Speak up! Christian Assertiveness

This small but valuable volume in the
area of personal development was writ
ten by two psychologist-theologian aca
demicians, one from Austin State Uni
versity and the other from Fuller
Theological Seminary's Graduate
School of Psychology. These two profes
sionals team up to write, in simple lan
guage, a practical guide to help Chris
tians find the balance between being a
"doormat" and a "tiger."
What distinguishes this book from
other self-help books is that it is most
beneficial when read with someone else
and includes exercises for this purpose. It
discusses the characteristics of personal
ity types that tend to be either too passive
or too aggressive. For Christians there
must be less-manipulative ways to inter
act, and we are led to discover them. We
learn such wisdoms as: "You-messages
are inherently antagonistic and irritat
ing. " And when used with absolute state
ments such as "you never" or "you
always," they encourage defensiveness.
Thus we learn to be more sensitive to the
feelings of others.
The last chapter, entitled "How to Be
Assertive at Church," includes helpful
guidance to becoming comfortable in
groups and gives rules for group assertiveness.