I was so excited to be in the first group to review the new book from Mark Batterson. The book is called Primal and strives to seek what the primal essence of Christianity is. It was a great read and although I had a lot of excitement to read this book it lived up to it and even surpassed it.
In the first part of this book he talks about the growth of Christianity from the time of the early church to our current time. In this thought he asks what are the main ties that bind both them and us, and if we find those points we will look past all superficial items and find the primal side of Christianity.
He breaks down the book into the following groups to relay and explore the Primal side of Christianity. Under each of the headings I will share some thought about that part of the book.
The Heart of Christianity
More than a new HEART: Mark shares a story of Charles Siebert about the effects of receiving a transplanted heart. He shares that when a person has a heart transplant something funny happens, they just don’t receive a new heart but also new cravings, habits, and sensory responses. When we relate that to the fact when God comes in our life he gives us a new heart do we see in our lives new cravings, habits, and sensory responses.
He also shares how sometimes when we don’t know others stories we tend not to care as much as when we know there name and stories. Maybe we have lost sight of true compassion when we see others.
The Soul of Christianity
One of the great mistakes we’ve made in modern Christianity is approaching God deductively as an object of knowledge instead of approaching Him inductively as the cause of wonder. (Pg 53)
We are too easily satisfied in our study of Scripture. Or should I say, we are too easily dissatisfied? (Pg 79)
This section was awesome in understanding that maybe there is something more then having knowledge about God and truly being able to SEE HIM. We should strive to be in awe of God and pursue Him in ways we are not normally willing to try.
The Mind of Christianity
Mark talks about a TED talk that he saw and explained that our experiences help us to interpret what we see. I went back and watched that talk and it brought this chapter alive as I paced with Mark. It is something new in my life to pursue God in a Curiosity that strives to gain more perspective.
This leads right into the next chapter as Mark begins to encourage having an idea and reaching out through it. WOW… REALLY WE CAN DO CHURCH OUTSIDE OF THE PATTERN WE CURRENTLY DO! Man this is eye opening. I am a youth pastor and what if I began to dream of reaching students that might not come to a regular church. So I am working through the ideas and Rethinking Ministry so I can grow in my knowledge and curiosity.
The Strength of Christianity
Ready, Set, GO! That is how we always think of it. in our lives we spend most of time in prep. I have known people called to ministry that spend years prepping and in turn never go. Mark ask what if we switched it and instead of how we know it it was Go, Set, Ready. Meaning sometimes we need to just GO…
Hard work is the core of Christianity, not for salvation but for the others to see and have the opportunity to hear that Jesus Loves them. It is not going to just happen it is up to us.
This whole book challenges us to be great at one thing and that one thing is what spurs on a Primal Christianity. That is the Great Commandment.
I would strongly encourage every person to read this book. It is a must read as we strive to connect with God on a deeper level.
It has taken me awhile to finish this book but it was well worth it. When I first got this book I believed it would be just maps and charts but it was so much more then that. It had book reviews and recaps, maps, charts, book outlines, and much more. I believe for any person that studies the bible this is a must have. It makes studying the bible very interesting and insightful. 
