Metamorpha: Jesus as a Way of Life

by Kyle Strobel

In a rapidly changing world it is difficult to know how renew our vision of life. But that, according to Kyle Strobel, is the key to transformation in the Christian life and in the world. So how does one develop an orthodox worldview in the midst of a culture in flux? Metamorpha invites readers to look to the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and community as "informers" used by Christ to grow, mold, and form us into his image. Rather than taking a position on what view readers should have, Strobel helps Christians use these three informers to develop a vision of life that will both guide their ways of relating to the world and weather the winds of change.

Genres: Christian Living, Christian, Faith, Theology, Religion

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Kyle Strobel is a husband, father, friend, theologian, writer, speaker, and practitioner of spiritual formation. He is a Jonathan Edwards scholar, and seeks to bridge the gap between the scholarly world and the life of the church.

Kyle is the co-author of Where Prayer Becomes Real: How Honesty with God Transforms Your Soul, The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus' Path of Power in a Church that has Abandoned It,Beloved Dust: Drawing Close to God by Discovering the Truth About Yourself , and is the author of Formed for the Glory of God: Learning from the Spiritual Practices of Jonathan Edwards.

You can find Kyle at Twitter.com/KyleStrobel; Facebook.com/KyleCStrobel

Reviews

[Tess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is okay; it has a lot of good ideas in it but it seems to be more of a stew of thoughts than a well-organized, purposeful text. The main point, which I think the author could have made in a LOT less pages, is that the ideal Christian life is one of constant pliability, self-examination, questioning, and changing. This avoids the stagnation, self-righteousness, and state of false comfort that's really easy to get into. An excellent point, although I think it's baby food for most of the people who are hungry enough to eagerly seek out modern theological texts.

Nevertheless, here are some good quotes I marked in the book:

"Instead of the Bible, the Spirit, and community, the typical North American Christian looks to self-help books to live a more gratifying existence, to their subjective feelings to check their spiritual temperature, and to their head pastor to tell them what to do. Because this kind of development is not relational, it fails to engage people where they are and instead becomes 'things to do to feel better.' The way a person feels is often how the church and the act of communal worship are judged. The latest and greatest book serves to soothe the anxiety and explain the lack of growth, and Christians inevitably go from book to book and from praise service to praise service to appease their fickle feelings. In the end, a person will do a lot of so-called "Christian" things but will fail to engage reality Christianly."

"Jesus said that it would be to the advantage of the disciples that Jesus left so that the Spirit would be with them."

"Likewise, the woman who anoints Jesus with perfume and kisses Jesus's feet (Luke 7:37-50) is said to love much because she has been forgiven much, and the one who is forgiven little (presumably the Pharisee in whose house they were eating) is said to love little. This passage is often quoted to show that those who are down-and-out and really need help will appreciate Jesus's offer more. While this may be true in a general sense, I think Jesus's point has much more to do with one's self-understanding. If the Pharisees truly knew themselves, and who deeply wicked their hearts were (see Jer. 17:9), they would have responded in the same way as the woman, but as Jesus notes, their actions say everything about how much they think they need forgiveness."

[Paul Dubuc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and challenging. Very good! This is the kind of book that I would recommend for Christians who want to become a new person, for the better. This kind of transformation doesn't just happen because we have a particular experience, confess a certain creed, or perform extraordinary acts ... though these are important to the process. Neither does it happen by our own self will and effort, but one that is focused on the Other: "Jesus as a way of life." Kyle Strobel has many helpful things to say about this, helping us see our need for a spiritual metamorphosis through an honest assessment of our self and in pointing us toward a hopeful and conscious dependence upon God. I appreciated most this thoughts on the formative work of the Holy Spirit and the qualities that affect viable discipleship. Strobel draws on his own experience and some excellent reading material. I've added half a dozen books to my reading list after reading this book that I hope will help his ideas to sink in deeper.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Metamorpha examines how people change and applies it to how the church in post-modern North America needs to change. It is true that this stuff should be the milk of our faith when we come to Christ, but unfortunately I agree with Kyle in that most of us live life defined first and foremost by our American culture and less like the life we are called to as Christians. Similar to many post-modern and emergant authors of today, Kyle allows himself to question everything that he knows about himself and his faith, but he comes to answers centered on Christ rather than simply finding more questions. What he emerges with is a life transformed and guided by Jesus, balanced between intellect and experience.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book.. a mix of psychology and spritual formation. Good input on the role of belief in our spritual development. The second half of the book is stronger than the first with a solid focus on a relationship with Christ being the foundation of mission and discipleship. I want to review my highlights about 3 months from now.

[Danny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book that talks about the journey of the Christian life. It gets kinda dull and repetative in the middle, but I read it at a time when I was just starting to realize that God is as concerned about the journey as He is about the destination.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the midst of this for a small group study (just three of us), liking the idea of being forced to shift my worldview to meet God, not the other way around.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for every modern Christian.

[Pasquale Brescia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spiritual Growth cannot happen outside of community and submission to The Holy Spirit

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with lots of reminders of what it really means to be a follower of Jesus.