You might be pretty surprised to learn that modern friendship trends are moving some Christians in a direction away from Biblical principles and towards a more secular worldview. You may be thinking this can’t be accurate – given culture’s emphasis on being a loyal, committed, and helpful friend. However, a new resource exposes the appealing yet counterfeit friendship standards of the world.

In Friend-ish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion, Bible teacher and blogger Kelly Needham points out Christ’s teachings on friendship, provides practical lists to help you pinpoint where you fall short, and encourages you in God’s design for loving Him and others.

Main Ideas

• It’s human nature to have a strong love of self, causing all people to have tendencies in friendship such as being a friend who at times is demanding, divisive, or dependent. Needham will help you identify yourself in these categories.
• Especially considering certain aspects of today’s culture, your friendships can actually lead you to sin against your own current or future marriage if you aren’t diligent. This book will help protect you from going down roads you never expected to travel.
• Acknowledging a need for repentance within a friendship not only makes your friendship healthier, but puts your relationship with the Lord in its rightful place.
• Though your friendships are unique, Needham provides principles that can help any Christian make an approach to friendship more in line with the Gospel than falling in step with the world’s model.
• Following Christ and His ways requires a hard look at individual lifestyle, including being willing to resist the world’s design for friendship in order to serve Him as He calls.
• Ultimately there are distinct needs Christian friends meet – all designed to bolster one another’s love for Christ.

Summary

The more you dive into this book, the more caught off guard you might feel about the worldly ways you’ve been valuing your friendships. You may even bristle at a few things and initially resist her points. Yet, the truth she speaks will also resonate with you in a refreshing way. And once you realize you’re still free to enjoy the blessing of relationships, you’ll find yourself wanting to realign your priorities within friendship, and in your walk with God as well.

“…that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thess. 2:12)