3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this read, which applies social psychology to the dynamics within the Christian Church – specifically, sub-groups of Christianity and how we relate to one another, often negatively.

Cleveland's humor is subtle and on-point, and I appreciated how humble she was throughout the book, offering many examples of her own failings, as well as a few examples outside of herself.

She does a pretty good job of addressing multiple types of sub-groups; however, there was a greater emphasis on racial and ethnic groups. She included just a few examples of age, gender, and marital status groups and I would have liked to read more of these.

There is a decent amount of repetition in the book, which will annoy some people – I mostly found it helpful to reinforce certain concepts. Some of the ideas in the book are "duh" ones that I think a lot of people are generally aware of, but I think many will benefit from seeing the science (the "why") behind particular thought patterns.

I do wish that she had summarized at the end of each chapter, including some of the main take-aways and offering practical, specific examples of ways to change our behavior. Instead of that, there are questions at the end of each chapter – good for self-reflection or discussion (if you're going through the book with a group), not so much for practical application. This was the greatest weakness of the book.

Overall, I think this read serves as a great reminder for Christians to constantly acknowledge and examine our prejudices and pride and lay them at the cross, while attempting to embrace each other the way Christ embraces each of us.

A quote I liked: "Organizational experts also believe that nondiverse groups find it harder to keep learning because each member is bringing less and less unique information to the table. Similar people share similar experiences and acquire similar knowledge, but diverse people differ in their experiences and acquire diverse knowledge." (p. 40) ( )

Read this before hearing her speak at a conference. Cleveland is a compelling and accessible author who really knows her stuff! As a white guy who cares about racial reconciliation and promoting diversity, Cleveland gave me some actionable steps, while keeping me mindful of where my white privilege and comfortable homogeneity may be poisoning the well. Thoughtful good stuff! ( )

Cleveland is an American Christian academic who writes in a very accessible way, about issues that are relevant worldwide, and in almost every context of life. The book revolves around the idea of ‘ingroups’ and ‘outgroups’, showing that we all classify other people in various ways. In some instances this may be useful; but in many cases generalisations are negative, often based on stereotypes or bad experiences.

The writing is excellent and well-researched; I found every chapter thought-provoking. It’s relevant for church leaders and members, and indeed anyone who tends to stereotype ‘outgroups’, whether related to diet, or education, or skin colour, or nationality or religion, or anything else that separates people.

If nothing else I’m now aware of ways in which I and those around me tend to see ‘outgroups’, and as the author points out, just the awareness can lead to putting aside some prejudices.

Very highly recommended to all. ( )

This book uncovers the forces that disrupt unity. They are difficult to overcome, but well worth the effort. One of the greatest threats to Christianity is disunity. Overcoming it will require reaching out of our comfort bubbles, and maintaining an open mind and heart. ( )