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    The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within
    The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within
    The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within
    Ebook132 pages2 hours

    The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within

    By Erwin Raphael McManus

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    About this ebook

    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, where would He hesitate leading us? Is it possible that to follow Jesus is to choose the barbarian way?

    Jesus never made a pristine call to a proper or safe religion. Jesus beckons His followers to a path that is far from the easy road. It is a path filled with adventure, uncertainty, and unlimited possibilities?the only path that can fulfill the deepest longings and desires of your heart.

    This is the barbarian way: to give your heart to the only One who can make you fully alive. To love Him with simplicity and intensity. To unleash the untamed faith within. To be consumed by the presence of a passionate and compassionate God. To go where He sends you, no matter the cost.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateFeb 8, 2005
    ISBN9781418513313
    The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within
    Author

    Erwin Raphael McManus

    Erwin Raphael McManus an iconoclast, artist, and cultural thought leader known for his integration of creativity and spirituality.  He is the founder of MOSAIC, a church movement started in the heart of Hollywood with campuses across Los Angeles, Orange County, and Mexico City.  Erwin is the acclaimed author of The Last Arrow, The Artisan Soul, Soul Cravings, and The Barbarian Way.  His books have sold more than a million copies worldwide.  He lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife, Kim McManus.

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    Reviews for The Barbarian Way

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    • 4/5
      McManus always offers narrative gems that inspire my preaching. This simple and straightforward book lays out direction for the beginning Christian life, or for the life of faith gone stale. The call is to go beyond the bounds of safe religious notions, and to pursue God's way into the uncharted realms of front line Kingdom living, work, and service.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book! McManus minces no words here. After reading this book, I wanted to jump. It is humbling and inspiring at the same time; opening our eyes to the way we like to be "safe" in the church as opposed to bold.
    • 4/5
      The message is much better than the book, but the book is still good. McManus makes the point that the Christian life should not be safe and easy, it has a price. We should not be neat, nice, safe Christians, we should be barbarians in the faith! Live out this message and people will think you're insane! Just like people thought Jesus and John the Baptist were insane!
    • 4/5
      A manifesto for living a Christian life that is wild, daring, untamed and, largely it seems, untried. McManus' passion gives rise to a strident tone and his milataristic imagery and decidely male outlook may be off-putting to the femministas but - without question - this is a book that grabs one's attention. And let's face it, a lot of churches don't know how to speak to men. Most of the churches I've visited over the last couple of years have about two-thirds women in the pews. I think this is because the average evangelical church in North America today has adopted a Jesus who is a pale imitation of his true self. If you're feeling a little uncomfortable with worship songs that sound like Jesus is your boyfriend, or playing nice all the time, or if you're maybe - just maybe - looking for an expression of your faith that is a little more challenging than standing up to sing (and sitting down when you're told) this might be the book for you. Frankly, it was nice to hear speak my language for a change.
    • 2/5
      McManus here is touching on a subject close to my heart, but ultimately his call to a less refined faith sounds a little flat. I think he is right, but I think he is right because I already thought he was right before I read the book, not because he was very convincing. Instead of telling us what this life would look like, he tends to give examples of his son jumping off the roof and the like. There is very little talk of any sort of worship, evangelism, or mission work. In the end, I really don't know exactly what he means.John Piper's DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE covers the same theme, but it is considerably better.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book! This will challenge your faith in deep ways, and inspire you to make a barbaric difference in the world!
    • 4/5
      A good book, but not the best book that McManus has authored. It is designed to be inspirational and is comprised of stories that are told to advance faith in its readers. It succeeds in doing that, but does not provide a lot of depth nor does it offer a lot of practical application. It is worth the read, especially for those that are struggling with their faith or are new to the faith.
    • 4/5
      Last year, while attending the Willow Creek Leadership Summit with Steve Zerbe, I got to hear Erwin speak and was dumbstruck by his communication method. I have since done all I can to dive into atleast one other McManus book - UPRISING - which is actually the book we’re going through as a small men’s group Bible Study!I picked this book up at Willow Creek two weeks ago when I was there for the NEXT GENERATION conference and had the opportunity to hear McManus for the second time.This book, “The Barbarian Way” is based on what I heard McManus speak about last year at the Leadership Summit.The fact that I started AND finished this book should be proof enough that it was a VERY great book!“The Barbarian Way” is Erwin McManus’ attempt at explaining the need for another “breed” of Christian - since the term “Christian” has become little more than a term representing “good people”.The basis of the book - each of us that call Christ our King have an in-grown need to “fight for the heart of our King”!Some of the highlighted paragraphs that are now in my book: # “Perhaps the tragedy of our time is that such an overwhelming number of us who declare Jesus as Lord have become domesticated - or, if you will, civilized. We have lost the simplicity of our early faith.”(p.12) # “…there is within you a raw and untamed faith waiting to be unleashed.”(p.13) # “Christianity has become our Shawshank, and our redemption will only come if we find the courage to escape the prison we have created for ourselves.”(p.17) # “Some barbarians survive the night in the lion’s den; others experience their darkest night and wake in eternity.”(p.41) # “We’ve created a religious culture in which - even though we’re the most blessed society in the history of the planet - our best-selling literature still focuses on how we can be more blessed.”(p.48) # “Innovation is a life skill. When we’re surrounded by civilization, innovation tends to be motivated by boredom.”(p.52) # “But I want to warn you, the closer you walk with Christ, the greater the faith required. The more you trust Him, the more you’ll risk on His behalf. The more you love Him, the more you will love others.”(p.53) # “How is it possible that, for many of us, being a good Christian is really nothing more than being a good person?”(p.65) # “I think there’s a problem when people talk about meeting God or knowing god and yet remain unchanged by God.”(p.66) # “If you are a follower of Christ and you have allowed yourself to be domesticated, you have lost the power of who you are and who God intends for you to be. You were not created to be normal. God’s desire for you is not compliance and conformity. You have been baptized by Spirit and fire. Asleep within you is a barbarian, a savage to all who love the prim and proper. You must go to the primal place and enter the presence of the Most High God, for there you will be changed by His presence. Let Him unleast the untamed faith within you.”(p.82) # “Jesus was anything but the poster child for status quo.”(p.114)I would DEFINITELY recommend putting down the $16.99 for this book (actually, the receipt says I only paid $13.59 + tax!)
    • 2/5
      I honestly wish I could say that I loved this book. I had heard from friends in the States and abroad that this book would dramatically change my way of living for Christ, but sadly, it didn't. For me, the book was far too abstract and didn't give any hardcore examples of what living like a barbarian really looked like. In addition to that, I didn't particularly appreciate the "holier than thou due to my barbaric ways" tone of McManus, although I highly doubt it was his intention.
    • 3/5
      McManus issues a challenge to live the christian life on the edge, full throttle, and with all one's heart. According to him, many believers settle for a domesticated, civilized and polite faith that offends no one and accomplishes nothing. The life of faith should be exactly that, full of unbridled passion in spite of unknown dangers and powerful conflicts. For a pulpit to print book, it is a quick read that leave the application to reader. Because there are many books that call believers to radical discipleship, I did not find much new apart from the "barbarian" terminology and imagery.
    • 4/5
      I will never forget the moment I completed the first chapter of this book. I was sitting in my truck waiting on my son to get out of pre-school. Something within the text struck deep at the core of my soul, and I wept.This is one of the two books that I required my Renovating Life students to read. It challenges you to be bold and to fight for the heart of your king. Your potential is limitless when you join God where He is working. 160 pages
    • 2/5
      The fact that every point the author makes is illustrated with either a major motion picture or a personal illustration was my first clue that the book's depth would go no farther than the wading pool. The author throughout seems to lay claim to novelty, but the truths he presents have been evident for a century to those whose eyes are open to the decline of Western Christianity. What the author took 147 pages to describe could have been succintly put in 15. With loaded terminology like 'barbarian,' 'warrior,' 'revolution,' 'untamed,' non-'domesticated,' etc. McManus seems to equate authentic Christianity with bucking the system. McManus writes: 'Jesus was making clear that being a disciple was never intended to be the equivalent of being molded into a stereotype,' yet he sees no problem in stereotyping authentic Christians as barbarian warriors. While this is surely not his intent, the impression is given that to follow Jesus is to be a rugged individual unencumbered by the restraints of authorities (including biblical authorities).The author shows more interest in being 'outside the box' than 'outside the camp.'I was most disturbed by McManus' (intentional or unintentional?) downplaying of the significance of God's written Word in favor of 'mystical and miraculous' special revelation. (See p. 77)This being said, there were some redeeming tidbits. Here are some of the best quotes:'God's will for us is less about our comfort than it is about our contribution.''So many of us have put our hope in teaching our children about God rather than guiding them into an experience with God. We essentially civilize our children rather than guide them to the barbarian way. I am concerned that there are many who have grown up in church and have been effectively Christianized but have never genuinely met Christ.''Our goal must not be to populate the Christian religion but to bring people into a genuine relationship with God.'
    • 4/5
      It made some great points and had some really inspiring pieces. Overall a really good message, but I had a hard time getting in to the book. Nevertheless, I think its message is worth the read.

    Book preview

    The Barbarian Way - Erwin Raphael McManus

    0785264329_ePDF_0002_002

    Copyright © 2005 by Erwin Raphael McManus

    All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

    Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

    Nelson books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

    Published in association with Yates & Yates, LLP, Attorneys and Counselors, Orange, California.

    Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

    Scripture noted NKJV is from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    Interior artwork by Joby Harris

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    McManus, Erwin Raphael.

        The barbarian way : unleash the untamed faith within / Erwin Raphael McManus.

          p. cm.

        ISBN 10: 0-7852-6432-9 (hardcover)

        ISBN 13: 978-0-7852-6432-3 (hardcover)

        1. Christian life. I. Title.

        BV4501.3.M374 2005

        248.4—dc22

    2004027611

    Printed in the United States of America

    06 07 08 09 10 QW 15 14 13 12 11

    To Mariah, my Sweet,

    Who loves to live and lives to love.

    From first breath you have brought to life

    both celebration and adventure.

    Compassionate and courageous.

    Delicate and determined.

    Tender and tenacious.

    Lover of God and lover of people.

    You are both laughter and tears.

    In ancient times, you would be the warrior princess.

    Always follow the steps of the One who is scarred.

    May we always choose the barbarian way,

    Dad

    CONTENTS

    1. The Barbarian Invasion

    2. The Barbarian Call

    3. The Barbarian Tribe

    4. The Barbarian Revolt

    About the Author

    Acknowledgments

    But then the worst thing happened

    that could happen to any fighter,

    you got civilized.

    —MICK TO ROCKY,

    Rocky III

    0785264329_ePDF_0009_002

    1

    THE

    BARBARIAN

    INVASION

    Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

    It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. Then they said to Jephthah, Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.

    So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?

    And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, That is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

    So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the LORD delivers them to me, shall I be your head?

    And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The LORD will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. (Judges 11:1–11 NKJV, italics added)

    On our way to Belfast, Northern Ireland, we made a stop in Paisley, Scotland. My wife, Kim, my twelve-year-old daughter, Mariah, and I were on a Hollywood version of a spiritual pilgrimage. (If you walk into our living room, you will find hanging as a centerpiece an exact replica of the sword that William Wallace made famous to the non-Scottish masses through Mel Gibson’s Braveheart.) I was standing in the middle of the Paisley Abbey where Wallace was educated as a boy. I took my time as I looked reverently at the stained glass that remains a memorial to Wallace’s heroics (he didn’t look anything like Mel Gibson), yet it was a story about Robert the Bruce that struck me most and has stayed with me ever since.

    Robert the Bruce was the Scottish noble whose character is most remembered for betraying Wallace, but he later rose up to lead Scotland to freedom after Wallace’s execution. While we were standing in the abbey, Scottish pastor James Pettigrew shared a tale of Robert the Bruce that is a mixture of history and legend.

    He died in 1329 at the age of fifty-four. Shortly before his death, Robert the Bruce requested that his heart be removed from his body and taken on crusade by a worthy knight. James Douglas, one of his closest friends, was at his bedside and took on the responsibility. The heart of Robert the Bruce was embalmed and placed in a small container that Douglas carried around his neck. In every battle that Douglas fought, he literally carried the heart of his king pressed against his chest.

    In the early spring of 1330, Douglas sailed from Scotland to Granada, Spain, and engaged in a campaign against the Moors. In an ill-fated battle, Douglas found himself surrounded, and in this situation death was both certain and imminent. In that moment Douglas reached for the heart strapped around his neck, flung the heart into the enemy’s midst, and cried out, Fight for the heart of your king! One historian quoted Douglas as shouting, Forward, brave heart, as ever thou were wont to do, and Douglas will follow his king’s heart or die! The motto of the Douglas clan to which the present duke belongs is even to this day simply, Forward.

    A TRIBE CALLED FORWARD

    Although anyone who understands the heart of God knows that the Crusades were a tragic lesson in missing the point, the power of this story awakens within me a primal longing that I am convinced waits to be unleashed within everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. To belong to God is to belong to His heart. 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!

    Yet Christianity over the past two thousand years has moved from a tribe of renegades to a religion of conformists. Those who choose to follow Jesus become participants in an insurrection. To claim we believe is simply not enough. The call of Jesus is one that demands action. Jesus began His public ministry with a simple invitation: Come, follow Me. His closing instructions to His disciples can be summarized in one word, Go! A quick survey of the modern church would lead you to believe His invitation was Come, and listen, and His closing mandate would be summarized in the one word No! The tribe of Jesus, above all people, should rightly carry the banner, Forward.

    I know the imagery of this story is nothing less than barbaric, but maybe that’s the point. 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. Nevertheless, this war is no less dangerous than any war ever fought. And for those of us who embrace the cause of Christ, the cost to participate in the mission of God is nothing less than everything we are and everything we have.

    Strangely enough, though, some who come to Jesus Christ seem to immediately and fully embrace this barbarian way. They live their lives with every step moving forward and with every fiber of their being fighting for the heart of their King. Jesus Christ has become the all-consuming passion of their lives. They are not about religion or position. They have little patience for institutions or bureaucracies. Their lack of respect for tradition or ritual makes them seem uncivilized to those who love religion. When asked if they are Christians, their answer might surprisingly be no, they are passionate followers of Jesus Christ. They see Christianity as a world religion, in many ways no different from any other religious system. Whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity, they’re not

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