The Naked Christian

The Naked Christian is a book by Craig Borlaise. It is a book primarily about stripping back everything and looking at christianity and christians in both painful and refreshing ways. Craig Borlaise feeds off his own experiences as a christian both the painful and Good. He uses alot of bibler stories as examples to back up his argument. He is also critical and sceptical of his own conclusions.

The book first looks at the myths that surround and drive christians in in the modern world. The first being the myth of the spiritual sixpack and that the christian needs to be perfect. That the church has to do everything on the large scale and in a perfect way. That big concerts, flashy lights and all that is what God wants when really it isn't what God wants. God wants our hearts (how painful can that be.) He wants us no matter the crap we carry. He wants us to be real and he wants us to change to be loving him more, not loving the programs and the concerts and whatever we can try to create to try to measure up in some sort of way to the screwed standards we have created.

The Second Chapter takes the analogy of the waterhole. It asks the question if whether we as christians, especially in the modern contempory church are driving people away by our attempts at perfection.

Chapter three looks at evangelism and how we do it and whether we have got it all right, Particularly in how we see other people. We think there is a set way to evangelise. Borlaise argues that we shouldn't wear a mask, that we should be natural in our evangelism and form relationship with them. Be natural, showing that we are superhuman and we can show some personality.

The fourth chapter looks into the question of how we see ourselves and the fifth chapter the how we see that world and non christians. Borlaise argues that we need to get past our self loathing and realise that we have been saved by christ. We also shouldn't be about total seperation from the world as sometimes can happen.

Chapter seven was quite interesting. I found Borlaise quite harsh but that comes from where I come from and what church I go to and what I see in myself now and in the past. He is harsh on whaty he terms the "Airhead christian." The Christian who cares more for feeling and shields away abnout thinking through theology and faith in intellectual terms and then person cares more for experiences. I Stuggle with his argument but I think in many cases he is right. Many of the times the "Airhead christian" misses out on opportunities to serve God and to learn more about him. The beauty of God is he is always active. He works on the large scale and the small. God tunred up in the whisper, rather than the earthquake, fire or wind for Elijah, where are we missing God.


This book was a painful read at times and was quite a scary read. It is recommended. Read with caution, and be prepared to be offended and to think.