“The Church has abandoned the Gospel and has lost the heart and message of Jesus. A pastor should speak about that.”
— Keith Mannes
Unmediated
Simple Faith, Pure Love; Spiritual Growth without the Interference of Christianity
Book Review by Kathy Vandergrift
UnMediated is one pastor’s cri de coeur, but it resonates for many pastors and members of churches across North America. The Church, which Mannes defines as the White Evangelical Church in North America, has lost its essence, because of what he calls religious Trumpism, along with abuses of power as it seeks control inside and outside its own community. Embedded racism, the rejection of LGBTQ+ persons, and refusal to stand up to Trumpism not only contradict Jesus’ gospel message; they have caused harm to members, the community, and pastors who become targets for reprisals if they speak the truth. The Church interferes instead of enables faith development – that is the serious charge Mannes makes in this book.
The core story is Mannes’ personal, pain-filled journey from immersion in church life and an early call to ministry to a dramatic resignation from his position as a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. It is also a story about loss of faith and rediscovery of Jesus’ love apart from The Church, through personal chaplaincy work. Woven into his story are the painful experiences of others that illustrate the same struggle, such as the story of his wife’s advocacy at the local school board for the child of a same-sex couple.
The book combines a wake-up call for church members to recognize and resist Christian nationalism in all its forms with encouragement for those who are leaving The Church to find new ways to live out the grace and love of Jesus, with or without a church. It is a book for reading and reflection at this moment in time.
(Available though www.keithmannes.com)
More about the book
Why I Wrote This
Thank you for giving this book your time and attention. I wrote it for three reasons, the third of which both frightens and emboldens me:
First, sometimes people ask me why I left ministry with such heat and storm. I tell them. They become still and thoughtful. They express some kind of incredulity. They say, “You should write about that.” So I did.
Second, people ask me about their own faith, and about church, because they feel lost and uprooted. When I share with them how and when I experience God, their body language expresses relief. Apparently, people feel some spiritual peace as I share my story and faith concepts. I hope you feel some of that, too. Despite all the hard things I will say about religion, I am not trying to wreck anybody’s faith. This book is really for people whose faith is already wrecked, and don’t know what to do about it. Maybe my faith story will help yours.
The third reason I wrote this: There is a religion stomping and bludgeoning its way across North America which claims to represent Jesus but is anti-Jesus. It is dangerous, and even deadly. It is not a time to whistle while passing by, to sit comfy in a church pew enjoying smooth sermons and soothing praise teams. It is a time to receive the message of Jesus (peace, compassion, non-violence) and then lay your life down to represent it in soul and spirit, and with your voice.
This is the story of how my house of sand fell with a great crash. I lost my old faith and am cobbling together a new one. I have stitched together a personal theology and life-practice. It’s just a flimsy tent, the loose ends of it flapping in the wind, but within it, sometimes, I find Jesus. Huddling here by this feeble candle against the wailing wind outside, I encounter God and find moments of holiness, without Christianity.
I wish this for you as well. If these words help you find spiritual peace and freedom, I will be thankful.
Gratefully,
Keith A. Mannes