Blogger: Mary Keeley
Location: Books & Such Midwest Office: IL
Crazy Love by Francis Chan, is a recent New York Times nonfiction best-seller. Here is the overview taken from the website:
Have you ever wondered if we’re missing it? It’s crazy if you think about it. The God of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and e-minor—loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.
Whether you’ve verbalized it yet or not . . . we all know something’s wrong.
Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn’t working harder at a list of do’s and don’ts—it’s falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same.
Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
Hmm. Did Francis Chan, a pastor for 16 years, have his finger on the pulse of what many Christians, both young and older, feel about today’s church experience, their too-small view of God, and their personal relationship with Christ? Apparently so. Crazy Love has sold more than a million copies and continues near the top of the best-seller lists. Clue #1 provides evidence of the timeliness of this book.
Clue #1: Church attendance nationwide is trending down. Studies such as Willow Creek Church’s (the mega-church Bill Hybels started in a suburb of Chicago) revealed that many Christian attendees and members don’t feel they are growing to deeper spiritual levels in the church. It seems Francis Chan was aware of the dissatisfaction with today’s, generally speaking, complacent status quo church experience. However, unlike some in the emergent church movement, Francis Chan’s writes about his love of the church despite its less than stellar ratings.
I see additional clues that may pertain to the book’s success.
Clue #2: The author is straightforward and direct. He knew that his intended audience, those who are searching for more in their relationship with Christ—who want to find what is missing—need a clear map. He first challenges readers to begin with a thorough self-examination, and he doesn’t mince words. When you are searching, you want simple clarity through the fog.
Clue #3: One reviewer referred to this book as “paradigm-shaking.” It is definitely a challenge to individuals and to the church. At least one publisher turned down the manuscript. Too radical? Obviously not among book-buying readers.
The author identified the elephant in the room and dealt with it proactively, based on Scripture.
Is this a technique or approach that might be helpful to you nonfiction writers? How might you fiction writers incorporate this approach into one of your characters? What additional insights do you have into this book’s success?
Because the answer to religious complacency isn’t working harder at a list of do’s and don’ts—it’s falling in love with God.
I think that pretty much sums it up. After being a Christian for 24 years, I didn’t truly fall in love with God until I found the Holy Spirit. He is what connects us to God here on earth and makes our relationship one of love, not duty.
I did a guest post on Carla Williams “The Spiritual Mom’s” website discussing this a few weeks ago. For any mom out there, this sight is worth a look. Carla is a great author and speaker. She is also an editor at Winepress Publishing.
http://www.thespiritualmom.com/default.asp?id=10857&permid=1404
Not to mention that Carla Williams is a Books & Such client for her own books.
Other than the fact that it is obviously God-ordained, I believe the success of “Crazy Love” is possibly due to Francis Chan having the the courage (guts!) to address what so many of us t-h-i-n-k, but actually verbalize, let alone write. I also think that because of the tumultuous times we live in, we are more in touch with how truly fragile life is and that we need to make our presence here on earth count. Our Creator placed us here for that very purpose.
Ooops…meant to say “but never actually verbalize, let alone write.”
“The author is straightforward and direct.” Yes, that is very helpful to nonfiction writers. Readers don’t want a text book if they are seeking a deeper relationship with Christ. They want someone who is able to, as Cynthia said, verbalize how they feel. Readers want someone who understands them.
I also feel the fact that a publisher turned this book down shows it’s difficult to gauge what the reading public is interested in. That’s why it’s hard to write to trends.
Very interesting article today. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Loving God. It is the most important thing we can do in life. If we truly love Him with all our heart, then we will naturally want to obey Him. If we obey Him, we can make a significant impact for Christ in the world around us. What people need is to experience God’s love, once that happens, church attendance will sky rocket. It’s up to us, the body of Christ to share the unconditional love of Christ that we have experienced with those all around us. I think I’d like to read this book. Sounds great. 🙂
Cynthia, you said it well.
Janet,
Further proof that Carla’s great and your agency obviously has great taste. 🙂
Excellent points, Cheryl and Tanya. These plus the right voice and approachable tone in communicating the message are contributing factors to making your points come across well to readers.
The art is saying something which is radically in opposition to the status quo, but which is agreeable with most of the people who read it. It’s unearthing that truth which no one has said before, but once heard seems so obvious. I took a real risk with my most recent Blog post and it blew the roof off any of my prior readership numbers. Our Blogs provide us with the perfect laboratory for testing out this principle.
“Straightforward and direct.” “A clear road map.”
Love it.
How much do you think the offbeat title has to do with this book’s success?
The February/March issue of Neue magazine has a great article about Francis called “What is Francis Thinking?” It provides additional insight into who he is and the success of his book.
If you want to read the article, the link is: http://www.neuemagazine.com/digital-archives/issue-05-februarymarch-2011?page=34
If you don’t like using online readers, just email the article to yourself!
By the way, thanks for the post of this book; Amazon should be delivering my copy of “Crazy Love” today!
Lenore, this title triggers curiosity, doesn’t it. Enough to draw readers inside. When you get into the book, you realize it’s an accurate two-word description of the message, in a good and positive way.
Peter, thanks for providing the link.
Faith should permeate every aspect of our lives. It shouldn’t be a “surface” issue; rather, it should dig deep, cause change, and affect us in every way possible. I think that’s what Chan hits on in his book, centered on love for God, from God, and for the church of believers.
Though some may view those research results (that “many Christian attendees and members don’t feel they are growing to deeper spiritual levels in the church”) as disappointing, I think can be good because it shows people desire a faith that impacts. You pointed out Chan’s keen eye for this potential area of growth when you said, “It seems Francis Chan was aware of the dissatisfaction with today’s, generally speaking, complacent status quo church experience.”
I think these insights show we need to live our lives to be able to have experiences to write about and see what people need from faith-based writing.
Thank you for sharing all of this great information!