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Churched: One Kid's Journey Toward God Despite A Holy Mess (2008)

by Matthew Paul Turner(Favorite Author)

3.41 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1400074711 (ISBN13: 9781400074716)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

WaterBrook Press

review 1: Turner and I grew up in the same denomination. I recognized the Bible college, the children's singer and so much of the terminology. It was surreal to read of an upbringing so similar to mine. I'm also a fan of memoirs. I've seen some people state the genre comes out of narcissism. But, when well done, I find them powerful. Don Miller is the best I've read, and I love how he uses his life experiences to lead the reader somewhere, to teach lessons with his story. I found that element severely lacking in this book. The Benediction at the end was great and was almost the only place I found purpose. He sprinkled in a couple of wonderful concept of God statements here and there, but I felt he had the opportunity for so much more. I've read several of Turner's blogs, and he real... morely is a fine writer. Maybe that's been cultivated more over the last few years as his recent writing far eclipses what I found here.But, I feel a little harsh for writing such statements about someone who was brave enough to bare his soul the way he did. He wrote the scared little boy well, and I often found myself following along in empathy. That's a testament to his transparency and is always refreshing.
review 2: Matthew Paul Turner brings his refreshing humour and candor about his experiences in church to Churched, his memoir about growing up in an independent Baptist church in Maryland. He relates stories from throughout his childhood that connect to the way he perceived (and perceives) fundamentalist Evangelicalism, which all connect to his core idea that "fundamentalism is weird". While it seems that Turner's journey was weirder than most, there are many moments in each chapter that resonate with anyone who has ever encountered that style of thinking. He humourously discusses many different touchpoints within his upbringing - Sunday School, baptism, record-burning, trying to stay awake during sermons, going to a Christian school - without ever seeming resentful or mean-spirited toward the people who perpetuated these ideas throughout his young life. Churched is a must-read for anyone who is working through what it meant to grow up in a fundamentalist or Evangelical church, anyone who wants to try to understand what it meant for those who did, and anyone who wants a few good laughs along the way. less

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