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Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity
Our generation needs a reformation.
But a single person won’t lead it.
A single event won’t define it.
Our reformation will be a movement of reformers living creatively, compassionately, courageously for the cause of Christ.
This reformation will not be born of a new discovery. It will be the rediscovery of something old, something ancient.
Something primal.
— Mark Batterson, Primal
What would your Christianity look like if it was stripped down to the simplest, rawest, purest faith possible? You would have more, not less. You would have the beginning of a new reformation—in your generation, your church, your own soul. You would have primal Christianity.
This book is an invitation to become part of a reformation movement. It is an invitation to rediscover the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that turned the world upside down two thousand years ago. It is an invitation to be astonished again.
But a single person won’t lead it.
A single event won’t define it.
Our reformation will be a movement of reformers living creatively, compassionately, courageously for the cause of Christ.
This reformation will not be born of a new discovery. It will be the rediscovery of something old, something ancient.
Something primal.
— Mark Batterson, Primal
What would your Christianity look like if it was stripped down to the simplest, rawest, purest faith possible? You would have more, not less. You would have the beginning of a new reformation—in your generation, your church, your own soul. You would have primal Christianity.
This book is an invitation to become part of a reformation movement. It is an invitation to rediscover the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that turned the world upside down two thousand years ago. It is an invitation to be astonished again.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published December 9, 2009
112 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
Mark Batterson
188 books1,115 followersMark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. One church in seven locations, NCC owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, The Miracle Theatre, and the DC Dream Center. NCC is currently developing a city block into The Capital Turnaround. This 100,000-square-foot space will include an event venue, child development center, mixed-use marketplace, and co-working space. Mark holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Regent University and is the New York Times best-selling author of seventeen books, including The Circle Maker, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Wild Goose Chase, Play the Man, Whisper, and, most recently, Double Blessing. Mark and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill with their three children: Parker, Summer, and Josiah.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
April 13, 2013
The church is in need of a reformation. But it's not going to come through charismatic leaders or grandiose notions; it's going to start with each follower of Christ getting back to the basics of the Greatest Commandment: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Batterson takes each of these 4 elements and fleshes out what they mean. To love God with all our heart is to exhibit compassion. To love God with all our soul is to exhibit wonder. To love God with all our mind is to exhibit curiosity. To love God with all our strength is to exhibit energy. Our challenge in our brief time on earth is to turn these nouns into verbs in our lives.
Engaging and thought-provoking. Let the reformation begin with each of us! And let it begin today.
Engaging and thought-provoking. Let the reformation begin with each of us! And let it begin today.
January 26, 2018
Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Sound familiar? This is what Jesus said was the greatest commandment. Here in Primal, Mark Batterson explores just what exactly does it mean to obey this command? Using his own insights and experiences along with a well read abundance of insights from others both contemporary and historical, MB explores what it means to love God with all our heart (compassion), soul (wonder), mind (curiosity), and strength (energy). In short this is a brilliant, book long answer to how we can apply the greatest commendment to our modern contemprary lives.
I like to say that there isn't a book out there except the Bible that I totally and fully agree with and that I like this better because I prefer to be stretched and challenged as I have a mental debate witht the book.
Well, Mark Batterson is once again coming awfully close to being the exception to that rule. Pretty much everything he writes here is absolutely spot on. Not only that, it is written in such a beautiful and spiritually sound way that even though I am in full agreement, I am still stretched and challenged to actually live out and apply what we both know to be true. This book is not just the best book I read all year. It is better than anything I read last year and I am certainly confident it will still be the best book I have read until the end of 2018. It is just that good.
I like to say that there isn't a book out there except the Bible that I totally and fully agree with and that I like this better because I prefer to be stretched and challenged as I have a mental debate witht the book.
Well, Mark Batterson is once again coming awfully close to being the exception to that rule. Pretty much everything he writes here is absolutely spot on. Not only that, it is written in such a beautiful and spiritually sound way that even though I am in full agreement, I am still stretched and challenged to actually live out and apply what we both know to be true. This book is not just the best book I read all year. It is better than anything I read last year and I am certainly confident it will still be the best book I have read until the end of 2018. It is just that good.
June 26, 2024
Excusing the corny cover-art and questionable title choice, Primal was an enjoyable, uplifting, and compelling read. A book that succeeds in inspiring its reader to the marvelous light of holy compassion, wonder, curiosity, and sweat equity - reflective in its authors tone and pace, admonishing always upwards, while avoiding the rusty, weighty shackles of religious codes-of-conduct.
July 30, 2017
Mark Batterson makes some good points in this book. Christianity would be in a better place if we all back to the basics and that's what this book is about. However, some of his medical information is wrong.
July 11, 2011
Simplify..."Love the Lord with ALL your heart, mind, soul, and strength". How can someone simplify that verse from the Bible? Is that not simplified completely? You would think so. But maybe we are in such a fast pace world that we need to place this verse in slow mode, and re-read it. What does it mean to "love with ALL"? That's what Mark Batterson does with this book "Primal". He explains the "all" in a practical and ingenious way. Ingenious, because Mark holds your attention throughout the whole book with this one commandment. Mark gives nibbles and full meals on information that energizes the mind and stimulate the brain to see more closely the values in "All". Sometimes we hear the sermons, hear the same stories from the Bible, that they start to dull our senses and stop engaging our minds to motivation. Mark's book is a must read for Christians thriving to give "All" to Jesus, for what He has giving Us.
March 17, 2010
Another thought-provoking read from Pastor Mark Betterson. This is his best book yet in my opinion, not because his writing style has changed but because it contains the most original thoughts that inspired paradigm shifts for me that I didn't get in his sermons. Kudos to Pastor Mark for not preaching every single thing he wrote here. Makes it worth the read. Easy to put down for a while and come back to also.
January 3, 2014
Great book. Batterson writes in a way that gets the point across but is done in love.
October 19, 2015
I really needed this book. The way Mark describes the need of wonder to encourage my love for God was priceless.
July 13, 2011
- I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. –
You can find the first chapter available for preview here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47206285/Pr...
If I were to ask you to break down Christianity into the simplest form you could, to simplify the message as much as possible, how would you respond?
Mark Batterson’s answer to this question is to remind us of what many call The Great Commandment:
Mark 12:30
New International Version (NIV)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”
(Quoted from BibleGateway.com)
Even Jesus himself said that there is no law greater than this (and the adjoining commandment to love our neighbor). All of the laws, all that we are to do, all that it means to truly follow Jesus, to obey God, hangs on this Great Commandment, we are told.
In Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, Mark Batterson breaks down exactly what it means to follow God with *all* our heart, soul, mind, and strength, by giving each of these dimensions (as he calls them) of loving God their turn in his explanation. He has divided his book into four parts, each relating to a different dimension of the way we are to love God:
Part One is the Heart of Christianity
Part Two is the Soul of Christianity
Part Three is the Mind of Christianity
and Part Four is the Strength of Christianity
He tells us, though, that this book "is not a strict exposition of the Great Commandment. It's a reimagination of the four primal elements detailed by Jesus in the Great Commandment:
The heart of Christianity is primal compassion
The soul of Christianity is primal wonder
The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity
And the strength of Christianity is primal energy" (page 7)
By taking the time to really reflect on what the Great Commandment means, Batterson says that “the end result will be a renewed love for God that is full of genuine compassion, infinite wonder, insatiable curiosity, and boundless energy.” (page 8) And when thinking about it that way I realize that if I were asked what the spirit of Christianity is I wouldn’t have been able to have put it any better than he has. Compassion, wonder, curiosity, energy – these are all what I personally believe it comes down to, and even though the book reads so easily the message is so much more profound than I could possibly do justice.
Each section, each “spiritual love language”, as he calls them, is a cornerstone of my personal faith. I can’t convey to you how deeply rooted my beliefs are in the ideals of compassion, wonder/awe, curiosity, and energy/action, the first three especially. So the attention he gives them, the importance he places upon them, it’s almost as though he was speaking directly to me in my own conviction and constant cultivation of each of them.
The very fact that curiosity is even one of the “big four”, as I’ll call them, is something of great importance to me, personally. In an age where anti-intellectualism so plagues Christianity it is always a triumph when anyone encourages even the least bit of questioning and educating within the Christian faith. His quote, “There should be no disconnect between spiritual and intellectual pursuits. The mind and soul are not enemies. They are allies.” (page 103), and his speaking of critical realism was a welcome change from the usual way we see Christians condemn any sort of intellectuality so as to best support the religious status quo.
“The status quo is not good stewardship” he tells us on page 113. And I agree.
He continues:
“Let me tell you what faithfulness is not. Faithfulness is *not* doing it the way it’s always been done. Faithfulness is *not* holding the fort. Faithfulness is *not* defending the status quo. Faithfulness is the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. Faithfulness is experimenting with new ways of doing discipleship. Faithfulness is playing offense for the kingdom even if some Pharisees find it offensive.” (pages 113-114)
As he brings his book to a conclusion, in the final chapters, in reference to the idea of strength and primal energy, he seems to tie it all together by reminding us that it’s not just about feeling compassion, not about how much we come to learn in our insatiable curiosity, it’s about what we *do* with it.
The quote (from 134) says it well:
“We’ve explored what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. But compassion, wonder, and curiosity aren’t enough. Strength is the final frontier…. A heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God is where love begins. But it doesn’t end there. Energy completes the equation.”
“Christianity was never intended to be a noun” he tells us (on page 135)
One of the greatest problems within Christianity today is that “we're not so great at the Great Commandment" (page 7). Through this book, though, Mark Batterson calls us to understand what the Great Commandment really… well, commands; what it means to truly understand and apply it. In doing so, he invites us to be a part of a reformation, one that is based upon the Commandment that is so great.
“When you descend the flight of stairs into the soul of Christianity and everything is stripped away but its primal essence, what you’re left with is the Great Commandment. Just as the medieval church rediscovered justification by faith, so our generation must rediscover the Great Commandment. The rallying cry of the last reformation was “Sola fide.” The rallying cry of the next reformation is “Amo Dei.”
Translation : “Love God.”” (page 169)
Amo Dei, they will declare. Will you join him in being one of them?
You can find the first chapter available for preview here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47206285/Pr...
If I were to ask you to break down Christianity into the simplest form you could, to simplify the message as much as possible, how would you respond?
Mark Batterson’s answer to this question is to remind us of what many call The Great Commandment:
Mark 12:30
New International Version (NIV)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”
(Quoted from BibleGateway.com)
Even Jesus himself said that there is no law greater than this (and the adjoining commandment to love our neighbor). All of the laws, all that we are to do, all that it means to truly follow Jesus, to obey God, hangs on this Great Commandment, we are told.
In Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, Mark Batterson breaks down exactly what it means to follow God with *all* our heart, soul, mind, and strength, by giving each of these dimensions (as he calls them) of loving God their turn in his explanation. He has divided his book into four parts, each relating to a different dimension of the way we are to love God:
Part One is the Heart of Christianity
Part Two is the Soul of Christianity
Part Three is the Mind of Christianity
and Part Four is the Strength of Christianity
He tells us, though, that this book "is not a strict exposition of the Great Commandment. It's a reimagination of the four primal elements detailed by Jesus in the Great Commandment:
The heart of Christianity is primal compassion
The soul of Christianity is primal wonder
The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity
And the strength of Christianity is primal energy" (page 7)
By taking the time to really reflect on what the Great Commandment means, Batterson says that “the end result will be a renewed love for God that is full of genuine compassion, infinite wonder, insatiable curiosity, and boundless energy.” (page 8) And when thinking about it that way I realize that if I were asked what the spirit of Christianity is I wouldn’t have been able to have put it any better than he has. Compassion, wonder, curiosity, energy – these are all what I personally believe it comes down to, and even though the book reads so easily the message is so much more profound than I could possibly do justice.
Each section, each “spiritual love language”, as he calls them, is a cornerstone of my personal faith. I can’t convey to you how deeply rooted my beliefs are in the ideals of compassion, wonder/awe, curiosity, and energy/action, the first three especially. So the attention he gives them, the importance he places upon them, it’s almost as though he was speaking directly to me in my own conviction and constant cultivation of each of them.
The very fact that curiosity is even one of the “big four”, as I’ll call them, is something of great importance to me, personally. In an age where anti-intellectualism so plagues Christianity it is always a triumph when anyone encourages even the least bit of questioning and educating within the Christian faith. His quote, “There should be no disconnect between spiritual and intellectual pursuits. The mind and soul are not enemies. They are allies.” (page 103), and his speaking of critical realism was a welcome change from the usual way we see Christians condemn any sort of intellectuality so as to best support the religious status quo.
“The status quo is not good stewardship” he tells us on page 113. And I agree.
He continues:
“Let me tell you what faithfulness is not. Faithfulness is *not* doing it the way it’s always been done. Faithfulness is *not* holding the fort. Faithfulness is *not* defending the status quo. Faithfulness is the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. Faithfulness is experimenting with new ways of doing discipleship. Faithfulness is playing offense for the kingdom even if some Pharisees find it offensive.” (pages 113-114)
As he brings his book to a conclusion, in the final chapters, in reference to the idea of strength and primal energy, he seems to tie it all together by reminding us that it’s not just about feeling compassion, not about how much we come to learn in our insatiable curiosity, it’s about what we *do* with it.
The quote (from 134) says it well:
“We’ve explored what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. But compassion, wonder, and curiosity aren’t enough. Strength is the final frontier…. A heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God is where love begins. But it doesn’t end there. Energy completes the equation.”
“Christianity was never intended to be a noun” he tells us (on page 135)
One of the greatest problems within Christianity today is that “we're not so great at the Great Commandment" (page 7). Through this book, though, Mark Batterson calls us to understand what the Great Commandment really… well, commands; what it means to truly understand and apply it. In doing so, he invites us to be a part of a reformation, one that is based upon the Commandment that is so great.
“When you descend the flight of stairs into the soul of Christianity and everything is stripped away but its primal essence, what you’re left with is the Great Commandment. Just as the medieval church rediscovered justification by faith, so our generation must rediscover the Great Commandment. The rallying cry of the last reformation was “Sola fide.” The rallying cry of the next reformation is “Amo Dei.”
Translation : “Love God.”” (page 169)
Amo Dei, they will declare. Will you join him in being one of them?
September 4, 2018
Necessary for Spiritual Survival
I read this book in tandem with Lisa Bevere's Adamant and I have to say it was the most amazing spiritual journey I have been on in a long time. Why do we love God? How do we love Him? How are we changed by this relationship? This isn't just about what you know in your head, the "truths" we've learned to parrot at the right time. This book is about falling in love with the God of all Creation all over again. And for some, for the first time. See Him. See Him everywhere. And love Him with "all your strength, with all your heart, and with all your mind. " Make no mistake, that's how He loves you!
I read this book in tandem with Lisa Bevere's Adamant and I have to say it was the most amazing spiritual journey I have been on in a long time. Why do we love God? How do we love Him? How are we changed by this relationship? This isn't just about what you know in your head, the "truths" we've learned to parrot at the right time. This book is about falling in love with the God of all Creation all over again. And for some, for the first time. See Him. See Him everywhere. And love Him with "all your strength, with all your heart, and with all your mind. " Make no mistake, that's how He loves you!
January 3, 2010
I was challenged by Mark’s love for learning & passion for change. Some of my favorite quotes:
Christianity that is more educated but less powerful, more civilized but less compassionate more acceptable but less authentic
I wonder...if the accumulated layers of Christian traditions & institutions have unintentionally obscured what lies beneath
"Christianity has a perception problem...Christians are more known for what we’re against than what we’re for."
before confronting...our culture, we need to be humble enough, honest enough & courageous enough to repent of what’s wrong with us
Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God? Craig Groeschel
"If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
It is a sad commentary and sadder irony that Christians are often viewed as heartless...we have engaged our culture mind-first
Rick Warren-the five global Goliaths-spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases, & rampant illiteracy.
"If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you cannot be okay with suffering or injustice or starvation."
"The blessings of God are always a means to an end. And the end is blessing others. We are blessed to bless."
Mall Effect-Malls are designed to feed greed. Mission Trip Effect-the antidote is one trip to a third-world country
I believe that God will bless National Community Church in proportion to how much we give to missions & care for the poor.
What do you think brings more joy to the heart of our heavenly Father - singing songs or caring for the poor?"
What if, instead of sound quality or lyrical creativity, our litmus test for worship was a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God?
Is it possible we've studied the God of logic without truly worshiping the God of wonders?"
loving God with all our soul means a soul full of wonder, a soul flooded with the glory of God, a soul awed by beauty and mystery, a soul that hallows God above all else."
One of the great mistakes we’ve made in modern Christianity is approaching God deductively as an object of knowledge instead of approaching Him inductively as the cause of wonder.
Awed silence in the presence of divine beauty is a form of worship that is often deeper and truer than sung words.
“Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The way you master a text isn't by studying it. The way you master a text is by submitting to it. You have to let it master you.
The goal of knowing the Bible isn't Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God. Anything less is bibliolatry.
What is the best translation of Acts 1:8? It’s not with your mind. It’s with your life. You can read it. You can meditate on it. But it doesn’t translate if you don’t live it out. You can’t just audit it. You have to act on it.
"In essential things, unity. In nonessential things, freedom. In all things, love." Rupertus Meldenius
Have you ever noticed how many times Psalms tells us to sing a new song? That creative command is repeated no fewer than half a dozen times. Evidently God gets tired of old songs. He doesn’t just want you to worship Him with your memory; He wants you to worship Him with your imagination. Love isn’t repetitive. Love is creative.
“Faithfulness is playing offense for the kingdom even if some Pharisees find it offensive.”
We need fewer commentators and more innovators. We need fewer critics and more creators. We need fewer imitators and more dreamers.
2 Corinthians 10:5, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” the way we create culture and change culture is by taking those God ideas captive and turning them into reality via blood, sweat and tears.
"Change of pace + Change of place = Change of perspective"
One God idea has the potential to make more of a difference than a thousand good ideas. Take yours captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
"Taking out the garbage is romantic. Why? Because love isn't measured by words spoken. Love is measured by calories burned."
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. CS Lewis
“most church problems don’t come from the abundance of sin but rather the lack of vision. I’m not suggesting that there aren’t sin problems or that those sin problems aren’t serious. But in too many instances, there isn’t enough vision to keep churches busy. Our vision isn’t big enough to demand all our energies, so we manufacture petty problems to keep us busy.”
"Loving God with all your strength really means loving God with all His strength. It's not about what you can do for God. It's about what God can do in you and through you."
"if God gives you a dream, and the dream comes to life and God shows up in it, and then the dream dies, it may be that God wants to see what is more important to you - the dream or him." That quote is from Me, Myself and Bob by Phil Vischer
The last reformation was a reformation of creeds. The next reformation will be a reformation of deeds.
Christianity that is more educated but less powerful, more civilized but less compassionate more acceptable but less authentic
I wonder...if the accumulated layers of Christian traditions & institutions have unintentionally obscured what lies beneath
"Christianity has a perception problem...Christians are more known for what we’re against than what we’re for."
before confronting...our culture, we need to be humble enough, honest enough & courageous enough to repent of what’s wrong with us
Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God? Craig Groeschel
"If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
It is a sad commentary and sadder irony that Christians are often viewed as heartless...we have engaged our culture mind-first
Rick Warren-the five global Goliaths-spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases, & rampant illiteracy.
"If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you cannot be okay with suffering or injustice or starvation."
"The blessings of God are always a means to an end. And the end is blessing others. We are blessed to bless."
Mall Effect-Malls are designed to feed greed. Mission Trip Effect-the antidote is one trip to a third-world country
I believe that God will bless National Community Church in proportion to how much we give to missions & care for the poor.
What do you think brings more joy to the heart of our heavenly Father - singing songs or caring for the poor?"
What if, instead of sound quality or lyrical creativity, our litmus test for worship was a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God?
Is it possible we've studied the God of logic without truly worshiping the God of wonders?"
loving God with all our soul means a soul full of wonder, a soul flooded with the glory of God, a soul awed by beauty and mystery, a soul that hallows God above all else."
One of the great mistakes we’ve made in modern Christianity is approaching God deductively as an object of knowledge instead of approaching Him inductively as the cause of wonder.
Awed silence in the presence of divine beauty is a form of worship that is often deeper and truer than sung words.
“Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The way you master a text isn't by studying it. The way you master a text is by submitting to it. You have to let it master you.
The goal of knowing the Bible isn't Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God. Anything less is bibliolatry.
What is the best translation of Acts 1:8? It’s not with your mind. It’s with your life. You can read it. You can meditate on it. But it doesn’t translate if you don’t live it out. You can’t just audit it. You have to act on it.
"In essential things, unity. In nonessential things, freedom. In all things, love." Rupertus Meldenius
Have you ever noticed how many times Psalms tells us to sing a new song? That creative command is repeated no fewer than half a dozen times. Evidently God gets tired of old songs. He doesn’t just want you to worship Him with your memory; He wants you to worship Him with your imagination. Love isn’t repetitive. Love is creative.
“Faithfulness is playing offense for the kingdom even if some Pharisees find it offensive.”
We need fewer commentators and more innovators. We need fewer critics and more creators. We need fewer imitators and more dreamers.
2 Corinthians 10:5, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” the way we create culture and change culture is by taking those God ideas captive and turning them into reality via blood, sweat and tears.
"Change of pace + Change of place = Change of perspective"
One God idea has the potential to make more of a difference than a thousand good ideas. Take yours captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
"Taking out the garbage is romantic. Why? Because love isn't measured by words spoken. Love is measured by calories burned."
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. CS Lewis
“most church problems don’t come from the abundance of sin but rather the lack of vision. I’m not suggesting that there aren’t sin problems or that those sin problems aren’t serious. But in too many instances, there isn’t enough vision to keep churches busy. Our vision isn’t big enough to demand all our energies, so we manufacture petty problems to keep us busy.”
"Loving God with all your strength really means loving God with all His strength. It's not about what you can do for God. It's about what God can do in you and through you."
"if God gives you a dream, and the dream comes to life and God shows up in it, and then the dream dies, it may be that God wants to see what is more important to you - the dream or him." That quote is from Me, Myself and Bob by Phil Vischer
The last reformation was a reformation of creeds. The next reformation will be a reformation of deeds.
August 16, 2018
Inspired by the catacombs in Rome where the early church would have gathered, batterson visits the 'primaries' of Christianity by looking at what it means to follow the first commandment. To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. A very applicable and good reminder of what it means to live the Christian Faith.
May 30, 2025
Buen libro, los primeros capítulos hacen alusión al título pero posteriormente creo que se desvía del tema. Si bien todo en su conjunto es de mucha bendición pero esperaba que se enfocara más en lo que dice el título. De todas formas en el camino te ves confrontado a tu idea de Dios y de ministerio.
December 11, 2017
While I may not agree with everthing this author states, I appreciated his focus on how we need to return to the core primal essentials of Christianity. I especially was encouraged at his exoration to use our creativity and God given wonder as a form of worship.
October 4, 2018
Wow!
What a God read. Takes you back to the basics: love God! What is more simple than that yet we make following Christ harder than it needs to be. Will keep rereading this one until I get it. Love God!
What a God read. Takes you back to the basics: love God! What is more simple than that yet we make following Christ harder than it needs to be. Will keep rereading this one until I get it. Love God!
November 17, 2020
Inspiring words
I gave this book a 4 out of 5 because it was not what I thought it was about. I am on a reading track for contemplative prayer and meditation. After I began reading many of the points were relatable to my original intent.
I gave this book a 4 out of 5 because it was not what I thought it was about. I am on a reading track for contemplative prayer and meditation. After I began reading many of the points were relatable to my original intent.
August 5, 2021
What is the greatest thing...
I love Mark Battersons books not because he is a great writer (although he is), but because he spells it out about what is important. It's not what we do in our own power, but what we do through God's power working through us.
I love Mark Battersons books not because he is a great writer (although he is), but because he spells it out about what is important. It's not what we do in our own power, but what we do through God's power working through us.
July 29, 2018
Good read
Although the book seemed disorganized at times and repetitive at others, there are some gems to be found. The last two chapters held the most value for me.
Although the book seemed disorganized at times and repetitive at others, there are some gems to be found. The last two chapters held the most value for me.
February 11, 2020
A timely reminder that loving God involves more than singing songs. Wonderfully challenging.
August 12, 2022
Dude committed a crime in order to pray over a piece of property and advocates for mystic practices
hot garbage
hot garbage
January 21, 2024
Really enjoyed the way pastor mark broke down the command to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and stregnth.
January 30, 2025
At this point, I feel like if I have read one Batterson book, I have read them all. There are multiple stories that get repeated so often, i gloss over them.
June 9, 2023
The biblical mandate to love God with your heart, mind, soul, and strength is foundational to Christianity. Mark Batterson has written a call to return to this primal Christian center. He spends the rest of the book discussing what this primal Christianity looks like, including how we love God by loving others (the second primal command). This book is challenging and accessible to all.
December 16, 2009
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. He is also the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase. Primal, Batterson’s latest effort will be available in stores December 22, 2009. I received a copy early because I volunteered to review the book on my blog. So here goes. Mentioning Mark will be in reference to the author, Mark Batterson.
Primal is a book about the basic of basics. Jesus boiled our whole existence down to one simple statement, “Love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” Mark 12:30. Primal spends its pages reminding us of what this is all about. Mark doesn’t spend a lot of time patting himself on the back or pushing and ideal. He is focusing on a truth Christ gave us so many years ago. Like an archeologist Mark removes the clutter and junk we’ve piled on that truth over the years to reveal this glistening, simple call our Savior placed upon us.
Mark is well read, well traveled and well researched. This makes the book move seamlessly from story to story. He also does a great job engulfing you into a story then pulling you back up out of it to see the whole pictures. I think it allows all of us to hear what we need to hear regardless of how we learn.
Mark doesn’t hold back in this book. He says a lot of things religious people don’t want to hear. “I have a theory: most church problems don’t come from an abundance of sin, but rather from a lack of vision.” Wow. I love this statement, we can’t make excuses for lack of vision like we can for the presence of sin in our lives.
The biggest recurring theme that makes me smile is this, DO SOMETHING. Throughout each chapter Mark doesn’t let you rest on a thought, he pushes to a place where we must do something. A God idea is useless unless you do something about it. You can’t love God with all your strength if you never leave your office. To truly love God with all your heart your heart must break for the things that break the heart of God, and you have to do something about it. (Above are paraphrased quotes)
I do have to mention one editing error on page 163, these normally drive me nuts – but it was the only one I found so it wasn’t a big deal.
Primal is the best book Mark has written thus far (although he hinted at the topic of his 4th book and I can’t wait for it). Primal feels more passionate. The topic God picked for him is well suited and well times. We are at a height of nice sounding and good looking church. Primal calls for us to shut up and get messy for God. Hallelujah.
If you are looking for a book to read on January 1, make it Primal. You will not be disappointed.
Primal is a book about the basic of basics. Jesus boiled our whole existence down to one simple statement, “Love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” Mark 12:30. Primal spends its pages reminding us of what this is all about. Mark doesn’t spend a lot of time patting himself on the back or pushing and ideal. He is focusing on a truth Christ gave us so many years ago. Like an archeologist Mark removes the clutter and junk we’ve piled on that truth over the years to reveal this glistening, simple call our Savior placed upon us.
Mark is well read, well traveled and well researched. This makes the book move seamlessly from story to story. He also does a great job engulfing you into a story then pulling you back up out of it to see the whole pictures. I think it allows all of us to hear what we need to hear regardless of how we learn.
Mark doesn’t hold back in this book. He says a lot of things religious people don’t want to hear. “I have a theory: most church problems don’t come from an abundance of sin, but rather from a lack of vision.” Wow. I love this statement, we can’t make excuses for lack of vision like we can for the presence of sin in our lives.
The biggest recurring theme that makes me smile is this, DO SOMETHING. Throughout each chapter Mark doesn’t let you rest on a thought, he pushes to a place where we must do something. A God idea is useless unless you do something about it. You can’t love God with all your strength if you never leave your office. To truly love God with all your heart your heart must break for the things that break the heart of God, and you have to do something about it. (Above are paraphrased quotes)
I do have to mention one editing error on page 163, these normally drive me nuts – but it was the only one I found so it wasn’t a big deal.
Primal is the best book Mark has written thus far (although he hinted at the topic of his 4th book and I can’t wait for it). Primal feels more passionate. The topic God picked for him is well suited and well times. We are at a height of nice sounding and good looking church. Primal calls for us to shut up and get messy for God. Hallelujah.
If you are looking for a book to read on January 1, make it Primal. You will not be disappointed.
May 28, 2011
"Primal, A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity", by Mark Batterson, is a DVD based Bible Study which I found to be of great value. As it's title entails, as Christians look to where they are, they may find themselves searching for something more. Batterson does a wonderful job of narrating this DVD based study by breaking it down into section to look at and study. The sections which came to his mind came from Scripture. He chose Mark 12:28 - 30 "Love the Lord Your God with all your Heart and with all your Soul, and with all your Mind, and with all your Strength." Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength. Simple right? Maybe not. But it should be.
As Batterson explains, all Christians when they, and this includes me, accepted God's gift and accepted His salvation, we accepted it with gladness and readiness. We didn't question nor did we challenge His Word or expectations.
This became relevant, when Batterson and his wife were touring underground remains and finds while on a vacation, only to find that they were finding that they too may have developed a core or crust about the relationship with God. Batterson challenges us, through this study, to come back to the basics or "Primal" desires to commune with God.
As each segment of the DVD presentation comes to a close, a provoking question or question is presented that will provide for interaction and study. There is also Scripture available for further study. This DVD based study can bring you back to your roots of coming to Christ. Thank You Mark, for pointing out that as Christians, we tend to over complicate Christianity, he has allowed us to look back to Jesus as He simplifies it. "Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.
At the end of the DVD study, a section is available known as Resources, where the listener/ attendee can go for further information and resources to follow up on their own or in a group. Again Thank You Mark Batterson for making this DVD. I know that it has already helped me to simplify my life through Christ again.
As Batterson explains, all Christians when they, and this includes me, accepted God's gift and accepted His salvation, we accepted it with gladness and readiness. We didn't question nor did we challenge His Word or expectations.
This became relevant, when Batterson and his wife were touring underground remains and finds while on a vacation, only to find that they were finding that they too may have developed a core or crust about the relationship with God. Batterson challenges us, through this study, to come back to the basics or "Primal" desires to commune with God.
As each segment of the DVD presentation comes to a close, a provoking question or question is presented that will provide for interaction and study. There is also Scripture available for further study. This DVD based study can bring you back to your roots of coming to Christ. Thank You Mark, for pointing out that as Christians, we tend to over complicate Christianity, he has allowed us to look back to Jesus as He simplifies it. "Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.
At the end of the DVD study, a section is available known as Resources, where the listener/ attendee can go for further information and resources to follow up on their own or in a group. Again Thank You Mark Batterson for making this DVD. I know that it has already helped me to simplify my life through Christ again.
December 15, 2009
Subtitled “A quest for the lost soul of Christianity”, Primal is an interesting book. That's to say the least.
Batterson, while touring the catacombs, was brought to realize that the early Christians lived and worshiped differently than we do. He sought to find out from Scripture what that difference would be.
Batterson found that the thing that motivated the early Christians was the great commandment which tells us to love God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
How does one do that? What can motivate a single-minded love? How does that love manifest itself in our lives? These are questions that Batterson asked and sought to find answers for.
As one reads the book, it would be possible to state that Batterson was giving us a prescription for how to love God with all that is within us and with all that we are and have. In reality, I believe that Batterson seeks to provoke us to think about how we can love God and glorify Him in loving Him. In other words, this is not a twelve step book to loving God. This is a book that says, “Here is what I have learned about loving God, and how that changed my life. Perhaps it will be an encouragement to you to seek to break out of your ruts and chains and truly love God.”
This book is a different sort of book. It is not written in a point, by point systematic theology style. It seems to meander its way through the issue of loving God and manifesting that love. At the same time, that is not necessarily a negative point. Batterson never truly leaves the subject, and the main theme is always before the reader. I am convinced that the average reader will not be bored. I look forward to reading it again in the future.
February 27, 2013
Author and pastor Mark Batterson returns with another outstanding book. Primal is a salient reminder of the need to get back to the basics of the faith, namely those things that form the foundation of what it means to be a Christ-follower. Essentially, Primal is a call to a modern day reformation, one that promotes believers “living compassionately, creatively, and courageously for the cause of Christ.” Such a perspective focuses the mind of the believer on what Christ called the greatest commandment, loving God and loving others. In focusing on God we are able to get past the often superficial discussions that we often focus on in favor of getting back to the study of God’s word and seeking first his kingdom. In doing that, seeking God first in every area of our life will in turn assist in how we relate to others around us.
Batterson rightly notes an essential element of Primal in his statement “Many Christians settle for simplicity on the near side of complexity. Their faith is only mind deep. They know what they believe, but the don’t know why they believe what they believe. Their faith is fragile because it has never been tested intellectually or experientially. Near-side Christians have never been in the catacombs of doubt or suffering, so when they encounter questions they cannot answer or experiences they cannot explain, it causes a crisis of faith.” Such a position results in spiritual immaturity and I might add believers that settle for the milk of the Word rather than the meat.
Primal is a cogent and purposeful reminder to believers to continue to grow in the faith by focusing on God. Batterson calls believers to a new reformation, one of Amo Dei – Love God.
Batterson rightly notes an essential element of Primal in his statement “Many Christians settle for simplicity on the near side of complexity. Their faith is only mind deep. They know what they believe, but the don’t know why they believe what they believe. Their faith is fragile because it has never been tested intellectually or experientially. Near-side Christians have never been in the catacombs of doubt or suffering, so when they encounter questions they cannot answer or experiences they cannot explain, it causes a crisis of faith.” Such a position results in spiritual immaturity and I might add believers that settle for the milk of the Word rather than the meat.
Primal is a cogent and purposeful reminder to believers to continue to grow in the faith by focusing on God. Batterson calls believers to a new reformation, one of Amo Dei – Love God.
December 23, 2009
The title of this book reminds me of the book I read a few years back called the Barbarian Way (which I will add that I thoroughly enjoyed!), so I don’t think the concept is new. However, the presentation is EXCELLENT! Primal by Mark Batterson is a great call for the things we long to do as Christians, but rarely put our minds and hearts into it as much as we should, thus letting it sit in the background and eventually forgetting why we call ourselves Christians in the first place.
So, what is that primal call? It is a call to go back to our roots and strip down to the rawest part of our faith. It’s a call to become primal in Christianity. “It is an invitation to be astonished again.”
Let me say I had my highlighter out marking up this book because there was so much to glean from it. I found it refreshing and I will be re-reading it again and again to grasp the ideas in this book. I appreciated Mark's intellectual appeal as well as his spiritual appeal. This is a book of action. It's not about sitting down and just reading, it's putting feet to your faith! It's about understanding why you started to believe in the first place! And I'm feeling on fire because of it... that igniting that I am happy to have and pray that it will become more contagious than H1N1!
* Thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah books for providing me with this copy to review.
So, what is that primal call? It is a call to go back to our roots and strip down to the rawest part of our faith. It’s a call to become primal in Christianity. “It is an invitation to be astonished again.”
Let me say I had my highlighter out marking up this book because there was so much to glean from it. I found it refreshing and I will be re-reading it again and again to grasp the ideas in this book. I appreciated Mark's intellectual appeal as well as his spiritual appeal. This is a book of action. It's not about sitting down and just reading, it's putting feet to your faith! It's about understanding why you started to believe in the first place! And I'm feeling on fire because of it... that igniting that I am happy to have and pray that it will become more contagious than H1N1!
* Thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah books for providing me with this copy to review.
December 5, 2013
Primal demonstrates the accuracy of Batterson's self-assessment--he's curious. Filled with interesting and unusual illustrations, Primal reminds us of the basics of loving God with our whole being. The essence of the book is summarized on page 171, "Compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy are nouns. It's our job to turn them into verbs. It's our highest calling and greatest privilege."
Fun to read, challenging to think about, creating vision and courage, Primal deserves to be read by anyone interested in the heart of the Christian faith. My only concern haas to do with misapplication of a few texts. The truth Batterson proclaims is not a problem, I just don't believe they come from these particular verses.
Two examples: "Where there is no vision the people perish." Batterson's point is well taken but not from this text which is about the revelation of God not a personal vision. "Give and will be given to you" doesn't deal with financial generosity but with mercy. Same concern--nothing wrong with the emphasis upon generosity in Jesus' name--just not from this verse.
This book will remind you why you are believer and challenge to return to your roots--actually, to Biblical roots.
Fun to read, challenging to think about, creating vision and courage, Primal deserves to be read by anyone interested in the heart of the Christian faith. My only concern haas to do with misapplication of a few texts. The truth Batterson proclaims is not a problem, I just don't believe they come from these particular verses.
Two examples: "Where there is no vision the people perish." Batterson's point is well taken but not from this text which is about the revelation of God not a personal vision. "Give and will be given to you" doesn't deal with financial generosity but with mercy. Same concern--nothing wrong with the emphasis upon generosity in Jesus' name--just not from this verse.
This book will remind you why you are believer and challenge to return to your roots--actually, to Biblical roots.
April 21, 2014
"Compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy are nouns. It's our job to turn them into verbs. It's our highest calling and greatest privilege." This book is part sermon, part diary with many wonderful quotes like this one, as well as interesting lines of discussion wrought from its inquisitive and well-read author's travels. I was excited by the premise of removing all of the things that come between us and our Saviour - including what current society has placed there and what history has placed there, unfortunately, the book didn't ever really deliver that. Personally, I found the Pastor's fixation on raising money to "send to missions" a bit off putting, because it became clear that these 'missions' were apparently the basis for his world-travels. While, I don't doubt the works of his small church are good - I was bothered by the business-like discussions of marketing and growing this church - seemingly for the sake of growth. In my mind, the focus of a Pastor should always be the well-being and spititual progression of his immediate flock. Sadly, I did not see much of that here.
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