Once You See

 Every once in a while, a book comes along that stops you in your tracks. A story that challenges all previous assumptions.  Over the holidays I read such a book, Once You See: Seven Temptations of the Western Church, a book written by Jeff Christopherson. It is a novel, Jeff’s second work of fiction.  The unlikely intersection of his characters spins a story that peels back the veneer of western Christianity and exposes a crisis of faith for America’s future.

 Jeff is Canadian.  I first met Jeff in 2003. He was the keynote speaker at a missions conference in Atlanta. He had started a church in Toronto two years before called the Sanctuary. It was already averaging over 300 and had started 4 other Sanctuary churches.  He recognized my name tag and remembered my early church planting book, Upon This Rock.  He said 15 years earlier he was a discouraged young church planter on the verge of giving up until he read my book.  He said it changed the trajectory of his life.  Today he is the Executive Director of the Canadian National Baptist Convention, as well as the Executive Director of Church Planting Canada.

For many years we have known that Christianity in the West, especially in the United States, is in decline.  At the same time, the Christian faith has exploded in Africa, South America, and Asia. According to Lifeway Research, “In 1900, twice as many Christians lived in Europe than in the rest of the world combined. Today, more Christians live in Africa than any other continent.”  Many have attempted to address this growing discrepancy, often with detailed research full of demographic data.  Many times their efforts are dry.  But Jeff Christopherson has charted a new course to reveal the spiritual and social forces at work.  He has chosen to write a  novel-length parable full of insight and inspiration.

 The story revolves around three individuals. The son of an African American pastor from Philadelphia who is grieving over the death of his father and dreaming of a better way.  And then a pastor of a waning mega-church in Atlanta who struggles to live up to the reputation of his famous preacher-father. And a promising law student in Yemen who experiences a crisis in his Muslim faith, finds peace through the witness of a faithful Christ-follower, and then faces persecution.  All three of these intersect in a profound discovery of faith in the 21^st century.  Jeff’s writing style reminds me of John Grisham whose stories are so mesmerizing that I forget I am reading words.

 All of us are like the blind man at Bethsaida, (Mark 8:22-25).  Once Jesus touches us we see things differently. Often, we need a second touch so that we see things clearly.  Christopherson’s book may be just what this generation needs to experience a second touch from God.  “Once you see, you cannot unsee.”