“About You” by Dick Staub

[two_third] I recently finished Dick Staub’s excellent book About You: Fully Human, Fully Alive. When I came across this title I thought, “that sounds like self-focused spirituality”, but after reading a synopsis I quickly decided that I misread the title. Now having finished the book I am very happy I chose to read this book by an author I hadn’t ever heard of. The writing is very accessible and the topic is excellent. The premise of the book is that God has made you to be a human being with a desire for you to live up to your fully human potential. His starting point is that humans are “Imago Dei”, that humans are made in the “Image of God”. We are created to be reflections of God’s character within his Creation. This is his baseline throughout the book’s meanderings through all topics related to living to our fullest potential as God’s Image bearers.

Dick Staub

“The Humanizing Jesus” is the title of one chapter where he starts out with a quote by Hans RookMaaker, “Jesus didn’t come to make us Christian; Jesus came to make us fully human.” A provocative statement, yet true indeed. This quote is the main motif throughout the book. Staubs argues that,

“becoming authentically and fully human is the evidence of being a true follower of Jesus. It means that the question we should ask is not, ‘Are you a Christian?’ Instead, the more important question is, ‘Are you becoming more fully human?’ The question is not, ‘Are you going to heaven when you die?’ Instead, the question is, ‘Are you living a fully human life now?’ The question is not, “How successful are you are avoiding the world?’ The question is, ‘How effective are you as a loving, transforming presence in the world?‘”

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