A Purple State of Mind by Craig Detweiler

I know I'm going to shock a lot of my readers, and even some of my bloggy friends with this, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! What a burden lifted off of my shoulders as I read each and every page.

"A Purple State of Mind" isn't a book about compromise, as I first thought. Remembering my kindergarten days, what do you get when you mix red and blue: PURPLE. Had I stayed in kindergarten mode, I would have TOTALLY missed the point!

Rather, what Craig is saying is we need to put on the mind of Christ--sounds kind of familiar to me. And no, this isn't copyright infringement: it's a Biblical mandate. What follows after that Biblical mandate is an intriguing discussion between two old friends.

Craig never left his faith in Christ, but his friend John Marks did. The two met up for some filmed discussons, and that film spurred Craig on to write this book. "A Purple State of Mind" is Craig's response to the incredible divide in our culture and in the world.

I was pleasantly surprised to see not one drop of what I considered compromise. Instead, Craig carefully illustrates how we can bridge that divide simply by seeing things through the lense of Scripture and the eyes of Jesus.

We explore four conversations between these two friends, and then read on topics such as "Freedom and Responsibility", "Grace and Goodness", and "Doubt and Laughter". What I loved most about Craig's book is his abundant use of Scripture.

And his constantly stated truth: you can't make Scripture fit your beliefs--you must make your beliefs fit Scripture. That allows us to love the sinner and hate the sin, and walk in total freedom in Christ.

Lately God has had me on a journey of living out Scripture that I've struggled to understand for years. I'm enjoying it, but it is so very, very hard. I've had to let go of some ideals and let go of some practices that I'm finding are unbiblical, but that are deeply ingrained.

I'm also walking in more freedom than I ever have had in my lifetime! And Craig's book was another stepping stone on that journey.

I won't lie to you: this can be dangerous stuff. In the wrong hands, we as believers can be told our stand against sin is wrong and judgmental. You won't find that in this book, but you WILL find it in some churches.

Jesus was NEVER soft on sin. But He adored the sinners, and invited them to come to Him. We must do the same, and do more than ever before. I invite you to take a peek at "A Purple State of Mind". Come to the book with your Bible handy and your cup empty.

I'm rating it four out of five bookmarks with a video camera as a charm. I'd love to give it the full five, but I'd need a sit down discussion with Mr. Craig before I'd feel safe enough to endorse the book THAT highly.

Visit the "Purple State of Mind" site for more about the book, about the men, and about the idea.


Happy Reading!