What Matters Most: How We Got the Point But Missed the Person

by Leonard Sweet

Belief can exist in isolation, but faith requires a relationship
Why wade in the shallows of belief when you can plunge into the depths of faith? Belief involves a different way of thinking, but faith brings about a new way of living. It grows through direct experience and a close relationship, both of which come as you follow Jesus.
As Christians we often talk about developing a "personal relationship" with Christ, but instead of pursuing a relationship, we pursue knowledge. We are tempted to place confidence in our definite, settled beliefs, which offer a pale substitute for the daily adventure of an honest relationship with Jesus.
In "What Matters Most, "Leonard Sweet presents a challenging and compelling approach to belief that is joined by dynamic engagement with God. You are invited to explore the uncharted regions of faith by following Jesus, completely on his terms. Once you begin, you will never go back to mere belief. "From the Trade Paperback edition."

ebook

First published March 13, 2012

About the author

Leonard I. Sweet is an author, preacher, scholar, and ordained United Methodist clergyman currently serving as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School, in Madison, New Jersey; and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[DT · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for anyone looking to reconstruct their faith. Sweet’s book takes a look at what a Jesus centered Christianity would look like as opposed to a Bible centered or “Christian principle” centered faith.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A PROPOSAL TO BRING ‘RELATIONSHIP’ AND ‘MYSTERY’ BACK INTO THE CHURCH

Leonard Sweet is an ordained Methodist minister, and is Professor Emeritus at Drew Theological School. He has also taught at various other institutions.

He wrote in the ‘Acknowledgements’ of this 2004 book, “This book has been a long time coming, partly because I have censored my thinking about the Abraham-and-Isaac story for the past two decades. My worst nightmare is for my faith to depart from classic Christian orthodoxy. When I began struggling with this text, which for me is the most difficult passage in the Bible, I adopted the strategy of desert father Anthony (251-312) when he was troubled by the meaning of a demanding text in Leviticus. He withdrew into prayer and silence, begging God to send Moses to teach him the meaning of this sacred text before he said anything… Not until I discovered that my approach to this story was not original but was part of a living and lively tradition of Jewish exegesis did I venture to speak my mind. If my exegesis is misguided, I ask for your forgiveness and forbearance.” (Pg. x-xi)

He states in the Introduction, “Watching what God is up to today suggests less a reformational paradigm than a missional paradigm. In other word… God seems to be calling us to take care of the world. This raises outward-focused questions such as: How do we communicate with a post-Christendom, anti-Christian culture?... Just as the reformational paradigm made every disciple a minster (the ‘priesthood of all believers’), the missional paradigm is making every disciple a missionary as well as a minster. Since mission is not reformation, I would suggest calling this new movement of God a re-Orientation, partly due to the meaning of the word ‘Orient.’… When Christians started building churches, the first thing they did was get the community of faith ‘oriented.’ This tradition … has been largely lost to Christianity while being maintained by other faiths, such as Islam.” (Pg. 8)

He says, “Jesus came to make possible new kinds of relationships with God, with people, and with the world. When Jesus used the intimate Aramaic word ‘Abba’ in his prayers, never before had God been addressed in such a way. Only Jesus broaches this intimacy with God. Only Jesus opens the door to this approach to God.” (Pg. 14-15)

He suggests, “The question at the heart of Christianity is not a philosophical one or a political one or a liturgical one. The question at the heart of Christianity is a relational one: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Who we say that Jesus is says who we are.” (Pg. 26)

He asks, “If right teaching supplied the complete answer to the life of faith, then why hasn’t our society sold out to God? No other generation has had as much access to so much Christian teaching via radio, television, the Internet, and print sources. Our society is bombarded by Christian propositions like never before. We’re practically buried in Christian ‘information.’ Yet, at same time, our society is less enamored of Christian orthodoxy today than ever before. What’s missing is the right relationship, a deepening relationship with God. The modern world made asking questions the highest task. The lifelong quest for answers was the highest journey. Now it’s time to acknowledge that faith is not a problem to be solved or a question to be answered, but a mystery to be lived---the mystery of a real, live relationship with God---the GodLife relationship.” (Pg. 31)

He argues, “Here is the real point of the Abraham story: What God wants from us, even more than our obedience, is our RELATIONSHIP. If disobedience were all that mattered, God would not have created us in God’s own image. God would have gone no further in creation than creating angels. God would not have bothered with us. But when God created the universe, the only thing God said ‘no good’ to was nonrelationship. It is for this one reason---dynamic relationship---that the human species was created. We were designed by God for God. God created us out of the love relationship of the divine, and Adam and Eve were the offspring of that love. God created Adam and Eve so that there could be a relationship on Earth between humans and God like that in the heavens among the Godhead itself. If heaven is defined as union with God, then eternity is a relationship Eden.” (Pg. 53-54)

He proposes, “The Bible is best read as a love letter from God, not a question book or an answer book, not a systematic theology or a scientific textbook or a dogmatics dictionary. The main subject of the Bible is God’s relationship with what God most loves---God’s creation and creatures. The Scriptures are the study of God’s relationship with us---the covenant of relationships established between the Creator and those God created. For Jews the story centers on a covenant. For Christians the story centers on a Person.” (Pg. 73-74)

He contends, “Evangelism is not convincing other people to accept the propositions you believe. Evangelism is inviting other people to begin a relationship with Jesus---to go on a journey with him and make his story their story. If the basic issue of evangelism is how we help people meet Jesus, then evangelism is not doctrinal transactions but spiritual interactions.” (Pg. 85-86) Later, he adds, “The essence of the evangelism practiced by Jesus and his disciples was not taking stands on issues of the day, or teaching propositions, but performing signs that opened the door of the senses to experiences of the divine. The gospel is not about what Jesus stands for. The gospel is about what Jesus does. In shedding his blood, he frees us from sin and death and makes us into new people. Jesus didn’t die for principles. Jesus died for people.” (Pg. 110)

He notes, “Not only did Jesus dislike eating alone, but he also ate with just about anybody. He was an equal-opportunity relationship builder. It was in his DNA to invite the strange as well as the stranger into a table relationship. This makes sense when you consider Jesus’s actual DNA. A Moabite woman (Ruth), a forbidden foreigner, stands at the start of the Davidic line of Jesus. The book of Ruth ends with the genealogy of David, where there is not just he, but Moabite. And when Jesus said, ‘Do this in memory of men,’ he was instructing us to do the same: share table companionship with Moabites and Levites, with idolatrous outsiders like Ruth and adulterous insiders like David.” (Pg. 133)

He asserts, “Christianity has taken the same wrong turn that late Judaism did. It has attempted to turn God’s covenant of promise, grace, and unconditional love into a contract. In a contract, all loopholes are closed by both parties. In a covenant such as God’s covenant with Abraham, and most especially the New Covenant of Jesus, there are open ends. We’d rather fixate on the knotting of loose ends than frolic in their openness and then just trust God.” (Pg. 145)

He states, “The ‘secret’ to holiness is ‘drawing near’ to the Mystery that always had about it the uncomprehended and the incomprehensible, the Truth that never exhausts its shadow and secrecy. But just because God is life’s ultimate Mystery doesn’t mean God is ultimately incomprehensible… Christianity is a mystery religion. When you’ve wrung the mystery out of Christianity, you’ve wrung its neck.” (Pg. 197)

Leonard Sweet’s books will be of keen interest to Christians seeking a ‘postmodern’ approach to the faith.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I especially liked the historical stories and references sprinkled liberally throughout. The stories were many, varied, almost all new to me and tied in well with the subject at hand.

I did not think the book was “gripping” but it was close. It was engaging and thought provoking. I found myself nodding my head in agreement and inwardly saying, “Yes, I agree”, on several ocassions.

The best part was the first two chapters where the author covered the basics of “what matters most”—basically that we need to be in relationship with Christ and not just learn about Him. The author expertly made lots of comparisons so that we could easily tell the difference between those two things, such as, belief in a set of truths vs. following Christ; right relationship vs. right belief; relationship vs. knowledge.

Some of the other chapters were not as foundational—not as crucial to believe in my opinion. He made a good case for being an environmentalist but even so I do not feel that is every Christian’s calling. Even though there was plenty of room in later chapters for some disagreements, they in no way deterred from the value or enjoyment of this book. So I say, go for it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their blogging for books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 225: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Karl Ingersoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typically Thought Provoking

I read some authors regardless of what they write because I am assured they have something to say. Len Sweet is one of those.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a new book. It is a new title for a book that is eight years old. Waterbrook Multnomah has latched onto a marketing strategy for giving older books a new lease on life by re-releasing them with a brand new title. Titles are often the privilege of the publisher anyway, so certainly re-titling is their prerogative. Of the five re-titled books I have read from Waterbrook Press I have read, at least three of them benefited from the re-christening. So does this one. Previously released as Out of the Question. . .Into the Mystery in 2004, the old title doesn’t seem to get at the heart of all this book is about (though does allude to an important aspect); What Matters Most” How We Got the Point but Missed the Person does a good job of summing up the major message of this book.

In What Matter Most, Len Sweet makes the claim that the truth of the gospel is not primarily propositional. Nor is Christian truth fundamentally addressed at moral behavior. What stands at the center of the gospel is the relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ. Certainly this is a claim common to evangelicals (with our ‘personal relationship’ language) but we have been prone to mess it up. Sweet puts our relationship with God, one another, people outside the faith, and creation in perspective as he challenges our tendency to run from relationships and want ‘faith’ on our own overly intellectualized and individualized terms.

Sweet organizes the book into eight parts. In part one, he talks about how our faith is relationship (versus intellectual assent). In part 2 he addresses our relationship with God by exploring the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Issac and what ‘God’s test’ in that context meant. He argues that when Abraham lays Isaac on the altar he passed the obedience test, but he failed the relational test (failing to ‘wrestle with God’ as Jacob later would). For this section, Sweet leans on Jewish Midrash for his exegesis and gives a fresh and interesting read to this troublesome passage. In part 3 he looks closer at God’s story recorded in scripture and how we ought to read scripture relationally. In parts 4-6, Sweet talks about our relationship with one another, those outside the faith and creation and he addresses how human sinfulness has caused us to mess up our relationship with each. In part 7 he discusses art and symbols in our relationship with God (and the church). And in his last section Sweet discusses our relationship with the ‘spiritual world’ entails our willingness to be open to mystery (remember the original title?).

This is my favorite Sweet book I’ve read. There is so much here that provokes a whole life response. I am certainly on board with the centrality o Jesus and found that this book made me hunger for a deeper relationship with Him. As always Sweet has questions for ‘further contemplation’ and discussion (as well as ‘bonus online content’ which I have not looked at). In other books, I feel like Sweet tries too hard to be culturally relevant, but I didn’t feel that with this book. This is Sweet at this best: engaging, historically astute, challenging and winsome in his presentation of Christian truth and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never before have I been so surprised by a book.

Leonard Sweet has experienced a re-release; What Matters Most used to be titled Out of the Question...Into the Mystery. I was expecting the typical hum-drum faith-based inspirational reading but what I got was punch-in-the-gut awesomeness.

Christianity: a series of truths, or a relationship to be lived out? Maybe both? Sweet attacks this debate from the post-modern worldview and defends the need for relationship with God.

Filled with eight parts, each part containing two sections, Sweet tackles the many areas of this relationship:

1. Faith is a Relationship
2. Our Relationship with God
3. Our Relationship with God's Story
4. Our Relationship with Other People of Faith
5. Our Relationship with Those Outside the Faith
6. Our Relationship with God's Creation
7. Our Relationship with Symbols, Arts
8. Our Relationship with the Spiritual World

I enjoyed Sweet's defining the difference between faith and belief and that maybe we shouldn't call Christians "believers" as we could actually include Satan in this group (as he and the demons believe in God). Faith is the more difficult because it causes an action - a relationship.

Sweet than takes a journey into the story of Abraham and his potential sacrifice of Isaac. His interpretation could cause some people of faith to squirm a bit as he says Abraham both passed and failed God's test. He passed the obedience test but failed the relationship test.

I had to put the book down, open my Bible, and do some study on my own. It's a very interesting take on the sacrifice story and Sweet asks twenty superb questions; such as: Why did God ask him to sacrifice his son but then an angel tell him to stop? Why didn't Abraham argue with God about this scenario like he did about the Sodomites? Did you notice that after this event, God no longer speaks to Abraham? Did you notice that Abraham is alone after he comes back from the mountain?

This early section of the book is worth the entire read.

Later on, Sweet continues his mantra on relationship verses simply having statements of belief and how God desires interaction with his creation more than intellectually concurring with statements . These later sections resonate well with the post-modern mindset and he does an excellent job with the questions for discussion at the end to really bring out deep conversations.

This is a fantastic re-release.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received What Matters Most by Leonard Sweet for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

We all have relationships, whether we are the most outgoing person or prefer to spend much of our time alone. In Leonard Sweet's book, what Matters Most, he discusses an overall theme of "Faith Is a Relationship" (Part I) while exploring seven areas of relationship:

Our Relationship With God (Part II)
Our Relationship With God's Story (Part III)
Our Relationship With Other People of Faith (Part IV)
Our Relationship With Those Outside the Faith and With Those Who Are Different (Part V)
Our Relationship With God's Creation (Part VI)
Our Relationship with Symbols, Arts, Artifacts, and "Things" (Part VII)
Our Relationship With the Spiritual World (Part VIII)

Simply by exploring these areas of relationship, Sweet takes the concept of relationship to a deeper level than one might be used to. We are used to hearing about how to improve a relationship with a spouse or how to have a personal relationship with Jesus in 3 easy steps, but rarely do we hear about the interconnection between these various types of relationships.

Chapter Nine, "Loving the Others", was an especially powerful chapter. Sweet writes, "Christianity has much less to do with being 'right' than it has to do with building right relationships--the strong protecting the weak, the rich serving the poor, the insiders making room for the outcasts" (pages 133-134). It is through these relationships with "the other", Sweet explains, that we find God becoming human in the stranger.

In a period of time where many people are searching for good, healthy relationships, but have difficulty finding them, Sweet's book would be a good one to read to in order to get focused on the journey with God and others that we take. It will cause one to evaluate what one really is doing in one's relationships and inspire and encourage a person to go deeper and be more authentic.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed Len Sweet's writing and this 200 page book is as thought provoking and academically sharp as they come. Perhaps my age (43) helps me to connect with many of his illustrations. New Coke and the rise of the personal computer are two I recall from this text.

My only critique of Len's work is, it doesn't know when to stop. This book for instance boasts "Bonus online content available!", it also contains, questions for personal conversation and shared conversation. Neither of which I paid any attention to. His writing is thorough and thought provoking enough on it's own. Just please, know when to push away from the table. This book was previously released under the title 'Out Of The Question... Into the mystery'. So you may want to scan your library before picking it up.

Finally let me praise this work. Dr. Sweet expertly divides life into eight key relationships (faith, God, God's story, believers, non-believers, God's creation, things and the spiritual world). He then takes you on a journey exploring each of these for personal connection and fullness of life.

As a Pastor I trend more to understanding the importance of relationship with God and His story along with the spiritual world. The balance displayed in his chapters on creation and "things" provided wonderful insight in growing my personal perspective.

For those desiring to be intellectually challenged along life's journey, this book is for you. How reading a book pushes you to grow in personal relationships, I have no idea. But it does.

I received a copy of this book from it's publisher at no cost in exchange for this review.

[Joel Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a time when our society exists in the midst of broken relationships, such as those caused by the rampant social disease of divorce or those caused by a dependence on social netowrking, Leonard Sweet's book, "What Matters Most" truly matters. In this book Sweet deftly defends the notion that all human beings are created for relationships--a relationship with God and relationships with other human beings. Most interesting for theologically minded individuals is the exploration of Abraham and what Sweet determines is actually a failure of the test when God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Sweet contends that God was asking Abraham to value relationship with both God and with Isaac by challenging God's command as Abraham did in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah. This postulation makes a lot of sense in regards to the fact that our God is a loving God who in all other locations condemns human sacrifice, except in the case of his only Son. Speaking of Jesus, Sweet rightly contends that God send Jesus in order to restore the broken relationship between God and humanity. God consistently wishes to put the stress on relationship rather than rules. This is exactly what Paul argues in Galatians. Sweet explores our response to God's gift of relationship through our relationships with God, with other believers, with non-Christians, with the physical world, and with wisdom. The only thing I felt missing was a deeper exploration of the relationship of marriage and family. Sweet could have countered much of our society's abuse of the family by speaking of God's great gift of relationship. Overall, a really good read and a strong testimony to God's love and design for humanity.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

When books get re-printed with a new title it seems as if the author is looking for a do-over, or trying to capitalize on the different name and make some extra cash. I’m all for capitalism, book it does seem a little disingenuous. And I’m not the world’s most effusive when it comes to self-help, or let-me-tell-you-how-to-be-better books.
Previously published as “Out of the Question … Into the Mystery,” nothing is lost or overdone in the re-issue. A great read which raises some very good points and makes some very keen observations.
Mr. Sweet’s exploration of our relationship with God, starting with faith and working through to our relationship to the spiritual world hits every note needed for this topic.
The author’s major points can really be found in the introduction. His assertion that we have transformed the Gospel into “a casual doctrinal assent that exists independent of a changed life,” is an indictment and warning to every believer.
This is an excellent book that needs to be in every home and every pastor’s office.
I was provided this book by Waterbrook/Multnomah publishing in return for an honest review.

[Norbert Haukenfrers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The progression of thought contained is one that challenges my learned certainties of church and faith. Inviting me into a much broader experience of Jesus. Not as one to know about, but Jesus as a person who knows and loves me and desires a flesh and blood, honest relationship, with me. Extending a hand out of the mystery, pulling me in to join the dance.