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A review by m_m_shoe
The Christian Atheist: Believing in God But Living as If He Doesn't Exist by Craig Groeschel
4.0
You can find this review and others on my blog https://montanasmusings.wordpress.com
When I first bought this book, I was in high school. I went to a Catholic school for most of my life, and we attended mandatory Theology classes. During one of these classes, we were handed a list of books to choose from and write a report on and what life lessons we gleaned from the reading and how we would continue on a Christian path. As a bored 17 year old who was sick and tired of being preached to for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, I didn’t read the book. I only chose it because it seemed to be the easiest reading out of the assigned list. When it came to write my book report, I read about 20 pages before putting it back down and skimming for good one-liners to put into my paper.
Fast-forward nearly 5 years later, and I still had this book on my shelf. I had recently hit a spot in my life where I wanted to be healthy in all aspects of my life: physically, academically, financially, emotionally, mentally, and ultimately, spiritually. I was genuinely curious about religion. I felt this sense of hunger for religion to be a part of my life again, but I had no idea where to start.
I had always believed in God, but I never found a community I felt connected to. Catholicism was all I had ever known, but since I never felt connected to the faith, I realized I was at a bit of a loss. I figured I was Christian based on my belief system, so I decided to read a Christian book. That’s when I finally picked up Groeschel’s book once more.
The premise of the book is about how Christians sometimes say they are Christians but fail to live an authentic, Christian lifestyle. They go through the motions of what it means to be Christian (i.e. going to church every Sunday) but once they leave the service, they go on with their lives without another thought about their relationship to God and others. Because this seemed to accurately describe me and how I had lived throughout my college years, I began to think this was a good starting point for my budding faith.
I really connected with this book. Groeschel freely admits to how he lived his life before he found God and I could see some parallels between his life and mine. He separates the book into various chapters, all of the titles beginning with “When You Believe in God but…” and each goes into the issues he sees in those around him and how he thinks they could improve their relationship with God.
I gave this book 4 starts because it helped me decipher some of my feelings about my faith. Faith is deeply personal and intimate, which is why I don’t talk about it very often, if at all. I even got a cross tattoo on my wrist after reading this book, because I felt affirmed in my religious beliefs and knew I had chosen the right spiritual path for myself. This book helped me and I could absolutely see myself reading it again when I feel I’m not giving all of myself in my relationship with God.
This book is not for the deeply religious. I only say this because I think he’s trying to connect with those that have lost their way in their faith, not those who are looking for an even deeper understanding in their faith. For me, I needed this book because it was a starting point in my growing faith. For someone who goes to church every week and Bible study and is very knowledgeable in their religion, it might be a bit too surface-level for you.
When I first bought this book, I was in high school. I went to a Catholic school for most of my life, and we attended mandatory Theology classes. During one of these classes, we were handed a list of books to choose from and write a report on and what life lessons we gleaned from the reading and how we would continue on a Christian path. As a bored 17 year old who was sick and tired of being preached to for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, I didn’t read the book. I only chose it because it seemed to be the easiest reading out of the assigned list. When it came to write my book report, I read about 20 pages before putting it back down and skimming for good one-liners to put into my paper.
Fast-forward nearly 5 years later, and I still had this book on my shelf. I had recently hit a spot in my life where I wanted to be healthy in all aspects of my life: physically, academically, financially, emotionally, mentally, and ultimately, spiritually. I was genuinely curious about religion. I felt this sense of hunger for religion to be a part of my life again, but I had no idea where to start.
I had always believed in God, but I never found a community I felt connected to. Catholicism was all I had ever known, but since I never felt connected to the faith, I realized I was at a bit of a loss. I figured I was Christian based on my belief system, so I decided to read a Christian book. That’s when I finally picked up Groeschel’s book once more.
The premise of the book is about how Christians sometimes say they are Christians but fail to live an authentic, Christian lifestyle. They go through the motions of what it means to be Christian (i.e. going to church every Sunday) but once they leave the service, they go on with their lives without another thought about their relationship to God and others. Because this seemed to accurately describe me and how I had lived throughout my college years, I began to think this was a good starting point for my budding faith.
I really connected with this book. Groeschel freely admits to how he lived his life before he found God and I could see some parallels between his life and mine. He separates the book into various chapters, all of the titles beginning with “When You Believe in God but…” and each goes into the issues he sees in those around him and how he thinks they could improve their relationship with God.
I gave this book 4 starts because it helped me decipher some of my feelings about my faith. Faith is deeply personal and intimate, which is why I don’t talk about it very often, if at all. I even got a cross tattoo on my wrist after reading this book, because I felt affirmed in my religious beliefs and knew I had chosen the right spiritual path for myself. This book helped me and I could absolutely see myself reading it again when I feel I’m not giving all of myself in my relationship with God.
This book is not for the deeply religious. I only say this because I think he’s trying to connect with those that have lost their way in their faith, not those who are looking for an even deeper understanding in their faith. For me, I needed this book because it was a starting point in my growing faith. For someone who goes to church every week and Bible study and is very knowledgeable in their religion, it might be a bit too surface-level for you.