Death of the Modern Superhero:How Grace Breaks our Rules

by Chris Lautsbaugh

Have you ever felt like you were just not good enough for God? We are told we must be a good Christian, a loving spouse, a caring and involved parent, active in your community, and so much more.

Can we ever make it?
When are we good enough?
Do we feel like we cannot succeed in this life unless we are a superhero with superpowers?

Grace takes these expectations of culture and society and turns them upside down. God gives us gifts at salvation that tell us we do measure up to God’s standard. We are pleasing to Him. No longer do we need to strive and work to prove ourselves, only to collapse in frustration and failure. Now we can live in the reality of grace which bring peace and life.

Death of the Modern Superhero explores these dilemmas and gives practical solutions to change our thinking to line up with the reality of God’s Truth.

If you enjoy authors such as Philip Yancey, Jerry Bridges, and Brennan Manning; you will enjoy this book.

Genres: Christian, Spirituality

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2011

Reviews

[Tom Heil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace is the core idea behind Christianity yet it is easily the most misunderstood concept of the faith. Worse yet, in everyday life grace is not only ignored but completely violated. Lautsbaugh works to move the focus of our faith from ourselves to God. He convincingly makes the case that our tendency is to try to be a spiritual superhero. Much of what we learn in church is the same: be perfect, follow the rules, change the world. Lautsbaugh shows just how impossible, and ridiculous, this is by reviewing what the Old Testament says about sin. Sin is so big that we cannot deal with it on our own. We need God's grace to save and transform us. Living the Christian life, then, is not about following all the rules or being a spiritual superhero. It is about accepting God's grace and developing a relationship with God. The challenge of Christianity is not to live perfectly but to not lose faith. He argues convincingly that the admonitions in Hebrews are not warnings about sinning and falling away from grace but a call to not lose faith. If we remain faithful to God, he will continue to transform us into his likeness, but this will not be completed until we go to be with God. Until then we will continue to mess up. Thankfully, we do not need to be perfect; we need to know God.

All in all it is an insightful study of scripture and on living the Christian life. I could identify with much of the author's faith journey and glean from his insights. It is a great reminder that if we really want to change the world, we need to understand, accept and live grace.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I won a copy of this book and am doing the review on my own.

This book was actually published in 2011, but I don't remember ever running across it until I entered to win a copy in a Facebook group I am in. I was happy to win it, and it came today in the mail on my day off, so I decided to start reading it, as it is about one of my favorite topics: grace.

I don't often read non-fiction books in one sitting. A good suspense novel, definitely. However, I did read this one in one sitting. Granted, it is only 200 pages, but it is still rare for me to read a non-fiction book in one sitting. So since I did, that must mean it was interesting and was one I didn't want to put down. Yes, and yes.

I love the author's writing style. With the title being what it was, I wasn't surprised he has a humorous way of writing. I didn't agree with him on everything, as I am not a Calvinist, and he leans more that way, but he raised some interesting points and had some new things for me to think about in relation to God's grace.

The book was an interesting read, and more importantly, a helpful read. I found myself crying at different times while reading as the message of God's grace was opened to me in a different way. He answered a lot of questions I have, and I could see myself in the wrong views he mentioned. God has helped me a lot, and has been using books like these to help me get a better grasp on grace, and that I don't have to do more to measure up to God.

Every year I make a list of the top books I read for the year. This year has just begun, but I have a feeling this book will be on my list of the best books I read for 2014 when I make it in December.

If you struggle to believe God really loves you and question His grace, this book is for you. If you have a rule oriented religion, this book is for you. And if you just need a refresher course on God's grace, this book is for you. I highly recommend it, and believe God will use it to help me even more than He already has.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did"

I realize that applied to Jesus first, but that phrase ran through my mind several times as I read this book. There are things I have wondered about for years, like the tension of faith and the mystery of faith. He explained it. Every page I underlined a memorable quote. By memorable I mean, some life changing words that changed that the way I think about God, other people, and myself. I can not say enough good things about this book. I will be reading this book again and again to remind myself of these truths.

Grace can be such a fuzzy concept. At times I have tried to grab hold of it only to find it slip out of my grasp. This book gave me a firm hold on grace. It is no longer something fuzzy. It is now a concrete concept. I understand grace. I understand God's bigness and how special it is that he came to me and loved me.

In this book, Chris Lautsbaugh really did tell me everything I ever did or tried to do or thought. I feel like he was in my head while writing this book. Read it and you will find the same thing!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Chris Lautsbaugh's e-book version of "Death of the Modern Superhero" last month. I received it as part of a Facebook giveaway through a contest I won. I like to post reviews for the books I read, as a courtesy to the author.

The Modern Superhero is about us -- about you and me and how we fit into the plan of God's Grace. Lautsbaugh does a beautiful job of weaving modern day parables into this book. Too many of us are striving to be SOMEthing we don't have to be: the modern day superhero.

Lautsbaugh gently guides the reader through the hills and valleys of shortcomings we need to address...and helps the novice bible reader to understand WHY Grace is designed to save us.

I want to Thank Chris for having put this together. His years of work as a missionary have given him valuable insight and I think this book is like a supportive big brother that might help those struggling to "go it alone;" to redirect their focus.

[Marysol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect read for the new believer just learning the basics or the longer believer who needs a fresh revelation on grace. As a recovering people-pleasing, work-striving person, this book helped me climb down that ladder and see grace in a new way. Deep but not difficult to read. A book I would like to re-read periodically and have already gifted to friends.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good points, but I don't agree with everything, including some of his doctrine.