All In

In his newest work, All In, bestselling author Mark Batterson calls on the reader to stop being a nominal believer and to become radical in their passion for their faith, surrendering their life to Christ completely. Divided into five sections, Batterson calls upon Christians to be "all in" and "all out" for our "all-in-all", Jesus Christ. He correctly argues that many believers have mistakenly (or perhaps selfishly) chosen to live a "me-centric" life versus a Christ-centered life; he coins this term, "The Inverted Gospel".

I've never read any of the other books that call for passionate living that are currently popular in Christian circles today, so I can't compare them directly, but based off of what others have told me, I would say that Batterson is striving for the same outcome in his book, All In. I felt like he was trying to preach a sermon through his book, make us squirm uncomfortably in our seats, and his ardent zeal was easily seen in every page. This book was filled with anecdotes, ranging from Biblical on down through history to Batterson's own personal experiences. Unfortunately, although I'm a nerd for rhetorical devices and clichés that will help me memorize take-home points, it seemed as though this book had quite a few, overwhelming the reader with a bit too many anaphoras from my perspective, and thus almost cheapening their value. In addition, there were times where I felt he was marketing his previous works too often. 

I was excited to read this book, but it took a while for me to get into it once I started, and although it's a fairly quick read, there were quite a few times that it wasn't my first choice for a pleasure read off of the nightstand (though this could be circumstantial, as most of the quiet moments I have to read right now, usually come with nursing an infant, so I probably have a bit too much prolactin floating around in my system to be absorbed into a fiery sermon!). Although I think his message is one that applies to every believer, I felt that the audience is more suitable for the younger college generation; personally, I felt this to be a simplified message of Bonhoeffer's, Cost of Discipleship in terms of calling a believer out of their comfort zone. That being said, one of the chapters I appreciated most was titled 'SDG'. After retelling a story about Johann Bach's faith being displayed through his cantatas, Batterson points the reader to nature, scientifically informing the reader that all of creation sings in its own individual way; he then admonishes the reader that we each have the responsibility to worship God in our mundane tasks each day, as Paul instructed the Corinthians (I Corinthians 10:31). It was a helpful reminder for when I'm overwhelmed or weary with raising three little ones to continue to give God the glory in every little thing I do, giving my all for my All in All. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze® book review  program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255