I 
received a pre-release copy of PRIMAL by Mark Batterson from Multnomah Publishers for review.
received a pre-release copy of PRIMAL by Mark Batterson from Multnomah Publishers for review.In Primal, Mark Batterson was inspired by a trip down a staircase which descended into ancient catacombs. There, beneath the layers of 2000 years of Christianity and tradition, he imagined the ancient primal form of the Christian faith. Batterson decided it all came down to one essence.
We have a tendency to complicate Christianity.
Jesus simplified it: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength
If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment. He explores the four elements of Great Commandment Christianity (the 4 dimensions of love): compassion, wonder, curiosity, and power. Along the way, he calls you to be a part of God’s reformation, starting in your own life.
As Mark writes, “Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you? A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God? Maybe it was a sermon that became more than a sermon. Maybe it was a mission trip or retreat. Maybe it was a vow you made at an altar. In that moment, God birthed something supernatural in your spirit. You knew you’d never be the same again. My prayer is that this book would take you back to that burning bush—and reignite a primal faith.”
I really liked how Batterson compared God to a subject sitting in an art gallery people watching, but of course his art gallery if the entire world. He believes that God continues to look at his creation and is still awed (God saw all that he had made, and it was good) that he made it-his primal reaction to us, is wonderment still. It is that same spiritual wonder that we feel when we view a gorgeous sunrise or the view from a mountain top.It was an unique way to see God in a different light.
Primal looks at the way we love God through the 4 dimensions of love listed above (through examples in his own life and others) and how we generally love God through that which is our strongest personality trait. But we need to work on loving God through the other 3 ways, in order to better know him.
The book is a quick read (I went thru it in one sitting) and the author has a very engaging personal way of writing, that I am sure echoes his sermon approach, making the bible and God more relevant and approachable to all. It would make a great Christmas gift for your pastor, priest or theologian student!
Author Bio:
The author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, batterson="" span="" stylemark="">serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations and meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the D.C. area. Mark has two Masters degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill with their three children. http://www.markbatterson.com/
