This isn't a book in a traditional sense where it's meant to be read straight through and tells a story... it's actually teaching material that's meant to be supplemented with online videos. I'll admit that I haven't watched any of the videos yet, and I did read the book straight through (over several days) even though the authors recommended taking it in small chunks and really soaking it all in.

I will probably revisit this book a few times over the years, but as a whole I wasn't terribly impressed. The book is broken down into five parts, each of which has subsections that each include context, with study/prayer questions at the end:

         I: Living as a Disciple Maker
         II: Living as the Church
         III: How to Study the Bible
         IV: Understanding the Old Testament
         V: Understanding the New Testament

Parts IV and V were basically summaries of important stories in the Bible which, while interesting, aren't really new information... and this took up the majority of the book. Part I was basically "here's why you should listen to what we're saying in this book," which also isn't terribly engaging. And parts II and III, while interesting and informative, were written in kind of a presumptuous, condescending tone that really didn't sit well with me.

For example, in Part III (How to Study the Bible), there's a subsection called "Studying the Right Book for the Wrong Reasons," and it outlined three of the key ways that people read the Bible incorrectly. Here's an excerpt, with the study/prayer question included:




I think what grates on me about this style is the assumption the authors make about the reader's motivations. They offer a few incredibly specific scenarios for why they think people read the Bible for the wrong reasons, and then extrapolate that out and assume most of their readers are familiar with those reasons. And while I'm sure there are some people who do struggle with these very specific situations, I think there are a lot more like me who read it and don't really recognize the picture that's been painted.

Which is not to say we all don't have our own wrong reasons for reading the Bible to some degree, but painting a very particular picture is likely to do the opposite of what they intend. Instead of someone saying, "You know, now that I think about it, maybe I do read the Bible out of guilt, or as a way of achieving status... I should examine that." There are probably a lot of readers who read it and go, "Well, I have a Bible reading quota but I don't hold other people to my standards so I'm not a "guilt" reader." Or, "Sure, I like that people think of me as a go-to person for Bible knowledge... but it's not because I want to feel intelligent or because I want to be the best or most spiritual person in the room... so what's so wrong with being knowledgeable about the Bible?" It creates opportunities for the reader to disassociate, because the authors have been so specific in their criticisms.

Similarly, the question is asked in a way that's like, "Obviously you're guilty of at least one of these very specific wrong motivations. And what else?" When, in reality, they provided a few very nuanced examples rather than broad strokes or general categories for people to consider and apply as it fits their particular circumstances.

I've really enjoyed Francis Chan's books in the past, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me. Perhaps it was a blended style with a co-author, or perhaps it was written during one of the periods of his life that Chan admits were times where his faith was misguided or not fully formed. Then again, maybe I'm bringing my own baggage to it and splitting hairs because the book it's catering to my particular desires and whims.

I plan on keeping the book around and referring back to it from time to time, and maybe even watching the videos at some point, but it didn't feel like a book on how to disciple people well (what the book is purportedly about) as much as it is a handbook to exploring your own faith and blind spots.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples   from Amazon.Com!

Created Mar 14, 2024 at 6:49pm • Submit your own review...