Book Review: The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Jesus
Once in a while I'll be doing book reviews of new releases by authors who are in the process of becoming like I am. I want to honor their efforts toward illuminating a higher consciousness of what it means to be spiritual in a search for God.
This week I read The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Jesus by Tripp Fuller. It's clear he's got a passion for both small-batch beer and God-knowledge as he "...provide[s] ingredients for [readers] to brew their own faith." He intersperses his evolving brand of theology including ideas from current and past leaders in Christianity with cheeky quotes from four Church iconic roles: The Deacon, The Elder, The Bishop, and The Acolyte.
Tripp Fuller wrestles with the labels of skeptic and believer stating they both live within us. He's all for asking questions of our faith to address our doubts much like our Jewish fathers asked for millennia before us.
He also addresses the language of Christianity by creating a new compound word from an old one, kin-dom instead of kingdom, in order to modernize the idea of God's leadership away from a kingly role and to share social bonds with others who are searching for God with less of a hierarchy.
A major emphasis in the book is how other theologians have shaped his thinking to more homebrewed and less doctrinal. For those he has risen above, he states: "In turning the leap of faith into an easy act of intellectual assent, these theologians actually undid the conditions necessary for the possibility of faith." He introduces other less known theologians who contributed to his faith like John Cobb, Jurgen Moltmann, and Elizabeth Johnson as he discusses pluralism, belief, Wisdom-Jesus, and ecology within Christianity.
At times, I feel he is too dogmatic and still needs a theological system to believe in rather than embracing organic belief as it is revealed to him. I disagree with his idea that "we need to talk with passion and conviction about God, and especially about Jesus Christ." This is only a half-step away from proselytizing which drives others away from a common ground into their defensive corners.
Overall, it was an interesting book which integrated a number of theological ideas I had read in various books over the last few years. It's a book for religious leaners who are beginning to see a grander scope of Christianity that looks more blurry and feels more loving than the Church's religion. To be homebrewed about it, it's definitely an IPA view in the Church's world of Schlitz.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Paul Kolak
10/25/15
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
This week I read The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Jesus by Tripp Fuller. It's clear he's got a passion for both small-batch beer and God-knowledge as he "...provide[s] ingredients for [readers] to brew their own faith." He intersperses his evolving brand of theology including ideas from current and past leaders in Christianity with cheeky quotes from four Church iconic roles: The Deacon, The Elder, The Bishop, and The Acolyte.
Tripp Fuller wrestles with the labels of skeptic and believer stating they both live within us. He's all for asking questions of our faith to address our doubts much like our Jewish fathers asked for millennia before us.
He also addresses the language of Christianity by creating a new compound word from an old one, kin-dom instead of kingdom, in order to modernize the idea of God's leadership away from a kingly role and to share social bonds with others who are searching for God with less of a hierarchy.
A major emphasis in the book is how other theologians have shaped his thinking to more homebrewed and less doctrinal. For those he has risen above, he states: "In turning the leap of faith into an easy act of intellectual assent, these theologians actually undid the conditions necessary for the possibility of faith." He introduces other less known theologians who contributed to his faith like John Cobb, Jurgen Moltmann, and Elizabeth Johnson as he discusses pluralism, belief, Wisdom-Jesus, and ecology within Christianity.
At times, I feel he is too dogmatic and still needs a theological system to believe in rather than embracing organic belief as it is revealed to him. I disagree with his idea that "we need to talk with passion and conviction about God, and especially about Jesus Christ." This is only a half-step away from proselytizing which drives others away from a common ground into their defensive corners.
Overall, it was an interesting book which integrated a number of theological ideas I had read in various books over the last few years. It's a book for religious leaners who are beginning to see a grander scope of Christianity that looks more blurry and feels more loving than the Church's religion. To be homebrewed about it, it's definitely an IPA view in the Church's world of Schlitz.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Paul Kolak
10/25/15
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
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