Book Review: The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

Every serious Christian leader should read this powerful book. Yes, it's 569 pages of intense reading, but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.

The World if Flat by Thomas Friedman is an outstanding analysis of the current status of our rapidly changing world. It gives an intelligent perspective of how free markets, open governments, and rapidly advancing technology has reshaped our world in the last few years. While America has been focused on the global war against terrorism, our world has shifted dramatically.

The book is primarily about one word, globalism. After reading The World is Flat, I made some reality checks regarding my own perspectives on ministry in my community and around the world. As a missional leader, it's a passion of mine to make a difference in my world. But, if I don't understand how globalism is impacting my city, my nation, and the nations of the earth, then I'm going to be severely limited in fulfilling my own mission.

Christian leaders owe it to their congregations to teach from a global world view. This will allow believers in our churches to be more effective at living out their Christianity at work, in the schools, in the community and in the nations we travel to around the globe. Missionaries should waste no time in picking up this book and commit a couple of weeks to reading through it.

The World is Flat has challenged me, as a pastor, to:

- utilize technology as much as possible in communicating the timeless message of Jesus

- train young people in a global world view ... especially those called into full-time ministry work

- discover ways to provide practical help to those who are living in old paradigms

- seek out methods of streamlining business procedures in the office

- color outside of the lines

Get it. Read it. It's the best secular book I've read in years.