Nik Ripken

Identifies the dangers of safe Christianity and the embracing of casual faith, daring readers to face the risk of persecution and partner with Jesus in the toughest places on Earth.

Walking with Jesus in Tough Places

The Insanity of Obedience

Todd Luallen

Probably the hardest Christian book I've ever read. Nik doesn't pull any punches in this book, and if you're a Christian in the west, or even a missionary sent by the west, you will likely read this book with a twinge of guilt. 
I enjoy reading books about missionaries and Christians overseas because they are a great encouragement to live a life more devoted to Christ. The last book by Nik, The Insanity of God, was one of my all time favorites because it tells many, many stories of persecuted Christians around the world today. I was encouraged to pray longer and with great expectancy. I saw believers that fasted without hesitation is many circumstances, and that spurred me to start doing the same. I saw believers that had virtually zero affinity for "things," and again, I was encouraged to simplify and focus on what really matters. Those are just a few of the things the last book accomplished in my life.
This book was just plain hard. I like hard messages, and yet this book frequently made me think that we're a lost cause. He never says that, but I definitely felt like that. Often in the book the case is made that Western Christians (sending organizations, missionaries, believers in the west) are doing more harm than good in places where Christians are truly persecuted. At one point during the book I wanted to stop reading because I felt like I needed time to absorb, repent, and heal. It's a hard message to hear that well intentioned, God-fearing people, are doing more harm than good in the very lives and areas they desire to impact the most.
But fortunately Nik doesn't end the book there. As I continued to read, there were some very practical steps to improving and learning from our mistakes. In fact, Nik states clearly that some of what he has learned came from his own mistakes in Somalia. 
I do think the book is a bit much to fully take in with a single reading. I feel like it may be best to read chapters at a time and discuss with others. While the first book is full of stories about persecuted Christians around the world, this book is probably 85% philosophical or logistical. He peppers the book with anecdotes here and there, but for the most part it is a treatise on following after Jesus in a world that guarantees persecution for those that follow after the high calling of Jesus.

The Insanity of Obedience Walking with Jesus in Tough Places

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