5 Questions with Kary Oberbrunner

Welcome to 5 Questions With.....

Today's guest is Kary Oberbrunner. With a M.Div. in Counseling and his D.Min. in Transformational Leadership, Kary is a self-proclaimed "Recovering Pharisee" and founder of Redeem the Day Ministries. The author of The Fine Line, Called and The Journey toward Relevance, he serves as the Pastor of Discipleship and Leadership Development at Grace Church in Powell, Ohio.

And now without further delay, on to the questions:

Hi Kary,

Question 1: What one word would describe your current relationship with God?

Fresh.

Question 2: I found your book, "The Fine Line", to be very impacting. In it you talk about being a Transformist rather than a Separatist or Conformist. Can you describe those terms in a nutshell?

The first camp - the Separatists - are anti-everybody, anti-everything, and they retreat from culture. Their excessive rules are an attempt to escape the world. Those who lean toward the Separatist camp are guilty of certain characteristics. Three of the most common are that they allow:

rules to replace relationships
microscopes to replace mirrors
performance to replace passion.

The second camp - the Conformists - are hypocrites, biblically shallow and consumers of culture. Their excessive desire for trendiness results in merely mimicking culture. Those who lean toward the Conformist camp are guilty of certain characteristics. Three of the most common are that they follow:

media to replace meditation
liberty to replace love
tolerance to replace truth.

Thankfully there is an alternative.

Enter stage right the Transformists, a new breed of Christ followers who are in the world but not of it and more clearly mirror New Testament Christianity. The backstory of Transformists is quite convincing. For starters, they don't need to say anything goes, for that would mean they're Conformists. They neither add to God's Word nor do they ignore it. Instead, they obey it.

They're not perfect, but they're seekers. They long to have a pure relationship with the Creator of the Universe. They desire to know the "why" behind the "what" and the purpose behind the principle. Of course there will be mistakes along the way, but this is what sets them apart. They have a little more grace and patience with each other, because they know what they've been saved from.

Above all else, they passionately love God and people. They don't fear culture because they're called to shape it. They don't fear Christianity because they're called to embody it. They are the Relevant. They are the Transformists.

Question 3: How hard do you find it to walk The Fine Line" yourself?

As a pastor who works in a church with other Christians I have to intentionally schedule times and spaces to interact with unbelievers. You can't be a Transformist if you are not in the world.

Question 4: The Transformist lifestyle is not an easy one. Do you find the body of Christ receptive to this message?

Most are excited but unsure. Once they read the book and start applying the principles and follow THE Transformist (Jesus) they shoot me emails about how exciting it is. They wish they would have started earlier.

Question 5: What is your prayer for the body of Christ as a whole?

Instead of our camps (Separatists and Conformists) attacking each other and making the one Jesus approved method of evangelism obsolete (our love for one another), I wish we would admit our junk and invite the Holy Spirit to make us Transformists.

Thanks so much Kary.

There you have it. I would again encourage you to Kary's book. You won't be disappointed.
I would also encourage you to check out Kary's website, the Recovering Pharisee

To see past 5 Question guests, check out the rotating interview links on the sidebar.