Loving God When You Don't Love the Church: Opening the Door to Healing

by Chris Jackson

Many Christians who experience hurt in the church don't just leave their own churches; they leave the church altogether. Whether they have been wounded by pastors or people in the pews, these believers have had enough and are jumping ship in massive numbers. Pastor and churchgoer Chris Jackson is honest about his own failings as well as those of the church at large. He identifies with many of the hurts churchgoing Christians have experienced. In Loving God When You Don't Love the Church, he hopes to provide healing to wounded and disillusioned believers and restore the wonder of a genuine relationship with Jesus and his bride, the church. Jackson's humility, compassion, and practical advice for healing and restoration will touch those who have left the church and those who love them.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Amazon, Christian Living, Ebooks, Faith, Religion

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Stuart Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard it said that if you have never been mad at your church, you are probably not very involved. The author speaks in what seems to be a very transparent manner about is life experience as a church member and as pastor. He has alot of great advice and insights into how not to let the root of bitterness grow in the soil of hurt. The author encourages us to allow our hurts to make us broken before God and not to allow ourselves to descend into and become mired in woundedness. This is a very helpful book for anyone who desires to be transformed into the likeness of Christ by both the joyful and the hurtful experiences in our lives.

[John Hately · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts solid, later gets lost
I was hoping this book might provide another insight as to Loving God without mainstream Church attendance, but it didn't! This is really something I need to work out with God himself...

Godspeed

[blondemummy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*. Starts really well but then tapers off. A really good read though and so many of the same experiences occur everywhere, I've certainly been there! Interesting points about how many leaderships have strayed from conflict resolutions in the Biblical way as I have also been there and can relate.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blessing!

When challenged by church as we know it this is such a great book. When we know there is more, there is. We can move beyond, do more and be greater for God.

[Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It was refreshing and intensely personal. The author chose to take a more personal and pastoral approach, so most of the examples used are from his own life. I found his approach effective because he managed to stay objective even while sharing his subjective experiences. He capitalized on the fact that human beings are not very different. If there's anything in which we find common ground, it is in our struggles and challenges.

This book was not very doctrinal, it was more devotional. Therefore, you will not find a lot of systematic theology and solid explanations for certain behaviors in the church. The book does indeed live up to its tagline "opening the door to healing". The author reminds us of basic truths that Christians tend to forget when they have grievances with the church. Truths such as "You are the church", "You hurt and disappoint other Christians too", "We follow Jesus, not each other," and "Be the change that you want to see in your church."

This was one of the most memorable quotes for me:

"Life doesn't begin with man, but with God. The story didn't begin when Adam and Eve pranced around naked in the Garden of Eden, but when the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - dreamed their family into existence and set in motion the creation of mankind" (p. 154)

Are you struggling to forgive and let go of some hurts from members (or the leadership) of your church? Then this book is for you. Do you think that your church is okay, there's nothing to forgive and all is well? Then this book is for you. Read it. It will help expose hidden wounds and help heal those exposed wounds.

[A.C. Bauch · Rating 3 out of 5]

all right. there was a lot of wonderful info in this book, both for people who have been hurt by the church, and for those trying to understand people who have been hurt by the church. however, i don't necessarily feel that this book does the best job of helping people heal. although i don't know if that's the intent, as the subtitle says that it will merely "open the door to healing." also, the author often seemed interested in relating his personal experiences, and i felt that the content could have been bolstered by relating stories from those who have left the church and returned. one aspect of this book i did appreciate was the variety of Scripture references, both from the old and new testaments, as well as books often overlooked (e.g., Zechariah) in favor of more commonly known ones.

[Rex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off slow, but once you get past the the first third ofthe book things really pick up. Pastor Jackson has a lot of wisdom to share about human relationships and the church.

Pastor Jackson discusses how churches can wrong and hurt the parishoners, and why these hurts tend to be the most severe hurts people experience. As the name suggests, he lays out a path for spiritual healing and how to rejoin the church one is a member of, or how to quietly move on to a new church that is less toxic.

Pastor Jackson also discusses the roles and responsibilities of how a Christian church ought to be.

While this books speaks specifically of the relationship between believers and the church, wht Pastor Jackson teaches applies to relations with everyone.

[Kendra Hovey]

The first 75% of the book (Kindle) was a worthy read. The author is humble and shares some very worthwhile ideas about how Christians can heal through the pain of spiritual abuse. In addition, he offers some wise observations about why Christians are abusing one another and how to stop. Beyond that, when the book turned to mission, I was hugely disappointed and could not finish reading it. Sadly, in my personal opinion, the Great Commission is a huge factor in why so many are spiritually abused by Christians and I can't support a philosophy that thinks the life purpose of a Christian is to win others over to Christianity. It turns my stomach, actually.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lessons were not all easy to get through. Learning from past experiences and growing because of them, isn't always easy. So it took me a while to get through this book. For me, this was a good read. I'm very likely to reread some parts from time to time. My advice to anyone who is going to read this or is reading this now, don't rush it. Read as slow as you need to. Focus on what you are learning about yourself and what God is doing in your life.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author does a good job showing our responsibility to be the healing influence among believers, both those within and outside of our own body of believers. He challenges us to overcome our hurt in order to draw closer to God and to be the image of Christ to others.

[Grant Davis]

One of the best books I've ever read. If you ever are in need of healing from pain...especially from the church...THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This looked interesting when I bought it in November. I had no idea that I would need it just two months later. It has helped with my healing process.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Greg Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Healing

I gave this book 5 stars because I have been hurt in the church. I'm currently looking for a new church.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you are struggling with unhealthy church experiences. Brings healing and hope.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stuff, but not a great read