Review: "Under the Overpass"

Under the Overpass: a Journey of Faith on the Streets of America is the chronicle and reflection of Mike Yankoski and his friend as they took five months to live homeless in five cities to learn something of what it means to be homeless and, from that, learn how to be Christians to the homeless.

They begin their journey by staying a month in a rehab setting to learn about the people and systems before they actually live out on the street. Then they go to four cities and live with the homeless, as homeless, for a month in each city.

Yankoski shows a deep compassion for the homeless and admits that despite their experiment, he could always bail out, making him something other than truly homeless. His compassion made this reader search his heart about the ways in which he needs to better care for the homeless.

Early on in “being homeless,” Yankoski discovers a startling truth in this age of entitlement: “No one deserves mercy” (52). This lesson helped him to live his time on the streets with joy. As they practiced living as Christians on the street without being forceful or preacher, they rightly concluded, “We’re responsible to help others towards hope in Jesus’ name. But we’re not responsible for their choices” (212).

I was concerned that he seemed to be implying that it was not necessary to preach sin to the homeless (38). But he may have been seeing an imbalance of the preaching of Law and Gospel.

In the epilogue, C. S. Lewis is quoted, “If our charities do not pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small” (223). A quote which is surely convicting.

He ends with a Q & A section in which he, thankfully, says that living as a homeless person is not the best way for most people to show their Christian love for the homeless. Although he and his friend lived the experience they were led to, he recommends that most people seek to support ministries that minister to the homeless.

A convicting and readable book.

[This review appears on Amazon.com and my blog. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]