Contact: Jason Jones, 615-306-8627, jjones@thomasnelson.com; www.skyejethani.com

 

NASHVILLE, July 20, 2011 /Standard Newswire/ -- Why are American Christians, who have more access to biblical teaching than any other people in history, failing to experience the freedom of the Christian life? Why are pastors, those closest to the work and ministry, burning out at an alarming rate? Why do many church members, who give large amounts of their time and money to Christ and his kingdom, secretly question the legitimacy of their efforts? And why are spiritual seekers dismissing the validity of the Christian message altogether?

 

Is it possible that they have completely misunderstood the call of the Christian life?

 

Pastor and author Skye Jethani answers these questions, unpacks the misguided ways in which people are attempting to relate to God and leads them in reimagining their relationship with Him.

 

In his new book, 'With', Jethani identifies the four "postures," or ways people attempt to relate to God:

 

·         Life From God - Those in this category want God's blessings and gifts, but they are not particularly interested in God himself.

 

·         Life Over God - With a focus on organizational principles rather than prayer, one doesn't have much space in his life or ministry for God. The mystery and wonder of the world is lost as God is abandoned in favor of proven formulas and controllable outcomes.

 

·         Life For God - The significant life, it believes, is the one expended accomplishing great things in God's service. (Perhaps the most popular posture!)

 

·         Life Under God - Sees God in simple cause-and-effect terms—people obey His commands and He blesses their life/ family/nation. Their primary role is to determine what He approves (or disapproves) of and work vigilantly to remain within those boundaries.

 

So, instead of life over, under, from, or even for God … what leads to freedom and restoration?

 

Life with God.

 

Life with God is different, Jethani says, because its goal is not to use God; its goal is God. He ceases to be a device we employ or a commodity we consume and instead becomes the focus of our desire. But before we can really desire Him, we must have a clear understanding of who He is and what He is like. The reason we gravitate to one of the other four postures is because we've never received a clear vision of who He really is. So, we settle for something less.

 

Jethani points to Jesus, who he says provides an entirely different way of relating to God. Rather than stumbling in the darkness between forms of religion that are each a variation of fear and control (Life Under, Over, From and For God), through Christ, the lights are turned on and our attention is drawn to an entirely different vision--life with God. Life not rooted in circumstances or moral perfection. Life that begins by remembering that our calling, our sense of purpose and significance, does not come from any external construct. That it is not our circumstances, or behaviors, or radical decisions that give our lives meaning and hope … but our unity with God himself. That the call to live in continual communion with Him means that every person's life, no matter how mundane, is elevated to sacred heights.

 

'With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God' (Thomas Nelson Publishers) will be available on August 23. More information on Jethani and the book is available at www.skyejethani.com.

 

For review copies, excerpts, images or an interview with Jethani, contact Jason Jones at jjones@thomasnelson.com.

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