When Christians Get It Wrong [Kindle Edition]

Adam Hamilton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If there was one pastor in the United States to whom I'd go for pastoral wisdom on the issues that divide us and that need pastoral words of warning and compassion, it is Adam Hamilton. Even when one does not agree with each of his proposals, one will come away refreshed, enlightened, and determined to ‘get it right.’ Because we sometimes ‘get it wrong,’ we learn that the only way to get it right is the way of humility, confession, compassion, and renewed commitment to a deeper integrity.”
Scot McKnight, author of A Community Called Atonement

“My church has no better interpreter of the Christian faith for the present age than Adam Hamilton. In this book he takes on the questions that few of us dare to tackle, doing so with Hamiltonian creativity, vitality, and biblical fidelity. God has given Adam great gifts for Christian communication. He reframes the issues in such a way that he gives the church an opportunity to refocus and redefine and to move off dead center and move more closely to Jesus. I’ve deeply appreciated all of Adam’s books; I love this one!”
Will Willimon, author of Why Jesus?

“Who helps you think? Adam Hamilton pushes my thinking. I consider him a trustworthy friend. When he speaks, I listen. When he writes, I read. If you need some help thinking seriously about some of the more difficult issues of our day, read this book.”
Mark Beeson, Senior Pastor of Granger Community Church.

Product Description

More and more young adults have opted out of Christianity and the church. The reason? Christians.When young adults talk about the problems they have with Christianity and the church, they often name certain attitudes and behaviors they believe are practi

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 426 KB
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (August 1, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003WUYENE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,946 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Adam Hamilton is senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. The Church Report  named Hamilton's congregation the most influential mainline church in America, and PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly identified him as one of the top "Ten People to Watch." Hamilton is the author of Confronting the Controversies, Making Love Last a Lifetime, Unleashing the Word, Leading Beyond the Walls, Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic, Christianity and World Religions, and Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, all published by Abingdon Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Good to Know there are Pastors Like Adam Hamilton, August 17, 2010

By 

Colleen McMahon ""Omnivorous Reader"" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When Christians Get It Wrong (Kindle Edition)

I was raised Catholic and have long since left the Church, or I guess I could say the Church left me, making it abundantly clear that I was unwanted. I am not a Christian at this point, nor do I have a belief in Christ that Christianity would require. Nevertheless since this religion is so prevalent in the society I live in, I strive to know its trends and issues.

When Christians Get it Wrong is not only an important book, it soothes the souls of those who have been rejected and hurt and harmed by the sort of Christianity that has become all too prevalent in modern day society (I've heard it distinguished from the Christianity Christ taught by calling it Leviticism or Christianism). Adam Hamilton targets 5 areas that are most cited by the young adults who are either leaving organized Christianity or uninterested in joining, voting with their feet against the way they perceive Christians to think and behave.

The main issues are: hypocrisy and acting in "unChristian" ways, beliefs about other religions, political involvement and anti-science, anti-homosexual views, and the question of where God is when suffering happens.

The last question is an eternal one that doesn't quite fit with the rest of the book and the author comes up with as good an answer as I've ever seen to it; however, I was much more intrigued by his addressing of the other 4 issues, because I agree with the young adults surveyed that all four things leave a bad taste in the mouths of many viewing Christianity (particularly the Christianity that grabs all the oxygen in the room these days). The author addresses each one humbly, and in all cases agrees that the behaviors perceived have been present. He argues that that isn't ALL that's there and gives inspiring anecdotes of people acting in truly Christian ways who aren't in the limelight. Moreover, he analyzes the beliefs and the sources of those beliefs that lead to such ugly words and behaviors, and shows that Christian beliefs do not in any way require one to act in such ways, and in many cases actually require the opposite.

I wasn't entirely satisfied with his answers in the anti-homosexuality chapter because I have a feeling he was soft-pedaling what he really believes in the interest of gaining a sympathetic hearing, but he still expressed far more empathy and understanding of the pain of young adults raised as good Christians and who still believe, but who thus believe that they are broken or damned because they have turned out to be non-heterosexual or non-gender-normative. In all cases he shows that the core beliefs of Christianity do not require the rigid stances that lead to the alienation of so many, and the belief that Christianity stands for prejudice, hypocrisy, ignorance and hate.

I think that Hamilton does a very good job of addressing both audiences he targets: those who have been alienated by modern Christianity/Christianism and those inside Christianity who have been contributing to that perception, or at least remaining silent while those who do forward that view do all the speaking.

I wasn't converted by the book in any way, but I was inspired to act in my own life more according to the core values Jesus promoted, which doesn't in any way conflict with my current spiritual path. And I was reassured that there are pastors like Adam Hamilton who are willing to speak out honestly about the harm some of his co-religionists do to other humans inside and outside of their churches.

I probably would not have read this book if it cost more than the .99 cent Kindle price I bought it at, but it was well worth it. It's a quick read, too; I read it in a few hours but will probably look back at it in the future. I hope it finds a wide audience and I would love to see someone like Adam Hamilton replacing some of the usual "talking head" suspects who speak for Christians on the news and in the media.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christian Response to Christianity's Flaws, August 13, 2010

By 

Kyle J. Holt - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When Christians Get It Wrong (Kindle Edition)

This should be required reading for every thinking person who wrestles with faith, organized religion, and Christianity. Christian hypocrisy is one of the major issues that atheists, agnostics, and non-Christians often bring up in debates about the merits of Christianity. Many times that criticism is fair. This book addresses these issues head on, with an approach of fairness and grace. Rather than running from the topics, Pastor Adam Hamilton has turned the spotlight onto them. He discusses what is expected of people of faith, how we fall short, what to do about it, and what Scripture tells us about many of the most controversial subjects. His way of addressing the issues that often turn people off from Christianity should turn people on to Christianity...including Christians who are getting it wrong!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book I keep nodding my head "yes" to!, August 13, 2010

By 

Ryan E. Tsuchida - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When Christians Get It Wrong (Paperback)

I thought Reverend Hamilton's sermon series turned into a book was really nice. I saw a video promoting the book and as a college aged student, felt compelled to read it. I was very pleased with what Rev. Hamilton had to say. My only disappointment was the level of language used in this book. I feel as though such simple language is effective in communicating to the masses but I would get frustrated at times with the elementary language used. (Maybe this is a consequence of being in such an academic environment!) This very easy to read book would have been better if he further articulated his points but I enjoyed it nonetheless and would recommended this books to EVERYONE. To non-Christians, it says, "Hey, we're not all the same." To different minded Christians, it says, "Hey, consider this line of theology." And to like minded Christians, it says, "Hey, you're not alone." A great read for everyone of all ages 8-80!