cover image A Renegade's Guide to God: Finding Life Outside Conventional Christianity

A Renegade's Guide to God: Finding Life Outside Conventional Christianity

David Foster, . . Warner Faith, $21.99 (294pp) ISBN 978-0-446-57964-3

Adding to the slew of books calling for authentic, untamed Christian faith, Foster, the founder and pastor of the megachurch Belleville Community Church in Nashville, wants people to look to Jesus ("the J-life") rather than to religion. His passion permeates the pages as he calls for "the creation of a renegade nation where love is the ethic and freedom is the goal." Peppering his book with jazzy sound bites, acronyms and clichés ("Only Jesus can fill the God-sized hole in the center of your heart"), he is sometimes repetitive. Yet his arguments are often compelling, including his view that "one of our greatest threats is not hedonism, but moralism." Unfortunately, dissonance creeps in. Renegades, he exhorts, "don't like labels," yet the book encourages readers to become an "R4G"—Renegade for God. He cites the growth and size of his own megachurch, but points to organized churches as part of religion's problem. While Foster's desire to differentiate followers of Jesus from legalism is laudable, he seems to dismiss the importance of rigorous study. A better section explores savoring the sacred, in which he reminds readers to "see everything as a gift for which to be grateful." Those disillusioned with traditional Christianity will find an enthusiastic, if sometimes uneven, voice for change in these pages. (Nov. 15)