Praise for "Befriend"

Now Featured in the Patheos Book Club
Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear
by Scott Sauls

"Scott has written one phenomenal book, direly needed for these times. Sharp. Informed. Culturally savvy. Biblical. This book will deeply change lives and start a befriend revolution. It's powerfully changed me, and I'm sitting here revived in desperately parched places-feeling a bit of a holy hush. These pages echo the heart of God."
—Ann Voskamp, bestselling author of The Broken Way

"Books like Befriend have me hopeful that God's people are going to rise to the occasion of our moment in history with God's goodness and grace. I pray that as you read through each of these chapters, you might add more serious and diverse friendships to enrich and expand your view of what God is up to in our day. I couldn't be more grateful for Scott's voice on this topic."
—Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church, author of The Explicit Gospel and co-author of The Mingling of Souls

"Scott Sauls is a pastor even through his writing. He doesn't preach, he cares for souls and gently reminds us of a better way, of the tension and beauty of following Jesus. Jesus was and is a friend. Scott not only writes masterfully about that, but lives like Jesus in this way."
—Jennie Allen, founder/visionary of IF: Gathering and author of Anything and Restless.

"In this accessible book, Scott Sauls looks at virtually the entirety of the Christian life through the prism of friendship, and that's a well-grounded project theologically. When the gospel makes God our friend rather than our enemy, and we are also reconciled to ourselves—both our sin and our identity in Jesus, our friend—then we move out into the world in a new way. As Scott so ably shows us, Christian practice is to a great degree an exercise in friendship. This is a helpful, practical, and rich encouragement to bring all of our life in line with the gospel."
—Timothy Keller, senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City and author of The Songs of Jesus

"In Befriend, Scott Sauls provides real rescue from loneliness by highlighting what it means to be in real relationship and exposing the difference between "friending" and "befriending". In a world full of "likes," Scott points us back to love. There could not be a better time for a book such as this one."
—Elisabeth Hasselbeck, talk show host, wife and mother, and author of The G-Free Diet

"It feels ironic that in an age when connectivity is on the rise so is loneliness. Friendships, real friendships, aren't always easy, but they are always important. I'm glad that Scott has taken such an honest look at something we all need more of. And because he's my friend, he forgave me for ending that last sentence with a preposition and beginning this one with and."
—Jon Acuff, New York Times Bestselling author of Do Over

"Simply stated, this book is important. For the kind of humans we want to be in the world in which we are living, Befriend is what we need to read and use as a guidebook as we work hard to love our neighbors well. Wanting to be culture shapers requires effort and focus and Scott pastors us all towards that end in this and all of his writings. I'm grateful for his voice in my life and in our culture."
—Annie Downs, bestselling author of Looking for Lovely and Let's All Be Brave

"One of the major problems facing people today is loneliness. Friendships are hard to form, and even harder to maintain. Isolation and superficiality are easier, but deaden the soul. Respected pastor Scott Sauls here presents a Christian vision of deep friendship. This book is wise, biblical, and practical. It could help change your life."
—Russell Moore, president, Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

"Today's Christians have a reputation for shaking our fists at our culture rather than shining a light within it. What if instead we led with 1 Corinthians 13 love, risking relationships with those we might otherwise avoid — locally and across the globe? That's what Scott Sauls challenges us to do in Befriend. This timely book is a guide for you and me to address relationship barriers we may not even be aware of and courageously engage heart-first in our world, drawing closer to Jesus as we do."
—Rich Stearns, president/CEO of World Vision