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    Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
    Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
    Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
    Ebook195 pages3 hours

    Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

    By Francis Chan

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    About this ebook

    Revised & Updated Edition! God is love.  Crazy, relentless, all-powerful love.  Have you ever wondered if we're missing it?

    It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor—loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you've verbalized it yet or not, we all know something's wrong.

    Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts—it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.


     

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid C Cook
    Release dateApr 1, 2013
    ISBN9780781411035
    Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
    Author

    Francis Chan

    Francis Chan is the best-selling author of Crazy Love and the host of the BASIC.series. Francis is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California and the founder of Eternity Bible College. He also sits on the board of directors of Children’s Hunger Fund and World Impact. Francis now lives in Northern California with his wife, Lisa, and their four daughters and one son.

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    Reviews for Crazy Love

    4/5

    606 ratings32 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Author Francis Chan sees massive problems with the American Church. But his book is not an indictment of the church, per se. It is clear that Chan loves the church and still has great hope for it. He writes the book from a personal perspective challenging each reader to examine his or her own life instead of simply casting judgments on others. He wants his readers to be personally responsible for their own actions before bashing the church. His critiques are on the mark and will challenge the reader to reconsider their concept of what it is to believe.While the book definitely works on the whole, it is not without its flaws. The first three chapters feel as if they could have been placed in a different book. As Chan covers the magnificence of God nothing new or startling is revealed. His discussion in these chapters of theological matters are generally only skin deep. Christ’s work on the Christ is presented as traditional penal substitution model. The theory of moral influence would have been useful to the purpose of his book, but does not get discussed. His discussion of Revelation ignores the complexity of the imagery in its Old Testament context. While any discussion into this would certainly have been beyond the scope of his book, I fear his treatment promotes the opposite approach.But this is definitely nitpicking. Chan gets rolling in chapter four when he profiles the lukewarm Christian. His observational skills are not lacking and he ably makes his point: there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian and you might be one. His readers are encouraged to examine themselves to see if they might be “bad soil” that has killed the seed of the Word put in it. He sees the American Christian as having the thorny soil that chokes the life out of the seed with thorns of business. From here Chan expands on the problems with how the church relates to God, but also builds a bridge to how it should be. He encourages his readers to take the plain reading of the text seriously and respond to God by being in love with Him. The last chapter provides uplifting examples of people who have done it. It provides hope not just for the reader, but for the church.In the end Chan’s book is an easy read that I would heartily recommend to anyone. It works on a personal level. His observations on the health of the church hit home. His commentary on the lukewarm Christian is especially poignant. While he doesn’t cover many of the larger issues a book such as his might raise, it is a great starting point written from a man in love with God and in love with His church.
    • 5/5
      Excellent. Honest and challenging.
    • 1/5
      The author has an awful theology and it amazes me that people latch onto this as if it's the better way to be "Christian". Chan denies it but he basically relies on guilt and fear to scare Christians into living a "more moral" life. But worse, he encourages them to give everything that have to offer to "God" (aka, the Church); made worse because he is in the "blessed" position as a member of the clergy of being the recipient and "caretaker" of "God's" stuff.

      I was horrified as the author recounted an anecdote about one his parishioners who so charitably donated his house to the church and lived with his parents. His last chapter was equally horrifying as he relayed several examples of Christian martyrs and assumes they are happier now in Heaven. I would not recommend this book and I will certainly stay clear of any more of this author's wretched works.
    • 4/5
      I confess to reading this book expecting to hate it and to find serious theological problems within. I don't know or have anything against Francis Chan, but the fact that this book has been so popular in mainstream evangelicalism had me prepared for the worst.I could nitpick with some (small) parts of the book when it comes to his application of specific passages of Scripture. I also do think that Chan probably fails to recognize the non-radical nature of the daily calling of most Christians (home, family, work, etc.). But in this case, these are minor issues compared to the positives of the book. Even if you don't take some of the radical action he suggests, an honest reading of the book should convict you about your (*my*) unwillingness to make even the smallest of daily sacrifices for the sake of others. God's kingdom is being advanced - he'll (God) see to that. But Christians are called to live in light of that advancement. Chan attempts to show, in ways that challenge our comfort, what a Christian response to God's "crazy love" might look like.
    • 4/5
      Challenging Christians to live out their love for Christ.
    • 4/5
      This one was another book that made waves in the Christian community a while back (I think when I was in college). Francis Chan also was a big deal and I think he wrote a few other books after this one.
    • 4/5
      Francis Chan is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, and is the founder of Eternity Bible College. Chan is also the author of Forgotten God and has written some children’s books. In Crazy Love, Chan verbalizes the truths of the bible of how Christians should be living their lives. This includes describing “lukewarm” Christians, proclaiming specific Christians that have truly lived their lives through Jesus Christ, and a profile of the “obsessed” with God. All of these insights lead to introspective questions of faith and life choices.Though some consider Crazy Love, by Francis Chan, inspiring, I found this book to be a 175-page very pushy sermon. As what is described as a “lukewarm” Christian, I responded to Chan’s writing as being preached to and being yelled at. Chan does a very good job of proving his points with well-known scriptures and some not-so-well-known scriptures. This, to me, emphasizes that he knows what he is talking about and can back himself up with evidence from the bible. It is not that I do not agree with Chan’s ideas, it is that the way he was telling his audience about how to be the “perfect” Christian that did not sit well with me. I would recommend this book to someone who is looking to be inspired to be a better Christian.
    • 5/5
      A work to challenge the believer to get beyond the lukewarmness and relative "comfort" of American Christianity and to move toward more authentic, faithful discipleship.Chan begins by establishing God's majesty, love, and our relative humility. He goes on to show how through our "lukewarmness" we minimize God, maximize self, and how are lives seem, on the whole, little impacted by belief in God.He goes on to encourage believers to consider what more faithful discipleship would look like-- more temporal and financial sacrifice, greater love for God and His purposes, and a willingness to do what may seem radical but what really flows from faith.The author is Evangelical and many of the standard concerns apply-- faith only, once saved, always saved, and the like, but this should not detract from the overall excellence of the message. Read this and David Platt's "Radical" and you will likely never be the same again.
    • 5/5
      This is an excellent but uncomfortable book: it will really challenge your Christian faith as Chan is not shy about making it clear that the Christian life as described in the bible is not just agreeing with Jesus but actually living in obedience to his commands. He does not advocate works-righteousness, rather he reminds us of Jesus' observation that those who love him will do as he commands.
    • 3/5

      At the website linked above, you can watch the videos that go along with the text, as well as a video overview of each chapter.

      This book has been one of the "must read" in the pop Christian world for the last couple years. My first reaction after reading it is "what's the big deal?" Chan isn't saying anything that other authors haven't said for hundreds of years. But I guess he is such a passionate, dynamic speaker that he has inspired a large number of college students. He's what John Piper was to my college years, and they both speak together on the Passion circuit.

      But Chan's writing isn't deep on theology or scholarly like Piper's. This book follows all the modern Christian pop genre: Very few words on the page, large fonts for effect, a preview of the author's other book and an interview all to try and make it reach 200 pages. (Even Piper has followed this trend in recent years.) More words weren't necessary, so I guess I should be thankful that it isn't superfluous like other books I've read recently. To summarize:

      God is huge and yet loves us individually and deeply. We should respond to His love with overwhelming joy and love. The Bible says we should love God more than anything else, and whoever puts anything ahead of God is an idolater. Christianity means more than just showing up, living a moral life, and tithing some percentage of your income and those who only do that are "nominal Christians" and the Bible says they are not truly saved.

      Chan wants us to behave more like a community, a theme of several recent posts here. There is no doubt that the vast majority of American churches don't look like the book of Acts or take most of Jesus' words seriously, and Chan is right to point this out. According to Wikipedia, Chan backs this up with his lifestyle and leadership of his church:

      "Chan gives away about 90 percent of his income ... Chan doesn't take a salary from his church, and he has donated all of his book royalties, which total about $500,000 to various charities. Much of it goes to organizations which rescue sex slaves in foreign countries."Furthermore, in 2008 it was reported that Cornerstone would give away 55% of its income to charitable causes.


      The problem I have with Chan is that the book doesn't talk much about how to live passionately for God if you're not a pastor. Chan gets to take weeks-long sabbaticals in the woods and spend long hours studying for his sermons and such-- his church supports him to do so. But God obviously hasn't called everyone to that. Work is also worship, which Chan neglects. Chan quotes a good bit from A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God (my review), but it's Tozer who makes the elegant argument that sewing a tent can be just as much an act of worship as writing an epistle and Chan overlooks that.

      In the last chapter he makes it clear that there are no prescriptions for individuals, and maybe discipleship means you keep your job and work harder at it as a witness. But the majority of the book has you left feeling like if you don't sell all you have and do something radical and spend 8 hours a day reading your Bible, then you're not giving all you have. Chan's wife's grandmother apparently devoted most of her day to prayer at the foot of her bed. This is great if you're a widow but may not be practical if you're obligated to show up at an office or a classroom.

      This, unfortunately, was the message I was preached through college and it led many of my friends to what I believe is called "ecclesiastical schism," where professional pastors and missionaries are seen as spiritually more important than everyone else. I'm reminded that 11 out of 12 Israelite tribes were called to do things other than work in the temple, and no tribe was held above another. I'm quite sure he's inspiring a lot of impressionable kids to feel that if they major in math or biology they've wasted their life. (I see too much of this on campus.)

      On the positive side, I was challenged in various ways. Am I exercising faith in the area of giving like I should? If I take the description of spiritual fruit in Ephesians 5:22-23 or of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 and insert my name, does it describe me? "Justin is patient, Justin is kind..." Why not?

      But if you've read Tozer, Piper, or Ronald Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, then Chan doesn't really have much to say.

      2.5 stars out of 5. Be sure to watch the videos on his website.
    • 5/5
      Awesome book!! You can no longer make the excuse of being a lukewarm christian after reading this book. It isn't about living life and squeezing in time with God but instead putting Christ 1st and life 2nd...serving others, not ourselves...making real changes in obedience to God's word...seeing what it means to literally live out the words of Jesus as the norm instead of "radical." It has lit a fire under me and a desire to live out the word of God, not just read it and agree and go to church every week but nothing more. I'm not perfect & have a long way to go but I'm expecting change within myself and excited about the work that Christ has for me. This book requires that we examine ourselves as Christians and take steps to living as an obedient, loving, servant of Christ & standing out in this world. The author ends this book with the question/thought that at the end of our lives when we are face to face with our holy & righteous God and he asks each of us what we did with the time and gifts he gave us on earth...what will you say...how will you answer? (To help me seek out the right direction for myself, I also picked up the Crazy Love workbook which has some great thought provoking questions and suggestions for a Christ filled life, attitude and journey.)
    • 5/5
      If you can read just one book this year, let Crazy Love be the one book.It’s that good. It’s beautiful, hard-hitting, easy to read, convicting, life-transforming.Remember a time when you had fallen in love? How everything in your life seemed to change? You did some crazy stuff. THAT’S exactly how our lives should change, if we truly fall in love with God.Here is a summary of each chapter of the book, to give you a preview. I’ll say it again, READ THIS BOOK!PrefaceThis book is to convince you that by surrendering yourself totally to God’s purposes, He will bring you the most pleasure in this life and the next.Chapter OneOur problem isn’t working harder, but realizing who God is, how “crazy” his love for us is, and falling in love with God. Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything in your life.Chapter TwoOn the average day, we live caught up in ourselves. It’s crazy that we think today is just a normal day to do whatever we want with. Do you live with the fact that perhaps today you will die? Life is all about God and not about us at all.Chapter ThreeThe greatest good on this earth is God. Period. God’s one goal for us is Himself. Do you believe that God is the greatest thing you can experience in the whole world?Chapter FourRemember the parable of the soils. DO NOT ASSUME YOU ARE GOOD SOIL. Most American churchgoers have thorns that choke any seed that is in them. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it.Chapter FiveJesus clearly states over and over he wants all or nothing. We can not give him leftovers, we cannot give him only what doesn’t hurt us or only what doesn’t put us at risk.Chapter SixTo change our hearts, what we value, what we risk, how we act, we don’t need more guilt or more rules, we just need to be in love with God. Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.Chapter SevenSomething is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.God wants us to trust Him with abandon. He wants to show us how He works and cares for us. He doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.Chapter EightPeople who are obsessed with Jesus care more about the Kingdom than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress, live lives that connect them with the poor, will do things that don’t make sense in terms of success or wealth, will seek humility, take joy in loving people, will be known as givers, not takers, will orient their lives around eternity, and will be characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God.Chapter NineThere are people who really do live with a crazy love for Jesus, and if you look at their lives, it will eliminate every excuse for not living a radical, love-motivated life for Him.Chapter TenHow you live your days becomes how you have lived your life.Love. Risk. Listen to the Spirit. Be committed to live each day as if it is your last before you meet Jesus.
    • 5/5
      Chan states this book was written for those who are bored with what American christianity offers, and that his hope is that it will affirm one's desire for "more God". He discusses the inaccurate view of God that many have been presented with and have believed. And then, by describing who this all-powerful, all-knowing, eternal, holy God really is, he challenges those who would be His disciples to lay aside their complacency and seek to love Him with all their being.
    • 4/5
      There are some wonderful chapters and passages in this book. Chan identified and dismantles the legalism that so often traps American Evangelicals, but then by mid-book Chan inadvertently demonstrates that he hasn't broken free from the Law's siren song. Like so many of his peers, Chan, too, ultimately can't believe that God's love is so crazy that it's completely free. You can see evidence of this in the other reviews. Instead of readers walking away feeling overwhelmed by the love of a relentless God (i.e., experiencing the radicalness of God's grace), they are walking away saying that Chan's work "challenged them" and that they must lay aside complacency, renew a walk of obedience, and be convicted. In the end, that's throwing people on the Law by saying that have to do at least this much to experience God's love. That's Law, not Gospel. So. in the battle between Law and Gospel, the Gospel almost wins in Crazy Love--almost.
    • 3/5
      I had mixed feelings about this book. While I recognise the need for much of the church to be woken up and understand that God wants our all not just our leftovers, this was maybe a little bit of too much guilt not enough focus on God. He describes what lukewarm Christians look like but the problem is we all look like that a lot of the time, the fact is we all fall short a lot of the time. I realise that we need to be challenged not to accept it but the answer isn't more effort but more focus on God and His grace.
    • 4/5
      Crazy Love is the most challenging book on Christianity I have read. Now, I’m no religious scholar, so I’m sure there is a more challenging book out there somewhere. And it’s not challenging as in “These are really deep and difficult to understand theological discussions. I need a PhD to get this.” It’s actually a very easy read intellectually.It’s challenging because it presses that “uncomfortable button.” You know the one. It’s the you-profess-that-you-believe-this-but-you-don’t-live-it button. It hurts your feelings a little at first because the preacher is talking specifically about things you have said and things you have done. You can’t deny it, even to yourself. And then you get angry and defensive, and you don’t like the preacher at that moment. Then you say, “That message really spoke to me,” and you feel good, and you tell yourself you’re going to “be better” and change. But you go home and watch football and go to work on Monday and forget all about it before next Sunday, because… well, we like to be comfortable.Francis Chan mashes that button over and over and over hoping that it sticks. In that discomfort and uneasiness, we know we are saved by grace, but we realize we are not doing what God has called us to do. We are not taking up our cross. Our fruits are not a testament to our beliefs. We are lukewarm.We go to church. We try to be nice, polite people, but Chan writes, “When we face the Holy God, nice isn’t what we will be concerned with, and it definitely isn’t what He will be thinking about.” He quotes 1 Corinthians 3:13-15- Each person’s works will be tested in the fire. If it burns up, he will lose everything but himself, like a person barely escaping through the flames. Chan says, “Perhaps that sounds harsh, but harsh words and the loving truth often go hand and hand.”Chan emphasizes that our relationship with God has to be everything in our lives. We have to literally depend on him for everything. Not say we do, and do our own thing anyway just in case He doesn’t come through. He also heavily emphasizes sacrificial giving and Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40- “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother’s of mine, you did for me.” Chan challenges us to literally treat everyone we come in contact with as though they were Jesus.When you get to the last chapter, Chan realizes you are at that point of saying “That message really spoke to me,” and you feel good, and you tell yourself you’re going to “be better” and change, but then you’re paralyzed because you’re not really sure what it means in terms of your life. You put the book down and go back to being comfortable. Chan quotes Annie Dillard: “How we live our days is… how we live our lives.” He writes, “We each need to discover for ourselves how to live this day [Chan's italics] in faithful surrender to God as we ‘continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling’” (Phil. 2:12). Chan says we have to learn to listen to and obey God day to day “…in a society where it’s easy and expected to do what is most comfortable.”
    • 5/5
      I am very reluctant to give out five stars to any book, but this one deserves it. Chan lays out a very convicting argument for the contraction inherent in the term lukewarm Christian. He believes that if someone is lukewarm about Christianity, that person is not a Christian. While I am less than certain that I agree with that statement doctrinally, the book really made me examine my life and consider what I need to do to not be a lukewarm Christian. I would recommend this book to any Christian whole is willing to have his faith challenged, but with the proviso that reading it might make you do "crazy" things for love in the name of God.
    • 5/5
      Chan offers a description of the Jesus-obsessed life: risk-taking faith, passionate love, and selfless service. This view of the Christian life offers a stark contrast to what Chan observes in much of the American church: lukewarm faith, reasonable love, and comfortable service. Rather than seeking the living God, His church has sought security, comfort, and control. After asking them to consider God’s relentless love, Chan calls the reader to radical faith and obedience. A
    • 4/5
      Several years ago, this was the "it" book to read in Evangelical Christian circles. It sold over 2 million copies and top bestseller lists, both Christian and Secular. It's still popular. And yet, given how little our society has changed, my guess is that most of the people who read it, like the rich young ruler, went away sad because they found the road too hard and the sacrifice too much. And as one of those reader myself, I can tell you - the idea of rejecting Chan's call to different Christian life is appealing. Who wants to give most of their wealth and time and resources away? Who wants to live without the illusion of control and security? Who wants to be at the mercy of the God who thought it was "good" the Jesus die on the cross? Because I don't. And yet, I do. Chan states, clearly, why living this way, this dangerous way, is what Christ meant when He called us to follow Him. Through passionate words and timely Scriptures, Chan unfolds his thoughts on what being a Christian is suppose to mean and to look like. He does so with the premise that God loves us with a "crazy love" - and intends for us to love Him back with the same. It's powerful and enticing and scary. While I am not quite at the place where I am ready to toss of the entrapments of my rich American life, Chan's book will stay with me long after I set it down. Worth reading, in every sense. Favorite Quotes:"Friends, we need to stop living selfish lives, forgetful of our God" pg. 51"In other words, God knew me before He made me" pg. 58"Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talkinh about private issues like religion" pg. 71"My conclusion? Jesus' call to commitment is clear. He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a "Christian" without being a devoted follower fo Christ is absurd." pg. 85"The reality is that, whether we acknowledge our wealth or not, being rich is a serious disadvantage spiritually" pg. 90"Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view (and lest we forget, His is the only one that matters), they're evil. Let's stop calling it "a busy schedule", or "bills" or "forgetfulness.". It's called evil." pg. 92"But the fact is that nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God; it's about eternity, and nothing compares with that. God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives." pg. 96"I need God to help me love God" pg. 104 "But that is exactly what we do when we fail to give freely and joyfully. We are loaded down with too many good things, ore than we could ever need, while other are desperate for a small loaf. The good things we cling to are more than money; we hoard our resources, our gifts, our time, our families, our friends. As we begin to practice regular giving, we see how ludicrous it is to hold on to the abundance God has given us and merely repeat the words thank you." pg 120-121"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through." pg 124
    • 5/5
      I wanted to throw this book through the window once I finished it. It's voice is prophetic (not in the new knowledge kind of sense), authoritative, and convicting. There were many points that I had to slow down just to consider my relationship with God the Father and rest in His love for me, in spite of my lack of love for Him. I have come to realize that my view of Christ is to safe. Jesus is not safe and does not call us to live "safe" lives, but to sacrifice, service, LOVE, and Kingdom Living.You probably shouldn't just think of this book as a quick read that you'll set aside and mark off your reading list. It will demand that you look into your soul and consider your alliance with the world and Christ.
    • 5/5
      Chan is the voice of our deepest conscience: Are we doing all we can to bring others to Christ? Are we driven to be all God wants us to be?And, of course, we must answer, No. And, of course, we must resolve to do better. Chan helps us with inspiriting, uplifting, truly amazing stories of others who are out there doing all they can to bring others to Christ and becoming all God would have them become. Chan also gives us verse after verse of Bible wisdom to guide us and provoke us and send us on our way.A powerful read.
    • 4/5
      You have to enter this book with an open mind and an open heart for us to really get the message Chan is trying to convey. What I got out of it was truth, the truth of Christianity and how it is presented in the Western world compared to others. I had to swallow that truth, reflect on my shortcomings with my relationship with God, and now I'm trying to figure out what my next move should be. I don't think a massive, drastic change is in the works for me at the moment, but I know that I'll be well on my way there by following God's light.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a wonderful book! I love the way it makes you think and calls you to His service. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to grow their spiritual life. Francis Chan is definitely gifted and has a message like no other.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Francis Chan's book, "Crazy Love" made me take a long, hard look at how I've lived my life. I want to do better and do more for my God.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Awesome book that every Believer in Christ should read. It will open your eyes as to the crazy love God has for us.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A book that will challenge you to live a life that may be viewed as crazy, even by other Christians. You will be challenge to live a life pleasing to Christ not just a life to not upset Him!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      As a church librarian, I read many, many books! This book is the absolute best book out there on how to take that next step in your walk with God. Chan challenges us evangelicals to get out of our comfort zones, and take the plunge into a life of radical faith! I have already bought 3 copies of this book for my library! I hope to get as many people to read the message that's in it: Get off the sideline, and live the life that God's called you to!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Interesting book about love for Jesus. The author, a pastor in a church out in California, says that truly loving Jesus is about giving more than we have in the past, and letting Jesus take over.
    • 2/5
      Well.... I finished this book today and my initial impression has changed somewhat. I liked the beginning of the book, agreed w/a lot of his challenges and statements, but then Chan veers into some ideas that are, well extreme.. In the last two chapters, he writes about people who are all out for God, living like true Christians should: giving to the poor, giving away what they don't need, using their resources for others (which is good).. But nearly all of his examples are of people who have gone overseas to Uganda, or to some other third world country, started orphanages, lived as missionaries in the jungles, or have become homeless themselves in order to live out poverty... I find this sort of portrayal very one dimensional. Christians can certainly live for God by working dutifully in their mundane jobs. By living out their lives right where God has put them. In a dirty house w/crying kids and piles of laundry. In a job at the post office sorting mail. In a crowded shopping mall. One not need give away all her possessions in order to live a godly life. God is present very much in the ordinary, not just in the extraordinary.












      I'm usually not one to read books by Christian "celebrities'... I think Chan was one of those. Former pastor of a mega church, tons of books, DVDs, group studies, etc... But this is the book my friend from church was going to read for a Bible Study, and she invited me to go. So far I am liking the book. Written in a very conversational, no-bones-about-it style, Chan poses some very real challenges to the Christian.. Do we love God only b/c what He can do for us? Is it all about me and what I want to do/plan/accomplish? Or is it about Him?... very good questions so far. I'm only on Ch 2. We'll see how this goes...
    • 1/5
      Didn't enjoy. Didn't view it as very realistic. Francis Chan has written a book that claims one must be totally, obsessively "in love" with Jesus Christ or all bets are off. On page 68, he asks "Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus?" Later in the book, he describes a woman he clearly holds up as a model of this. On page 100, he writes"Have you ever met someone who was utterly and desperately in love with Jesus? I have. My wife's grandma Clara.I spoke recently at Grandma Clara's funeral, and I could honestly tell the mourners gathered that I had never known anyone more excited to see Jesus. Every morning Clara would kneel by her bed and spend precious hours with her Savior and Lover; later in the day, just the sight of that corner of her bed would bring joy-filled tears and a deep anticipation of the next morning spent kneeling in His presence."Seriously? Really? I guess I'm not utterly "in love" with Jesus then, nor do I really want to be. I don't want to weep at the sight of my bed, knowing I'll be spending hours praying there sometime soon. I'm sorry, but I don't get giddy over Jesus. I can't view him as my "Lover." I guess I'm one of the "lukewarm" people Chan rips in this book. Sorry Francis, maybe in your eyes, I'll burn in hell, but I simply can't find myself "in love" with a higher being I've never seen or met in person or had an interactive verbal exchange with, etc., et al. I consider myself a Christian. Struggling, yes. Difficulties, yes. But "saved" nonetheless. More importantly, I'll bet not even 1% of 1% of Christians out there meet Chan's definition of being "in love" with Jesus. It's a silly notion. I pray, frequently. I feel like God hears me and sometimes it seems like he might be listening and interacting, but not audibly. Like I believe in air which I can't see, I believe in a god who I can't see, but I'm not freakin' "in love" with him. I believe I love God. I try to. Sometimes it's honestly hard, particularly when you see hypocritical, self righteous Christians living lives that Jesus would recoil against. I despise most self-professed Christians and feel that if Jesus were to come back today, he would view the majority of those who believe in him as being little different from those of his day, what with the dogma, the judgmental attitudes, the intolerance, etc. I guess when it comes down to it, I'd rather have an intellectual relationship with God and try to exercise faith in my belief, rather than engage in having schoolboy crushes on a supreme deity. I think you have to get high to do that. What kind of stuff is Chan smoking anyway? A loser book by a holier than thou asshole. I'm sorry I opened it.

    Book preview

    Crazy Love - Francis Chan

    PREFACE TO THE UPDATED EDITION

    I write this preface in January of 2013, and as of now Crazy Love has sold more than two million copies. To say that the response to the book surprised me is a huge understatement.

    When I wrote Crazy Love, I assumed I was only appealing to a small segment of the population. I hoped to encourage those who were confused by the church system—those who had been made to feel crazy because of their desire to follow Scripture simply and literally. I had no idea that it would resonate with so many people.

    I have seen some positive developments in the American church since 2008. I see a greater awareness of the suffering of those in our hometowns and those around the world. More people now question what it really means to follow Jesus and actively evaluate their lifestyles. Some have recognized their need to surrender and have repented of their ways. And in those individuals and churches that are pursuing these things, I see more joy and vitality.

    I love the church, and I am encouraged as I travel around the country and around the world and see groups of people living as God intended His church to live. I see the Spirit working—as He always is—and I am encouraged to see a larger group within the American church taking Scripture seriously and following the Spirit’s leading.

    But this is no reason to settle in. We will always find ourselves in trouble when we get comfortable with things as they are.

    As I reflect on what I wrote here five years ago, there are some things that would probably come out a bit differently if I were writing them today. Some have said that I focused too much on needs overseas and didn’t focus enough on the person who is called to the workplace here in America. I didn’t emphasize the need to work hard at our jobs to the glory of God. Everything I wrote in Crazy Love—seeing God accurately, loving Him passionately, taking the Scriptures at face value, etc.—needs to be applied in every area of our lives.

    Crazy Love will never be the only message the church needs to hear, but I am thankful that it continues to speak to people. Five years later, we still need to be reminded that God is bigger than we think. We need to be awed by His unfathomable love for us. We need to be pushed away from the lukewarm equilibrium we keep coming back to. I still need these reminders, and the church does too.

    In this edition of Crazy Love, I have added an additional chapter to update readers on my ministry and my thought process. God continues to guide and teach me, and I wanted to share some of that. Aside from that additional chapter, the text remains almost identical to the 2008 edition. This means that there is a five-year gap between chapters 1–10 and chapter 11. I decided not to change the references in those original chapters to where I was living, how many children I had, and where and how I was ministering. I wanted to change those chapters as little as possible since people have been connecting with them so well over the years.

    As you read this new edition of Crazy Love, my prayer for you is the same as it was when I first wrote it. I want you to be challenged by God’s greatness and love. I want you to understand that the only sane response to His love is a wholehearted devotion to Jesus. And I want you to see that the crazy people in this world are those who experience God’s love and remain complacent, not those who let go of all they have and follow Him completely.

    PREFACE

    To just read the Bible, attend church, and avoid big sins—

    is this passionate, wholehearted love for God?

    —François Fénelon, The Seeking Heart

    We all know something’s wrong.

    At first I thought it was just me. Then I stood before twenty thousand Christian college students and asked, How many of you have read the New Testament and wondered if we in the church are missing it? When almost every hand went up, I felt comforted. At least I’m not crazy.

    In this book I am going to ask some hard questions. They will resonate with what a lot of us feel but are generally afraid to articulate and explore. Don’t worry—this isn’t another book written to bash churches. I think it’s far too easy to blame the American church without acknowledging that we are each part of the church and therefore responsible. But I think we all feel deeply, even if we haven’t voiced it, that the church in many ways is not doing well.

    I get nervous when I think of how we’ve missed who we are supposed to be, and sad when I think about how we’re missing out on all that God wants for the people He loved enough to die for.

    I haven’t always felt this way. I grew up believing in God without having a clue what He is like. I called myself a Christian, was pretty involved in church, and tried to stay away from all of the things that good Christians avoid—drinking, drugs, sex, swearing. Christianity was simple: Fight your desires in order to please God. Whenever I failed (which was often), I’d walk around feeling guilty and distant from God.

    In hindsight, I don’t think my church’s teachings were incorrect, just incomplete. My view of God was narrow and small.

    Now I am a husband, a father of four, and the pastor of a church in Southern California. Until just a few years ago I was quite happy with how God was working in me and in the church. Then God began changing my heart. This took place largely during the times I spent reading His Word. The conviction I felt through the teachings of Scripture, coupled with several experiences in third-world countries, changed everything. Some serious paradigm shattering happened in my life, and consequently in our church.

    The result is that I’ve never felt more alive, and neither has Cornerstone Church. It’s exhilarating to be part of a group of believers who are willing to think biblically rather than conventionally, to be part of a body where radical living is becoming the norm.

    This book is written for those who want more Jesus. It is for those who are bored with what American Christianity offers. It is for those who don’t want to plateau, those who would rather die before their convictions do.

    I hope reading this book will convince you of something: that by surrendering yourself totally to God’s purposes, He will bring you the most pleasure in this life and the next. I hope it affirms your desire for more God—even if you are surrounded by people who feel they have enough God. I hope it inspires confidence if you have questioned and doubted the commitment of the American church. I want to affirm your questioning, even while assuring you there is hope.

    God put me in Simi Valley, California, to lead a church of comfortable people into lives of risk and adventure. I believe He wants us to love others so much that we go to extremes to help them. I believe He wants us to be known for giving—of our time, our money, and our abilities—and to start a movement of giving churches. In so doing, we can alleviate the suffering in the world and change the reputation of His bride in America. Some people, even some at my church, have told me flat-out, You’re crazy. But I can’t imagine devoting my life to a greater vision.

    We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God. You’ve probably heard the expression I believe in God, just not organized religion. I don’t think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live. The expression would change to I can’t deny what the church does, but I don’t believe in their God. At least then they’d address their rejection of God rather than use the church as a scapegoat.

    We are going to look at how the Bible calls us to live our lives. It is important that we not measure our spiritual health by the people around us, who are pretty much like us. To begin this journey, we’ll first address our inaccurate view of God and, consequently, of ourselves.

    But before we look at what is wrong and address it, we need to understand something. The core problem isn’t the fact that we’re lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He’s great and deserves to be the center of our lives. Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. He commands everything from His followers.

    The first three chapters are absolutely foundational to this book. Though parts of it may not be new material to you, allow these sacred truths to move you to worship. I pray that your reading of the next few pages will be interrupted by spontaneous and meaningful praise to God. Allow these words to communicate old truths to your heart in a fresh way.

    After the foundation has been laid in the first three chapters, the last seven chapters call us to examine ourselves. We will address life in light of the crux of who God is. We’ll discover what is wrong in our churches and, ultimately, in ourselves.

    Come with me on this journey. I don’t promise it will be painless. Change, as we all know, is uncomfortable. It’s up to you to respond to what you read. But you will have a choice: to adjust how you live daily or to stay the same.

      CHAPTER ONE

    What if I said, Stop praying? What if I told you to stop talking at God for a while, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word? Solomon warned us not to rush into God’s presence with words. That’s what fools do. And often, that’s what we do.

    We are a culture that relies on technology over community, a society in which spoken and written words are cheap, easy to come by, and excessive. Our culture says anything goes; fear of God is almost unheard of. We are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry.

    The wise man comes to God without saying a word and stands in awe of Him. It may seem a hopeless endeavor, to gaze at the invisible God. But Romans 1:20 tells us that through creation, we see His invisible qualities and divine nature.

    Let’s begin this book by gazing at God in silence. What I want you to do right now is to go online and look at the Awe Factor video at www.crazylovebook.com to get a taste of the awe factor of our God. Seriously—go do it.

    Speechless? Amazed? Humbled?

    When I first saw those images, I had to worship. I didn’t want to speak to or share it with anyone. I just wanted to sit quietly and admire the Creator.

    It’s wild to think that most of these galaxies have been discovered only in the past few years, thanks to the Hubble telescope. They’ve been in the universe for thousands of years without humans even knowing about them.

    Why would God create more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies (and this is a conservative estimate) that generations of people never saw or even knew existed? Do you think maybe it was to make us say, Wow, God is unfathomably big? Or perhaps God wanted us to see these pictures so that our response would be, Who do I think I am?

    R. C. Sproul writes, Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.¹

    Switch gears with me for a minute and think about the detailed intricacy of the other side of creation.

    Did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head? That’s quite a few, for a bug. The average elm tree has approximately 6 million leaves on it. And your own heart generates enough pressure as it pumps blood throughout your body that it could squirt blood up to 30 feet. (I’ve never tried this, and I don’t recommend it.)

    Have you ever thought about how diverse and creative God is? He didn’t have to make hundreds of different kinds of bananas, but He did. He didn’t have to put 3,000 different species of trees within one square mile in the Amazon jungle, but He did. God didn’t have to create so many kinds of laughter. Think about the different sounds of your friends’ laughs—wheezes, snorts, silent, loud, obnoxious.

    How about the way plants defy gravity by drawing water upward from the ground into their stems and veins? Or did you know that spiders produce three kinds of silk? When they build their webs, they create sixty feet of silk in one hour, simultaneously producing special oil on their feet that prevents them from sticking to their own web. (Most of us hate spiders, but sixty feet an hour deserves some respect!) Coral plants are so sensitive that they can die if the water temperature varies by even one or two degrees.

    Did you know that when you get goose bumps, the hair in your follicles is actually helping you stay warmer by trapping body heat? Or what about the simple fact that plants take in carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us) and produce oxygen (which we need to survive)? I’m sure you knew that, but have you ever marveled at it? And these same poison-swallowing, life-giving plants came from tiny seeds that were placed in the dirt. Some were watered, some weren’t; but after a few days they poked through the soil and out into the warm sunlight.

    Whatever God’s reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God’s art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like.

    The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the

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