Praise for "Befriend"

"I've never seen Scott Sauls back down from a difficult topic. And I've never seen him miss an opportunity to make much of God's grace abounding in Jesus. In our age of judgment, isolation, and fear Scott shows us what a friend we have in Jesus."
—Collin Hansen, editorial director of The Gospel Coalition and author of Blind Spots: Becoming a Courageous, Compassionate, and Commissioned Church

"Befriend calls us to something beautiful, something important, something better. In an age where engaging, complex relationships are so easily passed over for effortless, superficial counterfeits, Scott Sauls calls us from the shadows of pretending into the light of real friendship. Anyone who has ever felt even the slightest emotional reaction to how they fare in the world of social media will find in this book a reasoned path to the truth about who we are and how we were made to relate to one another. I am so thankful for my friend Scott Sauls' wisdom, courage, and voice."
—Russ Ramsey, pastor, award-winning author of Behold the King of Glory and Struck, and content editor for She/He Reads Truth

"I simply wasn't prepared for the power, impact and deeply convicting thoughts included in Befriend by Scott Sauls. But the reality is that many of the most convicting words were spoken by Jesus before they were repeated by Scott. The scandalous and profound truth is that not only did Jesus speak these words, he lived them. This is where Befriend shines the focused spotlight. Steadfast in truth, agile in love. Like I said, I wasn't prepared, but I am propelled by what happened in my soul through this beautiful work of words."
—Dan Wolgemuth, president/CEO of Youth for Christ USA

"I'll be honest. This book scares me. Jesus said the heart of our life with God and others is relationship, but so many of us—me included—rarely come close to plumbing the depths of what true relationship is. Real love is terrifying. True intimacy makes you so…vulnerable. And selflessness is a kind of dying. In Befriend, Scott Sauls takes us on an emotional, honest and at times raw journey we all need to take."
—Carey Nieuwhof, host of the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, author, and founding pastor of Connexus Church

"In an increasingly fractious age in which we reduce each other to soundbites, demographics and stereotypes; burying ourselves deeper in social media silos with those who think like us. Scott Sauls gently and prophetically reminds us of the power of befriending those who are different, reminding of Jesus' habit of seeing the image of God in the 'other'. This is an urgent and healing book."
—Mark Sayers, senior pastor of Red Church in Melbourne, Australia and author of Facing Leviathan and Disappearing Church

"How can we begin to heal the wounds of division that plague our polarized society? It won't happen with another think piece or hot take blog rant. No amount of tweeting or texting will solve it. It will only happen in the context of real, flesh-and-blood relationships. This is why Scott Sauls' simple yet profound book Befriend is so valuable and timely. From a variety of angles and with a wide array of stories and examples, Sauls cuts through the partisan clutter and makes a compelling case for friendship as a way to break the stalemate."
—Brett McCracken, author of Hipster Christianity and Gray Matters

"Scott Sauls understands a vital truth and writes about it with refreshingly accessible but persistently gracious challenge: the gospel comes alive for us more through the risk of relationships than through assent to theological precepts and moral teachings. Making ourselves vulnerably present to others in genuine friendship is God's way of taking on flesh and blood among us. After all, this was the way of Jesus. In today's cultural environment tenuously held together by thin lines of social connection, BeFriend offers faithful encouragement and wisdom on the importance of genuine friendship, thankfully perhaps not yet a lost calling for the church."
—The Rev. R. Leigh Spruill, rector, St. George's Church, Nashville, Tennessee

"Christ's people must avoid two sacrifices: love on the altar of truth, and truth on the altar of love. Scott Sauls' voice is a refreshing alternative to the bombast that fills our airwaves and, sadly, many of our pulpits. With keen insight and elegant prose, Scott shows us how to engage our world in a winsome yet subversive manner."
—Matt Smethurst, managing editor of The Gospel Coalition