Dec 13th - non conformism

Im doing a course at church at the moment and it involves having to read a whole load of books and then write book reviews.   Tonight I picked up the next one on the list and opened at the first page.

The first page was dedications.  The second and third and fourth pages were 'endorsements' of the book by very well known Christian leaders and authors.  The next two pages were a Foreward written by another eminent church leader and then there was a two page introduction.  The book proper doesnt start until page 23!!

Am I getting really grumpy and unreasonable in my old age or is there something rather....... umm..... unnecessary about that?  Or worse than unnecessary - actually downright worldly?
The guy who wrote the book is a very well known Christian leader.  Pastor of a huge church, leader of a movement.  I am quite prepared to believe that he has written an interesting and informative book.   But three pages of his mates telling me what a wonderful book it is going to be before Ive even hit the first page...... what's that about?  Surely if it is a good book it will speak for itself.  And surely what is really important is that God speaks to me through this book - no amount of anyone telling me what a great book it is will dictate whether God sees fit to speak to me through it.

Am I being unreasonable or am I justified in being a tad disappointed?

I feel the same way about ' womens meetings'.   I bristle when I walk into a room which is full of candles and flowers and tables strewn with dainty nic nacks.  Do I really go to a church meeting to have my girliness pandered to?  Or do I go to hear the word of God and worship Him and fellowship with fellow warriors and dragon slayers?   😊 

It seems to me that it is SO easy to be infected by the spirit of the age.  To become culturally indistinguishable from the rest of the world.   There is such a fine line to be drawn between being culturally relevant and being both in the world and of it.  As Im getting older Im more and more convinced that we need to be setting the cultural agenda not conforming to it.  Think back a few generations and Christians were at the forefront of the arts, music, invention, medicine , exploration....just about everything in fact.   Now it seems we are lamely trailing behind the world.  Scared to offend. Believing the psychobabble.    Oh dear.  I really am being a bit of a grinch today.  Sorry.

Now Ive got all that off my chest I shall get back to page 24 and see if this book is going to inspire me to be more like Jesus.  I shall let you know in due course .