3 comments about The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day.

1. There are few people who have done more to keep Dorothy Day's words before the public than Robert Ellsberg. As both editor of her writings (By Little and By Little, 1983; Dorothy Day: Selected Writings, 1992; A Penny a Copy, 1995) and publisher (Orbis) of books by and about her, Ellsberg continues to remind us of Dorothy's vision of a Christianity that is orthodox in theology and radical (in the deepest sense of the word, as a return to roots) in social activism. His credentials are good: he knew Dorothy for the final five years of her life, and served as managing editor of "The Catholic Worker" for two of them.
   
   Now, in The Duty of Delight, Ellsberg continues to enrich us with an edition of the diaries Dorothy maintained from 1934 to a few days before her death in November 1980. The manuscript of the diaries, housed at Marquette University (my alma mater, by the way) and sealed until 25 years after Dorothy's passing, is over a thousand single-spaced pages. Ellsberg has reduced the material by half by whittling away unessentials. Providentially, Dorothy's diary entries for the final year of her life, missing from the Marquette archives, was discovered after Ellsberg took on the editorship.
   
   Ellsberg's Introduction to the diaries provides a nice overview of their content. Arranged by decades, the entries from the '50s through the '70s make up the bulk of the work. I began reading in the '70s section, since this is the decade in which I first became aware of the Catholic Workers, and gradually worked my way backwards.
   
   Three things especially strike me about Dorothy's diaries.
   
   The first is the sheer richness of the activities she chronicles: serving as the dynamo that kept the Catholic Worker movement energized; raising her daughter Tamar; dealing with Tamar's father Forster and Forster's common law wife Nanette; continuously writing; travels, both domestic and abroad; retreats and daily masses; public demonstrations and peace witnesses; and dancing with officials from both the state and church. In recording her activities, Dorothy not only gives us a good idea of her dedication, but also provides us with cumulative sketches of many of the co-workers (including Ellsberg) and clients with whom she came into daily contact.
   
   The second thing that's impressive about the diaries is the breadth and depth of Dorothy's reading, as well as her love of music. The authors and composers she mentions in her diaries, when compiled, make up an impressive list, and her asides about them (as when, for example, she calls Solzhenitsyn a "holy fool," p. 626, or states that it's actually sloth, not Cassian's avarice, that is "man's abiding sin," p. 364) are frequently insightful.
   
   Finally, the self-examinations, self-recriminations, and resolutions to be more prayerful, patient, compassionate, and nonjudgmental with which Dorothy liberally sprinkles her diaries are fascinating. On one level, they provide a cumulative portrait of a woman who is deeply troubled by what she perceives as her inability to practice what she preaches--a self-doubting that probably both feeds and emerges from her "long loneliness." At another level, though, these passages strongly suggest something that Dorothy perhaps never fully appreciated: that what she took to be spiritual and personal weaknesses in fact were also the very strengths that enabled her ministry.
   
   In August 1952, for example, she writes (p. 177): "When I say, Lord, that I am too sensitive, it is truly that--my senses, exterior and interior are too thin-skinned. I am tormented by people's moods, their unhappiness. I must live more in my own heart, with Thee. Then when I go forth I have at least serenity." But what Dorothy interprets here as a moody over-sensitivity that inhibits contact with God might perhaps more accurately be described as an empathy that connects her with other people's suffering, and consequently with God's as well. Surely it's her "thin-skin" that allows for compassionate entries such as this one from February 1972 (p. 501): "I have been harried and worn out all day by the consciousness that we were inundated by an ocean of unemployed and unemployable, black and white human beings, searching for food, warmth, comfort, momentary surcease from suffering."
   
   The Duty of Delight is yet one more wonderful gift to us from Dorothy, and it will prove to be an invaluable scholarly and spiritual resource. Robert Ellsberg and Marquette University Press are to be commended.
   ____________
   * Entry from Easter Sunday, 1968 (p. 418) that could easily serve as the epigram for Dorothy's diaries.



2. Dorothy Day is the quintessential radical Catholic with a lifetime of arrests and writings to make her stands known. Few can equal her courage, as this book so aptly demonstrates. She chides herself constantly for being critical and speaking up, yet no one has the stamina to do so with her insight gained from experience. A comrade of Mother Teresa, Cesar Chavez and Fr. Dan Berrigan, she is in good company.
   Who can not be impressed with her achievments and ongoing diary entries
   of a litany of prayers? Life had no soft way out for her. Living among the poor, she endured the company of the homeless, drunks, addicts and insane persons. Likewise, coping with ongoing discomforts of noisy interruptions, lice, and ringworm, she proved her commitment to the otherwise forgotten members of society. She is best known for publication of the socialist newspaper,"The Catholic Worker", but
   her personal memoirs and conversion story are not for the feint of heart. Truly she is a saint of our times.



3. This unique tome is worth every penny because it can connect us with Dorothy Day more intimately than I ever imagined possible. She is no longer inaccessible to me. In fact I had been a little afraid of her in the sense I had been afraid like the whiskey priest in one of Dorothy's favorite novels, "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene. I had always been afraid to end up like him, despairing over missing the boat. Here is the scene on the night before he was executed by a Mexican Communist firing squad:
   
   "What an impossible fellow I am, he thought, and how useless. I have done nothing for anybody. I might just as well have never lived..It seemed to him at that moment that it would have been quite easy to have been a saint. It would have needed a little self-restraint and a little courage. He felt like someone who has missed happiness by seconds at an appointed place. He knew now that in the end there was only one thing that counted - to be a saint."
   
   Well now after reading 700 pages of "Duty of Delight" I am no longer afraid. Dorothy makes it look possible to be a saint. I believe without a doubt that she is now with God in heaven. What she did to get there, I can do. Reading her diary showed she slogged it out just like the rest of us with doubts, setbacks and sorrows. Through it all she remained faithful to daily prayer and the sacraments, including frequent Confession. She knew that it was in the little things that we find God, something she learned from one of her favorite saints, Therese of Lisieux.
   
   Dorothy didn't always "suffer fools gladly." No matter. She was quick to apologize and always harsher in judging herself than she was other people. She always stayed focused on the pearl of great price, even as she paid her bills and worried just like the rest of us.
   
   This doesn't mean she was an ordinary person. What ordinary person would devote her life to voluntary poverty in order to serve the least among us, literally serve them, with food and shelter? Flannery O'Connor, whose letters she was reading near the end of her life, said one time, "The Truth shall make you odd." Dorothy was never afraid of being thought to be odd if that was the price you had to pay to live the Gospels. And it was and it is the price you have to pay.
   
   During the many days it took me to read this book, she was constantly on my mind. No other book ever did that for me. I wish I had known her like so many did. She affected all of them for the better, whether they were cardinals, famous writers like W. H. Auden, or street people.
   
   Miller's classic biography of Dorothy Day ends wtih her funeral and his final passage tells it all:
   
   "The funeral was on December 2 at the Nativity Catholic Church. An hour before the service people began to assemble in the street. There were American Indians, Mexican workers, blacks and Puerto Ricans. There were people in eccentric dress, apostles of causes who had felt a great power and truth in Dorothy's life...At the appointed time, a procession of these friends and fellow Catholic Workers came down the sidewalk. At the head of it Dorothy's grandchildren carried the pine box that held her body. Tamar (her daughter), Forster (Tamar's father) and Dorothy's brother John Day followed. At the Church door, Cardinal Terence Cooke met the body to bless it. As the procession stopped for this rite, a demented person pushed his way through the crowd and bending low over the coffin peered at it intently. No one interfered, because, as even the funeral directors understood, it was in such as this man that Dorothy had seen the face of God."

5 comments about God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (Plus).

1. I should have liked this book. I am what might be called a hesitantly blue evangelical (I'm not a very good democrat but was a worse republican) and mostly agree with him point by point. So when Wallis talked in his introduction about what I would call a 4th quadrant option (my terminology) that is not liberal, conservative or libertarian but passionate about life, justice and peace, I was pretty hopeful. But I did not enjoy this book and upon reflection came up with 3 reasons that, while the target audience, the book missed its mark with me:
   
   1. It is really dry. Maybe it is because I had my MP3 player switching between chapters of Klosterman, Gladwell and Wallis, so the latter withered in comparison, but this book could have easily been a pamphlet. There are not many anecdotes (aside from occasional name dropping) or historical allusions to make the text move. Just repetitive exposition on a range of positions. `Budgets are moral documents' is a true and borderline insightful statement the first or even the second time for emphasis, but not the fifth.
   
   2. It is not that insightful. Here is my problem. I could have written this book. There is little analysis, be it economic or exegetical, just repeated sweeping claims. Wallis does not reside enough in either the world of complex economic/political theory or in the world of the Biblical text to bring either insightfully to bear on the complex issue of a Christian's role in a democratic super power. Dubious economic and political theories were stated boldly without empirical support and the scriptures were used for selective proof texting (despite his decrial of the practice).
   
   3. It is not what it claims to be. In his introduction Wallis bemoans the fact that since he isn't in the religious right he is automatically dubbed the religious left because the media lacks other categories. I agree that most lack the necessary categories to describe the needed fourth quadrant position that he describes. I just don't think that he holds it. I think Wallis is firmly in the religious left. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but please don't patronize us with the illusion or claim of a new way so desperately needed. You simply can not write a book that hopes to unite people of faith in a tent big enough for evangelicals by devoting just a couple pages to abortion and concluding that Clinton had it right all along (while, in fairness, suggesting `the left is far more dogmatic on this issue than the right'). Now abortion is a complex issue loaded with conflicting goods and evils that gets to the core of very important issues like personhood, personal autonomy, gender interests, economic justice, protection of innocents and many others. I get that it is not easy and probably should not be the centerpiece of a religious political theory. But that is why it deserved an entire chapter. The quest to restore a love of peace, justice and the poor in red evangelicals is road blocked by the religious left's indifference on this issue. Whether that makes sense to Wallis and those like him or not, it is the reality. If you are not going to talk about the things that make conservatives conservative than you are just preaching to the proverbial choir, congratulating yourself on your righteous stances and selling books.
   
   
   
   So I guess I was mostly disappointed that this text was a missed opportunity on a very important thesis. I love Wallis' idea that the Church should refuse to be co-opted by any political artifice and should speak prophetically to all parties. I just don't think he represents this idea.
   
   Post Script: Several of my conservative friends have accused me of leaning left because of a simple desire to be liked. Holding liberal positions is a low cost way to acceptance by a large number of people and avoiding the scorn generally heaped upon those who genuinely believe that the hope for the poor is in markets, industries and innovations. This critique has given me pause more than once and after watching Wallis' interviews with Jon Stewart (who I really enjoy), I fear might benefit him as well. A prophet does not try that hard to be liked.



2. I have had this book since 2005 and find it to be even more appropriate today as we near the 2008 Presidential election. Wallis does an excellent job of making his case for why Christians have an obligation to be involved in the political process. However, he also lays out the rationale why Christians must be concerned with more than just the hot-button issues of abortion and gay marriage. Wallis shows why Christians have an obligation to care about poverty, environmental issues and equal rights among other issues. He also shows why it is wrong for religious and para-religious organizations to be used by outside interests and political parties and he makes a good case that candidates should be supported for their values and ideas, not simply because of party affiliation.



3. This is a well-written book by a respected theologian. I suppose that is why so many conservatives give this book poor reviews. Jim Wallis has forgotten more about religion and Christianity than most so-called religious conservatives ever knew about those subjects. Wallis is critical of war, and critical of how certain elements of our society have hijacked religion and politics for their own gain, or at least to promote their own agenda.
   
   The Bible can confuse and bewilder. Those who stand by it as their lifeblood often spew certain verses or Biblical references such as an eye for an eye when considering the current war in Iraq or the post 9/11 world in general. They conveniently forget Jesus' message of peace and forgiveness because it doesn't fit into their imperialistic world view.
   
   Wallis shows how conservatives have played into the hands of those in Washington whose only goal is power. Christianity is being held hostage by the war machine. George Bush can say you are either with us or against us as if the world is so simple. Bush and his neo-conservative minions (actually one should say Dick Cheyney and his neo-conservative minions led by puppet Bush) forget the world is complex. For their part the Democrats are not really seen as the counterbalance to this mess, as they are really seeking a way to tap into the national sentiment of security and antiterrorism to get their own slice of the imperial pie. But one can love America and think this war is not worth either the cost in human lives or the billions of taxpayer's dollars being spent on it. Would George Washington support this war? One can only speculate, but our first president did advise against entangling alliances. What have us taxpayers got for our money? Not much.
   
   Wallis illustrates how America has adopted the mantra of empire as a result of electing a president who convinced himself he's been put in power by God when the country needs such a person in power. Wow, the arrogance of it all. Wallis challenges Christians to stand up and take back their country in the face of hypocrisy and blatant blasphemy from the suits in power (I say suits because this mess is not just the making of Republicans and neo-conservatives, there are plenty of Democrats who buy into this imperialistic theory and want their piece of the action as well).
   
   Wallis believes in Christianity's message of hope and love as opposed to embracing the shackles of oppression. He challenges Christians to ignore the seductive tendencies of empire and strive for a life of true Christian virtue. Who knows, maybe some day it will happen.



4. This book is poorly written or poorly edited. It rambles along like a casual conversation, rather than a concise and principled exhortation. It is as if Wallis just talked into his tape recorder and no one ever took the time to edit or organize his stream of consciousness. He constantly digresses into subjects irrelevant to his then current topic.
   
   Second, he is inconsistent, with no attempt to ever justify or explain. It is hard to believe that neither he nor his editors recognize these inconsistencies. He advocates for a strong government when it comes to the moral issues of poverty, etc, but a weak government on the moral issues of sex,abortion, and war........without ever explaining: a) why biblical principles somehow dictate a different role for government on these different subjects or b) why, as a practical matter, those issues must or should be attacked differently.
   
   Likewise, he never explains why he loves to cite the Old Testament on the issues where he wants more government, but he ignores the Old Testament when arguing against all of the right wing's "moral" issues.
   
   He strongly condemns President Bush, perhaps rightly, for overly confident, self-righteous language and a lack of self-reflection about his/the nation's own sin. But Wallis himself never once expresses the Lincoln-esque humility, self-doubt, self-examination that he so demandingly expects from Bush. Rather, Wallis not too subtlely sees himself as the modern day prophet of God.



5. It's everything I was looking for in the purchase of a book on-online: I sought out the title, purchased it with ease and it was delivered within a matter of days in perfect condition. Short of including a cup of coffee, it was all I could hope for with none of the hassle.

5 comments about Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith.

1. Over the course of my life I have learned certain things about salad; it has good, nourishing things in it, like spinach, almonds, feta cheese, and olive oil. Sometimes you can add strawberries. With a splash of balsamic vinegar, it sings. Other times it is dressed with slightly less healthy things like mayonnaise or sour cream, but generally its ingredients have a clear line of succession back to something alive; apples, raisins, eggs, potatoes.
   
   Then I moved to South Dakota, where I was introduced to "salad". Unlike what I have just described, this concoction is made of things like Cool Whip and crushed up Oreos. It tastes good in the moment, but by the end of it I am always left slightly nauseous and wondering where it came from.
   
   There's a lot of spiritual "salad" out there. Thankfully, this offering is not in that group. From the moment you crack open the cover, it sings. Her story of earthy, fragrant devotion to God is refreshing and very alive. It breathes the living life of Christ and speaks from the still beating but wounded heart of the church. Thankfully, Taylor veers only briefly into the sordid realm of political hot button issues, and for good reason.
   
   With fifteen years in the pastoral crucible under her belt, and an evident love for all of us, Taylor comes across as someone you can trust. Her words in this precious memoir are nourishing, full of flavor and, like the vegetables in her Georgia garden, entirely organic.



2. This book would have been more accurately described in the subtitle as a "Memoir of Personal Experience".
   
   She dismisses orthodox Christian Theology and doctrine as something that the Apostles and Early Church had to "come up with" to explain this or that.
   
   Ultimately it is a story of how the narrow Christian path and Church "didn't work" for her, and many of her thoughts and experiences confirm the fact that women were never meant to be "priests" in the first place (though this fact enrages those who hold to the political language of "equal rights" versus sound apostolic theology).
   
   I found the book pleasant and very readable, but at the same time it was a sad story of how Christ just "wasn't enough". While most in our culture will find it "affirming" or down right "spiritual", it is a disappointment for the orthodox Christian who may wish to read a story about how Christ and the scriptures contain "all things necessary for salvation".
   
   Barbara's approach in later life is gnostic and universalist. In the words of her Presiding Bishopess, "saying Christ is the only way is to put God in too small of a box". Emotions, feelings, and cravings rule the day in the final analysis of her relationship to Christ, and it seems that "leaving" orthodoxy is freeing to her, though I question she was ever there in the first place. Ultimately, God is the final judge of what she has done and what she now teaches.
   
   Her elevation of Native American theology and her fondness of "other paths" leads the committed Christian looking elsewhere for a story of knowing Christ and Him crucified, and following Him in a culture that values personal choice and heterodoxy over all other things.
   
   In the end it is a volume that will find great company with the writings of Spong, Borg, Ehrman, and others who deny the reality of John 14:6 and the authority of Holy Sripture in the name of being on "an authentic journey".
   
   If I have to "put my eggs in one basket" I am going to have to stick with the Apostles and the Church Fathers and leave "other ways" up to Barbara, fine preacher though she is.



3. I read a lot of memoirs these days. In fact they are probably my favorite literary genre. Maybe I should have been warned by Taylor's subtitle - not simply "a memoir," but "a memoir of faith." Because this is not a memoir in the usual sense. There is precious little of Taylor's childhood, youth or young adulthood - no real concrete stories and examples from her life. Too much of this book remains caught in the abstraction of ideas and beliefs, with not nearly enough examples. The people who show up in the book remain undeveloped vague outlines. And I have a hard time identifying with Brown's spiritual "quest," if that is what it is. I don't think it's because she's a woman either. What few facts that do emerge about her life outside this "quest" do not really serve to make her a sympathetic character. Daughter of a psychotherapist, sister of a lawyer, wife of an engineer - all these tidbits add up to what appears to have been a life of privilege and ease, and continued to be even after her ordination, as she speaks of her Saab and Audi and how they didn't fit into her rural community, and goes on at some length about everything she "wanted" in her custom-built home outside of town (in lieu of a parsonage near her church). What comes through in Barbara Brown Taylor's book is a story of a driven overachiever, who in fact drives herself into a near nervous breakdown, which finally causes her to leave her church and the active priesthood. While I do not doubt the sincerity of her quest for her true vocation and place in God's world, I do wonder about her motives. She became more likeable - more human - in the final section of the book, after she had left the priesthood, when she talks about her crisis of faith and things like her fears of inadequacy and the death of her father. Having said all of this, I still have to say that I'm glad I read the book, which has left me with much to think about in regard to my own role in the Church (Catholic in my case)and my relationship with God and my place in His world. I also think that Taylor is a person I'd like to know, but these 200-plus pages have not given me that opportunity. A memoir of faith? Perhaps. A "memoir"? No. - Tim Bazzett, author of Reed City Boy



4. This gracefully written narrative tells the story of Taylor's journey toward ordained ministry, her years as an Episcopal priest, and her departure from that life into a new vocation as a college professor. She decides that the most important calling is not to be ordained or to be religious, but to be fully human and to live a life of love. This is a touching autobiography, an eloquent memoir of faith.



5. I'm one of those "great generation" representatives who fell away from the organized Christian church in my young adulthood after an excellent religious and theological grounding in my youth. I never found a way or reason to return, although I remained very spiritual. This book, which I have read twice now, was very much like being with a fellow traveler although our needs and experiences were different. I strongly recommend that anyone on the religious spectrum read it for an honest spiritual path that is not quite the norm but still on the path.

5 comments about The Cross and the Switchblade.

1. This book was very interesting reading. I was familiar with Teen Challenge, but not familiar with how it started, only with the way I've seen it change people's lives. Also, I was born in 77' so to read about gangs and drugs in society during a previous generation and Wilerson's attempt to reach out was a world I hadn't been exposed too. My picuture of the 60s is of Mayberry, not the streets of New York, so it shattered some of my misconceptions.
   
   Motivating story and an easy read worth your time.



2. The story of what God can do with a chosen vessel, and a heart of obedience.



3. This Book changed my life when I read it in jail in summer of 1970,after the hippie years of many many drugs and all that went along with it.I would surely be dead now if not for this book and the Lord Jesus who caused David Wilkerson to write it.Jail was the only place I would have stopped to read it at the time.So I am sure the Lord wanted me there then.I have been reformed since that day.I am presently giving it to my son who also has the bad addiction gene which seems to run in my family .He is currently serving 6 Months in mandatory County Rehab.So he too will have time to read it . I just pray that anyone who has a friend or family member who has an addiction of any kind will send this book to them to read it. They won't read the Bible but they will read this book- The Story of Rev. David Wilkerson,His life saving Teen Challenge Outreach and Nicky Cruz,whose life was also forever changed in this book.Praise God for this Book!!!



4. Just saw that there is an old movie, with Pat Boone, made from this book.
   Don't know how the movie will be yet. However, I like to give good reviews for books that deserve them and many years after having read this one - which I had virtually forgotten til today - I still see it as one of the most profound witnesses to what a life in Messiah should reflect. Amazing story. It will bless you and humble you.



5. This book is based on a true story. A true testimony to the power of God. The kind of transforming power still available today. The impact of this true story has continued to touch and change lives forever. The movie is also very powerful if you get the chance to view it. Thank God for men and women who continue to listen to God's voice in a time that many naysayers say the sitution is hopeless.

5 comments about The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church.

1. Excellent book which speaks to the problems the modern church faces. Gives specific information and direction to deal with current issues. I have found this work tremendously useful in advocating change for the church I serve as pastor.



2. Fantastic book. Really makes you reflect on your ministry and the questions the book asks gives a structure for evaluating the overall focus of your church. I would highly recommened this book for someone seeking to bring about revitalization within their congregation and personal ministry.



3. Reggie McNeal writes a thought provoking book that will either excite and challenge you or anger you. Not everyone is ready for the truth that is laid out in his book. But it is the truth none the less. The American Church has lost the right to be heard and this book gives us some tough questions we need to ask ourselves in doing a self-evlaution and earning the right to share the important message of Jesus Christ and be heard by those who need to hear it. This book was a great confirmation for our church in who we are and why we don't seem to fit in with the other churches in our community. God is doing a new thing and this book has shown our church we are part of it. I am now taking our entire church leadershipo through the book. I highly recommend every Christian who is tired of "doing church" and maintaining the status qou read this book.



4. For many years I have felt disenfrancised from the church, even though I have spent my entire life in it and even raised my family in it. Now that I am nearing fifty, I have found myself seeking ways to spread my faith that are real and substantive. This Present Future has given verbal affirmation to what I've felt all along, and to what I've always known to be true. But in Churchian circles, the only truth is the one they tell you, and to think outside the box is frowned upon. But now I understand why, and I understand what I must do to change and effect my world for Christ.
   
   Thank you Reggie McNeal.
   Lonnie Friesen
   The Homeless Heart



5. This book is a must read for Christians who are not satisfied with their spiritual life and a MUST READ for those in churches considering major capital expenditures that will serve only the members. It will change the way you think about how you and your church can best serve Jesus.

3 comments about Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics.

1. Hamilton squarely faces the "noisy" issues of popular society to bring forth reasonable, moderate understanding to encourage thoughtful people to recognize the futility of polarities. His rationality of listening rather than shouting restores hope that overcomes fear, makes places for peace to "break out."



2. Hamilton has been hailed as writing on the level of Bill Hybels, Rick Warren or even Jim Wallis (who writes the forward). I feel this book is written out of frustration against the excesses of Christian fundamentalists in America, but the antidote presented is chosen from the limited range of political positions in the USA. It seems that Christians in the west stopped believing in hell a generation ago, and much of the writing flows from uncertainties about what ist rue in the Bible and what is only figurative. We are confusingly informed that plucking out your eye i fit causes you to sin is only meant figuratively to show how serious sin is, but no effort is made to clarify just WHY sin is serious (surely it does have something to do with the horror of hell). I am guessing that the author is not widely travelled, as all the arguments begin and end in America. It amused me to read the comparison about how generous the Danish Government is compared to that of the USA - without any mention of the high tax system in Denmark that causes all giving to be undertaken by the Government rather than individuals (whereas the system is the opposite for Americans, who are still the most generous individual givers).
   In saying that, the information is helpful and occasionally accurate. Some chapters are just what is needed in the frictional arguments that generate only heat and no light. The old chestnuts of evolution versus creation is full of the postitions that most take. Hamilton gives his own postion on most subjects here, including the draft of 2 sermons. The chapter on abortion is actually an outstanding piece of work, only because he is candid about the fact that his own mother was under immense pressure to have an abortion before his own birth. A moving letter penned by her hand is included. The political agenda is laid out in anticipation, and with notes about, the up coming election. Christians in America can be better informed after reading this book, because Hamilton encourages people to get politically involved, as he indeed is as a pastor of a church of 14,000. A few times he notes that people have left the church because of his position on homosexual behaviour, or war in Iraq. Mostly people have stayed with him though. His dream is to forge a Radical Centre to counter the extremes of Liberal or Conservative Christianity in the States. I don't find the teachings of Jesus standing in this centre.
   Whether I would leave his church for that reason is unlikely, though I am disappointed in his conclusions (or lack of them). I also found a contradiction in his thinking. The author lays out his strongly rooted Methodist decison making style: basically the authority of the Bible as God's word and the Holy Spirits leading stand before human reasoning every time. This is clearly not what is presented in the book; reasoning comes to the for, making Gods word follow up in apparently last place. For me, the answers gain clarity in the light of Gods word rather than reaction to secular society. The chapter on Homosexuality demonstrates this most.
   Firstly, I am wary of a Christian using the word homosexuality" and then pulling out the 7 references to homosexual acts that are mentioned in the entire Bible. My disappointmnet her eis that the word homosexuality" (just as the word heterosexuality")is a very recent word, communicating the idea of ones sexuality as ones identity. This is very far from what is in the Bible, where homosexual acts are condemned. One of the verses quoted states that God hates such acts, yet the author knows practicing homosexuals who claim to love God. Some of the same sentiments are expressed towards non-Christian forms of worship. Strangely, the author presents a different standard for those who call themselves homosexual, standing in the middle ground of the absurd debate about homosexual marriage. Again, this argument is centred in America, and I could not imagine any Christian in Africa for example grasping what he means. Oddly, the plight of unmarried people and their heterosexuality is not discussed. A thought about Hollywood movies setting a precedent in sexual behaviour is tossed out, but that seems to be a passive form of Christian faith rather than the salt and light" that is advocated at the end of the book. Personally, I have found the most help from two other american authors on this subject, Leanne Payne and Neil Anderson.
   There again confusion sets in. America as a political nation is called to be salt and light on the worlds political stage. the patriotism found in America causes this opinion to be dearly held there, and yet it seems at odds to Jesus Christs commandments, which are entirely aimed at a personal relationship to God and our neighbour. The fragile self image that most Americans now possess because of recent (and not so recent) events is discussed. This is again in my mind a distraction to following Jesus Christ as Lord. I think that Americans alone in the world carry this burden of felt responsibility, probaly because of their role of world policeman. This concept is not discussed, but it would have brought clarity to the most confusing end chapters about just war and electing a president. The very same arguments used as to why war in Iraq was wrong would stand for Vietnam too, not to mention Korea. Hitler and World War 2 get mutiple mentions because that particular war is seen as just as well as triumphant. The reason justifying Americas participation ist hat Hitler was killing his own people. Oddly, Japan is not even mentioned, yet Saddams killing of his own people is Americas darker history is also left unsaid. I was astounded by his lack of historical understanding. Hitler is referred to as holding a version of Christianity(!) and the final Solution" is reported here as coming to light before World War 2 began. It was first announced in 1942; and we can thank God that by then even America had started at last to do something to Stop Hitler!
   I think the author wants to be seen as patriotic (is there any other stance available in the USA?), but has made the usual error that Americans make of confusing personal faith with his nations identity. Surely the truth is that America is as power and wealth hungry as all the other nations? Proverbs states that righteousness exalts a nation", but this verse doesn't feature in this book, though many other helpful BIble verses do. More books will surely be forthcoming, the world of genetic engineering hasn't even be mentioned here, and Hamilton is a pastor full of obvious compassion. It is that huge compassionate and soft heart that takes the lead in his reasoning, with the Bible and truth taking the back seat.



3. In 1990 Adam Hamilton founded the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. After starting with four people, today their weekly attendance numbers about 7500 worshippers. Along the way, Hamilton has written at least a half-dozen books, the most current one urging a "radical center" that moves beyond the tired debates between evangelical conservatives and mainline liberals. Elsewhere Hamilton has advanced the language of "liberal evangelical" or "evangelical liberal."
   
   "This book," he writes, "is my attempt at laying out one Christian's view of a Christianity of the via media or middle way between the extremes" of a Jerry Falwell and John Shelby Spong. That's not to say he argues for a mushy middle or some lowest common denominator. Far from it. The call of Jesus is radical. But because of the transcendence of God and the fallenness of humanity, we should never claim to understand the Jesus Way perfectly. Nor do we have to, for to do so would be a horrible burden.
   
   What Hamilton argues for is not moderation but modesty. He embodies the so-called "peace-saying" of Peter Meiderlin, a Lutheran pastor who had grown tired of the rancor and division caused by doctrinal disputes in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. In the early 1620s he wrote a book under the pen name of Rupert Meldenius, entitled A Prayerful Admonition for Peace to the Theologians of the Augsburg Confession. In it he urged "in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity."
   
   Hamilton is a fine example of an articulate pastor who's followed the Wesleyan quadrilateral of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. He has listened carefully for the intimations of the Spirit in his own life and in the lives of his parishioners, then incorporated these experiences into his reasoned interpretation of Scripture. He tackles head-on a dozen or so litmus-test issues that have divided Christians-- the Bible, science, evolution, world religions, hell, evil, doubt, ethics, abortion, homosexuality, war and politics. These are short chapters with sparse footnotes and excellent stories. They aren't intended as a substitute for a deeper study of complex issues that Hamilton would robustly recommend. Rather, what we get is the opportunity to look over the shoulder of a gifted pastor as he studies the Scriptures, cares deeply for his people, and celebrates the good news of Jesus.
   
   Questions at the end of the book for each chapter encourage deeper reflection. I would have enjoyed a list of books "for further reading." Readers who expect Hamilton to "solve" the problems he raises will be disappointed, because that's precisely what he doesn't do. In the twenty-three short chapters he makes no pretense of offering a comprehensive analysis of the questions. Rather, he illustrates in a winsome manner how one believer has taken to heart the advice in one of John Wesley's most famous sermons ("Catholic Spirit" from 1755): "Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences" (231, 236).

5 comments about Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion.

1. take this bread is one of the best left-of-center spiritual memoirs i've read, ever.
   
   sara miles is a self-described liberal, an intellectual journalist who spent much of her life covering wars from the side of the oppressed (often in stark contrast to u.s. policy). she grew up in a staunchly athiest home (though both of her parents were children of missionaries, which ends up playing into her story in surprising and deeply satisfying ways), and was, as she says, the last person her friends would have expected to start talking about jesus.
   
   sara walked into a san francisco church one day -- called, one might way; compelled, she wasn't sure why -- and took the eucharist. and something clicked, in that moment. she had an encounter with jesus that she was never able to dismiss or shake off. eventually, her connection with jesus became a compelling call to feed others, as she was fed. sara started a food pantry, literally ON the alter of her extremely nervous church. the book walks through her multiple conversions, and those of the people around her, many of them already professed christians.
   
   the comparisons to anne lamott are easy (especially to anne's first spiritual memoir, traveling mercies). both are brilliant with words; both are liberals from san francisco, who grew up in book-loving, athiest, intellectual homes; both are liberal in every sense of the word; and both are deeply in love with jesus and passionate about following his lead. this -- i think -- is what seperates both anne and sara from classical liberals, who spent a good deal of their time distancing themselves from jesus.
   
   but sara miles and anne lammott are not the same. sara doesn't have annie's wit, which, while i absolutely adore annie's wit, makes this book somewhat more compelling, and a bit less like a collection of witty, liberal, jesus-y essays. if annie's "theme" is her self-loathing and insecurity, sara's strong-willed theme is: food. food weaves its way through every chapter of the book: from her childhood, to her experiences as a chef in new york, to her connections with people in the third world, to her intitial and ongoing experience with jesus, to her establishment of one, then many, food pantries. it's hard not to read this book and not simultaneously hanker for a chunk of some cheese you can't pronounce, and want to give that cheese to someone who wouldn't otherwise experience their next meal.
   
   wonderful, wonderful reading. challenging at points. highly edible. deeply nourishing.



2. Sara Miles' book "Take This Bread" is a perfect read for our times. Her realization that feeding others is an ultimate act of goodness came during a worship service. But the real story is what she did next. She went out from that church and created a feeding program when others said it couldn't be done. Then she helped others create feeding programs. I have recommended the book to people of different faiths and political views. They all love it. And even more, they have been inspired to get involved in helping the hungry. The new paperback version contains a Readers' Guide - perfect for book groups.



3. Take This Bread: A Radical ConversionThis book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the community of food! Sara Miles is a writer and was an athiest who came to understand the role of sharing a meal in building community. After a varied career of cooking in restaurant kitchens and serving as an activist in poverty stricken and war torn countries, she comes home to a radical conversion resulting from the simple words: "Take this bread" said to her at a service of Holy Communion. Her conversion leads to growth in understaning the community that God intends for all humankind. Along the way, she is drawn into the community with afforded by a food pantry program she starts at her newly found church community.
   
   Its all about the human hunger for belonging and for the meaning that comes from sharing food!
   
   A wonderful book and a quick read!



4. I love reading about converts to the Episcopal Church, I am one myself. The more unusual the story, the more it interests me and Miles' story fits that bill. Although I found some things about her puzzling- for instance: she calls herself "lesbian" but has an affair with a man (Huh?!) and then she seems to think that getting pregnant in the middle of a war was a good idea (What?!), I thought her life was fascinating. She is also admirable for starting the food pantry, and for linking food to ministry and to communion- the Body of Christ. The analogy is excellent. It also shows how a church can be so open and welcoming to all people from all walks of life, and although not intended as an ad for the Episcopal Church, it sure serves as great publicity!



5. This book was SO good. It is one of the best queer spiritual journeys I've ever read. Sara Miles is unpretentious and honest, and I think she captures the spiritual dilemmas that so many of us face right now.
   If you are struggling with your spiritual journey and chafe against old names and categories, this book will change your life. I think it's going to be a very influential text.
   Oh, and it's a fabulous read! I couldn't put it down.

5 comments about The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power.

1. ... that something's lurking, just beyond your grasp, is there, alive and affecting your life in ways you could only in your darkest fears imagine.
   
   This is theocracy, the true enemy of American democracy. This is not the Bible-thumping shennanigans of the mostly ignorant mass of true believers. This threat is more insidious and powerful and it just might bring this nation to ultimate ruin.
   
   Read the book. Steel yourself. Do something to help stop it.
   
   Yeah... It really is that bad.



2. And the meek shall inherit the earth, that's right this is the meek they were talking about. As these mortal men rationalize their immortal world, the world as we know it (civilization) is falling apart, I'm not surprised. What I think is amazing is, how mostly everyone else is so blinded by the status quo (conditioning is everything) , that something as important as this is invisible. There is a reason for the saying "Divide and Conquer" and while truth seems to be only relevant for most of us, for what future generations there will be, I hope we can find a part of us that can more often share a sincerely honest common sense absolute truth. I gave the book three stars because of the awkward writing style and graduate level language. The Author seems to either be trying to impress someone or perhaps himself, also this is a extremely assumptive book: He does not directly say it but, "you know about that", "you get my gist". Look, I was not looking for tabloid style writing, but there is WAY too much of the story missing here. In conclusion, my comments are also gist oriented, so just in case, you don't get it, well lets just say John has Sara on a very short leash (sit doggy, sit!).



3. if you hate Christians, you'll love this book....me...i threw my copy in the garbage, which seemed appropriate to me.



4. There are numerous instances where it sounds like the author isn't objecting to the unaccountable power of these fundamentalists as much as he objects to them favoring lower taxes vs. higher ones, and if the fundamentalists in question were Good Liberals using the same undemocratic (small 'd'), controlling, manipulative methods toward higher taxes and labor union power, he'd be OK with it.



5. If Christian Conservatives are really in control, then why are there so many attacks on Christians and the ommissions of Christianity from all areas of our culture. Things don't add up...I'm not questioning the main premise of the book, however...this dog don't seem to hunt...

3 comments about The Book of Mychal: The Surprising Life and Heroic Death of Father Mychal Judge.

1. Daly, Michael. "The Book of Mychal: The Surprising Life and Heroic Death of Father Mychal Judge", Thomas Dunne Books, 2008.
   
   A National Hero
   
   Amos Lassen
   
   Father Mychal Judge became a hero after his death. He died while he was helping victims at the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He was the chaplain for the New York City Fire Department and he soon became the supreme symbol of those who put their lives at risk so they could help others and he paid the highest price. He was loved by his fireman and was always ready to listen to anyone who needed to talk. He not only was minister to firemen but to gay New Yorkers as well even though many of his firemen had no idea that he was gay and did not learn that until he was dead. Father Judge had problems with reconciling his private life with his public life and this was discovered in a journal he began keeping in 1999. We read that he yearned to speak out but he felt that coming out would cost him his ministry, his friends and his standing in the Catholic Church.
   Michael Daly, who was Judge's friend and who wrote this book, had access to the journals and gives us the thoughts of Judge.
   Judge's life was gripping from being a youth in Depression Brooklyn to his Catholic upbringing. The last section of the book hits hard as it deals with September 11 and the days following. I love the way we get to see Father Judge as he tries to balance his work with the fire department and his life as a gay man especially during the 1990's when New York City was engaged in a war between the church and the gay community. Daly gives us a peek into Judge's private life as well and with great sensitivity. We read of his involvement with the AIDS crisis, when he bucked his church's official policy on homosexuality. We also learn of the priest's ten year love affair with a much younger man but Daly says that it was never consummated because of the Church.
   What makes the book so special is reading about Judge's inner thoughts and turmoils as well as the love his fireman felt for him. He was quite a man and Michael Daly has done both the man and his memory justice.



2. That's what this book clearly is - a labor of love, a probing biography by a Daily News columnist. The author delves deeply into Judge's Irish upbringing, the Catholic church, the Fire Dept, and New York City politics. A Pulitzer-worthy book.



3. This book brought tears to my eyes. We know that Mychal Judge's life was tragically ended on September 11, 2001 but this book told his life's story in a very real and touching way. The lessons of Mychal Judge's life will stay with you for a lifetime.

5 comments about The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart.

1. It may take a journalist to write an important work on politics that can be understood and enjoyed by those without a PhD in political science. This is essential reading for those who want to understand where the rubber meets the road in American politics at the grassroots level. It is a penetrating analysis that is also thoughtful, thoroughly researched and very well-written.
   With that said, an editor more concerned with selling books than with the weight of objective evidence may have insisted on the subtitle, "Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart." That is because James Madison wrote in 1787, "The latent causes of factions are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society." Bill Bishop brings this up to date 221 years later by describing how the adherents of those factions have chosen to live apart by segregating themselves into separate clusters of residential neighborhoods in cities across the country. He is far less persuasive in making a case that this is somehow tearing us apart any more today than it did in the atmosphere of bitter factionalism that existed in Madison's era.



2. The authors' thesis is intriguing. U.S. counties are becoming increasingly homogenous in their lifestyle and politics. As a result, they are becoming polarized. The authors state this phenomenon is more pronounced for Republican counties. They are concerned that our society has become increasingly fragmented with close by communities having radically different sets of values. The authors partly explain this clustering into homogenous communities over the past three decades resulting in polarizing differences between them.
   
   Their main supporting observation is that the % of voters in Presidential election from counties with a 20 percentage point differential (in either direction) in close elections has steadily increased over the past 30 years (from 26.8% in 1976 to 48.3% in 2004). They also rely on Alan Abramowitz work who observed the same phenomenon at the State level. In 1976, the average Presidential election margin in the States was 8.9 percentage points. In 2004, it was 14.8 percentage points. But, it is unclear if the latter just picked two points. That's because when you look at the standard deviation of the Democrat's % at the State level minus the nation's Democrat's % for each Presidential election over the same period, you get pretty much trendless results. If polarization had really increased, the standard deviation as defined over the period should have increased.
   
   The authors also observed that since the 70s, Democratic counties share of the college educated and foreign-born citizens has risen. Meanwhile, Republicans gained shares of the Church going and white population. This demographic shift explains why Republican counties have become more polarized as they are more religious, less ethnically diverse, and less moderate in their views.
   
   The authors thesis is appealing. The rise of the religious right is common knowledge. Democrats, referred to as the rainbow coalition, being more ethnically diverse is well accepted too.
   
   But, sometimes the authors contradict themselves. On page 50 they disclose a graph showing how counties have become increasingly more polarized in their Presidential voting; and it is clearly the Democratic counties that have become more so. This contradicts their narrative analysis. So, which one is correct? Their analysis or their graph?
   
   Other leading social scientists completely contradict their theories. The latter suggest that to the contrary the U.S. population is not so polarized. And, that it is only the politicians that have become more so. Those are the themes presented by Morris Fiorina in Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America (Great Questions in Politics Series). The authors actually do agree with Fiorina about the politicians as they convey a graph on pg. 247 showing the rapid decline of moderates in Congress from near 50% of the membership (either Senate or the House) in 1950 down to 10% currently. But, Fiorina and the authors reach diametrically opposite conclusion regarding the general population. How can that be? The authors show polarization mainly at the county voting level. Fiorina instead shows moderation at the State level, as he shows that the majority of the State in the 2000 election did have less than a 10% differential between Bush and Gore (I suspect the updated edition shows the same phenomenon in 2004 between Bush and Kerry). He also conveys that people's opinions between Blue and Red States are not that different even on very controversial topics such as abortion and homosexuality. To the authors credit, they addressed Fiorina's work. But, they dismissed it too quickly. They suggest Fiorina was looking for moderation by phrasing the questions ambiguously. On abortion Fiorina asked whether people were for or against abortion in different terms of pregnancies and in different situations (health of the mother at risk, rape, confirmed malformation of fetus, etc...). Meanwhile, the authors asked simply are you for or against abortion? And they got different results. But, I think Fiorina's work is more sophisticated as it uncovered the nuances of people's values much better. Additionally, Fiorina develops a political model indicating that the Presidential candidate who gets closer to the Center on both fiscal and social dimensions typically wins the election. Karl Rove proved the opposite in 2000 and 2004 by rallying the base. Meanwhile, the authors support Karl Rove strategy and suggests that given our polarized electorate you have to rally your base first and foremost. The current election between Obama and McCain may swing the pendulum again in Fiorina's favor.
   
   Another leading pollster who is on Fiorina's side is Mark Penn. In his interesting book Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes he indicates that the % of independent voters is steadily rising. Per studies from University of Michigan, the % of split-ticket voters (people who vote for a different party for President vs Congress) has increased by 42% since 1952.
   
   Also counties presidential voting may have become more polarized because the candidates have become more polarized not the voters. In 1976, Ford and Carter was a far less contentious match than either Bush - Gore in 2000 or Bush - Kerry in 2004.
   
   In terms of the sorting and clustering of communities economic implications, the authors work is simplistic vs the far more sophisticated and insightful work of Richard Florida in Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life.



3. Bill Bishop has a simple thesis. Americans have segregated themselves politically and culturally. Most of us now have the money and opportunity to move around, and a huge number of us have taken this opportunity to move to places where we are more comfortable, where there are more people like us. The result, he argues is that the country increasingly consists of enclaves, which are either overwhelmingly liberal or overwhelming conservative. This pattern, he argues, is self-reinforcing. As most areas become more monolithic politically, they grow more extreme. This drives away people of the opposite point of view, which makes each area more monolithic. And as most local elections become non-competitive, the real action is in the primary, which is dominated by party activists, who tend to be extremists. The entire dynamic is to make us all live in echo chambers, in which we hear only opinions we agree with, and in which we all become less tolerant of other points of view and more extreme in our own point of view.
   
   The book has many virtues. First, while I have some reservations, I think there is a good deal of substance to his argument. Much of the country is growing more polarized, people are less and less tolerant of opposing viewpoints and I think Bishop has explained a great deal of why this is so. Second, Bishop does not just give his opinion. He backs what he says with an extensive statistical analysis, and a very interesting discussion of relevant social science. In short, a solid, well-argued book.
   
   Nonetheless, I have at least two sets of reservations. First, Bishop is very careful to not discuss the issues which divide the two sides. I think this is a good strategy for him, given the kind of book he is trying to write. At the same time, however, I do not think you can really understand these issues, without considering the substance of the disagreements. Bishop often makes it seem that people are just disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing. I think there is more to it than that.
   
   Second, Bishop's analysis emphatically only applies to middle class, mostly white, Americans. He has absolutely nothing to say about immigrants, who, in my view, probably do not fit his pattern at all.



4. I'm concerned with the increasing divisions between left and right America - this book seems at least to be hitting on some of my concerns.



5. I found this book to be full of valuable insight and data to help me understand the reasons behind the cultural division within our country that have gradually transpired over the past 30 years. It's not as simple as what many on both sides of the political aisle want us to believe; that the Republicans or conservatives are dogmatic or afraid of change. Or Democrats or liberals are wanting to tax everyone to death and move toward socialism. The reasons for the emerging division are complex and rooted in more than superficial issues. This book helps to explain the multifaceted reasons for the emerging division which will help us all to move beyond it and heal as a nation.
   
   Prior to reading this book I believed for some time that our country is heading for more than just ideological, political and economic division. I believed that our country is heading for geographic division, as in dividing into more than one physical country. I still believe this. But at least I understand why I was feeling this way for so long. I just hope I'm wrong.