Mike Yaconelli (1942–2003)

A common sentiment in Christian circles is that our spirituality or the love of God is conditional on how good we are, how "spiritual" we are, how much we do for God or for the church. Michael Yaconelli tackles this problematic belief in Messy Spirituality, and although a short book, it is a challenging read. Unlike popular belief, being a Christian does not mean one is perfect or that one has it all figured out; rather, the Christian is constantly under construction, "being renewed in show more knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:9).

Yaconelli claims that the real face of Christianity is not found in the perfectly ordered and regimented lives of perfect Christians because they do not exist - we are all messy, frail people who desperately need Jesus. This is a powerful antidote to the dangers of spiritual perfectionism; our shortcomings are not hindrances to a more perfect faith but an integral part of our mortal life - when we acknowledge that, we are free to start living as God has called us.

This is a challenging book for both individuals and churches - it encourages to act and love wildly and widely, without hindrance because that is exactly what Jesus did. show less

Regardless of one's perspective of the Emerging Church movement, this book is an at times enjoyable and always illuminating look at the thoughts and experiences of a diverse collection of individuals who are all loosely speaking Emerging. There is very little in the way of a central theme since each of the authors is emerging from something unique toward something unique. Some authors are more insightful, some are more philosophical, and some are just angry. This gives the book an uneven, show more and at times, jarring feel. However, the reader can still catch one unifying thread: the need for change. Each person is in the process of change (for a variety of reasons), and it is here that the heart of Emergence is seen. This is a necessary read for those who want to engage the idea of the Emerging Church. show less

The Christian walk is messy – yet grace hides around every corner. Yaconelli contends that Christians spend too much time faking spirituality and churches are often more concerned with pretending that everything is ok than living the faith in all its vulnerability and pain. Walking through the gospel accounts (especially John), Yaconelli offers an account of discipleship that acknowledges the pain, ignorance, and weakness of disciples, yet celebrates the “annoying” tenacity of God’s show more love and grace. Full of powerful life stories, Messy Spirituality provides an oft-needed reminder of the God’s grace in discipleship and calls us to a life of “little graces.” Great encouragement A show less

Each chapter contains the story of one individual’s journey, mostly from some form of modernist/evangelical Christianity via a crisis of some kind through to a broader, more relationship-based faith. It could have been rather dull; the plot of each story is, essentially, the same albeit with different details. But this is not a book to read at one sitting. I dipped into it irregularly over the course of a few weeks, and found much to ponder.

The book is divided into three sections, show more grouping the writers by those who had a crisis in ministry, those who had a crisis in worldview, and those who simply had a crisis in faith. Each individual describes openly and honestly how he or she become disillusioned in some way with the church or other belief system of their youth, and how they eventually found a new and vibrant faith that embraced postmodernist culture while staying true to Jesus.

Some of the stories are fascinating, some of the childhood churches staggeringly rigid or oppressive. One writer describes his childhood as a committed Communist, and one as an ardent feminist. They are all careful not to condemn their earlier views or their upbringing, instead explaining how their eyes were opened at some point, usually due to some dramatic circumstances. The writing styles are quite different; I found some a bit heavy-going, others light and more personal. There were things to ponder in almost every chapter.

Out of print and not easy to find second-hand, but I would certainly recommend this to those asking questions about the relevance of the church in the 21st century, and also to those who are suspicious of the 'emerging church' movement. show less