10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) [Hardcover]

Rev. Oliver Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

"How did it all begin?"  "What happens when we die?"  These are just two of the questions Reverend Oliver "Buzz" Thomas hears centrist Christians asking as he travels across the U.S. and he knows that their voices are not being heard.  They're people of faith, not of politics, and they want more from their religion than a voter's guide. In 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: But Can't Because He Needs the Job, Rev. Thomas has written a book that will become the liberal Christian answer to The Purpose Driven Life. He writes sensitively about the reason we were put on this earth, the significance of the Bible and how one pleases God. He answers difficult, contemporary questions like "What about homosexuality?" and "What about other faiths?". In 10 Things, Rev. Thomas weaves a Christian theology for today that people will embrace as a guide to sensible, modern living.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Christianity, "like Islam, is in danger of being hijacked by a militant minority of fundamentalists," writes Thomas, a Southern Baptist minister and constitutional lawyer active in public debates about religion, science and education. In this short book, he takes on today's big religious questions: homosexuality, the place of women, evolution vs. creationism, the plausibility of miracles, religious pluralism, life after death and others. Thomas's writing is clear and engaging, if occasionally flip ("This book is written for all the people who want to live lives of purpose... without having to put their brains in their pockets"). Taking on popular religious writers like Tim LaHaye and Rick Warren, Thomas argues against many conservative interpretations of biblical texts and sides with those who understand them as written by humans in a particular time and context far removed from the 21st century. Little in the book will be new to readers of contemporary religious newspapers or magazines, who may find its brevity disproportional to its price tag. But for those who have not yet been exposed to the religious debates taking place in the public forum, this concise book serves as a good introduction. (Mar. 22)
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Review

"A fascinating read, regardless of religious or political affiliation."--Book Page

"Thomas's 108-page easy-read is a clear, intelligent presentation of many of the issues on the ragged edge of the cultural divide growing in America between religious conservatives and religious liberals."--Tulsa World

"Just about the time you thought Jesus was coming again toting a gun, waving a flag, bashing his gay brothers and sisters, angling for a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and auditioning for a gig on Hannity & Colmes, Buzz Thomas has the audacity to remind us to look for the real thing--the Jesus who spoke of love, considered the lilies of the field and the sparrow on the wing, called for the distribution of wealth to the widow and orphan and the lame and the halt, and informed selfish rich people to prepare for judgment while 'the least of these' are moved to the head of the line. Is Timothy LaHaye in for a surprise or not?"--Bill Moyers

"As a lifelong advocate for justice and for teaching that strong faith can coexist with tolerance of other views, Rev. Oliver Thomas has never been afraid to challenge the status quo."--Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of the Children's Defense Fund

"Buzz Thomas makes God accessible even for those who find church difficult."--Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, former General Secretary of the National and World Councils of Churches

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312363796
• ISBN-13: 978-0312363796
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good news for intelligent Christians, August 18, 2008

By 

William Carpenter (Charlotte,NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) (Hardcover)

An absolute revelation!10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) For millions of life long/thinking Christians who feel swept out of the church by the Evangelical (fundamentalist) flood of the last two decades, this book is the ultimate reassurance. In just a few pages, and with a clarity that most liberal theologians never approach, Rev/Counselor Thomas finally explains that knot in the collective stomach of main line parishioners, now marginalized by the new church of God Lite. Finally, a thoughtful believer unafraid to challenge the Jesus-on-a-tee-shirt crowd.... with the very biblical text they habitually misapply! In just over a hundred pages, the God box of contemporary, consumer driven American Christianity is torn open and the Creator is restored to the mysterious, awesome nature that rightfully and historically are God's realm. A very important and very enjoyable read.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Returning to the Core of Christianity - Love and Humility, June 9, 2008

By 

Peter Kobs "Peter Kobs" (Battle Creek, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) (Hardcover)

The Rev. Buzz Thomas is one of those rare birds we don't get to see very often -- a Southern Baptist preacher who embraces a modern understanding of Christianity. If militant fundamentalism -- of any stripe -- makes you shiver, this little book is just what the doctor ordered.

Rev. Thomas begins his narrative with a quote from one of his mentors, a fellow minister who said: "Religion is what you live. The rest is little more than pious platitudes." From this simple beginning, we embark on a fun, factual and fascinating trip through the hottest religious issues of the day, including:

-- Evolution vs. creationism
-- Science and faith
-- God's purpose for our lives
-- Biblical "inerrancy"
-- Miracles and their historical context
-- The role of women in the church
-- Homosexuality
-- Death and heaven
-- The end of times

Each major point is backed up with citations not only from the Bible but also from Christian history, archaeology, linguistics and the author's extensive knowledge of how they all fit together. Thomas demonstrates in the clearest terms possible that one can be a fully functioning, fully engaged Christian without descending into fundamentalist hypocrisy or intellectual prevarication.

Thomas main message is simple: God is love, so let's live our lives accordingly. To be a good Christian, you don't have to hate gays or Charles Darwin. You don't have to read the Bible like a science textbook or some ethereal document transcribed by angels. You don't have to treat women like second-class citizens. And you certainly don't have to be a "purist" (modern day Pharisee) who selectively adheres to some parts of the Bible when its convenient to advance a particular political agenda.

Many years ago Thomas' favorite poet -- Carl Sandburg -- was asked to name the dirtiest word in the English language. Sandburg said: the word "EXCLUSIVE."

That's the clever segue into Thomas' bottom line: When we seek to exclude our fellow human beings from the love of God by building walls of hatred and doctrinal exclusion, we fail as Christians. When we claim to speak for God, we end up speaking only for ourselves. Kyrie eleison.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, Compassionate, and Well-reasoned, December 29, 2007

By 

J. Crisp (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) (Hardcover)

I met Rev. Thomas at a banquet last year. I had no idea at the time that he was an ordained minister, but he certainly left me with peace and hope. The banquet was an introduction to a scholarship program maintained by the Niswonger Foundation, of which Rev. Thomas is the executive director. I made it to the "second round" of the process but failed to proceed further.

Though Rev. Thomas and I didn't have any contact past my scholarship interview, he has certainly made an impact on my life through this book. We live in an age where ignorance masquerades as wisdom if only the right buttons are pushed. (For example, politicians no longer have to convince citizens of their judgment and integrity; they merely have to dig up enough dirt on their opponent to fill a 60-second TV advertisement.) This sickening trend permeates the Church as well. Pastors and theologians simply skip right on over the "difficult verses" while claiming the "moral high-road" of biblical literalism. The congregation blindly follows their clergy, asserting that whatever is said from the pulpit has God's seal-of-approval.

But, that's not the end-all, be-all of Christianity. Rev. Thomas gives substantial hope to centrist or progressive believers like myself, who would rather promote extreme love instead of extreme hate as the message of the Gospel. This isn't a textbook, however, so don't expect a whole lot of in-depth analysis. Rev. Thomas simply tells it as it is: concisely, compassionately, and reasonably.

One reviewer didn't recommend shoppers to buy this book for their more fundamentalist friends. I wholeheartedly disagree! Christians of all stripes should be exposed to different points of view! When we surround ourselves solely with people who agree with us, it is very easy to think our views are universally correct, providentially sanctioned, and water-tight. Even if readers get angry, they're thinking.

That's one thing Rev. Thomas has done for me from the beginning. He makes me think.