The Journey Towards Relevance: Simple Steps for Transforming Your World

by Kary Oberbrunner

How do you live "in the world, but not of it"? Many Christians today seem to gravitate towards two extremes: They either entirely separate themselves from the culture around them or completely conform... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972927689
• ISBN13: 9780972927680
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Relevant Books
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

not only for the young

When I was young, I was taught to be a separatist,in some ways this was a good thing, on the other hand it kept me from the people that needed me most. I now think I have become more of a conformist, something I am not proud of. I know that Kary's book helped me to see, that transforming into the person I should be will change my life forever. He give such insight on what God wants for me.The journey towards Relevance, is a book I couldn't put down, it kept my interest until I finished.

Not just for the youth or youth workers

I initially thought this book was going to be geared toward youth and youth workers with all the talk of culture, but I quickly realized the simple and biblical truth of "loving God and loving people" that Kary focuses on applies to any culture. The concepts in this book can easily be applied to business culture where I find myself struggling. I enjoyed the book so much I am purchasing it for a friend who is heading to Africa on a month long mission's trip.

Escaping Separatism

I'm still chewing on a lot of the points you made and I'm beginning to work on incarnating them. You've pumped me up and directed me to the path of becoming a true transformist! I've got a lot of work to do, but thanks for the encouragement, guidance, and challenge! Hopefully with this new insight, I can make a huge difference for Christ at my college. Thanks for sharing what God has laid on your heart with me. I think it will challenge others like it's challenged me. The book definitely stirred my heart. In fact, I've been in a state of "spiritual mourning" these past few days after reading The Journey Towards Relevance. I realized that I've spent most of my high school career living as a separatist. I'm sure God could have done so much more through me if I`d only been a transformist. I was challenged to reflect on what was keeping me from taking this next step of becoming a transformist. I came to grips with the fact that my unbalanced love for God, to the exclusion of a love people, was not true love at all! This was a very hard thing to deal with because my love for God was what I had prided myself in, being a separatist and all. But I didn't even love God wholistically. The sad thing is, is that I never even realized all this until I read your book.The Journey Towards Relevance captures a struggle I've encountered. In fact, it captured many struggles. Once I realized that I was a separatist, the struggles that you mentioned about becoming a transformist were dead on. I wanted to be relevant to people, but I struggled with taking that risk and stepping out into a position that was no longer safe. I'd especially recommend this book to my other Christian friends in high school and college. Like I mentioned earlier, I feel that I could've had a bigger impact, had I better understood the tension of being in the world and not of it. This is definitely an area that all my Christian friends struggle with as well. We constantly feel this tension. Up until this point, no one has offered any real answers. This book sheds light on how to deal with that tension.

Hitting the nail on the head

Homerun...Kary does an outstanding job describing this "slippery" thing called relevance. With an outstanding balance of Scripturally backing and personal real life experiences - I was made to confront my own shortcomings in how to be "in the world but not of it." As the Director of the Center for Character and Leadership Development at Grace College - this will be a recommended read for our emerging leaders. We have all heard, "love God and love others" before - but this book fleshes it out in a way that finally makes the light bulb go on! A must read for anyone wishing to make a difference in their world - transforming your world starts with transforming your life.

A must-read for any Christian with a brain!

Kary Oberbrunner has written a thought-provoking, easy-to-grasp challenge on the way Christians interact with the world around them. He astutely observes and dissects our tendencies to either (1) separate totally from culture in a desire to be "set apart" and stand out for God, or (2) conform totally to culture in an attempt to reach the culture with the Gospel.Kary introduces and characterizes a healthy Christian life as neither separatist or conformist, but "transformist." He has obviously done a lot of thinking, researching, and interacting with people on all sides of this discussion. The book is challenging, compelling, and practical as it leads you on the journey from one side to the other, and finally toward relevance. I urge you to get this book and watch it transform your perspective and ministry!