What on Earth Are We Doing?: Finding Our Place As Christians in the World [Paperback]

John Fischer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

Both instructive and challenging to Christians who see themselves outside of the growing Christian subculture. Fischer's thesis is that Christians must transform the culture in which they live, rather than developing their own subculture, in order to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

Product Details

• Paperback: 194 pages
• Publisher: Vine Books (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892839767
• ISBN-13: 978-0892839766
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,870,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Fischer is senior writer for PurposeDrivenLife.com, specializing in a daily devotional that reaches an audience of over 230,000 people five times a week. John's career spans over 30 years, first as a singer/songwriter, recording artist, and pioneer of Jesus Music, then as a best-selling author, and currently as a nationally popular speaker at conferences, retreats, churches, and colleges/universities. John's body of work includes 12 albums, 15 books, and numerous articles for a variety of publications. His early songs, such as "Love Him in the Morning" ("All Day Song") and "Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?" have become standard youth and camp favorites. His books include the best-selling "Real Christians Don't[crossed out] Dance" and his popular novel "Saint Ben." For over 23 years, he was a clarion call for the growing Christian music industry from his regular award-winning monthly column in "CCM" (Contemporary Christian Music) magazine. In addition to his writing with PurposeDrivenLife.com, John also writes for Chuck Colson's Breakpoint.org and is a regular columnist in "Relevant" magazine. "Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian" is John's first book with Tyndale House Publishers. John graduated from Wheaton College, Illinois, in 1969. He studied the ministry under the leadership of the late Ray C. Stedman at Peninsula Bible Church, Palo Alto, California, during the 1970s, and has served as artist in residence at Gordon College, Seattle Pacific University, and Baylor University. He now resides with his wife, Marti, and their son, Chandler, in Laguna Beach, California. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. For more information, visit John's Web site at www.fischtank.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Will Shake Your Christian Walk, October 12, 2000

By 

mjanke - See all my reviews

This review is from: What on Earth Are We Doing?: Finding Our Place As Christians in the World (Paperback)

This is the most powerful work that I have read since Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace. It spoke volumes of truth to me. Fischer believes that the evangelical community in America has, in the past 25 years or so, developed what can only be described as a Christian sub-culture; one which has had more negative than positive effects. He states that we're raised to believe that if we only act differently from the world then the world will see us and think "man, I wanna be like you." But that hasn't really happened. Instead, in large part to the WAY we act differently, the world views us and sees hypocracy, piousness, and a lack of love. They're not seeing Jesus. Just look at the way Christians are portrayed by the media: intolerant, not full of love. Also, instead of being salt and light to the world, we are in effect no longer even in the world. We have retreated in an effort to avoid being touched by the sinfulness that we see.

Fischer believes that our little sub-culture has totally failed. The church is called to love our neighbors, which requires actually engaging them. The church is not called to impose our morality upon someone who doesn't believe as we do. We are not here to spread Christian conservative principles throughout America. We're here to spread the Gospel of Jesus to people who are without it and lost.

One of the problems is that we so often view others as the enemy. Conservatives look at liberals and think "enemy." Fundamentalists look at homosexuals and pro-choice activists as "the enemy." Fischer says that is dead wrong. The world (the unsaved) is not our enemy. The world is LOST. When we quit looking at the world as something we must struggle and fight against and begin looking at the world through the eyes of Christ and see them as lost, that totally changes our approach. When our attitude changes, we no longer try to set the sinner straight or fix their moral problems. Instead, we try to bring her/him home safely. We don't focus on their sinfulness, we focus on their need for a savior.

Our entire approach must change. To do so, we need to reach the world where it's at. We need to examine their culture: the things that are important to them and the things they spend their time doing. By reaching out to the world with our walls of judgement breeched, and doing it in love, by realizing that none of us are perfect and that world is full of sinners, and I am the worst of them (as Paul himself readily admited), our efforts to reach these people will take on a totally new face and effectiveness. Buy this book. Search for it, if you have to (you may have to order it). It's a great read -- fast paced, due to his writing style -- and you'll finish it quickly. The message here is challenging, no-holds-barred, and urgent; it must be heard and applied. Five Stars.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christian Who Thinks, an Anomaly!, April 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: What on Earth Are We Doing?: Finding Our Place As Christians in the World (Paperback)

John Fischer's books always make me think. This one is no exception. In fact, it's his best. While examining the current state of contemporary Christianity, he does us a tremendous service. He prods us, disturbs us, and makes us laugh at ourselves while examining where on earth we actually are; somewhere, it seems, locked away in our own little Christian Ghetto. Here is a trumpet call to break out and think about what it means to be in the world but not of it. In light of current events, it is critical we examine our most cherished understandings. Not for those who have already decided they know and are right

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contemporary Christian subculture exposed, November 5, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What on Earth Are We Doing?: Finding Our Place As Christians in the World (Paperback)

I have thought for years that the subculture we have created is thwarted and needs to be re-examined. Thankfully, I have found someone who wrote what I was feeling. Today we are teaching our children to be neither in the world NOR of it. Fischer gives us a close and logical explanation of why this is, and why it should not be. Our irrational, extrabiblical methods are peeled away and he shows us the bigger picture of the world--what we have not seen. Helping us to step into "their" shoes for a moment, Fischer finally answers the faddish question "what would Jesus do?" in a passionate and enlightening way.

THIS BOOK IS A MUST-READ FOR ALL CLERGY, ESPECIALLY PASTORS AND YOUTH PASTORS.