BOOK REVIEW: Chasing Francis

Chasing Francis follows Chase Falson on a journey of spiritual struggle.  Although he had himself founded an evangelical mega-church, and was serving as its pastor, the tale begins with Chase’s all too public loss of faith – in front of his entire congregation.  Chase feels like he no longer “knows” God; all his doctrine and theology no longer provide any comfort.  Forced to take a sabbatical, and struggling with his future, he is invited to join his uncle, a Franciscan priest, who persuades him to investigate the life of St. Francis of Assisi. 

The reader joins Chase as he learns about St. Francis, and begins to see how Francis revolutionized the church of his day.  The more Chase studies the way Francis lived, the more he begins to see that a mega-church catering to “tourists” of faith is vastly different from one which encourages pilgrims to make  a difference.  He develops a whole new basis for how a church should operate – the question is whether his current congregation will see things the same way.

I not only enjoyed the tale of this pilgrimage, I was challenged myself to take a hard look at how I view my life as a Christian, to re-think what God expects of me in my interactions with others.  How does the God of the Bible expect His people to serve and follow Him?  Am I complacent with my faith as is, or am I willing to examine how it can become more active, more effective where God has placed me? 

The bonus in this book is the “Further Reflections” section, which would enable the book to be used as a small group study, encouraging others to begin their own journey of faith growth.

I received this book free of charge through the “Booksneeze” program, and was not required to write a positive review.