Books

Seeking Christ, Not Solutions

Water from Stone says Christians are addicted to problem solving, when they should be seeking Christ.

Water from Stone
Water from Stone
Water from Stone by M. Wayne Brown NavPress 175 pp., $16.99

After two decades of counseling Christians, therapist M. Wayne Brown says he has seen the damage from faith that expects certain results-and the discouragement that follows when things don’t turn out as planned.

“It’s apparent that today’s Christian often becomes addicted to seeking solutions rather than true transformation,” he writes. “This addiction is making us spiritually neurotic and ineffective.”

Brown eschews the pragmatic and programmatic approaches to faith, which he calls “the culture of Right Christian Living”-biblical principles that Christians use to achieve noble objectives: a stronger marriage, more effective prayer, a larger church, better-behaved kids. Rather, he believes, “The challenge for the church in the 21st century is to return to our first love-not only to the Person of our first love, but also to the way of our first love-the way of Jesus Christ.”

Brown invites readers to make the shift from seeing faith as an exercise to abandoning themselves to God because he is God.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Water from Stone is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

More information is available from the publisher.

Also in this issue

Why the 'Lost Gospels' Lost Out: Gadfly scholars and DaVinci Code conspiracy theories question the legitimacy of the New Testament. Too bad they haven't done their homework.

Our Latest

The Bulletin

Midwest Primaries, Taiwan’s Ukraine Lessons, and Abortion Pill Case

Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

Indiana and Ohio hold primaries, Trump travels to Beijing, and the Supreme Court considers the abortion pill.

Review

The Lies—and Truths—That Keep Some Black People Out of Church

A California pastor’s book confronts the painful parts of Christian history but points to the healing power of the gospel.

Review

Are Near-Death Experiences Evidence for Heaven?

Three theology books on the afterlife.

Thrifting to the Glory of God

Ann Byle

Shopping secondhand and donating our own items echoes Jesus’ renewal of discarded lives.

‘No-Kids Zones’ Abound in South Korea. But Kids Aren’t Pests.

Ahrum Yoo

In a country with one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, children are seen as a nuisance. But they are a blessing that can pierce the idols of efficiency.

News

Sudan’s Civil War Destroyed Hospitals and Churches

Emmanuel Nwachukwu in Khartoum

Local doctors and Christians are trying to rebuild lives in the capital city.

News

Iran Tensions Threaten Kenya’s Largest Export Industry: Tea

Moses Wasamu

Christian farmers struggle to avoid bankruptcy.

Q&A: Douglas McKelvey on Gen Z’s Lack of Rites of Passage

The Rabbit Room’s newest prayer book urges readers to join God’s mission in young adulthood.

addApple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseellipseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squarefolderGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastprintremoveRSSRSSSaveSavesaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube