Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Discipline of Being Different

by Michael Frost

Jesus is different. Go and do likewise.Many Christians have become comfortable letting the world mold them instead of being set apart by God. And many churches have traded in their biblical roots for complacent conventionality. But Jesus and the church are anything but conventional. The hallmark of our faith is that it sees the world differently than the world sees itself.We are called to be eccentric—off center, unique, different; not conformed to the patterns of the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds. By the grace of God we are not only dissatisfied by sin but increasingly uncompelled by conventionality.So resist the allure of acceptability. Get back to the unsafe roots of our faith. Be equipped to surprise the world with the Good News it didn’t even know it was waiting for. Challenge the way things are by living a life that has been truly set free by Christ.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Faith, Religion, Christianity, Inspirational

181 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2018

About the author

Michael Frost is the founding director of the Tinsley Institute at Morling College. He is an internationally recognised Australian missiologist and one of the leading voices in the missional church movement. His books are required reading in colleges and seminaries around the world and he is much sought after as an international conference speaker. Michael Frost blogs at mikefrost.net

See also other Michael Frosts.

Reviews

[Chris Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was short yet it took me a while to finish because I was honestly never that interested. I like the idea that we need to be different (and maybe weird) as Christians compared to the world around us, however I didn’t think this book had that much more to offer than this idea.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frost argues Christianity's differences from the culture made it thrive in the past. He uses examples from the early church to the Pentecostal movement to demonstrate his thesis. He believes Christianity needs to remain "weird" to make a difference in today's culture. The book gets bogged down in business stories and other cultural examples which provide little relevance to the thesis, mainly serving only to inflate the word count. It will interest some Christian readers, but not those who prefer better editing. I won the book through a GoodReads giveaway. Although a review is appreciated, one was not required in the terms.

[victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very encouraging writing and compelling to read with that also helping us to become fully alive again when you attempt to this book and back to what we faith to find information on how to go to heaven when we die, and what about to helping people make us become fully alive. This book will challenge the way things are y living a life that has been truly set free by Christ and consider it a kind of companion piece to surprise the world to helping us think about what alternative practices, beyond mere church attendance, would arouse the curiosity of others , and to show the overwhelming goodness of the Kingdom of God. This is indeed better way to be human in this world. I highly recommend to everyone must to read this book. I received complimentary a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers for this review”.

[Victoria Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I especially liked learning about older sects of revolutionary Christians and the Church's history. It was a very approachable and easy read, which I appreciated. I will definitely check out Michael Frost's other work.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot.

Really encouraging and inspiring read.

Would highly recommend.

Great points.

4.4/5

[Adrienne Organa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot to think about and ponder.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be weird as Jesus is weird, but not in order to be weird, but to be faithful to the way of Jesus.

[Russell Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this short devotional text a couple of days ago at our university's Christian ministry office, and I thought it might be a provocative read. I didn't find it so, unfortunately. The author--within his very mainline evangelical Protestant perspective, though he occasionally incorporates anabaptist and Catholic examples into his argument--has a Christian sensibility which I completely agree with: namely, that truly internalizing the message of Jesus cannot help but make one "eccentric," someone weirdly out of step with our fallen world. And he sometimes--again, giving allowances to the specificity of his background and his presumed audience--explores that weirdness thoughtfully and well, such as when he emphasizes that being weird involves a degree of discipline (you have to know the rules in order to break them in anything other than just a self-aggrandizing or pointlessly zany way).

Generally however, as I breezed through this book, it seemed to me that Frost, in keeping his thesis simple, does his own argument a disservice. It's completely obvious that his "weirdness" is a left-wing one, and his examples support that assumption well: by the lights of today's world of capitalist competition, corporate centralization, and environmental exploitation, Jesus's community-and-cooperation-and-peace focused message is obviously more at home on the left than the right (Frost completely leaves aside any discussion of personal sexual morality, because that would obviously complicate his perspective!). So why doesn't he just own that? He tip-toes up to it on occasion, strongly implying that this sort of unconventionality is one that reflects a true embrace of Jesus's message, while that sort of unconventionality (a church raffling off AR-15 rifles as a fund-raiser?) simply doesn't. But he never makes it explicit; indeed, he insists that a true Christian doesn't take sides in these kind of culture war issues. But that's silly, since he obviously has a side in those debates, and it's a side that he thinks is correctly, "weirdly" Christian. Anyway, I just think this would have been a more memorable book if he's been willing to recognize that his celebration of unconventionality has a very clear direction, and defend it accordingly, rather than hoping his examples do his ideological work for him.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

short review: Keep Christianity Weird is a short, sharp, and punchy reminder that the church was once radical, and that we should be striving to recover that quality in the modern church. Frost reminds us of the uniqueness that characterised Christianity as it spread across the world and encourages us to stand up for our faith in a world where Christianity often blends in more than it stands out. A great offering from a great Australian author.

★★★☆☆ | 3.00 stars | Reviewed

[David Rawls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great challenging and follow up book to Surprise the World. I was especially challenged by the last two chapters as I seek to be weird

[Adam Carnehl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The central thesis of this book is that American Christians must stop conforming to the world and American culture; instead they must embrace and practice the radical, weird, eccentric, and bold vision of discipleship that Christ outlines in the Sermon on the Mount and Paul speaks of in Romans 12. To keep Christianity weird is to act like Jesus, to speak like ancient Irish monk/missionaries, to be disciplined like the medieval Cistercians, to be boldly hospitable like the Californian Pentecostals, to be focused on community like the "weird cities" of Austin and Portland. With his plethora of ancient and contemporary examples, Frost has crafted a winsome, inviting, and accessible book.

Yet, in this book Frost does practice some progressive posturing, which seemed to contradict his position on rejecting the status quo of American society. I find his insistence on environmentalism without a mention of pro-life initiatives to be characteristic of this type of progressive Christianity. In addition, a bad poem in the back of the book praying to God for "a community built on good sex" was troubling. Communities are not built on people having pleasure with one another, but on dads and moms committed to loving their children and the world. Sex is a central thing in the Christian community because families are a central thing, in an Ephesians 2 sense.

This might be my biggest problem with this book is that with all the talk of weirdness, Frost never discusses how "weird" it is for Christians to have large families, to adopt, as well as to not divorce or abort. In our debauched and broken society, one of the chief "weirdness markers" of Christians is the strong, faithful, loving Christian family! The sexual revolution (and its especial power and influence in the "weird cities" on the West Coast) must be addressed and it wasn't in any substantial way. One or two times with a remark on sex here or "homophobia" there, Frost completely ignores this aspect of Christianity's weirdness.

[Michael Harshman · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw the title of this book, it piqued my interest and made me want to look a little more into it. I have to admit that often, I will look at the book on an online retailer first because sometimes you can read a few pages there to get an idea if it's something you really are interested in or not. I did that with this book and I was still very intrigued, so I had to get a copy to check it out.

For me, this book took a little while to get to the meat of the book by building the background of the meat first. It is not a hard read, so I didn't feel it was that big of a deal for me. There are nuggets of great ideas and concepts throughout the book so I wouldn't skip the buildup portion as there are some in there as well.

This book is very challenging to get you to think outside of your normal viewpoint that you might have as a Christian. Often we get stuck in our paradigms of how the church should operate or how we should behave as Christians. Oftentimes, we let the world or culture we live in mold us. Rather, we are to be set apart by God.

It's not about strategies and programs, but rather, it needs to be about habits - habits that show the world that we live a lifestyle that is an alternative to what they are living - a lifestyle that is better because of Christ.

To be honest, I think this book is a good challenge for every believer. I can't count how many times I have seen how we as Christians have let the culture around us invade our lives. Sometimes, to the point of somewhat (or completely) becoming indistinguishable from the culture around us. This book is an excellent challenge to wake us up and come back to being set apart by Christ. This book is definitely a thumbs up from me!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Syncopated Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heartbeat of this little book is Romans 12:2, a call to non-conformity and a focus on being set apart by God.

But author Michael Frost isn't talking about bringing the latest gimmick to the pews, he's talking about getting back to the unsafe roots of our faith.

Along the way, he uses examples like Apple's "Think Different" campaign and hipster cities involved in the "Weird City" movement to illustrate his point that although creativity is becoming a more-prized commodity, it's still not enough to push us out of our happy medium of suburban spirituality.

But instead of resorting to stunts like the pastor who zip-lined to the pulpit to introduce his latest sermon series, Frost encourages Christians to follow the "original weirdo," Jesus, and do something truly odd like practicing hospitality to the outsiders in our own neighborhoods -- gathering to share food and stories, learn Scripture, pray, give and serve.

This book is brief and to-the-point, which I appreciated since I never seem to have enough time in a day (did I mention my stack of to-be-read books?). Each of its seven chapters concludes with several "For Your Consideration" questions, making it a great choice for study groups to tackle and discuss. If nothing else, I'm sure this book would promote some really interesting conversations!

Although this book initially caught my eye with its interesting title, my syncopated self was most pleased by the content I found inside. If you're looking for a quick, easy read that will make you reconsider your thoughts on where the church is headed, then I highly recommend exploring this little book for yourself.

I received a free copy of this product by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for writing a review. All opinions are my own.

[Kyle VanEtten · Rating 5 out of 5]

As only a true weirdo could - Mike Frost gives a clarion call to Christians to own and practice their weirdness empowered by the Holy Spirit. In the book Frost makes a case that to follow Jesus includes being displaced from the center of our own lives, and embracing new norms of human behavior that lead us to live a counter cultural life that ultimately makes us odd to the observer, but in the best sort of ways.

Frost moves through three main ideas about Christians weirdness summarizing: “First, we’re weird because our identify is found in God, not our own egos. Second, we’re weird because, in following Christ, we embrace an entirely unconventional ethic at odds with the values of this world. And third, we’re weird because we believe some crazy supernatural stuff.”

In the end I really enjoyed this short book, and felt encouraged by Frost’s reminder that our weirdness might be at worst the very thing that others deride us for, at best the very thing that sparks a curiosity about Jesus in others, and in reality be something that we as believers should cherish and not run from in our pursuit of Jesus.

[Diane Busch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduces an interesting way of looking at Christianity. As Christ followers we should be different than the world. We may appear weird as we love our enemies, forgive those who hurt us, share our money and time and resources on other people—even people we don’t know. Frost makes the case that there have been weird Christians throughout history. These are people God has used in amazing, unbelievable, supernatural ways. They did not act “normal”. He says all Christians should be eccentric, because we no longer put self in the center of our world, but instead we put God in the center and orbit around Him.

Frost writes with an enjoyable easy-to-read style, even while explaining history and theology. He is very convincing, so that by the end of the book the reader is prepared to get rid of normalcy and complacency and follow Christ with abandon and dare to be weird. Each chapter ends with questions for consideration which can be used for personal reflection or a group discussion.

[Janet Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great companion to the "Surprise The World!". While that book focuses on the correct habits to build, this book focuses on why. Jesus was not a "go with the flow" kind of person. He challenges the norms of his day, but for a reason. He was not weird or strange just to be weird. He was different because he saw the world differently. In particular, he saw *us* differently. The way he was weird is his tangible concern for mankind. It influenced everything he did, and that stood out. The most normal thing to do is to act on your own behalf. The strangest is to act on someone elses behalf, especially someone that others would not see any benefit it helping. Jesus did this constantly. And that made him weird. It also made the establishment angry, because it was attractive and compelling. Imagine a person that was always for your good. Who could resist such a force? That is exactly what concerned them about him, about the early church, and should be concerning about me as a follower of Christ today. It's a quick read, but a good one.

[RJ Gernant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for a book club. It appears to be a very short and quick read, but it was not that quick for me to get through. It’s a stand-alone book but also a follow-up book to Surprise the World (which at our host’s suggestion I did get and begin).
I had not heard of the author or his background. He admits to living in Australia yet a majority of the book is addressed to the American church.
It did not “wow” me but did offer some surprising things that have occurred in the Christian church, especially here in America, but also worldwide.
His call is to be “weird” in our culture by being Christlike and like the early church, to draw others to Christ, not be weird in any extreme or showy way to draw attention to ourselves.

[David Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of 2018. A wonderful addition to modern Christian publishing.

I've written a review as linked:
https://ozhamada-observes.blogspot.co...

Tasking myself to answer all the questions to the reader has proved challenging. See this link: https://ozhamada-observes.blogspot.co...

I found some similarities to another book I am reading that has been written by another Australian at the same time. Interestingly, that other author draws to similar positions as Frost, where Frost comes from a Baptist background and the other author comes from a Catholic background.

[Lauren Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has me reflecting and pondering in new ways how I can better live out my faith, and I love that. It’s not an instruction manual. I found it both convicting and inspiring. Early in the book I was liking it but a little unsure of whether I’d like where he was headed, but I did. I think this is one I will want to re-read after sitting with it for a bit. It’s a fairly short and easy read which makes that doable, and ready made to read as a group with thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter. I recommend it to my fellow Christians.

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I read (upon recommendation) with a church book club. I benefitted more from the discussion about the book than the book itself. The author made some interesting points (not all of which I agreed with, of course), however portions of it felt repetitive, while others seemed to have been directly recycled from his first book. that was less than ideal. Overall, it was a good springboard and would have made a good course or study, but I wouldn't have gained as much by simply reading it on my own time.

[Karl Dumas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good information here. There is nothing notweird about Christianity. It's been counter-cultural since the beginning, and I think a lot of people forget that. Because we are so far removed from the way things were in Jesus' time, anything outside of our own tradition seems suspect. It's time to remember that just because we worship one way here, that it's not necessarily the way it will be in heaven

[Ezechel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with the main argument of the book, as I believe Christianity got too complacent and conformist recently, both at the personal and institutional level. We need to be reminded being weird for the sake of Christ is OK.
It was however a bit too light for me, as it spends a lot of pages describing the phenomenon of weird cities and giving historical examples of non-conformist Christian living, and too few pages in theology. But it's probably written with a different audience in mind.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my teenage daughter and we loved it. It was such a great discussion starter and facilitated great conversations on how we ought to love in our everyday life as followers of Christ. The discussion questions at the end of each chapters were really helpful in our dialogue.

I highly recommend reading this one on one or in small groups. Super important topic and much needed for the church in the West today.

[Ryan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will be very influential for some. The author’s call to keep Christianity weird without turning that weirdness into publicity stunts will be formative for some. What he writes already matches my Anabaptist theology, for the most part, so the sections designed to help readers reframe their own faith practices don’t seem so radical. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly—it’s a shame so many of us miss this.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the belief that “crazy people change the world”, (think Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, etc.) the author challenges Christians to focus on how to change the world, vs. how to be comfortable/fit in. It’s a good challenge! Not sure I entirely jive with how he says to live it out, but I can certainly get behind loving and giving in unexpected ways. Chapter 5 was especially interesting where he talked about the science of why some people feel comfortable being “weird” and some don’t.

[John Pannebaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading some other reviews, I will agree with one of the common statements. The thesis of the book is kept rather simple. While some will view that as a weakness, I view it as a bit of strength, encouraging you to think things through for yourself. I would welcome a longer, more detailed book one day. This, though, is an excellent start and is on my list of books to consider purchasing for friends in 2025.

[Cameron Roxburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Mike's perspective - he is a master story teller and of course continues to carry the prophetic edge that has made us all love him :)

This was an encouraging read. Not terribly long, easy to read - he has written more complex works but it is always inspiring to hear (read) him tell Bible stories.

[Sapphire Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep Christianity Weird is intelligent and challenging, and also affirming and inspiring. It draws on scripture and theology, and also history and psychology in order to make a sound and holistic argument, presented in clear, easy, and friendly language that makes it accessible but never sacrifices clarity on exactly what it wants to say.

[Adam Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a weak attempt by liberal Christianity to justify their apostasy and adoption of social justice nonsense. The author blurs all lines that separate religions, denominations and doctrines, classifying everyone as “Christian.” His “Howard Zinn” revisionist telling of church history is probably the most concerning.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read

Keep Christianity Weird is one of the best book s I've ever read. It has the potential to completely change the global church, if only we will listen.