I recently read “Real Church: Does It Exist? Can I Find It?’ by Larry Crabb as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program.This was not the first book by Larry Crabb I have ever read. I have previously read ‘Connecting’ which is a great book about spiritual community. Larry Crabb’s insight is brilliant and refreshing. This book is no different.
Real Church is a transplant view of the western church through the eyes of the author, Larry Crabb. Crabb is open and honest about his current perspective on church. His perspective ia interesting but also a wake up call to those who live and breathe church life. Crabb begins with openly telling the reader he is bored and fed up with church. He is at a place in his life where going to church on a Sunday morning has no affect on his life in general. This is a man who longs for a deep life changing relationship and journey with God who has realized he cannot find that in most American or Western churches. Throughout the book Crabb identifies why he believes people still go to church, what he dislikes about church and then brings his thoughts together to describe to the reader what he wants in a church, how it is needed for his life and what he believes God intended the church to be characterized by.
Real Church is not bedtime reading. It is a collaboration of thoughts brought together by a man who has searched his soul and reading this book requires you to do the same. If you are happy with the status quo, do not read this book, but if you want your very core rocked, read this book. It is very evident that Larry Crabb is a man who has a deep desire to be close to God, he has just realized that the majority of churches cannot help him achieve the passion and longing his soul yearns for.
I did not find this book an easy read. It was not a book that you cannot put done. However, even though it wasn’t an easy read it was a book that has made me think more than any other I have read this year. Some of his terminology would not be understood unless you had been in church for many years, but I suppose this book was written for those who had been in church for many years. There was one particular thought Crabb tried to find answers to that had been almost laughing, agreeing and crying at the same point. This was the thought about addictions in our lives. Crabb explains that all of us are addicts and most of us are not addicted to God but to self. Most churches do not get us hooked on God, but they feed our addiction to self! Crabb says, ‘addicts to self don’t make good disciples of Jesus’ (p90).
This book is both theory and practical based. I would give this book four stars, the only reason I wouldn’t give it five would be because I didn’t think it flowed as well. However, I would recommend this book for any church leader. It will make you think, evaluate and even may bring you to your knees. I would also recommend this book to people who are bored with their church life, who are not getting anything out of church or if you just want to be refreshed by a leader opening his soul up to others in Christ like manner.
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