Real Christians Don't Dance

We played the flute for you, and you did not dance Jesus Christ

My best seller so far (probably because of the title). A sponsor once used it as a title for a weekend singles conference in Kansas and neglected to cross out "Don't." A van-load of people from 200 miles away came expecting to load up on ammunition for their cultural war against dancing. Boy were they in for a surprise! (They actually had a great weekend and lots of good discussions once they got over the shock.) This book is about breaking free from a legalistic interpretation of Christianity. Each chapter is self-contained so it can be taken in bite-sized pieces for reflection and/or discussion. Many of these pieces originally appeared as articles in my CCM column.

from the Foreword by Tony Campolo
     Sacred cows make great hamburgers. John Fischer understands that and in this book does a job on some of the sacred cows that have been idols for many of us--those cultural idiosyncracies which often hinder our growth and development as Christians. He wants us to escape from a host of trivial pursuits which often absorb our attention and energies so that we have little to give to the weightier concerns of the Christian faith.
     Jesus taught that the constraints of religiously legitimated cultural legalism had to be challenged. In this book, Fischer tries to follow in the footsteps of His master and strike out against those same kinds of biblically ungrounded ideas which smother the joyful freedom that can be had in Jesus. When you finish this book, you probably will get a better feel for that freedom and it may be that the next time someone asks you, "Can Christians dance?", you will answer, "Some can . . . and some can't." John would love your answer.

for whom
A good book for someone caught up in Christian legalism or even a seeker under the impression that Christianity is nothing but a set of rules to live by. It's my standard book for hitting at honest Christianity from a number of different angles. This is where you find out whether or not you're gonna like reading John Fischer.

quotes from reviews
"It's the way Fischer writes about his subjects that makes it all so very interesting. Concepts like grace, redemption, and sanctification can be found pages--or maybe only sentences--away from discussions of alcoholism, MTV, escapism, South Africa, est, computers, shaving cream, and taking out the garbage."
Contemporary Christian Music, May 1988.

"This is great reading guaranteed to afflict the comfortable."
Media Update, September/October 1988.

". . . Fischer manages to communicate painful truth without preaching or condemning."
Charisma & Christian Life, September 1988.

"This old Christian never learned to dance but has always secretly hoped in heaven that waltzing and the Highland Fling would be permitted!"
Ruth Bell Graham, from a personal note to the publisher upon receiving this book.

"There is no way we would recommend this book!"
The Biblical Evangelist, September 1988.

"Presented in a fresh, no-holds-barred manner, [these] essays help readers sort through externals and get to the heart of issues."
Bookstore Journal, June 1988.

"Almost everything Fischer says, from self-deprecating humor to solemn meditations, rings true. Real Christians is not a self-righteous screed or a sarcastic barrage. He gently and simply reminds us of our spiritual roots and urges us to strip away those things that encumber us in the Christian race, or that simply don't matter. . . . Fischer is quite a writer--perhaps he should get out of the music business. Read Real Christians Don't Dance. It may change the way you live, it may make you mad, it may even make you dance.
World, May 1988.

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