Hodde Miller

This review is going to step on toes, because as much as we like to pretend otherwise, we as Christians do tend to idolize niceness to open and honest rebuke.
Nice by Sharon Hodde Miller is not nice. It is an important critique of the church today, and is an examination of what we can do about the problem. As someone who still struggles with the need to be accepted, I found Sharon's book to be both helpful and hopeful. If we aren't willing to speak up when we see abuse or gossip, we won't ever be able to stand up for our faith.
Nice doesn't rock the boat, because we lose influence that way. Nice doesn't say anything when a friend's family is gossiped about, because we lose friends that way. Nice looks the other way when the oppressed are led to the slaughter, because we could be next. Nice uses social media just for personal information and not for important societal problems, because it brings down everyone's day and we want to stay in people's good graces.

I'm taking a hard look at my idols. What will you do with yours?

I give Nice 5/5 stars and recommend it to everyone.… (lisätietoja)

All of my life I've heard that I should be nice but in her new book Sharon Hodde Miller tells readers that "God did not call you to be nice." She supports this statement by focusing on the analogy that Jesus used in Matthew 7 when he stated that "Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit , nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." In the first seven chapters of Nice: Why We Love to be Liked and How God Calls Us to More, Miller explains that the fruits of niceness can be fake, rotten, bland, bitter, hard, and processed. What does she suggest that we do? We must cultivate a better tree and the last six chapters are devoted to this concept. We can become better by finding our true purpose, rooting our soul, becoming deeper and better, and flourishing, so that the fruit we produce will be a lasting fruit!

This book is easy to read and easy to comprehend and I like that most of the chapters include the sections Taking Root (selected Bible scripture) and Digging Deeper (questions to help us increase our understanding). There are also several pages of notes with bibliographical references. I have been using it for my personal study but I believe that Nice would also be a valuable resource to use in a Women's Bible Study.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and Baker Publishing but a favorable review was not required. These are my own thoughts.… (lisätietoja)