Mere Churchianity
Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality
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Average rating4.5
Have you left the church in search of Jesus?
Studies show that one in four young adults claim no formal religious affiliation, and church leaders have long known that this generation is largely missing on Sunday morning. Hundreds of thousands of “church leavers” have had a mentor and pastor, however, in Michael Spencer, known to blog readers as the Internet Monk. Spencer guided a vast online congregation in its search for a more honest and more immediate practice of Christian faith.
Spencer discovered the truth that church officials often miss, which is that many who leave the church do so in an attempt to find Jesus. For years on his blog Spencer showed de-churched readers how to practice their faith without the distractions of religious institutions. Sadly, he died in 2010. But now that his last message is available in Mere Churchianity, you can benefit from the biblical wisdom and compassionate teaching that always have been hallmarks of his ministry.
With Mere Churchianity, Spencer’s writing will continue to point the disenchanted and dispossessed to a Jesus-shaped spirituality. And along the way, his teachings show how you can find others who will go with you on the journey.
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I don't care who you are, where you are from, what you are doing, or what your religious or political beliefs are - you NEED to do yourself a favor and read this book.
The author is a former Southern Baptist preacher who one day woke up to the realization that perhaps much of what he had been taught and was teaching about Jesus was wrong. As he began his own journey to truly discovering Jesus and all the implications of Him, he stumbled across some dramatic discoveries that would shake him to the very core. He founded InternetMonk.com, where he began writing about this journey, and eventually wrote this book.
I literally wound up highlighting about half the book on my Kindle. It was THAT mind blowing.
Fair warning though: No matter your beliefs - and my own were relatively similar to the author's going into the book - be prepared to be challenged, perhaps in ways you never considered. To me, that is perhaps the greatest value of this book.
Short review: Good book. Many books have spoken about church leavers but Spencer does it quite well. I wish that he has spent more time talking about how to find your way back to God, but that is part of his book, that it cannot be prescribed.
I unintentionally read it which Eugene Peterson's Practice Resurrection. I highly recommend doing that. Peterson's books primarily says you cannot grow without the church. Spencer says that the church often gets in the road of actually spiritual growth. I think they are both right in their own way. But both are made better with the seasoning of the other.
full review on my blog at http://www.mrshields.com/mere-churchianity-by-michael-spencer/
