What do you think?
Rate this book
A Captive Mind: Christianity, Ideologies, and Staying Sane in a World Gone Mad
How does the Christian faith relate to a world stuck in ideological captivity? What happens when vast numbers of people abandon biblical faith for pre-packaged sets of ideas they received from podcasts, videos, and online personalities? How can we stay faithful, humble, and wise when everyone seems quick, arrogant, and foolish?
In A Captive Mind , pastor and author Chris Nye presents Christianity next to the ideologies of this world to reveal the shocking and important Christianity is not an idea in the first place, and therefore confuses, disrupts, and corrects any cultural ideology. To commit to Jesus Christ in this new age, the body of Christ will need a new way to see the faith they hold. Those who place their faith in Jesus cannot fit inside the pre-packaged sets of ideas regurgitated to us through the amalgamation of cultural events, leading charismatic thinkers, and now, algorithms and social media influencers. Fortunately, the event of the gospel gives us just what we a new mind and a new life.
In A Captive Mind , pastor and author Chris Nye presents Christianity next to the ideologies of this world to reveal the shocking and important Christianity is not an idea in the first place, and therefore confuses, disrupts, and corrects any cultural ideology. To commit to Jesus Christ in this new age, the body of Christ will need a new way to see the faith they hold. Those who place their faith in Jesus cannot fit inside the pre-packaged sets of ideas regurgitated to us through the amalgamation of cultural events, leading charismatic thinkers, and now, algorithms and social media influencers. Fortunately, the event of the gospel gives us just what we a new mind and a new life.
150 pages, Paperback
Published June 29, 2022
38 people want to read
About the author
Chris Nye
17 books5 followersCHRIS NYE is a pastor, writer, and teacher living in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Allison. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Books & Culture and various other publications. He serves as Director for the School of Ministry at San Francisco City Impact and a pastor at San Francisco Worship Center. He spends his days teaching theology and training leaders to serve in the inner city. You can learn more at www.sfcityimpact.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 13, 2022
I had the great privilege of having Chris as a pastor and teacher for several years, and he’s always held such a gift of being able to communicate and explain topics concerning faith that usually seem too intimidating or vast. This book is a perfect example of his talents in being able to convict, challenge, and educate his audience, all the while remaining humble and compassionate.
One of the biggest lessons I’ll take with me is how we often place the most value on one’s ideas in shaping one’s identities, when we should perhaps focus on the events that have made us who we are, with the coming of Jesus being the most critical event of all.
“Christianity is not some new set of glasses that slightly corrects our vision of life. Christianity is the ability to see after having been completely blind. Our very posture and attitude towards the world is never the same after being arrested by the love of God.”
I highly recommend this to anyone, no matter where you are in your personal journeys in faith! It is incredibly relevant in a world with people overtaken by ideological captivity (as he’ll talk about a lot in the book) in many different forms.
One of the biggest lessons I’ll take with me is how we often place the most value on one’s ideas in shaping one’s identities, when we should perhaps focus on the events that have made us who we are, with the coming of Jesus being the most critical event of all.
“Christianity is not some new set of glasses that slightly corrects our vision of life. Christianity is the ability to see after having been completely blind. Our very posture and attitude towards the world is never the same after being arrested by the love of God.”
I highly recommend this to anyone, no matter where you are in your personal journeys in faith! It is incredibly relevant in a world with people overtaken by ideological captivity (as he’ll talk about a lot in the book) in many different forms.
February 1, 2023
“But so long as we believe the lie that Christianity is our ideas, our ideas will be so precious they will become an idol.”
Wow - what an incredible book !! I don’t think I turned a single page without stopping to jot down a note or just simply pausing in awe of what I was reading/learning. Such a relevant book and fresh perspective in a culture that places so much emphasis on choosing sides + aggressively defending them and rooting our identity in the ideas and opinions that we hold.
Chris Nye is brutally honest in challenging what defines Christianity - probing us to consider the fact that it’s not about what we think or even being right. “If God is defined by His events in history, and we are defined by His personal arrivals in our own life, then the ideas we either embrace or reject have only a fraction to do with our Christianity.” He boldly suggests that “Christians today are more profoundly shaped by their personal opinions than by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
If as Christians we truly believe that the love of Christ controls us, as Paul says (2 Corinthians 5:14), then “being loved by Christ means we do not need to be right; we were made right in his death. Because we are right with God, we need not stress about having the right ideas. We can freely seek the truth without insisting to everyone everywhere that they think like us because our thinking never saved us in the first place - at the end of ourselves we find the beginning of God.”
(there’s so much more i could add here but at that point i’d just be posting an annotated copy of this book by yours truly)
Wow - what an incredible book !! I don’t think I turned a single page without stopping to jot down a note or just simply pausing in awe of what I was reading/learning. Such a relevant book and fresh perspective in a culture that places so much emphasis on choosing sides + aggressively defending them and rooting our identity in the ideas and opinions that we hold.
Chris Nye is brutally honest in challenging what defines Christianity - probing us to consider the fact that it’s not about what we think or even being right. “If God is defined by His events in history, and we are defined by His personal arrivals in our own life, then the ideas we either embrace or reject have only a fraction to do with our Christianity.” He boldly suggests that “Christians today are more profoundly shaped by their personal opinions than by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
If as Christians we truly believe that the love of Christ controls us, as Paul says (2 Corinthians 5:14), then “being loved by Christ means we do not need to be right; we were made right in his death. Because we are right with God, we need not stress about having the right ideas. We can freely seek the truth without insisting to everyone everywhere that they think like us because our thinking never saved us in the first place - at the end of ourselves we find the beginning of God.”
(there’s so much more i could add here but at that point i’d just be posting an annotated copy of this book by yours truly)
September 28, 2022
What an extremely relevant, humbling, and encouraging book to read in today’s climate of divisive opinions, loud arguments, rampant ideas, and prevalent misinformation. It’s a great reminder that Christianity isn’t an ideology - it began as a historic event and person who changed the course of the world and each human soul willing to embrace him.
Chris Nye is a personable writer and does a wonderful job of engaging and challenging the reader while extending grace to all and upholding humility himself. After reading this book, I feel inspired to read more, listen to ideas different from my own, engage in group discussions, speak less, and seek wisdom in how I present ideas or live out moral responsibility. I highly recommend this book!
Chris Nye is a personable writer and does a wonderful job of engaging and challenging the reader while extending grace to all and upholding humility himself. After reading this book, I feel inspired to read more, listen to ideas different from my own, engage in group discussions, speak less, and seek wisdom in how I present ideas or live out moral responsibility. I highly recommend this book!
February 24, 2023
There are parts of this book I definitely need to read again and I think I disagree with a couple of the positions. But that’s the joy here, reading and thinking, and then going for a walk to get out of my head alone. We are Christians because of an event and not an idea…that alone is a golden takeaway.
January 4, 2025
This man is so knowledgeable. Honestly I think a must read for everyone, even if you’re not Christian
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews