Friend-ish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion

Bible teacher Kelly Needham debunks our world's constricted, small view of friendship and casts a richer, more life-giving, biblical vision for friendship as God meant it to be.

As the family unit grows more unstable and the average age of marriage increases, a shift is taking place in our culture: for many people, friends now play the role of family. And just as with family relationships, our friendships often don't turn out quite as we envisioned or hoped, and we wonder, Is there a better way to do this?

In Friend-ish, Kelly Needham takes a close look at what Scripture says about friendship. She reveals the distorted view most of us have of it and recasts a glorious vision for a Christian understanding. By teaching us how to recognize symptoms of idolatry and dependency, she equips us to understand and address the problems that arise in friendship--from neediness to discord and even sexual temptation. With hard-fought wisdom, a clear view of Scripture, and been-there perspective, Needham reorients us toward the purposeful, loving relationships we all crave that ultimately bring us closer to God.

224 pages

“It’s rare for a book to model its subject, but Friend-ish actually demonstrates real friendship. It is relational and honest and enjoyable. It is willing to diagnose and press on the difficult aspects of life, relationships, and sin. It convicts and encourages, and not in a trite or fluffy way. Most importantly, it draws on Scripture and points to Jesus uncompromisingly and clearly throughout. Kelly also offers keen, incisive observations about cultural trends and personal experiences in friendship. Friend-ishis smart, discerning, and godly—a profoundly helpful book for men and women seeking better friendships and to be better friends.”

--- Barnabas Piper

“Friendship is a gift of grace from God, yet inexplicably we as Christians often take our cues regarding friendship from the culture. We simply don’t know what it means to enjoy friendship in the way God intended. Thankfully, in Friend-ish, Kelly Needham gives us a thoroughly biblical and deeply practical resource, calling us to resist unhealthy friendships and find the better joy in those that stir our affections for Christ.”

--- Christine Hoover, Author of Messy Beautiful Friendship

“Every culture in the world has its own counterfeit version of friendship. All of us need the real thing—friendship the way God intended it—but how do we know if what we’ve got is the real thing? In Friend-ish, Needham helps us examine a high definition picture of friendships in American culture, and the floodlight of Scripture shines on every page. This book will help you see things about friendship that you’ve not seen before through the lens of a Scripture-saturated perspective."

--- Gloria Furman, Author of Labor With Hope