"What It Means to Be a Christian" is being released shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's 79th brithday. The book presents three sermons that the Pope, then Jospeh Ratzinger, preached in December of 1964 at the age of 37. He was a college professor speaking to a congregation from the Catholic Student Chaplaincy.

I found his call to be a Christian "for others" to be the most challenging and provactive idea. In an age of individualistic, consumer-driven Christianity, this is a message that needs to be taken to heart. I suspect that modern, Western Christians who read this through a "Purpose Driven" lense may be a little rattled by his assertion that, "Becoming a Christian is not taking out an individual insurance policy." (Shoot. That's exactly what I thought it was about.)

If you are of the "fire insurance" mentality, you may have to read this book twice. I know I need to.