I Must be Crazy for God

I stopped at the library this week, and they did not have the book I wanted (though the system showed it as available). So, I picked up Crazy for God by Frank Schaeffer. I am so glad I did.

For those who know me well, it comes as no secret that Francis Schaeffer has been a profound influence on my life and thought. He would rank high - with John Calvin and Stanley Grenz - as one of the theologians who has most shaped the way I look at the world. (Hell, I named a son after Calvin, a website after Grenz, and a crazy dog after Schaeffer.) I have read countless books by him and have even listened to several cassette tapes of his lectures. I can't look at The David without thinking of him.

Frank Schaeffer hasn't exactly walked in his dad's footsteps. He converted to Greek Orthodox. And he left behind the Religious Right that he and his dad were so influential in starting. Crazy for God is his no-holds-barred memoir. Some won't want to read it and have their conceptions of the Schaeffers shattered. But my illusions of Christian heroes were shattered long before I became a Christian, and so I find the honesty and authenticity refreshing.

Already, the book has made me laugh out loud and shake my head in amazement. As I progress, I am going to be sharing some of the amusing and intriguing quotes with you. Here's a couple:

"You can be the world's biggest hypocrite and still feel good about yourself."

"Being raised inside a miracle tends to make you feel singled out."

"Fundamentalists never can just disagree. The person they fall out with is not only on the wrong side of an issue; they are on the wrong side of God."