Pastrix

The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint

By: Nadia Bolz-Weber

Narrated by: Nadia Bolz-Weber

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

"Seven years on from its original publication, Pastrix remains bracing and beautiful. Nadia’s bold vulnerability and tender heart are timeless gifts. And the words she has added to this edition remind me: We need her call to tender grace and a loving, forgiving God now more than ever." (Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?)

Pastrix: a derogatory term used by Christians who refuse to recognize female pastors.

Heavily tattooed and foul-mouthed, Nadia Bolz-Weber, a former stand-up comic, sure as hell didn't consider herself to be religious-leader material - until the day she ended up leading a friend's funeral in a smoky downtown comedy club. Surrounded by fellow alcoholics, depressives, and cynics, she realized: These were her people. Maybe she was meant to be their pastor.

Using life stories - from living in a hopeful-but-haggard commune of slackers to surviving the wobbly chairs and war stories of a group for recovering alcoholics, from her unusual but undeniable spiritual calling to pastoring a notorious con artist - Nadia uses humorous narrative and poignant honesty to portray a woman who is both deeply faithful and deeply flawed, giving hope to the rest of us along the way.

This is the book for people who hunger for a bit of hope that doesn't come from vapid consumerism or navel-gazing; for women who talk too loudly and guys who love chick flicks; for the gay man who loves Jesus and won't allow himself to be shunned by the church. In short, this book is for every thinking misfit suspicious of institutionalized religion but still seeking transcendence and mystery.

Updated with a new afterword, Pastrix is wildly entertaining, sardonically irreverent, and deeply resonant - a messy, beautiful, prayer - and profanity-laden narrative about an unconventional life of faith.

©2013 Nadia Bolz-Weber (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Bolz-Weber represents a new, muscular form of liberal Christianity, one that merges the passion and life-changing fervor of evangelicalism with the commitment to inclusiveness." (The Washington Post)

"Nadia Bolz-Weber is what you'd get if you mixed the DNA of Louis C.K., Joey Ramone, and St. Paul. She is by far my favorite tatted-up, cranky pastor ever. Follow her. Not just on Twitter, but wherever her unique mind takes you. What I'm trying to say is: Buy this book." (A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically)

"Bolz-Weber has such a distinctive voice and outlook, it's amazing she hasn't written more books. Perhaps it's because she's been too busy living the checkered and fascinating life that is the subject of her theological memoir.... Here's hoping her authentic voice continues to preach in more books." (Publishers Weekly)

A deeply faithful spiritual memoir

What made the experience of listening to Pastrix the most enjoyable?

This profane book is not actually irreverent, but a deeply faithful spiritual memoir. I avoided this book until people I respect kept loving it. I thought it would be all about the author, which is fair enough for a memoir, but this book is really all about Jesus

Pastrix is also about the struggles of a pastor and church planter to try to faithfully lead her quirky flock, which I resonated with as a fellow church planter. Beyond this, the theme is grace and in every chapter Pastrix is about the struggle to follow Jesus in the real world.

What other book might you compare Pastrix to and why?

Comparing it to Augustine's Confessions may seem a little much, but they both are so affecting for the same reason as in each a pastor is looking back on his and her life in wonder at the grace of a loving God.

Any additional comments?

To say this book is not for everyone is to put it mildly. Yet, this honest account by a Lutheran pastor who does not hold back will be the exact book for many people who find nothing in Christian section of a bookstore that speaks to their lives

Can't go wrong!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

While some call her a passing fad, I believe that Nadia Bolz-Weber is going to be the next voice for a generation of lost souls. As a man who was kicked out of his church for being gay, I admire Nadia and her congregation for having open arms and open minds. One of the best books I think I own.

Love this book

I’ve read this book about 3 times on my own but it was nice to have the audiobook.

Inspiring, thought-provoking, and edgy

Pastrix is an inspiring, thought-provoking, and edgy description of the Christian spiritual journey of Nadia Bolz-Weber, who is a Lutheran pastor and a nationally recognized figure in the Emerging Church (Liberal Christian) movement. Bolz-Weber clearly has a very fine mind and a remarkable personal spirituality that has survived her previous life as an alcoholic and standup comic, her scarred conservative church upbringing, and several years as a searching, lost soul. Bolz-Weber’s ministry is inherently dedicated to those suffering from addictions, or people with other life experiences such as non-traditional sexual orientations, abuse, poverty, etc. She is noticeably most comfortable with people from these backgrounds, and includes many interesting stories along these lines about both herself and her parishioners. Be ready for lots of swearing -- I can’t decide whether she consistently swears out of habit, to be provocative, to make herself more accessible to the downtrodden, or as a defense measure to prevent herself from becoming too normal. For those with bible-based or evangelical beliefs, be prepared for some controversial positions, but overall, this doesn’t appear to be a major agenda item for Bolz-Weber, who repeatedly attests to her great love of Christian liturgy. Towards the end, Bolz-Weber addresses the challenges, and ultimately the happy results, of her ministry intersecting with what society would refer to as normal people. She candidly describes her experiences (and current initial successes), but the story ends without being able to answer the question of whether the radical and liberal Christianity Bolz-Weber promotes can scale beyond the scope of her personal leadership and advocacy. The answer is probably, “If God wills it.” In conclusion, Jesus stated that the greatest commandments are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Bolz-Weber’s book is the story of an imperfect woman who with God’s grace is trying really hard to (and arguably succeeding at) living these commandments. I wish her God’s blessings and recommend the book.

not just about religion..

I rarely listen to autobiographies and have never chosen a book about "religion". This was a great surprise and spoke to me more deeply than about religion, it spoke about the human spirit. It has been several months, and I plan on listening again as I am sure I missed some of the messages about love, forgiveness and self-love. #selfdiscovery, #inspiring, #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

eye opening read

this book helps us to be authentic Christians and accept those who are different from us.

read it

She needs to write more books. Love her. Now let's pretend I have written 20 word on how great this book is so that I can submit this review.

Insightful and inspiring

Listened to this while traveling, found myself unable to pause it to take a break.
Nadia Bolz-Weber "says it like it is", which not only is moving, but helps me to remember that I, too, can be a pastor AND be a person.

Refreshingly Real

The fresh honesty and gritty reality in this book offers even those with little religiosity a look into understanding how and why the connections of “church family” are out there to be had, and that there are “real christians” (not a denomination, just that they actually follow the teachings of Jesus to the best of their ability) sprinkled out there. I appreciate the glimpse of Nadias journey, and will continue to tune in to what else she has to share, both in audio book land and on The Confessional. Thanks for a G R E A T listen!

Totally honest!

I listened to the performance on Audible and could not stop till the end.