The Embarrassed Believer: Reviving Christian Witness in an Age of Unbelief

by Hugh Hewitt

Due to increased hostility toward Christianity, believers have become too timid about their faith and alternative religions have stepped in to fill the void. Hewitt offers an intelligent, thought-provoking defense for Christians wanting to defend their faith.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 1998

Reviews

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you earn a Bible? This is the title of chapter 18 of the book. Grade three students in Hugh Hewitt's church Sunday school can earn a Bible if at the end of the year they can successfully pass a test that includes the following questions (among others): 1. Recite the books of the New Testament. 2. State a simple explanation of baptism. 3. State a simple explanation of communion. So would you earn a Bible? I'll be honest and say that at this moment I would make a mistake somewhere on question one. I wonder how many adults who fill our pews would be able to confidently (and correctly) answer all three questions. How about this one: Can you summarize the content of the Bible of the Bible in one sentence? I actually was asked this question, in a roundabout fashion, by two co-workers a few months ago. This was a golden opportunity to share the gospel in a concise way, with two people that grew up in the East and apparently had no idea what Christianity was. I was the embarrassed believer then. I gave an answer that wasn't bad, but I felt unprepared and not excited about sharing something so personal as my faith. Since then I have given it some thought, and with the help of some resources from a Christian apologetics organization called "Stand to Reason" (www.str.org) I have at the ready an answer which I think is better: "God took on humanity in Jesus, the Son of God, to die on a Cross to save man from punishment for his sins." Having this summary statement at the ready I actually look forward to the next opportunity.



So one reason for the embarrassed believer is lack of study and preparation. We're not all going to go to Seminary, but knowledge of the basics of Christianity is essential. What is the "sine qua non" (that without which, not) of Christianity? In other words, what are the distinguishing features of Christianity, such that if you remove any of them, Christianity ceases to be Christianity? Why does the Bible teach that Jesus is the only way to God, and why, if we cave on that, are we giving away the store? These questions are not that hard, and yet Christians sweat and squirm when confronted with them, because the dreaded charge of intolerance is waiting to drop on them. I have had my share of squirming, as has the author. I think we all know that and are ashamed of our silence. I used to use the excuse "well, I'll let my life do the talking." Guess what? It doesn't. Without the accountability of a spoken profession of faith, I can curse like a sailor and nobody will know I am a Christian. Maybe we ought to meditate more on the words of Paul in Philippians 3:7-8: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ."



Why was the apostle Paul so motivated? One reason was his belief in the reality of hell, yes, h-e-double hockey sticks, hell. Now THERE's a subject that has fallen out of favor in our culture, and to some degree, even in our churches. People are happy to concede the existence of heaven, but hell? It grates against most people's chosen conception of God ("MY God is a God of love, not judgement"). And many believers also "have a problem with hell" and judge it medieval. But guess what? Jesus himself clearly taught the existence of hell. Just look at Matthew 25:41-46. I feel the cultural hostility as much as anyone ("You mean to tell me that if I don't believe in Jesus I am going to spend an eternity in hell? What kind of God do you believe in?"). But if we understand why Christ had to die (to take the punishment of those who place saving faith in him) we don't have to be ashamed of what the Bible teaches about judgment, heaven, and hell. The culture hates the idea, but we are not doing it any favors by denying the very words of Jesus. It ought to be a motivating factor to us embarrassed believers.



The watering down of the gospel, in order to be less offensive to the culture, is a huge de-motivator to believers. If we believe that Jesus is one option among many, that there are many paths to God, then why stick your neck out? The embarrassed believer, if he is anything like me, squirms because he feels the tension between the clear teaching of Jesus is John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me" and this common "many paths to God" belief. Hewitt exhorts the reader to take Jesus' words seriously and to use that as a motivation to transparency in communicating that which is most precious to us. We (and I am pointing at myself too) need to consider these things if we are to move past our fear of embarrassment and speak on ultimate issues with clarity and boldness.

[Jordan Treece · Rating 2 out of 5]

The basic idea of the book is good, although something that has been done thousands of other times. It is basically that the world and culture is in bad shape and only getting worse, and most Christians are Embarassed Believers who may participate in a strong Christian subculture but are ultimately too timid or apathetic to engage with the wider culture, so Christians must care more and do more in that regard. All of that is good and true enough. But this author's presentation of the message was just not compelling at all. The book seemed to have no structure or organization. I found most of his examples and illustrations just plain boring. And his call to action just wasn't motivating. He really lost me at the end when one of his main solutions to the culture problem was for Christians to buy majority stock in major media outlets. ??? I mean, I guess that would be an interesting turn of events but is that really the cure? I also detected some hints of bad theology/ Bible interpretation throughout.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read for all Christians. While at times the book may be a little hard to understand for people who haven't read much in the way of theology or apologetics, stick with it and take time to think about what you read. Hugh Hewitt has a message all Christians need to hear and then put into practice.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not an easy book to read. It took me much longer than most books, and I'm not sure why. The information is good, worthwhile, and convicting. If I take it to heart, I will be a more obedient Christian with a richer purpose than just stumbling through life.
I think my struggle may just have to do with Hewitt's writing style, which is dry. I am glad I pushed through it.

[Griff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+. Strong look @ clash of culture with biblical christian

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book was for me. It makes some great points and re-energized me with my faith.