Book Review: Francis Chan's: Crazy Love

I finished a couple weeks ago Francis Chan's ( I almost wrote Jackie Chan) Crazy Love. This seems to have been a popular book among young (high school/college) age Christians. I did not pick the book up for that reason, rather it was a random buy at Lifeway while picking up commentaries. Anyway I figured I would give my 2 cents worth of what I thought of the book.

Overall I enjoyed the book (I give it a B). Chan focuses mainly on the grace of Jesus Christ to us as sinners and how we can't DO anything to gain his favor, or work to achieve anymore love than what we have been given in Christ. He funnels this idea to see if we grasp how crazy in love GOd is with us and how just that alone should motivate us to do the same. Most people will enjoy the first 4 chapters as they give kinda the theology of everything with a lot of practical application. I enjoyed his chapter on "Lukewarm Christians" citing this reference from Revelation 3:14-22. His argues that there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian but rather those people are not Christians in the first place! I tend to agree with Chan, he cites the context of Rev. 3:14-22. Why would Jesus talk to believers in this way? Even in the OT God always backed up his rebuke and judgment with I will restore you and no where in that passage does Jesus do that. Chan continues to say that we may have lukewarm tendencies but by all means there are no lukewarm Christians. He continues to give what a lukewarm tendency is along with Scripture passage to give testimony to his point.
The second half of the book wasnt so inpiring but nonetheless was informative. He gives examples of people who not only hear the Word but do what it says (James 1:22). Some stories are really neat and some are not. Some (like on Amazon's reviews) see the second half (stories of works) of the book as a contradiction of the first half (grace). Rather I saw him building on the same biblical conception of: if you have this grace, this wonderful good news then you will want to get your sorry butt out and serve. He tells us the readers to be uncomfortable, get out, stop making excuses for serving our Lord. To the largest effect I agree with him. Too long have we made excuses (I have work, I have no time, I need this or that) but in the end there is always time to serve our great God. I know some of you may take offense to that last sentence like: well I really do have alot of work, and thats cool but I know taht we will all stand before a Holy God and see if that will fly with Him? :-)

So overall it was a good read, I encourage those out there to purchase it if they do not have it. Its an easy read, a good read, but of course the Word is so much better and worthwhile. This book willl make you reflect and think but its just a guy and the Word is God's special revelation and always is number 1 (Heb. 4:12)