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#OrganicJesus: Finding Your Way to an Unprocessed, GMO-Free Christianity
If Generation Next is supposed to question everything and trust no one, where does faith fit in?Consumers demand that their food be pesticide--free, their cosmetics and shampoo be paraben-free, and that everything possible--from clothes to toilet paper--be made without additives or chemicals. But there's nothing that has more additives to the original product than Christianity. How do we get back to the 100% organic version of Jesus?
In his personal search for the organic Jesus, Scott Douglas goes on a funny, thought--provoking romp through the foundations of belief. Christianity, he says, has become a simulacrum--a bloated, overprocessed image that lacks the true substance of the real thing. His search for the original took him far and wide through historical Christ figures, urban legends, odd facts about the faith, freakishly flawed Christians, and the Internet. Using relatable, contemporary anecdotes, and unlikely wisdom concealed within humor, Douglas reveals a way back to the authentic essence of following Christ.
By including "wiki" breaks, social media callouts, quizzes, charts, and more, #OrganicJesus is ideal for readers raised on social media who can't step out of their house without tweeting about it or eat lunch without posting on Instagram. Douglas is careful to be as non--biased as possible, writing not for any particular agenda--political or otherwise--but instead encouraging readers to seek their own path for spiritual renewal. The result is a candid look at modern Christianity that will challenge savvy young Christians to put as much effort into discovering sustainable religion as they do in their pursuit of an organic marketplace.
In his personal search for the organic Jesus, Scott Douglas goes on a funny, thought--provoking romp through the foundations of belief. Christianity, he says, has become a simulacrum--a bloated, overprocessed image that lacks the true substance of the real thing. His search for the original took him far and wide through historical Christ figures, urban legends, odd facts about the faith, freakishly flawed Christians, and the Internet. Using relatable, contemporary anecdotes, and unlikely wisdom concealed within humor, Douglas reveals a way back to the authentic essence of following Christ.
By including "wiki" breaks, social media callouts, quizzes, charts, and more, #OrganicJesus is ideal for readers raised on social media who can't step out of their house without tweeting about it or eat lunch without posting on Instagram. Douglas is careful to be as non--biased as possible, writing not for any particular agenda--political or otherwise--but instead encouraging readers to seek their own path for spiritual renewal. The result is a candid look at modern Christianity that will challenge savvy young Christians to put as much effort into discovering sustainable religion as they do in their pursuit of an organic marketplace.
- GenresReligionChristianity
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2016
8 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 24, 2017
What a disappointing book. I was looking forward to reading this one, but it failed to make a good impression.
On the plus side, he acknowledges that God is known by faith, and that faith should be in God, not in church or other people, since those can let you down.
The first flaw in this search to find the "organic Jesus" is the inane set up of this book; even my teens found all the little blurbs, sidetracks and suggestions to post things online distracting and not well done. If indeed people are distracted by technology, this book does nothing to help with that with its format.
The second is the very surface discussion and the failure to back up most of what he said. Douglas basically comes up with a somewhat twentieth century looking Jesus based largely on the theology hacked out in the first few centuries by the church fathers, politicians and a sometimes violent and bloody fight over whose version of the trinity and theology should dominate, which often had little to do with actual scripture and a lot to do with inculcating doctrines of other religions and, at times, adding scriptures (this is known to anyone who has done careful study of this.)
He is rather fickle on what he takes (evolution, for example, despite the fact that it is based on the philosophy of materialism and much of it on the theory of uniformitarianism and that it hasn't been fully proven, and yes it's true that that theory led theologians to investigate creationism etc in a way not done for a very, very long time, which doesn't make it a bad thing or even wrong), and what he drops (the rapture only because he can only find references to it for the past couple of hundred years, even though it's known that for centuries Roman Catholics would rout out people who disagreed with them and wipe out much or all of their theology, and really without any indepth discussion of it; whether or not it's accurate has little to do with the age of the theology). As if the reformation wasn't an ongoing process and stopped shortly after Luther et al.
But basically, it's just shallow, splashy writing that doesn't give us anything to really sink our teeth into. It's sort of a homogenized theology popular in many churches, but not all, and certainly not well documented.
On the plus side, he acknowledges that God is known by faith, and that faith should be in God, not in church or other people, since those can let you down.
The first flaw in this search to find the "organic Jesus" is the inane set up of this book; even my teens found all the little blurbs, sidetracks and suggestions to post things online distracting and not well done. If indeed people are distracted by technology, this book does nothing to help with that with its format.
The second is the very surface discussion and the failure to back up most of what he said. Douglas basically comes up with a somewhat twentieth century looking Jesus based largely on the theology hacked out in the first few centuries by the church fathers, politicians and a sometimes violent and bloody fight over whose version of the trinity and theology should dominate, which often had little to do with actual scripture and a lot to do with inculcating doctrines of other religions and, at times, adding scriptures (this is known to anyone who has done careful study of this.)
He is rather fickle on what he takes (evolution, for example, despite the fact that it is based on the philosophy of materialism and much of it on the theory of uniformitarianism and that it hasn't been fully proven, and yes it's true that that theory led theologians to investigate creationism etc in a way not done for a very, very long time, which doesn't make it a bad thing or even wrong), and what he drops (the rapture only because he can only find references to it for the past couple of hundred years, even though it's known that for centuries Roman Catholics would rout out people who disagreed with them and wipe out much or all of their theology, and really without any indepth discussion of it; whether or not it's accurate has little to do with the age of the theology). As if the reformation wasn't an ongoing process and stopped shortly after Luther et al.
But basically, it's just shallow, splashy writing that doesn't give us anything to really sink our teeth into. It's sort of a homogenized theology popular in many churches, but not all, and certainly not well documented.
August 29, 2016
This book was so refreshing! Such a cookies-on-the-bottom-shelf view of what it means to follow Jesus. Not one part of this was boring or run of the mill. The voice of the author was clear and to the point. Some of my favorite parts were the footnotes which were humorous and/or educational in nature. If you want to be reminded of who Jesus is and why being a follower of Jesus is worth it all, this would be a good book for you to read. Highly recommend!
October 18, 2016
I'm been avoiding dealing with my questions of spirituality and doubts for years now, but I feel like this book helped me reach a place where I can finally discover who God is to me. It's also brought about a lot of discussion with friends and family that I desperately needed. If only more of us spoke so candidly about Christianity.
December 10, 2016
First off, this book is strictly for those of the faith. This will not swing anyone over from non-belief, unless they're already on the brink and are looking for a brand of Christianity that doesn't treat believers of other faiths as though they were subhuman heathens. You will not, for instance, read Scott defending witch burning because, "their hearts were in the right place." (Sorry Clive, I'm never, ever going to let that one go) As someone coming from the other side, there are numerous points in this book where I strongly disagree with Scott, but I say this realizing that I am not the target audience for this book.
Second, a huge point in this book's favor is that it lacks the condescension typical of Christian writing. Scott pokes fun at certain older, insane sects of Christianity, but this book lacks that "the very ground we walk on is holy" tone that even seeped into Lewis' otherwise decent Mere Christianity. It's refreshing to read a book about someone having faith and not feeling like I'm being brow-beaten for not being in the same tribe.
Finally, this book is funny. Not "Christian funny," but actually funny. Scott brings the jokes and bounces well between serious meditations on his faith and wry asides. It's an entertaining read and, though obviously much different from his library memoir Quiet Please, still uses the same great format of side trivia and humorous footnotes.
So there you go. If you're of the faith but turned off by the gross, Trump-worshiping bejeweled hypocrites who have taken it over and want to return to something more basic, you should probably pick this up.
Full disclosure: I have known Scott (NOT in the Biblical sense) for 10 years now and consider him a friend. Also, I happen to be the Atheist interviewed in the middle of the book.
Second, a huge point in this book's favor is that it lacks the condescension typical of Christian writing. Scott pokes fun at certain older, insane sects of Christianity, but this book lacks that "the very ground we walk on is holy" tone that even seeped into Lewis' otherwise decent Mere Christianity. It's refreshing to read a book about someone having faith and not feeling like I'm being brow-beaten for not being in the same tribe.
Finally, this book is funny. Not "Christian funny," but actually funny. Scott brings the jokes and bounces well between serious meditations on his faith and wry asides. It's an entertaining read and, though obviously much different from his library memoir Quiet Please, still uses the same great format of side trivia and humorous footnotes.
So there you go. If you're of the faith but turned off by the gross, Trump-worshiping bejeweled hypocrites who have taken it over and want to return to something more basic, you should probably pick this up.
Full disclosure: I have known Scott (NOT in the Biblical sense) for 10 years now and consider him a friend. Also, I happen to be the Atheist interviewed in the middle of the book.
January 9, 2017
https://joemcfadden.org/2016/09/26/or...
In our context it can be increasingly more difficult to come to a full understanding of who Jesus is, why He mattered and what to do in response. Alot of speculation gets mixed in to cultural views of who Jesus is and before long it is easy to see people adopt a version of Jesus that looks little like the man we see in the Bible. Douglas takes on an interesting challenge in stripping back some of these cultural layers to uncover a fresh perspective of Jesus and what it means to follow Him. The book is part theology, part historical and part spiritual formation. Douglas does well to intersperse many creative elements into the book for the reader to engage with such as “wiki” breaks, social media callouts, quizzes, charts, and more. I especially like the “Which Bible Hero Are You?” that is found throughout the whole book, to create a unique spiritual inventory that helps those who take this journey with him to engage in a new way. Throughout the book Douglas is clear and to the point. Some of my favorite parts were the footnotes which are humorous and informative.
I don’t necessarily agree with every theological presupposition Douglas makes in the book but many of his points are spot on. If you are looking for a fresh perspective of who Jesus is, why He matters and what it means to follow Him then this is a book I would suggest that is free from the jargon associated with others books of this nature.
I received a free copy of this book as part of the Speakeasy Blog Review Program in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
In our context it can be increasingly more difficult to come to a full understanding of who Jesus is, why He mattered and what to do in response. Alot of speculation gets mixed in to cultural views of who Jesus is and before long it is easy to see people adopt a version of Jesus that looks little like the man we see in the Bible. Douglas takes on an interesting challenge in stripping back some of these cultural layers to uncover a fresh perspective of Jesus and what it means to follow Him. The book is part theology, part historical and part spiritual formation. Douglas does well to intersperse many creative elements into the book for the reader to engage with such as “wiki” breaks, social media callouts, quizzes, charts, and more. I especially like the “Which Bible Hero Are You?” that is found throughout the whole book, to create a unique spiritual inventory that helps those who take this journey with him to engage in a new way. Throughout the book Douglas is clear and to the point. Some of my favorite parts were the footnotes which are humorous and informative.
I don’t necessarily agree with every theological presupposition Douglas makes in the book but many of his points are spot on. If you are looking for a fresh perspective of who Jesus is, why He matters and what it means to follow Him then this is a book I would suggest that is free from the jargon associated with others books of this nature.
I received a free copy of this book as part of the Speakeasy Blog Review Program in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
November 16, 2016
Irreverant. Funny. Provocative. Sincere. Challenging.
The Good
Scott Douglas does a great job of keeping you on the edge. He says things in a way that challenges you to think more deeply. He has a knack for seeing the ironies and the humor in the Christian subculture. But, he does this while a committed member and defender of that same community.
The Bad
There is not a lot. This book is not about theology per se. It does tackle some theological topics in general terms. This leaves the reader wondering what they should believe on the matter. It would have been nice for there to have a been a nudge toward other resources to dig deeper. But, in the end, this is not the purpose of the book.
The Good
Scott Douglas does a great job of keeping you on the edge. He says things in a way that challenges you to think more deeply. He has a knack for seeing the ironies and the humor in the Christian subculture. But, he does this while a committed member and defender of that same community.
The Bad
There is not a lot. This book is not about theology per se. It does tackle some theological topics in general terms. This leaves the reader wondering what they should believe on the matter. It would have been nice for there to have a been a nudge toward other resources to dig deeper. But, in the end, this is not the purpose of the book.
May 26, 2017
The first book up for scrutiny, #OrganicJesus (Kregel Publications, 2016) as the hashtag and missing space between the "c" and the "J" suggests has a cool factor guaranteed to draw GEN Ys and people who relish fresh approaches. In the tradition of Buechner (Wishful Thinking), Miller (Blue Like Jazz), Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek), Lemott (Bird by Bird), etc., the book presents Jesus Christ, version 11.0 with some minor fixes.
The book reboots territory covered by many contemporary Christian authors in a social media-friendly way. The reader benefits from sidebars, quizzes and cool facts included with the main text. The whole effect is great WYSIWYG, but can distract from reading. On the up side, each chapter has questions for group study at the back of the book.
Scott Douglas, a librarian and writing instructor (Gotham City) touches many of the thorny issues facing Christianity today, such as the relevance of the Trinity, Worship, One God, etc. He includes an interview with an atheist, short history lessons, quirky facts and a table summarizing the beliefs of the major world religions. If you like a cornucopia of matters related to Christianity, the book will satisfy.
I like the fact that Douglas tries to pump life into Jesus, rescuing his message from the trash heap of history, religion and academia/legalism. He shows that Christ lived rationally and supernaturally. In other words, the author attempts to appeal to thinking people while not downplaying Christ's divinity. I don't think hardened hearts will soften, but maybe ambivalent ones will give Christ further reflection.
The book reboots territory covered by many contemporary Christian authors in a social media-friendly way. The reader benefits from sidebars, quizzes and cool facts included with the main text. The whole effect is great WYSIWYG, but can distract from reading. On the up side, each chapter has questions for group study at the back of the book.
Scott Douglas, a librarian and writing instructor (Gotham City) touches many of the thorny issues facing Christianity today, such as the relevance of the Trinity, Worship, One God, etc. He includes an interview with an atheist, short history lessons, quirky facts and a table summarizing the beliefs of the major world religions. If you like a cornucopia of matters related to Christianity, the book will satisfy.
I like the fact that Douglas tries to pump life into Jesus, rescuing his message from the trash heap of history, religion and academia/legalism. He shows that Christ lived rationally and supernaturally. In other words, the author attempts to appeal to thinking people while not downplaying Christ's divinity. I don't think hardened hearts will soften, but maybe ambivalent ones will give Christ further reflection.
July 9, 2018
Very thoughtful and thought provoking book. However, got 90% through before my Hoopla app went kablooey and wouldn't play it anymore.
October 2, 2016
This one took me some time to get through - not because it was a difficult read, but because of the annoying "WikiBreaks" and conversational rather than expository nature of the writing. If you're looking for a book of solid Christian apologetics, there are far better books to be had. This book had nuggets of truth on a subtle backdrop of postmodernism. It will probably appeal to the millennial generation, but it will not make a list of my recommended books for a new or mature Christian.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews