Author: Kyle Strobel
Type: Spirituality, Spiritual Formation
Shepnerd Rating: 3. 5 Stars (good but not great)
“We create a box to put God in, and spend the rest of our lives meditating on how impressive a box it is.” (page 182).
“Metamorpha: Jesus as a way of life” is a book that wants to help you take God out of the box and live in a unique and real relationship with God. There is much wisdom between its pages about the need for people to stop following “rules” about what they think Christianity is, and start living a life in Christ that is transformed and passionate.
Sadly, there is too much Kyle Strobel in Strobel’s Metamorpha. He makes a point toward the end about churches relying to heavily on leaders and their personalities but ironically most of the book is based on his personal experiences (from growing up spiritually empty in a megachurch, to confessing his sins of disbelief and lying about his own wisdom, to his own enlightenment). It is a very white, upper-middle class, western sanitized crisis of faith and encouragement to change. Most people don’t’ get out of college and obsess on their spiritual worldview – they need to get jobs, apartments, and qualify for a car loan. His faith precepts live in a vacuum where real life is put on pause so we can all start thinking about Jesus. However most of us must do our thinking WHILE we do our living – and he really doesn’t address that.
He presents something most Christians in our age can relate to:
“My idea of the Christian life was going to church, doing good things, and trying to be nice…shortly after I started college I came to realize I had no faith of my own and I knew nothing about the God I supposedly “loved”, whatever that meant.” (p59)
This is the strength of this book -- helping people see that being a Christian isn’t about being dutiful to church and following the God we “believe” – but its about learning (through the bible, the Spirit, and mentors in community) who God really is, loving that God with passion and living in a unique Christ-journey through this world.
“Metamorpha: Jesus as a way of life” is a book that wants to help you take God out of the box and live in a unique and real relationship with God. There is much wisdom between its pages about the need for people to stop following “rules” about what they think Christianity is, and start living a life in Christ that is transformed and passionate.
Sadly, there is too much Kyle Strobel in Strobel’s Metamorpha. He makes a point toward the end about churches relying to heavily on leaders and their personalities but ironically most of the book is based on his personal experiences (from growing up spiritually empty in a megachurch, to confessing his sins of disbelief and lying about his own wisdom, to his own enlightenment). It is a very white, upper-middle class, western sanitized crisis of faith and encouragement to change. Most people don’t’ get out of college and obsess on their spiritual worldview – they need to get jobs, apartments, and qualify for a car loan. His faith precepts live in a vacuum where real life is put on pause so we can all start thinking about Jesus. However most of us must do our thinking WHILE we do our living – and he really doesn’t address that.
He presents something most Christians in our age can relate to:
“My idea of the Christian life was going to church, doing good things, and trying to be nice…shortly after I started college I came to realize I had no faith of my own and I knew nothing about the God I supposedly “loved”, whatever that meant.” (p59)
This is the strength of this book -- helping people see that being a Christian isn’t about being dutiful to church and following the God we “believe” – but its about learning (through the bible, the Spirit, and mentors in community) who God really is, loving that God with passion and living in a unique Christ-journey through this world.
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