Dirty Faith: Bringing the Love of Christ to the Least of These by David Z. Nowell

★★★★✩
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Put your faith into action.

Do you ever feel like something in your faith is missing, that going to church, studying the Bible, and tithing just aren't enough? There has to be more, right? What would it look like to truly follow Christ and not just believe in him?

David Nowell asked the very same questions, and was led to minister to the "least of these," whom God loves deeply. In Dirty Faith, Nowell shares powerful stories of faith in action, and encourages us to move with him from the sidelines to the front line, to get our hands dirty helping the hopeless, the disenfranchised, and the poor. 

Loving as God loves is central to the gospel, whether that means taking in foster children, ministering to inmates at the local jail, or something else God has in mind just for you. Let this inspiring book help you find what's been missing in your faith.

David Z. Nowell offers much-needed challenge to the Church in his book, Dirty Faith. As he shares his experiences in working with at-risk, vulnerable children through Hope Unlimited for Children, Nowell speaks to the importance of acting out faith (getting it dirty, so to speak) instead of simply talking it. These days, I have noticed it is easy to develop a routine that only allows for faith primarily in the pew on Sunday morning – but Jesus intends for his followers to do so much more. So, Nowell highlights how Jesus continually calls, throughout his ministry, for service and love to the neglected in society and connects the Scripture with heartbreaking statistics and inspirational stories. Dirty Faith is not an easy book to ignore, and while some sections seemed repetitive and a bit discombobulated to me, the overall message is important, insightful and convicting. I cannot imagine anyone could read this book without feeling compelled to serve the world’s vulnerable and impoverished. I encourage Christians to read Dirty Faith and then allow it to incite action. The work is necessary.

Thanks to Bethany House, I received a copy of Dirty Faith and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.