Tim Sinclair

“It’s weird. I’m a Christian, and even I don’t like us very much,” says Tim Sinclair as he opens his book Branded: Sharing Jesus with a Consumer Culture. The problem with Christians, Sinclair explains, is that we have a problem when it comes to “marketing Jesus.” Instead of showing, sharing, and spreading the Gospel the way we should, we have been fretting over the details. Throughout the book, Sinclair guides readers to draw their own conclusions but focuses on representing God and building relationships with others to “show, share, and spread [Jesus].”

Sinclair does a brilliant job interspersing humorous quotes and personal anecdotes with convicting statements. His casual, conversational writing allows the readers to fly through the 143 pages, spending as much or as little time as they want in deep thought or discussion if reading with a group. If unable to read the book all at once, readers are sure to enjoy the short chapters.

Within each of those chapters, the author directs his attention to a certain point associated with marketing Jesus to the consumer culture of the 21st century. As Sinclair wrote, “Missions don’t change. Tactics do (or should).” The mission will always stay the same; “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation’” (Mark 16:15). However, the tactics of relating Jesus to the fast-paced “now” culture needs to be shaken up. Christians need to represent God in a way that is neither weak nor hypocritical.

Sinclair writes in an inspirational, instructional way that all readers will relate to and understand. In the end, readers are left to draw their own conclusions but are pointed in the right direction...

See the rest of the review at http://www.christianbookpreviews.com/christian-book-detail.php?isbn=0825438942… (mais)

i consistently wavered between picking up, being frustrated then setting this book back down.
it is entirely an American evangelical view which precludes the thought there actually are other Christians who are believers and who are living their faith. just that we're outside of this author's realm of knowledge or belief and we live our faith differently but effectively.

i don't connect with Tim's premise of a need to endorse and 'market' Jesus - that somehow people have problems with Jesus - when in fact it's this type of representation by supposed Jesus followers wherein lies the problem. i tried reading the book again. this time from the back. hoping there'd be some concluding thoughts in which i could find commonalities.

finally, some suggestions for Christian talk to be brought into a reality of walk. some authenticity of living Christ, being Christ to others and dare i say it? as in liturgical Christianity, seeing & serving Christ in others.

cheers to chapter 13, 'Green Light Thinking'! exactly what's needed! but it's still not Jesus needing marketing ...

… (mais)

WARNING: Do not read this book unless you are willing to be convicted of being a complacent Christian. If you want to continue to witness to people in the ineffective ways that used to work before but no longer do, don’t go anywhere near this book. It will scare you. It will shake your foundation. It might even {shudder} make you want to do something different. I gave this book four out of five stars on Goodreads. I would have liked more examples of people who had done some of the radical things that Tim suggests in his book and the results that occurred. Overall though, I say, “Wow!” and “Amen!”… (mais)

Branded: Sharing Jesus With A Consumer Culture is a new book by radio personality Tim Sinclair. In his first published book don’t expect Branded to be a how-to evangelism book when it is more like an assault on the brand of soft secularized Christianity that so fills the pews of American churches today. Sinclair makes statements within the pages of his book that express how the old fundamental ways of Christian t-shirts, tracts and colored power bracelets our not making the difference when it comes to Jesus.

The question the author poses which the theme of the book wraps around is how we market our Jesus. It is safe to say that there is not any problem with the product we are marketing. Jesus gives saving eternal redemption to the weather-beaten and broken of this world. So then why is Jesus rejected by our consumer culture?

Tim Sinclair with a background also in marketing writes, "I'm convinced that when it comes to showing and sharing Jesus to and with the world around us, it's critical that we recognize our own unique situations, talents, abilities - and then effectively use them to reach people within our individual spheres of influence. Other than the boundaries and guidelines provided by the Bible, nothing else should create a game plan for us because there is no right way for everybody. There is no one-size-fits-all methodology. So I'm not going to give you one. The book was a delight to read and strongly convicting. It is a solid attempt to spur on a resurgence of authentic Christianity that transforms the lives of hopeless individuals with the redemptive work of the cross of Christ.

The book’s writing style makes it a very easy read and easy to grasp what the author conveys in his conversational style. This book is most definitely a fast-paced page turner and the author’s words are quick, witty, precise, and straight to the point.
At the end of the book there is a section of discussion questions which will be helpful if one decides to use this book in a group setting for a bible study or small group. I highly recommend this book to our generation of people who is interested in sharing Christ with a world that needs the Gospel.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from Litfuse Publicity as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertisin.”… (mais)