Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Jericho Books (2014), 224 pages
Description
Family & Relationships. Psychology. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML: Now a New York Times bestseller, Nadia Bolz-Weber takes no prisoners as she reclaims the term "pastrix"(pronounced "pas-triks," a term used by some Christians who refuse to recognize female pastors) in her messy, beautiful, prayer-and-profanity laden narrative about an unconventional life of faith. Heavily tattooed and loud-mouthed, Nadia, a former stand-up comic, sure as hell didn't consider herself to be religious leader material - until the day she ended up leading a friend's funeral in a smoky downtown comedy club. Surrounded by fellow alcoholics, depressives, and cynics, she realized: These were her people. Maybe she was meant to be their pastor. Using life stories - from living in a hopeful-but-haggard commune of slackers and her unusual but undeniable spiritual calling to her experiences pastoring people from all walks of life - and poignant honesty, Nadia portrays a woman who is both deeply faithful and deeply flawed, giving hope to the rest of us along the way. Wildly entertaining and deeply resonant, this is the book for people who hunger for a bit of hope that doesn't come from vapid consumerism; for women who talk too loud and guys who love chick flicks; and for the gay person who loves Jesus and won't be shunned by the church. In short, this book is for every misfit suspicious of institutionalized religion but who is still seeking transcendence and mystery..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member JLNeyhart
I doubt you'll find this book at your local Christian bookstore. And it might not be the book for you if you take offense to some of the more colorful four letter words. (The first line of the book is: “’$h!t,’ I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to be late to New Testament class.’”)
But
I've seen Pastrix described as a theological memoir of grace. And that it is. She talks a lot about the God who meets us in our suffering. She is adamant that God doesn't cause suffering, but that he bears it on the cross. He doesn't initiate it, but He redeems & transforms it.
I genuinely loved this book from start to finish and was deeply moved by it. I just finished it and I already want to re-read it (and make all my friends read it!)
But
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if you have struggled with heavy doubts about this whole God thing at some point in your life, perhaps due to suffering a major loss of some kind, death of a loved one, or physical/mental/ or emotional pain, addiction, etc... If you were given a false view of God as the opposite of love, if you've been hurt by the church, this book is for you. (It's kind of like "The Ragamuffin Gospel" on steroids, with profanity, written by a female Lutheran pastor instead of a male Franciscan priest.)I've seen Pastrix described as a theological memoir of grace. And that it is. She talks a lot about the God who meets us in our suffering. She is adamant that God doesn't cause suffering, but that he bears it on the cross. He doesn't initiate it, but He redeems & transforms it.
I genuinely loved this book from start to finish and was deeply moved by it. I just finished it and I already want to re-read it (and make all my friends read it!)
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LibraryThing member michigantrumpet
Nadia Bolz-Weber rebels against her fundamentalist parents. She has tons of tattoos, swears mightily and creatively, does drugs and has lots of casual sex. She is a competitive body-builder and spend time as a stand-up comic. Then she hits them where it hurts -- by becoming a Lutheran pastor.
The
I was struck by her many contradictions. Viewed as avant garde, her theological underpinnings are rock solid. She comes off as one of the "too cool for you kids", yet is quick to humble herself and own up to h own failings.
How did this profane, anti-establishment broad end up at seminary? What new perspectives can she give us into faith and outreach? What leads to her church's rapid growth when mainstream denominations are slowly fading? I recommend this compelling funny book to anyone willing to reach outside their comfort zone. Nadia Bolz-Weber is a great story teller with much to say about grace and God's love.
The
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title of her memoir 'Pastrix' derives from a derogatory appellation given to women ministers. Bolz-Weber takes it and owns it. A large tattoo of Mary Magdalene is on one arm. An opening line is "Sh*t! I'm going to be late to New Testament class." The evangelical right would not like Nadia Bolz-Weber. I was struck by her many contradictions. Viewed as avant garde, her theological underpinnings are rock solid. She comes off as one of the "too cool for you kids", yet is quick to humble herself and own up to h own failings.
How did this profane, anti-establishment broad end up at seminary? What new perspectives can she give us into faith and outreach? What leads to her church's rapid growth when mainstream denominations are slowly fading? I recommend this compelling funny book to anyone willing to reach outside their comfort zone. Nadia Bolz-Weber is a great story teller with much to say about grace and God's love.
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LibraryThing member homeschoolmimzi
I first heard of Nadia Bolz-Weber on NPR. My first thought when I saw her was,, "Oh my she doesn't look like a Pastor. She looks more like a biker chick." This is precisely what was kind of cool about her, at first glance. She doesn't fit the mold. She is herself. She serves God the way she is,
Normally I steer away from books with profanity but not this one. And not her other ones.
I don't agree with all of Nadia's beliefs, but I must say her theology is challenging. Her church serves the poor, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, visits those in prison and embraces the rejected, scorned people of society, much like Jesus did. I'd love to visit her church sometime.
I recommend this book for everyone: Catholics, Conservative Evangelicals, Liberal Episcopalians, Atheists, Agnostics and all along the spectrum.
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tattooed, cranky, irritable and humble at the same time. Her books read like a conversation. And she's funny. She tells you what she really thinks. Commentators have stated she is foul mouthed, and yeah, well, she is, but not the way I'd expected. It's not just trashy f-bombs being thrown around gratuitously. You get the feeling she's just one of those toughies. And it's genuine.Normally I steer away from books with profanity but not this one. And not her other ones.
I don't agree with all of Nadia's beliefs, but I must say her theology is challenging. Her church serves the poor, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, visits those in prison and embraces the rejected, scorned people of society, much like Jesus did. I'd love to visit her church sometime.
I recommend this book for everyone: Catholics, Conservative Evangelicals, Liberal Episcopalians, Atheists, Agnostics and all along the spectrum.
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LibraryThing member DubiousDisciple
Fantastic! So funny, so moving, with tears rolling either way. This is a raw version of Take This Bread (by Sara Miles), where the misfit lesbian atheist churchgoer is swapped out for an even funnier tattooed alcoholic-in-recovery who “swears like a truck driver” … and who this time went so
The book’s language may be offensive to delicate ears, but yes, this really is nonfiction. Nadia’s scathingly honest self-portrayal of her struggles, her focus, her successes and failures (and there seems to have been many of both) leave you wondering … is there really a place in the clergy for this kind of pastor?
One time Nadia’s Denver-based church organized a little Thanksgiving outreach program, where church members bagged up meals and took them around to share with those who had to work on the holiday. When they entered the adult bookstore on Colfax and handed the clerk a bag, he teared up: “Wait. Your church brought me Thanksgiving lunch … here?”
Yep, Nadia’s Christianity has its niche.
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far as to become a Lutheran pastor, founding her own church. When Nadia decided to become God’s b*tch and embrace the whole “Jesus thing,” she changed … well, probably only her drinking. “Nothing about me says ‘Lutheran pastor,’” she admits, and I believe it. Pastoring just doesn’t come easy for her. “If something like liturgical dance or cheesy praise singing is happening on my stage and thousands of people can see me, I can manage my own body language and facial expressions for a half hour or so. But then, like when I’ve had to be nice to more than three people in a row, I need a nap.”The book’s language may be offensive to delicate ears, but yes, this really is nonfiction. Nadia’s scathingly honest self-portrayal of her struggles, her focus, her successes and failures (and there seems to have been many of both) leave you wondering … is there really a place in the clergy for this kind of pastor?
One time Nadia’s Denver-based church organized a little Thanksgiving outreach program, where church members bagged up meals and took them around to share with those who had to work on the holiday. When they entered the adult bookstore on Colfax and handed the clerk a bag, he teared up: “Wait. Your church brought me Thanksgiving lunch … here?”
Yep, Nadia’s Christianity has its niche.
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LibraryThing member akblanchard
Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber has been around the block a few times. After a childhood spent in the fundamentalist Church of God, she left home as a young adult to live out her punk-rock fantasies without the music. She did drugs, drank to the point of passing out,and engaged in random sexual adventures.
The former punk Nadia has embraced ELCA Lutheranism with all her might. She is now the heavily-tattooed leader of a church she founded, the House for All Sinners and Saints, in Denver. This small congregation offers a spiritual home to people who don't think that they would fit in at other churches, whether that's because of their "sexual minority" status, mental baggage, spiritual confusion, or any other reason.
Pastrix is Bolz-Weber's spiritual, as opposed to chronological, autobiography. In short, anecdotal chapters, she discusses her awakening to the "life-changing reality that God is not far off, but here among the brokenness of our lives", the deep significance she finds in the Lutheran liturgy and the Eucharist, and her struggles to serve "[her] people...cynics, alcoholics and queers" (p. 9). She is honest about her shortcomings and failures as well as her successes.
There are some aspects of Bolz-Weber's ministry that bothered me, however. One is that HFASS (half-ass, get it?) seems to be an extension of Bolz-Weber's larger-than-life personality One wonders what would happen to the church if/when she is no longer around to lead it. Another is Bolz-Weber's self-admitted tendency toward being "judgy" (her word; I think the proper word is "judgmental"). The cynics, alcoholics and queers referenced above are her people, and those who are not as "edgy" are not. Some might find a pastor's admission that she doesn't like everyone refreshingly candid, but I found it off-putting. I guess that's because I'm not "edgy".
Despite its raw language and my reservations as listed above, this is a beautiful, engaging book, which I highly recommend to spiritual seekers of any background.
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But, somehow, God called her back. After getting sober and marrying a Lutheran seminary student, she too decided to become a pastor (although she would tell you that her sense of calling goes back to a funeral service she led for a friend). The former punk Nadia has embraced ELCA Lutheranism with all her might. She is now the heavily-tattooed leader of a church she founded, the House for All Sinners and Saints, in Denver. This small congregation offers a spiritual home to people who don't think that they would fit in at other churches, whether that's because of their "sexual minority" status, mental baggage, spiritual confusion, or any other reason.
Pastrix is Bolz-Weber's spiritual, as opposed to chronological, autobiography. In short, anecdotal chapters, she discusses her awakening to the "life-changing reality that God is not far off, but here among the brokenness of our lives", the deep significance she finds in the Lutheran liturgy and the Eucharist, and her struggles to serve "[her] people...cynics, alcoholics and queers" (p. 9). She is honest about her shortcomings and failures as well as her successes.
There are some aspects of Bolz-Weber's ministry that bothered me, however. One is that HFASS (half-ass, get it?) seems to be an extension of Bolz-Weber's larger-than-life personality One wonders what would happen to the church if/when she is no longer around to lead it. Another is Bolz-Weber's self-admitted tendency toward being "judgy" (her word; I think the proper word is "judgmental"). The cynics, alcoholics and queers referenced above are her people, and those who are not as "edgy" are not. Some might find a pastor's admission that she doesn't like everyone refreshingly candid, but I found it off-putting. I guess that's because I'm not "edgy".
Despite its raw language and my reservations as listed above, this is a beautiful, engaging book, which I highly recommend to spiritual seekers of any background.
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LibraryThing member BethieBear
She is a great story teller. I especially like how she finds grace in the most unexpected places, as well as how she owns her negative feelings (her favorite prayer: "Lord, please don't let me be an a__hole"). I don't use her particular vocabulary, but I certainly can relate to feeling angry when
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you put your heart and soul into something and nobody shows up. Or how it feels to fall completely on your face in front of your church family. There is a good bit of harsh language in the book. I found that I eventually got used to it (with a few exceptions) and it did not bother me that much. Show Less
LibraryThing member maryreinert
Irreverent but compelling story of the author's transition from being raised in a fundamental church, her journey more or less "on the streets" and her destination of becoming an ordained Lutheran pastor. Well written, interesting, and honest look at the path of faith
LibraryThing member mlake
I loved this book! I am not a religious person and I was uncertain about reading a book by a pastor, but Nadia's voice is like the voice in my head - straightforward and plain talking. The House for All Sinners and Saints is in Denver and I might just go and see if the Patrix is as awesome in
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person as she is on paper. Show Less
LibraryThing member bmetzler
This is the most gritty and authentic book I have read in a long time. Each chapter was touching, but the most moving chapter was the one that ended simply ”Pat Robertson was wrong.”
LibraryThing member debnance
Tattooed. Self-described “cranky.” Cussing here and there.
And a pastor.
There is a lot here.
And a pastor.
There is a lot here.
LibraryThing member bness2
Very inspiring! All I can say, is this is a book every spiritual seeker should read. Nadia may be rough around the edges (aren't we all?), but she is a real person and a true seeker after God's own heart.
LibraryThing member CovenantPresMadison
Nadia Bolz-Weber’s newest book Pastrix: The Cranky Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint, is a written portrait of a woman who is simultaneously deeply flawed and deeply faithful. An ex-stand-up comic, Bolz-Weber chronicles her unique conversation from atheism to Christianity in this memoir.
-Jessica Nylund Salt
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Currently, Bolz-Weber is the founding pastor of the broken and beautiful people of House for All Sinners and Saints, an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America mission congregation in Denver, Colorado, pastoring with a fresh and uncompromising perspective which offers incredible hope in the transforming power of God’s grace. Based on her deep association with the experience of Mary Magdalene, her thesis resounds around the reality that almost always our experience of God comes in the form of some kind of death and resurrection. Her voice, brimming with newness and risk (Rated R: Language), is a voice that American mainline Christian culture will benefit from hearing. -Jessica Nylund Salt
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LibraryThing member mochap
Moving memoir of an unlikely minister who created a church for her people
LibraryThing member DrFuriosa
You want to talk about grace, the raw, ugly grace that only comes from God? Nadia Bolz-Weber is there to talk about it with you. Unapologetically profane with a rough past, Bolz-Weber breaks down the love of God for ALL his people. It is challenging, it is uplifting, and it is REAL. I loved this
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book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Chris.Wolak
I listened to the audiobook and loved it. It ranks up there with my favorite audiobooks.
As a lesbian and recovering alcoholic who was raised Lutheran and have had an on-again/off-again relationship with the church, there was a lot for me to relate to here.
Bolz-Weber seamlessly weaves her own life
There's also foul language, so if you're a delicate flower, buckle the f*ck up.
As a lesbian and recovering alcoholic who was raised Lutheran and have had an on-again/off-again relationship with the church, there was a lot for me to relate to here.
Bolz-Weber seamlessly weaves her own life
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experiences with that of other people and situations to illuminate the teachings of Jesus and the Grace that Martin Luther preached 500 years ago.There's also foul language, so if you're a delicate flower, buckle the f*ck up.
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LibraryThing member JRobinW
Anyone who wants/claims to be called "Christian" should read this book.
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
8 inches
ISBN
1455527076 / 9781455527076