The Bottom Line: There's nothing really wrong with what he's saying, but do we really need this whole pep-talk book? Isn't there Joel Osteen for pep-talks? Just read the Bible.

This book clears up an awkward argument that has been prevalent in the church for ages. That is whether or not salvation comes through works or by grace.

People trying to debate with Messianic Jews or Catholics will use the following verse to say that we're saved by grace and we shouldn't trouble ourselves with works.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
And the rebuttal is always bound to be James 5:20 which says that faith without works is dead.

I've actually heard a Protestant and a Catholic going back and forth with these two verses. These types of arguments are self defeating. Most Protestants and Catholics believe in the infallibility of the Scripture, yet their own arguments defeat that doctrine, because they try to make one verse have more truth than the other.

Now the conclusion that one has to make without denying the infallibility of the scripture is this:

We're saved by grace, but our faith should produce works.

And that shouldn't be a conclusion that was so difficult as to needing a book to clear it up.

This is a message that the world needs to hear though, and he delivers it in powerful words. He goes so far as to say that if you're faith isn't producing works, he wonders if you're a true Christian. I don't remember anything sticking out that was terribly heretical, but he doesn't discuss a whole lot of doctrine. That's not his goal. The buck pretty much stops at that argument.

This book is pretty much a long pep talk, encouraging people to go out and do great things and be reminded that our God is a loving God. And indeed, He is a loving God, but what are we learning from this book? Instead of spending $13 or however much this book is, all the kid (I say kid because this book is for baby Christians) needs is a church pamphlet saying that faith produces works.

Instead of reading this, I encourage you to read Romans 6-8, which I don't believe Chan quoted once in this book. This is where I believe the manifesto for works is and its strange he doesn't talk about it; perhaps its too controversial. It talks about how for Paul there was the Law of sin and death, but then he encountered the Law of the Spirit. This shows how the Torah can be legalistic if coupled only with the flesh, but holy when coupled with the Spirit.

The best part of the book is the end, where he talks about a bunch of different stories of people who made an impact in the world. I'd rather read a whole book about people like that. Like the Word says, "You'll know them by their fruits," and it's great to hear of believers with fruits!
All in all, this book was a yawner. Not sure if I learned anything doctrinally from it. Just read the Bible.