The Map starts off with a fairly poorly written action parable where the author, David Murrow, is on an adventure to find a map that is “written in code and hidden in the Gospel of Matthew, [and] reveals a truth so explosive it could rock the foundations of Christianity – or lead to its rebirth.” His action enriched parable is a bit over dramatized and apparently was written as a response to several people’s reaction to his first book Why Men Hate Going to Church. It seems that people were frustrated with his contention that the church needs to become manlier and that it is the weakness in it that is boring most men in our congregations.
The Map is his understanding that Matthew’s Gospel structured the actions of Jesus (Yeshua) in such a way as to point to three journeys. He points out that there is a journey of submission, a journey of strength, and a journey of sacrifice. He shows that we need to start our journey in a direction opposite to our normal, manly, nature. We learn to submit to Jesus by building upon a foundation of submission. He contends that this is where many congregations get stalled. They fill the seats by teaching the meekness and passivity that we need to learn, but do not move forward and teach the journey of strength, let alone the journey of sacrifice.
All in all, his premise is not a bad one. He is pushing for a re-formulation of how we deal with men in our congregations. He is suggesting that we need direction, and that it would be beneficial for us to mature beyond the meek, weak men that many churches help create.
While this book is written for men, he fails to point out that the growth he is suggesting would be the same map for women. He runs through many men in the Bible, showing their three-fold journey, but fails to mention the women who walked the same path. If we are all to become more like our Messiah, would it not be beneficial for women to walk this path as well? What about Eshter and Ruth for example? I know several women in the church that have learned the journey of submission and the journey of sacrifice, but have been taught that they should never progress to the journey of strength and take a stand.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com
