Saving Jesus From The Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus [Paperback]

Does it matter if Jesus was born to a virgin or not? Does it matter if Jesus was born in a manger or a field, to a virgin or a wife with several children? Does it change anything if Jesus wasn't really, physically raised from the dead? Is He somehow less influential, less important, less moral? Are His words or His actions any less significant or inspirational if he had a girlfriend or a companion? Then why, Meyers asks, is that all we talk about anymore?

The title and its accompanying cover say much of what needs to be said about the new book from Oklahoma City resident, author, professor, scholar, syndicated columnist, and controversial reverend Robin Meyers. The bluest man in the reddest state has put his new book to the masses for what he hopes will be a uniting, not dividing, result. With such a title, you'd think it a stretch, but Meyers' approach and respect for the subject is convincing for anyone who makes it past the Prologue.

This book attempts to dissect, as the previous sentence begins to describe, the human side of Jesus and the deity which was created in his remembrance. Jesus the human was about peace, unconditional love, inclusiveness, aiding the sick and the poor, forgiving, and fellowship. The deity, on the other hand, is much more about commandments and rules, practices and rituals, do's and don'ts. Dr. Meyers points out that merely believing in Jesus has no impact on our daily lives. Following Jesus, though, can change everything.

Dr. Meyers seeks to find the common ground in all the divisiveness and debate about religion. Meyers has said of his own book that he hopes Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, and Agnostics alike can see that when we remove that which we disagree - and there are many things about which we disagree - we can all see that following the teachings of a human being like Jesus will be the more productive task to merely consenting to belief in a deity like Christ.

Meyers' central purpose for the book? Finding a reason for the millions of Americans who have left the church in disappointment, confusion or betrayal to come back and try a new approach to faith: Following what Jesus represents, not just believing in His story.

While political in the Prologue (Meyers gives an account of a dream in which he found himself isolated from the modern stereotypes of Christianity and its alignment with Conservative politics, war, and greed), Meyers soon defects from his personal motives and finds a near-objective position from which he frames the rest of his book. Thoughtful and patient, Dr. Meyers teaches and guides at a pace that is tolerable for religious scholars and more than accommodating for the casual reader.

In his least political and most thoughtful book to date, Dr. Robin Meyers finds the common ground in the world of Jesus and lays out a call to action that unites us under a banner of hope and reconciliation.

Every so often, a book comes into my life and acts like the hand that shakes a snow globe, disturbing all of the molecules of my existence and rearranging my internal landscape. My college Intro to New Testament class textbook, Henri Nouwen's Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life, Parker Palmer's To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey, and a handful of others have gone beyond being engaging or thought-provoking to being truly transformational forces in my life. To that short list, I'll now add a new one: Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus by Robin R. Meyers. It's a book that really should come with a warning label on it, like, "This book will either change your life, your ministry, your faith, your friendships, and just about everything else...or, you'll be too afraid to let it do so!"

Meyers, the pastor of Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City and the author of four books, surveys the state of the church and of contemporary Christianity--conservative and liberal--and doesn't think much of it is in sync with the message of Jesus. The bottom line for Meyers is that the church has overemphasized belief rather than actions that indicate one is following Jesus, and each chapter points us in the right direction.

Meyers is very solidly on the progressive end of the theological spectrum, and his book does a fine job of deftly skewering more conservative forms of Christianity or biblical interpretation. But those on the left should be well-prepared for the regular roasting they receive as well. This passage is fairly typical:

"In a world today that is desperate for something real, many megachurches today are like Disney World plus God, while too many mainline churches are serving up bits and pieces of the Great Books Club. One wonders which fiction is most cruel, that all your dreams can come true if you pray the "Prayer of Jabez" or that discipleship is the same thing as enlightenment...The first question any churchgoer should be asked and expected to answer is: What are you willing to give up to follow Jesus?" (p. 145)

Each chapter contrasts "common" Christianity with a progressive, uncommon understanding of Jesus' teaching. They cover a lot of territory:

* Jesus the Teacher, Not the Savior
* Faith as Being, Not Belief
* The Cross as Futility, Not Forgiveness
* Easter as Presence, Not Proof
* Original Blessing, Not Original Sin
* Christianity as Compassion, Not Condemnation
* Discipleship as Obedience, Not Observance
* Justice as Covenant, Not Control
* Prosperity as Dangerous, Not Divine
* Religion as Relationship, Not Righteousness

This prophetic book would make an ideal resource for group study (and it really begs to be read in community) though unfortunately no discussion questions are included. Consider it especially for a summer Sunday school class, a staff study, a young adult study, and a congregational study. The book does assume the reader is at least somewhat familiar with contemporary progressive biblical scholarship (i.e. has moved beyond a literal understanding of scripture), so little time is spent exploring the ground that has already been superbly covered by scholars like Borg, Pagels, Brueggemann, Levine and others (see his ample endnotes for many other great books). Instead, Saving Jesus consistently does a fine job of summarizing the scholarship and then moving on to the question which so often is neglected: "So what do I/we do now?" There is no "step by step guide to following Jesus" here, but if read carefully (especially with others), Meyer's work will undoubtedly help us all stop pretending to be followers of Jesus so we can save Jesus from a church which has for too long distorted his message.

I simply loved this book. Dr. Meyers 20 years' experience in the pulpit and extensive knowledge of Biblical scholarship lend authority to his writing. The book is a page-turner (!) and laugh-out-loud funny in places. It will be enjoyed by those who attend church weekly, haven't darkened the door of one in years, Jewish readers, the simply curious, and those who like me could never get anyone to adequately explain how Jesus' death on the cross meant we were all forgiven our sins, and that by this belief one would be "saved" -- from what?
Dr. Meyers describes his intended audience: "It is a word on behalf of those who have walked away from the church because they recognize intellectual dishonesty as the original sin of orthodoxy. .. It is meant to provide a second opinion for all those who know what they are supposed to believe but refuse to equate miracles with magic or liturgy with history -- and yet still fall silent when someone reads to Beatitudes or get goosebumps listening to the parable of the prodigal son." (that would be me!) "It is ... a call to reconsider what it means to follow Jesus, instead of arguing over things that the church has insisted we must all believe about Christ. Doctrines divide by nature. Discipleship brings us together."
Enjoy the book!