It’s something that many people in the pews rarely think
about, but is their faith really theirs, or is it what Ryan and Josh Shook call
‘secondhand religion’. Religion is passed down from generation to generation;
faith is something personal and individual. Explore the differences in Firsthand: Ditching Secondhand Religion for
a Faith of Your Own. (Ryan and Josh Shook, Waterbrook Press, 2013).
With a combination of their own experiences and stories from
others who have made the switch from second hand to first hand, the Shook
brothers offer valuable insight into the state of the Christian church, a
church which according to researchers, is seeing an entire generation slip
away.
As a pastor and as a father of a teenager, I’m thrilled that
this book has been written. It’s written for teens/20 somethings, but should
make perfect sense to anyone who has ever struggled with their faith, anyone who
has ever questioned where God was hiding, anyone who ever got tired of church
traditions which made no sense because they had never been explained. (And
often the only reason that something is a tradition in a particular church is
that it has been done more than twice.)
The book itself is an easy and enjoyable read. Doing the work in the “Think About It” section
might be a little more difficult, but worth the effort. This book invites the
reader to examine his faith to see if it is the real thing, or just a copy of
what we’ve seen someone else doing.
Read the book, answer the questions and ignite the passion
that true faith is all about.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I
was not required to write a positive review.
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