Am I Really a Christian? (Foreword by Kirk Cameron) - eBook

Mike McKinley (MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary) is senior pastor of Sterling Park Baptist Church in Sterling, Virginia. Formerly, he served on staff alongside Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. He is the author of a number of books, including Am I Really a Christian? and Church Planting Is for Wimps.

"This is truly and important book in the most urgent sense--a book that serves the cause of Christ by raising the most important questions human beings face, and helping to answer it, no less. I am thankful to McKinley for his faithfulness and for the pastoral concern that prompted him to write such an important work." -R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Mike McKinley's new book Am I Really A Christian? has quite a provocative title – why would anyone write such a book? If you have to ask, maybe you are exactly who should be reading it. We live in an age where the very name "Christian" can evoke a myriad responses, most of which are unbiblical. This book brings great clarity in an age of confusion for those who really want to know what it means to be a Christian.

McKinley does a great job in being simple and straightforward in communicating to the reader what the Bible clearly says about what it means to be a true Christian without being overly simplistic or un-engaging. He writes with a clear, whimsical style that is both easy to understand, biblically profound, and interesting.

Am I Really A Christian? begins in the first two chapters by laying the groundwork of what it means to truly follow Christ. McKinley does a concise job of explaining what it means to be “born again” (John 3:3ff). From there, Chapters 3-7 each expand on five key biblical principles that are helpful in answering the title’s question:

•You’re not a Christian if you do not believe and trust the facts of the Gospel. •You’re not a Christian if you love sin. •You’re not a Christian if you do not persevere in the faith until the end. •You’re not a Christian if you do not love other people. •You’re not a Christian if you love your stuff more than Jesus.

McKinley finishes up with two additional chapters: one on the assurance of being a Christian, and a concluding chapter on the fact that each individual Christian is connected to a larger community of believers. Both of these chapters help round out the discussion and leave the reader with great confidence in knowing whether they are a true Christian or not. In the chapter on assurance (Chapter 8, "Can I ever really know if I’m a Christian?"), McKinley reiterates his two-fold purpose in writing this book: 1) So that true Christians might examine themselves to see if they are in the faith, and 2) So that a nominal Christian's eyes might be opened to the truth of what it means to be a follower of Jesus (p. 132).

Am I Really A Christian? is a great resource for those grappling with this incredibly crucial question. In fact, it's a must for those who don't grapple with this question but ought to. That said, you may want to be careful in how you may give this book out – it has life-changing consequences. – Todd Burgett, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com