Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith

I thought this book was very good. For someone interested in church and what a church is about it was tops. I thought that there were many things written about that would help a persons understanding about God. also it helped me to understand church leaders better. If you are not interested in going to church all the time and expanding your knowledge of God you may not get out of what the author is trying to tell you as much as I did.

Barbara Brown Taylor has a way with words that can wring your heart out! So much of her journey is my own. Her book made me love the church more than ever, and hurt for it. This book is a call for all who love the church to change the way we are doing things. and soon!

Gene

Reading this book felt a bit like rummaging around in the mind of the writer as she reminisces about her long and tangled journey from "on high" as an ordained Episcopal priest to being "back into the valley" as a member of the congregation. At times her journey was punctuated with joy and anticipation as Taylor assumed the pastorate of a small, southern church, and at other times there was angst and feelings of regret as she searched about for ways to be her authentic self in her chosen vocation. She tells this stirring story of faith through vignettes that are sometimes very clear and sometimes vague in their meaning. What is clear at the end is that Taylor is a Christian, but that there are religious beliefs and ideas, long held by the church that no longer hold true for her.

An exceptionally fine read, Ms. Taylor delivers a compelling, interesting, and engaging memoir of her journey through the complex world of organized religion as it is practiced in American culture. Her transparency is especially captivating. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether or not they are raising questions about their own spiritual journey.

Although the story is so specifically about a minister in transition, the journey she depicts can be recognizable and helpful to many. Any one who has ever made a major change in life, having "died" to their old ways in order to be "born anew" will find the insights and prose in this memoir both uplifting and truly helpful.

I have read other works by this author and found the prose in this book to be her clearest, most succinct and spiritually mature yet. Truly a great read!

Taylor gives a moving account of her deep faith while addressing the issues that damage the organized Church today. She reminds us that we can worship, serve and abide with God from any location and it doesn't require a building with pews and committees to micro-manage the expression of our living out our faith just as it's another business in Corporate America. I've been on the staff of two very large churches and learned more that enough about the use of donations that had little to do with feeding to poor or loving our neighbors as ourselves. The job of the Church (the body of Christ) is to LOVE the lowest of the low, the deeply wounded, the rejected addict. It's not about warming a pew 2 hours a week while listening to a history lesson and then thinking we've done our Christian duty.

Ms. Taylor shares this in a deeply personal way.

A personal journey that seemed to be built on unrealistic expectations. Life is difficult because of our differing life styles and beliefs. It seems the author experienced new realities and adjusted her expectations for the betterment of her life and service.

I purchased this copy because a book group I belong to was considering it as their July choice. I had already read the book and knew I liked it. It's an interesting story and Barbara Brown Taylor's description of her growing and changing faith perspectives resonated with me.

As a retired pastor, I could really relate to BBT's struggles as a parish priest. It's a tough job! Leaving to go do something else is not to be considered a "failure" at what one thought was a calling to serve God. Love BBT's direct, honest, witty writing style!!

This book helped me through a very difficult time in my life. Whether it was because I was going through a difficult time or because the book truly is that amazing (I suspect it to be the latter) I love this book.

Barbara Brown Taylor expresses her faith journey with great honesty. The truths she imparts are valuable tools for anyone seeking a personal relationship with the Creator. Her courage is inspiring. Thank you Barbara for sharing the wisdom of your pilgrimage back home.

The book is extremely well written and is a candid account of faith and what it means. I will reread it many times to absorb the many insights into our faith walk that she has. It is brutally honest and a pleasure to read that our deepest faith is when we experience God in our daily lives as human beings, much more that what we are taught to believe.

For those who no longer "fit" in church, this book offers freedom from the guilt that may accompany one's choice to leave the church. Taylor writes from her own experience, with open-hearted vulnerability. I highly recommend this book.

I underlined most of the book. Beautifully written nuggets of wisdom all the way through. And it is NOT about leaving faith -- or even the Church. It's about leaving the profession of the Priest in the Church and embracing the priesthood of all believers, as well as her own.

I enjoyed reading the memoir Leaving Church. I enjoy hearing other people's faith journeys and this was well written. It shows that faith and seeking God broadens and changes as it grows. The author is open about this process and how it isn't always easy, especially when you are invested in the process.

I wanted to take so many sentences, paragraphs, and quotes from this book that my hand was cramping! Born anew life skills, spiritual messages and quiet reflection. Thank you is not enough. May God Bless you and keep you writing.

Barbara Brown Taylor's books, detailing her journey in faith are inspiring and challenging. They are gifts to all who are searching for truth and answers about God and the ways that may help us to know Him better.

We all have uncertainties about facing our next right step, especially when it seems so radical. To leave behind all that you hold dear, to step out in faith, to relinquish your very identity to God - all courageous steps to take! Thank you, Barbara Brown Taylor, for your honesty and your servant leader heart. I've found comfort and courage in the pages of this book for my own next right step. This is a MUST READ for anyone feeling stuck, burned out, or even wondering if there's anything else out there.

I buy, read, absorb, read again, and often order additional copies to give away of anything that Barbara Brown Taylor writes. I often use her books for my devotional material; I very often use her material for various religious classes that i teach. Her books are always inspiring, thought-provoking, and her incredible sense of humor puts the finishing touches on the book.. One of the things that struck me about Leaving Church was the fact that most of us can identify with something that we've had to leave, whether it be a job, a person, a lifestyle, a place, etc. When that place is so much a part of your identity, it makes the leaving so very difficult, and so I felt such a kinship with Author Taylor when she asked what you do the day after you've just changed your life.

A very good read.

What an amazing author Barbara is! I read her books over and over. She has a fresh, "real" look at the call to ministry and ministry itself. Her writing inspires me to not conform to the image of what society thinks a minister should be but instead to be real to myself and to God by being first and foremost myself. Thank you.