The Writer/The Person

…there's a sense of urgency at Mosaic. People know I am willing to sacrifice and do whatever is necessary to be a significant voice and influence in Los Angeles and allow this to permeate across the world. And this is exciting, let me tell you. When there's a crisis with Katrina, we were there. And the crisis in Bande Ache, we were there days after the crisis. We mobilize within days of a crisis. We take this stuff seriously.
---taken from Erwin McManus interview with INFUZE

Readers of this blog are aware that it is devoted to one thing, and one thing only. The book review in the past century has been accepted as a literary form all its own, from the artistry of H.L. Menken to the present New York Times Book Review. So why not devote an entire blog to a particular writer and his books? I think this writer deserves that kind of focus. Googling the name Erwin McManus gives you the kind of idea of his influence and stature. There is a good possibility that I may broaden the reviews to other writers in the future.
There are some who do not like this site and feel that its purpose is to unleash personal attacks. To those people I point out that it is nearly impossible to separate McManus the writer and McManus the person. A person intimate with Mosaic church cannot help but remember his barbarian, sacking ways when seeing the title “Barbarian Way.” When he describes himself in book jackets and magazine interviews as “cultural architect” and speaks of all the wonderful things Mosaic is doing across the globe, does he not invite criticism as a self-promoter? And when he does all these things while dismissing most other churches, calling them “docile” “domesticated” and “conformists” is it unreasonable for people to feel that he is attacking the church? When he says that “Creativity moves you toward mysticism” is it not fair to say that he seems to be losing his way theologically? When he is asked what book has changed his life and he replies every book, but even more so “every book I have ever written” is it a surprise many sense an arrogance and pride from this man? And perhaps most importantly, when you hear him speak of Mosaic as a “community of faith, love, and hope” the question must be asked: why have many left Mosaic in so much pain?