Erre, Mike 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born 1971, in Lexington, OH; married; wife's name Justina; children: Nathan, Hannah. Education: Talbot School of Theology, M.A.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Rock Harbor Church, 345 Fischer Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. E-mail—merre@rockharbor.org.

CAREER:

Rock Harbor Church, Costa Mesa, CA, pastor of teaching.

WRITINGS:

The Jesus of Suburbia: Have We Tamed the Son of God to Fit Our Lifestyle?, W Publishing Group (Nashville, TN), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Mike Erre, a pastor at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, California, is the author of The Jesus of Suburbia: Have We Tamed the Son of God to Fit Our Lifestyle? In the work, a "compelling discussion of how the Christian church has lost sight of the revolutionary teaching and love of Jesus," observed a Publishers Weekly contributor, Erre contends that American Christianity often presents Jesus as a safe, comforting figure who can help believers achieve success in a consumer-driven society. "With piercing spiritual insights," noted Joyce Handzo, a contributor to the In the Libraries Reviews Web site, "the author diagnoses the problems, while coming alongside readers to offer possible solutions." According to Mark Smith, reviewing The Jesus of Suburbia in ForeWord, Erre "offers a series of erudite yet simply-written chapters on scriptural messages, maintaining a no-nonsense approach throughout." Smith added that the author "finishes his book with a call for American Christians to become engaged with their world in a new way."

A converted warehouse, Rock Harbor serves about 5,000 parishioners, most of them young, single professionals and college students. "We tell the truth," Erre stated to Orange County Register interviewer Valeria Godines. "There is a misnomer that the young generation wants the soft end. We talk about temptation, struggles, and sexuality. We deal with identity issues, eating disorders. We want to be faithful to the Scriptures." Erre concluded: "People are hungry for an authentic voice."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

ForeWord, January-February, 2007, Mark Smith, review of The Jesus of Suburbia: Have We Tamed the Son of God to Fit Our Lifestyle?

Library Journal, September 1, 2006, Leroy Hommerding, review of The Jesus of Suburbia, p. 153.

Orange County Register, April 8, 2007, Valeria Godines, "Rock Harbor Church Draws the Young by the Hundreds."

Publishers Weekly, August 14, 2006, review of The Jesus of Suburbia, p. 198.

ONLINE

In the Libraries Reviews,http://www.inthelibraryreviews.net/ (October 5, 2006), Joyce Handzo, review of The Jesus of Suburbia.

Next-Wave Ezine,http://the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue95/ (July 28, 2007), Dustin Bagby, interview with Mike Erre and review of The Jesus of Suburbia.