Talk the Walk: How to Be Right without Being Insufferable

In this new book from author Steve Brown, readers are urged to speak the truth even when people don't want to hear it. Using his own experiences and those of others, Brown urges Christians to "talk the walk of Christian faith, reflecting the love and truth of Jesus" and make sure that their true message can be heard and that others will want to hear that message. Christians who are self-righteous and arrogant may be tuned out but those speaking with love, humility, and forgiveness are more likely to be heard. On page 30, Brown shares that "Sometimes it is best to be silent and to let love, freedom, and joy do the talking." There are so many sections and so many statements that deserve to be highlighted and this is a book that needs to be read over and over. Some of his statements gave me pause and some made me seek the ultimate authority: The Holy Bible. Talk the Walk isn't a "light" book but it is a book filled with light. I received a complimentary copy from New Growth Press but a positive review wasn't required. These are my honest thoughts.

"Christians are different because of the way they love the unlovely, forgive the unforgivable, and care for those about whom nobody else cares." (location 1068). The topic of this book is one that must be discussed in Christian circles. Steve's heart to love others while maintaining convictions is becoming more and more of a volatile subject in American culture. Many of us aren't doing it well at all. "Christians faked love for so long that, most of the time, they do not even know what it is anymore." (location 1120). Seriously! Steve calls us out on our stuff. At the heart of this book is that we stop pretending to be good Christians and just let Jesus live through us - that we get real instead of trying so hard. This is (IMHO) the very first step in following Jesus. I won't say that I agreed with everything Steve says - he comes from his own background and speaks from his experience - but I will say that every Christian needs to confront the duplicity of his or her own relationship with Jesus and how that is lived out in the world. I suspect that many of us are trying to "look right" so that we protect God's reputation. The God of the Universe who holds the sun and moon in place can protect His own reputation. If we are trying to protect Him then we aren't letting Him shine...we are trying to do it for Him. As Bob Newhart says, Stop it! God loves those around us much more than we can imagine - and He knows how to deal with all the difficult moral issues we face today - He isn't surprised. He loves people - and He sees our sin of trying to do it ourselves as equal to those who have more "material" sins...you know the list. Once we start from this point of real love (which is horribly hard to get to, let's face it) then we can share faith with those who don't know Jesus without fear of "doing it wrong." "Never take advice from anyone about anything that is hard - unless the one giving that advice knows just how hard it is. . . . I have been wise sometimes and insufferable sometimes." (location 1925-31) - this is perhaps the best part - Steve has the humility to share his experience without thinking he knows it all - anyway he doesn't come across as someone who thinks they know it all. Instead, he comes across as someone who has a heart for people who don't know Jesus and wants the rest of us to do a better job of relating in such a way that our love is genuine and the Truth is not compromised (which is tricky to say the least). The only reason this got a 4 instead of a 5 is actually a picky reason - the formatting was not smooth and there were some sections that could have used more work with an editor. The content is something we all need to contemplate and have conversations around.

An insightful book that will help Christians reassess the way they speak about Jesus to an unbelieving world. It’s an easy read at about 160 pages, with lots of illustrations and examples. If you are someone who struggles to share your faith, this will give you some wise ideas as you proceed into the world with love and gentleness and truth, standing along people and getting to know them. If, on the other hand, you are very keen to share your faith, but tend to be a little forceful or strong willed as you do so, this might help you reconsider the way you go about it, and challenges you to consider more silence, more grace, more understanding and more wisdom. Recommended reading. (I received an copy in exchange for an honest review)

I have received the paperback copy of this book and I found that the back description of this book did not provide an adequate synopsis about the topic. I had to read the press release description of the book to truly understand the foundational message. Note: You will need to be in the right mindset to read this book—in other words, get ready for some deep reading! If you’re looking for a light read, you may want to postpone this one. Overall, I agree with what the author’s message is: that Christians can speak up about faith with confidence and humility. It does, however, take the author two chapters in to get to the point of the book. I found it difficult to follow because there were so many points in each chapter that I lost sight of where it was going. There was great humour and reference to Scripture throughout. There is a lot of content that can be thinned out and sifted. I was given a free copy and all views are my own.

Steve Brown has reached the age where he feels comfortable sharing his thoughts no matter what others think. (1450/2386) That's exactly what he does here. Brown is convinced Christian faith is true but he is also convinced Christians do not have to be insufferable about it. Many Christians push truth and end up waving a red flag in front of a raging bull. Christians know how to be self-righteous, he says. Brown reminds us about the more important characteristics of humility, love, and forgiveness. I found many welcome surprises in this book. Brown writes that Christians are not called to be fixers. (364/2386) We're not here to fix others, fix our culture, fix our nation. We do bring our witness to the world but the results are up to God. Brown is strong on God's sovereignty. God's in charge and we need not worry so much. We can love our neighbor well while not constantly worrying about how to share the gospel with them. God's got it. Brown identifies the presupposition of his book: Christians are called to speak truth, often to people who do not want to hear it. (381/2386) One's heart attitude in communicating and living truth is so important. Be honest in life, Brown encourages. “When Christians hide their pain, they do not have a message to give.” (1865/2386) Be real to neighbors and let them see and inquire about the life and truth within. I really like this book. He tells great stories on himself and others to illustrate how Christians can be more irritating to others than salt and light. This book is a wake up call to Christians, challenging our honesty and effectiveness in being like Christ. Many self-righteous Christians may not like this book. It might undermine their drive to be the savior of the declining culture or the declining nation. It might make them think again about what they really believe about God and what He is doing in the world. I think this book needs to be read by every Christian. You'll be challenged. You might feel uncomfortable as Brown will encourage you to rethink how to live your witness in the world. Perhaps most interesting of all, you'll get to learn a little Latin too. I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Talk The Walk is an engaging, challenging read. I found myself strongly agreeing and strongly disagreeing with the text--sometimes within the same paragraph. At the very least it is a thought-provoking read. Do I agree? disagree? why is he right? why is he wrong? Does the Bible really mean this? and say that? Am I guilty of what he's describing? Has my mind been changed about this or that? Brown believes that it is important how we put into practice our beliefs, how we live out the faith in the day to day. He does not seem to be advocating throwing out the truth. "As someone has said, once you see truth you cannot simply un-see it." He is not one of those that redefines the virtue of humility as introducing doubt, embracing uncertainty, and throwing assurance out the window. Where the Bible is clear, plain, obvious, assertive, believers should have confidence and certainty. To not trust in God's promises is not a virtue. What Brown does seem to be advocating is selectively sharing the truths we believe. Brown seems to be saying that just because you know something to be true or something to be false does not mean you have to share that. You can remain silent and perhaps should remain silent in many situations. Sometimes speaking up or standing up for the truth you hold so dear makes the situation worse not better. You may feel satisfied that you defended God's truth, but the person on the other end, the other side, now has even more reason to distrust or despise Christians.

I just finished Steve Brown’s latest book. It was a wonderful read - I laughed and even cried! I cried because I was convicted of how ‘right ‘ I am about the Truth without love! Chapter 12 was my favorite. I hope you will purchase the book and laugh and cry like I have. Steve Brown is one of the most outlandish and profitable authors who have impacted my life. I love this man even though he won’t come and preach in my church!

Steve is the shock jock of Bible ministry. This book took enormous guts to write, and even more to read! If you prize religious rules to control your life, and the lives of others around you, even the Introduction will be a severe challenge. Both as an author and a real person, Steve disturbs the most confident Christian to take a second look to determine if the ethic of my belief matches the moral of my do. Are you ready…? Tom M. Saunders, Ph.D.

I just finished Steve Brown’s latest book. It was a wonderful read - I laughed and even cried! I cried because I was convicted of how ‘right ‘ I am about the Truth without love! Chapter 12 was my favorite. I hope you will purchase the book and laugh and cry like I have. Steve Brown is one of the most outlandish and profitable authors who have impacted my life. I love this man even though he won’t come and preach in my church!

The description intrigued me as I knew it would be dealing a lot with Christian attitudes and the way we present the Gospel to unbelievers. With each page I was challenged and it gave me greater perspective on how to navigate conversations that are based on Christian truth but to balance that with grace and understanding. I really enjoyed the author’s personal stories and his transparency with how he has failed and learned through many years of conversations. I think this book is a great asset to any believer and it will enlighten, encourage and challenge all on how to align the talk with our walk with Jesus.