What do you think?
Rate this book
Break Open the Sky: Saving Our Faith from a Culture of Fear
In a World that Thrives on Fear, Have FaithCompared to all previous generations, we are safer, live longer, hurt less, and earn more. Yet we are more afraid than ever. Fear has slipped into our souls, leaving us on edge and constantly anxious. No longer a safe harbor, a source of strength, or a bastion for love, faith has fallen prey to a culture of fear. We face a defining moment. Will we cave to fear or rise in faith? Stephan Bauman, the former president of World Relief, has seen firsthand in some of the most difficult places in the world how it is possible to embrace love in the face of fear. Break Open the Sky is an invitation to live in authentic faith, free from fear and its debilitating symptoms. By embracing Jesus’s core yet counterintuitive teachings on truth, love, and risk, you can find freedom from the fear of the unknown, release from the uncertainty of the other, and liberation from the anxieties that hold you back. Are you ready to pursue a countercultural kingdom of grace and love rather than safety and comfort? If so, here is your guide for changing the atmosphere of your culture, church, and world. It will only happen as you take risks big enough to break open the sky.
- GenresChristianNonfiction
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2017
8 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Stephan Bauman
7 books17 followersSTEPHAN BAUMAN is the President and CEO of World Relief, an international relief and development organization partnering with the global Church to serve more than five million vulnerable people each year. World Relief is also the founder and convener of The Justice Conference. Stephan's pursuit of justice led him to transition from a successful career in the Fortune 100 sector to Africa where he directed relief and development programs for nearly a decade before returning to the United States to lead World Relief's global operations. He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University, Wheaton College, and the University of Wisconsin. He is a poet, an author, an ordained minister and a strategist. He considers his African friends his most important teachers, and his wife, Belinda, his most important mentor. Stephan, Belinda, and their two sons, Joshua and Caleb, live near Washington, D.C.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 24, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book, and there were several times when I just had to pause while reading and look away for a second because I was hit hard by what the author was saying. Having to deal with anxiety is never a good feeling, and speaking from personal experience, I know just how uncomfortable it can be.
This book addresses the growing fears we have in society, despite America being a developed country. Bauman frequently compares the outlook on life that people living in the First World have versus those living in war-torn parts of Africa. The refugee crisis is also mentioned several times throughout the book, encouraging the readers to take a look at how we treat immigrants; are our actions founded in love? Or are we coldly shutting people out because of fear? These are important questions to face, as the current situation in America highlights the fact that we are living in fear.
What I really appreciated about this book was that it wasn't too preachy; there is a good balance between the personal experiences of Bauman with helpful suggestions on living a life without fear.
Read my full review here!
This book addresses the growing fears we have in society, despite America being a developed country. Bauman frequently compares the outlook on life that people living in the First World have versus those living in war-torn parts of Africa. The refugee crisis is also mentioned several times throughout the book, encouraging the readers to take a look at how we treat immigrants; are our actions founded in love? Or are we coldly shutting people out because of fear? These are important questions to face, as the current situation in America highlights the fact that we are living in fear.
What I really appreciated about this book was that it wasn't too preachy; there is a good balance between the personal experiences of Bauman with helpful suggestions on living a life without fear.
Read my full review here!
July 10, 2017
Stephan Bauman is the husband of one of my dearest friends and an important voice in the world of Christian faith. He narrows the problems of American Christianity to one overwhelming theme--the current culture of fear that has made the face of the American church ugly. This book is important.
October 17, 2018
The premise of the book was so promising, and I believe that our culture has definitely become one of fear. But Bauman’s solutions are one sided and theologically shallow. Written almost blog-style, it purports to be a theological study of fear, faith, love, and risk, but falls short in style alone. (“Ouch” is not a sentence... or a paragraph.) His spiritual inventory of how our actions are measuring up to the Beatitudes overlooks Jesus’ whole point that our obedience is a heart matter, not one of outward compliance. What was most troubling was his classification of people into two “roads” (p. 33): the religious right who are striving for outward obedience and the happy poor and messed-up from the rest the world. (choose road 2.) This overgeneralization polarizes and his oblique criticism on those who are anti-immigration smacks of political bias, which I wouldn’t mind, but this is a discussion of the good news of the gospel, not politics. I’m really just disappointed because I was looking for something different in this book.
May 30, 2017
Break Open the Sky is an easy read, if you are prepared for all of the alarmist thinking. Granted, the title of the book should have prepped me for this. But, it didn't.
In fact, this is why I don't watch the news. I have a pretty good idea of what is going on the world, as everyone else seems to be discussing it. But, for the first few chapters, ugh.
I do not mean to dis the book, in any manner. My inability to handle this type of information has only to do with me. I accept that. In fact, every review I've seen thus far has been ultra-positive. I simply mean that I am overwhelmed with the way that the information was presented. Again, my problem.
In fact, this is why I don't watch the news. I have a pretty good idea of what is going on the world, as everyone else seems to be discussing it. But, for the first few chapters, ugh.
I do not mean to dis the book, in any manner. My inability to handle this type of information has only to do with me. I accept that. In fact, every review I've seen thus far has been ultra-positive. I simply mean that I am overwhelmed with the way that the information was presented. Again, my problem.
July 28, 2021
A good reminder but nothing earth shattering.
November 10, 2017
“Converting our fears into faith is the business of God. But he’s not interested in a gnostic faith, a faith disembodied from the earthiness of day-to-day living. Instead, God desires a faith that engages our emotions and volition as much as our intellect, a faith that shocks those around us because our words or actions, although occurring in the natural world, have their origin in the divine.”
–Stephen Bauman
Book No. 33 of 2017
This book really needed to be written, and Stephen Bauman was just the right person for the task.
Faith can’t just be a theory. It’s not something to make us feel smart about ourselves while the rest of the world feels despair. Actually doing something takes a whole lot of risk, but it’s the risk we were actually made for. We’ll be unsatisfied until we take it.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
–Stephen Bauman
Book No. 33 of 2017
This book really needed to be written, and Stephen Bauman was just the right person for the task.
Faith can’t just be a theory. It’s not something to make us feel smart about ourselves while the rest of the world feels despair. Actually doing something takes a whole lot of risk, but it’s the risk we were actually made for. We’ll be unsatisfied until we take it.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
February 28, 2020
Fear.
The word can make you tremble. And that is exactly what this book tackles.
It will challenge you to push the boundaries of love and convict you to face fear head on.
Practical.
The word can make you tremble. And that is exactly what this book tackles.
It will challenge you to push the boundaries of love and convict you to face fear head on.
Practical.
April 27, 2017
I was really excited to read Stephan Bauman's new book, Break Open The Sky: Saving Our Faith From A Culture Of Fear. Not only does it have a great title, the cover is so bold and gorgeous. Not only that, I've observed how our culture has become seemingly more and more fear-driven post-9/11. Threats appear to be all around us, and the 24/7 news cycle just pumps out more and more things to be terrified about. The back cover says:
"In a World that Thrives on Fear, Have Faith
Terrorism. Racism. Refugees. Political vitriol. Our culture is driven by fear. Compared to all previous generations, we are more safe, live longer, hurt less, and earn more. Yet, we are more afraid than ever.
Our faith has fallen prey to this culture of fear. Fear slips into our souls, leaving us not only afraid, but on edge and constantly anxious. No longer a safe harbor, a source of strength, and a bastion for love, faith has become a caricature of the real thing. We are left wondering, questioning, even disillusioned.
We face a defining moment. Will we cave in to fear or rise in faith? Stephan Bauman, the former president of World Relief, has seen firsthand in some of the most difficult places in the world how it is possible to embrace love in the face of fear. Break Open the Sky is an invitation into living out what matters most. We can become, once again, a community of hope."
First off, I did love this book. However, I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because while it was a great book, it didn't quite live up to my expectations based on the title and description. I was expecting this to be a book focused on what the description and title imply: the culture of fear in America, the actual reality of the state of the world, and how to fight this pervasive fear with our faith in Christ. However, this isn't really what this book is about at all. The Introduction and first chapter touch on this subject, but then the book takes a hard left and veers off into a sometimes rambling (but interesting and good) discourse about the Beatitudes, refugees, sex slavery, and stepping out to do bold missional works for God (and changing your corner of the world as much as you can). While I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these topics and receiving a nudge to do what I can to help in my corner of the world, I closed the book feeling confused about what it actually was about. I think the publisher erred when writing the description - it's not a very realistic description of the actual book. However, I highly recommend it to Christians wanting to step out in bold faith and change the world around them.
I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.
"In a World that Thrives on Fear, Have Faith
Terrorism. Racism. Refugees. Political vitriol. Our culture is driven by fear. Compared to all previous generations, we are more safe, live longer, hurt less, and earn more. Yet, we are more afraid than ever.
Our faith has fallen prey to this culture of fear. Fear slips into our souls, leaving us not only afraid, but on edge and constantly anxious. No longer a safe harbor, a source of strength, and a bastion for love, faith has become a caricature of the real thing. We are left wondering, questioning, even disillusioned.
We face a defining moment. Will we cave in to fear or rise in faith? Stephan Bauman, the former president of World Relief, has seen firsthand in some of the most difficult places in the world how it is possible to embrace love in the face of fear. Break Open the Sky is an invitation into living out what matters most. We can become, once again, a community of hope."
First off, I did love this book. However, I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because while it was a great book, it didn't quite live up to my expectations based on the title and description. I was expecting this to be a book focused on what the description and title imply: the culture of fear in America, the actual reality of the state of the world, and how to fight this pervasive fear with our faith in Christ. However, this isn't really what this book is about at all. The Introduction and first chapter touch on this subject, but then the book takes a hard left and veers off into a sometimes rambling (but interesting and good) discourse about the Beatitudes, refugees, sex slavery, and stepping out to do bold missional works for God (and changing your corner of the world as much as you can). While I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these topics and receiving a nudge to do what I can to help in my corner of the world, I closed the book feeling confused about what it actually was about. I think the publisher erred when writing the description - it's not a very realistic description of the actual book. However, I highly recommend it to Christians wanting to step out in bold faith and change the world around them.
I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews