The word “radical” is the hot word of late in Christian devotional/spiritual growth books; so much so that it has found its way into titles like Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical and David Platt’s more succinct Radical. Troy Meeder breaks from this new paradigm in his Average Joe.
While there are certainly thoughts and ideas in this book that challenge me to move toward Christ, there is an allegiance toward American ideology that is at odds with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I will discuss this conflict then highlight some of the ideas and thoughts I found helpful and challenging.
However, before I continue I want to give a quick disclaimer. In the back of the book it mentions that Meeder founded the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch ministry which rescues horses and mentors children. I cannot help but have an immense amount of respect for the work that Meeder has ensconced himself in. I am merely a government employee that is perhaps too comfortable with his predictable workload and paycheck. My desire in reviewing books is not to be right but to be honest, even if it creates tension. If we work through tension while being centered on love, which is to be centered on Christ, I believe we can affect great change in the world. In other words, it is okay, good even, that there are thoughts and ideas in Meeder’s book that I do not agree with; lets take a look at a few.
“I THINK THAT MOST EVERY GUY, at some point in his life has dreamed of being a cowboy.” (p.61) This how the seventh chapter of Average Joe begins. I could not help but think that a lot of guys in our inner cities have never thought about being a cowboy. Moreover, I have doubts that many guys in third-world countries and in Europe dream of being a cowboy. Sure, you could say this is just a lead-in to a chapter, which is exactly what it is. However, reading this evoked an emotional response in me. I even wrote a note on this page that says, “Really? Perhaps every white, rural, U.S. male has dreamed of being a cowboy, but even then, I doubt it.” Meeder writes from the perspective that all men are like him with respect to their dreams and likes, and there is a danger to that. The danger is that if someone is different from you they can easily become wrong as well as different which makes you perpetually right.
This is further exemplified on the previous page. “Does the kid with his pants pulled halfway down to his butt understand that young men his age died in battle? Does he even care? Does the young couple driving the car with the ‘Peace Not War’ bumper sticker understand that freedom is not free?” (p. 60) Rhetorical questions for sure; but nonetheless rhetorical questions that say “I am right and you are wrong.”
Now, I do not mean any disrespect toward the members of our military. It is honorable that they serve, even to the point of death and they have my utmost respect when it comes to that. However, I honestly believe that the profession is at odds with the Gospel. The U.S. spends almost as much on the military as the rest of the world combined—what does this say to the rest of the world? That we are for peace? Or that we are for war? War plain and simply is at odds with the Gospel. Jesus was not in the military and never physically harmed anyone. He even rebuked the disciple who cutoff the ear of his arrestor and immediately healed him. If Jesus were driving a car today I would not be surprised at all if it displayed a bumper sticker reading “Peace Not War”.
To my recollection there is not any advocacy toward peacemaking in Meeder’s book. No mention of Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu or any other peacemaker. Instead we continue to find celebrations of war. Here is Meeder’s description of his Friesian horse, “A war horse bred by ancient nobles of the Netherlands, the Freisian’s sole purpose was battle. History records campaigns won, enemies vanquished, and nobles victorious, all from the back of this valiant partner and warrior.” (p. 128)
While I do not agree with Meeder’s apparent appreciation for all things war (perhaps that is a little hyperbolic), I found some gems to take away from this book. If we want to be used by God then we need to allow ourselves to be broken. This is something I typically fight hand and foot! I love Meeder’s quote from A.W. Tozer, “’Whom God would use greatly, he will hurt deeply.’” (p. 19) Meeder expands upon this, “I believe that every man—yes, even an average Joe—can and will be used greatly by God if he allows himself to be broken, refined, and shaped more into his image.” (p. 19) The biggest thing I was able to take away from this book was Meeder’s conviction that men are called to invest in the lives of other men. This theme appears in nearly every chapter and is a reflection of Christ’s relationships with his disciples. Meeder writes, “Investing in a real friendship with another guy is one of the most rewarding relationships in a man’s life.” (p. 86) Real friendship goes beyond shallow sports talk as well. Meeder is incredibly blunt in his reasoning for why men do not have real friendships with other men. “I think we don’t have real friends because we don’t try to have real friends. Yep, that simple.” (p. 84) That is certainly true for me and this certainly makes me want to try! Finally, it is apparent that Meeder is a much better mentor than I am. Chapter 8 is about mentoring, an area of my life where I fall miserably short. This chapter was also a wake-up call to me that I need to start investing in the lives of guys younger than me.
I am on the fence about whether I would recommend this book to friends. If the author were to read this and want to get together for lunch to discuss this review and his book I would certainly take him up on his offer. Despite our differences, I believe that we both love Jesus and more importantly Jesus loves us.
I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
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