In “blogging for books,” I choose the books that I review. Over the course of a month, Multnomah Books might send me information for five or more titles. I am immediately drawn to agree, or not. The next title I am reviewing is Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe & Why It Matters, by Joshua Harris. The title intrigued me, but the author made me skeptical. Joshua Harris authored I Kissed Dating Good-bye, and several other books that I have not read. Rather than reading his previous books, I just labeled them as “stereotypical Christian legalese,” and ignorantly determined that I was not interested.
Dug Down Deep caught my attention, however, via these descriptive words:
“I know from experience that it’s possible to be a Christian but live life on the surface. The surface can be empty tradition. It can be emotionalism. It can be doctrine without application. I’ve done it all. I’ve spent my share of time on the sandy beaches of superficial Christianity” (back cover).
I do not consider myself superficial. But, I battle the urge. Having been born and raised in a conservative Christian home, having graduated from a conservative Christian liberal arts university, having been employed by the same denomination my entire adult life, and having had very little “rebellion,” I could easily fall into the trap of superficial Christianity. Superficial Christianity may be convenient, but it is unfulfilling. I actively avoid this common trap, so you can see why Dug Down Deep caught my attention!
Inside the dust jacket, the publishers write:
“With startling transparency, Joshua Harris shares how we can rediscover the relevance and power of Christian truth. This book shows how a young man who rose quickly to success in the Christian evangelical world before he realized his spirituality lacked a foundation – it rested more on tradition and morality than on an informed knowledge of God.
“For the indifferent or spiritually numb, Harris’s humorous and engaging reflections on Christian beliefs show that orthodoxy isn’t just for scholars – it is for anyone who wants to know the living Jesus Christ.”
Even though “transparency” is one of the most overused words in 2009 (thereby an abused word), I value true transparency. I am also passionately driven to find “Truth” by God’s definition, rather than by man’s definition. I know the personal experience of God building a foundation of “informed knowledge” within me – it is like no other form of knowledge, and I desperately desire to help other believers experience God in this way. And finally, to read an author’s “humorous and engaging reflection on Christian beliefs” reminds me of two books that I enjoyed last summer - written by self-proclaimed atheists. The contrasts are interesting and relevant. So, you can see why Dug Down Deep caught my attention!
For now, I hope I have presented you with an appealing appetizer. There is more to come….
Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe & Why It Matters is available here.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah.
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