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The World Born in You
What does it mean to be a Christian in America today? Skye Jethani’s latest book is for a spiritually searching generation that feels adrift between a soulless secular culture and a Christian subculture that has lost its way.
Written as a series of seven letters to his young adult children, Skye shares what it means to follow Jesus in today’s divided, post-Christian America. Along the way, he opens up about the events and epiphanies that shaped his faith and vision of Christ. It’s the most personal book he has ever written, and perhaps the most relevant.
The World Born in You will be released initially as a serial—one chapter per month beginning in June, exclusively for Holy Post Plus subscribers at the $10/month level and above.
Written as a series of seven letters to his young adult children, Skye shares what it means to follow Jesus in today’s divided, post-Christian America. Along the way, he opens up about the events and epiphanies that shaped his faith and vision of Christ. It’s the most personal book he has ever written, and perhaps the most relevant.
The World Born in You will be released initially as a serial—one chapter per month beginning in June, exclusively for Holy Post Plus subscribers at the $10/month level and above.
ebook
Published May 1, 2025
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About the author
Skye Jethani
26 books406 followersSKYE JETHANI is an author, speaker, consultant and ordained pastor. He also serves as the co-host of the popular Phil Vischer Podcast, a weekly show that blends astute cultural and theological insights with comical conversation. He has been a sought after consultant for groups facing challenges at the intersection of faith and culture like The Lausanne Movement, The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and the Interfaith Youth Core. Skye has authored three books, The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, WITH: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God, and Futureville. Skye and his wife Amanda have three children: Zoe, Isaac, and Lucy and reside in Wheaton, IL.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 19, 2026
Update - the book is now finished at 7 chapters. Quote from chapter 7 that speaks to my soul:
“The descendent from vanity into malice is damaging to every soul, but it’s especially tragic for the religious believer who is convinced that their hatred is proof of their holiness. In the name of faith, they will celebrate the harm and humiliation of others, all the while unaware that they are actively opposing the God they claim to love.
“In the Torah, atop Mount Sinai, the Lord proclaimed his name and revealed his character. ‘YHWH, YHWH, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin’ (Exodus 34:6-7). These verses are quoted within the old and new testament more frequently than any others because they declare a transformational truth we too often forget - God’s is a being of unfathomable mercy, not malice.
“Given what we’ve already explored about the source of malice in our hearts, it makes sense that it would be in compatible with God’s. Unlike us, God is not insecure or afraid. He is immune to vanity because his worth is intrinsic; he requires no one’s approval and glories in no one’s destruction. With no need to prove himself at the expense of others, God is the fundamental source of all self-giving love. Hatred can find no foothold in his nature. As John says, ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5)
“Therefore, the world born within God is one shaped by mercy. Where vanity is fixed on the self, mercy is focused on serving. Vanity sees others as threats to be mitigated, mercy sees others as neighbors to be embraced. While vanity wants elevation through status and superiority, Mercy descends to offer empathy and encouragement. Vanity is disguised by weakness, but mercy is drawn to it. Vanity rejoices when opponents are destroyed, but mercy mourns. Vanity is zero-sum, and blessings are a scarcity to be hoarded. Mercy flows from an uncontainable God of infinite power, so blessings are in abundance to be shared with all.
“I do not want you to be misled. In some places, people are eager to call themselves ‘Christian’, but if the world born within them is not the one born within Christ, they do not belong to him. Through their anger and amity, they may claim to be serving God and making the world into one that reflects his character, But if they revel in the misfortune of others, they are God‘s enemies and opposed to the new world he is creating. They are the slaves of malice, not the children of God.”
————————————————————————————
I’ve never been the FIRST person to rate and write a review before!! This book is coming out chapter by chapter, with digital access only. So while the book is not technically done, I have read what has been written so far (5 chapters) and think it is really well put together. 5.0⭐️
I recently read “Me, Myself, and Bob” by Phil Vischer, written in 2007, which lead me to Phil Vischer’s website and podcast, which lead me to Skye which lead me to paying $10/month to be a subscriber to Holy Post Podcast, which gave me this book!
This book is written in 1st person from Skye to his 3 adult daughters, which for the most part reads really fluidly and intimately, and is only mildly startling when he says “you grew up this way” and I need to realize it’s not me, but his daughters he’s addressing.
Intro
P7 “Since your birth, my prayer for each of you has been the same: wisdom…In the letters that follow, I share how God‘s voice has shaped my interior world and, in turn, has guided my journey through the outer world.”
P8 “I have two goals for these letters. I want you to know the true blessings of faith, but I also want to see the world blessed through you”
Letter One: Empathy
* The story of Skye’s name
P14 A football fan study of expanding “us vs them” to include more people
* Naaman’s Israeli slave girl shows empathy by informing him of a prophet in Israel who could cure him
P27 To his daughters “You are here to be the expression of another’s love”
Letter Two: Courage
*Tragedy hits Skye’s life at 6 years old. The reality of death had invaded. No longer accepting of children’s Bible stories, Skye begins to stay and listen to the sermons, questioning and finding his faith.
P36 “The perception of being under siege is a poison surging through the American church today that I don’t want you to ingest”
* Naamam’s journey to ask help of the Israelite prophet.
Letter Three: Simplicity
* Criticism of today’s religious “Mountaintop experiences” orchestrated to produce a predetermined outcome.
* Naaman’s expectation of his predetermined outcome, his anger at its failing, and his healing only in surrendering his expectations.
* Skye’s choice to walk away from the orchestrated product of Christianity and instead focus on the community of it.
Letter Four: Joy
* Warning away from a Christianity that relies on a “fragile god” who “needs you”.
* After Naaman was healed, he offered Elisha a gift, which Elisha refused, because the God of Israel was not like the pagan gods, he was not transactional. God could not be controlled, his blessings could not be bought.
P79 “God healed me because he wanted to. Because he is compassionate and gracious beyond all reason, and because healing me brought him joy”
P84 “This is my hope for you. In a culture addicted to outrage, you can possess an inexplicable joy”
Letter Five: Integrity
* Naaman returns home and “transfers his loyalty from the many gods of Aram to the one God of Israel”.
* Skye has a personal encounter with the voice of God and his mask of hypocrisy shatters.
Letter Six: Humility
P102 “In this letter and going forward, my focus will shift away from the events that shaped my inner world toward the shape of the world you are entering as young adult adults”
* An experience of being rebuked and uninvited to speak because of his refusal to speak of an entire people group as “God’s enemies”
* Our current world of us vs them, truth vs lies, a black & white culture with no room for grey.
* Christian fundamentalism’s embrace of nationalism.
* Naaman’s asks Elisha, essentially “what should I do now” and Elisha essentially replies “I have no idea how to follow God in a pagan land either. God‘s law offers no instructions for that situation, but his favor is clearly with you, Naaman. So, I entrust you to his care. Good luck”
P117 “If Naaman lived in our culture, the scenarios might be different, but the underlying dilemma would remain the same. He might ask:
• Is it wrong for me to use my grandchild’s preferred pronoun?
• Is attending my Muslim neighbors Eid celebration a sign of disloyalty to Jesus?
• Should I support religious freedom for faith other than mine?”
Letter Seven: Mercy
* The need for a persistent reminder that I am not unique. To be humbled.
* Vanity creates malice
* Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, was angry that God showed mercy to Naaman and demanded retribution. Gehazi proceeded to extract his own vengeance and God responded by giving Gehazi the skin disease Naaman had just been healed of.
P138 “The voice of God is the vaccine to vanity”
“The descendent from vanity into malice is damaging to every soul, but it’s especially tragic for the religious believer who is convinced that their hatred is proof of their holiness. In the name of faith, they will celebrate the harm and humiliation of others, all the while unaware that they are actively opposing the God they claim to love.
“In the Torah, atop Mount Sinai, the Lord proclaimed his name and revealed his character. ‘YHWH, YHWH, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin’ (Exodus 34:6-7). These verses are quoted within the old and new testament more frequently than any others because they declare a transformational truth we too often forget - God’s is a being of unfathomable mercy, not malice.
“Given what we’ve already explored about the source of malice in our hearts, it makes sense that it would be in compatible with God’s. Unlike us, God is not insecure or afraid. He is immune to vanity because his worth is intrinsic; he requires no one’s approval and glories in no one’s destruction. With no need to prove himself at the expense of others, God is the fundamental source of all self-giving love. Hatred can find no foothold in his nature. As John says, ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5)
“Therefore, the world born within God is one shaped by mercy. Where vanity is fixed on the self, mercy is focused on serving. Vanity sees others as threats to be mitigated, mercy sees others as neighbors to be embraced. While vanity wants elevation through status and superiority, Mercy descends to offer empathy and encouragement. Vanity is disguised by weakness, but mercy is drawn to it. Vanity rejoices when opponents are destroyed, but mercy mourns. Vanity is zero-sum, and blessings are a scarcity to be hoarded. Mercy flows from an uncontainable God of infinite power, so blessings are in abundance to be shared with all.
“I do not want you to be misled. In some places, people are eager to call themselves ‘Christian’, but if the world born within them is not the one born within Christ, they do not belong to him. Through their anger and amity, they may claim to be serving God and making the world into one that reflects his character, But if they revel in the misfortune of others, they are God‘s enemies and opposed to the new world he is creating. They are the slaves of malice, not the children of God.”
————————————————————————————
I’ve never been the FIRST person to rate and write a review before!! This book is coming out chapter by chapter, with digital access only. So while the book is not technically done, I have read what has been written so far (5 chapters) and think it is really well put together. 5.0⭐️
I recently read “Me, Myself, and Bob” by Phil Vischer, written in 2007, which lead me to Phil Vischer’s website and podcast, which lead me to Skye which lead me to paying $10/month to be a subscriber to Holy Post Podcast, which gave me this book!
This book is written in 1st person from Skye to his 3 adult daughters, which for the most part reads really fluidly and intimately, and is only mildly startling when he says “you grew up this way” and I need to realize it’s not me, but his daughters he’s addressing.
Intro
P7 “Since your birth, my prayer for each of you has been the same: wisdom…In the letters that follow, I share how God‘s voice has shaped my interior world and, in turn, has guided my journey through the outer world.”
P8 “I have two goals for these letters. I want you to know the true blessings of faith, but I also want to see the world blessed through you”
Letter One: Empathy
* The story of Skye’s name
P14 A football fan study of expanding “us vs them” to include more people
* Naaman’s Israeli slave girl shows empathy by informing him of a prophet in Israel who could cure him
P27 To his daughters “You are here to be the expression of another’s love”
Letter Two: Courage
*Tragedy hits Skye’s life at 6 years old. The reality of death had invaded. No longer accepting of children’s Bible stories, Skye begins to stay and listen to the sermons, questioning and finding his faith.
P36 “The perception of being under siege is a poison surging through the American church today that I don’t want you to ingest”
* Naamam’s journey to ask help of the Israelite prophet.
Letter Three: Simplicity
* Criticism of today’s religious “Mountaintop experiences” orchestrated to produce a predetermined outcome.
* Naaman’s expectation of his predetermined outcome, his anger at its failing, and his healing only in surrendering his expectations.
* Skye’s choice to walk away from the orchestrated product of Christianity and instead focus on the community of it.
Letter Four: Joy
* Warning away from a Christianity that relies on a “fragile god” who “needs you”.
* After Naaman was healed, he offered Elisha a gift, which Elisha refused, because the God of Israel was not like the pagan gods, he was not transactional. God could not be controlled, his blessings could not be bought.
P79 “God healed me because he wanted to. Because he is compassionate and gracious beyond all reason, and because healing me brought him joy”
P84 “This is my hope for you. In a culture addicted to outrage, you can possess an inexplicable joy”
Letter Five: Integrity
* Naaman returns home and “transfers his loyalty from the many gods of Aram to the one God of Israel”.
* Skye has a personal encounter with the voice of God and his mask of hypocrisy shatters.
Letter Six: Humility
P102 “In this letter and going forward, my focus will shift away from the events that shaped my inner world toward the shape of the world you are entering as young adult adults”
* An experience of being rebuked and uninvited to speak because of his refusal to speak of an entire people group as “God’s enemies”
* Our current world of us vs them, truth vs lies, a black & white culture with no room for grey.
* Christian fundamentalism’s embrace of nationalism.
* Naaman’s asks Elisha, essentially “what should I do now” and Elisha essentially replies “I have no idea how to follow God in a pagan land either. God‘s law offers no instructions for that situation, but his favor is clearly with you, Naaman. So, I entrust you to his care. Good luck”
P117 “If Naaman lived in our culture, the scenarios might be different, but the underlying dilemma would remain the same. He might ask:
• Is it wrong for me to use my grandchild’s preferred pronoun?
• Is attending my Muslim neighbors Eid celebration a sign of disloyalty to Jesus?
• Should I support religious freedom for faith other than mine?”
Letter Seven: Mercy
* The need for a persistent reminder that I am not unique. To be humbled.
* Vanity creates malice
* Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, was angry that God showed mercy to Naaman and demanded retribution. Gehazi proceeded to extract his own vengeance and God responded by giving Gehazi the skin disease Naaman had just been healed of.
P138 “The voice of God is the vaccine to vanity”
January 27, 2026
This book is well written, vulnerable, and challenging. Skye shares personal stories, questions, and his own faults as he gives advice through seven "letters" to his children and us readers. He skillfully weaves scripture into each chapter, rooting the book in the love and truth of God. It is well worth a read for any Christian, especially American Christians.
February 2, 2026
Skye's writing is as beautiful as it is thought-provoking. The World born in you mixes memoir-style storytelling with life lessons and insights into the story of Naaman from the Bible. This is a book I'll keep near my bed (once it's published in paperback) and reread over and over.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews