Seattle: It's easy to imagine high-powered executives and egotistical politicians having hidden agendas. What may not be so simple to accept is that deep down, all have a secret plan for getting themselves from where they are to where they want to be. As author and radio host Steve Brown has written in Hidden Agendas: Dropping the Masks that Keep Us Apart (New Growth Press/May 16, 2016/ISBN: 978-1942572657/ $17.99), people, especially Christians, wear disguises to make it easier to accomplish these concealed plans. These masks might be religion, appearance or power, and the pressure of keeping it all together can be overwhelming. For most, though, it will be a cold day in a hot place before they are fully honest with anyone else about their fears, struggles and sins.
Why do Christians do this? While they may begin their walk with Christ basking in the light of forgiveness and redemption, they soon feel the sting of judgment when they fall short, whether from their own guilt or the criticism of others. As a survival mechanism, they hide their failings to avoid pain and accomplish their personal goals, lying to themselves, others and even God.
Brown knows how they feel. After serving 25 years as a senior pastor, he resigned his post at his church, feeling crushed by the weight of the pressures he had created in his life. Since those difficult days, he's learned there is so much more to living than hiding, pretending and never being loved. "We're all phony, ashamed, guilty and afraid," Brown writes. "It's killing us and hurting those we love." Inspired by his experience, Brown invites readers to move beyond hiding to finding the courage to get real.
In Hidden Agendas, Brown explains "being real" starts first and foremost with their relationship with their heavenly father. After all, God already knows his children inside and out, and his unconditional love is the true reason they can live without fear of rejection or judgment. "It does no good to tell God you're sick when you're drunk, you love him when you don't or you didn't steal and eat an apple when you have apple juice dripping down your chin," Brown says. "God always recognizes and loves the 'you' behind the mask." Readers will learn that once they grasp the true nature of the forgiveness and grace God offers their sinful selves, they will finally be able to drop their masks and live in freedom and honesty with others.
Hidden Agendas is easy to read and perfect for either individual or small-group use with its chapter-by-chapter questions for reflection. Raw and real, this book forces readers to confront the ugly truth of the conscious and subconscious deceptions they practice and the dangerous behaviors that can sabotage any real chance for authentic, loving relationships.
With his characteristic dry wit and good humor, Brown calls readers of Hidden Agendas to embrace God's shocking grace and live freely and courageously in the truth about ourselves and others.
About the author
Steve Brown is the founder of Key Life Network, which exists to communicate that the deepest message of the ministry of Jesus is the radical grace of God. Having spent 25 years as a pastor, Brown now devotes much of his time to the radio broadcasts Key Life and Steve Brown, Etc. which are currently heard on more than 600 outlets.
Brown has a B.A. in philosophy and religion from High Point College and an S.T.B. degree from Boston University School of Theology. He is a visiting professor of practical theology at Knox Theological Seminary and at Westminster Theological Seminary. Brown is also an in-demand speaker and the author of numerous books, including A Scandalous Freedom, How to Talk So People Will Listen and Approaching God. His articles have also appeared in many top Christian publications.
Additionally, Brown is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Religious Broadcasters and a current member of the Board of Harvest, USA.
With such varied experience, Brown refuses to be a "guru," doesn't want to be anyone's mother and gives, in his teaching, the freedom to think. He lives in Florida with his wife, Anna. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Suggested interview questions
- You open Hidden Agendas by saying you have "lived long enough and sinned big enough" to be able to write this book. Explain what you mean by that.
- Do all Christians have an agenda? Are their agendas always hidden?
- Is it OK to have an agenda as long as you are open and honest about it?
- What do you mean when you say we wear masks? Why do we wear them?
- How does wearing masks to accomplish our hidden agendas hurt us and the people we love?
- Why do you think Christians in particular are masters at developing and maintaining masks?
- Why are we so afraid people will discover the truth about us?
- You say as you get older, the need for you to hide seems to grow smaller. Why do you think that is?
- Where did most of us learn to try and manipulate how others perceive us?
- For the sake of propriety shouldn't we all wear some kind of mask from time to time? Are there healthy masks?
- What advice do you have for determining the proper time and place to remove a mask? Can it ever be dangerous?
- If there is so much risk involved in being open and honest with others, why do it?
- In our narcissistic culture, it's easy to feel like no secrets are left untold and nothing is sacred. How is what you're proposing different?
- What should someone do if a friend or loved one confesses a sin to him or her? How do they balance showing grace and not condoning sin?
- How do you recommend people "put legs" to what you've written in this book?
To request a review copy of Hidden Agendas, schedule an interview with Steve Brown, or for more information, please contact Audra Jennings, audra@litfusegroup.com.
