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 chosen a barbaric path-the less civilized one-following the path of Jesus in a passionate journey full of mystery, danger, and untamed faith.

In The Barbarian Way, McManus challenged me to return to the ancient, primal, and dangerous faith of Jesus and His early disciples. He dares me to let go of a sanitized Christianity and get back to the powerful, raw and ancient faith that chooses revolution over compromise, peril over safety, and passion over lukewarm and watered-down religion.

As McManus posits, Christ’s passion drove Him to the cross; the cross of Christ drives you to His passion. Take up the challenge of the “barbarian way,” and your life will never be the same.

It's a great book to read and to think about your own faith.