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Finding God Beyond Religion: A Guide for Skeptics, Agnostics & Unorthodox Believers Inside & Outside the Church
Take Your Understanding of Church Teachings from Limiting to Life-Giving―and Free Your Faith to Flourish "No longer sustained by easy answers, we may find ourselves standing before a three-pronged fork in the we can wander in the direction of conventional beliefs and practices, we can reject God and turn away from religion altogether, or we can embrace our uncertainty as an invitation to a more vital understanding of both God and religion."
―from the Introduction Do you describe yourself as "spiritual but not religious"? Whether young or old, church connected or not, are you spiritually restless for an authentic faith life but do not find conventional religious teachings pertinent to you? This accessible guide to a meaningful spiritual life is a salve for your soul. It reinterprets traditional religious teachings central to the Christian faith―God, Jesus, faith, prayer, morality and more―in ways that connect with people who have outgrown the beliefs and devotional practices that once made sense to them. It helps you find new ways to understand and relate to traditional, narrowly defined Christian "truths" that honor their full spiritual power and scope, and opens your mind and heart to the full impact of Christian teachings.
―from the Introduction Do you describe yourself as "spiritual but not religious"? Whether young or old, church connected or not, are you spiritually restless for an authentic faith life but do not find conventional religious teachings pertinent to you? This accessible guide to a meaningful spiritual life is a salve for your soul. It reinterprets traditional religious teachings central to the Christian faith―God, Jesus, faith, prayer, morality and more―in ways that connect with people who have outgrown the beliefs and devotional practices that once made sense to them. It helps you find new ways to understand and relate to traditional, narrowly defined Christian "truths" that honor their full spiritual power and scope, and opens your mind and heart to the full impact of Christian teachings.
- GenresSpiritualityReligion
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 6, 2013
Meet the Growing Millions Walking Away from Organized Religion
Tom Stella is a pastor to the non-religious, especially to the growing millions of men and women who respond to pollsters’ questions about religious affiliation with: “None.” While still a minority of the American population, this widely divergent group is often stereotyped as shallow, selfish or heretical. Stella argues persuasively that this is hardly the case. In fact, he argues, people choosing their own spiritual pathway are opting for a tougher journey than adherence to traditional denominations.
Don’t mistake Tom Stella’s book for a Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens screed against religion. Sure, Tom argues that many traditional doctrines simply don’t make sense to millions of men and women today. But there are deeper truths, he writes, that these people are finding and a compassionate goodness in this movement if properly understood.
Tom Stella doesn’t call them “Nones,” a phrase popular in news media these days. He prefers the phrase “unorthodox believers,” which appears in his subtitle. Tom says he is writing about “people who are not being fed by the traditional church. Yet, some of the healthiest religious people I know are unorthodox believers. They wouldn’t call themselves ‘religious’ necessarily. Many of the unorthodox believers I have encountered do believe that there is a communion with the divinity, although they are likely to see this divinity as a communion with the spirit of humanity. The term ‘unorthodox believer’ covers a lot of ground; it’s a big umbrella. I’m saying in this book that it’s important for traditional religious groups not to just write off these folks as heretics or atheists. These folks are spiritually hungry. They’re grappling with, and many of them longing for, ways to relate to the larger community.”
You’ll want to read this book if you’re already an avid reader of books by John Shelby Spong, such as "A New Christianity for a New World" and "Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World." Stella acknowledges that the two of them take a very similar approach to these issues. You’ll want to read this book if you are a part of this growing minority of the population, dissatisfied with existing congregations. You’ll want to read the book if you’re part of traditional religious groups wanting to understand the people who are walking away from churches.
A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Faith is Dying & How a New Faith is Being Born
Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World
Tom Stella is a pastor to the non-religious, especially to the growing millions of men and women who respond to pollsters’ questions about religious affiliation with: “None.” While still a minority of the American population, this widely divergent group is often stereotyped as shallow, selfish or heretical. Stella argues persuasively that this is hardly the case. In fact, he argues, people choosing their own spiritual pathway are opting for a tougher journey than adherence to traditional denominations.
Don’t mistake Tom Stella’s book for a Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens screed against religion. Sure, Tom argues that many traditional doctrines simply don’t make sense to millions of men and women today. But there are deeper truths, he writes, that these people are finding and a compassionate goodness in this movement if properly understood.
Tom Stella doesn’t call them “Nones,” a phrase popular in news media these days. He prefers the phrase “unorthodox believers,” which appears in his subtitle. Tom says he is writing about “people who are not being fed by the traditional church. Yet, some of the healthiest religious people I know are unorthodox believers. They wouldn’t call themselves ‘religious’ necessarily. Many of the unorthodox believers I have encountered do believe that there is a communion with the divinity, although they are likely to see this divinity as a communion with the spirit of humanity. The term ‘unorthodox believer’ covers a lot of ground; it’s a big umbrella. I’m saying in this book that it’s important for traditional religious groups not to just write off these folks as heretics or atheists. These folks are spiritually hungry. They’re grappling with, and many of them longing for, ways to relate to the larger community.”
You’ll want to read this book if you’re already an avid reader of books by John Shelby Spong, such as "A New Christianity for a New World" and "Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World." Stella acknowledges that the two of them take a very similar approach to these issues. You’ll want to read this book if you are a part of this growing minority of the population, dissatisfied with existing congregations. You’ll want to read the book if you’re part of traditional religious groups wanting to understand the people who are walking away from churches.
A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Faith is Dying & How a New Faith is Being Born
Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World
October 29, 2013
More like finding god within a different version of the same religion. I didn't find this suitable for skeptics, agnostics or unorthodox believers but rather for for former Christian fundamentalists.
April 19, 2020
I am so moved
To be able to relate to a lot of this, it helps if you come from a Christian background. I have never felt my ideas and suspicions so eloquently and intelligently expressed and confirmed. Reading this book gave me a sense of ultimate liberation, it was a nod towards the deep knowing I had cultivated that God was incredibly bigger than anything we could humanly imagine. I am so excited to learn about other religions and cultures now because I feel free enough to allow that kinship blossom. What a time to be spiritual!
To be able to relate to a lot of this, it helps if you come from a Christian background. I have never felt my ideas and suspicions so eloquently and intelligently expressed and confirmed. Reading this book gave me a sense of ultimate liberation, it was a nod towards the deep knowing I had cultivated that God was incredibly bigger than anything we could humanly imagine. I am so excited to learn about other religions and cultures now because I feel free enough to allow that kinship blossom. What a time to be spiritual!
August 6, 2021
An incisive exploration by an ex-Catholic priest of the accelerating demise of institutionalized religion and its purveyors and the rise of unbridled spirituality minus the rules and dictates and in recognition of the failure of the major religious traditions to acknowledge and honor the overwhelming presence of God in His entire creation and in the people seeking Him.
November 10, 2019
A beautiful read to guide one to the comfort of God, despite the chaos and confusion of religion.
February 22, 2019
For those who believe God is a Supreme Being residing out there somewhere in Heaven, this book will read as heresy. For all others there is value - offering other perspectives and wisdom on how to be in the world without a Heavenly Parent.
In the introduction the author frames his notion of God - "the spirit essence at the heart of creation." Creation is sacred. Life is infused with divinity. Holiness resides in each of us. This is what some theologians call the "Ground of being."
Prayer, faith vs. belief, morality, Jesus and evil are some of the themes that Stella addresses. Often I found the writing aligned with a traditional meaning of God and it was difficult to keep the perspective from the introduction in its place.
While I rated the book 4 stars, I would rate Chapter 9 - Church with a Mission, Mission with a Church negative 100. It's a complete sell out. For anyone who reads this far, skip this chapter and go straight to the Epilogue.
The last chapter is obviously there to appease, and generate book sales, to a traditional Christian base. Shameful. Especially given that the author is an ex Catholic priest. If any other organization committed the sexual atrocities on children as the Catholic Church did, its social licence would be revoked and its operations shutdown. Let's stop it there and not go down that stink.
Rather, let's end on an insightful excerpt (pg. 100):
"It has been said that the source of all violence is a person's inability to sit still in a room. Until I am able to abide my brokenness, I will continue to be an agent of evil, despite my best efforts ... I am at odds with others when I am not at peace with myself. I am impatient with others when I demand of myself that I be the ideal person that I may never become ... the first place to look when we are in conflict with another is within ourselves. But the willingness to stop and look inside requires courage, humility, and the discipline to resist the urge to busy ourselves and distract ourselves so as not to feel our discontent."
In the introduction the author frames his notion of God - "the spirit essence at the heart of creation." Creation is sacred. Life is infused with divinity. Holiness resides in each of us. This is what some theologians call the "Ground of being."
Prayer, faith vs. belief, morality, Jesus and evil are some of the themes that Stella addresses. Often I found the writing aligned with a traditional meaning of God and it was difficult to keep the perspective from the introduction in its place.
While I rated the book 4 stars, I would rate Chapter 9 - Church with a Mission, Mission with a Church negative 100. It's a complete sell out. For anyone who reads this far, skip this chapter and go straight to the Epilogue.
The last chapter is obviously there to appease, and generate book sales, to a traditional Christian base. Shameful. Especially given that the author is an ex Catholic priest. If any other organization committed the sexual atrocities on children as the Catholic Church did, its social licence would be revoked and its operations shutdown. Let's stop it there and not go down that stink.
Rather, let's end on an insightful excerpt (pg. 100):
"It has been said that the source of all violence is a person's inability to sit still in a room. Until I am able to abide my brokenness, I will continue to be an agent of evil, despite my best efforts ... I am at odds with others when I am not at peace with myself. I am impatient with others when I demand of myself that I be the ideal person that I may never become ... the first place to look when we are in conflict with another is within ourselves. But the willingness to stop and look inside requires courage, humility, and the discipline to resist the urge to busy ourselves and distract ourselves so as not to feel our discontent."
March 24, 2014
For a book that purports to be "a guide for Skeptics, Agnostics, and Unorthodox Believers" who seek to find "God beyond Religion," the final chapter of this book was sorely disappointing.
I was more than on-board with Stella's discussions on the nature of God, prayer, Jesus, morality, and the "problem of evil." For that, I would have given the book a solid four stars.
However, the last chapter, whose thesis is that the institutional church (which places support of the institution ahead of either the people or the mission) is as necessary to spiritual growth as the growing spiritual revival (in which the people and mission are more important than institutional structures), left me feeling like Stella sold out to keep his institutional brothers and sisters happy, and maybe make some money off of people who still value attending religious institutions.
The Good: I loved the discussion on theology and different understandings of moral issues.
The Bad: The last "sell-out" chapter that negates everything leading up to it.
The Ugly: The title of the book. It should be "Finding God both Inside and Outside Religion: A Apologetic Treatise for Unorthodox Believers Who are Thinking of Leaving the Church - You Should Really Stay."
Skeptics and Agnostics may find something of value here, but it seems more geared toward Unorthodox Believers. Definitely skip the last chapter (9) and read the Epilogue instead.
I was more than on-board with Stella's discussions on the nature of God, prayer, Jesus, morality, and the "problem of evil." For that, I would have given the book a solid four stars.
However, the last chapter, whose thesis is that the institutional church (which places support of the institution ahead of either the people or the mission) is as necessary to spiritual growth as the growing spiritual revival (in which the people and mission are more important than institutional structures), left me feeling like Stella sold out to keep his institutional brothers and sisters happy, and maybe make some money off of people who still value attending religious institutions.
The Good: I loved the discussion on theology and different understandings of moral issues.
The Bad: The last "sell-out" chapter that negates everything leading up to it.
The Ugly: The title of the book. It should be "Finding God both Inside and Outside Religion: A Apologetic Treatise for Unorthodox Believers Who are Thinking of Leaving the Church - You Should Really Stay."
Skeptics and Agnostics may find something of value here, but it seems more geared toward Unorthodox Believers. Definitely skip the last chapter (9) and read the Epilogue instead.
October 23, 2020
I thought this book would be about a relationship with God vs. religion and rules, but it's not what I thought at all.
There are some insightful nuggets, but I get the impression that Stella is both disillusioned by religion and desperate to find a new job since he couldn't cut it as Catholic priest. Some of the ideas in this book are bit new age (which I usually find interesting). This is definitely not a Christian book even though Stella uses Bible verses (out of context) to make his points. Also, where is Stella getting his ideas? He seems to say he just "senses" God is not "other" or almighty. That God isn't a supreme being. That he's nothing. No-thing-ness. Essentially, he's saying God doesn't exist yet we have God inside us, so we are nothing too. He's saying he's a chaplain and that prayer doesn't work (well, if you don't believe, then yeah...). He recommends embracing everything, even "evil." Says we should immerse ourselves in culture, whatever it is we do. The last couple chapters were interesting. When we are free (in grace), we live connected as opposed to living by rules. Yeah, I agree with that much, but it's a mixed book. Be a strong Christian to get into this one.
There are some insightful nuggets, but I get the impression that Stella is both disillusioned by religion and desperate to find a new job since he couldn't cut it as Catholic priest. Some of the ideas in this book are bit new age (which I usually find interesting). This is definitely not a Christian book even though Stella uses Bible verses (out of context) to make his points. Also, where is Stella getting his ideas? He seems to say he just "senses" God is not "other" or almighty. That God isn't a supreme being. That he's nothing. No-thing-ness. Essentially, he's saying God doesn't exist yet we have God inside us, so we are nothing too. He's saying he's a chaplain and that prayer doesn't work (well, if you don't believe, then yeah...). He recommends embracing everything, even "evil." Says we should immerse ourselves in culture, whatever it is we do. The last couple chapters were interesting. When we are free (in grace), we live connected as opposed to living by rules. Yeah, I agree with that much, but it's a mixed book. Be a strong Christian to get into this one.
September 14, 2015
Stella had lots of great and interesting insights about his spiritual journey, things that I feel I've learned along the way too! I think if I would have read this book a few years ago, it would have blown my mind, but reading it now was pretty much Stella preaching to the choir.
He did give me some new things ponder, mainly views of "evil" and what morality has to do with our relationship with God.
I didn't quite get the last chapter, about the purpose/necessity of the church as an institution/organization. There wasn't really anything radically different or insightful mentioned at all. It made me think that he's still working through this area of spiritual life, perhaps? I have a feeling he will feel differently about that last chapter in a few more years. Maybe, maybe not. We'll see.
He did give me some new things ponder, mainly views of "evil" and what morality has to do with our relationship with God.
I didn't quite get the last chapter, about the purpose/necessity of the church as an institution/organization. There wasn't really anything radically different or insightful mentioned at all. It made me think that he's still working through this area of spiritual life, perhaps? I have a feeling he will feel differently about that last chapter in a few more years. Maybe, maybe not. We'll see.
February 16, 2014
I close this short book feeling stimulated and validated. To see so many of my thoughts, doubts, questions, and passionate "foot stomps" set to paper by this former Catholic priest is, well, delightfully soothing. I read parts aloud to my husband (as if to say "So there!") and copied passages in my longhand journal (so as to savor and take them into my muscle memory). I checked this book out of my local library, and I have a sense that even while I'm paring down my personal bookshelves (for practical reasons), I need to own a copy of this jewel.
December 23, 2013
I appreciate his take on things and this was a good way to ease myself back into some form of Christian identification... but I wanted this book to be deeper. Nonetheless it's a good source of reflections on God, Jesus, and what a more modern and inclusive view on these things might look like.
October 12, 2013
An excellent summary of the spiritual but not religious perspective and of a progressive and contemporary understanding of God and Jesus that doesn't require us to put our minds on hold.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews