A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us

by Larry Osborne

"Contrarian thinking at its best simply asks, Is this really true ? It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn't match reality - when things simply don't work the way everyone says they should."
- Larry Osborne

If you don’t fit the mold…
If you’re tired of adjusting to other people’s definitions of spirituality…
If traditional spiritual disciplines just aren’t working for you…
If all the standard answers aren’t enough…
...but your deepest desire
is to know God more…
Here's Spirituality for the Rest of Us

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Faith, Theology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christianity

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2007

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read probably because it was so engaging; or, maybe because I sat through a couple of the author's seminars just a few weeks ago and his material whetted my appetite.
I hate to do this to my kids but I'm going to ask them to read this book. It will hopefully correct some of the bad Bible teaching I've exposed them to over the years.
At nearly every chapter I find myself saying, "That's what I wondered!"

[Benjamin Corneliusen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very approachable read that sheds light on a lot of major problems - namely with the ways we live vs. the ways we’re CALLED to live in Scripture. Through this book, Osborne helps “level the playing field” of spiritual growth and points out the inconsistencies in day to day “Christianese” living. The approaches these big-topic questions are with tact and a Scripture-focused eye, which proves the title of this book to be true and appropriate.

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish you could give 1/2 stars on here, as I'd give this a 3 1/2.

I really liked his ideas, I liked his leveling the playing field on spiritual growth. I highly recommend this book to pastors and church leaders who are responsible for "leading" to help put different people's interest into perspective: not everyone is a leader, not everyone grows with the same tools you do.

The only thing I wish he would have done more is affirm spiritual disciplines that are known and used. I agree with his clarifying them as tools and not rules, but I wish he would have affirmed the need for them a little more. It would be easy for some to walk away from the book saying, "Well...I don't need to do anything...I'll just grow the way I'm going to grow" and then not really clarify or grow in anything.

That being said, I did love this book. It brings this down to a normal, real life level.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great for me because it challenged my well-established notions that I had about Christianity and living the Christian life based on the "religious" community I grew up it. It seemed like the community held more onto traditions for traditions' sake rather than because the Bible explicitly commanded it.

It gave me a renewed and fresh picture of who God is and how he relates to us.

I would recommend this book for those who have grown up in the faith since a young age and need something to refresh their faith and perspective. It caused me to question my other beliefs and whether they were actually based on the Bible or on tradition.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a refreshing look at Christianity for those of us who are not in the "spotlight" so to speak. It takes some of the pressure off, and debunks a lot of Christian-bubble myths. He's great at asking the questions that we all have asked or should be asking! Loved his funny, quick-read style of writing. Definitely worth reading.

[Catie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book with my church small group, not by personal preference or choice. Much of what he wrote is acceptable to me and my faith, but his tone and style of presenting the material irritated me. As a writer, he comes off arrogant and all-knowing of all life experiences. The last five chapters were the best of the book, as if he was *finally* getting to the meat of his message.

[Wesley Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Larry Osborne came recommended to me by my pastor. It was such a breath of fresh air. It is a book that describes a path to spirituality and knowing God that looks a lot different from the well-trod and well-signed routes. That is the path I think I am on in the last couple years becoming closer to Christ. I almost read this book in one night, but split it into 2 nights; it is that good.

I agree with Pastor Osborne that "one-size-fits-all discipleship and spirituality recipes have to go" for some believers' journeys, and also the legalism that binds them. Pastor Osborne uses scripture to show how different spiritual disciplines can be and should be for each of us as individuals. He writes openly and honestly, encouraging new and believers early or even mid-way in their walk with Jesus Christ in their life. I also like his definition of faith, based on Daniel 3...that faith is at its greatest when we trust God "enough to obey, even when we're sure it won't work out in the short run." I also appreciated his suggestion on how to pray sometimes: "Lord, I know what You want me to do, but I don't want to do it. I'm giving You full permission to change the way I feel and think about it".

Chapter 13 is a chapter that most spoke to me: "Best Practices Overload". In summary:

"I was surprised by the new sense of freedom and renewed focus I experienced once I no loger felt the need to match up to everyone else's best practices of the Christian faith. I was finally free to focus on the unique passions and gifts God had given me.

Instead o f constantly feeling inadequate about the areas where I didn't match up, I started to notice and rejoice in all the areas where I did. I became a better me, rather than just a poor copy of someone else.

The fact is, God has given most of us passion and gifts for only a few things. When we follow those passions and hone those gifts, we end of doing exactly what we were made to do." (p. 122)

Amen! Highly recommend this book.

[Carter Hemphill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I might have read this book in the past, but I didn't mark it in GoodReads. This is an updated version with some new chapters, cover, and introduction. It's a quick read, and I appreciate the author's perspective on concepts that often create misunderstanding among newer Christians. Some of his ideas have become more mainstream and not so much contrarian unless you are coming from a rigidly conservative background or, without discernment, reading all of the latest Christian living books on the market. The updated version may have included more scripture, but it's in smaller font and not really linked closely into the book. The chapters also include some text boxes and "asides" that seem unnecessary. I enjoyed the book, but I was also left with a sense that he may not have been providing the complete picture and that his target audience may be a more narrow group of Christians than I am familiar with. I noted a lot of good wisdom that will be good to refer back to in the future. I can see how a church will want to use this book to counteract some of the mistaken tendencies, but there needs to be more scripture support for a more well-rounded counterargument.

[Merritt O'Boyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan. I appreciate that he wants to make religion "accessible". That's about all I can say. His like "aw shucks I'm a simple guy like everyone else" was off-putting, and I felt he would give a heading for an alleged topic and then really not elucidate at all on it or give any concrete ideas or answers to the questions to which he alluded. Thats a poor description, I know. It sounded as if he would be like well, have you considered x? And then just move on and leave the reader saying "yeah, so?" etc. Half of the time he seemingly lacked a point but had claimed one was coming. Ideas seemed only marginally thought out.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this book was interesting. Larry Osborne made some really great points in some parts of his book, and other parts of the book I was questioning his rationale and wondering if he was reading the same Bible I do. An example being when he calls Joseph of Arithmea (I think that was the spelling) a secret disciple. Um, either you are or you aren't. There's no hiding in the closet disciple when it comes to Christianity. So while this book had some valid points that were worth highlighting, I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends.

Free book provided by Blogging for Books. All opinions my own.

[Moriah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated Larry's perspective as he breaks down many of the "have-to's" of faith. I can see how some of his words could be understood to be cynical or even unproductive but when you read deeper, you see it's coming from a man who knows God deeply and wants others to experiences this as well with out the "to-do list". Following Jesus is much more than the cultural "musts" we've tied to it and I respect Larry's succinct and to the point debunking of what many believers may deem crucial to "true faith".

[J Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sent to me by our church and I don’t know how the sender knew, but it really spoke to me. I will admit that I really dislike the style of writing, which I found too informal and artificially folksy, but I have no substantive criticism beyond that. Of particular value was the sharp differentiation between descriptive and prescriptive passages and our tendency to misidentify the former as the latter. For someone seeking to grow as a Christian and wondering about all the things people say or do that seem unreasonable in that attempt, this book may be very helpful.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband's small group at church was reading this book, so I read it as well. Osborne brought up a lot of good points, but sometimes I felt as if the information was going right over my head and I didn't really understand what he was talking about. I did like the last few chapters of the book the best...he kind of "got to the point" during these chapters.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a worthwhile read for every Christian and some skeptics might also find it useful. Without defaming the church, Larry gives clear indications of why it is critical for each Christian to take their own walks with Christ personally and seriously.

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in conjunction with a Bible study at our church. I really enjoyed this book and appreciated how Larry Osborne stripped away the myths about faith and the "extras" that we Christians sometimes attach to Christianity.

[Menthink · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t find anything contrarian in the viewpoints expressed.

[Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those wonderful cases when the best and brightest ideas come in the simplest writing. Larry Osborne, a very wise and straightforward author, strips away the mountains of lies and legalism that has become Christian spirituality and re-reveals through biblical truth what God has been saying to us all along. He has an excellent way of putting into words some of the ideas and principles we know to be biblical truth but never knew a simple enough way to define them. Forget self-help books and fairy-tale endings -- this kind of truth telling, a contrarian's view, is one of the most freeing and joyful things to read. Osborne clearly and honestly puts names to the chains we have forged for ourselves--lies and man-made rules we worship instead of God--and points his readers back to the original source of joy: Christ and His simple, unconditional salvation. I would highly encourage this to anyone burdened with the lie that they cannot please God, anyone lost in highfalutin church lingo, or anyone trying to find the basics of Christianity among the terrifying plethora of denominations and extra actually-not-traditional traditions. In the modern age when Christianity has become a fad, an uncertain mess of rules, and the fear of society, this book helps reset the reader's sights back to what Christ wanted for His followers all along and how much of a contrarian our God is to legalism and elitist religion.

[Paul Fowler]

This book which was suggested by a friend, has completely messed up my thinking about my relationship to God. But this is a good thing, because it has reminded me that we are all unique, not only in the physical sense, but also spiritually.
As Osborne points out, not all of us are introverts with a high IQ, on the contrary, we are all completely different. I love to read, but what I love to read is different from most of the others pastors I work with. I like to unwind with a good novel, while others may get a charge from the latest leadership book.
Some love the solitude and absolute quiet of a 3 day visit to a monastery; Osborne and I agree "just kill me now"!
All in all I have been challenged to rediscover how I relate to God and what works for me, which means that it's okay to have alone time with God at those ridiculous pre-dawn hours and at 2:30 in the afternoon!

[karl and mandy brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steven King wrote an interesting and slightly cynical article for Entertainment Weekly about how to interpret critics comments that advertise movies. For example, "actors as you've never seen them before!" actually means "actors terribly miscast for their parts!" I think the same could be said for some of the reviews on the cover of this book. "I read the book one sitting" probably more closely means "ya, I skimmed through it." Unfortunately, while A Contrarian's Guide had a couple good parts, overall it didn't provide me with much new insight. It was a lot of common sense written on paper. Sorry this isn't a very thorough review, but there really isn't much else to say. Also, dinner is about ready, so I must go.

[Bryan McWhite]

Meh. Osborn has some excellent and helpful insights and is good at asking crucial questions about why Christians do what they do when it comes to developing spiritual maturity, and asking "who decided" how sanctification works. But he asks more questions than he answers and he too often steers too close to merely handing out excuses for Christians to be lazy. Chapter 9, in particular, is very poorly written. A less discerning reader might think Larry is just offering up excuses to sin without God caring much. He should of been much clearer and precise with his wording. It's a good book, but not a book I'd recommend to someone who isn't pretty far down the road in their faith.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I was not sure what to expect when I started reading it, but he made some amazing points that help lift up those of us who are seeking to live a Christian life but often feel less holy or wise than others we encounter. Even to those who do feel like they are in a good place in their faith, there are some amazing concepts that Osborne brings to light. Highly recommended.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the clear ideas in this book. It was refreshing. The author shares simple truths and debunks many of the rules and expectations that often Christian put in the path to a relationship with God. Everyone with a history in the church should read this for a fresh look at what is really Biblical. I loved the title... IT IS spirituality for the rest of us. Leaves you feeling free to love God and love others more unencumbered.

[Nicholas Bradley]

So far, i appreciate Mr. Osborne's ability to break down what spirituality is at it's basic level. He explains very well that not everyone learns and understands things the same...and they aren't broken because of it. I look forward to seeing what sorts of flashed-out suggestions he has as a result of the immense diversity of the Body of Christ.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you ever feel defeated, disgusted, or just plain angry that your walk with God doesn't look like the "perfect spiritual picture"? Then this book is for you. Osborne unwraps what it means to follow God in its most basic, bottom-line form, and, good news, it's not the same for everyone. It's a very good, freeing book...worth your time.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite an intriguing book regarding the misconceptions Christians adhere to regarding the basics of their faith. I disagreed with much of it, but it provided a great challenge for me to think through what I believe, why I believe it, and how that should manifest itself in my life. I encourage you to read this along with someone, as it'll provide great conversation as you work through it.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this originally in the later edition (entitled SPIRITUALITY FOR THE REST OF US)... I read this edition because my personal copy is still in storage.

And it's still one of the best books on spiritual for non-contemplatives I've ever read. Larry Osborne debunks one graceless myth after another... I can't recommend it highly enough!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far so good. Spirituality isn't a "one size fits all."

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book, great insights, out of the box thinking.

[Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting a lot out if this book. Encouraging, convicting, grace-giving. Not only helping me to define myself, but giving me tools I need to give others the grace I want to receive.

[Christian Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 3.5 stars, but thought I would round it up to four.

I can guarantee you that you will not agree with everything in this book, no matter who you are or what you believe (I mean the title is "The Contrarian's Guide..." so at least the reader is warned going into it).

Osborne attacks many things we have come to consider staples of Christianity and gives a fresh look at what Scripture actually has to say about them.

This book is engaging, for starters. Osborne' style is easy to read and understand. Plus, his material is thought-provoking and forces one to examine their own lives (and he brings about that reaction without even using study questions! How bou dah?!).

Resting at about 225 pages, this book took me just a few days (an hour or two each day) to read. A nice book for a weekend vacation or for a mid-week reading splurge.

The one primary criticism that I have for this book is that, when attacking long-held Christian tools and systems, he said that they took verses out of context. But then he would go on to share his interpretation of them. Neither interpretation necessarily offered itself as being better, they were just different ways of looking at the same passage. Yet Osborne treated his interpretation as if it was truth.

Overall though, a good read.