What do you think?
Rate this book
Think It Not Strange: Navigating Trials in the New America
For 350 years, the church on American soil has enjoyed relatively little affliction for her fidelity to the Scriptures. This nation, though, is an anomaly in church history. And those days seem to be passing, more quickly than many of us expected. But panic would not be a Christian response. For two thousand years, this has been what it has meant to identify with Christ in the world—the normal experience of those who follow a man who was crucified. Suffering for the gospel was not just tolerated in the early church; it was expected. For now, we may be prone to think it strange. But soon enough, the expectations of American Christians will adjust to what is normal in other times and places. We will realize that when we proclaim a gospel like ours, and make the sort of claims we do, the world won’t receive it well. For Christians, it really is strange *not* to be persecuted. In these short chapters, a diverse team of contributors, representing six continents, joins together to help American Christians get ready for the insults, trials, opposition, and even persecution that may lie ahead.
126 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
6 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
John Piper
618Ìýbooks4,454ÌýfollowersJohn Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. .
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. .
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 13, 2021
This collection of essays is a good reminder of the Bible’s teachings on trials and persecution. Particularly helpful to me were:
(Chapter 1) John Piper’s opening essay on “winsome weirdos�, calling for “a breed [of Christians] that is courageous enough to be joyfully weird, and compassionate enough to be ‘zealous for what is good� (1 Pet. 3:13)�;
(Chapter 3) Joe Rigney’s explication of Christian boldness from Acts 4-7, a boldness he defines as “courage and clarity about Jesus and sin�, which does not “muddle the message; that would be confusion, not clarity� and does not “muzzle the message; that would be cowardice, not courage�; and
(Chapter 8) Tim Cain’s exhortation to “keep loving one another earnestly� (1 Pt 4:8) by loving those within the church who have hurt or sinned against us, by pushing in, loving more, and forgiving rather than our natural tendency to withdraw and to hold grudges with our fellow church members.
(Chapter 1) John Piper’s opening essay on “winsome weirdos�, calling for “a breed [of Christians] that is courageous enough to be joyfully weird, and compassionate enough to be ‘zealous for what is good� (1 Pet. 3:13)�;
(Chapter 3) Joe Rigney’s explication of Christian boldness from Acts 4-7, a boldness he defines as “courage and clarity about Jesus and sin�, which does not “muddle the message; that would be confusion, not clarity� and does not “muzzle the message; that would be cowardice, not courage�; and
(Chapter 8) Tim Cain’s exhortation to “keep loving one another earnestly� (1 Pt 4:8) by loving those within the church who have hurt or sinned against us, by pushing in, loving more, and forgiving rather than our natural tendency to withdraw and to hold grudges with our fellow church members.
June 29, 2021
Good solid reminders.
January 28, 2016
A quick, but incredibly helpful collection of essays which I know I will continue to benefit from in the weeks ahead as we continue our study of 1 Peter. I particularly enjoyed Piper's call for believers to be "winsome weirdos" and his final chapter on the nature of the believer's hope. It's a refreshing perspective.
June 3, 2019
As with other books from the Desiring God ministry, this book speaks straight to the heart of every believer, but especially American believers living in the New America. As an older Christian, I grew up in a nation where the law and Christian principles were largely (but not totally) in alignment. No more. Now, Piper, et al., help prepare all of us believers, but especially the young in the Church, to prepare for the time when we will be "winsome wierdos": purposely, intentionally out of step with the secular revolution of the day, standing up for Christ and thereby suffering with Him, but also reach out to the world in love, patience, and engagement to advance the "blessed community." If we can not be surprised when persecution comes, if we can prepare to embrace suffering with joy, others will wish to know the hope we have, that which does not come from us but arises from the Father above, and only from Him. Then we will be ready to faithfully and sacredly represent the Christ who suffered far more than we ever will to the world who desperately needs Him, in preparation for That Day. Lord, come quickly!
May 20, 2018
Great short reminders to live out of the hope we have in Christ and in commitment to serving others.
March 4, 2019
A good book to wake us up in the western part of the world of the reality of suffering and making sure we are expecting trials as part of following Christ.
June 25, 2016
As is always the risk of multiple contributors, the writing in "Think It Not Strange" is uneven. By far the strongest chapters are the first and last, written by Piper himself. But he makes his living as a wordsmith; he is, after all, a preacher and a writer. Though the volume has some encouraging things to say about persecution and insights to offer on 1 Peter, the book fails to address the implied question posed by the subtitle: "Navigating Trials in the New America." What trials or persecutions are Christians facing in America today, or could face tomorrow? And how did we get to this "New America"? David Mathis hints at an answer in the introduction, as does Piper in the first chapter, but the remainder of the book focus on the persecution of Christians in other parts of the world, notably in the Middle East and North Africa. Highlighting what our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are enduring is worthy of our time to read about and pray for -- and serves as a warning that what can happen there can, to some extent, can happen here. (If not through government sanction, like limiting our First Amendment right to freedom of religion, then by being culturally ostracized.) I'm sure I'll revisit this volume next time I teach through 1 Peter, particularly the last chapter, but as a practical warning of what is (or might be) on the horizon for American Christians it fails to predict.
February 8, 2016
A sobering reality check for Christians in America, who have experienced a historical aberration in that we have lived in an era accepting of Christianity and Christians. The historical reality, and the biblical reality, is that Christians should expect hardship and suffering. We are now seeing the pendulum shifting more toward the historical norm of Christianity being misunderstood, and we might start seeing more persecution, even here in America. Christians need to be prepared for this by absorbing the lessons of Scripture - that we are to hold fast and bear suffering patiently, knowing that in the world to come, all will be set right, and everything sad will come untrue. This book prepares Christians by presenting suffering in the Bible, then showing examples from the persecuted church in various parts of the world, then turning to our current situation.
February 1, 2016
"Hope is a heartfelt, joyful conviction that our short-term future is governed by an all-caring God, and our long-term future, beyond death, will be happy beyond imagination in the presence of the all-satisfying glory of God."
Awesome book! A quick read. Each chapter had a different author & writing style which I liked. Even with different authors, each chapter seamlessly flowed into the next.
Awesome book! A quick read. Each chapter had a different author & writing style which I liked. Even with different authors, each chapter seamlessly flowed into the next.
February 11, 2016
A short little book about the need for a consistent and biblical witness in light of message and how the world hates the light. It is a good book and one I would recommend to everyone
March 7, 2016
Very encouraging.
March 17, 2016
Some very encouraging and enlightening perspectives in this book. Ours is a new day and Christians need to learn to think differently about suffering and our role in America.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.