Book of the Month and a Glowing Review!
Book of the Month and a Glowing Review!
The Presbyterian Outlook selected Swimming with the Sharks as its Book of the Month for November. Read the review here:
Swimming with the Sharks: Leading the Full Spectrum Church in a Red-and-Blue World
Jack Haberer
Cascade Books, 232 pages
Published June 27, 2024
“Truth be told, those other folks are not as bad as we fear, and our folks are not as good as we claim,” Jack Haberer writes. The American system of political parties, he insists, doesn’t serve churches well — it leads us to vilify the “sharks” in the other party while it “hallows” those we agree with. Haberer, a pastor and former Outlook editor, wants us to live faithfully in our political lives by making the Triune God our source.
In Swimming with the Sharks, he encourages Christians to ask, “What was Jesus doing in the world?” Followed by, “How should we imitate, or better yet, emulate him in this world?” When we understand Jesus’ complexity – the full range of his passions – we know there’s more than one way to emulate Jesus. With greater self-awareness, we might see how our own passions bump up against another’s, though both are faithful ways to emulate Jesus.
When Haberer turns to the Holy Spirit, he really gets energized: “The coming of the Holy Spirit was not just an appendix to the major story of Jesus’ sojourn on earth. It was the ultimate purpose of and the climax to his sojourn here.” Haberer’s brisk overview of Spirit-led movements from the early church to the Reformation and beyond isn’t new, but it is a helpful way to introduce us to what he calls the “Empowering Church.” When we – and others, even those we disagree with – are inspired by the Spirit to extend the gospel out into our communities, we can flourish as a “full-spectrum” church in a red-and-blue world.
America’s political divisiveness might have inspired Haberer to write this book, but Swimming with the Sharks will resonate beyond this election season as a “back to basics” reminder that our passions must be rooted in Jesus’ passions. And our work, whether in mission, service, community organizing, congregational care or more, must be guided by the Spirit.