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Having the Mind of Christ: Eight Axioms to Cultivate a Robust Faith
Reader's Choice Award Winner "Why doesn’t the Christian life work like I thought it would?" While we often start with good intentions, it feels like real transformation is elusive at best, and maybe even impossible. We deeply want to live in the freedom that Christ offers, but we are acutely aware of the gap between a transformed life and our reality. Having the Mind of Christ tackles the issues of lasting life change. When we feel some kind of inspiration or need to seek change in our lives, we start with behaviors : new to-dos, tactics, techniques, or spiritual disciplines that we hope will bring about the transformation we desire. While these behavioral changes can bear good results, they just as often fail to produce the lasting change we deeply desire. That's because transformation requires more than a change in practice – it requires a change in paradigm. Pastors Matt Tebbe and Ben Sternke share eight axioms that help reframe the way that we see God, ourselves, and others. By seeing through new lenses, we can open ourselves to the transformational change that God wants for our lives.
192 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2022
42 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 11, 2022
Summary: Looks at the changed paradigms one must understand to experience deep and lasting change in our lives.
If one is thoughtful at all about one’s Christian life, we grasp that somehow, this means becoming more like Christ in our attitudes, dispositions, and behavior. In short, it means change, even radical transformation in our lives. Catechesis, spiritual disciplines, and faithfulness in the ordinary are all a part of it. The authors of this book contend that along with these good things needs to come a transformed perspective–new paradigms, new ways of thinking grounded in how God engages with us in Christ.
The authors identify eight axioms that reflect this new way of seeing. In fact, they liken them to corrective lenses, that bring reality into focus for us. The eight axioms are:
Axiom 1: God Is Love, So It’s All About Love
Axiom 2: God Is Always Present and at Work
Axiom 3: God Is Just Like Jesus
Axiom 4: God Meets Us in Our Messy Reality
Axiom 5: God Cares About (All of) It More Than We Do
Axiom 6: God Does the Same Work Through Us and in Us
Axiom 7: God’s Love Always Reckons with Power
Axiom 8: God Transforms Us Through Embodied Participation
On the face of it, none of these statements seems earthshaking. Yet there is a certain “bluntness” in these axioms and fresh insight in the chapters that elaborate them that makes this come alive. For example to talk about God being love takes the authors into the idea that our lives are meant to be lived in loving communion with God–all the time, in all the ordinaries. For God to be always present and at work means we don’t have to persuade God to be working but to look for that presence and work. God doesn’t “show up.” He’s already there. I love the symmetry of God doing through us in the world what he is doing in us, but also recognize how we try to separate that work, bottling it up in us or trying to do in the world what we are not allowing God to do in us.
Perhaps the most challenging chapter is the one on God’s love always reckoning with power. The authors make the point that “God’s love is not powerblind.” They point to examples in the ministry of Jesus in which he recognizes power, redistributes power, and redefines power. They write:
“God’s love in Jesus works inside the current system of power to bring equity and justice to the marginalized and oppressed, while at the same time seeking to subvert and upend the current system of power that created the conditions for inequity and injustice to begin with. In other words, God’s love doesn’t simply put new people on the top of old oppressive hierarchies. God’s love seeks to topple the unjust hierarchies and show us how to live together in love, practicing justice and peace with one another to establish communion-in-love with one another and God” (p. 123).
Each chapter includes with an experiment of trust to help integrate the new paradigm into our lives. As the book concludes, the authors invite us into active trust, defining belief as acting as if something is true. They propose a cycle of compassionate awareness toward what is happening in our lives, bringing what we see of ourselves into creative alignment with what we see in the gospel and discern the lies we’ve believed and the truth to which we are called, culminating in cooperative action with God involving our embodied lives and relationships.
This is a helpful book not only for young believers but for those who have been following Jesus for some time. We easily take our eyes off God and make it about what we need, ought, or should do. Did you notice that each of these axioms begins with God as the subject who acts? Having the mind of Christ is having a mind centered on who God is and what God is doing in the world and with us, and in light of that, our only sensible response of loving, trusting, and acting in faith. And in that is the transformation we long for.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
If one is thoughtful at all about one’s Christian life, we grasp that somehow, this means becoming more like Christ in our attitudes, dispositions, and behavior. In short, it means change, even radical transformation in our lives. Catechesis, spiritual disciplines, and faithfulness in the ordinary are all a part of it. The authors of this book contend that along with these good things needs to come a transformed perspective–new paradigms, new ways of thinking grounded in how God engages with us in Christ.
The authors identify eight axioms that reflect this new way of seeing. In fact, they liken them to corrective lenses, that bring reality into focus for us. The eight axioms are:
Axiom 1: God Is Love, So It’s All About Love
Axiom 2: God Is Always Present and at Work
Axiom 3: God Is Just Like Jesus
Axiom 4: God Meets Us in Our Messy Reality
Axiom 5: God Cares About (All of) It More Than We Do
Axiom 6: God Does the Same Work Through Us and in Us
Axiom 7: God’s Love Always Reckons with Power
Axiom 8: God Transforms Us Through Embodied Participation
On the face of it, none of these statements seems earthshaking. Yet there is a certain “bluntness” in these axioms and fresh insight in the chapters that elaborate them that makes this come alive. For example to talk about God being love takes the authors into the idea that our lives are meant to be lived in loving communion with God–all the time, in all the ordinaries. For God to be always present and at work means we don’t have to persuade God to be working but to look for that presence and work. God doesn’t “show up.” He’s already there. I love the symmetry of God doing through us in the world what he is doing in us, but also recognize how we try to separate that work, bottling it up in us or trying to do in the world what we are not allowing God to do in us.
Perhaps the most challenging chapter is the one on God’s love always reckoning with power. The authors make the point that “God’s love is not powerblind.” They point to examples in the ministry of Jesus in which he recognizes power, redistributes power, and redefines power. They write:
“God’s love in Jesus works inside the current system of power to bring equity and justice to the marginalized and oppressed, while at the same time seeking to subvert and upend the current system of power that created the conditions for inequity and injustice to begin with. In other words, God’s love doesn’t simply put new people on the top of old oppressive hierarchies. God’s love seeks to topple the unjust hierarchies and show us how to live together in love, practicing justice and peace with one another to establish communion-in-love with one another and God” (p. 123).
Each chapter includes with an experiment of trust to help integrate the new paradigm into our lives. As the book concludes, the authors invite us into active trust, defining belief as acting as if something is true. They propose a cycle of compassionate awareness toward what is happening in our lives, bringing what we see of ourselves into creative alignment with what we see in the gospel and discern the lies we’ve believed and the truth to which we are called, culminating in cooperative action with God involving our embodied lives and relationships.
This is a helpful book not only for young believers but for those who have been following Jesus for some time. We easily take our eyes off God and make it about what we need, ought, or should do. Did you notice that each of these axioms begins with God as the subject who acts? Having the mind of Christ is having a mind centered on who God is and what God is doing in the world and with us, and in light of that, our only sensible response of loving, trusting, and acting in faith. And in that is the transformation we long for.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
September 22, 2022
Wow. The punchy, one-liner axioms have made their way into my everyday-discipleship vocabulary ever since reading it. Definitely recommending widely. Seeing Jesus clearly makes all the difference. Really fantastic work.
May 5, 2023
This is the best discipleship book that I’ve read in years! Sternke and Tebbe have written this book with great intentionality, thoughtfulness, wisdom, and skill. Their book makes space for disciples in any season to grow and to see God as God truly is. These axioms are deep wells of truth that can transform your life and faith.
July 21, 2022
This is the book I’ve been waiting for. Matt Tebbe and Ben Sternke have given us new glasses to re-see reality in Christ. As someone on a journey of faith renovation, I found in this book a clear, practical (and sometimes humorous) guide for living a life transformed by the central truth of God’s love and goodness. For those with a theological bent, this book is an accessible introduction to Trinitarian theology and why it matters. For those on the journey of deconstruction, this book gives us a hopeful, truer way of experiencing the life of Christ in our world.
April 28, 2024
I read this book with a group of people as the introduction to starting a new church community group. What started off as me entering into a new community very quickly also turned into me finding a grounding place in my faith. This book is perfect for people who want to figure out where to start, for people who are feeling stuck in their faith, and for people who are starting over again. I’ve left reading this with a lot of re-establishment of what I think it means to be a child of God, but more importantly I’m leaving with a renewed plan of action for how to live out that truth.
July 28, 2022
Often living the Christian life is boiled down to being a good, loving, and forgiving person. And it is about that but 1)easier said than done and 2) you cant will yourself into being good, loving, and forgiving. This book puts into words and examples about how what we believe about God and what we see in Christ can change our actions in the everyday of our lives. If you are looking for a book to deepen how you live as a Christian, this book is for you.
December 23, 2022
There are many good challenges to the way I think about things and how I respond to my thoughts in action. Throughout the book they point to love being the primary reason for everything we do. They explain how love requires action, and belief in God requires action as well. They break down false beliefs we carry around with ourselves and how they get in the way of us growing in love.
I definitely differ in some of the ways they think about the issues and solutions proposed, such as their belief that God is in control of everything is a belief that needs corrected. I also thought their christology could be too heavily influenced by the events of the gospels more than they are by an overall understanding of the God of the whole Bible. The way they describe God relying on Jesus and then using the gospel's presentation of Jesus but not the rest of the epistles. It seems to pit the personality of Jesus against the other books of the Bible rather than understanding that who Jesus is comes from all of Scripture.
I definitely differ in some of the ways they think about the issues and solutions proposed, such as their belief that God is in control of everything is a belief that needs corrected. I also thought their christology could be too heavily influenced by the events of the gospels more than they are by an overall understanding of the God of the whole Bible. The way they describe God relying on Jesus and then using the gospel's presentation of Jesus but not the rest of the epistles. It seems to pit the personality of Jesus against the other books of the Bible rather than understanding that who Jesus is comes from all of Scripture.
August 6, 2022
A closer look at the truths we believe about God, and Christianity, to see if what we believe might be hindering our spiritual growth. Both authors are on a serious quest for true faith, and they're inviting us along.
April 6, 2025
One of the best spiritual formation books I've read in a long time. I can see myself re-reading it regularly. It's practical, but not systematic in a way that is freeing, hopeful, and tangible.
February 15, 2023
I found this book to be innovative, inspirational, and practical. It presents a fresh approach to pursuing a life with God, and the eight axioms were well described and together provide an integrated and down to earth approach to spiritual formation. I appreciated very much the candor by the authors in describing their experiences, both failures and growth in these areas, and the trust experiment with each chapter was helpful for gaining practical familiarity with the concept. I highly recommend this transformative volume for those desiring to move beyond a faith of comfortable cliches and to step out into new territory of life with and in God.
April 25, 2023
When I first read the introduction of this book I felt a bit skeptical. Formulas in life, especially in religion make me nervous (spoiler: this book is far from a formula). I find that they often make promises they cannot deliver on. But nonetheless the premise seemed interesting so I began reading.
Within the introduction I was sold on the concept that bias and perspective limit us from connecting with God. I was so ready to learn more about how we could draw closer to Christ’s perspective and how that perspective shift could have dramatic impacts on our faith. I saw that this was not a formula, just a list of 8 ways to examine our own perspective and evaluate how that lines up with who the Bible reveals God to be.
The amount I highlighted in this book is an indication of how much I related to and how accurately I think these perspective shifts are needed in the church particularly in the western world.
But more than just the information presented in this book, I was impressed with the constant point to take these things back to the Lord for clarity of where the readers perspective is skewed. The Experiments of Trust (reflection & activities) at the end of each chapter I found to be much more practical and fruitful than most action steps at the end of chapters.
I knew nothing of the authors or their theology before reading this book, but I feel most confident with teachers and ministers that point us back to God and his word instead of their own as these authors did.
This was truly a thought provoking book with topics I will be mulling over for weeks to come!
Within the introduction I was sold on the concept that bias and perspective limit us from connecting with God. I was so ready to learn more about how we could draw closer to Christ’s perspective and how that perspective shift could have dramatic impacts on our faith. I saw that this was not a formula, just a list of 8 ways to examine our own perspective and evaluate how that lines up with who the Bible reveals God to be.
The amount I highlighted in this book is an indication of how much I related to and how accurately I think these perspective shifts are needed in the church particularly in the western world.
But more than just the information presented in this book, I was impressed with the constant point to take these things back to the Lord for clarity of where the readers perspective is skewed. The Experiments of Trust (reflection & activities) at the end of each chapter I found to be much more practical and fruitful than most action steps at the end of chapters.
I knew nothing of the authors or their theology before reading this book, but I feel most confident with teachers and ministers that point us back to God and his word instead of their own as these authors did.
This was truly a thought provoking book with topics I will be mulling over for weeks to come!
July 26, 2022
More than just a resource or diagnostic tool, Matt & Ben have offered us an invaluable and rich work that provided a much needed reorientation and renovation of the Christian faith. Their journey of “unlearning and relearning from Jesus” how to follow Him describe how a desire for a substantial and resonant faith led them to take a closer look at the traditions, narratives, and scripts they were living out of and to allow God to reconstruct and awaken them into a paradigm and life centered on Him.
Their insights exposed frameworks and practices that have always been difficult to face and name, but they always did so with a sense of hopeful expectancy of transformation and restoration through living out these axioms.
Through the sharing of their own stories, inviting us into how they continue to wrestle through the Christian faith and Scripture through the lens of who God is as revealed in Jesus and His love, and to provide honest suggestions and experiments for readers to encounter and experience His presence and work in their lives, this book is a refreshing and freeing pathway into a life with Christ.
Their insights exposed frameworks and practices that have always been difficult to face and name, but they always did so with a sense of hopeful expectancy of transformation and restoration through living out these axioms.
Through the sharing of their own stories, inviting us into how they continue to wrestle through the Christian faith and Scripture through the lens of who God is as revealed in Jesus and His love, and to provide honest suggestions and experiments for readers to encounter and experience His presence and work in their lives, this book is a refreshing and freeing pathway into a life with Christ.
January 24, 2023
I got pretty frustrated with some of the ways they worded things - some of the axioms are a little misleading until you read more - and I felt that even the use of the word axioms and the verbosity in their explanations read as pretentious. There were many times I had to stop and say "I think what they're trying to say is *this*, but then why not just say that?" Ultimately, though, I enjoyed the book. I appreciate the areas where it got me to think more and reflect more, where it challenged me to shift my way of thinking. The "experiments of trust" were hit or miss for me but again I appreciate what I did get out of them. I really liked the conclusion chapter.
February 18, 2023
Wow, what a great book! I was describing this book to my wife, by saying that this book is written by two veteran pastors… And you can feel it in every word. This is an a book written by two kids out of seminary… But rather to very experienced, compassionate, tired pastors. They have learned a lot in their ministry most important of which is that Jesus is what makes everything grow.
I look forward to more reflection on this book and how I can apply it to my actions in my life. I’m also recommending this book to our connections. Pastor at church is a great text for small group studies.
I look forward to more reflection on this book and how I can apply it to my actions in my life. I’m also recommending this book to our connections. Pastor at church is a great text for small group studies.
July 22, 2022
This book is exactly what I needed for this season in my life. Ben and Matt wrote clearly and powerfully about a God who is very different from the one I was taught growing up. The God presented is the one I wish I had known and been taught, but now I have new lenses to see God, Jesus, and my role in the communion with the divine played out in the real world. This is a must read with extremely practical applications that I will be returning to over and over again.
February 25, 2023
Clkearly with a 5 star rating - it was superb. I love the fact that it hits at some of the most crucial things we need as followers of Jesus now. I am tired of the message that we need not do anything... Matt and Ben push back hard with the idea that to live by grace does not mean do nothing... but the opposite. We show what we believe by what we do.
I will have my leaders read this and the Common Rule - they go well together.
I will have my leaders read this and the Common Rule - they go well together.
September 2, 2022
This is not unfamiliar territory for me but the older I get the more I appreciate that every generation needs fresh voices that will call out the same things in the Body of Christ. It is a fresh call to walk with Christ and plant deep truths into our lives in very real ways.
I am grateful for each generation having fresh voices calling others to know God and live in Kingdom truth.
I am grateful for each generation having fresh voices calling others to know God and live in Kingdom truth.
November 5, 2022
This book was so good. The 8 Axioms are portable both in ability to remind oneself, but the authors also help you find ways to put them in practice in ways that are meaningful. Appreciate this work and look forward to incorporating it in my own life and ministry.
January 3, 2023
Philemon Philosophy
This was a very good book.
A particularly strong philosophy / theology book.
I was taken by this book's important viewpoints and tips on how to improve your mind - your views.
Would recommend!
4.5/5
This was a very good book.
A particularly strong philosophy / theology book.
I was taken by this book's important viewpoints and tips on how to improve your mind - your views.
Would recommend!
4.5/5
August 29, 2022
4.5 stars. This is one that would be good to reread in the future to really familiarize and ingrain the axioms and experiments of trust.
August 9, 2022
I found this book to be innovative, inspirational, and practical. It presents a fresh approach to pursuing a life with God, and the eight axioms were well described and together provide an integrated and down to earth approach to spiritual formation. I appreciated very much the candor by the authors in describing their experiences, both failures and growth in these areas, and the trust experiment with each chapter was helpful for gaining practical familiarity with the concept. I highly recommend this transformative volume for those desiring to move beyond a faith of comfortable cliches and to step out into new territory of life with and in God.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews