Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian
Category: Books
Coffee lovers rejoice! This book not only takes coffee seriously, it also shows how we can all live a full and “caffeinated” Christian life. The basic idea behind this book is that Christians need to live beyond the watered down “decaffeinated” lifestyle that many are used to, instead favoring to be more awake and alert (i.e. fully caffeinated).
Like many modern Christian writers Fischer takes a look at the Christian life by using the imagery of coffee. And in many ways it works. I found myself longing for more coffee as I read this book and must admit I was tempted a couple of times to drive to the nearest Starbucks and down a Frappucino or three (my drug of choice 
). Fischer writes, “I love coffee. I love it dark, oily, and with a burnt chestnut aftertaste.” Unsurprisingly, with a title like Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian Fischer loves coffee. But not just any coffee, like many he loves Starbucks coffee. In fact, the book at times comes across as an endorsement for the Starbucks chain; Fischer writes, “Just about everything I can think of about my experience with Starbucks coffee also corresponds to something true about my experience with Jesus.”
A herein lies the thesis of his work – using coffee, and the coffee experience, as a launching pad to discuss issues of the Christian faith. What I liked about this book is that Fischer does not simply point fingers, instead he uses his own story and experiences to flesh out the ideas presented. Take for instance the whole idea of “decaffeinated Christians.” Fischer, a self proclaimed, hardcore coffee drinker, acknowledges that his own faith has been “decaffeinated” for far too long. He writes about this, “Religion without a kick…faith without the buzz — a sanitized human experience with its heart and soul removed…” He argues, quite convincingly, that many Christians, including himself, have removed themselves from the “world” and live closed off lifestyles. He goes on to say that many Christians try and remove from their life all the things they think are bad, including people outside of the church, and still hope to have the full life experience. He more than alludes to the fact that a life lived in isolation is not life at all. “My caffeinated Christianity is a relationship with God that takes into account my life in this body and my handicap as a sinner.” In short, if we want to live the full caffeinated life then we cannot run or lock ourselves away we must live in this world, interact with the people of this world, and realize that we can make a difference.
Not to ruin the book too much, Fischer talks about a coffee shop near his home that he likes to frequent often. In fact he says he does much of his writing there. The coffee shop is called the Koffee Klatch and is a coffee shop for the gay community of the area. At first Fischer didn’t know what to do with himself and admits that he had many a bigoted thought run through his mind. However, it was in this gay coffee shop that God taught Fischer a valuable lesson. He began to realize that everyone who came to the Koffee Klatch is “out of the closet. Me? I tend to be a closet sinner, keeping my coffee and my conversation to myself.” I love that – the idea of closet sinners… I digress. The remarkable thing is Fischer decides to put his foot down and keep going to this coffee shop. “I keep coming back to the Koffee Klatch. And each time, I find my heart a little softer, a little more aware of how special everyone is in God’s eyes.” He made a proactive choice to stay and befriend these people, sharing his faith with them whenever the opportunity arose – “It’s time to get over myself and start being a friend.”
If you’re not a coffee connoisseur (and I don’t pretend to be one) a lot of what is written in this book may be lost on you as Fischer spends quite a bit of time writing about the coffee experience. However, he always manages to bring it round to a life lesson in some way. Like many books that are hitting the Christian and faith-based market lately this book is not a hard read, in fact it’s an easy book to read as most of the chapters are written in such a way that you could probably jump in anywhere in the book and get something from it. With that said, I briefly discussed this book with a caffeine addicted friend via Facebook and he loved it.
This is the first book by Fischer I have read and I will probably seek out more of his work in the future. But for now I know a little more about coffee and a lot more about living a “caffeinated” faith.
Christian St John
July, 2009
To buy Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian click the image below:
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Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian By John Fischer / SaltRiver In Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian, John Fischer percolates personal fumbles and foibles into flavorful lessons on living a life of authentic faith everyday real-world situations…from the sanctuary to Starbucks. Discover what it means to really love Jesus, to be filled with his power, and to move beyond watered-down “decaf” Christianity. Get ready to take your faith full-strength, piping hot, and strong! Buy Now |
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