(3.25/5 stars) I've followed Kate Boyd on Twitter for a while now, and her writing there convinced me to request her new book. I found it thought-provoking, though a bit disorganized. Boyd's combination of personal stories, scripture, and encounters with the "big C" Church (the global Church), Boyd shares about her journey of disentanglement in a world that's intent to either double down on or demolish their religious beliefs. Boyd writes:
"We need not be afraid of becoming new people. The invitation into life with Christ is one of constant reformation. Transformation comes with the territory." and I think that's a great way to approach reading this book as well.

I first connected with Kate on social media a few years ago & have since had the pleasure of getting to know her a bit in person. I have found Kate to be a knowledgeable, thoughtful theologian who takes Bible study seriously and values its complexity.

Her new book is written for Christians who have become disillusioned with the church for a variety of valid reasons but aren’t ready to let go of their Christian faith, reverence for the sacredness of scripture, or desire to follow Jesus. “Through personal anecdotes, encounters with the global church, deep dives into Scripture, and helpful historical context about Christianity,” Kate guides readers in disentangling their faith from culture and finding hope for a more expansive, holistic vision for Christian community. She shares stories from her experiences traveling to connect with believers all over the world and also draws on her knowledge of scripture study as a seminary student. I especially appreciate her focus on understanding the Bible from a global perspective, engaging and applying scripture holistically, and learning and growing in the context of community.

I no longer consider myself an evangelical & have complicated feelings about missions & evangelism, which are both woven throughout the book. However, I appreciate Kate’s thoughtful reckoning with the nuance required for those seeking to evangelize in a way that acknowledges how Christian evangelism has historically been used to colonize & oppress marginalized communities.

Kate is a gentle and hopeful guide for those who struggle to feel safe asking difficult questions in their faith communities. I’m so glad for the work she is doing in the world!

I found “An Untidy Faith” to be both inspiring and practical. The book encourages you to wrestle with the questions and embrace the process of our faith and how we practice it, helping reveal the good narratives of God versus what has often been taught. One quote that stood out to me from the beginning as so true in my own experience was:

“Looking back, I think you’ll see God was with you in every doubt, question, and decision—using it to shape you into who you’ve become.”

This book invites the reader to look beyond our own experience of Christianity and into those beyond our locality and age and into both the history of the Church and the experience of other Christians throughout the world. Then, later in the book, the author expounds on how we can know the faith Jesus calls us to practice alongside community and in joy.

I would’ve loved even more of the real life experiences the author shared, and the chapter on worship was my favorite.

I particularly loved the story shared about the missionary who needed to translate that Jesus is the bread of life in a different way because the people group she was sharing with did not have such a thing as bread. This makes a good point for not having to try to force someone to understand something with our own term for it when they have no grid for it, and instead communicating that biblical truth and its intent in a way they will actually understand. The author writes,

“If the story of Scripture is true—and I believe it is—then there must be sets of tools to translate its meaning for everyone on planet Earth, across time and space. . . We need to be able to put the Bible into conversation with its various contexts so we can interpret well and apply what we see in Scripture to our lives in a way that transforms us and the world around us.”

I felt that a good summary of the aim of the book is when the author writes the following:

“…my desire is that this journey shows you one way to go about this . . . that it continuously calls you back to the Jesus of the Bible and the legacy of the historical and global church. I think you’ll find there is still hope to be found within Christianity, and that we can begin to be the bridge of that hope among our own churches and circles of influence.”

I received a review copy of this book for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

"In the wake of scandal, culture wars, and abuse, many Christians are wondering whether the North American church is redeemable—and if not, whether they should even stay. While many are answering no to those questions, this book is for those who long to disentangle their faith from all the cultural baggage and recapture the joy of following Jesus."

I've had the pleasure of following this author for several years.

I enjoy her IG Reels, and have even taken a few of her online classes.

This book was a nice mix of all her strengths. She loves Scripture and church history and personal stories and Jesus, and she KNOWS HER ISH.

I found it mildly lacking in her usual humour, but it didn't take away my enjoyment of this work.

I can't wait for more from this author - both via social media and book form.

7.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Herald Press for this ARC.

“Deconstruction is a mindset as much as a process. It requires a willingness to hold everything you believe—regardless of past or present certainty—in your hands with open fingers as you examine it, knowing some of it will fall through the gaps.”

Kate Boyd is a trusted and hopeful guide on that process of deconstruction in her book, An Untidy Faith. Rather than a “how to” manual, she describes this book as a “how I did it” story of her own disentangling her faith from American culture. “Disentangling is a lifelong journey [that’s] actually part of the discipleship process,” according to Kate. I believe this book will appeal across the theological spectrum: to Christians just beginning to question their beliefs and willing to rethink some of their assumptions and to post-Evangelicals who want to rediscover the joy of following Jesus and the connection in community.

Reading An Untidy Faith often felt like a class in seminary! Kate clearly has knowledge and experience as a Bible teacher, yet it never felt overly “preachy” or over my head. I appreciate being challenged and educated when I read, so I love that her book was so much more than a memoir. In Part 1, "Journey Back to Belief," she analyzes major beliefs that she had to rethink in the process of her deconstruction, including Biblical inerrancy, social justice, Christian nationalism, the role of church, and persecution and suffering. Then in Part 2, she invites us to “Journey Into Joyful Practice” with tangible strategies for applying our beliefs into everyday practice.

“Disentangling offers a way to move forward that allows you to keep the faith without needing to fit into one box neatly.” In a culture that tells us that deconstruction must mean either deconverting OR reconstructing back to conservative, mainstream Evangelicalism, this book stands out as one that offers readers a middle path. I highly recommend An Untidy Faith to readers who are rethinking some of their own beliefs but want to maintain the hope, joy, and meaning of walking with Jesus.

I was excited to read this book based on the description. Unfortunately it felt a bit disconnected. I am not sure if it was the writing style or the author's focus on the problems of America. I agree that the typical American church is a long way from the original church, and I get that America has issues as do all countries. Life on Earth is not meant to be perfect otherwise there would be no point in heaven. I was looking for a greater focus on positive changes that can be made now. I wanted more action items and less doom and gloom as there is enough of that already.

After following Kate Boyd on social media, I had been looking forward to reading her book. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I can't put my finger on why. It did seem a bit slow in places, or repetitive. I didn't feel that I connected to it as much as I have with other Christian writers. Still, she makes a lot of interesting points about religion v. faith, and it was a worthwhile read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

With "An Untidy Faith," Kate Boyd focuses her literary lens on the world of contemporary Christianity in North America, a world where words like "deconstruction" are now commonplace as churches find themselves caught up in scandals, culture wars, and much more while Christians are left to question whether or not attending church is even worth all this trouble.

It should be obvious, of course, that Boyd advocates for a sort of getting back to basics approach. Utilizing personal anecdotes, encounters with the global church, deep dives into Scripture, and helpful historical context about Christianity, Boyd largely focuses this relatively short and breezy read down two specific journeys. The first journey lays out the grand vision of Christianity and the legacy passed on to us by the early believers in hopes of renewing readers’ belief in the church writ large. The second journey helps believers understand why they feel distant from their church settings and provides a reorientation drawn from Scripture of God’s vision for community.

"An Untidy Faith" will most resonate with those who long for a faith community that looks more like Jesus and much less like society. For the most part avoiding controversy herself, Boyd opens the door to questions asked in a safe, sincere way and gently guides people back to the joy of what it really means to follow Jesus.

Indeed, "An Untidy Faith" mostly finds itself in a gentle, middle place when it comes to contemporary Christianity and that very approach may very well make it a difficult sell for both conservative and progressive Christians who will both be a tad frustrated by Boyd's steadfast refusal to take sides. While she offers glimpses of her own middle ground, "An Untidy" faith is for the most part successful in focusing the lens on Jesus rather than the cultural baggage that seemingly divides us all.

I enjoyed "An Untidy Faith" from beginning to end, though I'll also confess that I didn't always know why I enjoyed it. As I sit here writing this review, I'm hard-pressed to cite any piece of this literary journey that really resonated with me emotionally or intellectually. Instead, I think I just appreciated Boyd's approach of encouraging Christians to be Christians and to follow Jesus.

In some ways, I guess you could say, "An Untidy Faith" feels relatively benign in its approach to vital discussions. However, in a world that can often feel so profoundly jarring it's rather refreshing to tidy things up a bit.

These days, even asking questions seems taboo. "An Untidy Faith" provides a companion for important discussions that can often feel unsafe in today's faith communities. In the process, author Kate Boyd creates a place where Christians can be spiritually fed and become better equipped with practices that will help refuel a restoration of the faith journey.