I'm Okay -- You're Not: The Message We're Sending Unbelievers and Why We Should Stop

After reading negative reviews, I'm wondering if those reviewers even read the book at all. The author is not saying to not evangelize those who haven't heard the Gospel. His point is that most people in America have already heard it ad nauseum, so shoving it down their throats is unnecessary, ineffective and--most of all--unloving. In addition, he does not say that we shouldn't evangelize those who HAVE heard the Gospel. In fact he gives tips on how to do that at the end of the book. Finally, his suggestions and methods are not a cop-out as some have suggested. They are a call to truly love others as Christ intended. Now, to my actual review: while his writing style can be hard to get used to initially, the points he makes are very salient and challenging. It has really helped me see how I have hurt people and pushed them away over the years under the guise of evangelizing them. In addition, I feel more free to love others than I ever have in my twenty-five years as a believer.

Humorist and Christian writer John Shore presents I'm OK - You're Not: The Message We're Sending Nonbelievers and Why We Should Stop, a frank discussion of a crucial flaw in modern evangelical movements - that they have come to resemble sales calls made during dinnertime, and as such are just as unlikely to achieve results. Emphasizing the concept that letter others experience God's love is far more potent than simply telling them about it, I'm OK - You're Not emphasizes the importance of listening to the Great Commandment above all. The Great Commandment referred to is as spoken by Jesus Christ and recorded in the Bible: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Penned with gentle charm, Christian humor, love, and understanding, I'm OK - You're Not deserves to be required reading for any Christian considering embarking upon an evangelical mission or career.

Although raised a Catholic, I veered off early on a quest to figure out which religion, if any, made the most sense, based on personal experience and an examination of empirical facts. I settled on something closer to monotheistic Hinduism (and Quantum Physics) than any current form of Christianity that I've encountered. In fact, with the rise of the Christian Right and Corporate Christianity, I've grown to view Christianity in general as a dangerous fascist political movement whose poster children are money-grubbing telehucksters in bad toupees and thousand dollar three piece suits. How refreshing then to find a book on Christianity which is intelligently written and loaded with gentle humor. A book which takes a slap at the arrogance of contemporary Christianity, yet manages at the same time to convey what is truly beautiful about it. Over-zealous Christians will learn a lot from the quotes of non-Christians used as examples throughout this book, and all readers will be moved by Shore's subtly inspirational, off-handed descriptions of some of the beliefs and experiences which have been personally rewarding to him. These passages are some of the best writing on religious themes I've encountered anywhere. This kind of Christian exposition, coupled with the rising tide of ecologically and socially aware Christianity, gives me hope that Christ's church is being reborn as he intended it.

John Shore's latest book, which is being used in my adult Sunday school class, has the audacity to suggest that it is more important to love people than to convert them. His premise is that everyone in our immediate surroundings has already heard of Jesus, and has at some point made a conscious decision to either become active in a church setting or not. The best way we Christians can invite people into the community of Christ is not through threatening them with hellfire and damnation, but by taking the time to develop real and lasting relationships with them, showing them Christ through our decisions, actions, and compassion. And of course, this book is full of his nervous, and sometimes irrevrerent wit, which makes it an enjoyable read.

John Shore is one of those rare writers who can make people laugh and think at the same time. Irreverantly reverant, "I'm OK -- You're Not" is a book perfect for the times we're in. Ministers should read a chapter to their congregations every Sunday. That would be the Christian thing to do, because John offers us compassionate laughter during a most uncompassionate and unfunny period of our nation's history. Non-Christians will love this book, too -- which proves John's point.