Flipped: The Provocative Truth That Changes Everything We Know About God

by Doug Pagitt

We all have stories in our heads about God, humanity, life, and the meaning of it all. One of the most common—and misleading—stories is “If I’m faithful in doing this, then God promises to do that.” Jesus didn’t believe it and neither should you. God does not insist that you play by the rules before he will respond to you. A careful reading of the Bible will free all of us from trying to make a deal with God, inviting us instead to live in God.

How would your life change if you flipped your understanding of God?

Doug Pagitt takes a new look at provocative statements made by Jesus, Paul, and the prophets. Jesus turned the tables on religious assumptions every time he began with “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” Paul quoted a pagan poet when he revealed the truth that we live, move, and have our being in God.

Come along on a journey of discovery and change, leading to a flip in your view of where God is and where we are in relation to God. Set aside the rules of religion and know the freedom of living in God.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christian

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2015

About the author

Doug Pagitt is the head pastor of Solomon's Porch in South Minneapolis and a Senior Fellow with Emergent Village: a generative friendship of missional church leaders around the world and a leading architect of the emergent church discussion.

Reviews

[Jeanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is the Gospel? In any teaching or book on the bible, who God is, God’s purpose, how that question is answered reveals if there is any Gospel. In Flipped, there is no Gospel. There are parts of the Gospel but not the whole Gospel.

The Gospel is bad news ending with the Good News. The bad news is we are hostile towards God. Our hearts hardened towards God and it is Him pursuing us. It is a realization that God is holy and he is sovereign. All have sinned. We are saved by Grace and not by good works that we may boast. The Good News is Jesus. Jesus lived the life we could not and died the death we deserve. How do we respond?

Flipped: Experiencing God in a Whole New Way does not reflect the gospel.

“A transactional system demands near constant denial of who are and what we want. That system tells us that we should be concerned with what God wants while setting our desires. It presumes that our desires are at odds with God’s and does not and does not leave room for “what do you want? Story.” This statement is saying in essence that the Gospel is about me. The Gospel is about Christ. As the Lord’s prayer …thy Kingdom come thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven is not about my desires, but about God. As we grow in Christ, our desires become His. May I decrease and Christ increase.

His teaching on the woman who gave all she had …”Be like this woman. He was saying “be careful or will be like this woman. This system will leave you penniless and broke. It will take all you’ve got and leave you with nothing to live on.” It was as if he were saying “For the rich this works fine. But for those who have given all they have, they end with nothing. Jesus was not using this woman’s example of her faith but pointing her out as the victim of the temple’s requirements.” Christianity at its core is persecution and sacrifice. Not a sacrifice of look at me, but a sacrifice of what are we willing to give up for the Kingdom. The reality is we are always sacrificing. When both parents work, (and I did for my oldest and was able to stay home for my youngest) than a sacrifice is made. Sacrifice is choosing one thing over the other. What are we choosing over the Kingdom? What are choosing over our families?


There were many more “flipped” scenarios; however, I will digress so I won’t be writing my own book. The Gospel is something we are living 24/7, 365 days a year, from the beginning to the end. The Gospel is good news because we have grace. Not cheap grace but a grace made precious by the cross. We do not live the Gospel 100 perfectly. It is not perfection but faithfulness. Living our life in faithfulness to the character of God, his word, and the work of Christ with prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

A Special Thank you to Convergent Books, Blogging for Books, and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 1 out of 5]

President Obama promised to "fundamentally transform the United States of America" He has inflipped many respects delivered on that promise with the unveiling of the Affordable Health Care Act and a host of executive orders that are, in the final analysis, out of step with American values. But give credit where credit is due. The transformation the president promised has taken place. Now, Americans wait for the painful consequences to set in.

In Doug Pagitt's latest book, "Flipped," the author sets out to fundamentally transform the classic view of God. This transformation is creative and innovative. It is intuitive and will attract the attention of many readers.

Pagitt sets forth three goals at the beginning of the book:

To see that changing your mind, drawing new conclusions, and engaging new ideas all lie at the heart of Jesus's message and life.
To behold the big, beautiful story of God as you find new ways to live in it.
To invite readers to a full and vibrant life in God.
The basic idea that runs through this book is what the author refers to as a "flip" - which is nothing short of revising one's views about God, Scripture, and the Christian life in general. Pagitt adds, "The Flip at the center of this book is one that turned me around as a pastor and a Christian writer as well as my personal life and faith."

The Flip That Flopped

Several "flips" are addressed in this work. But the one that keeps surfacing concerns a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of God. At the heart of this book is a commitment to panentheism. This worldview, also known as process theology is a radical departure from the traditional understanding of God, yet is receiving a hearing in the emergent church and some liberal churches. One might consider such a view a halfway house between theism and pantheism. But make no mistake - panentheism is outside the scope of historical orthodoxy.

All is in God?

To be fair, the author never uses the word, panentheism. Yet this panentheistic theme runs throughout the book. Pagitt argues, "God is not a separate single subject ... If God were not a separate being from all things in the cosmos, then we need not simply say God exists. We can say that God is existence. All is in God." Such language is the classic lingo of panentheism.

My initial impression: Surely this is a typo! The author can't possibly mean what he is saying. But as I continued to read, my suspicions were confirmed. "... All that exists is In God," writes Pagitt. He tries to justify this "flip" by appealing to the rationale from Acts 17:28 where Paul quotes Epimenides of Crete: "In him we live and move and have our being."

In addition to promoting panentheism, the author posits the notion of universalism: "Beyond that, the power of God that was alive in Jesus is alive in us. In short, the fullness of God is active in humanity without assistance from any religious system." He continues, "Instead, we can recognize that all people live, more, and exist In God."

Evaluation

Flipped is a radical departure from the biblical understanding of God. The notion that all people "exist In God" simply fails to match the biblical data. Much to the contrary, we find a distinction between the Creator and the creature. Whenever one denies such a distinction he makes a dangerous theological move with several critical implications. What are the implications of denying the Creator-creature distinction?

* Misreads and misinterprets Scripture.
* Compromises God's character.
* Compromises biblical authority.
* Minimizes the transcendence of God and emphasis the immanence of God in biblically inappropriate ways.

Readers should recall how God is truly presented in Scripture. He is never presented in a panentheistic scheme - ever! Rather, he is presented as the absolute personal God. This absolute God is transcendent; that is to say, he is over and above the scope of the universe. He is distinct and independent of his creation (Isa. 57:15; Isa. 40:10). He is preeminent (Isa. 40:25-28; 44:6-8). Jonathan Edwards adds, "His power is infinite, and none can resist him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely awful." And God carries supreme authority over all. Nothing rivals the supreme authority of God (Job 41:10; 37:9-14).

The Triune God holds all things together. In a few words, St. Paul demonstrates both the transcendence and the imminence of God: "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible; whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:16-17, ESV). God is sovereign (Dan. 4:34-35). Nothing can thwart his sovereign decrees! He is distinct from the created order (Acts 17:24-29). And the Bible tells us that God is wholly other (Isa. 46:9). This is a far cry from people who "exist In God."

God is not only absolute; he is personal. He cares for his creation. He is intimately involved with his creation and he delights to meet the needs of his creatures.

God is the Sustainer (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). He is the Healer (2 Chron. 7:14). He is the Protector (2 Sam. 22:2). He is the Shepherd (Ps. 23:1-6). He is the Forgiver (Rom. 5:1). And Scripture demonstrates the ultimate love that God expressed on the Cross when Jesus died for sinners (Rom. 5:8).

Flipped will likely attract many readers; especially readers who are committed to theological liberalism. The author seeks to fundamentally transform the vision of God by convincing readers that "... All that exists is In God." The only problem: The view presented here is dead wrong.

A.W. Tozer understood the importance of getting God right. He rightly noted in his best-selling book, The Knowledge of God:

The gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most [awe-inspiring] fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his heart conceives God to be like ... So necessary to the Church is a lofty concept of God that when that concept in any measure declines, the Church with her worship and her moral standards decline along with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God.

May followers of Christ heed Tozer's advice. We certainly do not need to flip our views of God. Any deviation from the biblical vision of God will have tragic consequences in the church and the culture in which she seeks to minister. Any flip will become a flop that ignores the clear teaching of Scripture.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

[Aaron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Flipped is a book about seeing the message of the Bible through a different lens. Or to use the author’s word, taking what we believe to be true about scripture and doing a flip. In this book, Doug Pagitt take the reader through a number of instances in which Christ “flipped” the conventional understanding of the time and revealed the real meaning behind his message. On one hand, Pagitt is correctly identifying how Christ entered the world in order to correct things which had become disordered from God’s purposes. The problem however is that he fails to see that when Christ “flipped” the conventional understanding of how we relate to God, there is no longer a need for him (or anyone else for that matter) to come along and flip it back over. That appears to be what Pagitt has done in many instances in his book.

One of my immediate concerns when I began to read the book is the language used to describe God’s ontological existence. Throughout the book, Pagitt centers his anecdotes around Paul’s words in Acts 17:28-

“For in him we live and move and have our being”.

This was a flipping point for Pagitt and he spends a great deal of time demonstrating how we are in God. The problem is that he never quite defines what he means when he says that we are “in God”. Paul clearly teaches us that if anyone is “in Christ” he is a new creation. But is this what Pagitt means? Is he speaking about what the reformers referred to as union with Christ? It doesn’t appear so. Rather, it appears that Pagitt is making an ontological statement about God. On page 40, Pagitt says,

When I talk about all of creation being In God, I’m not just using a turn of phrase, As we have noted, the choice of preposition sends a specific meaning. Paul stated that In God we live, move, and exist. He did not say “with god” or “at a distance from god”. The preposition in is a profoundly meaningful word. And flipping the order of words from “God is in all” to “All is in God” is more than a semantic move. It offers us a clearer, more honest, more biblical understanding of who god is and who we are In God.
The affirmation of both a) God is in all and b) All is in God is the classic formulation of Panentheism/process theology. Pagitt’s earlier rejection of God not being wholly other than his creation also serves to demonstrate that Pagitt is on the fast track to Process Theology and rejecting the classic formulation of God being outside of his creation. Another clue to his Panentheistic/Process beliefs is his consistent capitalization of the word “In” when speaking of being in God. Clearly he has something greater in mind when speaking of being in God.. something which, like Whitehead, Cobb, and Hartshorne, believes that our being in God itself is divine.

To his credit, Pagitt does a good job dispelling the popular notion that we relate to god on a transactional basis. That is, in an If/then relationship with god (If I am Good Then God will be pleased with me). Unfortunately he takes it too far. On page 46, Pagitt pits the priests and prophets of the Old Testament against one another by saying that the priesthood operated in a transaction If/Then system based on ceremonial laws and requirements. The prophets by contrast operated on a relational system by calling for an end to the ceremonial requirements. What Pagitt clearly misses is that scripture is not giving two parallel and opposing views, but that the law and prophets work together to show how Christ is the fulfilment of the law. The law and gospel therefore are not opposed to one another but the prophets foretold of the time when the requirements of the law would be fulfilled in Christ. Pagitt misses this over and over again in his favorite example of a “flip”; that is, when Christ declares “you have heard it said. . . but I say . . .” Pagitt conveniently leaves out what Christ says after each of the “you have heard it said” statements because Christ did not flip the transactional requirement on its head- he dove deeper into them.

“you have heard it said, ‘you shall not commit adultery,’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a women with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart”.

Christ does not do away with the requirement, he digs deeper into it. Why? To show that it is impossible to keep the law and we have faith in him as the fulfillment of the law in order to be declared a law keeper. This is the testimony of the prophets working in harmony with the law requirements to show that Christ fulfills both.

Flipped is full of theological problem after theological problem. I’ll only mention two more here. On page 53, Pagitt declares that we do not have the need for a mediator (an adapter in his vocabulary) because we already live and move and have our being in God.

“The good news that we hear from Paul is that we live, move, and exist In God. We can live without a religious adapter”
The illustration of the adapter is one that Pagitt uses to describe our being able to commune with God as an electronic device communicates with another device. An adapter is needed because the two devices are different from one another. Pagitt misses the clear teaching of scripture that in becoming man, Christ became that adapter for us. He is both God and man and in him we have a mediator allowing us to commune with God.

Lastly (although I could go on) Pagitt makes a mess of the redemption story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Pagitt won’t let himself believe in a God who asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son and so he “flips” the story on it’s head. Instead of a beautiful picture of god sending his own son as a substitute, Pagitt reasons that God (Yahweh) did not ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but instead it was the gods (elohim/plural for god in Hebrew) of the Canaanite religion he left behind in Ur. His reasoning makes enough sense linguistically. Elohim is a word used to describe more than one god and is often used of false Gods. Pagitt reasons since the word changed from Yahweh (the one true God) to Elohim that it was the voice of satanic gods who convinced Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Again, to give him credit, this works linguistically. Elohim is used for the true God of Israel and of false gods. The problem is that after God spares Isaac, we have the following account:

“And the angel of the LORD (Yahweh) called to Abraham a second time and said; “By myself I have sworn says the LORD (Yahweh), because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you”.

The context gives light to the uncertain use of Elohim in this event and makes it clear that it was Yahweh who both asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son and rewarded him for being willing to do so.

The problems with Flipped are too many to recount here. The thing is, I believe that Pagitt has some legitimate complaints against how Christianity is lived out. He has identified some real problems within Christian living. However, his solution of flipping everything is a faulty solution and ends up creating more problems than it addresses.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Convergent Books , an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, in exchange for a review. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Lee Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t miss this one. Pagitt has the interesting writing style, fresh Bible interpretations, and anecdotal stories to keep you turning pages while he presents his Progressive Christian outlook. He even throws in a little Einstein as he explains what it means to be the light of the world.

Flipped is about turning everything over and seeing it fresh. Your concept of God will be turned on its head. Here’s a clue: Pagitt’s favorite phrase may come from the book of Acts: “In God we live, move, and exist.”

Pagitt wants to free us from what he calls an If/Then service, or a Transaction System, in which we bargain with God. If we do this, then God will do that. If we believe this, God will provide that. If we can discard the idea of conditional existence in God, then we become free to just be. To live in the moment, to become part of the whole, to see every human being as existing “in God.”

I really enjoyed this book.

Convergent Books, © 2015, 212 pages

ISBN: 978-1-60142-637-6

[Rebekah Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What encouraged me about Doug Pagitt was page 62: "The message of Jesus is that God connects directly with humanity. Jesus brought together God and humanity..."

I have huge reservations and questions about the belief that we as humans are divine or parts taken from the divine (pages 121, 156, 167). If we possess divinity inherently, why would Jesus need to pay for our sins? Why didn't we save ourselves?

I firmly believe human beings can allow divinity inside their lives through the Holy Spirit. Human nature is in itself "other" when compared with God. Certain sections of this book do not always make this clear, but it is a complex truth being discussed: Creator and creation connection, oneness with the God of the universe in His omnipotence and our fallibility.

I did enjoy many of his stories, particularly the ones where the people he knows understand spiritual truths because of human physical impairment like disability.

*Evangelicals who don't believe the theory of evolution has part in God's creation story may not consider this a valuable work.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book because it basically lies outside of genres that I would normally gravitate to. While I can't say that I hated the book, I can say that I disagreed fundamentally with mostly everything that Doug Pagitt had to say.

There are a couple of main problems I have with this book:
1. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person, but there were times during my reading where I was left pondering, "Uh. What?" I just didn't "get" some of the points that Pagitt was trying to make.

2. This man stated that he was a pastor. Maybe it's not very open-minded of me, but I feel that this pastor has missed the main point of the Gospel and what Jesus was trying to say.

I understand that Pagitt's point is to "flip" the traditional thinking of God and religion, and depending on your belief system this book may be wonderful or horrible to you. There were some ideas that I did agree with. I do feel that we should not be trying to hide or live with "If/Then" thinking. God does not want us to simply do good in the hope that he will do something good for us. That's not the point. Bad things still happen to good people, and it's not necessarily God "punishing" them for their choices. Sometimes bad things happen from bad choices. Sometimes bad things just happen. But I do completely disagree that we should just do whatever we want where ever we want with whomever we want. We SHOULD be trying to live Godly lives based on Jesus' example, knowing that we will NOT ever be perfect because we're human. We WILL make mistakes, and that's why we have a God who offers forgiveness when we mess up.

While Pagitt didn't directly say anything like this, if we are ALL in God, does that mean it's okay to murder others, or live a life of addiction, or abuse your spouse or children? It just makes me question his point. Shouldn't those people be ashamed of their actions? Shouldn't they want to repent?
Overall, I felt that Pagitt wrote well, but I just can't get on board with this flip.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flipped was our latest Tuesday morning book study and follows quite a few other books we have read regarding ways that a number of contemporary Christian theologians are looking at the teachings of the New Testament that bring what they feel is a more accurate version of what Jesus taught, and that they feel have been distorted through the years.

A vast simplification of Pagitt's theme in the book is his own major flip from what he calls transactional religion--believing that those who follow Jesus's teaching will be rewarded and that those who don't will be punished, to an acceptance that we, and all others, are accepted and loved by God. He introduces many of his flips with times Jesus initiated a point with "You have heard that it is said that __________, but I say onto you: ___________. Paggit states as his one reliable guide in interpreting the "flips" is that "Love is never the wrong way."

While this sounds pretty straight forward, the implications of his points change what many worshipers and that includes Christians and also those of other religious faiths have grown up believing, and the accompanying self-righteous feeling that they/we have the truth and are in the "in group" while others are lost and need to either be saved or rejected. (Actually --my observation--what many "religious wars" are based on.)

At the time Doug Pagitt wrote this book, he was serving as one of the pastors of a relatively new church called Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis, MN. He refers occasionally to Solomon's Porch and he may have been one of the founders, but is not listed as one of its current pastors. From what I've been able to learn, it is a very different type of worship service and life guide.

After tossing these kind of ideas around for the past couple of years, We have now chosen as our next book, one that will be focusing on how some people are living a life based on love and acceptance as exemplified by Bryan Stevenson in his memoir Just Mercy.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 3 out of 5]

To flip is to convert. Doug Pagitt is a thoughtful and generous spirit who experienced a theological conversion a few years back, and that set in motion another series of conversionary moments, what he terms flips. That theological conversion is to what theologians would call panentheism, though Doug never names it. For more on a panentheistic or process vision check out Bruce Epperly. What Doug came to understand is that rather than God being in us, we are in God. This changes the dynamics of life, for all of life is taken up in God.

Thus, the God he encountered is not one who is in the judgment business, but the love business. Christian faith is relational not transactional -- if you do this, I'll do that.

This is a good starting point for exploring the question of what living in God might look like. It is written for the inquirer, the person who is new to faith or considering faith. The fact that the numbers of those outside the religious sphere of influence is growing fast, Doug has a ready audience. It is written in a breezy, often auto-biographical style. Doug is, after all, a good story teller.

If you find Doug intriguing, then maybe try out Bruce's smaller introduction to process theology.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a little while since I've read anything by Doug Pagitt. I'm glad this is the book I picked up to refresh my reader's relationship with an author.

I've been "flipping" many of the stories of my youth from the Bible these past few years by reading them through a different lens. So to see this book talk about that and put a framework around that was lovely. Finding common ground after years of feeling trapped brings freedom.

In particular the flipping..reframing...of the story of Abraham sacrificing Issac was lovely. That story has been one of my most hated stories and has never aligned with my picture of God. Pagitt's explanation and thoughtfulness bringing that new thought forward made me nearly weep with relief. God IS in that story but just not in the way that the church has taught it for so long.

Having confirmation that the transactional nature of the relationship of Christians to God is false and not the blessing it is sold as, is a reminder that I can trust my own Spirit to be inline with the Spirit of God. God is in me...and more importantly I am IN God! In God I live, and move, and have my being.

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Flipped" is a down to earth approach to faith and God. I appreciate Pagitt's effort in stripping down the "system" of faith and trading the preconceived notions for a more real and integrated walk with God; a God Pagitt speaks of as being someone we have steady access to and can walk with in our day to day lives. The "If/Then" transactional system, a central idea in opposition to the "Flip" Pagitt presents; is all about endless strife and a falsely compartmentalized system of faith and God. The desire for faith to be as simple and comprehendible as a do and receive sort of trade off, while simple, is utterly exhausting and impossible. Pagitt also explains the importance of freedom in God, being present, and being the light, all of which come from and are best stoked by realizing we have a God who is with us and for us.

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pagitt's book is an accessible reframing of traditional Christianity's notion of repentance. Really Jesus invites us to be "flipped"--to see the world through the eyes of radical love. I especially appreciated his insight into the way much religion operates out of a transactional system: If [I do this], then [God will do that]. And that this will always keep us from knowing divinity IN us. Good stuff.

The fullness of God is active in humanity without assistance from any religious system.
--Doug Pagitt, Flipped 37

Religious dogma and practice introdue novel ways to keep God at a distance and us in pursuit of a supposedly distant God.
--Doug Pagitt, Flipped 48

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of looking at Bible stories in a new way depending on where you are at in your life. I don't agree with Doug on some of his flipped theology, but it's not like he hits the reader over the head with it. I think it's great if it gets the reader really thinking about scripture passages that he or she has read many, many times. There are some great anecdotes in this book, too. I especially like the one our pastor read in church on Sunday about Dieter Zander. Powerful!

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, there wasn't a lot of new perspective here, but the information is presented clearly, with interesting personal anecdotes. I'd give this a 3.5 but half stars aren't available. For context, I'd rate most of Rob Bells books as 4.5, Blue Like Jazz and Girl Meets God also 4.5. I'd give Gilead and Cry, The Beloved Country 5.s. Though works of fiction, faith and grace have rarely been explained as well.

[Carol Brusegar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It examines the common transactional approach to Christianity (If I'm faithful in doing this, then God promises to do that) and an alternative biblical view: Living IN God.

In a conversational style with plentiful personal illustrations and biblical examination, Doug Pagitt takes the reader on an exploration that opens new possibilities and life views.

Highly recommended.

[Pam Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it the concept of being Flipped describes my life lately. I liked the different approaches to familiar Bible stories that brought them alive again. Definitely will read again because I'm sure there are nuggets that I missed.

[Ryan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug has a way with words & strikes again with Flipped. Good stuff. Practical. Helpful. Inspiring. Relevant. Pagitt is a gift to the world.

[Cathy L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - A Life Altering Read

A must read for those seeking to understand life... Faith... Purpose... Being. Let yourself be Flipped. Be ready to pivot.

[Emma Ripley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read surrounding a very thought-provoking, convicting idea.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and a good read. It turned me on my head a bit which is a good thing. Thank you.