BOOK REVIEW: MADE FOR PEOPLE (JUSTIN EARLEY)

Justin Earley’s Made For People dives deep into the concept of friendship and what that should look like for believers. Earley starts by explaining his premise: why we were made for community and how we tend toward isolation, especially in our current culture. Similar to the way his more popular title, Habits of the Household, is written, this book is written in an approachable style as if a mentor is describing what he has learned in his friendships.

Earley’s conviction is that believers should be engaged in what he terms “covenant friendship” through a deep and regular commitment to investing in friendships, rejecting the idea that friends should always be the last on our priority list. The book takes the reader through the categories that Earley defines as critical to think through in these types of relationships: vulnerability, honesty, covenant, forgiveness, invitation, geography, time, communication, memory, and worship.

Earley does share stories about some of the failures he has had in friendships, but overall the book is focused on telling the reader how his group of “covenant friends” has applied the concepts he is exploring. These stories give examples to aspire to, but the reader will have to think through how these concepts would apply to their own life or friendships. While the book includes some practical steps the reader could take, it is more of a thought exercise than a “how-to,” and provides more principles than practicalities.

This book would be best read alongside a friend or small group that you would hope to deepen your relationship with. It could also be used as an additional resource when studying Biblical friendship. As I read, I reflected on my friendships and how the concepts Earley discusses bear out in my life. Any reader who picks up this book will be led to examine areas of strength and weakness in their friendships and be reminded of how we were made for one another.