This review is going to step on toes, because as much as we like to pretend otherwise, we as Christians do tend to idolize niceness to open and honest rebuke.
Nice by Sharon Hodde Miller is not nice. It is an important critique of the church today, and is an examination of what we can do about the problem. As someone who still struggles with the need to be accepted, I found Sharon's book to be both helpful and hopeful. If we aren't willing to speak up when we see abuse or gossip, we won't ever be able to stand up for our faith.
Nice doesn't rock the boat, because we lose influence that way. Nice doesn't say anything when a friend's family is gossiped about, because we lose friends that way. Nice looks the other way when the oppressed are led to the slaughter, because we could be next. Nice uses social media just for personal information and not for important societal problems, because it brings down everyone's day and we want to stay in people's good graces.

I'm taking a hard look at my idols. What will you do with yours?

I give Nice 5/5 stars and recommend it to everyone.

Are Christians conditioned to be too nice? It’s what God calls us to be, isn’t it?

Not necessarily…

This is Sharon Hodde Miller’s message throughout her book, Nice.

Being nice is the politically correct societal climate. I never thought of nice as being something we idolize; something that might make us afraid to appear NOT nice, so we hide behind it.

Hodde Miller explores how followers of Christ have easily taken to being too nice, rather than being even slightly, true. How many of us might choose the safety of being ‘liked’ over the fear of being ‘unfollowed’?

Maybe nice has its place. Sharon explains how God gave us all a spirit of “power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7, and that we can still be faithful, have convictions, be courageous, be respectful AND be respected.

Well set up with a reflection at the end of each chapter, Nice is a powerful writing on how to be witnesses of Jesus’ truth, in today’s nice world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Baker Books for the read of Sharon Hodde Miller’s, Nice.

"Nice" is a call for Christians to assess how they are living out their christianity. Are we trying to maintain the status quo and keep up a nice image, or are we doing the hard work to live out the truth, struggles, imperfections, honesty, and all? Individually, each chapter contains great content! However, it did take awhile to fully connect the given definition of "nice" to each of the topics. Regardless, still worth the read.