173 of 178 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The love intimacy, passion, and sacrifice of spirituality, March 2, 2005
This review is from: The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within (Hardcover)
I'll be honest with you. When I first saw the title of Erwin McManus's latest book, THE BARBARIAN WAY: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within, my first thought was, "Gimme me a break! Unleash? Untamed? Barbarian? Is this a spiritual manifesto or the latest physical fitness fad?"
The cover didn't do much to alleviate my cynicism. It seems like youngish pastors these days are in a contest to exude as much hip-ness as possible, and McManus, pictured wearing black and standing on the double yellow lines of an urban street at night, looks like he's poised to take the "cool" trophy. Plus, he calls himself not only a pastor but also a "cultural architect." What's up with that?! Is being a pastor not enough for ya? Not cool enough?
I reveal my rather embarrassing lack of generosity to illustrate how far I've come when I say, "All hail the cultural architect!"
THE BARBARIAN WAY packs a powerful spiritual punch in a small package. Clocking in at 148 pages, the book urges Christians to throw off the yoke of ... Christianity, a polite religion that he says has stultified the true message of Christ and his vision for the lives of his followers.
"Somewhere along the way the movement of Jesus Christ became civilized as Christianity," he writes. "We created a religion using the name of Jesus Christ and convinced ourselves that God's optimal desire for our lives was to insulate us in a spiritual bubble where we risk nothing, sacrifice nothing, lose nothing, worry about nothing. I wonder how many of us have lost our barbarian way and have become embittered with God, confused in our faith because God doesn't come through the way we think He should."
As you've probably gathered from the title, McManus advocates a more romantic, adventurous, and arguably reckless paradigm for Christian living. He defines the "barbarian way" as being about love, intimacy, passion and sacrifice. "Barbarians love to live and live to love. For them God is life, and their mission is to reconnect humanity to Him. Their passion is that each of us might live in intimate communication with Him who died for us. The barbarian way is a path of both spirit and truth. The soul of the barbarian is made alive by the presence of Jesus."
But the defining aspect of the barbarian way is really fearlessness. McManus effectively argues that the Christian life is about a lot of things, but it's never about being safe --- emotionally or physically. It's about becoming strong via bold vulnerability, the call of Christ to engage with a dangerous world. It's not an insurance plan.
"For years I have made it my mission to destroy the influence of the Christian cliché, 'the safest place to be is in the center of the will of God.' God would never choose for us safety at the cost of significance. God created you so that your life would count, not so that you could count the days of your life," he writes.
He goes on to say, "When we fear God and God only, we are no longer bound by all of the other fears that would hold us captive. The fear of death, the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of insignificance --- all of the fears that we know by name and haunt us in the dark of the night become powerless when we know the fear of the Lord. And if this is not enough, we discover that perfect love casts out all fear. Not even God will hold us or control us by fear. When we fear Him, we in essence begin to live a life where we are fearless."
I think this take on the Christian life is especially gripping in this age of fear mongering. Politicians, news outlets, the neighborhood gossip, and even some pastors --- everyone does it. And there are things going on in our communities and in the world with which we do need to be engaged. But not from a position of fear. We need to engage the world with fearless love.
There are aspects of THE BARBARIAN WAY that I would argue, but mainly on points of emphasis rather than substance. For example, the barbarian way seems like "the Lone Ranger way" for much of the book. When McManus does get around to talking about community, I like what he has to say. But I think it could have used a little more prominence. And the premises of a few of his statements were suspect in my book, no pun intended. But basically, I'm nitpicking. McManus has ignited my spiritual imagination.
And none of this is keeping me from sending this book to my brother and suggesting it to a few other friends, including you.
--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel
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80 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Believe again anew!, May 1, 2006
This review is from: The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within (Hardcover)
I have to reccommend to you a great little book I just read. It is called "The Barbarian Way" by Erwin McManus. I reieved it for my birthday last week and can not give it a high enough reccomendation. It focus is on the fact that the christian faith should not be the simple quiet protected life. Thatb the call to be a christian is a call to risk, to live on the edge, with danger, trials and troubles. That the churh has become domesticated and it lack's appeal because of that.
It is out by Thomas Nelson ISBN 0785264329 Not only do I reccomend it, but they guarantee it, if you buy it and are not satisfied they will replace your money.
Some quick quotes.
"The claim to believe is simply not enough. The call of Jesus is one to action" p.5
"Perhaps the tragedy of our time is that such an overwhelming number of us who declare Jesus as Lord have become domesticated - or, if you will, civilized. We have lost the simplicity of our early faith. Beyond that, we have lost the passion and power of that raw, untaimed, and primal faith." p.12
"The barbarian way is abour love, intimacy, passion, and sacrifice. Barbarians love to live and live to love." p. 13
"The call of Jesus is far more barbaric that either of those. It is a call to live in this world as citizens of an entirely different kingdom." p.32
"your life is unique before God, and your path is yours and yours alone." p. 37
"Just do whatever Jesus calls you to do the moment it is clear to you. Do not procrastinate; do not hesitate; do not deviate from whatever course of action He calls you to." p.53
"When you join the barbarian tribe, you begin to live your life with your eyes and heart wide open. When the spirit of God envelops your soul, your spiri comes alive, and everything changes for you. You are no lobger the same." p.69
....
For those who liked John Eldreges "Wild at Heart" or "Waking the Dead" you will love this book. Take a risk and pick it up, you will either be challanged or angry. If your angry you can get your money back. If your challanged, who know's where it will lead you!
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where Do We Go From Here?, September 13, 2005
This review is from: The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within (Hardcover)
McManus says it like it is. The church has become a tame, domesticated version of what Jesus seemed to introduce. Nearly every page of this book highlights invaluable concepts for the Christian life as it was meant to be lived. I can relate to the author; I was born and raised to walk the barbarian way--living my faith in a way that demands obedience at any cost.
While others have tackled similar subjects, they often times seem to be full of bitterness and rebellion toward the church at large. McManus never gives off that sense of a grudge; instead, he wants to raise the church from its slumber. His "barbarian" way is a way of sacrifice and servitude. This is no mamby-pamby gospel that he's talking about. This is a commitment to a life lived for Jesus, no matter the cost.
I loved everything this book had to say. My only complaint is what it didn't say. It didn't give us any practical ways to walk the barbarian way while dealing with the existing church. How do we make these concepts real without seeming divisive? Or, if we are to be divisive for a purpose, how do we go about it with Godly accountability? These are issues I've wrestled with for years. This book encouraged me to keep wrestling, but it failed to answer some of my deepest questions.
For those who are still "civilized," this book might change your world. For those still trying to reconcile McManus' concepts with everyday church life, you will be inspired. The question remains, though...Where do we go from here?
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