The Mark of a Christian - Christians have not always presented an inviting picture to the world. Too often we have failed to show the beauty of authentic Christian love. And the world has disregarded Christianity as a result. In our era of global violence and sectarian intolerance, the church needs to hear anew the challenge of this book. Decades ago Francis Schaeffer exhorted, "Love - and the unity it attests to - is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father." More than ever, the church needs to respond compassionately to a needy world.

When Jesus walked the earth, God was anything but accessible. Spirituality was reserved for the elite---those with pedigree, education, and a commitment to rigid self-discipline. Jesus, countering with a different path, raised the bar of righteousness but lowered the bar to entry. A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God  follows in Jesus' footsteps. Believing that the bar has been re-raised with our widely accepted ideas of what it means to know God, Osborne seeks to place spirituality back within our reach. Defining what spirituality is and isn't, he explores what it takes to get there and then looks in depth at what God wants and expects from each of us as individuals. If you've walked the "tried-and-true" paths and found them wanting, Osborne offers hope and some other ways to get there.