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| Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, The: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? | 
 enlarge | Author: Ronald J., Sider
Publisher: Baker Books
Category: Book
List Price: $12.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (20 reviews)
Sales Rank: 52845
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0801065410
Dewey Decimal Number: 277.3083
EAN: 9780801065415
ASIN: 0801065410
Publication Date: February 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Ron Sider asserts that "by their daily activity, most 'Christians' regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is their Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate their allegiance to money, sex, and personal self-fulfillment." In this candid and challenging book, Sider addresses an embarrassing reality: most Christians' lives are no different from the lives of their secular neighbors. Hedonism, materialism, racism, egotism, and many other undesirable traits are commonplace among Christians. Rather than simply a book bemoaning the state of American Christianity today, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience offers readers solutions to repair the disconnect between belief and practice. While it's not easy medicine to take, this book is a much-needed prophetic call to transformed living.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
Scores Direct Hits March 1, 2008
Hard to deny that Sider scores hits on evangelic Christianity in this book. American Christians are soft, and that's all there is to it. However, my criticism is that he's guilty of too much dependency on Barna's findings for so-called "born again Christians." This group includes a majority who believe other religions are good enough to get to God. Nearly half don't believe in a personal Satan.
Based on this crew, Sider and Barna conclude that just as many Christians get divorced as non-Christians. The problem is, these aren't Christians. Only the Barna category, "evangelicals" can reasonably be called Christians in my opinion. We certainly don't see divorce rates anywhere close to those in the world in our church, and I don't hear from other evangelical pastors that they see such rates either. We're not even seeing a tenth of the rate typical of secular society in our church.
I also didn't like Sider's Lordship rhetoric which makes it seem like salvation is by works.
Other than these problems, it's a well-worthwhile read.
Dennis McCallum, author Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community
 A Challenging Read But Asks Some Good Questions November 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jesus gave a stern description and warning to His disciples: "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet." (Matt. 5:13). Christ wants His followers to live in a way that honors him and proclaims the Gospel by their presence and behavior in the world. We are to be "salty" and live lives that are different from the culture around us, while still interacting with, loving and working in the culture. Ronald J. Sider's book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? asks some hard questions about how well the American Evangelical church is living up to that call to discipleship and holy living. This is not an easy book to read - not because of length (it's only 131 pages), nor because of its writing style (easy to read), but because of the uncomfortable lens it turns and focuses on our failures as God's people.
"We proudly trumpet our orthodox doctrine of Christ as true God and true man and then disobey his teaching. We divorce, though doing so is contrary to his commands....Christ died to create one new multi-cultural body of believers, yet we display more racism than liberal Christians who doubt his deity." (pp. 50). Sider's tone throughout is close to sounding exasperated, but I think, that for the most part, his message needs to be heard! He is right, that much of our problem comes from poor teaching and understanding of the Biblical message: "If all there is to accepting the gospel is receiving the forgiveness of sins, one can accept the gospel, become a Christian, and then go on living the same adulterous, materialistic, racist life that one lived before. Salvation becomes, not a life-transforming experience that reorients every corner of life, but a one-way ticket to heaven, and one can live like hell until one gets there." (pp. 57-58).
Do I recommend this book? Yes, with qualifications. I think sometimes it is good to read people who challenge you and stretch your understanding. Sider, is at times, not careful enough with his words, as he can make behavior change seem like part of coming to Christ, rather than the result of Christ changing u s after we come to Christ. He also focuses a lot on social and political areas, sometimes in ways that are not helpful. Still, all in all, I believe that all Christians should read this book and be reminded, that the grace that saves us, is also the grace that must transform us. As Paul writes in Titus 2:11-12, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age." I pray that God would use books like this, to remind us that we are called to a transformed lifestyle when we come to Christ, and the more we fail to strive for holiness-the more the world sees our hypocrisy. Again, not a fun book to read, but an important one for all who are serious about following the Savior.
Understanding the Evangelical Crisis July 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Ronald Sider is very concerned about a scandal that is undermining Christianity. In almost every conceivable moral category, the behavior of Christians shows no statistical difference from the rest of society. This scandal is especially shocking for evangelical Christians who have traditionally held that transformed lives are the best proof of the reality of the gospel.
Sider writes, "To say there is a crisis of disobedience in the evangelical world today is to dangerously understate the problem. Born-again Christians divorce at about the same rate as everyone else. Self-centered materialism is seducing evangelicals and rapidly destroying our earlier, slightly more generous giving. Only 6 percent of born-again Christians tithe. Born-again Christians justify and engage in sexual promiscuity (both premarital sex and adultery) at astonishing rates. Racism and perhaps physical abuse of wives seem to be worse in evangelical circles than elsewhere. This is scandalous behavior for people who claim to be born-again by the Holy Spirit and to enjoy the very presence of the Risen Lord in their lives" (page 28).
After laying out the depth of the scandal, Sider walks through the New Testament texts that call us to live a life of holy dedication to God. He then turns to causes of the scandal. Sider sees two basic causes of the evangelical scandal. First is a reduction of the gospel message to the forgiveness of sins. We must reclaim justification and sanctification as both central to the gospel. The second cause is cultural syncretism. Christians are being conformed to cultural individualism, materialism, and consumerism rather than living as a biblical community that subverts these "isms".
With the very public scandals that have surfaced within evangelical Christianity, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscious is a very timely book. If Christians read it and take it seriously, then Sider's hope that "this book will renew evangelical resolve to live what we preach" just might be achieved.
A Healthy Confrontation April 15, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
To those who have followed the Gallup and Barna polls the problem of worldliness among American Christians is old news. While worldliness among Evangelicals is statistically better than among the notional, born again or liberal Christians, the gap between their stated beliefs and their behavior is still abominable. The fundamentalists of all theological persuasions have long sounded the trumpet against embracing the culture. The problem is that they tend to be judgmental and are all too often equally hypocritical in other areas of their lives. Consequently, they are viewed as intolerant extremists rather than prophets.
Ronald Sider in The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience confronts the most politically powerful religious demographic in America with its sin. However, instead of simply wagging his finger at these Christians or gleefully using their hypocrisy as a wedge issue to humiliate them for political gain, he holds up the biblical vision which to which they aspire and calls them to live up to their beliefs by strengthening the accountability structures in the local congregation, the denomination and among para-church organizations.
To anyone concerned about genuine Christianity being lived out in their daily lives, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience is a must read.
 A Real Scandal March 2, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
THE SCANDAL OF THE EVANGELICAL CONSCIENCE:
Ronald J. Sider
Ron Sider has drawn a line in the sand for the evangelical church. He argues that the church has two options, live like the culture around them or live like the church. As a pastor in one of the "evangelical" churches that Sider refers to, I strongly resonate with his statements. I agree that we can tell little difference today between those in the world and those in the church.
Sider refers several times to George Barna and the work he has done in measuring where the church is today. It might have been good idf he had included some statitics from other pollsters as well in order to make some comparison.
Sider issues a call to the church. He says we must rally around six very important issues.
Jesus is our source and center.
The church is holy.
The church is a community
The church is counter-cultural in lifestyle (This is the point I think the church misses, and therefore succumbs to culture.)
Mutual accountability and responsibility are essential.
In the light of these issues Sider does go on and say that there is hope. Christ Jesus is willing to transform and re-form His church. Renewal and revival are not enough.
This is a book that every Christian leader should read. If you disagree with Sider, or accept all that he says will make no difference. What is important is that today's church be challenged, chastised, and corrected, and this book will help in all three areas.
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