If God Were Real by John Avant (2009, Paperback)

It is not often that I come away with such unreserved enthusiasm for a non-fiction book. John Avant cuts through the layers of muck that have encrusted themselves to the traditional church over the years and gets down to what really matters. He asks, “What would the world look like if followers of Christ really believed in God, and believed what He says in His Word?” His conclusions may shock you.
I come away after reading If God Were Real not only with enthusiasm, but with trepidation. For, if I truly believe in God, and believe what He has said, than my conclusions must be the same as Dr. Avant’s, and that is a scary thing. Adventures are not only exciting; they can be threatening. It seems so much more secure to sit back and live the boring life.
Traditional “Christianity” has, the author asserts, forgotten what it means to be followers of Jesus. The Jesus Moment of the first century was not the boring monotony that exemplifies the lives of so many western Christians today. It was a life of risk and adventure. What if God intended our lives to have more of the excitement of a Hollywood movie?
Hollywood is not our enemy. In fact, Avant finds that Hollywood often is telling stories that Christians should be telling. He is impressed how often that, intentionally or not, movie creators include elements of the Gospel in their films. The church is so preoccupied with minor doctrinal issues and music styles, that the world is writing for us what should be our story.
John’s problem is not with Jesus Christ. It is with a “Christianity” that does not take God seriously. It is with an organized religion that concentrates on things which are not important instead of doing what Jesus told us to do, and what the New Testament church modeled for us to do. He rejects that type of “Christianity,” and is looking for a true Jesus Movement to happen as it did during the first century.
If followers really believed God, and took Him seriously, it would not only change lives, but change cities. Instead of just constructing buildings for the “faithful” to meet in, the church would be reaching out to make a difference in the lives of the “least of these” around them. If we really believed God were real.
I don’t think I can overestimate the importance of the concepts in this book. If you do not read any other book this summer, or this year, read this. Read it with an open mind and an open heart and see if you are not changed by what it says. The adventure may be just what you are looking for.
--abridged from my review on the Hollywood Jesus website