Adrian Warnock's Book Review: "Mere Churchianity "

Adrian Warnock, a well-known blogger from Great Britain, has published at his blog a great three part review of the book Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality by the late Michael Spencer. Spencer was known on-line as "the Internet Monk" or the "I-Monk".  His website remains very popular and influential.

The review can be read at the following links:

Mere Churchianity Part 1: What’s wrong with the church:

Mere Churchianity Part 2: Where I disagree with Michael Spencer

Mere Churchianity Part 3: Bringing Jesus Back to the Center

Adrian begins his review by saying:

Michael Spencer was known to Christian blog pioneers as the Internet Monk.  Although he described himself as in the post-evangelical wilderness, and often locked horns with the likes of the pyromaniacs, he never lost the respect of most evangelical and reformed bloggers.  His message was bold. I would often strongly agree with around half of it and strongly disagree with the other half! We were both going to have our debut books published in 2010. Sadly, Spencer didn’t live to see the fruits of his labors as he died before his book was published. Under the care of his successors, his blog continues to be one of the most popular Christian blogs.

I feel that enough time has passed since his death for me to critically engage with his book without feeling embarrassed. I trust that if his wife and others who loved him read this they will hear my deep respect and love for the giant that Michael Spencer was and appreciate that despite my differences with him, I genuinely view him as something of a prophetic voice to the Western church. You see, I emphatically agree with him that there is much cause for concern. We cannot simply be complacent and continue fiddling while Rome burns I generally agree with most of Spencer’s diagnosis of what’s wrong with the Church. Where I disagree quite profoundly is how to fix it.

It has been almost a year now since I read the book, and I quoted from it several times last summer on this blog. With time for reflection, I think I can agree with just about all Adrian says about it.

It is still a very sad thing to me that the "I-Monk" died before his first and only book was published. However, God knows what He is doing. Spencer and his provocative writing on his blog and in his book has been, and will continue to be, greatly missed.
 

All of It, All of Me

"My humanity, my sin, it's all me.  And I need Jesus to love me like I really am: brokenness, wounds, sins, addictions, lies, death, fear...all of it.  Take all of it, Lord Jesus.  If I don't present this broken, messed-up person to Jesus, my faith is dishonest, and my understanding of faith will become a way of continuing the ruse and pretense of being good."

     - Michael Spencer, Mere Churchianity, page 149

The Answer to Every Question

"I believe in Jesus.  He is God to me and for me. I most defiitely believe God is Trinity and that the Trinity is an essential core component and basic requirement of Christian Ortodoxy.  But the gospel calls me to believe in and follow Jesus the Revelator and Mediator who brings God's Kingdom into history.  Jesus is God's great Mediator, Messenger, Prophet, Advocate, and Incarnation.  The answer to every question about God ends with 'Here's what we know because of Jesus.'"

    - Michael Spencer, Mere Churchianity, Page 216

(We are all gong to really miss Michael Spencer!)

...Never Lose the Brokenness

"In every moment when I am winning, Jesus is with me.  And in every moment when I am losing, Jesus is with me.  At any moment when I am confused, wounded and despairing, Jesus is with me.  I never, ever, lose the brokenness.  I fight and sometimes I prevail, but I can't prevent more of my screwed-up, messed-up life from erupting.  Because I belong to One whose resurrection guarantees that I will arrive safely home in a new body and be part of a new creation.  I miraculously, amazingly, find myself continuing to believe, continuing to move forward, until Jesus picks me up and takes me home."

            - Michael Spencer, Mere Churchianity, Page 147

 (Have I mentioned lately that I like this book?!)

Our Weakness Makes God Happy

"How essential is it for us to be broken if Christ is going to be our strength?  When I am weak, I am strong.  Not 'when I am cured' or 'when I am successful' or 'when I am a good Christian,' but 'when I am weak.'  The human experience of weakness is God's blueprint for calling attention to the supremacy of his son.  When miserably failing people continue to belong to, believe in, and worship Jesus, God is happy."

             - Michael Spencer, Mere Churchianity, page 145

A Life Jesus Would Recognize

"We don't see that the powerful changes that happen in the life of a disciple never come from the disciple working hard at doing anything.  They come from arriving at a place where Jesus is everything, and we are simply overwhelmed with the gift.  Sometimes it seems as if God loves us too much.  His love goes far beyond our ability to stop being moral, religious, obedient, and victorious, and we just collapse in his arms.

Out of the gospel that Jesus is the only Mediator between God and humanity comes a Christian life that looks like Jesus, a life Jesus would recognize.  It's a life that looks like Jesus, because Jesus does everything, and all we do is accept his gift.  And to accept his gift, we have to give up trying to be Jesus."

Michael Spencer, Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus Shaped Spirituality, page 138

Wow.  Just wow.