Erwin McManus wasn't raised in a Christian home, so when he came to Christ as a college student, he didn't know the rules of the "religious club... read full description
reviews
Dec 12, 2008
Britt
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Great book. McManus isn't saying anything new, but what he is saying is important and thought provoking. There were a few things that, obvious as they really are, had never actually occurred to me.
The book deals with an issue that has bothered me for a long time. The current church is too safe. It's too clean. It's too neat. It's too bureaucratic. It's too controlled. It's too insular. McManus encourages his readers to embrace a barbarian faith. I grew up in a church where we learned More...
The book deals with an issue that has bothered me for a long time. The current church is too safe. It's too clean. It's too neat. It's too bureaucratic. It's too controlled. It's too insular. McManus encourages his readers to embrace a barbarian faith. I grew up in a church where we learned More...
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Jul 28, 2011
Peter
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I'm disappointed at this. While the criticism of temerity in the church is valid, McManus overreacts by dismissing mainline denominations and the more time-tested methods of the church. Yes, the church as a whole does need to show a bit more teeth and more faith in running forward, but this should not mean that caution is abandoned and the tradition of the church is put on a back shelf in favor of a new shiny trinket. Traditional methods and lifestyle should not be kept only insofar as the are t
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Apr 21, 2011
Starr
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Unleashed by Erwin Raphael McManus
A challenge is presented to all Christians to approach their faith in a way that mirrors the times of the Bible. It’s a challenge to not live out a faith in a life of ease and comfort, but to live faith out in the ways that are so far from tradition that it’s barbaric. I like it; it's short sweet and to the point. But I think the message of the book is really the part that I struggle with the most. It is not that I don't completely agree with what McMannu More...
A challenge is presented to all Christians to approach their faith in a way that mirrors the times of the Bible. It’s a challenge to not live out a faith in a life of ease and comfort, but to live faith out in the ways that are so far from tradition that it’s barbaric. I like it; it's short sweet and to the point. But I think the message of the book is really the part that I struggle with the most. It is not that I don't completely agree with what McMannu More...
Jan 10, 2011
Seth
rated it: 
Last week, I finished reading The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus, and I really enjoyed this book. This was a quick read with 146 pages, I was able to get through it in less than a week.
The back cover describes the book like this: "Two thousand years later the call to follow Christ has been repackaged to be smooth and trouble-free, filled with opportunity and promise but lacking risk, passion and sacrifice. Is this really what Jesus died for? If He chose the way of the cross, More...
The back cover describes the book like this: "Two thousand years later the call to follow Christ has been repackaged to be smooth and trouble-free, filled with opportunity and promise but lacking risk, passion and sacrifice. Is this really what Jesus died for? If He chose the way of the cross, More...
Apr 16, 2011
Stephanie
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Today for a book review, I present to you Unleashed: Release the Untamed Within by Erwin Raphael McManus. I actually had the privilege of hearing McManus speak last month at Willow Creek last month, so it was easy for me to relate and hear his voice as I read this book.
McManus’s theme for this book is having dramatic faith in God. Faith that causes one to become a barbarian. At the beginning of the book, he describes his definition of barbarian. At first, it was a little difficul More...
McManus’s theme for this book is having dramatic faith in God. Faith that causes one to become a barbarian. At the beginning of the book, he describes his definition of barbarian. At first, it was a little difficul More...
Jan 16, 2011
Alex
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The Barbarian Way is written by a guy who lets his kids jump of the roof and goes to a church where men strip off naked for a tug-of-war after a retreat in the mountains. "A group of buzzards waiting around together to feat on leftover carnage is called a committee. Just this one insight is worth the prices of the whole book..." and probably sums up the tone of the book.
McManus is an iconoclast, although he doesn't come across as an angry one. He wants Christians to let More...
McManus is an iconoclast, although he doesn't come across as an angry one. He wants Christians to let More...
Mar 15, 2010
John
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I have read this book, and I have read reviews of the book.
I give it five stars because it confirms in my life in a different way what God tells us about faith.
Having faith is challenging. Loving people is challenging. Everything about faith is not neat, tidy, clean. Faith is messy. Faith is risky. If you are going to church to hear the easy way to God, the answer is, "There is no easy way to God."
McManus labels the thought that faith is easy, cl More...
I give it five stars because it confirms in my life in a different way what God tells us about faith.
Having faith is challenging. Loving people is challenging. Everything about faith is not neat, tidy, clean. Faith is messy. Faith is risky. If you are going to church to hear the easy way to God, the answer is, "There is no easy way to God."
McManus labels the thought that faith is easy, cl More...
Feb 24, 2011
Eric
rated it:
Stimulating but not substantial. Rather polemic. I don't believe that the only authentic Christianity is his version of barbarism. I think this book speaks to a segment of Christians that have a hard time fitting in with other areas of the Church. I still prefer the balance of speakers like Wright and Keller.
His early juxtaposition between barbarism and civility lays the path for the rest of the book. He presents one's faith as an "either/or" proposition. There is no expres More...
His early juxtaposition between barbarism and civility lays the path for the rest of the book. He presents one's faith as an "either/or" proposition. There is no expres More...
Sep 10, 2008
Jeremy
rated it:
One of my favorites. I give it to people all the time to read. If you're tired of faith the way it is, and believe there must be more to it than what you've experienced so far, you have to read this book. McManus taps into something that is written on our hearts and in our souls and he awakens a longing in us that can't be stopped.
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May 14, 2011
Paige
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Unleashed; defined as "to allow something to have its full effect." That is definitely what Erwin Raphael McManus' book is all about. As Christians, we have to allow God and believing to have its full effect on our lives. We have to be barbaric Christians.
"If we have responded to the call of Jesus to leave everything and follow Him, then there is a voice within us crying out, "Fight for the heart of your King"(pg. 4)! We need to be able to proclaim the name of Jesu More...
"If we have responded to the call of Jesus to leave everything and follow Him, then there is a voice within us crying out, "Fight for the heart of your King"(pg. 4)! We need to be able to proclaim the name of Jesu More...
Jan 25, 2010
Patrick
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Truly an inspiring book, it lights a fire under your faith and puts the fight back into the "Walk". Erwin McManus brings "Christianity" back to its raw roots and reveals why it's important to be a "Barbarian Christian" and not a "Civilized Christian". Many Christians...myself included, have been weakened by religion and rituals that the Church has slowly started operating in over the last 2,000 years. As believer it is easy to get comfortable and domest
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Aug 31, 2011
Bobby
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An interest perspective on how following Jesus is supposed to be dangerous, risky, and abnormal compared with societal norms. As illustration, he encourages his son to jump into his arms off the roof of the house instead of telling him to go back in the window, at the same time, realistically telling his boy that there is danger involved.
I would recommend this book to men especially who feel like church is boring and mundane.
Favorite quote: "Later I would go to semi More...
I would recommend this book to men especially who feel like church is boring and mundane.
Favorite quote: "Later I would go to semi More...
Dec 17, 2009
Jonathan
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McManus is inspirational and insightful. This is a quick read, I think meant to have a little bit every day. Not real substantive, he's definitely trying to make his point to as wide an audience as possible, and he succeeds.
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Jul 09, 2011
Derek
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Though McManus isn't saying anything new in regard to content, I appreciate his unique take on the need for Christians to become more "barbaric" in their faith. This seems like a collection of several sermons, feeling more like a "heart" book than a heady theological tome. Like John Eldredge's Epic, the point is simple, clear, and direct; it's almost more of a set of devotionals than a full book. Think of this like the granola or energy bar of the faith book realm: enough to
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Dec 17, 2009
Eric
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It was ok. The whole point seemed to be go out there and do something for God.
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Aug 12, 2011
Hilarey
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Unleashed, Release the Untamed Faith Within, by Erwin Raphael McManus is about leaving the domesticated, cultured lifestyle where the Christian religion has settled and returning to the primal, barbarian-way of the first followers of Christ.
McManus says that Jesus' death wasn't to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of dying.
He also talks about how a rule-based religion tries to motivate us the way love should, and that most of Jesus' fire and brimstone sermo More...
McManus says that Jesus' death wasn't to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of dying.
He also talks about how a rule-based religion tries to motivate us the way love should, and that most of Jesus' fire and brimstone sermo More...
May 25, 2010
Eileen
rated it:
The author uses the metaphor of the barbarian to express that the church has become too civilized, too domesticated. Religion has become an institution, working to keep God confined in a human-sized box. Its activities are designed to comfort and reassure people. Some great quotes:
“To follow Christ is to abandon the luxury of safety and security.”
“The more civilized we become, the more detached from the pain of others we end up.”
“We need to find the courage and freedom to be o More...
“To follow Christ is to abandon the luxury of safety and security.”
“The more civilized we become, the more detached from the pain of others we end up.”
“We need to find the courage and freedom to be o More...
Mar 07, 2011
Charlesia
rated it:
To be born of god is to be made a citizen in the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom is at war.
Do not confuse this Kingdom with paradise. Salvation is not reentry into a paradise lost;it is enlistment into the mission of God.
The call of Jesus is one that demands action.
The invitation of Jesus is a revolutionary call to fight for the heart of humanity. We are called to an unconventional war using only the weapons of faith, hope and love.
The cost to part More...
Do not confuse this Kingdom with paradise. Salvation is not reentry into a paradise lost;it is enlistment into the mission of God.
The call of Jesus is one that demands action.
The invitation of Jesus is a revolutionary call to fight for the heart of humanity. We are called to an unconventional war using only the weapons of faith, hope and love.
The cost to part More...
Jun 03, 2009
Libbydale
rated it:
Wow! Makes me want to live this kind of faith again, which I used to have more in the way of. I have definitely become a "civilized" Christian, but wish to not be! :)
Some excerpts I really liked from chapter 4:
"Jesus is telling us in no uncertain terms that there is a battle raging. This is perhaps the most important reason why we must choose the barbarian way and resist a temptation to become civilized. Domesticated Christians are far too willing to abdica More...
Some excerpts I really liked from chapter 4:
"Jesus is telling us in no uncertain terms that there is a battle raging. This is perhaps the most important reason why we must choose the barbarian way and resist a temptation to become civilized. Domesticated Christians are far too willing to abdica More...
May 28, 2008
Jeremy
rated it:
This book is a quick, easy read that contains some valid points about the modern Christian church. Erwin McManus likes to call himself a futurist, and outlines the need for Christians to think outside of the box, instead of being what he calls "domesticated" Christians. While I thought that his ideas were interesting and at times powerful, I feel that this book could cause damage in the wrong hands.
While I agree that Christians need to stop being afraid to take risks, it se More...
While I agree that Christians need to stop being afraid to take risks, it se More...
Jan 23, 2008
Daron
rated it:
I came to faith in Christ as a sixth grader, so I have lived within a subset of the Christian sub-culture.
Erwin Raphael McManus wasn’t raised in the Christian faith, so when he came to Christ as a college student, he didn’t know the rules of the “religious club” like I did. All he knew was that something had been set on fire deep within his soul, a passion that longed to be unleashed. Since that day, he has not followed the road most traveled by many long-time churchgoers. He has More...
Erwin Raphael McManus wasn’t raised in the Christian faith, so when he came to Christ as a college student, he didn’t know the rules of the “religious club” like I did. All he knew was that something had been set on fire deep within his soul, a passion that longed to be unleashed. Since that day, he has not followed the road most traveled by many long-time churchgoers. He has More...
Jun 15, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
McManus is certainly not normal, nor a voice of reason, but he would consider both of those evaluations as complimentary. The book is chock full of powerful quotes that make you reevaluate why we try so hard to achieve the status quo. And it captures a Jesus who was not boring, nice, sweet, or tamed - someone actually worth following. If you yearn to experience a Christianity that isn't boring or safe, I recommend reading this book.
Jul 30, 2010
Kevin
rated it:
A long essay really rather than a book, The Barbarian Way has an interesting hook but one that never really forms a great deal of coherence. The idea that too often faith gets co-opted into tradition and then into comfort in security is not particularly insightful - it is a rather common place facet of human nature. But McManus livens the discussion with his Celtic hero type language. After the intial discussion, however, I didn't feel like it got any deeper or fleshed out the ideas all that we
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Sep 08, 2009
Keith
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I really, really liked the first chapter of this book and was excited about reading the rest of it. Unfortunately, I felt like it did not live up to the promise set out in the beginning and was a little bit disappointed in the end. It was, however, good for me to read and certainly very challenging, as I tend to fall pretty heavily into the "civilized" category of Christian most of the time.
Mar 03, 2011
Ben
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Wonderful book, I like to give books 5 stars only if I will read it again. This is one of those books that really helps to focus on your life and am I taking proper risks and living to the fullest or am I just watching life go by. Geared more toward men in their Christian faith. Similar in message to Wild at heart but I like McManus representation of this topic much better.
Feb 22, 2011
Heather
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This book challenges you to live a life for God that is passionate and exciting! It encouages you to let go of the safe expectations that the world and even the religous community has for those that are a part of it and to follow Christ with everything that you have. Following God is a wonderful adventure, that is sometimes tough, but always worth it!
Jul 26, 2011
Kurt
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It's like Wild at Heart, but more Biblically faithful, and applicable to both men and women. But there's one main point that is sufficiently fleshed out in the first six or seven pages, so the next 140 consist of the same point made over and over (not so much elaborated as repeated). It's a good point, but this book isn't entirely successful at exploring it.
Jun 19, 2009
Barry
rated it:
While this book has a good message, I must flag Mr. McManus for the overuse of the word "barbarian" and his tendency to make the same point over and over again, relentlessly without stopping, unrelentingly ad infinitum, and without ceasing. There are definitely sparks in the book, but it never catches fire.
Mar 28, 2011
pianogal
rated it:
Saw Erwin on Joyce Meyer's show and wanted to check out his book. This one is really more of a booklet, but it had some interesting ideas. I don't necessarily identify with Erwin - his life has been WAY different than mine, but I'm still interested in what he has to say about faith.
Aug 19, 2010
Ryan
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That Christianity is the love, tender, goody good faith that we've turned it into. It is love and there are tender moments and you should do things because of you're faith. It's just so much more than that. Christianity is a barbaric faith. We are meant to be risk takers and not sit back making sure only our salvation in set. We have to live our lives for other people. We have to break through the current Christianity barrier to have a real and honest faith with the living God. That's what I lea
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