Erwin Raphael McManus 


 

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BIOGRAPHY

Erwin Raphael McManus (Lead Pastor and Cultural Architect of Mosaic)  is a husband, father, writer, futurist, activist, author, artist, filmmaker, innovater and spiritual and cultural leader who specializes in the field of developing and unleashing personal and organizational creativity, uniqueness, innovation and diversity. In other words, he gets bored really easily.
He is committed to creating environments that expand imagination, unleash creativity, and maximize the creative potential in every individual and organization. Erwin is also the catalyst behind Awaken. Convinced that the world is changed by dreamers and visionaries, Awaken serves the purpose of history by maximizing the divine potential in every human being.
Engaging such issues as culture, creativity, change, and leadership, Erwin is widely known as a thought-provoking communicator. His travels have taken him to over 30 countries and he has spoken to over a million people from a wide variety of audiences, including the NFL, Lionsgate, New Line Cinema, and ILOG. His work is featured in numerous films, articles, and magazines across the US and internationally.
Erwin also serves as the primary communicator and cultural architect of Mosaic in Los Angeles. He is the author of An Unstoppable Force, a Gold Medallion Award finalist; Chasing Daylight; Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul; The Barbarian Way; Stand Against the Wind, Soul Cravings, and Wide Awake (soon to be released in July 2008). He also serves as a Research Advisor with The Gallup Organization.
Erwin is a native of El Salvador, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Southwestern Theological Seminary. He and his wife Kim live in Los Angeles have two children, Aaron and Mariah, and a foster daughter Paty.

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About Mosaic: 

We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. The name of our community comes from the diversity of our members and from the symbolism of a broken and fragmented humanity which can become a work of beauty under the artful hands of God. We welcome people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey. Come to Mosaic, and discover how all the pieces can fit together!

Gatherings
Mosaic meets in multiple gatherings at different locations in the Los Angeles area. Please join us at a time and place convenient for you:
WEST L.A.
Beverly Hills High School Sunday 11:15am  Birth - 5th Grade; High School Programming 241 Moreno Dr, Beverly Hills
Contact: Marcus Goodloe - goodie@mosaic.org, 626-628-9640
PASADENA
William Carey University Sunday 9:30am  Mott Auditorium  Birth - High School Programming Sunday 11:15am  Franson Building
Birth - 5th Grade; H.S. Prog.   No Jr. High Programming   1539 East Howard Street, Pasadena (Campus Map)
Contact: Steve Saccone - steve@mosaic.org
DOWNTOWN L.A.
The Mayan Theatre Sunday 7:00pm  No Children’s Programming Map » 1038 South Hill Street, Los Angeles
Contact: Hank Fortener - hank@mosaic.org, 626-628-9640
INLAND Sunday 10:00am
Birth - High School Programming Special Christmas Eve Candlelight gathering- 12/24, 6pm   5540 Schaefer Avenue, Chino
Contact: Ralph Neighbour - ralph@mosaic.org, 909-519-4308
BERKELEY/BAY AREA
GAIA Arts Center Sunday 5:00pmMap » 2120 Allston Way, Suite 1, Berkeley, CA 94704
Contact: Kevin Knox - kevin@mosaic.org, 510-332-0920
Web: www.mosaicbay.org
WHITTIER Sunday 9:30am
Birth - Elementary, Junior High and H.S. ProgrammingSunday 11:15am
No Children’s Programming 6737 Bright Avenue, Whittier, CA 90601
Contact: Octavio Martinez - octavio@mosaic.org, 562-900-3788
SOUTH BAY
Knob Hill Community CenterSunday 6:00pm  Toddler - 5th Grade ProgrammingSpecial Christmas Eve gathering- 12/24, 5:00pm
320 Knob Hill, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Contact: Marcus Goodloe - goodie@mosaic.org, 626-628-9640

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Web Site

Awaken is a collaboration between a team of dreamers and innovators who specialize in the field of developing and unleashing personal and organizational creativity. Awaken is committed to creating environments that expand imagination and unleash creativity. Convinced that the world is changed by dreamers and visionaries, Awaken serves humanity through its commitment to maximize the creative potential in every individual and organization. Awaken emerges out of the unique ministry of Mosaic and reflects Mosaic’s commitment to creativity, uniqueness, innovation and diversity.

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Small Groups by City
 

Alhambra - Phillippians, Alhambra - Women's Group, Altadena Couples, Arcadia - Families, Arcadia Singles,  Burbank - Women, Chino - "Beginnings", Chino - "Prime Time" Sr Adults, Chino - College Group, Chino - Families, Chino - Men's Group, Chino - Weight Support Group, Chino - Young Families, East L.A. Clean & Sober, Glendale/ Pasadena, Hollywood West, Hollywood-Central Small Group, Ignite, La Crescenta - Women, La Habra Bible Study, Los Angeles - Movie House
Los Angeles West Adams, Montebello, Montebello - Men's, North Hollywood Late Night, North OC/Fullerton, Orange Co/ Irvine, Palos Verdes Estates, Pasadena - Senior Adults, Pasadena - Women, Pasadena Couples, Pasadena m Transformers, Pasadena Worldwind, Redondo Beach - Women's Group, San Fernando Valley - Granada Hills- Couples/Families, San Fernando Valley Sherman Oaks, SERVE LA - College, So.Pasadena - Families Group, South Bay-Carson, South Bay-Torrance, South Bay-Torrance South, Temple City, UCLA - College, West LA, West LA/ Beverlywood, West LA/ Century City, West LA/ Couple's Group, West LA/ Culver City, West LA/ Marina del Rey - Awaken Humanity, West LA/ Miracle Mile-Families, West LA/ Palms, West LA/ Robertson-Pico-Families, West LA/ Santa Monica - Couple's/Young Families, West LA/ Sawtelle, West LA/ Westwood, West LA/ Women, West LA/ Women's Small Groups, Whittier - Women's

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BOOKS

Wide Awake: The Future Is Waiting Within You  "Most of us understand that we’re not created to be evil, but we act as if we were created to be neutral. Yes, God is the source of all that is good, but don’t miss the point that he created you for good. God designed you to be an expression of his goodness."	In The Barbarian Way, McManus calls you to return to the ancient,primal, and dangerous faith of Jesus and His early disciples. Let go of a sanitized Christianity and get back to the powerful, raw and ancient faith that chooses revolution over compromise, peril over safety, and passion over lukewarm and watered-down religion.
In Seizing Your Divine Moment, McManus offers a liberating reality when we are passionate about God, we can trust our passions	In Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul, Erwin Raphael McManus boldly invites you to join the revolution. He illuminates the desperate heart cry of every human being - “I want to live!” - and then serves as a guide on a quest to answer that cry.
In An Unstoppable Force, author Erwin McManus offers a vision of the church taking its rightful place. An unstoppable force created to change the world. A church that is active and engaged with its community. A church that dares to cut itself free from atrophied practices and programs to flourish in creative and compelling worship.	Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit We can spend our whole lives trying to satisfy the one insatiable part of our being, our soul craving. Our capacity for spiritual experience both proves our need for something greater than ourselves and leaves us wanting when we fill it with anything but God. Soul Cravings is a powerful, down-to-earth exposition that interprets our need for intimacy, meaning, and destiny as common sense apologetics pointing to the existence of and our need for God. The book will deeply stir the reader to consider and chase after the spiritual implications of their soul's deepest longings. Soul Cravings by Erwin MacManus is a thought provoking book. The book is a series of reflections or short journal entries on the topics Intimacy, Destiny, and Meaning. Through the book McManus probes these topics and at the same time touches the depths of the longings we all have inside of us that so often drag us away from God. (For Example, see Taking, Faking, Making Love) It’s a seeker-sensitive book that looks to evaluate the desires we have in us and show that they are God-given and designed to lead us to Him. It would be a great book to give to someone whom you know is “seeking”, although his arguments and musings can be quite circular and won’t stand up to the scrutiny of careful logic. The book is extremely quotable, packed full of profound statements to get you thinking. Here are a couple of the ones I chewed on for a while:
The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives Andy Crouch, Michael S. Horton, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Brian D. McLaren, Erwin Raphael McManus General Editor: Leonard Sweet A feisty, entertaining, and educational conversation about the shape of the church of the 21st century. What should the church look like today? What should be the focus of its message? How should I present that message? We live in as pivotal and defining an age as the Great Depression or the Sixties–a period whose definition, say some cultural observers, includes a warning of the church’s influence. The result? A society measurably less religious but decidedly more spiritual. Less influenced by authority than by experience. More attuned to images than to words. How does the church adapt to such a culture? Or should it, in fact, eschew adapting for maintaining a course it has followed these last two millennia? Or something in between? These are exactly the questions asked in The Church In Emerging Culture by five Christian thinker-speaker-writers, each who advocate unique stances regarding what the church’s message should be (and what methods should be used to present it) as it journeys through this evolving, postmodern era. The authors are:	Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment In this inspiring book (formerly Seizing Your Divine Moment), Erwin McManus uses the biblical account of Israel’s war with the Philistines (1 Samuel 13 and 14) and the characters of Saul and Jonathan to demonstrate the difference between living a life of purpose and adventure, and living one of apathy and missed opportunity. In the midst of a less-than-hopeful battle, Saul rested beneath a tree as Jonathan seized the divine moment that would impact the future of Israel. Through this story McManus artfully illustrates the eight characteristics of an adventurer’s heart, what he calls “the Jonathan factor.”
Stand Against the Wind: Awaken the Hero Within You know it all too well: life is fraught with challenging moments. When the storms of life blow-as they most certainly will-are you going to stand strong, bend, or break? Popular author Erwin Raphael McManus suggests that you discover how to rise above the normal reaction and learn to stand against the wind. Through thought-provoking chapters, McManus takes readers on a journey of transformation through the landscape of their character-from where they start out "Running Free," through "Rising Out of the Ashes," developing "Divine Imagination," and finally, reaching the "Greatness of Servanthood."

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QUOTES

"My goal is to destroy Christianity as a world religion and be a recatalyst for the movement of Jesus Christ," McManus, author of a new book called "The Barbarian Way," said in a telephone interview.  "Some people are upset with me because it sounds like I'm anti-Christian. I think they might be right."

They [Barbarians - who he tries to convince readers they should be] see Christianity as a world religion, in many ways no different from any other religious system. Whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity, they're not about religion; they're about advancing the revolution Jesus started two thousand years ago (p.6).

"Two thousand years ago, God started a revolt against the religion He started. So don't ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name." (The Barbarian Way)

The church is not here to meet our needs. We are the church here to meet the needs of the world.

“Somehow Christianity has become a nonmystical religion. It’s about a reasonable faith. If we believe the right things, then we are orthodox. Frankly whether we ever actually connect to God or experience His undeniable presence has become incidental, if not irrelevant. We have become believers rather than experiencers. To know God in Scriptures always went beyond information to intimacy. We may find ourselves uncomfortable with this reality, but the faith of the Scriptures is a mystical faith. It leads us beyond the material world into an invisible reality. We become connected to the God of eternity. Who you are at the core is spirit. God is Spirit. To walk with God is to journey in the spiritual realm. ”  The Barbarian Way

“World views are far more important than generations. You have to understand the material from which a person is shaping his or her world view and how to speak to this emerging world view that is formed from multiple, conflicting views of reality. In response to the modern world, Christian apologetics emerged. It is not this kind of evidence that people are looking for anymore. (Scientific approach.) We have to return to a first century prescription of how to take the gospel to the world. Paul honed in on the statue of the unknown God and quoted their poets to prove the existence of God.” (Artistic approach.)

“The churches that will cease to exist are not those who are doctrinally errant, but are spiritually errant. You can't get away with it anymore. You can't just talk about what the bible says, you better flesh it out or you are dead.”
“That's what's exciting about the world in which we live. Only the viable church of Jesus Christ will survive, the inauthentic need not apply. I want to live in the world that if the church is not the revolution that Jesus died to establish 2000 years ago it ceases to exist. I want to live in a world where the church has no more crutches, or buffers to guard her from injury. I want a church where a culture no longer protects her. Whenever the gospel enters an environment, it prevails.”

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