Have you ever read a book and felt like the person writing it could be writing about You. That's how I felt when I read Churched: One Kids Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess by Matthew Paul Turner.
This book really is a fun and insightful read about what its like growing up fundamentalist. Now I will admit I didn't have it nearly as bad as he did...I was only a Southern Baptist...but I remember hearing a lot of the same things and having a lot of the same questions as he describes in this book.
Matthew does a great job of pointing out the weirdness of being a fundamentalist without necessarily lampooning his subject matter. It is obvious that his experience helped to shape his spiritual life as my experience shaped mine. Sometimes that showed up as rebellion but other times it showed up as a new way to view a situation.
If you grew up "churched" or if you know people who did, this is a great way to really understand what you or those you know experience and why you or they are the way they are. I think the best aspect of this book is that it gives people like me, who are involved in the ministry, a better understanding of what some of our congregation has experience, and also can help us to better see some of the things that we are doing as a church that maybe are more about us feeling good about ourselves than us giving glory to God.
|
6 comments:
I would love to read this book.
OK. I'll start this ball rolling. I hope your "fundamentalist" background wasn't that bad. You turned out OK in the end, and that's what matters. I will never regret raising you in church and I think these nutjobs who say, "I'm not subjecting my children to any religion. I'll let them grow up and then decide for themselves what religion they want to choose", (oops, sorry if I'm being offensive to any nutjobs out there) aren't playing with a full deck. Instilling your fundamental or core beliefs in your children while they are young is part of your job as a responsible parent in my humble opinion, just as is instilling a sense of humanity, justice, right and wrong, good and evil, etc. And as flawed as many of them are, the best place to do this remains our local churches where we affiliate with fellow believers. No, I don't believe we can just as easily meet God alone on the golf course or the lake with a fishing rod. We need corporate worship with fellow believers. The Bible tells us that. Now if we have 3 other families at a house on the lake and our Bibles in our hands and someone leading us.........that is another story.
OK, TJ. I'll be the first.
This is a book I think my kids should read. Though we're not 'Fighting Fundamentalists,' nor even any kind of Baptist, my kids are PK's of an evangelical pastor. I think PK's see more empty religiosity and 'churchiosity' than most and are impacted by how it affects their heroes (parents).
The concerns I've observed (after 30+ years as pastor) from those who are raised in churches (I was not, thankfully) surround whether people are authentic, loving, and pursuing the dynamics that are at the core of Christ's Church.
I'm interested in getting this book to my sons. Thanks for highlighting it for us.
If I post 5 times in a row, does that count? ;) Since my car eats better than I do these days, fun money for fun purchases usually don't exist. I'd love to share a copy with somebody. Great blog by the way :)
I'm definitely going to check out this book. I'm sure I can relate too...my elementary school was very Baptist. I even remember getting in an argument with my 5th/6th grade (yes, they were combined) teacher about how Christian rap is "okay."
I hope my comment didn't come across as mean because I didn't mean it to be mean. Somewhat like Jessica Rabbit, sometimes it just reads that way. If you know me at all (I'm TJ's mom, by the way), then you know he IS the Golden Child and he can do no wrong. If I ever had a problem with what he said, I would call him on the phone and not air it here in front of his adoring fans. But I really can't imagine that scenario......
Post a Comment