[Update! My video endorsement of Firsthand by Ryan & Josh Shook can be viewed at my YouTube channel.]
©2013 WaterBrook Press, Colorado Springs
Brothers Ryan and Josh Shook grew up in church. In fact
their parents planted a vibrant, exciting church in Houston. Now they are actively seeking
careers far away from Houston.
Ryan is a filmmaker living on the west coast, while Josh is a musician living
in Nashville.
And though they seem to be far removed from their roots in Texas, they write a book about how their
faith roots are stronger than ever.
In a day when more and more people in the younger generation
(in this case an age range of 16-26) are growing disillusioned with the faith
of their parents, the Shook brothers have found the secret to faith that is
lasting and real: stop playing at religion that is at best a hand-me-down from
your parents and replace it with a firsthand, no-holds-barred relationship with
Jesus Christ.
This book is less of a “how-to” book and more of a “what
could happen” vision. Starting with their own wandering away from their
parents’ faith and building on that with interviews and candid remarks from a
number of people who had discovered the difference between plastic religion and
real relationship, the authors weave a story that is at both challenging and a
bit unnerving. There is no sugar coating here, just real admission of attempts
and failures followed by struggle and success. Bottom-line advice from these
two young men who have “been there” is to stop trying to be a Christian (based
on what was handed down to you from your parents), and just build a
relationship with Jesus.
This short 8-chapter book deals with all the things that
church-goers try to do to get in good with God, and gives testimony and example
of how one might stop going through motions and let their relationship grow.
Their term, as the title suggests, for this authentic experience is “firsthand
faith.”
This book is a good starting point when someone has grown
disappointed in the church experience of their roots. While believers are
encouraged to do the things that our church society has done as a sign of their
relationship with Christ, the motivation is moved from marking your checklist
of being a good Christian, to letting the actions flow from who you are.
Even so, because the book is focused on the generation of
younger adults, those who are approaching or have even passed middle age who
are dealing with the same questions about faith are neglected. This is not
necessarily a fault of the authors or the publisher but a drawback built into
focusing on a particular audience, limiting further (with age) an already
limited audience (Christians or Christ-seekers). That said the book has value
when someone (of any age) is struggling with whether what they’ve always
believed is really real—especially when it is believed because that’s what they
(or their family) has always believed.
Each chapter includes a sampling of quotes from a handful of
the people interviewed in the researching of the book, some questions for
deeper thought, and some practical application suggestions to put what the
preceding chapter has discussed into action.
I would suggest that pastors and youth pastors, as well as
collegiate ministry workers, would want to have a copy or two of this book
handy to help young people who are dealing with questions of whether the faith
they espoused at the age of 8 or 9 is real or not. The struggle of authentic
faith is one that has been around for ages and will continue to haunt the
church. In Firsthand the church has a
resource to address this struggle head-on. I give the book 4 out of 5 reading
glasses.
—Benjamin Potter April 19, 2013
[Disclaimer: I received this book for free
from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing
Group for this review.]
