We were never meant to be afraid of God—but many of us are.
The ancient world of the New and Old Testament was saturated with this kind of fear. And as strange as this might seem to us, today’s Christians are not so different. We agonize over the exact wording of our prayers to try and make sure God responds a certain way. We push ourselves to do all the right things in the hopes that a distant, unpredictable God might be impressed enough to side with us. But this is not the God we encounter in the Scriptures and in the life of Christ. This sort of fear-driven faith is more like ancient paganism, the religious environment the Apostle Paul found in Athens. Accidental Pagans uses illustrative examples from pagan mythology to draw parallels between pagan ideas of gods and our modern-day understanding of God.
In Accidental Pagans, pastor Ryan Lokkesmoe will:
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unpack the difference between a healthy fear of the Lord and an unhealthy fear-based relationship with him
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illuminate the ways that we Christians accidentally view God in our theology like the ancient pagans viewed their deities
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show how we Christians mistakenly embrace this fear-driven perspective, living like accidental pagans in the process
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look to the Bible to remind us of what is true about God’s character and learn practical ways to live in the freedom he offers
Rediscover who God really is—and live in freedom and faith over fear.
Bonus resource: Five-session Bible study with video curriculum included, helping small groups, churches, or individuals practically apply lessons from the book.
PRAISE FOR ACCIDENTAL PAGANS
About RyaN
Ryan Lokkesmoe (pronounced lox-moe) is the senior pastor of Community Church at Lake Wylie, a congregation in the Charlotte area. Prior to that, he served as the lead pastor of a church he planted and as a small groups pastor at a large multisite church.
Ryan earned his PhD in New Testament at the University of Denver and his master’s degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has taught as an adjunct professor of New Testament and theology and is the author of several books.
His writing is focused on making the Bible interesting and accessible to readers of all spiritual maturity levels. Ryan especially likes to highlight overlooked aspects of Scripture: themes, people, and historical insights that are hiding in plain sight. Whatever the subject matter, Ryan's main goal is to help people grow in their knowledge of and relationship with Jesus.
Ryan grew up in Texas. He and his wife Ashley met as high schoolers in their church youth group and have been married since 2006. Ryan is a musician and loves to read, especially history, theology, and classic literature. More than anything, he enjoys spending time with Ashley and their two children.
