In His Steps (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) Book

This book was given to me by a friend, and I think I told her I would read it. Otherwise, it probably would not have taken long for me to put it down. I found it badly written, and I disagree with its central message, namely that the Christian church would be revolutionized if it's members each made an honest pledge to do as Jesus would do. (I may be way off here, but I bet the WWJD movement started with this book.) The problem with this idea is that there is a real danger of subjectivism in doing what Jesus would do in any given situation. What ends up happening is people do what they THINK Jesus would do. If I remember correctly, at least one character says, "I don't think Jesus would do that." For instance, one of the things some of Sheldon's characters concentrate on is the "liquor interests." Besides the fact that alcohol per se is not sinful, the author is concentrating on the symptom, not the disease, which primarily lies within the alcoholic, not the industry. To be fair, the characters do get other things right, like ministering to the poor and outcasts.

The church doesn't need a call to make pledges. If we are Christians, we are already pledged to follow in the steps of Jesus. We need the truth of the gospel to be preached and taught in churches. Then Christians can ask themselves, "Based on what the Bible teaches, what would Jesus have me do?"