Wild Goose Chase

The collateral reading assignment for the Essential Christianity class I am teaching is Mark Batterson's book, "Wild Goose Chase". I have read it twice in recent months. I read a lot, so for me to read a book twice when I have others which remain unread is high praise. Our first week reading assignment is the first chapter entitled, Yawning Angels. In this chapter Batterson introduces the term, "inverted Christianity." "Instead of following the Spirit, we invite the Spirit to follow us. Instead of serving God's purposes, we want Him to serve our purposes. And while this may seem like a subtle distinction, it makes an ocean of difference. The result of this inverted relationship with God is not just a self-absorbed spirituality that leaves us feeling empty, it's also the difference between spiritual boredom and spiritual adventure." (pg.4) Later, Batterson describes the cages that we as Christians find ourselves in. He says, "I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do to animals." He is referring to the safety and serenity that church promotes many times when a life of faith is anything but safe or serene. He then goes on to "identify six cages that keep us from roaming free with the Wild Goose and living the spiritual adventure God destined us to." These cages are, the cage of responsibility, the cage of routine, the cage of assumptions, the cage of guilt, the cage of failure, and the cage of fear. I've got a few extra copies of "Wild Goose Chase" if you want to read it even if you're not taking my course. Week 2 of Essential Christianity is tomorrow night.