J.R. Briggs

The Forgotten Ways Handbook :: Two thumbs up

September 19, 2009

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I’ve been reading Alan Hirsch’s The Forgotten Ways Handbook the past two weeks. This is a follow up to his book The Forgotten Ways. Normally when publishers create an ancillary product from an original book it’s – sorry to ruin it for some people – quite simply to make more money. (I know this. I worked for a Christian publishing house for two years).

Sometimes ancillary products are good. Most times they are not. Anything that looks, feels or smells like a workbook, especially a devotional-type product, usually deters me from picking it up. I know these ancillary products work for some people, but not for me. They can feel so canned and prescribed, with fill-in-the-blank questions (Do you love Jesus? If so, why? If not, why not?) that feel like there is a subtle template somewhere beneath the structure of the book that involves little creativity and a lot of predictability. I know this isn’t the way for every workbooky devotional, but that seems to be the case for most of them, in my experience. I don’t know about your life, but my life is not fill-in-the-blank.

But, much to my surprise, the Forgotten Ways Handbook is different. The book was fantastic. But the handbook is incredible. (Dare I say that it is even better than the original book itself?) Yes, there are questions in it like every other workbook, but the questions are striking, riveting and challenging; they are very practical and street level. Too many thoughts and questions and concepts from this book articulate right now – and that’s frustratingly thorough, in the most positive way possible – but maybe that’s the sign of a great book. He does what so few missional books have done thus far: he gives numerous practical ways to flesh out the vision of the book. It speaks of the how without it feeling like it’s a how-to manual. This thing has a lot of life in it.  It’s a genre buster. It’s the un-workbook workbook.

I’ve read a chapter, looked up and said to Megan. “This should be required reading for every pastor and missional leader today.” (Yes, I know it sounds like an informercial, but no, I was not paid to say this). I’m going to have to read it about three times to absorb the concepts.

If you’re familiar with Alan Hirsch and have read The Forgotten Ways you should get this book.  If you’re not familiar with Alan Hirsch’s writing you should get this book.

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