Customer Reviews

Jesus in the Margins: Finding God in the Places We Ignore

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

McKinley writes an excellent work examining Jesus ministry to people in the margins. Many may be familiar with McKinley as 'Pastor Rick' in Don Miller's books (Blue Like Jazz, etc). Pastor Rick really picks up on a lot of the ideas Miller writes about but puts feet to them. He presents a view of Christianity that recognizes how many people feel broken, damaged by family/friends and lost in a world that seems to be heading in the other direction. This is where understanding how the Bible shows Jesus and his work to those left in the margins is so valuable. McKinley writes from experience, as they guy who has had his own struggles with acceptance and letting people in. I recommend this book as both individually healing and as a great presentation of what the Kingdom of God should look like.

i really liked this book. i read a lot of theology and it is rare to find a book that hits that experiential note without it being sappy or weak theologically. the book sort of has a blue like jazz flavor to it but it has more of a foundational ground and agenda. in blue like jazz, rick mckinely is "pastor rick says..."

it was cool to get to know pastor rick and his friends in reading "Jesus in the margins" but even more so it hit a chord with me because the Jesus he presented made a lot of sense. so often i get the feeling that people think christianity is a religion and Jesus is our god who makes the rules. this book presents a different Jesus, one is even though he is God, loves to hang out with sinners and isn't afraid to break the rules. i understood something about Jesus that i never quite have in the same way before reading it...that Jesus knows what it feels like to be on the outside and that he went outside those boundaries for a reason. for me and for other screw-ups. the book gives theological feet to a mission mindset that cares more for sinners than arguing over trivial things in some sort of christian club.

The great Indian missionary and Christian statesman, E. Stanley Jones, was once asked by a Russian actress if he was a Christian because he wanted God to hold his hand and give him comfort. Jones replied, "I don't want God to hold my hand, but I want him to strengthen my arm that I might reach out a helping hand to others." What Jones expressed in a sentance, McKinley has fleshed out in this wonderful book. Through stories woven through his personal journey of grace and faith we see how believers and the church alike can reach out to all who need hope, faith and love. The margins of society are not to be ignored but rather the places Jesus often shows up most visibly.

I am a non-Christian, and this book has a lot to offer for anyone thinking about becoming a Christian or wanting to learn more about the religion, but who are turned off by traditional churches or Christians.

McKinley gives personal accounts from members of his church and talks about how Jesus's words and actions were often very different from those of mainstream American Christans. Jesus hung out with the losers, the outcasts, the people that many sheltered American Christians would not look in the eye as they passed them on the street.

Rick shows us specific ways of inviting God into our lives and allowing God to help us through any difficulties in our lives. He also talks about how we can help others and how people following Jesus might behave - in a radically welcoming, giving, loving way.

This is a healing book for those of us who have felt anger at the mainstream church but feel that the Christian religion might have something to offer. I am not a Christian but this book helped heal a lot of my sore feelings towards the religion.

Rick McKinley is Pastor of a beautiful collective known as Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon. He is also the Pastor of the much touted Donald Miller, author of "Blue Like Jazz" and "Seraching For God Knows What".

He takes many of Don's ideas and presents them in a more pastoral way, with anecdotes, and his own experiences. He is a very wise man, whos love for people shines through beautifully. The book is put together nice, with "postcards" from people at the begining talking about their struggles, whether it be sexual abuse, or materialism, and Rick takes those issues head on.

He wants to reach those in the margins of life, the ones the mainstream church often shuns, or more likely forgets. I think what he is trying to do is great, but the book wasn't executed as well as it could have been. If you have read many Christian books, this isn't for you. For the most part he often regurgitates what we know already,but it may give you the kick in the butt you need to get out there in the dirt and gutters and help thoise who need God the most. I would recomend this book for those who are just coming into the Christian Faith though.

3.5 stars

I resonate a lot with the story of Rick's. As one who came to faith in Christ after high school I too felt the awkwardness of transitioning into the evangelical subculture. However, as I read the book and saw how Rick wrestled with his new faith which painted Jesus in a beautiful light, I couldn't help but be encouraged and drawn closer to Christ. The book was a great story and I felt like I had the privilege of seeing Rick's faith laid bare. It's one thing to read abstract thoughts or doctrine, but it's another to see one's life intersect with their faith. Rick's book is a beautiful crossroads of such a thing. It was hard to put it down.

Rick McKinley's "Jesus in the Margins: Finding God in the Places We Ignore" is a worthwhile read for followers of Christ. It reveals some profound truths about Jesus' attitude toward those who our society considers "down and out" and presents its readers with the opportunity to do a self-examination with regards to his/her attitudes toward other people to don't readily fit his/her ideals. It is a bit repetitive at times, but all in all is a quick and meaninful read. Ultimately I believe it has inspired me to be a better lover of Jesus and my fellow man.

RJC

When I became a Christian at age 18, I did not know what I was getting into. Twenty + years later I understand much better but the information in this book would have been helpful to me earlier in my Christian life. The book would also be good for teenagers or adults who are trying to make sense of ostensibly Christian people that they observe. The book explains how Jesus was not mainstream.

Jesus in the Margins by Rick McKinley is a good read about how Jesus reaches out to the outcasts of society. McKinley writes with genuine sympathy and emotion. He points out the truth that we each in our own way are all hurting and feeling like outcasts. Too many people are just going through the motions and pretending that everything is ok, because they are too afraid, even within their own church, to reveal their pain. He makes some terrific points, but I guess this wasn't the right book for me at this point in my life. I didn't feel that he made any points that haven't already been made elsewhere.

This is a quiet and understanding work for a pastor speaking to broken-hearted people about who Jesus is, and it's beautiful. McKinley's theme is the idea of the margins, places on the edges of life, where we find ourselves when we don't fit in, and where Jesus comes to know us and invite us back to the heart of life through a relationship with God. McKinley focuses on those who are emotionally and socially marginalized, rather than addressing economic marginalization, which is a fine choice for where he wants to focus his discussion. He does a great job of exploring various aspects of theology - Jesus coming to Earth, Jesus dying on the cross, God as Father, the Spirit empowering us to live for God, etc. - through the lens of what it feels like to be pushed to the margins and what it feels like for God to reach out to us there and bring us back in. McKinley overuses the margin image to the point that it becomes annoying, but his concepts are solid, and I found myself challenged at points to reflect on who God is and what that means.

I have been listening to McKinley's podcasts for years, after I was introduced to him and his faith community (Imago Dei) through the writings of Donald Miller, and I highly recommend this book for people who like Miller's general tone and personality but are ready for a book that looks more squarely at certain aspects of God's character than Miller tends to address.