Customer Reviews

A Christianity Worth Believing: Hope-filled, Open-armed, Alive-and-well Faith for the Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down in us All

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I became an instant fan of Tony Jones with his latest "The New Christians" so I was ready for another fun ride in the second of the Jossey-Bass "Living Way" Series: Pagitt's "A Christianity Worth Believing";

Imagine my disappointment then when I discover:

1) Pagitt plays very fast and loose with his interpretation of history (he wants to set right 1800 years of Greek (i.e., "bad") theology) that has lead the Christian church astray from the original Hebrew intent,

2) He utilizes a very limited reading and selective use of biblical citation to make his points--(e.g., atonement really wasn't in the cards for Jesus-as-lamb; that was just a cultural imprisonment of the metaphor attributed to the angry Greek gods--never mind John's Gospel and Paul's gospel affirming that metaphor (of course, Pagitt would claim that is my aberrant reading of the original)),

3) Proof-reading missed so many typo's that I suspected there was a rush to get this book to print (Not Pagitt's fault, I know) I can understand maybe 2-3 misprints in a big-name publication, more for a smaller budget press)--third sentence in the very first chapter: "But I have problem...."; a minor point to some perhaps, but quality thinking from a quality press deserves quality print; I noted 6-8 of these that only made it harder to take this book seriously

Finally, 4) the "straw men" set up, the theological perspectives that Pagitt sees hampering the Christianity-worth-believing, which reflects Jesus the Messiah, which he seeks to knock down, are so simplistic I hardly recognized them as faith perspectives worth worrying about.

Perhaps Minnesota is a hotbed of churches and people who still think the four spiritual laws is the gospel, but there were so many instances of Pagitt describing "what's wrong" in ways that I thought, "of course that clouds the gospel, but I've not met anyone like that since I was a teenager in the '70s"

Pagitt glosses over an attempt to discern strands of theological value from long-standing traditions like the Orthodox church; he never touches on other contexts such as Coptic view of the spirit, Moravians and worship, Anabaptist view of community, or even Methodists and grace; each with their variant metaphors and cultural contexts--he just keeps harping on "Greek" thinking as reflected in "Augustine, Aristotle and Calvin" and rails against antiquated 14th and 15th century "confessions". Those targets are too easy.

There is much I find unbelievable throughout the history of the church, statements of belief, declarations on the supposed nature of discipleship; however, I think Doug throws the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and, though emergent is about conversation, from his perspective of Christian Theology, there is much that he has taken off the table and cannot be discussed.

Anyway, I found reading this book actually diminished my affection for the emergent/emerging church movement.

Pagitt came across like a teenager complaining about things he's already biased against; similarly, perhaps due to his youth, he has not had the worldly experience that exposes his whole being to the nuances and harmonies in Christianity or in the rest of the world.

For example, I've known about sub-atomic particle physics for 20 years and how these energies have a "preference" in behavior, rather than following hard rules; also, holistic medicine is a long-standing, authoritative resource to my 49-year-old thinking. So what's the big deal with taking a holistic view of life, the body, creation, etc AND talking about the lordship of Jesus, spiritual disciplines and even, careful now, the Trinity?

I think Pagitt's "issues" stem more from a dislike for traditional metaphors than for the theological concepts behind them--Pagitt goes to great lengths to get away from the "distance" language of God-across-the-chasm and seeks to engage a language of "re-integrating relationships". That's fine with me, if it's a both/and, not an either/or proposition for the metaphors--not everyone feels "dis-integrated" in a stressed relationship, sometimes my wife and I just feel "far away" from each other, but we are still married; lighten up, Doug!

This isn't to say there are some brilliant, inspirational passage on some important themes--I just don't think the book warrants a lot of praise; for a book touting the holistic view and critiquing the supposedly too-intellectual "Greek" view, I think the tenor of this book swings too far into an emotional view, rather than healing the rift.

In the end, contrary to the expansive and proactive spirit I felt while reading Tony Jones' The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier, I found "A Christianity Worth Believing", well, unbelievable.

So, I recommend you borrow Pagitt's book or buy it used and see what you think of it. If my review is off the mark for you, then no harm done.

If you find similar concerns, well, I've saved you some cash to put toward other thoughtful books, such as:
Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be or Life with God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation.

Doug's new book is vintage Emergent: great stories, insightful ideas, challenging claims, a fresh outlook at ancient issues etc. If you enjoy the writings of Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, and others in the emergent conversation, you will love this book, as I did. It is insightful, well written, and refreshing. If you don't like to be challenged and to rethink ideas of faith, you may be less impressed.

The great thing about A Christianity Worth Believing is how Doug challenges the interpretation of certain ideas throughout the ages, particularly the Greek influences on early Christianity that we have codified into our own religion. He asks: "Is it necessary to convert to a particular worldview in order to hold the Christian faith? Or in this case, does a person have to be a fifth - century Augustinian in order to be a follower of Jesus? The answer, of course, is no...I believe that it is the tradition of our faith to constantly renew, rethink, and reformulate our ideas about what it means to follow God" (pg 49). His exploration of this theme and the questions that follow are worth the price of the book alone.

The first eight chapters or so are Doug sharing personal stories from his own conversion as well as a critique of modern Christianity (it is more than that, but I'm being general). The rest of the book presents new ways of looking at some age old thinking in the Christian movement. Doug challenges long held metaphors and offers some new ones on topics like sin, humanity, the Bible and others.

Those wanting a challenging read full of great stories and a postmodern perspective on following Jesus will not be disappointed in A Christianity Worth Believing.

I was able to take the slow flight reading time last week to finish up Doug Pagitt's new book. It falls into the conversation with Tony Jone's latest (The New Christians) as books that open up a behind-the-veil look into the emerging church thought processes. What I appreciate about Doug is that he makes me think. He's got a gift for saying that one thing that tweaks the world just enough to cause my pause and make me think, and he's done that with this book, with this conversation.

In sharing his own trip through the Christian life and Christian community, Doug shares many of the questions that have held many of us at arm's length away from something meaningful. There's so much head knowledge, but have any of us gotten beyond that to the joy of first coming to the Lord? Where the story of Jesus won Doug over to real living, he's had to dig back out from all the extra stuff that weighs us down and hinders the inherent pressing on in Christ.

A discussion of Greco-Roman influences on the current state of Western theology is necessary, but provide the only slow part of the book. Make your way through that and find that Doug pulls out some great metaphors for sin, for repentance, for real relationships with God and with each other.

As an example of what was making me think, I wrote this in the margins of my copy: "Is my faith constrained by the Bible? does my faith constrain the Bible?" That's a different kind of question that, if we're honest and open to really challenging our own internal status quo, will wreck a week. Doug's writing and conversation does that in the best way, somehow seeking to leave everyone in a better position, on better footing to live out this Christian life. I appreciate this more than any I've read so far this year for its honesty and that tweak-me-ability - I'm usually the tweaker, but this time I was definitely the tweak-ee.

One more point: this is the book that I might finally jump the shark with, the one that I think I could buy for friends on either side of this fence for either encouraging, or for further tweaking. I think Doug stretches the thoughts gently enough and severly enough to make a difference in the coversation, and he raises questions that cannot be easily set aside. Not everyone needs to "go there", but for real growth and depth, I think more of us need to wrestle through some of our preconceived presumptions. I'm looking forward to future discussion over this book, hopefully, and can't wait to be able to bulk order for a few special friends.

a bit of a disclaimer on this review: doug (the author) is a person i care about as a friend. we've slugged it out over emergent conventions, and lived to tell the tale (and greatly strengthened our friendship in the process). he's stayed in my home many times. we know each other's kids. his wife and my wife are friends. when yaconelli died, doug got on a plane and flew to san diego merely to be the guy who would get stuff done for me, to support me.

all that said, this is a great book. as any good pomo christian knows, it's impossible for me to remove my thoughts and opinions from my experience and biases. but if i were to hazard a guess as to what my reaction would be to this book were the above disclaimer paragraph not a reality, i think i would still say it's a great book.

pagitt's primary thesis is that christianity, over the past 1900 years, has been co-opted and re-framed by a greek mindset, worldview, values and ideas. and, in keeping with that mindset, christianity has been reified into an unchanging, immutable theological system that is widely divergent from the hebrew mindset and values and ideas and worldview in which it was developed, authored, spoken and framed. pagitt explains that this wasn't necessarily bad when it first happened, as it was the culturally appropriate contextualization of the gospel at the time. the problem is: most of us are stuck with this thousand-year-old approach to christianity that is horrifically outdated in our current cultural context.

doug builds a case that this greek mindset has a whole wad of resulting implications, and he unpacks these in chapter after chapter:
- a perception that god is "up and out" (separate from us, away from us, up there somewhere, unable to be with us because of god's holiness and our depravity)
- a christianity that is more about someday in some other place, than about the here and now.
- a distorted perception of jesus and a distorted understanding of both his role and his message.
- and a bunch of other stuff.

building on his own story (the book is wonderfully memoirish) and his long struggle with the categories of this greek-influenced faith of the up-and-out god, pagitt uses stories from his life (then, subsequently, from science and scripture and theological history) to introduce and unpack the notion of "integration" (which he sets in opposition to dis-integration). one might call it holistic faith, or holistic theology. this "integrated" theology, or, the integrated lives he proposes, are built on a hebraic understanding of the gospel and all of scripture. pagitt brings, chapter after chapter, the ways this approach to christianity would and should change the way we believe and live. he talks about an "in and down" god who is present in creation, present to us.

let's be straight about this: "a christianity worth believing" is going to royally piss some people off. doug will get more speaking engagements in some quarters, and a whole lot less in others. the people who already don't like doug will be well-armed to write him off or write against him as "the coming apostacy" or speak against him at ministry events of various kinds. this will especially be true of the nu-reformed crew. while doug's book is surprisingly winsome in tone (especially for a guy who openly explains in the beginning of the book that he is a natural contrarian), chapter after chapter attempt to pull the rug out from under stack of building blocks foundational reformies play on. dude, seriously: you're not just poking at their blocks; you're yanking the rug. they don't like that.

i found the book really helpful in lots of ways. most of the ideas (the greek-hebrew tension, for example) weren't totally new to me; but pagitt "packaged" them with a clear list of implications in a way that i could get my brain around. the suggestions for what we could be believing, and how we could be living, were mostly hopeful to me. i say "mostly", because there's a sense where some of the stuff doug suggests as "better" doesn't necessarily sound better to me, whether it's correct or not. also, i'll have to have a conversation or two with him to understand a bit more what he's proposing about jesus. i get the "jesus came to show us a new way to live" with all the political, theological, relational and ecclesial implications of that. but there were aspects of the christ story and its implications - specifically: the cross - that i didn't think doug was clear on (was that intentional avoidance?).

if jossey-bass, doug's publisher, can get this book widely placed in the ABA (bookstores like borders and barnes & noble), and get doug some good pr opportunities, this thing could be huge; really. it's easily readable, full of wonderful stories and examples, not mean-spirited (yes, it's generous), invitational and thoughtful. and much of what doug suggests has that "resonance" quality, where it causes my god-invented soul to respond with, "yes, that makes sense."

I wanted to like this book. I like Doug, I've enjoyed the bits of preaching and whatnot that I've heard from him before, and I (for the most part) have come to the same conclusions as him.

My problem started when he began to speak of the gospel being different in different cultures and societies. In my view, he came too close to suggesting that the gospel itself changes from culture to culture. I don't think he was trying to say that; rather, I think he was getting at the fact that the gospel is presented and interpreted differently from culture to culture, while the gospel, at the core, remains the same (I just wish he could have stated it a bit more clearly!)

One of my biggest problems, I think, was his desire to say that "conventional" theology (or supposedly "Augustinian" influenced theology) was a well-and-good understanding of the gospel that worked at some time in the past but is simply out-of-touch now. Simply put, at times Doug seems to far too generous to (what I, at least, perceive as) twisted, even depraved, understandings of the message of Christ. I found that disconcerting.

His (repeated, and repeated, and repeated) contention that "the Greeks did it!" seemed to be (far) too reductionist. Here's one obvious example: substitutionary imagery does at least seem to be present in the New Testament epistles. And, is it just me, or did he just gloss over (ignore) verses that seem to be problematic in his semi-commentary on a portion of Romans, particularly the bits that speak of being saved from the wrath (of God)?
He really should have delved deeper into, say, Scripture, when presenting his arguments. Maybe it's just me, but I would have liked to see some freaking elaboration! I mean, when you've got a book titled "A Christianity Worth Believing", I think you should make sure your contentions have been contended well...

Oh, and then there's typos...

I did find parts to be particularly insightful and illuminating, including: the parts on judgment and reconciliation and the inspiration of the Bible.

Despite the seeming negativity of this review, I did "like" the book. And, as I said earlier, I share the majority of his conclusions. But I think that this book could have been substantially better, and maybe that's what somewhat bothered me...

I may have just given Doug Pagitt the title for his next book, but it aptly describes my response to his new book - A Christianity Worth Believing. I read the first three chapters online and couldn't wait for its release. Since picking up a copy "hot off the presses," I only put the book down to eat and sleep.

This book will be a gift of affirmation for those who aren't afraid to ask questions and question the answers. For those who have often felt like they were "voted off the island" in Sunday school, small groups, Bible school and seminary, Pagitt invites us into a theological conversation. He masterfully and winsomely weaves together his own life story with insights drawn from church history, theology, cultural anthropology, missiology, and scripture. Simply put, Pagitt writes an eloquent narrative theology for a "post-systematic" generation... and in doing so he inspires us to pause, think, and wrestle with our faith.

As a professor of intercultural and biblical studies, I am impressed with the depth of Pagitt's theological, historical, and cultural knowledge, and his unique gift to write about such topics in way that engages and is accessible to readers. He shows how so much of our inherited "Christian" language and traditions, even our understanding of what it means to be Christian, have been shaped by past cultural contexts and worldviews very different than ours today... and very different than those of the biblical writers. In peeling back the cultural layers that clothe so much of Western Christianity, he reveals a faith that is dynamic, conversational, invitational, relevant, relational, wholistic, and alive.

I do not agree with Pagitt on every point (and that's just fine since Pagitt is inviting us into a conversation) and think some of his historical/cultural and biblical interpretations need to be more carefully considered in the context of a continued dialogue with scripture, in addition to dialogue with both the historical and worldwide church. As Pagitt himself recognizes, God is not afraid of culture; God's revelation takes place by working in and through culture. God uses the symbols, ceremonies, languages, and cultural forms of communities to reveal the Gospel. Thus a more careful consideration of how this has happened in the context of other cultures, particularly in the past, and what it communicated to the people in those specific times and places would have created a more "open-armed" faith. At the same time, the questions Pagitt has raised and long-held assumptions he has challenged are critical for Christians to consider... and openly wrestle with if the Gospel is to be "living" good news for our generation. This is what I try to help my students discover: faith in a God fully engaged in our world and inviting us to join in God's adventure - today.

So get some friends together, grab your pens, take notes, and enter into a conversation that will help you discover a Christianity worth believing... and living.

I know Doug Pagitt. I like Doug Pagitt. I absolutely hated 'A Christianity Worth Believing.'

There is one basic theological truth that all who would subscribe to Doug's Christianity-worth-believing must adhere to: everything Doug believed about God when he was a kid growing up in Golden Valley, MN watching Billy Jack on TV is gospel. Doug's childhood faith is the sine qua non by which all previous and subsequent theological developments must be measured.

Doug's favorite trope is that Christianity from Constantine to Doug Pagitt has been plagued by its marriage to Greek thought. This has lead to all kinds of distortions: God as Judge, humanity as depraved, sin as a legal problem, Jesus as atoning sacrifice, body-spirit dualisms, etc. etc. If you're Doug and you don't like something in Christian theology follow this one simple rule: blame the Greeks! If you think that church history is much more complicated and nuanced than this, well...you must still be thinking like a Greek!

Doug says the basic problem with the Greeks is that they obscured and distorted the pure story of the Hebrew love God who was integrated (Doug uses this word 1,000,000 times in the book, seriously I did a word count) with humanity. Doug prides himself on having a more fully and deeply biblical view than those Christians who lived in the preceding, say, 15 centuries. Funnily enough, he never deals with any passages where the Hebrew love God gets mad and gets his boots muddy. Doug at one point claims astonishingly that instead of God's legal judgment against sin, we need God's 'karem.' For those of you not versed in Hebrew, 'karem' is what God does to Ai and other such cities during the Israelite conquest of Canaan. Instead of seeing this as the fearful thing it is, Doug says 'karem' means "healing" or "remaking" or "returning to its intended purpose" (159). This would be a wonderful insight, if it weren't patently false. I digress, Doug's point is that instead of the impossible to please Greek blood God, all the Hebrew love God wants from us is to learn to live well with him in the rhythm of Jesus.

Speaking of JC, he doesn't feature too prominently in Doug's Christianity. In fact, an in depth look at how Jesus fits into his Christianity-worth-believing doesn't happen until page 172/233! The cross, which features so prominently in the gospels, barely registers a blip on Doug's theologically radar, a telling lacuna if there ever was one. Doug himself says that he rethought much of his theology without giving Jesus too much attention: "Over the past few years, as my faith has been rearranged by my understanding of an integrated God and all the good that follows from that belief, there has been a shadowy side, a question I've hardly dared to ask: What happens to Jesus?" (174). If you're a Christian whose beliefs have gone through a profound transformation without giving much thought to Jesus, you have a Jesus problem that can't be solved simply by appealing to Jesus' Jewishness and how well he fits into the Jewish story from Genesis-Malachai.

It's not that this book makes controversial claims or challenges classical theology that makes it so problematic. What makes it so problematic is that it does so in a facile, sloppy, poorly written, and intellectually lazy way. If you find yourself wanting to read this book, don't.

"A Christianity Worth Believing" lives up to everything its subtitle promises (which is a lot) - it really does present a "Hope-filled, Open-armed, Alive-and-well Faith for the Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down in us All." This book is a great book for anyone in need of a more hopeful Christianity, a Christianity that doesn't begin by telling us how we are such terrible sinners, but instead tells us the hope-filled story of Jesus. Pagitt outlines a beautiful faith perspective, told through many personal reflections and stories, which are at times quite moving. In short, this is a book for all of us. Don't we all need to be reminded that the story of Jesus is a story about really, really good news? It was something I was very grateful to be reminded of. This is a great book.

Welcome to a Christianity still forming, a faith that is compelling and beautiful and filled with hope, a God who is not remote and difficult to appease but one who is "down and in," present and active in a our lives and world. Welcome to A Christianity Worth Believing, described by author Doug Pagitt in his subtitle as a "hope-filled, open-armed, alive-and-well faith for the left out, left behind and let down in us all." The reader won't find any gaseous, empty platitudes in this memoir of his living faith in Jesus, however; it's instead a brisk walk through his story of seeking, finding, questioning, challenging, and refining what it means to follow Jesus in the world.

Like Doug and so many others who encountered Evangelical Christianity as a teenager, I found myself eventually struggling to follow the Jesus I fell in love with through all the hoops, twists, turns and cultural baggage that are embedded in our gospel presentations with so much fervency and certainty. Unlike Doug, I chose the path of least resistance and simply bought in and went with the program-as-offered. Reading A Christianity Worth Believing did, in a way, bring me full-circle in my own journey of spiritual reformation. With vulnerability, passion, and tremendous insight, Doug Pagitt has testified to a Christianity that is truly worth believing in.

Doug Pagitt is a rare person, sharing a rare gift. In a world full of religious thinkers who are beholden to denominations, theological legacies, churches (full of people who would leave if their pastor ever spoke their honest thoughts), tenure, paychecks, and pensions, Doug is a true free agent. Having separated himself from almost any form of obligation, he has taken his considerable intellect and thought his way toward some truly fresh perspectives on Christianity. The result is personal and engaging and pioneering and perfectly perspectival: a theological treatise almost completely devoid of footnotes (though it comes from a person with a professional, pastoral, and theological pedigree).

At the same time, the book probably doesn't strike the reader that way, for it reads like a memoir, and at a deeper level, like a wide-ranging theology of humanity and the human condition. But look even deeper, and you'll see the life's work of a true autodidact: a fresh look at God and the world through unconventional lenses as diverse as physics, anthropology, sociology, psychology, natural health, and personal experience.

Where most Christian thinkers only look back (to some imagined golden era in the history of the church), Doug's innovative suggestion is to look at Christianity from the perspective of the future. Of course, he does present some historical study (especially to the time before Augustine, when much of Christian thought ossified into the terms of Greek philosophy), but he does so as a means of finding the trajectory of the Christian faith, looking past our time toward the even better day he envisions ahead.