensive worldview.
In order to bring the Christian worldview to bear on all of live through cultural engagement, Christians must have a handle on both the Christian worldview and the competing secular worldviews. Knowledge of competing worldviews makes for more honest assessment or it and more persuasive interaction with it. Knowing the thought process of your enemies is half the battle to defeating them. Similarly, Christians must know the ins and outs of their own worldview. There is nothing worse than an ill-prepared soldier. It is wrong to represent the gospel unprepared to show how it relates to the basic areas of life.
The greatest example loving and truthful cultural engagement is that of Jesus. Though Jesus said plenty about the future, he also said a lot that pertained to the present. During His 3 year earthly ministry He was always with people. He always knew what each person needed. Whether teaching, loving, rebuking or challenging, Jesus engaged the culture and its thinking with the truth of the gospel.
Areas of Engagement
Taking our call to engage the culture and prepare for it are not enough. We must actually do it. Morrow has given himself a tall order with this third section of the book as he succinctly presents and addresses a number of issues within the culture in which Christians have an answer and need to give it.These issues range from issues surrounding the Bible itself, sex, the media, global justice, politics and science and faith.
Morrow ably sets up the issues at hand and give clear, thoughtful, helpful and direct answers to how the Christian faith speaks to each issue he addresses. Though each chapter is short, and each issue could be addressed within the span of its own book, Morrow's answers are not simplistic but rather pack a powerful punch that any Christian should be willing to claim as their own.
In my opinion, this third section of the book is the strongest section. Every Christian will learn from Morrows example of hos to think and apply Biblical truth to every area of culture. Morrow does not shy away from the hard issue and questions. He is decidedly against the Bible supporting homosexuality and yet he addresses the issue with sensitivity and love. He is against idolizing creation through our caring of it yet rightly states that humans are the pinnacle of God's creation and not to be valued as less than it. He does not minimize the tension in our society and the church between science and faith and provides a thoughtful and honest evaluation of the current debate.
Think Christianly is a helpful book in many ways. It is both a short introduction to the concept of worldview, a short introduction to the Christian worldview and best of all it is a model for how the Christian worldview provides answers to the questions being asked and the issues being grappled with in our culture. I highly recommend this book!
NOTE: I received this book from Zondervan for free in exchange for a review and was under no obligation to provide a favorable one. The thoughts and words expressed in this review are my own.
In his groundbreaking book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll made one of the most devastating assessments of Evangelicalism when he said,"The Scandal of the Evangelical mind is that there is no Evangelical mind." Since then, those words have haunted Evangelicalism and in many ways been the wake up call to a renewal for Christians to love God with their minds as well as hearts. For too long Christian thought retreated behind closed doors where it grew stale among dust and cobwebs.
There has however, been a spark of life in the Evangelical mind. There have been many who have rightly called Christians to reclaim the gift of the mind for the glory of God. Hopefully, Noll is less right than he was almost twenty years ago in regards to the absence of the Evangelical mind.
Following a long train of books calling Christians to love God with their minds, Jonathan Morrow has recently written a book urging Christians to apply their minds in a quest for applying God's truth to contemporary culture. Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture is a balance between Christians taking their faith seriously in their own lives, the church and the world and then bringing God's truth to bear on all of life before a watching world.
The Biblical Call for Engagement
If the Christian faith is to intersect with culture than there must be some sort of engagement with it. This is precisely what Morrow is seeking to explore. How does a thinking Christianity engage the culture? The Biblical impetus for this cultural engagement is found in Colossians 4:5-6:
Walk in Wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (ESV)
These words are written for all believers and all believers are in culture. All Christians live in culture but not all Christians actively engage culture with the mind to apply God's truth to it. This is a responsibility for all Christians. Morrow helpfully gives four ways in which Christians relate to culture.
1. Condemning culture - In this regard, Christians condemn the sinful practices within culture such as porn, global slave trade, misuse of natural resources, rejection of the poor and abortion.
2 .Critiquing culture - Here, Christians analyze cultural mediums such as art. This critique should not be condemning but should offer helpful ways in which to improve the form and think about its effects upon others.
3. Consuming culture - This would involve owning and using cultural products such as cell phones or computers. These are natural products of cultural advancement and growth. Christians should still think about their use of these products but they are not bad in themselves.
4. Copying culture - There are some products of culture that the church can use to advance the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Using media like the radio and t.v. have been staples for Christians. With the advent of social media, Christians have been able to get the gospel out to more and more people.
These four basic ways in which Christians engage culture show us that culture is not inherently evil. But neither is all of it good. Christians must think about their involvement and always evaluate their involvement with it according the the gospel.
A Foundation for Engagement
Since Christians are to engage culture, then we must be ready to do so. There is no excuse for sloppy thinking or haphazard approaches to fighting at the intersection of faith and culture. What Christians need to realize is that Christianity, because, rightly understood, it is based on God's truth, speaks to all of live. It is a worldview that actually addresses every area of human existence and thought. It is a comprehensive worldview.
In order to bring the Christian worldview to bear on all of live through cultural engagement, Christians must have a handle on both the Christian worldview and the competing secular worldviews. Knowledge of competing worldviews makes for more honest assessment or it and more persuasive interaction with it. Knowing the thought process of your enemies is half the battle to defeating them. Similarly, Christians must know the ins and outs of their own worldview. There is nothing worse than an ill-prepared soldier. It is wrong to represent the gospel unprepared to show how it relates to the basic areas of life.
The greatest example loving and truthful cultural engagement is that of Jesus. Though Jesus said plenty about the future, he also said a lot that pertained to the present. During His 3 year earthly ministry He was always with people. He always knew what each person needed. Whether teaching, loving, rebuking or challenging, Jesus engaged the culture and its thinking with the truth of the gospel.
Areas of Engagement
Taking our call to engage the culture and prepare for it are not enough. We must actually do it. Morrow has given himself a tall order with this third section of the book as he succinctly presents and addresses a number of issues within the culture in which Christians have an answer and need to give it.These issues range from issues surrounding the Bible itself, sex, the media, global justice, politics and science and faith.
Morrow ably sets up the issues at hand and give clear, thoughtful, helpful and direct answers to how the Christian faith speaks to each issue he addresses. Though each chapter is short, and each issue could be addressed within the span of its own book, Morrow's answers are not simplistic but rather pack a powerful punch that any Christian should be willing to claim as their own.
In my opinion, this third section of the book is the strongest section. Every Christian will learn from Morrows example of hos to think and apply Biblical truth to every area of culture. Morrow does not shy away from the hard issue and questions. He is decidedly against the Bible supporting homosexuality and yet he addresses the issue with sensitivity and love. He is against idolizing creation through our caring of it yet rightly states that humans are the pinnacle of God's creation and not to be valued as less than it. He does not minimize the tension in our society and the church between science and faith and provides a thoughtful and honest evaluation of the current debate.
Think Christianly is a helpful book in many ways. It is both a short introduction to the concept of worldview, a short introduction to the Christian worldview and best of all it is a model for how the Christian worldview provides answers to the questions being asked and the issues being grappled with in our culture. I highly recommend this book!
NOTE: I received this book from Zondervan for free in exchange for a review and was under no obligation to provide a favorable one. The thoughts and words expressed in this review are my own.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Would give it 6 stars
As you can tell I love this book. Almost like a good lawyer Morrow systematically builds his case for the renovation of the Christian mind in such a way that it confidently,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dan S.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Actual, clear and challenging
I really appreciated the book. The language is absolutely clear. The themes he adresses are actual and really important to a Christian living in the present time. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tacito L M Pinto
3.0 out of 5 stars
good book
This book is very good. It challenges you, without making you feel like your head is spinning with information. I recommend it.
Published 7 months ago by Kblair24
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, Current, and Very Thoughtful
This book offers some tier 1 interviews and introductions to key areas in Christian Apologetics. I am especially a fan of the John Stonestreet chapter and interview in the book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. G. Jones, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Great condition. Brand new. I am very pleased all around with this product and the timing of its arrival. It was an all around great purchase!
Published 8 months ago by Haddon Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
good read and study
A lot to read and study. Found a lot of questions and answers through these pages. Many examples how apologetic's can make a peaceful resolution in struggling lives.
Published 10 months ago by tcm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Be Afraid to Acknowledge your Questions and Doubts
Think Christianly, written by Jonathan Morrow, takes a close look at culture and describes what it means to have a Christian worldview. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Vanessa
5.0 out of 5 stars
This One's a Keeper!
We are inundated with messages from our culture. Some are good, some are neutral and many are just downright deadly. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Charissa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Think People, Think!
Think Christianly is a much needed book in a time when Christians seem to downplay the importance of thought, and in a culture where Christians are often caricatured as being small... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ben Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Think Christianly
Think Christianly (2011) by Jonathan Morrow is a book for our times. There are other books that address to implications of worldviews on how we act and I have greatly benefited... Read more
Published 13 months ago by James Hayes
