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Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity

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When asked by a Jewish legal expert to name the most important commandment in the Mosaic Law, Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30, cf. Deut. 6:4, 5). Nothing in life is important as amo Dei, the love of God, which is referred to as the Great Commandment. Unfortunately, what Jesus said to the Ephesian church could be said to many Christians today: "You have forsaken your first love" (Rev. 2:4).

Mark Batterson's new book, Primal, is an insightful guide to recovering your first love. If you are a spiritual seeker or a new Christian, this book will outline a simple but powerful vision of what following Christ is supposed to be. If you are a longtime Christian, it will refresh your faith. And if you are a pastor, it will help minister to both categories of parishioners.

Mark is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC, as well as a personal friend. If I recommend the book, it is because I can first recommend the man. Mark is a creative thinker and a gifted communicator. The church he leads meets at multiple theaters throughout the Washington DC area, not because he can't find a place for a more permanent building, but because that's where the people are. NCC also owns and operates Ebenezer's, an award-winning coffee house and performance space near Union Station. All profits from Ebenezer's sales go to missions.

Primal is all about living out the Great Commandment and centers on four key practices: "compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy," which correspond to "heart, mind, soul, and strength" in Mark 12:30. If you're anything like me, you probably don't think naturally of Christianity in those terms--especially not as it's practiced by American Christians. We are not always a compassionate, wonder-filled, curious, or energetic crowd. But once you're done reading this book, you won't be satisfied with going back to your old routines.

One of Mark's great strengths is to explain old biblical truths in fresh ways and with new word pictures. This is a thoroughly biblical book, but it avoids tired clichés and conventional thinking. I've read a lot of books on Christian living. Mark wrote a lot of things in this book that exposed deficiencies in my own thinking and practice of the faith without making me feel hopeless or helpless in the process.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

* "Christianity has a perception problem. At the heart of the problem is the simple fact that Christians are more known for what we're against than what we're for" (p. 6).
* "The American church needs a heart check. Or maybe I should say, a bank check. It seems to me that we have spiritualized the American Dream of materialized the gospel. Take your pick. And any attempt to monetize a relationship with God cheapens the gospel" (p. 32).
* "When we lose our sense of wonder, what we really lose is our soul. Our lack of wonder is really a lack of love" (p. 51).
* "You are among the company of translators [of the Bible]. For better or for worse, your life is your unique translation. Just like the Septuagint or King James Version, your life translates Scripture into a language that those around you can read. God doesn't just want to speak to you through Scripture; He wants to speak through you. He wants to write His-story through your life. And Scripture is the script" (p. 85).
* "The church ought to be the most curious place on the planet. We ought to be a safe place where people can ask dangerous questions, but all too often we're guilty of answering questions that no one is even asking" (p. 97).
* "Lack of faith is not a failure of logic. It's a failure of imagination. Lack of faith is the inability or unwillingness to entertain thoughts of a God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine" (p. 112).
* "As Christ followers, we need to take a why not approach to life. It dares to dream. It's bent toward action. And it's not looking for excuses not to do something" (p. 139).
* "I have a theory: most church problems don't come from the abundance of sin but rather from a lack of vision. I'm not suggesting that there aren't sin problems or that those sin problems aren't serious. But in too many instances, there isn't enough vision to keep churches busy. Our vision isn't big enough to demand all our energies, so we manufacture petty problems to keep us busy" (p. 148).
* "Let me ask you a question: It might be the question. Which do you love more: your dream or God? Do you love God for what He can do for you? Or do you love Him for who He is? In its purest, mot primal form, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is loving God for God. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else" (p. 165).

I could go on and on, but I hope you get the drift. Mark has great insights and asks some tough questions whose answers are revealing.

Read Primal! And start practicing the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that should characterize all followers of Christ!

I've read Mark Batterson's blog for several years, and I reviewed one of his previous books a couple of years ago. When I heard his new book was coming out and his publisher invited me to review it, I looked forward to reading his latest project.

They sent me a review copy (that means I got this free from the publisher) a couple of weeks ago, and I looked forward to finishing my other reading so that I could pick this up.

What I liked about Batterson's Primal:

* The idea is terrific. I read the table of contents and got really excited about what Batterson wanted to do in this book. It's an extended look at the Great Commandment and what it means to love God with all our heart (compassion), soul (wonder), mind (curiosity), and strength (energy).
* The illustrations are great. He draws most of his illustrations, introductions, and stories from social science, brain science, psychology, and history. I don't read a lot of that and loved it (the story about heart transplant research is worth the price of the book).
* Batterson does something that no one else is doing. I like the fact that he's not saying, "Me too" with his writing.

What I didn't like:

* There's not a lot of logic to the book. Reading, especially reading books, involves the left brain-logical development. That means that words follow a certain order and that you make a statement, explain it, defend it, illustrate it, apply it, etc. Batterson doesn't do much of that. He often makes a statement and then follows that with an application or with another statement. I found myself asking, "Why?" a lot, and I found that he didn't explain himself very much. That was frustrating. Batterson writes a lot about right brain/left brain differences. But in this book, he spent most of his time in the right brain-writing creatively and ignoring explanations and logical development. I'm all for being creative and working in the right brain. But reading and writing is a left-brained activity and requires some logic.
* Most of his stories about himself have appeared elsewhere in previous books.

Honestly, I think he rushed this book. Most of the value lies in the illustrations. It feels like he didn't take a lot of time to develop his argument or think through what he was trying to say. Too much is left unsaid or under-developed.

Looking back at the book, I understand that this is a manifesto. It's a call to action. It's a call to a way of life. That means there won't be as much logical argument to it. But more of that would have been nice.

If you are interested in a short book with good illustrations to use in teaching on the great commandment, then I recommend this book.

Primal Compassion
I'm really good at noticing when something's wrong - especially when it's something wrong with someone else. At times, we all are enamored with pointing out the missteps of others. Yet Mark Batterson, in his new book Primal, cautions that "before confronting what's wrong in our culture, we need to be humble enough, honest enough, and courageous enough to repent of what wrong with us." The problem, he found, is that we're not as compassionate as we ought to be (I think we all can agree with him). The good news is that you can become part of the solution - but the solution "will require more than a face lift". It will require a change of heart. This heart-change in its most primal form is not doing something for God. It's receiving what He's done for you with a heart of gratitude and reflecting it in your life in a way that brings others to Christ.

Primal challenges the reader back to the Scriptural basics:
1. To your first love, primal love
2. To primal curiosity like you had when you first experienced the awesomeness of God
3. To primal creativity that consumes every ounce of your energy every waking moment.

Primal Curiosity
Have you ever been reading along and then began skipping through a familiar passage or chapter that did not necessarily arrest your attention? I do this when I'm rereading a book, even occasionally as I read through Scripture. Why do we do this? Mark Batterson, in his new book Primal, wonders if we are too easily satisfied with our study of Scripture or too easily dissatisfied with Scripture itself. Maybe that's why we're so infrequently astonished.

In Genesis 1, God himself was awed by His own creation. Incredible, isn't it? Mark wrote that God's "primal reaction was wonderment at His own work. It's almost as if God said, `I outdid myself, if I say so myself.' When we lose our sense of wonder, what we really lose is our soul". Our lack of wonder or curiosity is really a lack of love for the things of God. I, too, have discovered that the goal of knowing the Bible isn't Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God. As we grow spiritually, we'll speak less theoretically and more experientially because we'll actually have something worth talking about.

Primal Creativity
Our current reality is a byproduct of the imaginations of those who have gone on before us. A man's greatest assets are his ideas. Consequently, Mark Batterson, in his new book Primal, suggests that the church ought to be the most creative group on the planet. We ought to be continually challenging the status quo, but all too often we're guilty of defending it. Why do we struggle with this? Mark proposed that "it's far easier to find something wrong with something new than to admit something is wrong with the old way of doing things." Maintaining the status quo is quite simply poor stewardship.

Mark writes that we need fewer critics and more creators. We need fewer commentators and more inventors. We need fewer imitators and more dreamers. Success in any endeavor, he observed, is the byproduct of trying harder and trying longer. What you need is a vision from the heart of a compassionate God to your heart that captures your curiosity, harnesses every ounce of creativity in your soul, and consumes your energy every waking moment.

Check out Primal today and other titles from Mark Batterson. It'll change the way you love, think, and live.

If you are looking for a fresh-start read to inspire your spiritual New Year's resolutions, this book is perfect! The message is based on the Greatest Commandment to "love the Lord your God with all your HEART, SOUL, MIND, and STRENGTH." Batterson rephrases these concepts as compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy. Although expository in content, this book is approachable by even the non-Bible scholar. Maybe especially! Batterson's story telling and passion bring an oh-so-familiar passage to life. Very excited to see what happens with this book.

Mark Batterson's latest book, "Primal" (Multnomah, 2009), seeks to bring believers back to the point where they were one with God, to a simpler essence of faith before complicated elements of world and religion mask the "lost soul" of Christianity.

The lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC writes an informative book with many interesting points, but it doesn't really motivate. In fact, it's not all that different from a lot of helpful books being churned out by popular pastors, except this one could use some editing.

Besides taking a rather academic tone, the writing feels redundant. You've heard these points, or ones like them, in other books or sermons by other pastors. The stories seem predictable: interesting illustrations leading to obvious lessons. That's not to say the points have no value; they do. Ironically, they just fail to engage the reader on a more "primal" level.

Some of this might come from the fact that if you don't spend every day experiencing the kind of epiphanies Batterson apparently does, you might not be able to relate to some of the stories, or end up feeling your faith is inadequate.

The book is formatted in four parts: The Heart of Christianity, The Soul of Christianity, The Mind of Christianity and The Strength of Christianity. I just couldn't get excited about some of the more profound conclusions drawn throughout the book like these:

-- "The less you know God, the less you love Him. And the more you know God, the more you love him."

-- "If we are going to have an eternal impact on our culture, we just can't criticize it or copy it. We've got to create it."

-- "God ideas are like melting snowflakes. They are delicate things of beauty, but they have short shelf lives. If you don't capture them, they disappear forever. And the cost of lost opportunities is incalculable."

Instead having "ah hah" moments, I experienced more, "Well, duh..." moments. Perhaps I was expecting too much, given the book's title and was unfairly expecting the writing to ignite a flame in my soul. There is a lot of talk about that, but talking about it (or reading about it, apparently) doesn't make it happen. The part I related to the most was a section making the case that the church should be the most creative place on earth. I related, that is until Batterson asked, "When was the last time you thanked God for your metacognitive ability?"

Well, there I was feeling inadequate again. I never had thanked God for that because I didn't even know what it was. Thankfully a definition (it's your ability to think about how you think) is provided immediately, but it left me thinking that an editor should have suggested he just say that in the first place when apparently I should have been thinking about how I came up with that thought and then thanking God for it.

[...]

A free reviewer's copy of this book was provided by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I love the books that Mark Batterson writes. He is a brilliant author that will captivate your attention and imagination. Primal is no different; it is a great book.

The book is very simply laid out with an introduction and four main divisions that correlate directly with the "greatest commandment" found in Mark 12:30. He challenges us to love God will all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Could there every be a more rewarding way to spend our lives?

Here are some of the highlights of the book for me:

pg. 17 - "When you give your heart to Christ, Christ gives His heart to you."

pg. 35 - Concerning personal finances: "Establish an income ceiling. Enough will never be enough unless you determine how much is enough."

pg. 80 - "Obedience will open the eyes of your understanding far more than any commentary or concordance could."

pg. 83 - "The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God. Anything less is bibliolatry."

pg. 113 - "Creativity breeds change. And change threatens the status quo. It's far easier to find something wrong with something new than to admit something is wrong with the old way of doing things."

In closing, you will enjoy reading Primal. Batterson has a way of taking you to another place and time with his writing. He will transport you from your ordinary life and lift you up to the stars with inspiration, then leave you will the ability to make your ordinary life, extraordinary.

I am trying to contain myself as I write this review. I know that no one book is a "cure-all" for the reader, but I absolutely loved this book. I recommend it highly and will be giving it away to people as I get the chance.

The premise of the book is based on Mark 12:30, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Batterson takes the 4 aspects of the verse, "heart, soul, mind, and strength," and creates opportunities for the reader to do serious soul searching. There are pages in the book where I circled whole sections and simply wrote "Holy Crap" next to it! I didn't know what else to say...

My biggest "Holy Crap" moment came toward the end of the book. Mark does a great job throughout the book spurring you on to dream big dreams, connect with God, and allow His power be the force that drives the dreams we all have. So I am all into the dreaming thing. I even have a few dreams I have had for a while that are getting fresh coats of paint as I am reading through the book...but then page 165 happens...here is what it says:

"Let me ask you a question. It might be the question. Which do you love more: your dream or God? Do you love God for what He can do for you? Or do you love Him for who He is? In its purest, most primal form, Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is loving God for God. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else."

Don't know why I didn't see that coming, but it slapped me in the face....If you are looking for a great book to start of 2010 with, I recommend this one highly. It will inspire you to dream big, but more importantly, it will encourage you to maintain perspective. That is well worth the price of the book!

There seems to be surge of Christian books about getting back to the basic roots of faith without using words like "getting back to the basics of the faith". I guess titles like Primal (or Radical) seem more interesting and sell better to today's reader.

That snipe aside, Primal was more of a disappointment than I expected. Yes, the author makes some good points and builds the book on a great premise- the great commandment - which he labels the "primal" commandment,Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30.

He also builds his case with some scripture references, and more than a few good stories, anecdotes, and illustrations, that, more often than not become the foundation of the message, than the Scripture itself. Many of these stories recount the experience of the author. I know I'm in a minority here, but books like this tend to be fluffy and tasty, but provide little long-lasting sustenance. The concept is good, but, for me, it came up just a bit short. Primal is an interesting read, but not quite a primer on basic faith that would truly impact one long term.
It is also surprising that a book about a quest for the lost soul of Christianity, there would be little talk of true salvation, repentance, the cross, and the sovereign grace of God which provokes Godly living.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Let me just say it. I love Mark Batterson. In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is one of my all time favorite books. Now he's written another book: Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity and it's almost as good.

Batterson says we have a tendency to complicate Christianity. He suggests that we need to turn from all the modern schemes to promote Christianity, our churches, and our programs, and return to the basics of our faith. He says that Jesus simplified it in the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30), which Batterson calls the Primal Commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." He invites us to become astonished again. If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment.

In Primal, Mark Batterson explores the four elements of Great Commandment Christianity: compassion, wonder, curiosity, and power. Along the way, he calls us to become a part of God's reformation, starting in your own life.

He writes, "Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you? A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God? Maybe it was a sermon that became more than a sermon. Maybe it was a mission trip or retreat. Maybe it was a vow you made at an altar. In that moment, God birthed something supernatural in your spirit. You knew you'd never be the same again. My prayer is that this book would take you back to that burning bush--and reignite a primal faith."

Primal will help you live in light of what matters most and discover what it means to love God. It will help you become great at the Great Commandment. It would be a worthwhile book for your small group.

PRIMAL is a search into the soul of the modern Christian. Written by Pastor Mark Batterson, the book is a call to believers to reconnect with God in powerful, compelling, passionate ways. Primal is a hymn for the faithful and a love song to the Father.

Mark explores what it means to fulfill the Great Commandment, "to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind". This scripture rolls off the tongue and may even stir the heart but what exactly does it look like? How can we live out the most important directive; actually, honestly, sweatily, energetically, passionately?

He pairs off heart and compassion; soul and wonder; mind and curiosity; energy and strength describing how to live and walk and skip and run with God. It all adds up to love.

Batterson is like a nine year old kid with skinned knees, tussled hair, runny nose and big grin on his face. Chasing ducks and birds, gangly-legged, swinging at the sky, Batterson says, "Follow me. I'm chasing after God, gonna have some fun and get a little grimy and you can come too!"

Mark Batterson is going deeper with God. I can't wait to join him.
Amo Dei.