Ten Things I Learned Wrong from a Conservative Church

by John Killinger

Book Overview

In this elegant memoir, the author reveals what he learned from his upbringing and how, with trust in God and compassion for others, his faith matured. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824520114
• ISBN13: 9780824520113
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Crossroad Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Is John Killinger a Modern Day Martin Luther?

It might be going a bit far to say that John Killinger is a modern day Martin Luther, but the comparison is appropriate. Killinger encourages us to use our minds in search of God, truth and the meaning of Jesus' life on earth. (And Jesus encouraged us to do the same thing: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy MIND, and all thy strength...) Thus conservatives shouldn't go too ballistic on Killinger, though many already have. Killinger reassures us that is OK, even fine and good to come to our own conclusions about Truth, God and Jesus. And we shouldn't be surprised when those conclusions (and it really is a life-long journey, this search for truth)don't always match up with the orthodoxy we were spoon fed in our youth and sometimes even in our old age. Killinger's book offers and encourages a new, freer look at the Bible and the Christian Life, one that could bring us to a closer, more meaningful understanding of faith and of Jesus. If you are searching and/or thinking and pondering, read this book.If you are looking for affirmation and reassurances of church dogma and orthodoxy, pass on this one.

Let the light in

This book was my bridge from Christian Fundamentalism to a more moderate Christianity. The author has written an engaging book about some of the things that he believed as a child but after his mind opened and he completed his education he realized were not true and ignorant beliefs to maintain. So many of the teachings of the the Churches are man made and ridiculous and the author exposes them in this book. Two thumbs up for John Killinger. Here are the wrong teachings he discusses: 1)The bible is the literal,inerrant word of God. 2)God is a gread moral judge, and therefore Jesus had to die for our sins. 3)Jesus is the only way to God. 4)there is no salvation outside the (Conservative) church. 5)Worship is proclamation before it is anything else. 6)Spiritual people don't drink, dance, or come out of the closet. 7)Religion is a man's business. 8)Faith is always truer than science. 9)When bad things happen to good people, there is always a reason. 10)Conservatives want everybody to be free. In response to all the negative reviews written about this book, it is the 21st century and time to shed the ignorance and blind belief in what one wishes to be true, so that mankind can live in peace.For some one to hold a myth created by the Catholic Church for the Roman Empire in the 400's AD as a solid fact in 2006 with all the scholarship available to them is bordering on mental illness. Keep the pragmatic morality, shed the Myth.

If You Are Searching/This Book's For You

This is a great book. I find it so because I have come to the place of being dissatisfied with fundamentalist Christianity, and John Killinger has helped me see why and shown me a truly spiritual Christainity, the kind for which I hunger. If you are dissatisfied with your faith as it presently exists, this book will be an eye opener. If you are on the defensive and threatened by anything new, you will not like it. I, for one, recommend it highly for every sincere spiritual Christian who is dissatisfied with conservative fundamentalism and is spiritually hungry for the true meaning of Christian faith. Dr. Killinger really puts things in perspective in this book, quite courageously, I might add. Thank you John Killinger.

Invaluable Insights from a Baptist Insider!

Authored by a former prominent Southern Baptist pastor and professor who was once deemed a "rising star" in that denomination, this book provides the wisdom, insights and learnings of a veteran pastor who is now able to reflect back upon the experiences of his truly dynamic career. This work offers the general public insights into our nation's largest Protestant denomination that only a well positioned insider could possibly have discerned. I read Killinger's book over the course of only two days. It is very well written and truly compelling - you can't wait to read what he has to say next! The work is somewhat similar to that of Bruce Bawer's "Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity" as well as to the popular "Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism" by John Shelby Spong, but is more balanced, less dense, and much less strident in tone than the others. I am tempted to assert that Killinger, in a few places, may have "overstated" or "overly generalized" in his remarks about the ways and practices of the Southern Baptist Convention, but it could well be that he isn't. If not, then this work shines a truly needed exposing light upon the denomination that is most represented in our current U.S. Congress - and that currently has "the keys to the kingdom" of current U.S. foreign and domestic policy. In this United Methodist pastor's opinion, this work ought to be required reading in all mainline seminaries and I highly recommend it for adult Sunday School or church book club discussions.Other books of a similar nature include: "Theological Crossfire: An Evangelical/Liberal Dialogue" by Clark Pinnock and Delwin Brown; "Liberals & Other Born-Again Christians: Many Minds, One Heart," by Sally Geis; "The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind," by Peter Gomes.For those who are currently reconsidering their theological commitments, I recommend exploring: "Good Goats: Healing Our Image of God," Dennis Linn; "The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion to a More Contemporary Faith," Marcus Borg; "God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God," Gregory Boyd; "Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God's Opneness," Clark Pinnock; "The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium," Walter Wink; and "Grace & Responsibility: A Wesleyan Theology for Today," John Cobb, Jr.

Excellent reading for anyone expanding their beliefs

My spouse & I were both raised in a traditional conservative church (Church of Christ) and over the past 2-3 years have begun to question many of the things we were taught. We want our thoughts, beliefs, and ideas about God and religion to be our own, not simply what we were spoon-fed growing up. This book has been amazing to read. . .the author is very learned in spiritual things; he is well-read & I find this book fascinating. It's an excellent spring-board for anyone who would like to take a different look at conservative christianity. Some of this is hard reading; there are many quotes and references and the author's own writing style means some passages may need to be read more than once for clarity, but it's worth it. I plan to give copies of this book to family members & have already recommended it to several friends.