Bob's Reviews > Pure Scum: The Left-Out, the Right-Brained and the Grace of God

The title is an attention grabber for sure. But paying attention to the narrative of Scum of the Earth church is well worthwhile. Why would you ever name a church "Scum of the Earth?" Sares had good biblical reasons. 1 Corinthians 4:13b says, "We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment" (NIV).

The book interweaves a narrative of Sares own journey that led him from Toledo, Ohio to the Capital Hill district of Denver and to ministry with the "left out and the right-brained"--street people and artists, including the people who would form the band Five Iron Frenzy. It is a narrative describing hallmarks of this church--risk, brokenness, honesty, love of the arts, and unconditional love. Sares sums up his ministry in these words, "So here we are, stuck in this life where to be broken is really to be the safest, and to be whole is really to be in a dangerous place. Because of this we struggle, we strive, we aim, we try to be a church that recognizes its need for a savior on a daily basis" (p. 166).

On a personal note, I worked in the Toledo area in the late 70s and I think that Mike and I probably crossed paths--we may even have explored his joining our collegiate ministry. In a way, I am very thankful he didn't because of the distinctive ministry God eventually led him to in Denver. I'm glad this story has been told and I hope it might serve to help other churches look beyond the programs and the hype, to their own brokenness and the One who saves us day by day.