caught somewhere between real life, simple faith, & raw emotion
Posts tagged 10 Things I Hate About Christianity
People Talking Down-Under
015 years
My book gets people talking. If you haven’t noticed, I want to do whatever I can to help people connect with and dialogue about God. I wrote a book filled with all my failings and misgivings and gave it an outrageous title in order to facilitate that. Here is what someone down-under (Australia) mentioned about my book. If you go to the link direct you can join the comments. There are about 70 so far.
Sunday, September 06, 2009 by Bryan Patterson
Jason T. Berggren is a man of faith who is not crazy about Christianity. He received a stack of hate mail after recently publishing his book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity.
In the book, Berggren, a former pastor and heavy metal rocker, admits that Christian faith may look ludicrous to non-Christians. He attacks the silly rituals and hypocrisy that sometimes accompany Christian faith.
He asks the questions that confront many believers – why can’t we own up to the fact that people struggle with concepts such as prayer, sin, hell and going to church? And why our problems don’t get any easier because we pray or go to church? Why do we have to love everyone? Why does it all seem so hard?
“Faith will not solve every problem,” he says. “It won’t fix all your acne and help you get a really pretty girlfriend.’’
###
Great Story
015 years
Here is a great story on me and my book. It starts off hilarious:
“…Jason T. Berggren says some Christians wish the worst
for him, hoping he’ll join the devil in that fiery place so the
red-horned guy can stick the author with a huge fork.”
for him, hoping he’ll join the devil in that fiery place so the
red-horned guy can stick the author with a huge fork.”
Sacramento Interview
215 years
So a few weeks ago the Sacramento Book Review rated my book. It was a great review, and I was very thankful.
But wait there’s more!
Soon after the review posted they contacted me to inform me that the review was getting a ton of hits. Imagine a book with a title like 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith would attract attention? As a result they wanted to do an interview.
This was significant because they review hundreds of books but do very few interviews. Plus, never before had they done an interview with a non-fiction author. And never before had they done one about faith/religion.
That was an awesome feeling.
So click here if you want to listen to it.
Another Book Review
015 years
Here is another review of my book. It is by John Kennedy over at Goodreads.com: My favorite line is, “I haven’t been this
excited about a book for a long time.” Read it all below:
Rating:
Berggren,
a former pastor and a first-time writer, has a knack for storytelling.
He has done a tremendous job in giving voice to the frustrations that
Christians experience. The Christian life is confusing. Our problems
don’t disappear simply because we go to church or pray harder. There is
a lot about the faith that we can’t explain, and to pretend otherwise
is disingenuous.
To the non-Christian, faith sometimes looks ludicrous. But, as
Berggren explains, :With faith it’s strangely possible to acknowledge
the unexplained, face it, embrace it and move forward. Berggren
transparently offers many life lessons of failure. He shows that we
don’t have all the answers, but that struggles done with genuine
questions can be rewarding.
The book is humorous, relevant and thought-provoking and makes a
person examine his own belief sentence. I hope we can do it as a small
group study. Along with the just-read “Crazy Love,” I haven’t been this
excited about a book for a long time.
***
New Book Review
015 years
Another review of my book popped up last week. Here it is:
10 Things I Hate About Christianity…
I recently finished reading “10 Things I Hate About Christianity”
by Jason Berggren. Let me start by sharing the best quote of the book
that is interestingly enough found in the acknowledgments, “And
thanks to Bill LaMorey. He has been one of my best and most necessary
friends. Without a doubt, he is the funniest person I have ever
known…” He goes on to say other nice things, but I do have to keep my pride in check after this past weekend’s message.
In
all seriousness, I quoted that as a form of disclosure. I am not, nor
can be, unbiased about Jason. We are friends, went to Bible College
together, were roommates, worked on a church staff together, etc. So,
forget about objectivity and let me just tell you what I liked about
the book.
Jason, in real life and in his book, is nothing if not
honest. Sometimes, uncomfortably honest. He does not gloss over tough
topics or wrap up unresolved resolve them. In his book he does this to the Christian
faith in a way that is relevant to both Christians desiring honest
examinaissues with pretty paper and a tidy bow so
they look appealing. Instead he painstakingly (and painfully sometimes)
unwraps certain issues that are challenging and uncomfortable in order
to process and tion as well as those that are kicking the tires of Christianity
to check it out.
In “10 Things I Hate…” Jason tackles some
tough topics (10 of them as you might have imagined) like Sin, Hell and
even Christians. He does so not only with honesty, but also with wit
and humor. There are some HILARIOUS stories throughout; my favorite is
the Messianic Rabbi kicking the band Strongarm out of the temple
because parents were concerned that their music was opening a porthole
to hell (ya can’t have kids falling through that)! It is helpful that
Jason shares his struggle with each of these things, but also shares
how he worked through these frustrations. And in some cases how he is
still in the process of doing so. Some of these insights will surely be
helpful to people dealing with similar doubts and struggles. I would
agree with our mutual friend Bob Franquiz who said that the chapter on prayer was perhaps the best.
If
you find yourself wrestling with elements of the Christian faith, this
is a great book to get into some thoughtful, raw discourse about things
that still baffle you or drive you crazy about Christianity.
And if you want some really funny stories about Jason that are not published, just let me know…
By Bill LaMorey
***
So in the spirit of full disclosure, Bill is one of my best friends. You may be thinking that means he’s biased. He is….against me. He’s not afraid to say when (and if) I suck. So this review means a lot. You can go to his site and read the original post here.
Michelle Obama Said “No” To Me
315 years
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned how I recently struck up a friendship with Mark Hughes, author of Buzzmarketing. He asked me how he could help me. I said that I felt I really needed a one-line endorsement from somebody big for the front of my book. I explained that I had in fact asked a few people, but that they had said no (they were too busy). I figured, because of the title, it was a lost cause. Plus, I really felt like having an unknown do it wouldn’t really add anything. He agreed.
As I said, Mark told me not to give u, but go bigger. And we put a list of people together. I was hesitant because many of the people he mentioned were philosophically at the other end of the spectrum. I wondered if that might be disingenuous.He, of course, said that didn’t matter…that matters of faith are transcendent. Once he said that, I knew he was right. He emphasized the important thing was to get my message out.
So Bill Clinton got back to me and said “no.” Well…last week First Lady Michelle Obama got back to me as well. Guess what? As I suspected, she can’t endorse 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith by Jason T. Berggren either. Here is the official letter from the White House to me:
Dear Jason:
Thank you for writing the Office of the First Lady. On behalf of Mrs. Obama, I would like to thank you for your letter.
Unfortunately, White House policy prevents Mrs. Obama from endorsing, commenting on, or promoting books, products, or other commercial ventures. Therefore, she is unable to honor your request.
Sincerely,
Office of the First Lady
***
Found Another Review of My Book
015 years
I stumbled upon another recent review of my book. And by stumbled upon, I mean I surf the web every night looking for them. It’s over at Amazon.com and here’s what the reviewer said:
“I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I picked up this book, but I
absolutely loved it and couldn’t put the book down, once I got started.
Jason Berggren goes into just about every complaint you’ve ever heard
about Christianity, whether or not you’re a believer in Jesus: the
trouble with faith, the “fantasy” aspect of the Jesus story, how people
interpret the meaning of heaven and hell (and how we end up in either),
the hypocrisy of Christians, the answers we can’t necessarily find in
the Bible, the way some people pick and choose rules to enforce and
then tell us we’ll go to hell if we don’t obey, how sometimes just
being in the wrong church makes us feel uncomfortable.
I’m sure a lot of Christians have felt these frustrations, as have
people looking in from the outside — maybe thinking about joining a
church or just observing things like the fact that folks with the fish
symbol are as bad about cutting them off in traffic as anyone else or
wondering why it is that those Jesus freaks use such weird expressions.
He does talk about the catch words used by Christians. I loved that
because there are some expressions that really bug me, which I won’t
even repeat in church when everyone else is using them.
I really loved the fact that this book was so reassuring. I didn’t
agree with absolutely everything the author had to say, but a good
portion of it rang true to me and I often thought, “Yes! Exactly!”
My favorite part is the bit during which the author talks about
answers and one of the questions he says we can actually answer is,
“Speaking of the flood, how could all those animals fit in Noah’s ark?”
He says it’s actually pretty easy to answer this one and goes into the
math. The closing sentence: “So all the animals and supplies could
feasibly (and easily) fit in the ark. Now, the smell is another subject
altogether.”
I love this author’s sense of humor. He has a relaxed writing style
and rambles a bit, but still does an excellent job of hitting a lot of
salient complaints about Christianity. He has done a lot of thinking
and talking, pondering and questioning and the book is filled with his
thoughts. Highly recommended, whether you’re a Christian or just
someone who is curious about what could possibly irritate a Christian
about his own religion.”
-Reviewed by N. Horner
***
Sacramento Book Review
115 years
Here is a recent review of my book as it appeared in the Sacramento Book Review:
“First, let’s get something straight: Author Jason Berggren is
neither atheist nor agnostic; rather, he’s a pretty middle-of-the-road
Christian fellow who has written a somewhat humorous, quite
introspective and not the least bit ranting dissertation on the things
which bug him about Christianity. This not a tirade against
Christianity from the point of view of a person in another religion,
but more like the private observations of the frailties of the religion
and its flock from the perspective of an insider.
Once I grabbed the overall concept of the book as such, it was a
pleasant surprise to see such candor from someone of the born-again
Christian faith in print. For the author’s first book, he’s done a fine
job and I recommend it. When I got to chapter 10 the book reached its
crescendo. The most fallible thing about any institution is of course
its people, and sometimes the behavior of our peers can be downright
embarrassing. It was refreshing to hear from an insider how difficult
things can be for a moderate Christian and to be reminded that there
are good and great people struggling with the challenges of all their
respective faiths.”
-Reviewed by John Cloutman
***
Bill Clinton Rejected Me
315 years
I recently struck up a friendship with Mark Hughes, author of Buzzmarketing. He asked me how he could help. I said that I felt I really needed a one-line endorsement from somebody big for the front of my book. I explained that I had in fact asked a few people, but that they had said no (they were too busy). I figured, because of the title, it was a lost cause. Plus, I really felt like having an unkown do it wouldn’t really add anything. He agreed.
Mark told me not to give up and go bigger. And we put a list of people together. I was hesitant because many of the people he mentioned were philosophically at the other end of the spectrum. I wondered if that might be disingenuous. He, of course, said that didn’t matter…that matters of faith are transcendent. Once he said that, I knew he was right. He emphasized the important thing was to get my message out.
On that list was former president Bill Clinton. Yesterday I got my formal response in the mail. And? Nope…William Jefferson Clinton can’t endorse 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith by Jason T. Berggren. Of course, I didn’t think he would. And I can’t help but picture him saying, “I did not have an endorsement relationship with that man, Mr. Berggren!”
It’s not often that you can be rejected by a president of the USA. It’s a real honor, of sorts. I thought you might like to read the letter:
Dear Mr. Berggren,
On behalf of President Bill Clinton, I would like to thank you for your interest in requesting his participation in your upcoming book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of worthy inquiriries that he recieves, as well as the tremendous demands on his time, President Clinton is unable to contribute to as many of these requests as he would like.
President Clinton and I [his Chief Operating Officer] wish you all the best and success in this work and your future endeavors. We appreciate your understanding.
Sincerely,
William J. Clinton Foundation
55 W. 125th St., NY, NY 10027
***
Hilarious!
015 years
So a couple of weeks ago it was Father’s Day. I know it’s a little late, but I had to make mention of this.
I was surfing around the web when I stumbled upon a hilarious, and maybe the best, Father’s Day gift recommendation.
Here’s what the site said:
Could this be a great Father’s Day gift?
I know it may be shocking that I am choosing to recommend a book with a title like this…
10 Things I Hate About Christianity
…but it really is a wonderful new book by Jason T. Berggren, which I
happen to think would make a great Father’s Day gift. I’ve been reading
through it over the past few weeks, lured in by the title and kept
engaged by the content. Berggren is casual but sincere and
thought-provoking. He shares his own life experience with honest
emotion and humble examples of his own struggles. It is the male
version of coffee talk — shooting the breeze at first, to loosen up,
and then leaning hard on the table to discuss the real stuff life is
made of.
10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith is a book written by an ordinary man, with ordinary questions about
faith, life, and how to combine reality and spiritual pursuits in a
culture that both questions and challenges the existence of Christ and
the hope of an eternal life through faith in Him alone.
It is
a good, solid read. Not too heady. Not too emotional. Just perfect for
a man. And just as perfect for a woman desiring a more level-headed,
less than flowery language to engage their heart and their mind in the
journey [of faith]…
***
Hilarious! Amazing and honored is all I can say. And if you don’t know I have a great 2 for $20 deal on the book on my site.
New Interview About Hating…
015 years
[Here’s an interview I just did. Enjoy!]
***
Jason T. Berggren has written a book entitled 10 Things I Hate About Christianity (X-Media). Before you reach for the pitchfork, hear the young man out.
Faith,
prayer, the Bible, church, Christians and even love are all problematic
for Mr. Berggren, but he writes as a committed Christian—his book is
subtitled Working Through the Frustration of Faith.
A member of the nondenominational North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Mr. Berggren spoke recently with staff writer Mary Jacobs.
So what do you hate the most about Christianity?
I
think that the most difficult aspect of my faith is love. Ever since I
can remember, I’ve been thinking about myself. To put others first is a
challenge, to be honest.
I’d like to qualify that these are 10
things I hate about Christianity. I don’t hate Christianity. That word
“about” is there for a reason and it’s an important distinction.
Why should Methodists listen to what you hate about Christianity?
The
average church has 80 percent turnover every two years, so I just wrote
this book for that 80 percent. I put a lot of real life in here. I am
trying to drill down on what it means to have an authentic faith. Like
a lot of people, I get tired of pretense and seemingly hidden agendas
and formulaic type things. I’m talking about everything that we
followers talk about behind closed doors. I just throw it out in the
open. It’s a great way to get people to talk about Jesus in a diverse
audience.
Have you done that?
Yeah. I got on ABC News. That’s pretty diverse.
One of the questions you’re getting a lot: Why’d you use the word hate?
I
wrestled with using the word and I batted the idea around with a few
friends. They were always on both sides of this. It’s like a lightning
rod. Some were saying, “Can’t you use ‘really, really don’t like’?”
Others said, “You can only think of 10 things? I can think of about
30.”
It’s a passionate and an honest word. I use it for that
deep sense of dissatisfaction that can propel you to move forward. Like
the feeling I get on New Year’s Day when I look in the mirror at myself
and say, “I hate the way you look, Jason. You’ve gotta change
something.” It’s that angst-ridden frustration that can move you
forward. On the back of the book, the definition I have is, “a feeling
of dislike so strong that it demands action.”
Hate, of course, is used throughout the Bible, and I thought the context in which I used it worked and was appropriate.
If you hate all this stuff, why are you still a Christian?
Because
I know it’s true. What I’m doing in this book is what the Apostle Paul
says in the book of Philippians: to work out your salvation. This book
is just me working it out and working it through.
But if there’s all this negative stuff around Christianity, what still holds you?
God
is real and Jesus rose from the dead. There is nothing more hopeful and
positive and real to me than being reconciled with our Creator, no
matter how messy or difficult or confusing it can be. It’s the only
reason I have any peace and hope and sanity in my life. My faith gives
me the ability to navigate the unknown. I know there’s purpose to my
life and there’s value in each experience, or there can be.
Does your book offer any prescriptions for how we can be better Christians?
I
just don’t present problems. I come to personal resolutions. They may
not be the resolutions that everyone will come to out of their
experience. But the point is, there is a way to work through your faith
and a process to come to resolution.
I have a chapter about
Christians and about church. I have what I deem to be some of my own
solutions gathered through my own experiences.
Such as?
One thing Christians can do is just talk normal.
Well, hallejujah and amen to that, brother.
Exactly!
Say you’re at work, and someone asks, “How was your weekend?” and the
Christian says, “Blessed.” What the heck does that mean? Drop the
“hallelujah” and “in the spirit” and “quickening” and all these phrases
that alienate people. I think we need to be careful when we’re around
people who aren’t Christians. The biggest challenge Jesus gives us is
to make disciples. When we alienate people, we get in the way of that.
You write that you hate the Bible, in part, because it’s boring.
I get a lot of hate mail on that.
But
that implies that the Bible should be entertaining. Which, one could
argue, could spring out of a very 21st-century American sense of
entitlement.
Portions of the Bible are boring. That’s just
the reality. I’m not trying to make excuses for it; it’s just the
truth. The flip side of that is when I began my journey of faith
someone gave me a King James Version, and they were fairly dogmatic
that I really needed to study that version. For a 16- or 17-year-old, a
King James Version has enough thees, thous, thines and hithertos—it’s
just going to be a barrier. We don’t talk like that. The King’s English
just isn’t very helpful. So I moved onto a more modern translation of
the Bible. That really helped me as I read through the Scriptures. 
But you must still find something compelling about the Bible, if you’re still a Christian. What is that?
I
get a history of God’s interactions with humanity and his reconciling
us to himself. From the very beginning with the first sin, and the
prophecy that the Messiah would come, and God saying that he would
bruise a serpent’s head, to the very end when Jesus comes back—you’re
making me get all theological here!—to the very end in Revelation with
the white throne judgments!
And would there be anything else?
(Laughs.)
Really, that’s a story of God reuniting us with him until the very end.
It’s a messy history. And in fact, that’s what gives it validity to me.
If the Bible were manipulated by powerful people to control others,
they wouldn’t leave in all the gruesome details.
Or the boring ones.
Yes. They would make people more perfect, and they would frame God in a different light.
Did you take mainline Protestant churches to task in your book?
I
do deal with “high church” ceremony, ritual, repetition—being really
stuck in a way of doing something that doesn’t appeal to the culture.
I’m not saying change the message; I’m saying maybe adjust the strategy
to integrate into culture.
I visited a very traditional church
that wasn’t Methodist with a friend and my wife, who had been there for
many years. We were there 3-1/2 hours—between the service and the
coffee and donuts—but no one said “hi” to us. They said “hi” to my
wife, who is drop-dead gorgeous, but no one said “hi” to us. I know I’m
a big, bald, mean-looking guy, but not one person said “hi” to us.
There was this real insider focus and that’s not right.
I think
we’ve really got to not compromise our doctrine or our theology, but
maybe our style needs to morph a little bit. I just think the essential
goal is we’ve got to represent that Jesus is alive and God is real with
excellence and passion in how we do things. What we do has to represent
that reality.
I love John Wesley. He’s a great church
father—don’t get me wrong. But I didn’t grow up in church, so I’m not
drawn to that. Organ music and pews, to some people, are very relevant,
and I’m not going to deny that. To the average person who didn’t grow
up in church, that’s probably not going to appeal. But I could be
wrong.
(Source for the article: http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=5444)
ABC News Interview Update
015 years
As may know, I have done two ABC new interviews. You can watch the first one below. It debuted on their video blog and got nearly 20,000 views the first day..
Last week I talked to the producers at ABC News and finally have an official air date for the second interview. It will air on June 30th as they premiere a new show they are doing called “Beliefs.”
Unfortunately, I don’t have the exact time of the show yet, but I will post as soon as I know something.
Stay tuned!
Catching Hell From Christians
1315 years
*MY (SORT OF) OFFICIAL STATEMENT TO MY CRITICS*
That’s right ladies and gentlemen; I used the word hell. I am not a cussing man, unless, of course, I smash my thumb while working on a home improvement project. Or if my vintage truck (that thought was so cool when I bought it) breaks down yet again⎯leaving me regretting that I ever purchased it. But the expression fits these days.
I would like to take a moment to respond to some of my critics. And by critics, I mean people who are emailing me all kinds of nasty things about my book but have never read it. Normally, I would not do this. It is standard public image strategy to never respond to your critics, since a response is a type of validation. But in all fairness, I can’t write a book called 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith and not expect to have any critical reactions that need to be dealt with.
Let me begin where I might end, in anticipation of some not finishing this long statement. I just want to make sure everyone is left with my most important points:
• Believe it or not, my book is overwhelmingly positive (you can read the reviews to verify this).
• You can’t believe everything you see. Interviews that are prerecorded (like on TV) often do not communicate every detail of the story being covered. Therefore, the full context of said subject is never revealed. They are more like interest-generating highlights.
• Christians should be thanking me for writing the book. Sorry, but you’ll have to keep reading for my explanation on that one.
So let me move on to some comments I have been receiving. What’s interesting about these comments is that the harshest ones have been from Christians and these individuals have NOT read my book. This does not surprise me. This probably does not surprise you. In fact, I write about this in my book (Chapter 10 on what I hate about Christians).
The proverbial “don’t judge a book by its cover” comes to mind here. They truly personify the expression. You’d think Christians, who are mad about someone judging them and their faith, might not want to be so judgmental. The irony is that I believe my book is exactly what they need to read. If this is how they treat me (a fellow flawed follower), I can’t imagine how they treat people in their daily lives: cousins, co-workers, neighbors, schoolmates etc.
I want to share the sentiments I’ve been sent because I think it is a learning moment. Shockingly, these emails have not been anonymous. I suppose I should give them credit for that, at least. In respect to the senders (because I am actually not the savage that some claim), I will simply paraphrase the thoughts and not give you their names.
I have been called a sick-o, loser, idiot, the dumbest person in the world, offensive, that I need to get a life, that I’m promoting ignorant trash, and that it breaks the heart of God that I would ever release a book like this. Surprisingly, I have not yet been told I am going to Hell. But I’m sure it’s coming (especially since I just mentioned it). Let me say it again, all these comments are from Christians who have not read the book. It’s not like I can’t take it. I invite critical thinking…so long as it is informed.
The other interesting thing is that some of the kindest emails (in response to my first ABC News interview) have come from self-proclaimed humanists, pagans, atheists, and agnostics who read the book. In fact, I was surfing around the web and found an atheist discussion-thread on some forum in which an atheist was actually defending me:
First Atheist:
“So…get over yourself (Jason) and move on with your life. If you’re pathetic enough to need a religion to give your life some sort of self meaning then shut up and stick to your faith.”
Response from another Atheist:
“Why should he do that…I’m pretty sure he didn’t write the book for atheists to tell them to stop whining, he wrote it for other Christians to read it and stop being d*#ches to the rest of the world…no one forced you to watch the video…so maybe you’re the one who needs to get over yourself and move on.”
In closing, I was sincerely hoping Christians would be less judgmental. I know that was naïve, but I wanted the Christians to prove me wrong. It saddens me that they would make parts of my book so true. They send me a hateful email because they’re mad that I would say anything negative about Christianity? How does that make sense? It’s life imitating art (Or is it art imitating life since my book is about life? Not really sure how that expression works in this context). Does it discourage me? Yes. But it also fires me up even more. I will simply think of them as that strange family member that everyone tolerates because they have to. And maybe they can think of me in the same light and still let me come to the family picnic. But let this be a lesson to us all.
The funny thing is, Christians should be thanking me for writing this book. That’s right. Read it again: thanking me. Why? For two reasons:
1) It would only have been a matter of time before someone else would have written a book under the same title. And it would not have been so constructive, healthy, positive, and motivational. Frankly, I’m surprised that someone didn’t beat me to the punch. As a matter of fact, somebody approached me to buy www.10thingsihateaboutchristianity.com, but I told him I already wrote the book. I haven’t heard back.
2) I have been able to give them a tool that will help them bring dialogue about Jesus in front of diverse audiences that would otherwise ignore the subject. And isn’t that really the point of it all, Christians? We call it the Great Commission in my neck of the woods. The more people that talk about Jesus the better, I say.
I operate my life under the assumption that God is okay with questions, doubts, honesty, and passion. If not, then he is no God worth following. That is the premise of my book and why I have any measure of sanity and peace at all. So let us not judge a book by its cover, unless you are merely commenting on the artistic design. Besides Christians, if we were all to judge the Bible by its cover alone, we would be forced to admit that it looks like the most boring book in the world. Instead, it continues to be the best-selling book in history year after year, because it is by opening the pages we discover that only certain parts are boring. The rest reads like:
“General Hospital meets Indiana Jones meets Lord of the Rings meets Monty Python. It’s filled with stories of action, adventure, fighting, sex, love, and humor. There are even fire-breathing dragons and a talking donkey. But no ogre. (Sorry, Shrek.)”
–taken from 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith in Chapter 3 on The Bible.
[UPDATE: I just got compared to Hitler and my book got compared to Mein Kampf. Once again, it was from a ‘Christian’ who has not read my book.]
Featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC)
415 years
I contributed to today’s issue of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (my regional paper/aka the AJC) alongside my pastor, Andy Stanley. Very cool! There is only one error. It says I became a Christian at 20, but actually I was 15. No biggie. Here is the text and I posted the link at the end if you want to go there:
Keeping the faith, in their way
Many worshippers enjoy innovation of less-rigid services.
By Christopher Quinn*The Atlanta Journal-Constitution*Saturday, May 02, 2009
When
John Hutchins took his wife and two children to visit Buckhead Church
about 18 months ago, his 7-year-old daughter, eyeing the rock band
onstage, theater lighting and big-screen monitors, said, “Daddy, I
thought you said we were going to church.”
Hutchins, who is the son of a Methodist minister, said, “It’s not like my father’s church at all.”
This church does not belong to a denomination, has no liturgy or
stained glass and offers communion only occasionally. It has a flashy
Web site and high-energy classes from Bible study to family finance.
Some of the fastest-growing congregations in the United States are
those that leave behind denominations, stultifying services and
internecine theological fights and offer contemporary styles of music
and communication. They are growing because Americans seem to love
their innovation and family-centeredness and because their leaders have
learned to apply entrepreneurial principles to faith.
Metro Atlanta has its share, large and small. Buckhead Church, with
sister churches North Point Community Church in Alpharetta and Browns
Bridge Church in Cumming, together attract about 20,000 on Sundays.
Newcomer Courageous Church started in downtown office space in January,
and attracts about 100.
Andy Stanley, the son of one of America’s best-known Southern
Baptist ministers, the Rev. Charles Stanley, helped start and pastors
North Point and its affiliates. The initial idea was to start a new
Southern Baptist congregation, “but it occurred to us that would be a
hindrance rather than a help,” he said.
Andy Stanley and other leaders winced at Baptist cultural baggage,
such as the denomination’s call to boycott Disney for allowing gay day
at theme parks. They dreaded the lethargy of bureaucracy. Stanley
remembered enjoying the lack of church trappings when he led members of
his dad’s congregation as the church moved into a former industrial
building.
Starting anew, he wanted freedom to use flexible business models and
packaging that people who did not grow up in church would understand —-
from informal dress to a stage rather than a dais, and music that
sounds like what people listen to on the radio, Stanley said.
It is a growing movement. The American Religious Identification
Survey shows that in 1990, 194,000 Americans identified themselves as
nondenominational. In 2008, it was 8 million.
About one-third of nondenominational churches are megachurches, having more than 2,000 members, and nearly all are evangelical.
Meanwhile, attendance at mainline churches and at the Southern Baptist Convention is declining.
A handful of the new churches are pastored by sons of famous
ministers, such as North Point and Grapevine Church outside Dallas, led
by another son of a former Southern Baptist president.
Scott Thumma, a professor of sociology of religion at the Hartford
Institute for Religion Research, said going independent gives them the
chance to move out from under their fathers’ and denominations’
expectations and fuse entrepreneurship with faith.
Dave Travis, an Atlantan and director of Leadership Network, a
church training organization, was at a conference recently of 4,000
pastors interested in starting new congregations. “And not one wants to
be in a denomination,” he said.
Americans are at ease with crossing church borders —- about half
have switched denominations or faiths in their lifetime, according to
the Pew Center. Disenchantment with denominations’ public image of
feuding, particular teachings such as being against drinking, and their
lack of contemporary feel help push people toward cutting those ties,
Travis said.
Jason T. Berggren, 36, represents that group. He is a North Point
member and wrote a book, “10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working
Through the Frustrations of Faith” (X Media, $14.99).
Berggren wrestles with religious trappings, such as the benefits of
sleeping in over going to church, and why Christians seem obsessed with
rules.
He grew up not going to church and became a Christian at 20. His
wife grew up Catholic. They both wanted their faith to be accessible
and relevant to everyday life, as opposed to hidden in ritual. He
wanted to walk out of church feeling inspired, challenged to be better.
And he wanted to be comfortable in the same way he would be in going to
a baseball game, as opposed to a museum, he said. “I think that is why
people gravitate toward nondenominational churches,” he said.
Hutchins said when his children are older, perhaps he will return to
a more liturgical church. He misses saying the Lord’s Prayer and
Apostles’ Creed as a congregation.
“There’s a sense of community in that,” he said.
But North Point and its active children’s programs meet his family’s needs, for now.
Stanley knows his style church isn’t for everyone.
“I don’t feel like we are the right way. I feel like we are another way,” he said.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/05/02/sons0502.html
The ABC Interview: Update & Quick Trip Highlights
015 years
So I just got back from my 2-day excursion to New York City for my forthcoming interview with ABC News by their correspondent Dan Harris. I am being featured in the premiere episode of a new show their doing called “Beliefs.” The official show will air in about a month but on Friday I will post a behind-the-scenes interview we also did. That’s all I know about that for now, but I will post updates here. Here are a few other miscellaneous thoughts from the trip:
*The crew was great. We talked a lot off-air about the music scene since I was in Strongarm. New York is the center for a lot of music, so it was fun. We talked about Helmet, Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuits, 7 Seconds, and Fugazi. After the interview I expressed gratitude for the opportunity. I told them that while I have done about two dozen radio interviews, this was only my second television interview. “You’d never know it!” was the response from Dan.
*New York City invokes a lot of feelings, both romantic and non-romantic. The romantic? Being there just kept reminding me of baseball, Superman, King Kong, and all things iconic and Americana. The non-romantic? If you like paying entirely WAY more for something than it is actually worth, then New York City is the place to be. AND I couldn’t escape the smell of the city no matter where I walked. It kind of smelled like a bathroom that someone with a stomach virus has just used. Sorry NY, but it’s true…
*I also had the consummate New York City experiences. I was trying to sleep in a hotel room while sirens went off all night in the streets outside. I took two taxis, had a bagel, and ate Chinese food. But most importantly, I was rushing to catch a train (at Grand Central Station of course) and hadn’t eaten anything. There was a pretzel vendor on the concourse right there. So I grabbed one and handed the guy a 20 dollar bill. He barked (in a New York accent):
“Don’t you got anything smaller?“
I responded with, “No, but I can use my credit card if you’d prefer.” He ignored me and handed me my change. I said politely, “Sorry about that.” He finished with:
“You ain’t got nuthin’ to be sorry about. Now grab your pretzel and get outta here!”
*Lastly, I can’t believe I did an interview with ABC News. As I was leaving the city on the train this was the reoccurring thought that peppered my mind. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t work on the computer. I just sat there for two hours in a mental loop stuck on the magnitude of the moment. It also brought a sense of responsibility. I came to the realization that b/c of my title and content I will likely have many opportunities to represent what a follower of Jesus is before philosophically diverse audiences. This is both scary and exciting.
I hope I don’t screw it up too badly!
Articles/Interviews About My Book
015 years
Here is where I link articles/print interviews about my book as I find them them:
10 Things I Hate About Christianity Endorsements
115 years
“A fascinating and rather risky critique of Christianity!”-Dan Harris, ABC News, New York, NY
“Despite the title, with its clarity and authenticity, this is really a positive book. It’s not a negative book.”-Steve Brown, Steve Brown Etc. Show, Orlando, FL
“Whether you agree with everything or not, it’s a very engaging book. It smacks you in the head so you’ll think about what’s really important.“-Barry Lynn, Culture Shocks Show, Washington, DC
“…it was a pleasant surprise to see such candor from someone of the [Christian] faith in print.”-John Cloutman, Sacramento Book Review, Sacramento, CA
“You’re a very honest and transparent guy. It’s a great character trait. You made me mad. You made me think…Your book is a dynamite read.”-Eric Hogue, The Eric Hogue Show, Sacramento & San Francisco, CA
“This title really intrigued me as soon as I saw it. And the more I read, the more I like it…I really appreciate what you’ve put down on paper here.”-Jerry King, The Jerry King Show, Colorado Springs, CO
“As I continued to read, it impacted me on such a personal level, I knew this book was something I would remember for the rest of my life.”-Shamus Neeson, Drive Home Show, Alberta, Canada
“I haven’t been this excited about a book for a long time.”-John Kennedy, Goodreads.com
“I just love this book! I’ve read it twice and I plan on reading it again.”-Don Keith, The Detour Radio Show, Detroit, MI
“You won me over in the first few pages…you tell it like it is and challenge the reader from the get-go.”-Greg Bullen, Off The Book Shelf, Lapeer & Flint, MI
“You’ve actually used the word ‘hate’ quite well. A greatly insightful and intriguing book.”-Stefan Radelich, The Harvest Show, South Bend, IN
“You actually said to stop calling myself a Christian! I think that is a challenge more of us should take to examine our own authenticity.”-Jim Sandell, 11 O’Clock Live, Albuquerque, NM
“I appreciate you’re fresh writing style and you’re willingness to talk about this struggle and growth.”-John Young, John Young & Friends Show, Atlanta, GA
“I highly recommend this book. It’s a great read-especially if you are wrestling with your faith. Your book is brilliant!”-Stephanie Kay, Along the Way, Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN
“What a title! It’s well worth the read.”-Larry Estepa, Mornings with Lorri & Larry, Atlanta, GA
“I love the chapter called Answers where you ask BIG questions that a lot of us struggle with…I think this book can help people in their journey.”-Lorri Allen, Mornings with Lorri & Larry, Atlanta, GA
Road Thoughts
015 years
I’m on the road. I have a television interview on The Harvest Show in South Bend, IN on Friday. I decided to drive b/c the plane tix were $500+. I started missing Lisa and the kids as soon as I left, but the trip has been good. I’m excited about the show though.
Last night I stayed with my friend Joshua Stump and got to see Flatfoot 56 perform at the Anchor. They were really good. A bunch of people knew me from my Strongarm days, which is always flattering and strange at the same time. We stayed up way too late talking, but it was a great time. I also got to see an old friend, Bill Powers, at the show. He was kind enough to buy a copy of my book.
I have also been driving through America on my way to South Bend. I have done it several times over through the course of my life. And I LOVE it more every time. This country is amazing and filled with friendly folks who work hard.
I also started thinking about all those people who are always hollering about overpopulation. They always make me laugh. They obviously have never been on a long-distance drive. There’s plenty of room for us all. There’s wide open spaces everywhere. Rent a car and take a drive out of the city. It’s a cathartic and enlightening experience.
Lastly, on Saturday my wife and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary. I’m very happily married and excited to celebrate it. My life is better with her. Marrying her is the 2nd best decision I have ever made. You’ll have to read my book to learn the 1st. I LOVE you Lisa!
Peace out!
ORDER MY BOOK NOW!!!
015 years
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
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1) $2 off the retail price of $14.99
2) An additional 10% OFF orders of 6 or more (enter coupon code: 10off)
*No login or registration necessary for specials. And please shop with confidence using our secure site.
