Unleashed by Erwin Raphael McManus

Jesus trained his disciples to share the gospel with an untamed spirit – to face ridicule, persecution, and even death in the pursuit of spreading the good news. In our modern, civilized world the heart of Christianity has become civilized. Very rarely will a Christian abandon all the comforts to which they have become accustomed in order to follow Christ; they have lost the Barbarian spirit they first experienced when Christ saved them.


Unleashed by Erwin Raphael McManus caught my attention and piqued my interest in exercising my faith even more. Erwin used Biblical examples of “Barbarians” that God used to spread the Gospel: like John the Baptist, the disciples, and early church martyrs. His use of incredible word pictures and personal stories bring the message alive and encourage readers through his example.

The word “Barbarian” did seem to go a bit far in my mind, as there were also civilized yet effective couriers of the gospel of Jesus Christ like the Apostle Paul. The term is more appropriately used in reference to a spirit of barbarianism rather than a complete lifestyle. It does, however, make one reevaluate if they have become comfortable in the rituals of modern Christianity or if they would be willing to follow the call of the cross to the ends of the earth.


I was given a free copy of this book as part of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze program. I was not required to post a positive review, just give my own opinion.