Saving Jesus From The Church: How To Stop Worshiping Christ And Start Following Jesus (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
In a five year reading odyssey conceived as an attempt to somehow somewhat understand Christianity, I find myself now frequently reading authors of the United Church of Christ and other progressive Church communities. These authors have left me feeling both assaulted and yet somewhat at home...not sure where this will lead...Though the belief structures of my progressive brothers and sisters are different than my own in some areas many would consider key, I have found the values and principles that characterize this community to be a breath of fresh air. I would highly recommend Robin Meyers as an author. For those of us who come from a more conservative background, I can assure you that you will feel challenged and though you may not agree with many of his beliefs (I can’t at this point), if you “hang in there,” you may find gospel based VALUES and ways of thinking (and behaving) that are both rare and desperately needed in the Church today. This is certainly one of those books you have to read with an open mind... dissecting the facts, considering the reasoning, and accepting his or forming your own opinions. As a highly educated minister, Meyers digs deep - cracking the bedrock of many assumptions about basic Christian beliefs. If you read this with a grumpy face, you'll miss a lot.As a philosopher, he questions many important things. Is "faith" the same as "belief"? And what are the differences and the redemptive qualities of each? Are we transformed by judging the world or by physically changing it for the better? Does our salvation come from accepting certain statements as fact, or by living out our faith through correcting the injustices of hunger, poverty, and illness?Even on topics where I didn't agree with his reasoning or conclusions, he caused me to think nonetheless - something vitally important. For instance: what is more of a miracle - that Jesus was born part-God of a virgin Mary, or that he lived a 100% human life so true to God that he BECAME the son of God? We would expect that even a half-God could perform miracles and live perfectly, but is that really a miracle? Is that a "Jesus" we can truly follow and strive to be like?Obviously, Meyers doesn't just ask a bunch of questions - he brings Biblical scholarship to the table that allows us to respect and be even more thankful for such a Holy Book. And he strips away a lot of the folklore we've placed on the Bible during the years after it was written.Towards the end of the book, Meyers gets a little too philosophical for my taste, and there were some implications that I voluntarily ignored (that's the great thing about being an independent thinker). But for the most part, what I liked the most is that Meyers has both set a great example for and is making a call for a relevant Church that does real good in the world as its Primary Objective, instead of bickering about theological disputes and appeasing the fear and guilt and self-centered obsession with personal salvation. Obviously, if we're DOING the actual things Jesus commanded instead of merely AGREEING with them, then salvation is in the bucket.
What do You think about Saving Jesus From The Church: How To Stop Worshiping Christ And Start Following Jesus (2009)?
It's a good read, very discussable and I intend to recommend it to my Sunday School class.
—Maykeling
A little self-congratulatory at times, but many excellent and thought-provoking passages.
—Selene
I'm busy readin it, extremely interesting... more to come when I finish it!
—esyoung
What a great book! No words are adequate...j a superb statement
—haybug
