Title: Accidental Pharisees
Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith

Author: Larry Osborne

How did I get this book: A complimentary review copy was provided to me by Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC).

Why did I read this book: After becoming nauseated with ‘arguments’ over specifics in ‘the law,’ seeing some ‘Christians’ harshly judging others, and as the author puts it, people being ‘more focused on thinning the herd than expanding the Kingdom,’ just seeing this title alone was more than refreshing.        

My initial impulse to review Accidental Pharisees was to figure out how a person goes from loving Jesus to becoming ‘over zealous’ and ‘accidentally’ becoming a ‘Pharisee,’ so that I could learn from their their mistakes in hopes of avoiding the same fate.

Although if I am being truly honest, the fuel behind my desire to find out more on this topic was also inwardly so that I would have ‘ammunition’ to confront these people and convince them of the error of their ways in hope that they would change. What I ended up receiving, however, was a lot more than I bargained for. 

Review: When I first opened Accidental Pharisees and read all of the gushing, glowing reviews spilling over the first few pages, I thought to myself, "Okay, there's no way it can be that good," and I was right, it was better. 

"Who were the Pharisees? How did their name become associated with hypocrisy and misguided zeal for God? And exactly how short (and subtle) is the journey from high commitment to high treason?" This work addressed these and many more questions, and the answers you receive, are surprising.

With Bible-based, sound Christian teaching, this thin book packs quite a punch. At the end of each chapter, there are sets of questions for the reader to answer on his or her own. The writing style is easy to read, very down to earth, and even at times brings forth laughter, but as valuable as this 'new' information is to the reader, it gets better still. The very best part about this book is what it shows you about yourself

Some of the reviews in the front of Accidental Pharisees state with all conviction that this book should be read by everyone in church leadership. When I first read that concept and began to see it resounding again and again, I was skeptical, and now I disagree. Accidental Pharisees should be mandatory reading for all Christians

If you know someone else who needs to change, this book is a great place to start, because without it, we would only see the spec of dust in their eye, and not the log in our own.

Thank you Larry, for providing believers with the knowledge to protect themselves from becoming an Accidental Pharisee, and for giving us knowledge to bring forth compassion and empathy instead of initial judgement, so what when we see a brother or sister who has crossed the line, we can pray for them instead of following suit to show them the error of their ways.   


Notable Quotes/Parts:

Chapter 1 - Accidental Pharisees: The Dark Side of Overzealous Faith:
“It’s about accidental Pharisees-people like you and me who, despite the best of intentions and a desire to honor God, unwittingly end up pursuing an overzealous model of faith that sabotages the work of the Lord we think we’re serving.” (p. 17)
“You’ve probably known a jerk for Jesus, someone who thought they were advancing the cause of the kingdom when in reality they were simply embarrassing the King.” (p. 18)

Chapter 4 - The Curse of Comparison: What T-Ball Taught Me About Pride:
“I have no idea what tempts you to feel superior. I have no idea what kind of people you’re tempted to look     down on. But most of us have a list-or at least the beginnings of a list. And most of us have no idea how dangerous that list is. If left in place, it can nullify all the good that we do; it can put us at the top of God’s “I hate it when you do that” list.” (p. 48)

Chapter 8 - The Reason Jesus Came: Why Thinning The Herd Can Be a Bad Idea: “Jesus didn’t come to thin the herd. He didn’t come to recruit “special ops” Christians. His goal was to expand the kingdom, to bring salvation to people who  previously were excluded. He came to seek and find the lost, including a large group of folks no one else wanted to invite to the party. Everything  about Jesus’ ministry was designed to make salvation and the knowledge of God more accessible.”  (p.74-75)

Chapter 11 - Extra Rules and Extra Fences: The Danger of Adding to God’s Word: “That’s how legalism works. It takes our desire to be scrupulously faithful to Scripture and turns it into subtle additions to Scripture. It focuses our attention on what we think Scripture means rather than  what  it actually says.”  (p.98)

Chapter 14 - Learning From the Past Without Idolizing the Past: An Honest Look at the New Testament Church: “As long as we are being brutally honest about the New Testament church and its leaders, we need to note one more thing. The apostle Paul planted some pretty lame churches. That’s why he
had to write all those letters.”  (p.128)
“All of this helps to explain why I consider our idolization of the New Testament church to be a rose-colored memory. It’s why I always ask people who deride the present-day church and long for a return to the New Testament church, “Have you actually read the New Testament?”” (p. 129)



Reading Next: Christ and the Desert Tabernacle by J.V. Fesko 


About the Author: “Larry Osborne is one of the senior pastors at North Coast Church in northern San Diego County. North Coast is widely recognized as one of the most influential and innovative churches in America. Osborne speaks extensively on the subjects of leadership and spiritual formation. His books include Sticky Teams (Zondervan, 2010), Sticky Church (Zondervan, 2008), 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe (Multnomah Books, 2009), and Spirituality for the Rest of Us (Multnomah Books, 2009). He and his wife, Nancy, live in Oceanside, California.” –Cross Focused Reviews Media Kit

·        Twitter: @LarryOsborne
·        Facebook: Facebook.com/LarryOsborneNorthCoastChurch
·        Website: LarryOsborneLive.com

More About the Book: “Zealous faith can have a dangerous, dark side. While recent calls for radical Christians have challenged many to be more passionate about their faith, the down side can be a budding arrogance and self-righteousness that 'accidentally' sneaks into our outlook.

In Accidental Pharisees, bestselling author Larry Osborne diagnoses the most common traps that can ensnare Christians on the road to a deeper life of faith. Rejecting attempts to turn the call to follow Christ into a new form of legalism, he shows readers how to avoid the temptations of pride, exclusivity, legalism, and other common errors.
          
Larry reminds us that attempts to fan the flames of full-on discipleship and call people to Christlikeness should be rooted in love and humility. Christians stirred by calls to radical discipleship, but unsure how to respond, will be challenged and encouraged to develop a truly Christlike zeal for God.”–Cross Focused Reviews Media Kit

          Genre: Religious nonfiction, Publisher: Zondervan
Released: October 9, 2012, Softcover: 208 Pages
ISBN: 9780310494447,        USD: $14.99

Buy the Book: (click on the links to purchase)
Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Christian Book
This review has also been posted on the following sites:
www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.Christianbook.com, www.GoodReads.com. 

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1 comment:

  1. Sarah,

    Thank you for being a part of the Accidental Pharisees book review blog tour. I too started Accidental Pharisees with some mixed expectations and quickly found out that I sorely needed to read the book. I found it both challenging and encouraging. It's definitely a book all Christians would benefit from. I'm looking forward to working with you on future book review blog tours and am excited to read your upcoming review of Christ and the Desert Tabernacle.

    Shaun Tabatt
    Cross Focused Reviews

    ReplyDelete

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