The story of how an evangelical pastor and progressive Republican decided he had to do something. So Ryerse runs for Congress against one of the most powerful Republican incumbents in D.C. After he loses, he works with the Vote Common Good campaign. Along the way, he gains new insight into how politics and faith intersect.

I decided to read this book because I am always intrigued by what motivates ordinary people to run for public office. Ryerse discusses why he entered into a long-shot race against a popular incumbent. He is unafraid to tackle the tough topic, but he really seeks to bring people together; something dreadfully missing in today's political world.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about his journey.

I chose to read this book thinking it would be a good thing for me to do and expected to have to slog through it. What a surprise it was to get caught up in the story and breeze through it within a few days. Robb Ryerse is the kind of candidate I've wished for many times. I'm hopeful that everyday, honest people that care about those they represent will continue to run for various offices and will be elected.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Unbeknownst to me, this book has been sitting on my NetGalley shelf since February! It was quite entertaining to read just 9 days prior to our next National election.

Robb Ryerse is a co-pastor, with his wife, of a hybrid church in Arkansas. His background is Southern Baptist but he’s migrated to an all inclusive gospel he refers to as “emergent”; the Bible would use other modifiers. Unhappy with the outcome of the 2016 election, Ryerse decides to do something about it and runs for Congress, National office; “Running for Our Lives” is his story.

Ryerse’s writing is affable, flows well and he clearly passed English class. He hasn’t figured out who he is, what he believes, (or why), and most importantly, what his motivation is. These things are painfully obvious in his writing. There’s no depth, no revelation, no “ah ha” moments; nothing for the readers to take away from this volume as a nugget of lasting value. You might learn a bit about running for office, but surely not enough to accomplish that process efficiently.

Like many other reviewers, I found Ryerse’s fence sitting on political issues to be frustrating. A running Republican with a Democrat’s platform is just confusing to everyone. Why not run as an Independent? Likewise, I found his abandonment of and confused religious ideas to be more offensive than the political mish mash, especially in his capacity as a pastor. How do you lead a congregation not knowing what you believe? There’s an excellent book by Paul Little, he needs to read, ASAP. The entire book rings hollow as an experience, for this reader.

Some interesting bits about running for office from a “regular guy’s” perspective but nothing special when it comes to supporting the title or subtitle; certainly not for my common good📚

Read & Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC

A great inside look from an average joe who decides he's going to get involved in politics, rather than complain from the sidelines. A sound voice offering middle ground.

This is an amazing story of the author's run for Congress. What is inspiring is that he ran on his beliefs in a world where so many candidates rely on opinion polls or political parties to determine their stands on issues. The author ran as a progressive Republican. As a pastor, he believed in the words of Jesus "Love thy neighbor as thyself." This translated into his stands on climate change, healthcare, and a whole host of other issues. What was so impressive to me is that he took on the Republicans who voted for Trump and let them know their issues were not Christian values. While he didn't win his race, he continues to make change happen one small step at a time. Excellent book for anyone, from any party, who is living in this political climate.

When I saw this title on NetGalley, I was sure it was something I wanted to read. What I didn’t know was if it would infuriate me, give me hope, or change my views. But after finally deciding to request it, I’m happy to report that it did all three. I’m a strong believer in a solid wall between church and state. The state shouldn’t be telling religious institutions how to worship and religious institutions shouldn’t be trying to tell the American people how to live. I didn’t know anything about author, Robb Ryerse, before starting this book, but I soon learned he’s a pastor in Arkansas who ran to unseat the incumbent congressman from his district. I wasn’t sure if he was going to try to convert me to his way of thinking regarding the intersection of politics and faith, but I went into it with an open mind. No one is going to convert me to their religious beliefs at this point in my life, but I was willing to entertain different ideas on how elected officials and the faithful can best serve their country without sacrificing their beliefs.

RUNNING FOR OUR LIVES is about a lot of things. It’s about how politics work in America (hint, it’s seriously broken), how many of the American faithful have embraced an immoral president in the name of Jesus, and how people of faith can put their beliefs in action without trampling on the rights of others to believe something differently. I found this book refreshing. Having been raised Catholic, Robb and I have had very different religious upbringings, and yet we oddly have similar ideas when it comes to the teachings of Jesus. Nowhere does Jesus say that we should blame the poor for their circumstances. Nor did he ever say to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others if it mean less financial security for you. Yet I see these ideas being shared by Christians. That, “If only those people would do what I did, they wouldn’t be poor.” Or “We can’t help everyone.” I get it. We can’t necessarily help everyone, but we also shouldn’t, as a nation, make life harder for people in their own countries with our policies. But that is exactly what happens when our president rails about trade deficits with countries like Mexico. Mexico has a population of less than half of the United States and a GDP per capita of just $9,670 vs. our $62,794. It is unconscionable to expect a nation of impoverished citizens to buy the same amount of US products as we do from them. It is also very unchristian. Nowhere will you find Jesus demanding the poor buy more of your products in order for you to buy more of theirs. That is not how Christianity works.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Robb is my kind of Christian. Someone who really gets that Christianity is not about getting rich, or even ensuring your are comfortable enough before you help the less fortunate. I also completely understand the argument that Jesus wasn’t talking about government. He was talking about people. But people have let down the poor over and over and over again. When that happens, governments have the duty to ensure no one falls through the cracks as part of ensuring the common good. If people would step up and do what’s right, government wouldn’t need to. To ignore the crisis at our southern border because they aren’t Americans is a grievous sin in my opinion.

Once I realized Robb saw human suffering the same way I did, I was even more willing to really hear what he had to say. I highlighted more passages in his book than any other I’ve ever read. The following are some of my favorites:

Could we as potential candidates for Congress demonstrate that people are more important than party?

I’m so tired of both major political parties putting their party loyalty above their duty to their constituents, those who elected them to office in the first place. But we see it time and time again. It’s one of the biggest reasons people hate government. We feel as if government works for itself, but not for us. What is surprising about this is that most people think their own particular elected officials are generally doing a good job, but it’s those “other” guys who are messing it up. Which is why incumbents have such a high rate of reelection. I loved that Robb really got it and that he was determined to do whatever little part he could to right that enormous wrong.

Those who are cynical about American politics are convinced that the tribalism of the two-party system can’t be overcome. They frequently complain that their elected officials won’t cross the aisle to compromise. But how can we expect our leaders to put people ahead of party if we’re unwilling to do it first?

This is another paragraph that really stuck with me. I’ve been guilty as much of anyone of believing that I’m right. Because if I didn’t think I was right about an issue, I would be searching for what WAS right. And even if I think I’m right, I also know that nothing good ever comes from forcing my opinions onto others. We ping pong back and forth between liberal and conservative policies, depending on who is in the White House, giving the country whiplash. But if we stopped trying to make everyone bend to our will and realize that compromise is a beautiful word, not a curse, everyone could get a little of what they wanted, but no one would get everything they want. It means our country will change gradually, even if a big overhaul is what many of us believe is needed. But these gradual changes are more likely to be lasting changes that can be built upon over time.

The twenty-four hour news cycle means that each and every minute of airtime has to be filled in a way that drives ratings among people who already know the news. For this reason, sensationalized stories that feed the public’s appetite for entertainment and draw the largest audience get more play than substantive stories.

He precedes this statement by mentioning that everyone walks around with a handheld computer in their pocket, pushing news headlines constantly to our attention. So if we read that Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign in five different news stories on our phones, when we tune into the news later, we don’t want to see what we already know. So the cable news channels look for that angle, the something different they think will appeal to their viewers. For Fox News it may be how the DNC orchestrated once again, a scenario to allow the establishment candidate to win the nomination. But CNN may start speculating on who Biden’s running mate may be, and MSNBC may run with the ideas that Bernie brought to the table and how they changed the conversation within the Democratic party. All of which leads to Americans, understandably so, believing the cable new stations are biased. I think it’s far less about the stations being biased and more that their viewers are biased and they know it. They want to appeal to their viewers, even if it means slanting a story a certain way. In most cases, the media gets the facts right. Not always, but more often than not. Where bias comes in is how they present those facts, and of course, the salacious punditry, speculating on everything and anything when additional facts are not available.

I started to refer to myself as an “Eisenhower Republican,” because I wanted people to recognize that I was not trying to do something that had never been done. I was trying to stand on the shoulders of other Republican leaders who fought for progressive ideas.

Robb ran as a “progressive” republican. Many people on the campaign trail asked him why he was running as a republican, if he was a progressive, and not as a democrat. He had to explain time and again that his ideas were the same ideas of republican presidents of the past. The party has shifted from what it once was, but that doesn’t mean Robb wants to abandon the party of Eisenhower and Reagan. Rather, he wants to bring the party back to what it once was. I found that refreshing, particularly with so many republicans allowing their party to be hijacked by nationalism and protectionist policies.

Blaming social media and cable news networks for this division is easy, but assigning blame doesn’t help us move beyond it.

He’s so right. We often look at how divided this nation is right now and point to Twitter and Facebook, which have made it easy to spread false information and to attack people for holding views different from ours from the safety of our keyboards. These platforms allow us to shut off our phone if we don’t like the ugliness we started with our harsh words. But saying that the cable news channels who pander to their viewers’ beliefs or the internet for making it easy for us to find our echo chambers, doesn’t help us do anything about it, unless we’re ready to give up cable news and computers. Instead, he offers his own thoughts on how to move ahead as a more civil society. His background as a pastor provides him with a different worldview than mine and gave me a lot to think about.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God and others as we love ourselves. This is not two commandments, but one, a unified vision of love. It is recognizing that when we love others, we love God. When we feed the hungry, visit the incarcerated, welcome the stranger, and care for the sick, we are serving not just other people but Jesus himself. … In fact, maybe the most loving thing I can do when I enter the voting booth is to cast my ballot not for my own interests but for the common good.

This may have be the single most powerful few paragraphs in the book. Here is where he really breaks down his views on how religion and politics should mix. How faith can influence our vote, but not in the way I’ve always assumed. I always thought that Christians voted for other Christians, assuming they would bring about Christian policies. But it goes much deeper than that in Robb’s view and I found myself nodding throughout this chapter.

Until our campaign finance system is revamped, the best–and I believe only–hope we have for significant and needed change in Washington is working Americans supporting grassroots candidates with acupunctural interventions of small-dollar donations.

This is where the book infuriated me. Robb talks about how campaign financing works and how much it costs JUST to get your name on ballot to run. He also explains how, with big money donors, once elected, incumbents are tasked with making fundraising calls by their respective parties, eating up large chunks of their day. Time they are not spending working for the people who elected them. I know money in politics is a problem, but Robb’s inside information on the workings of elected officials in congress was mind-numbingly maddening. This is not what we send them to Washington to do. Also, if they need this money to get re-elected, where do their loyalties lie? Ryerse provides concrete examples of how this plays out, and trust me, none of it is good for average Americans.

This was an incredibly fast and engrossing read and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in understanding politics in this country. You do not need to be a republican to appreciate it. You do not need to be a progressive of any party to understand what’s at stake. And you do not need to be a Christian to find something deeply satisfying to take away from this book.

Bottom Line
An eye-opening, stunning look at American politics from an outsider’s point of view.

Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A heartfelt account of an honest citizen’s attempt to bring compassion, accountability and tolerance to the Republican Party. He may yet succeed. (Podcast interview is in the bag and will post in a few weeks.)

The book is intriguing but at times feels like it is mixing purpose. I don't know if this is supposed to be a manifesto of how our theology should be engaged or simply a autobiographical account with some Scripture thrown in for a positive framing.

Don't have issues with the authors take, but not really sure what audience is best suited for.

RUNNING FOR OUR LIVES -Robb Ryerse

The subtitle interested me: A Story of Faith, Politics, and the Common Good.

I was not very far into the title on my Kindle from Net Galley free for review purposes.

When I began to sense that Robb and I were not on the same page. I continued reading only
to find that the book did not hold my interest. I think primarily because I felt the book to be quite
negative on President Trump and from there it was just downhill. Mr. Ryerse chose to run for public
office in one party that basically he does not believe in and was not even true to himself, in my opinion. I pass no judgment on him but rather a challenge that he come to some conclusions as to what he believes first before trying to hold public office.

I felt he is a frustrated man with possibly his faith, politics and the common good in his world was failing , yet wanted to try to grow in those areas.

I did not complete the book but read half of it.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this as I don't typically read political books but I truly enjoyed this. I think that part of the reason why I enjoyed this so much is because Ryerse is a progressive Republican who has many of the same views as I do as a Christian and a Democrat.

This books walks you though Robb's story of running for House of Representatives and how hard it for normal everyday people. To me Ryerse is a relatable and normal person who uses his faith to guide him.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a complimentary copy of this book! This review reflects my own personal opinion!

I would give this book 3.5 of 5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars! This book is definitely controversial, but then again, when are religion and politics not controversial. This book combines both subjects and that makes for explosive content. First off, I tip my hat to Robb Ryerse for trying to run against the establishment in an election. I absolutely agree with him that money rules the world, eeemm, I mean the U.S. of A. I admire him for running despite the odds, despite the setbacks, despite not having the financial means that other candidates have. I admire him for not accepting corporate PAC money. I admire him for listening to the people with an open mind and an open heart.

Now here comes a list of things that either confused me, that I didn't quite agree with, or that made me wonder if I would have voted for him:

Robb Ryerse says that he is a Progressive Republican. Well, so am I! I did agree with his opinion on many issues. However, I believe that he is definitely within a grey zone--i.e., he does a balancing act between conservatism (and his religious beliefs) and clearly leftist ideas. While I believe that this is what confused a lot of voters and made them not really have confidence in him, I think that his motive was to put the common good above the traditional bipartisan values of the two big parties. I think he should have ran as an Independent. I think Arkansas (and a lot of other states in the U.S.) are not ready for Progressive Republican leadership. It will take a lot more footwork and campaigning to make those grassroots voters see that you can be a Republican without falling into the so-called "libtard" category (which he mentions in his book by the way).

Another issue that I could not quite agree with is his approach to combining religion and politics. I do believe that it is possible to be a devoted follower of Christ and be in politics. However, (1) that doesn't mean the politician should bend the Gospel to please. The Gospel is meant to change the sinner, not for the sinner to change the Gospel to suit their sins. Robb Ryers says that he wants to make everyone feel comfortable. But that is exactly what has lead to "worldly" churches nowadays. Scripture--if applied right--feels very uncomfortable a lot of the time. It's the reward you get for enduring the temporarily discomfort that we should keep our eyes on.

What I do very much agree with is his stance on how to change the political/electoral system in the United States!!! I loved reading about his experience behind the scene. I more or less thought that the voting system in our country needs major changes, I just had no idea what exactly it was that we need to change. Now I do!

This was a great book to read during this time of primaries and the presidential election campaigns.

When election time rolls around, do you ever think about running for office? Often individuals wonder if they couldn't do as good a job or better than the incumbent candidates or anyone else who is running. Running for Our Lives by Robb Ryerse is the story of how he decided to challenge his congressman in the primary. Ryerse peels back the curtains so everyone can see the challenges the ordinary person on the street faces in running for election.

In order to effectively tell his story and why he decided to take the plunge to run for Congress, Ryerse spends some time filling in his backstory of his previous experiences, education, employment, and family background. This information is important in understanding his motivation for running for office. Beyond this backstory, Ryerse spends the majority of the book describing his experiences running a campaign. Ryerse also elaborates on his beliefs and his political platform. As a progressive Republican, in a solidly red district, he did not march in lock step with the party platform but instead emphasized he would represent the people.

While being a somewhat politically aware individual, I learned so much from reading Running for Our Lives. While knowing that running for political office is expensive and that PACS provide a vast amount of political funding, reading his experiences and the actual cost of running for office was eye-opening. In particular the breakdown of how much Ryerse spent on his campaign versus how much his opponent spent and how much that was per vote was both shocking and sickening. It definitely made me a campaign finance reform advocate. In addition to running for Congress, Ryerse also is a bivocational minister. As such, throughout the book he references how his Christian beliefs are the basis of his political beliefs. Several sections of the book, especially an eloquent section on Philippians 2, almost read like a devotional and were very impactful in considering how I think about political issues and my vote.

Running for Our Lives is a marvelous book for anyone who is interested in politics and the process of running for office. As we head into another election year, this is a great book to add to your reading list.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Running for Our Lives from Westminster John Knox via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Posted by LibrarianMom at 4:29 PM No comments:

To be honest I didn’t love the book. The author claimed to be a Republican but clearly wasn’t. He seemed caught in a wave of progressivism and emergent church universalism all too prevalent in American politics and religion. He does give a nice behind the scenes look at what an underdog candidacy looks like but beyond that there isn’t much there.

Everyone should read this book. Robb Ryerse tells it like it is. His take on politics is refreshing and accurate. He knows what the ordinary person needs because he is an ordinary person himself.

I truly enjoyed reading Robb Ryerse's tale of running for the government. Ryerse is a progressive Republican who saw how his district in Arkansas could benefit from gun safety and health care. When his wife suggests he run as part of Brand New Congress, an effort at taking out career politicians by bringing in everyday people who understand what the laws do on a practical level. Ryerse a co-pastor a local church knew this would be a hard competition and something he had to do.
Ryerse walks you though running for House of Representatives and how hard it for normal everyday people. The set up of campaign finances is cost-prohibitive to many and the way money is used from special interest keeps those down. He also discusses other issues that come up during campaigning and how it's not as easy as the people on TV make it look.
The best part though is that Ryerse uses his faith to guide him and he speaks out against the Religious Right that blindly follows the current administration. These people are often one-issue voters and Reyrse tries to explain during his campaign, as well as in this book why Christian faith is about people. That we have to take care of our neighbor and these "progressive' views are doing just that.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to see politics from the inside; how things really work. To see Republicans as progressive allies and to see that the Evangelicals aren't always looking after the common good.

The description of this book is mostly correct, but not entirely forthcoming. It is the story of Robb running for Congress, and his experiences on the campaign trail. He does not go in-depth about the reason for his beliefs or the reasons he has left the more conservative church. He also doesn't explain why he is no longer a Republican who is trying to change the party from within, as opposed to just jumping to the blue side.

I think I expected more information about how to help engage people in being less partisan, and not just the story of his election campaign, with a few good blurbs toward the middle about the types of Republican voters, and then his experience with Vote Common Good at the end.

So while this book was entertaining and somewhat informative, I was left wishing it had more of what to do for action, and more of why voting Democratic would be the solution to a disillusioned Republican who does not love Trump but is still worried about what Democrats would do to the country.

Almost everyone, at one time or another, complains about our elected officials and the state of our nation/state/town. Very few of us have the guts to step out and put our names on the ballot in order to make some changes. Robb Ryerse had the guts. In Running for Our Lives: A Story of Faith, Politics, and the Common Good, Ryerse tells his own unlikely story of his campaign for the U.S. Congress.



As a kid, Ryerse was a political junkie with dreams of someday running for office. Then God called him into full-time ministry, so he pursued theological studies and became a pastor. After several years as a pastor in a fundamentalist denomination, his theological convictions shifted and he planted a more liberal church, where he remains as pastor. In Running for Our Lives: A Story of Faith, Politics, and the Common Good, Ryerse tells the story of his return to the dream of political engagement, as he ran for U.S. Congress in 2018.



Readers can't help but applaud Ryerse's energy and desire to make a difference in national politics. One of his biggest frustrations throughout the campaign is the prominence of large corporate and PAC contributions. He writes that "elections shouldn't be determined by who can raise the most money from corporate PACs and special-interest groups. They should be about who has the best ideas to represent the people of the district." I totally agree with that sentiment, but neither should he overlook that fact that PACs and special-interest groups sometimes share interests with the people! Case in point: the NRA represents the interests of millions of gun owners, who gladly elect representatives who resist excessive limitations on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.



It was interesting to read about Ryerse's adventures as a candidate with little budget going up against an entrenched, well-funded incumbent. He set out to buck the idea that only the wealthy can run for office. As a middle-class bi-vocational pastor, he didn't have much personal wealth to back his campaign, but he managed to make it work. More citizens should follow his example and bring energy and passion to congress.



The frustrating thing about Ryerse's book and candidacy is the fact that he is very liberal on most positions, but chose to run as a Republican, then tries to play the victim because he couldn't get much traction in his conservative district. He has some historical claim that his positions are more like the Republican Party of a few generations ago, but the fact that he takes the opposite position from today's Republican Party on issues like abortion, economic policy, immigration, guns, etc. should have given him a clue that he might not be the toast of every Republican gathering. Running as a Republican in a Republican district while opposing virtually every plank of the party platform, in hopes of gathering enough liberals, Democrats, Greens, and independents to unseat the incumbent Republican representative seems deeply cynical and deceptively immoral.



Ryerse makes it clear that he is opposed to every bit of Trump's administration and policies. Starting from weeping on the night Trump was elected, to his campaigning for a bunch of Democrats in the 2018 election, he can't find a single good thing about Trump. He quotes one of his comrades: "White evangelicals have been complicit with the Trump administration. . . . We're calling Christians to repent and vote differently" which to him and Ryerse means flipping the House to the Democrats. This sentiment is deeply offensive to Christians everywhere who chose to vote for Trump out of a belief that Trump's policies better represent their convictions on issues like abortion and religious liberty.



Ryerse thinks "people ought to vote based on the common good." Oh, the common good like low unemployment, strong job growth, a stronger military (accompanied by declining overseas engagement), secure borders, and a more conservative judiciary? I know on some issues one can disagree about what is the "good" and that some people are more globalist than nationalist, but it would seem that on an objective level, even the most liberal among us can agree that it's a good thing that employment is at an all-time high, which translates into a higher level of dignity and prosperity than any government program can produce.



In short, good on Ryerse to get involved and put himself in the arena of public debate and action. On the other hand, his cheerleading of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and his absolute contempt for Trump--and, not to mention, Trump voters--erase any semblance that he has a postpartisan or non-partisan message. And, by the way, while he rails against those who "sell their soul to a corrupt and corrupting system," he'll have an easier time finding such corruption among those with a D after their name.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

This book is amazing. I really enjoyed reading it. Seeing the political side from a minister opens ones eyes. Very good read.

A Progressive Republican Runs for Congress

Dissatisfied with the election of President Trump, pastor Robb Ryverse and his wife Vanessa wanted to do something to express their beliefs and change the country. They decided that one way to make a difference was to run for Congress. He ran against Steve Womack, a powerful incumbent, and lost the election, but in the process learned a great deal about politics and the relationship of politics to religion.

I can’t say that I agree with Robb’s politics or many of his religious beliefs, but his motivation was good. If people want their views known and taken seriously, more people will have to run for office. It’s tough, as Robb points, out, but worth the effort. This is a personal story and there are moving parts.

I suspect that many people will disagree with both his politics and his religious beliefs, but as a story, it’s worth reading.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A must read for anyone in politics, whether running for a certain seat or volunteering and even for every single voter.