Customer Reviews

Pure Scum: The Left-Out, the Right-Brained and the Grace of God

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I have just finished reading "Pure Scum" by Mike Sares and would encourage people not be put off by the title. It is a beautifully written testimony to the wide diversity of followers of Jesus Christ. It is an invitation to the uninvited. It extends a welcome to the unwelcome. It truly speaks to the left-out and the right-brained with the grace of God. I highly recommend it!
Temoleon G. Rousos, Ed.D.
Professor Emeritus
The University of Toledo

In his book, Pure Scum, Mike Sares shares in brutal honesty the struggles, surprises and intense joys that occur when he decides to follow Jesus into no-man's'-land and co-pastor a church with Reese Roper in Denver known as Scum of the Earth Church. Focusing his attention on those who had, for some reason or another, felt shunned by "the church" Mike led a community of those thirsty for God and for something real to join into.

Five Iron Frenzy fans will enjoy this book as it gives some touching insight as to how they attained Dennis Culp as a band member and the member's special relationship to the man who would become pastor, friend and mentor.

You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?--Bob Dylan, "Like a Rolling Stone."

Pastor Sares had a hard road into pastoral ministry, filled with detours, losses, and laments. Yet he persevered. Along the way, God gave signs to match Mike's vision for bringing the matchless Gospel to the left out: Goths, Punks, the homeless, the outcasts of all sorts. It all ended up with an evangelical church called Scum of the Earth, a congregation I (a stuffy intellectual) have been honored to address many times since its beginning.

In this meditation-memoir, Pastor Sares tells a heart-breaking yet heartening story of pastoring some difficult and demanding people, those can cannot or won't fit in at another church. Along the way, he reflects on biblical passages and themes that guide his steps: the need to be honest with God, ourselves, and others; the radical demands of love; the significance of real risk in ministry; and much more.

One of the most touching stories is that of Gothic Sean, a mentally disturbed and substance-abusing young man who was also an evangelist in downtown Denver. I met him one night after preaching at Scum. He was dressed in a black...dress, had on eye-liner--and asked a very good question related to my message. Gothic Sean fought to get free of his addictions, and to find mental health. Pastor Sares did all he could be the shepherd that Sean needed. Yet Sean froze to death on the streets of Boulder, Colorado. Pastor Sares includes his sermon from Sean's funeral, which is worth the price of his unique and challenging book.

I am a huge Five Iron Frenzy fan and an InterVarsity alum, so I was elated when I heard that the pastor of Five Iron Frenzy wrote a book through IVP. In fact, so much that I debated whether to order next day shipping for $4 extra. That being said, I hope to have an unbiased review...

One of the best things about this book is the many real-life testimonies that can be examples of the often preached "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Mike Sares shares many of his own stories of God's faithfulness, following God's call, and how to love those who don't fit the cookie-cutter Christian mold.

The three chapters (7-9) of Broken, Loss, and Art are pure gold. The personal examples of loving others despite the costs, continuing to love without condoning sin, and displaying unconventional art to bring glory to God. I have read several Christian books and never have I come across such examples that model this type of love in a modern context.

As I was reading Art (Chapter 9), I anticipated the publication of the notorious F-Bomb poem "Lost & Found" (mentioned in online articles and some Scum of the Earth sermon podcasts) by Mary Kate Makkai. To my slight disappointment, majority of the poem was there with some of Sares' commentary of the situation in place the controversial parts. While I understand that it may cause a ton of controversy for the publisher and the author, I was really looking forward to the experiencing the beauty of that poem in its entirety. However, I am glad that Sares provided the entire background regarding that issue which many online articles failed to address.

Some of the lessons in this book I have heard or read before in Christian circles/literature, but the examples and experiences of Mike Sares are very unique and can serve as a great model for Christians who seek to truly love others who are different from themselves.

This book is for those who hunger for honesty that isn't preachy and can be connected to in deep and meaningful ways. In Pure Scum, Mike Sares recounts his journey of learning his connection to his Creator and the purpose he was given from the very beginning. He starts with his roots and carries you through every pivotal up and down point until the present and how they shaped his world view, his faith, and the relationships he has with those around him. Every decision somehow intertwined with the next in a way that was later shown to be the foundation of the ministry Mike has been used to build and nurture. The important part of all of this is that he never once paints the commonly misconceived picture that you accept Jesus as your savior, it's all clear, everything is easy, everything makes sense. In fact, he shares just how downright frustrating and even infuriating it can often be when we realize we have to relinquish our own control and preconceived notions of how life should play out, and just learn to walk in faith and live each day loving those around us abundantly. By abundantly I mean, loving them even when it tears your heart out and you think you're just too drained to care anymore. He shows that it's not always knowing the answers that matters, but having faith the right answers will come even when you are scared or afraid of what the outcome may be. The insight he shares to back this up will cause any person to have courage to take on the lofty task of being obedient to God's call, even when that call doesn't immediately make sense.

Your story may not be the same as his, but you will still relate to this book because his story is one about a normal man who loves his family and God and set out to love others. He conveys this message through lighthearted humor and intelligent, introspective commentary. You will see that leaps of faith in the face of fear yield great blessing. You will see that unconditional love is as rewarding as it is heart wrenching. He reveals just how beautiful each and every one of us can be in spite of our depravity when we allow God's love to guide us. Really, this is a love story. A love story about how our Savior loves all of us, even the ugliest of hearts. We are all scum, we are all beautiful, we are all loved.

There are important things in "Pure Scum" that struck me in the moment of reading them; now other things from it -- lasting truths -- pop into my head variously during the day. That is testament to its value. Perhaps the book's most appealing trait -- like that of the Scum church Mike Sares oversees -- is its straightforwardness. In pulling no punches, the author gives us a warts-and-all account of himself and his congregation -- and in doing so he humbly challenges an increasingly self-sufficient Western church to consider its own place (and condition) in the big scheme: that the only sane way to navigate this punishing yet wondrous life is to see ourselves as natives of Loserville, whence our Strength derives. I'm no punk, no skater, no goth, but Sares persuasively places me among them all (and them alongside me) as irreplaceable parts that none of us can do without -- and he demonstrates just how in these pages. You'll gladly be disabused of any respectable notion of a faith journey and reminded of the paradoxical ways God goes about sanctifying his earthly creatures. Some of the practices that Scum's young faithful have employed instinctively -- such as serving a full communal meal in the middle of worship services -- are theologically based in history (in this case, the medieval-period notion of hospitality) -- practices that are becoming increasingly trendy as they are vetted by more "culturally sensitive" mission leaders. By contrast, Scum started their practices out of sheer need, desperately hungry to establish what can only be termed a survival community; indeed, Sares shows us just how life-and-death each day can be for some of his parishioners. The book's later chapters immerse us in the full spectrum of life, death, madness and love as they variously occur in this congregation's short yet enduring life-span. Chapter by chapter, Scum itself becomes a clear emblem of the basic human condition and of the Church's relation to that condition. (The closing chapter, "Scum Benediction," should be gently nailed to the doors of every church, evangelical, mainline, liturgical or Orthodox.) Refreshingly, none of this is alienating to the reader -- on the contrary, we find ourselves affirmed in our own journey by a tender pastor whose call is not just to the marginalized but to all who aspire to follow Christ in the most basic and genuine way. And we realize from our encounter with Scum: Is there any other way to follow him? "Pure Scum" (from the literal Greek used by Paul in First Corinthians) is a timely yet timeless message, meant for readers of all kinds.

Awesome. I never finish a reading a book unless it is worth finishing, and this book I read in two sittings (with the occasional interruption of keeping my one-year-old from destroying the house, of course!)

As the winds of change blow in my own life, it is absolutely soothing to read the story of someone who followed the exhilirating and sometimes ludicrous call of Christ... and followed it well. Wild applause, Mike! Thank you!

Pure Scum was a book I didn't want to put down! This made for a late night, but was very worth it! Mike Sares captures humor, sorrow, joy and authenticity in each chapter bringing the reader into the story with him. "Risk" and "Love" were my favorite chapters. As with each chapter they are more than just a story of one church and one man following God. They are filled with the truth of who God is and what it is like when broken people follow Him. Please read expecting to laugh and cry. May you be blessed as I was through reading Pure Scum.

This is a rare book.
I read a lot. I've read 29 books this year, and the year is not half over. Very rarely, I'll discover a book that makes me want to go out and buy every copy I can get my hands on to give away to friends, family and even complete strangers. "Pure Scum" is that type of book.
Mike Sares is the head pastor at Scum of the Earth Church in Colorado. He opens up in this book about the church and shares his experiences, both good and bad. He is so honest in sharing his feelings, that I felt, at times, that I was sitting across the table at Starbucks, listening to him pour his heart out, instead of reading a book.
Along with those stories, he also drops bits of wisdom all over the place. And not the stuffy kind of wisdom you would expect from a pastor, but easy to understand wisdom, often wrapped in blankets of humor.
"As a follower of Jesus you have to do what you have to do, even if it means being interrupted."
That one sentence hit me like a brick! When you read it in the context of the rest of the chapter, I think it might hit you, too.
That happened a lot with this book.
If you are a Christian, or if you are fed-up with 'Churcy' churchs, or even if you just wonder what its like to lead a group of punks, geeks, goths and losers in following Jesus, you need this book.