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UnMediated: Spiritual Growth Without the Interference of Christianity
Why I Wrote This
Thank you for giving this book your time and attention. I wrote it for three reasons, the third of which both frightens and emboldens
First, sometimes people ask me why I left ministry with such heat and storm. I tell them. They become still and thoughtful. They express some kind of incredulity. They say, "You should write about that." So I did.
Second, people ask me about their own faith, and about church, because they feel lost and uprooted. When I share with them how and when I experience God, their body language expresses relief. Apparently, people feel some spiritual peace as I share my story and faith concepts. I hope you feel some of that, too. Despite all the hard things I will say about religion, I am not trying to wreck anybody's faith. This book is really for people whose faith is already wrecked, and don't know what to do about it. Maybe my faith story will help yours.
The third reason I wrote There is a religion stomping and bludgeoning its way across North America which claims to represent Jesus but is anti-Jesus. It is dangerous, and even deadly. It is not a time to whistle while passing by, to sit comfy in a church pew enjoying smooth sermons and soothing praise teams. It is a time to receive the message of Jesus (peace, compassion, non-violence) and then lay your life down to represent it in soul and spirit, and with your voice.
This is the story of how my house of sand fell with a great crash. I lost my old faith and am cobbling together a new one. I have stitched together a personal theology and life-practice. It's just a flimsy tent, the loose ends of it flapping in the wind, but within it, sometimes, I find Jesus. Huddling here by this feeble candle against the wailing wind outside, I encounter God and find moments of holiness, without Christianity.
I wish this for you as well. If these words help you find spiritual peace and freedom, I will be thankful.
Gratefully,
Keith A. Mannes
Thank you for giving this book your time and attention. I wrote it for three reasons, the third of which both frightens and emboldens
First, sometimes people ask me why I left ministry with such heat and storm. I tell them. They become still and thoughtful. They express some kind of incredulity. They say, "You should write about that." So I did.
Second, people ask me about their own faith, and about church, because they feel lost and uprooted. When I share with them how and when I experience God, their body language expresses relief. Apparently, people feel some spiritual peace as I share my story and faith concepts. I hope you feel some of that, too. Despite all the hard things I will say about religion, I am not trying to wreck anybody's faith. This book is really for people whose faith is already wrecked, and don't know what to do about it. Maybe my faith story will help yours.
The third reason I wrote There is a religion stomping and bludgeoning its way across North America which claims to represent Jesus but is anti-Jesus. It is dangerous, and even deadly. It is not a time to whistle while passing by, to sit comfy in a church pew enjoying smooth sermons and soothing praise teams. It is a time to receive the message of Jesus (peace, compassion, non-violence) and then lay your life down to represent it in soul and spirit, and with your voice.
This is the story of how my house of sand fell with a great crash. I lost my old faith and am cobbling together a new one. I have stitched together a personal theology and life-practice. It's just a flimsy tent, the loose ends of it flapping in the wind, but within it, sometimes, I find Jesus. Huddling here by this feeble candle against the wailing wind outside, I encounter God and find moments of holiness, without Christianity.
I wish this for you as well. If these words help you find spiritual peace and freedom, I will be thankful.
Gratefully,
Keith A. Mannes
105 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 25, 2024
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 1, 2026
I've spent a year reading memoirs and historical books about how the moral decay in American Evangelical Christianity, particularly the more conservative groups within AEC, took root, and what's been feeding it. Some of it has been shocking, yet much of it has not. Fear, insecurity, arrogance, laziness, and hunger for power has been bringing down systems and institutions for thousands of years, and the American Evangelical Church is a victim of the same. Mannes identified the rot, spoke out against, the pushback kept coming and he said, "enough." He wisely, IMO, resigned rather than stay and fight a wave that was most likely going to drown him. Instead, he struck out on a journey to grow spiritually "without the interference of Christianity."
His story is poignant, and he shares vulnerably about the process of dismantling his faith from empire. Where he landed, a chaplain for Hospice, has brought blessing and a renewal of his faith...a faith that still participates in organized relation interestingly enough.
I'll wrap up by sharing his own words - his motivation for sharing his journey with the world.
"The third reason I wrote - there is a religion stomping and bludgeoning its way across North America which claims to represent Jesus but is anti-Jesus. It is dangerous, and even deadly. It is not a time to whistle while passing by, to sit comfy in a church pew enjoying smooth sermons and soothing praise teams. It is a time to receive the message of Jesus (peace, compassion, non-violence) and then lay your life down to represent it in soul and spirit, and with your voice.
This is the story of how my house of sand fell with a great crash. I lost my old faith and am cobbling together a new one. I have stitched together a personal theology and life-practice. It's just a flimsy tent, the loose ends of it flapping in the wind, but within it, sometimes, I find Jesus. Huddling here by this feeble candle against the wailing wind outside, I encounter God and find moments of holiness, without Christianity. "
It's a beautiful story that has the potential to bring peace for those untangling and dismantling their own faith from rotten systems and institutions. I really liked this book!
His story is poignant, and he shares vulnerably about the process of dismantling his faith from empire. Where he landed, a chaplain for Hospice, has brought blessing and a renewal of his faith...a faith that still participates in organized relation interestingly enough.
I'll wrap up by sharing his own words - his motivation for sharing his journey with the world.
"The third reason I wrote - there is a religion stomping and bludgeoning its way across North America which claims to represent Jesus but is anti-Jesus. It is dangerous, and even deadly. It is not a time to whistle while passing by, to sit comfy in a church pew enjoying smooth sermons and soothing praise teams. It is a time to receive the message of Jesus (peace, compassion, non-violence) and then lay your life down to represent it in soul and spirit, and with your voice.
This is the story of how my house of sand fell with a great crash. I lost my old faith and am cobbling together a new one. I have stitched together a personal theology and life-practice. It's just a flimsy tent, the loose ends of it flapping in the wind, but within it, sometimes, I find Jesus. Huddling here by this feeble candle against the wailing wind outside, I encounter God and find moments of holiness, without Christianity. "
It's a beautiful story that has the potential to bring peace for those untangling and dismantling their own faith from rotten systems and institutions. I really liked this book!
January 24, 2025
I read the softcover edition of this book.
Reverend Mannes has created a little book that combines a brief memoir, a small political treatise, and a beginner's guide to help one's spiritual journey. His text is raw and honest in a way that anyone who has struggled with a disconnect between faith and church or belief and practice will understand.
He is unabashedly anti-Trump and has vowed to speak out against Trump's dangerous rhetoric and his misuse of Christianity to justify his harmful, hurtful political policies. Mannes confirms that the church in which he was formerly ordained has supported, adopted, and enforced Trump's rhetoric as the basis for religious life.
The impetus for the book is heart-breaking and scary, but the revelations from the pastor's journey give hope in a time of despair.
Reverend Mannes has created a little book that combines a brief memoir, a small political treatise, and a beginner's guide to help one's spiritual journey. His text is raw and honest in a way that anyone who has struggled with a disconnect between faith and church or belief and practice will understand.
He is unabashedly anti-Trump and has vowed to speak out against Trump's dangerous rhetoric and his misuse of Christianity to justify his harmful, hurtful political policies. Mannes confirms that the church in which he was formerly ordained has supported, adopted, and enforced Trump's rhetoric as the basis for religious life.
The impetus for the book is heart-breaking and scary, but the revelations from the pastor's journey give hope in a time of despair.
December 24, 2024
I grew up attending the church that the author pastored for many years and I always felt the genuineness that he had and the pure compassion for people. He helped me get through so many tough times from the divorce of my parents, the death of my grandfather and just life in general. I’m so thankful for his courage to share his thoughts about the state of the world right now. I know myself and many others have the same thoughts but are afraid to share. Bless you, Keith for having the courage to do what is right. And we all have the courage to walk a different path and do what we know in our hearts is right. Definitely recommend reading, it’s a very quick read!
August 29, 2024
This is powerful, honest book. I read the entire thing in one sitting. Keith's commitment to his beliefs--and what it cost him--is a story many of us need to hear and receive. I found the chapters about his move to chaplain ministry to be a particularly powerful witness to what following Jesus looks like.
August 27, 2025
Read this book. Picked it up and immediately read it again. Affirmed so many things for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews