Kissing Fish: Christianity for People Who Don't Like Christianity

"Kissing Fish" is an extraordinary book. If you're interested in Jesus or Christianity, but you find yourself turned off by what seems like very un-Jesuslike ways of thinking (that have all too often become associated with the church), this is the book for you. Likewise, if you were raised Christian, but have been troubled by what seems like very un-Jesuslike teachings that you've heard along the way, this is the book for you, too!Roger Wolsey's personable, page-turning writing style complements its extremely scholarly content. You will discover historical developments in the evolution of the church (some rather shocking--one might often call it the devolution of the church), explore "heavy" concepts such as theodicy, eschatology, and Christology, and easily absorb rather involved "breakdowns" of various denominational differences, as just a few examples. It never becomes pedantic, dull, or pushy. The format allows you to easily jump to sections which interest you the most, but you'll likely be "sucked in" and want to read the entire thing. Wolsey also includes many details of his own faith journey, which is quite inspiring and encouraging to either of the aforementioned groups.It's been a special blessing to me, as it has not only affirmed my own beliefs (which I once considered mere suspicions) and rekindled my faith, but also spoken powerfully to many of my friends who had gotten thoroughly fed up with Christianity over the years. Significantly, this book helps to explain how Christianity got to this frustrating, un-Jesuslike point and suggests what we can do to bring it back to its roots--the religion *of* Jesus, not simply *about* Jesus.I really can't recommend this rich work and its powerful message of loving, "progressive" Christianity enough. The world would be much better for it.

In terms of full disclosure, I have been Facebook friends with Roger Wolsey for awhile, and I have also frequently corresponded with him and/or interacted with this book's Facebook page. However, I am offering what I like to think is a detached, non-biased review of this book.As both a Unitarian Universalist and a chaplain, I thoroughly endorse this book as an essential guide to achieving, at minimum, a basic understanding of Christianity- and, particularly, a broad, deep, and nuanced understanding of the cultural and theological differences between Progressive and Conservative understandings of Christian theology. Although I have not read enough of Richard Rohr's writings to compare Rev. Wolsey's writings to his, I have read Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity, and I would compare Kissing Fish favorably to it. I would go so far as to suggest that this book ought to be taught in seminary school, particularly for those seminarians whose ministerial calling is towards interfaith chaplaincy and/or pastoral care work.Readers who feel ambivalent and/or hostile towards Christianity (or, even, harmed or traumatized by it) can take comfort in knowing that Rev. Wolsey does not attempt to convert non-Christians to Christianity. Rev. Wolsey similarly refrains from using coercive or abusive language in an attempt to convince readers to accept Christian dogmas or creeds. In short, this book is decidedly non-toxic, non-abrasive, and non-tedious- in comparison to theology books written by Evangelists, Megachurch Pastors and the like, one might even consider this book refreshing.I think I might have enjoyed a little more scholarly insight culturally influential Christian texts such as the Book of Revelations. However, I understand, appreciate, and respect Rev. Wolsey's decision to not provide this extra insight, and I appreciate that he recommended resources for further reading.For posterity, I will note that, as a Unitarian Universalist, I take issue with what I see as Rev. Wolsey's incomplete characterization of Unitarian Universalism (I feel that this characterization fails to acknowledge an important point). However, I have privately communicated this issue to Rev. Wolsey, and I am confident that this mischaracterization could easily be corrected with the addition of a few words, in a footnote, in an updated edition and/or subsequent printing of this book. This issue noted, however, I will emphasize that this is a minor point of contention that amounts to little more than a quibble- a relatively inconsequential oversight- that I do not think reflects poorly on Rev. Wolsey's sincere commitment to accurate and fair scholarship. So there you have it: my friendship with Rev Wolsey does not preclude me from honestly critiquing his work.TL/DR Summary: Would read, would highlight, and would retain highlighted edition in lieu of letting interested friend "borrow" (have) it.

I knew when I read this book that I would likely disagree with some of what the author writes in the book. I would not rank his book lower simply because we do not share the same opinions. I thought he usually had well-reasoned and thought out ideas around different topics of Christian theology.I will admit I needed to adjust to his writing style. He notes that his writing can be conversational in nature, and I sometimes struggled with that.The main reason I marked it down was because of: (1) Some of the various spelling and grammatical errors that I found as I was reading and (2) I felt like he did make some theological leaps that I thought he did not quite has the evidence more. Regardless, I appreciate that the book challenged me. Worth reading!

An excellent book for progressive or progressive-curious Christians, bringing several aspects of progressive thought together in a single, clearly-written volume. You may not agree with everything you read here, but that's kind of the point--Wosley describes a theology that has space for ambiguity and dissension while still holding humans and God together in a single creation. Like other reviewers here, I intend on buying this book in hardcopy after reading it on Kindle because it's just that good, and begs to be available to loan out to friends and seekers.

Amazing book full of great points and new information

If you can get over the introduction and the very American style of writing this is a great book. It goes off towards the end on a bit of a political/public personality crusade but overall there is a lot in this book that if you relate to liberal theology you will find Roger Wolsey puts into a simple straightforward way what needs to be said.