Religious No More: Building Communities of Grace and Freedom

by Mark D. Baker

Too many Christians are "religious" - their faith is more a human endeavor than a response to God's loving initiative. Such religion assumes that our value comes not from God but from what we do. It absorbs principles and postulates from the surrounding society, leading to further misconceptions about God and our relation to our Creator. All this hinders people from experiencing vibrant Christian community, where they could freely love and be loved. Mark Baker suggests that just as car companies test automobiles under severe conditions to uncover weaknesses, North American Christians may detect fallacies in their "gospel" by examining how it plays out under the challenges of poverty, injustice, and entrenched religiosity. Baker's test case is drawn from his ten-year missionary experience in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, at churches born out of North American mission work. Baker observes Honduran church life, draws parallels to the dangers of religion in the North American church and mines from Galatians exciting possibilities of robust Christian grace and freedom. The result is a bracing and refreshing approach to Christian community for laypersons, pastors, missionaries, and mission strategists.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality

Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're all legalists. That is the essence of Baker's book. Beginning with the rampant, extreme legalism in Honduras, where he spent time as a missionary, Baker points out that North American Evangelicalism exported itself to south and central America, and that we are responsible for the legalism we see growing in Christian churches around the world. He points out that many of us were raised in fundamentalist churches, then go off to college and find out that it's actually okay to drink and smoke, and we respond by condemning the parents and fundamentalist churches of legalism, not realizing that we have simply transfered our legalism from one place to another. We're not actually free of our legalistic mindset, we've simply interchanged one set of rules for another.

Seeking a positive solution, Baker walks us through Galatians in its original context and shows that Paul was countering a community based upon the enforcement of rules with the community of the Spirit, which begins, continues and ends in the grace and forgiveness of God.

He points out that adherence to external rules gives the superficial appearance of true community, but at the expense of the internal misery of the people. Such external rules create tight-knit churches that are based on a system of shame and meritorious reward; one must keep the rules to "stay in" the fellowship, which forces the struggles with sin underground. We begin to bear heavy internal shame we cannot express, for fear that others will exile us from the community for not being "perfect," we suspect we are alone (even though everyone in the church feels the same way), and all the rest of it.

Baker describes this sort of community as a building with thick, high walls. People inside must maintain certain rules to remain inside, and people outside looking on begin to think they must reach a certain stage of righteousness before coming into the church. This really hit home for me. How many people in our own neighborhoods believe church to be a place all the "good" people go, and they would never be accepted there because they haven't reached the level of required righteousness?

Instead of this model, Baker proposes the Biblical way of being the church, which is a place for broken and wounded sinners who have been "forgiven." Instead of church being a place of enforcing moralistic rules, we should be churches and communities of transformation, bringing in the vilest and most broken of people and, through grace, prayer and example, helping them to transform their lives in the power of Spirit.

When this sort of church was described to a church of Hondurans, many of them gave huge, wistful sighs and said, "wouldn't that be a beautiful church." Wouldn't it indeed?

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this was written as a doctoral dissertation. Baker weaves a detailed look at the book of Galations with his experience as a Mennonite missionary in Honduras. In sum, this book discusses how the individualized faith imported by American missionaries has created a top-down, rule-based Christianity in Latin America that stifles authentic Christian community and creates barriers between those who do the "right things" (going to church multiple times a week, not wearing make-up or cutting your hair) and those who don't. Using the Latin American churches as a lens one can easily see how Christians everywhere have distorted the Gospel of Grace into a system of rules one must follow to assure salvation. Though it pertains to Latin American churches, Christians everywhere could benefit from this look at the amazing gift of grace God has given and how it can permeate our sense of church community.

[Everydayreader1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be one of the most insightful I have read about the Christian experience, and the holistic gospel, in particular. It is thought provoking, informative, and deals with the pervasive culture of legalism in many evangelical churches. I highly recommend it if you're looking to learn more about a truly authentic relationship with Jesus and others.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both theological and practical, an excellent book by Baker.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply brilliant in many ways. Wonderfully accessible prose and thoughtful and qualified theological reasoning. I don't know why this book didn't receive more acclaim. Maybe the title distracts. Without using academ-ese, Baker offers a devastating exposition and critique of North American individualism by expositing the book of Galatians in light of his decade-long pastoral work in Honduras. He ties so many issues together in clear, powerful, simple ways. I wish more would read this, especially his opening four chapters.