Brown Like Coffee

by Steve Shadrach

If you are a student (or even faculty) you might just be encouraged, inspired, challenged or downright annoyed by reading Brown Like Coffee! But, its definitely designed to stimulate (kind of like a caffeine jolt?) you to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Pick it up, give it a read, pass it onto someone else.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Theology, Devotional

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Dr. Steve Shadrach has a passion for developing laborers for Christ to reach the world. He has been involved with Campus Crusade, The Navs, and as head counselor with Kanakuk Kamps. He served as Pastor of Students and Missions at University Baptist Church in Fayetteville, AR. He is the founder of Student Mobilization, which focuses on evangelizing and discipling college students in the U.S. and abroad, The Traveling Team, and The Bodybuilders ministry, seeking to "build up the body of Christ" through the development of seminars and publications.

Reviews

[Rainer Erani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend to every college aged Christian! Amazingly practical on what it looks like to walk with Christ. Honestly, I still don't know why it's titled Brown Like Coffee.

[Molly Eimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the BEST books i have read in a very long time, it is wonderful, encouraging, challenging, just brilliant! It is quite an easy read too, i highly recommend it!

[Dave Ferrier]

This was short little book that had some good reminders and challenges to be mindful of, especially as a student headed off to college.

[Jordan Louks · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is the cow on the cover. Some of the theological concepts were okay, I guess, when he does not venture into his core belief, which is a turn or burn theology. This theology is problematic in many ways. For example, the way in which he talks about it in reference to LGBTQ persons. Basically, anyone who is not in a heteronormative, heterosexual relationship is living in sin and it is probably the reason that some of them have died of AIDS. I am not kidding. There is a chapter called "Four Scenes from a Gay Lover" where he reflects his anguish that he did not help his "friends" enough so that they would stop living, what he calls, their "alternative lifestyle" and the result of them not accepting Jesus and getting rid of their gayness, was their death from AIDS. Isn't that great? What a fun read. I definitely would want to confide in the List Guy when my loved one contracts a horrible disease such as AIDS. I also just love when people declare that a part of what makes someone human, such as one's sexual orientation, is damnable and worthy of death. There are other gender role aspects and prescriptions that are just as troublesome in this book, but I do not have the energy to write on that subject right now. Also, this is kind of petty, but the self-promotion gimmick is kind of annoying. I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they need to remind themselves that this type of theology exists and hurts people deeply. List Guy, I am sure that you a good person and I believe that you are a child of God and you believe in what you are doing, but this theology hurts people and causes harm.

[Andrew Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for college students on how to live for Christ in college. Lots of good examples of people faithfully following God and making disciples while at school. An easy recommendation, especially to freshmen/sophomores.

[Hannah Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for Christians in college to read!

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

What can I really say about this book? In short, it's terrible. I'm a practicing Christian, and I have to admit I couldn't get through it. For a start, it's cheesy. That's fine by me. It's intended as a light-hearted book to make you think. Some of the questions actually do get you thinking, and some of it was honestly encouraging. Gradually, though, the heavy-handed "Christianity" shows through... I only got about halfway through before throwing it against the wall and donating it the ...more What can I really say about this book? In short, it's terrible. I'm a practicing Christian, and I have to admit I couldn't get through it. For a start, it's cheesy. That's fine by me. It's intended as a light-hearted book to make you think. Some of the questions actually do get you thinking, and some of it was honestly encouraging. Gradually, though, the heavy-handed "Christianity" shows through... I only got about halfway through before throwing it against the wall and donating it the next day. The List Guy makes a lot of assumptions about the world that are simply not true. He clearly comes from a particular place. That's all right, but it'd be nice if he were a little more aware of the way other people live. I was a little amazed when he assumed that someone challenging your faith was a bad thing (it's not - after all, why do you believe what you believe?), but I was particularly dumbfounded when one of his "Professors from Heaven" preached Christianity during class time (at a state school, no less) and then was seemingly happy when he skipped class to witness himself in a school fountain. But what REALLY got me was the chapter on homosexuality... He claims to be a "gay lover," but at least four times implies that only homosexuals get AIDS, and that that result is something to be expected, even presenting scripture to support that assumption. If he really loved people, perhaps he'd stay away from sweeping generalizations like that? I was too afraid to see how far into the dark heart of American evangelicalism he'd go to keep reading this book. If you want a thought-provoking book to improve your faith, this is not it. This one only reinforces stereotypes and challenges you if you feel like leaving the fold of your megachurch.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given this book as a gift, which seemed appropriate since it is written for college students and I work with college students. Yet I am not sure I would recommend it to my students. There are certainly portions that are good, thoughtful and fun. That said, it is written with a tone that seems arrogant and simplistic. The author has a doctorate, yet throws around statistics and stories without any reference. Where is he getting the many statistics from? Who are the college students he spoke to when he sites stories? This may seem harsh and if it was only one or two times in the book when he reported on an interaction with a student then I would not say anything. But the book is filled with anecdotes that seem so random I can't help but wonder in what context such things happened.

A few of the stories appear incoherent. When he writes about three professors "from heaven" he speaks of a "very proper, older black woman named Mrs. Richardson" (69). He says she allowed students to do extra credit papers on various topics, so he chose to present a paper on the KKK. Surprisingly, she gave him an A, as her character shined through "as she absorbed any pain I might have dished out during my speech" (70). My first thought is that if this was a history class of some sort, then a study of the KKK is a valid study of a historical group, the same as studying the Nazis or the crusades. Since the author speaks of dishing out pain during the speech, does that mean he presented the KKK favorably? Did he intentionally choose to instigate his professor? Was he a member of the KKK or an outspoken racist while in college? There are other examples of such confusion. When he speaks about gays, he writes as if all gays, and only gays, contract AIDS.

Overall, this book does offer helpful lessons for college students. But there are better books (see the list of recommended books at the end of this book) that speak on the same topics.

As one postscript, something rubs me the wrong way of the author opening a goodreads account just to give his own book five stars.

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

What can I really say about this book? In short, it's terrible. I'm a practicing Christian, and I have to admit I couldn't get through it. For a start, it's cheesy. That's fine by me. It's intended as a light-hearted book to make you think. Some of the questions actually do get you thinking, and some of it was honestly encouraging. Gradually, though, the heavy-handed "Christianity" shows through... I only got about halfway through before throwing it against the wall and donating it the next day. The List Guy makes a lot of assumptions about the world that are simply not true. He clearly comes from a particular place. That's all right, but it'd be nice if he were a little more aware of the way other people live. I was a little amazed when he assumed that someone challenging your faith was a bad thing (it's not - after all, why do you believe what you believe?), but I was particularly dumbfounded when one of his "Professors from Heaven" preached Christianity during class time (at a state school, no less) and then was seemingly happy when he skipped class to witness himself in a school fountain. But what REALLY got me was the chapter on homosexuality... He claims to be a "gay lover," but at least four times implies that only homosexuals get AIDS, and that that result is something to be expected, even presenting scripture to support that assumption. If he really loved people, perhaps he'd stay away from sweeping generalizations like that? I was too afraid to see how far into the dark heart of American evangelicalism he'd go to keep reading this book. If you want a thought-provoking book to improve your faith, this is not it. This one only reinforces stereotypes and challenges you if you feel like leaving the fold of your megachurch.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Even though it's more geared towards college students, I still found it applicable to my life. I learned from it and it was a fairly easy read. I only wish he had made the book longer. I wanted to keep reading and find out what other insights the author might have. All in all I'm glad Tyler recommended this book to me.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of the information is basic things that I as a Christian knew but didn't want to ask. If you take the book seriously there are going to be things that you know are true and don't want to agree with. I thought it was an amazing book.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first half of this book was okay...then it was just bad. Funny, but only because it was so bad.

[Matthew Melville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very challenging book! Geared towards college students. Pointing them to a life sold-out for Christ! Living based on His word!