(Thanks to Mark Main for writing this post.)
As I read this book I kept thinking about what a perfect concept and title Leonard Sweet used. His writing style reminds me of the feeling I get when I sit down with my favorite cup of Starbuck’s coffee. Yes, I like the coffee with all the whipped cream and chocolate.
Just as the whipped cream and chocolate might draw someone who isn’t a normal coffee drinker to try some of Starbucks creations, the same is true with Sweet’s writing style. You can’t help but be drawn in by his writing style alone, even if the topic wasn’t initially appealing to you (for me it was interesting to begin with). He manages to use language that makes the things he says easy to understand without dumbing them down. But make no mistake, just like the quality of coffee you find underneath all the frills of a Starbucks concoction the content of this book is top notch. There is no generic brand discount store content here.
Now to tell you about that content. Sweet tells the reader right away that each individuals walk with Christ should be E.P.I.C (Experiential, Participatory, Image-rich, and Connective). In other words living for Christ is supposed to be something that is E.P.I.C. every day. E.P.I.C. should describe our walk with Christ at all times. It is not something to be compartmentalized into our lives. It is more than a Sunday morning ‘re-charging’ session. A couple of quotes from Sweet puts this into perspective very well.
Today, too many Christians line up to follow God out of duty or guilt, or even hoping to win a ticket to heaven. They completely miss the warmth and richness of the experience of living with God.
Authentic Christian experience is not playing praise music on your car radio or placing your body in a pew to listen to a sermon. Authentic Christian experience is the process of establishing provenance, or growing into Christ. The world is not impressed that people attend church on Sunday morning. If anything, such a habit is viewed as a quaint waste of time. But imagine if every Christian in the world were living as a little Christ.
These two quotes do a great job of summarizing the message of this book. It is a message that tells us that our Christianity should be more than a set of rules and rituals. It should cause us to connect, participate, and experience Jesus in places other than just a church building and with people other than just those who attend our church and agree with us.
I personally recommend you read this book. Buy it, check it out from the library, or borrow it from a friend. Just get hold of it. Sit down with a cup of coffee and read. Maybe even at Starbucks. It is my guess that ‘The Gospel According To Starbucks’ will change the way you look at the other Gospel.
