Favorite Spiritual/ Religion Books of 2009

This year has not been a big year of reading books on Christian subjects written from the inside. No self-help and very little on theology or Emerging Church issues. As my spiritual journey has taken some very Bazan-like twists and turns (some of which I will be writing about soon), I have felt myself drawn to books that are more sociological, journalistic, outsider observer or detached. I am interested in Christianity, my faith, as it is seen from the outside and as it is seen sociologically or economically. I am interested in how the other religions, especially those with common ancestry are seen, what we have in common and how we act in the world.

That said, I must say most I read that is straight Christian theologically or on the Christian life is boring me right now. It seems like it has all been written before. That said, there are some Christian books from preachers and theologians I really want to read. I just didn't do it in 09.

I would have read Danielle Shroyer's latest and Tony Jone's Didache book, along with others by Soon-Chan Rah and Jim Belcher (if anyone would like to send a copy of any of these books, I can give you my address). But, for some reason they did not arrive for free on my doorstep and aren't available at my library. As always, these are not necessarily books that came out in this calendar year. I just happened to read them in 2009.

I read the Rapture Exposed by Barbara Rossing once again. It is still one of the best religion books of the decade to me.

10. What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case For Gay Marriage by David Myers and Letha Dawson Scanzoni -It is a few years old, but I found this book in which they clearly create a compelling, and wholly Christian case for gay marriage, taking the Bible as seriously as anyone on the other side of the argument, the best thing I have read on the subject since John Stott took the other side a few years ago. While I am no expert and personally don't care loads about the issue (sorry to those on both sides), I enjoy reading the differing ideas on this contentious subject, especially when written passionately, but thoughtfully and lacking polemic fireworks or overstatements.

9. Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible by David Plotz- I listen to Plotz weekly on the Slate Political Gabfest so I am predisposed to love his work. If I preached, I would use this resource from a Secular Jew to bring undiscovered (by me at least) insights into Scripture, some obvious, some counter intuitive. To read the OT with fresh eyes would be a wonderful thing. I envy Plotz.

8. Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith by Shane Hipps -As I type this on my blog, I agree with what he says.

7. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller - Keller makes the most convincing argument for orthodox understandings of God and faith I have seen in a while.

6. My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders in the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith by Benyamin Cohen- My Christianity is very Jewish, not in the liturgical sense, but in the way I look at the world around me. Because of this, I find connection with most Jewish writers, especially those coming to the Bible and religion. I found this an insightful look at Christianity by a skeptical, but fascinated friend.

5. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose - I could point out all the flaws of this book, but one thing stands out to shoo those critiques away. It is not a religious manifesto, but a memoire by a really young writer. Plus, it is infinitely readable. It is hard to put down once you pick it up.

4. The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr - I should have read it a long time ago, but I am finally digging deeper into this. An excellent resource for those wanting to see who they are, why they act the way they do and how to make changes based upon their own personality and inner workings to be better people.

3. How To Win a Cosmic War: god, Globalization and The End of the War on Terror by Reza Aslan- This could be a politics or religion book by the author of the excellent primer on Islam No god but God. Aslan is a great writer and thinker. In some ways I think of him as one of the first postmodern Islamic thinkers, their own Brian McLaren. Aslan's contention is that we should not fight a cosmic war with Islam because it is impossible to win such a war, especially with a belief system not based upon traditional Islam. It gives great insight into the strains of Islam and how awry things have gone ( and how the West has caused much of it). He gives his vision for Islam and religious interaction that is hopeful.

2. The Evolution Of God by Robert Wright- One may not believe, but one can still find religion and belief in God a wholeheartedly good thing, especially when one believes that the concept of God (whether manmade or coming from on high- he is fine with either) is evolving to a kinder more modern expression. Controversial to those that write religion off and to those that would consider themselves foundationalists, it is compelling and provocative, especially his contention that Paul was a 1^st Century Bill Gates building a belief statement out of the needs of people, as opposed to the traditional view.

1. The Case for God: What Religion Really Means by Karen Armstrong- Many find this overreaching and wishy-washy, but I found it refreshing, a historical sweet spirited polemic- if there is such a thing- against the extremes of religion, namely Fundamentalism's ying and its yang, The New Atheism. It is refreshing to read an open minded book that takes God very seriously and makes a case for another way of interpreting religion, modern, yet more rooted in the past than many traditional views.

less successful the "Gospel and..." television shows

I just saw online that Chris Seay, who I used to work with, is writing a new book on how the Gospel interacts with something in popular culture. Taking a cue from the "What Would Jesus Tell (name a famous person- real or fiction from pop culture)" sermon series popularized by Willow Creek Church and numerous seeker churches world-wide or the ubiquitous "God and the Movies" pretty much every church preaches during the dreary summer days to gather attention, Chris has added to his repertoire the ABC series LOST (in the past he has written critically acclaimed books about The Sopranos, The Matrix films and Enron).

When I was preaching regularly I, too, would pick artifacts of popular culture for sermons based on the interactions between that subject and the Bible (or Gospel, in Christian vernacular). Some of my favorites were the television shows The X Files and Millennium, the films Jerry Maguire, Magnolia or Dead Man Walking and musicians like Ben Folds, Pearl Jam and Lauren Hill. Needless to say, besides The X-Files I did not have Chris' propensity to pick up on cultural phenomena, usually picking things regulated to a niche very quickly (or at least a select audience).

My love of the grays and the margins usually leads me to popular culture that does not translate as well to mass audiences (any reader of this blog knows that). Sure, a series on the Gospel According to Coldplay would draw a slightly larger audience than the Gospel According to Frightened Rabbit (okay, no one would be interested in the treatment of Frightened Rabbit), but I don't like Coldplay. And who cares about Jesus and the television show Chuck, one of the better shows on television (but with no cultural resonance for some reason) or Dexter.

Now here is where I am going with this... Chris has picked some things that translate well to his idea (The Sopranos work like a warped Davidic kingdom and the Matrix threw every religious idea in history at us). But, there are many things out there that are probably left outside of the "Gospel and..." treatment (many of which have been preached less successfully in churches). I have seen pastors try to use modern classics like the Scooby Do movies, The Fast and The Furious, GI Joe, Transformers 2 and Night at the Museum 2, stretching the film (sometimes they haven't even seen it) and Gospel to a breaking point.

There are many films that just don't fit, especially some of the stuff I like. And the television shows I love would either not translate to a "Gospel and..." book or 3 people would buy it. Here are my favorites shows. Imagine a book entitled:

The Gospel and Dexter (exploring Dexter's relationship to Deuteronomic and Levitical law)

The Gospel and Chuck (Chuck saving the world as metaphor for evangelism)

The Gospel and 30 Rock (Liz as Moses leading her people to the promised land, Jack as Yahweh, Tracy as Aaron and Kenneth as the 10 Commandments)

The Gospel and The Wire (a 2000 page exploration of conflict between the differing branches within the Davidic Kingdom at the time of Solomon, with McNulty and Omar as competing Jesus figures... or something like that)

The Gospel and Pushing Daisies (about how even God cannot resurrect an under appreciated quirky series on broadcast television that is too smart for its own good)

Sure some shows would be easy, The Gospel and the Office (trivial, but sells well), The Gospel and My Name is Earl (written by an 8th grader) and The Gospel and The Simpsons (D'oh).

Some other less-than-classics could include The Gospel and Mad Men (just wait, it is coming), The Gospel and Weeds (hmmmm, what is this one about?), The Gospel and CSI (We dodged that bullet) and The Gospel and Grey's Anatomy. I am sure someone has written the Gospel and American Idol or Survivor.

So, share with me either 1) the worst "Gospel and..." thing you have ever seen/ heard/ read or (God forbid) done

and

2) The darkest or worst idea for such a book or series (no "Gospel according to Saw" types- too easy), or that thing that would stretch The Gospel or bible beyond imagination to fit. Justify it if possible.

by the way, I would buy a book called The Gospel According to District 9!

Summer Vacation Reading Smackdown

We are heading off on vacation soon. Since we are cheap Floridians, it will be at the beach once more. Our kids are still young enough to think this is cool and special. Plus, we like to stay put for the week. I cannot wait til the kids are older and ready to do more exploration... then mountains here we come.

One of the best things about the beach relaxation event is the summer read. While some like to try their hand at some heavy tome, or impress their family and other beachcombers of their theological and intellectual superiority, I go in another direction. Since I am not a big fan of present day novels and don't want to use the beach to try to dig through Philip Roth or 600 pages of Michael Chabon/ David Foster Wallace, I try to find something light enough for summer and interruptions and compelling enough to keep me engrossed and away from the telly.

I briefly considered Malcom Gladwell's Outliers, but I have an interest in the ministry/ pastoral implications of his hypothesis... so it is out. I also considered How to Win a Cosmic War by Resa Aslan. His first book, No god But God is a brilliant introduction to Islam. But, seriously, do I need to read a book on religion and defense policy on vacation? The other two considerations were David Plotz's The Good Book, in which this wonderful Slate Magazine writer basically blogs the Bible, from a secular Jewish perspective and The Lost City of Z, recommended by Plotz a few months ago on his podcast.

Alas, my decision was made by the 40% off coupon at Barnes and Nobles for The Lost City of Z, as part of a Father's Day sale. Plotz has lost out 2 straight time due to coupons for other books. maybe next time.

So, what makes The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Gann so compelling? Well, besides the subtitle? The author digs into the history of the many searches for El Dorado in the Amazon, including a famous early 20th Century mission in which a world famous explorer disappears. The author, a writer for The New Yorker even goes looking for the city himself. Yeah, I know Brad Pitt bought the rights to the book and wants to star as the author, a regular shlubby Joe, but still, this could be fun. It has to be more interesting than Indiana Jones' search for the city last summer and it has a feel like a Jon Krakauer book.

Lent Books

I usually find a good book to read during Lent that helps me experience the season more fully. When in doubt as to what I should read this year, I usually revert to one of my old standbys. Here they are.

Reliving the Passion by Walter Wangerin- one of the great Christian writers of our day walks us through the last few days of Jesus' life as expressed by Mark's Gospel.

It is simple with about 2 pages per day, illuminating to one's own part in the story of Jesus' passion and giving ample room for meditation and response to the death and 

resurrection of Jesus.

Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, edited by Plough 

Publishing and the Bruderhoff. Daily readings from C.S. Lewis, Nouwen, Yancy, Buechner, Updike, Willimon, etc. 

Split into 3 sections with longer and shorter essays (which allows much skippage and returnage), there are some powerfully succinct writings in this collection, a challenge to any Christian during Lent.

Any standbys you use?

tribute to a Giant

I am sure all the quick draws got there first and have already put this on their blogs, but I want to share, as way of tribute to the late great John Updike (who dies yesterday), this poem. Every Easter I read it. When preaching on Easter, it is central to my sermons. 

I discovered it many years ago and found it useful in Boston where the central belief in the physical resurrection of Jesus is not integral to Christian belief. It is among my favorite poems ever...

Seven Stanzas at Easter

Make no mistake: if He rose at all

it was as His body;

if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules

reknit, the amino acids rekindle,

the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,

each soft Spring recurrent;

it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled

eyes of the eleven apostles;

it was as His flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,

the same valved heart

that–pierced–died, withered, paused, and then

regathered out of enduring Might

new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,

analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;

making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the

faded credulity of earlier ages:

let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mâché,

not a stone in a story,

but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow

grinding of time will eclipse for each of us

the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,

make it a real angel,

weighty with Max Planck’s quanta, vivid with hair,

opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen

spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,

for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,

lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are

embarrassed by the miracle,

and crushed by remonstrance.

[Written for a religious arts festival sponsored by the Clifton Lutheran Church, of Marblehead, Mass.]

I love that this was written for a church in the area we used to minister. 

I discovered Updike accidentally. As a high school student I stumbled upon Bech is Back (one of my parents may have picked it up at a yard sale or used bookstore) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I read other novels across the years. While I was drawn to his contemporaries Vonnegut and John Irving (especially- discovering him accidentally also), I will be eternally grateful to this wonderfully inauspicious Christian writer that did not wear his faith on his sleeve.

Best Books of the Year, Part 3 (Music)

I have been reading lots of music related books this year. These are the best.

5. Life is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield (I made a terrible mistake by not including this on the list of great memoirs. It is touching, funny, mean and sad. This guy knows every song from the past 300 years, no matter how obscure and loves them all. He also went through terrible tragedy and used music to cope.)

4. Rock On by Dan Kennedy (already mentioned)

3. 1,000 Recordings to Hear before you Die by Tom Moon (among the coolest books ever and the most fun)

2. Around the World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Invented Human Nature by Daniel Levitin (how can I describe this book? This guy is a rock musician and nueroscientist. He pushes science and music to their limits to understand how we see and feel music, insisting on 6 forms of song that exist in human consciousness. My friend Craig has done similar research- which may be why this guy fascinates me.)

1. The Rest is Just Noise: Listening to the 20th century by Alex Ross (I wish I had written this. It is basically a history of the 20th Century through its music. I always wanted to develop and teach a class on Rock Music History doing the same thing since 1950, but this guy understands classical and all other forms.)

Books of the Year, part 2 (Religious)

I did read a lot this year, much of it do to the lack of full time work earlier in the year. While I love a consistent paycheck, I always miss the time I can spend reading.

Here is my list of Top Religious Books I read this year. It is a diverse list, with nothing too academic and only a few Emergent books. I am also happy that my top book is not even about Christianity. Let me know what you think.

10. Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully (Scully, a former speechwriter for George W Bush and an ardent conservative is an unlikely voice for a manifesto on how to treat animals in light of factory farming, etc. But, this is an eloquent book, full of fury and a disturbing- to say the least- analysis of our treatment of God's creatures. It is from 2002.)

9. Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth R. Miller (I finally read it after encouragement from 2 friends. Miller proves that evolution and God are not at odds, unless we decide they are.)

8. Into the Dark by Craig Detweiler (I love film as much as Detweiler and feel confident I could hold my own in a personal debate over some of his choices and the theological stretches he makes to include the "sacred" within those films. However, he is fun to read and this is a delight that any film buff that loves God needs.)

7. Nature's Witness: How Evolution Can Inspire Faith by Daniel Harrell (Daniel, a ministry friend from my time in Boston has written a wonderful companion piece for #9, slightly less scientific, but theologically richer.)

6.  Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch (Andy and I used to be in a small group together and I swear all I cared about was making him laugh or think I was even slightly in his intellectual ballpark. I am not. Never was. But, he humored me. He has finally written a book he talked about for years. It is great.)

5. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller (I am not a big apologetics guy, but I love Keller and love his reasoning and illustrations. It actually affirmed by faith and gave some answers I needed.)

4. The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why by Phyllis Tickle (yeah, what she said.)

3. Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright (I am not even sure I get what he is saying here fully, but I want it to be true and intuitively think it is.)

2. The Fidelity of Betrayal: Towards a Church Beyond Belief by Peter Rollins (he still does not know Batman, but he knows what he does not know about God and how to say it)

1. No god, But God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan (read it around the new year, so I could be fibbing. If you read one book on Islam, please read it. He is kinda like a Muslim Brian McLaren- a reformer academic)

Best Books, part 1 (Best Memiors/ personal journalism)

I like the snarky memoir made popular the past few years by people like Chuck Klosterman. These books are part autobiography, part observation of the world surrounding them, part journalism and part postmodern distancing from the reality of the world you are engaging in (sounds like me). By the way, I have not yet read Sarah Vowell's latest tome. It would probably top the list.

The Top 5 I read this year are...

5. Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living by Doug Fine (think it is easy being green?)

4. The New Christians by Tony Jones (Tony would never put himself here, but his book was like these to an extent)

3. Rock On by Dan Kennedy (reviewed by me here)

2. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (reviewed by me here)

1. The Great Derangement by Matt Taibbi (did not review it. What this guy will subject himself to for a story is mind blowing. It cannot fully be described and his Rolling Stone articles are only a taste).

Pollan tells us how to eat

This is my final Michael Pollan post. He has told us what to eat and at the end of In Defense of Food, Pollan gives some guidelines on How to Eat (not too much). Some of these hit home for my family, more than "what" to eat.

• Pay More, Eat Less- I know, in a recession we are already following this principle. But, according to Pollan, this is about quality vs. quantity. We are a Sam's Club economy believing more and bigger is better. But, just maybe... better is better. Shrink the portions and eat better quality food. Overeating is killing us because we have no internal cues to stop us from eating. We eat until the food is gone, not until we are "no longer hungry" and then wonder why we are fat. Pollan is at his best during this section (183).
• Eat Meals- Sit at a table, with others (if possible), not in front of a TV or in a car. Slow down. Not only should we sit to eat (together). We should eat something prepared, not taken from a freezer and warmed by microwave, each person in the family eating their favorite prepared food-like substance (189).
• Do all your eating at a table- not a desk (192).
• Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does- I love this one. Gas stations make more money from snack foods than selling gas. As Pollan says, they sell the car and us the same processed corn- ethanol for the auto and high-fructose corn syrup for us (192).
• Try not to eat alone- this can be difficult, but the shared meal keeps us from eating as much and makes us human (not just animal). it is part of the difference between feeding (bad) and eating (good)(192).
• Consult your gut- Our gut should tell us what to eat and how much, not the portion size on the plate, the television show or our eyes. Follow the 3/4 full principle. When you are 3/4 full...Stop eating (192).
• Eat Slowly- be deliberate. Enjoy your food. Be mindful. Don't gorge yourself (194).
• Cook and, if you can, plant a garden- We live in the city on a small lot and have a garden. If you have a piece of land, a porch, a ledge, or a balcony- you can have a garden. Food should not be fast, cheap and easy. It connects us to nature, others and our own bodies. Take the time to cook a meal, especially if you have planted something. In today's world, it is an active state of rebellion and resistance- and its saves money (197).

There it is. I think these principles are for everyone, especially those that call themselves Christians. I think the church should be talking about it.

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

and ENJOY.

Pollan tells us What to Eat

In In Defense of Food, when Michael Pollan tells us what to eat, he writes "mostly plants." Luckily, he defines it;

• Eat Mostly Plants, especially leaves- This one hurts meat and potato Americans, like me. His book explains why, but simply put- this is where the nutrients are. According to Pollan, we must eat plants, but don't need meat (with the exception of Vitamin B12)- but there is no health reason to dismiss it, just lower it. He calls himself a flexitarian- mostly plants, with a little meat (162 ).
• You are what you eat eats too "The diet of the animals we eat has a bearing on the nutritional quality, and healthfulness, of the food itself, whether it is meat or milk or eggs." Too many of our animals are fed nasty stuff that ends up in us. This costs more money, but not much, if we eat less meat (167).
• If you have space, buy a freezer- When you find good pastured meat, buy lots and freeze. Also freezing does not significantly hurt the nutrients of produce (168).
• Eat Like an Omnivore- try new species of plants and animals. Biodiversity is good for our bodies and it is very good for the land and what it produces (169).
• Eat Well-grown food from healthy soils- this is pretty obvious. It does not always mean "eat organic" but it does much of the time. There is lots of processed organic food out there (look in my pantry- sadly) and there are many small farmers that produce good food that are not "organic" for a number of reasons (169).
• Eat Wild foods when you can- wilder foods that have not been terribly influenced by people tend to help our bodies. Of course, be careful, because we don't want to hurt endangered species of plants or animals (171).
• Be the kind of person who takes supplements- people that take supplements tend to be healthier, not because of the supplements (except a multi-vitamin), but because they pay attention to their bodies and are more health conscious (172).
• Eat more like the French, or the Italians, or the Japanese, or the Indians, or the Greeks- people that eat traditional diets are usually healthier. This is very complex and I will let you read what Pollan says for yourself (173).
• Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism- Soy is such an example. Unless prepared in the traditional Asian method, it has many shortfalls. Novelties usually don't improve health and taste (176).
• Don't Look for a Magic Bullet in the traditional Diet- Food and diet are much more than the sum of their parts (177).
  
• Have a glass of wine with dinner- Be careful. But, in moderation, wine is proven to be very healthy (181).

next up, How to Eat.

Pollan's Main Prescription

There are some wonderful tips from Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. But, lets start with the thesis.

His main prescription, which manifests itself in his mantra (eat food, not too much, mostly plants) is quite simple, yet (in American terms) close to impossible for the vast majority of busy Americans. It is this:

1. Escape the Western Diet* (he believes all traditional diets are wonderful, apart from ours which is heavily processed, full of sugar, destructive to the planet and individuals- tooth decay, diabetes, cancer, etc.)

2. Escape the Ideology of Nutritionism (this cannot be done justice apart from his book. However, it is an ideology- not science-that separates a diet from its culture, individual foods from their diet and the chemicals, minerals, vitamins, etc in a food from the actual food. It has led to additives in processed foods, never ending studies trying to figure out what part of food is good and which is bad- separate from the food itself)

*diet in the traditional sense- a way of eating. it has nothing to do with most people's definition of diet- eating less.

Defending Food

I was able to digest the wonderful tome In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto in the spring, returning to it the last few weeks, hoping to remember some of Michael Pollan's advice and see if I had been putting it into practice.

As has been stated regarding this work, it is the practical conclusion to his Prize Winning Omnivore's Dilemna (a much larger and all encompassing work). Where OD showed the history and repercussions of our food choices upon the planet, IDOF documents the effects of food choices on the human body. To be truly holistic as an eater, one must think about both. While I became a more conscience eater due to environmental considerations, my body has been served. However, it is good to consider the impact upon both environs (as a father, I am now just as concerned with the internal significance of food choices). Sadly, I have met too many selfish organic eaters, lacking any concern for the impact of food upon animal, planet or the other.

In light of that, I am going to share some of the principles of In Defense of Food during the next few days. I decided to do it now, since the book has been out for a while. Since many of you have read the book, it will come as a reminder. However, if you have not read it; hopefully this will spur you to read it to see how Pollan works out his guidelines for healthy eating... summed up in the manifesto:

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

By the way, did you see Nicolas Kristoff's op ed on eating ethically? Read it. Here is the money quote:

So, yes, I eat meat (even, hesitantly, goose). But I draw the line at animals being raised in cruel conditions. The law punishes teenage boys who tie up and abuse a stray cat. So why allow industrialists to run factory farms that keep pigs almost all their lives in tiny pens that are barely bigger than they are?

Defining what is cruel is, of course, extraordinarily difficult. But penning pigs or veal calves so tightly that they cannot turn around seems to cross that line.

Rock On

I am going to recommend some things over the next few days that are worth engaging with. Today I would like to share a wonderful summertime read.

McSweeney's contributor Dan Kennedy's memoir of his job at a major record company as it was sinking, Rock On (An Office Power Ballad) has been described as This Is Spinal Tap meets The Office, which is apt. Any book that begins by quoting my one of life verses is onto a good start.*

Like many of his self conscious, snarky comrades (Bill Simmons, AJ Jacobs, Chuck Klosterman, Sarah Vowell, etc.) Kennedy is self effacing to a fault, consumed with his place in life, career and society, understanding that any success he sees is a facade which will one day be ripped down for others to see him as the loser he really is. He reminds me of someone I see every day in the mirror.

Rock On is hilarious much of the time, whether the author is realizing he does not know who Fat Joe is during a meeting about an ad campaign for Fat Joe, his crush on his boss, or lucking into an ad campaign in which he (as a white guy) tells Motown execs what MoTown means to Black America. It is even poignant when describing the reactions of individuals to a layoff (good for ministers). It is especially insightful when describing an ad campaign for a line of razors (Intuition) coinciding with a new Jewel album and single (Intuition) in which she sings of not selling out.

At times it is all at once, especially as he describes the day he is laid off and the aftermath. His description of his final day at work and layoff meeting reminded me that I was not alone when downsized and depressed. The email he wishes he had sent to his coworkers is priceless, as is his description of an Iggy Pop concert in which Iggy verbally abuses all the high powered sellouts paying his bills by running record companies instead of creating art. However, my favorite passage imagines Dr. Phil trying to scare a young Einstein and Picasso into following a real career path instead of following their dreams.

The book has many faults, including a bit too much cutesy nicknaming and inner dialogues, but these are forgivable offenses because it is a diary, memoir and therapy. We expect this. While some hope such writing has seen its final days, I hope not. It is the way I write. It is the way I think. It is the self awareness of the protagonist that I connect to and it is the mix of cynicism and hope that I exhibit daily.

If you love music, have ever wanted to work inside the music industry (which I wanted for years) or wondered what goes on in a record company- you will love this book. In fact, if you liked Body Piercing Saved My Life, Assassination Vacation, The Year of Living Biblically, anything by Bill Simmons, Chuck Klosterman or McSweenys, do yourself a favor and read it this summer (it will take only a day or 2).

more on Dan, his book, including excerpts, games, links and reviews. Be sure to read the joke "how many record executives does it take to change a lightbulb."

* "God, what a mess, on the ladder of success. Where you take on step and miss the whole first rung."- Bastards of Young by the Replacements

random goodness

• long article in the New Yorker, The Fall of Conservatism about the history of modern conservatism in America (Republican style), its decline and its future course (more sociological and historical than political).

• another long article in the New Yorker in which Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright (one of my favorite writer/ reporters) details the philosophical shift away from jihad by one of Al Qaeda's masterminds; The Rebellion Within.

• From its Inconvenient Truths series on rethinking what it means to be green, Wired magazine examines the dangers of focusing all of our energies on Global Warming at the expense of other environmental crises. Thanks to Kellie for the link.

• My friend Mike shared this amazing photo.
  

• Just finished reading Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's latest tome New Monasticism. The subject is pretty easy to figure out. Wilson-Hartgrove weaves history and his own personal account from typical Southern Church world to radical community. it is compelling and timely. I recommend it to anyone, especially those in traditional churches. He spends much time helping non-adherents learn from the movement. I would recommend it to any fan of Shane Claiborne or one that wants to learn from Anabaptists.
  

Year of Living Biblically

I have been meaning to give my impressions of A.J. Jacobs The Year of Living Biblically for a while. Interestingly, I found this book a few months before release.

I was perusing (yes, I love that word wayyy too much) the local used bookstore and came across an Advance Reader's Copy of a strange little tome I had not yet heard of. I quickly scarfed it up and promptly added it to my "hopefully to get around to some day" pile. I forgot about it until it entered popular conscience with a vengeance (which, according to the book would not be a particularly positive thing).

Anyhoo, I found the book quite good- though not "otherworldly." Jacobs writing, while above average, is not in league with memoirists such as
Rob Sheffield. I have read too many self aware New York writers with gifts for words. This is not Jacobs' strength. His strength lies in his utter fearlessness as an existentialist and as a writer. Not content with a sissified 30 Days experiment ala Morgan Spurlock, he jumps in to the deep waters of Religion fully clothed with no swimming lessons and only a thousands of year old and very hard to understand manual.

Due to his lack of knowledge of many spiritual matters, including quite a few Jewish customs he had little understanding of as a non-Bar Mitzvahsed Hebrew, we are taken on a crash course in how strange our faiths must look to non-Adherents, even those as open minded as Jacobs. His insight comes from his naivete and confusion. That he is able to stay married and sane is a triumph. That he is able to express such simple truths in a way even the most thick headed Christian can understand is a miracle.

During his experiment he participates in a disturbing sacrificial ritual involved a chicken and lots of Hasidic Jews, writes letters to Smuckers to make sure they don't harvest fruit trees too early, realizes he would rather raise a Flanders than a Bart Simpson, is tortured by an interview with Rosario Dawson (one of the funniest sections of the book), finds commonality with Creationists, Amish, snake handlers and members of Falwell's church, stones an adulterer (he had it coming), learns to thank God for the little things, helps circumcise his twin sons and realizes faith is impossible without community.

There are many great passages I think Christians should read (if they don't not read the entire book), including some I wish I had time to put here. Every pastor or minister should read the book, especially those that have been in the bubble so long they have little understanding of the secular mind-set. In fact, A.J. (whom I feel like I know after reading this book) should make a living off coming to churches and telling us how he sees our strange rituals. While it is by no means a perfect book (in fact, i could spend a few postings on its weaknesses), those things matter little.

Read this debate between Jacobs and a Christian journalist on Slate (it is hilarious). link
Read an excerpt. link
Read the rules he must follow. link
How you and I can live Biblically (buy sandals, goat's milk, a harp, myrrh, a staff, an olive oil lamp, a robe and kosher crickets). link

personal update

We are heading to the beach for a few days beginning on Tuesday. It should be a fun time and it is a much needed respite. Since Kristi was pregnant during the summer, we did not vacation. So, we are needing time away.

I will be attempting to keep up with my fantasy football commitments*, but work is off the table. We will play with kids (and hopefully friends) and do very little. I am hoping to read The Year of Living Biblically during the week. It looks like a blast. I am also hoping to finish Brian McLaren's latest, Everything Must Change (started it 2 months ago- oops), which is his most important book (in many ways) and should be seen as the logical conclusion of a new way to do Christianity.

We will also try to keep up the latest additions to our media diet (we decided we could add 1 or 2 shows this year, since we only watch Thursday night comedies). We are loving Chuck and Pushing Daisies (actually, I am loving PD, while Kristi is putting up with it).

However, before leaving for Anna Maria Island (one of Florida's few remaining hidden gems) tomorrow, I will be flying to DC** for an interview with a great organization I hope to work for. I have been talking to this organization about a specific job for over a year and it is finally getting serious. Keep it in your prayers (if you do that sort of thing).

*after starting the season 0-2, I have rebounded with a tie and 3 straight wins- including a shellacking of the previous undefeated powerhouse. Go Mosquito Larvae!

** I will leave Tampa at 7AM, be interviewed at 10AM and catch a return flight at 1:45, hopefully landing in Tampa at 4:10 to leave for vacation a few minutes later.

the Only Proof He Needed For the Existence of God Was Music

above is his desired epitaph

The great Kurt Vonnegut died last night and while watching the news we are still subject to the Duke Lacrosse trial, Ana Nicole's baby's daddy and the continuance of the non story of the Don Imus remarks (hey media and black leaders- can you go after Beck, Limbaugh, Savage and Coulter who make worse remarks on a regular basis?).

You are telling me that the death of one of the great icons of the 20th century and one of its 4-5 greatest authors does not deserve more play than Imus? While I know he had a wonderful life, I am saddened by the knowledge I will never see another interview, oped piece or writings from this classy gentleman. I am glad I am still able to spend time reading his protege John Irving.

My favorite memory of Vonnegut is from the Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School. Dangerfield's character hires Vonnegut to help him write a paper on Slaughterhouse 5. His teacher gives it an F stating that the author obviously knows nothing about Kurt Vonnegut or his writings. Classic! An important author who parodies himself.

Take the time to read some of his writings, even if you don't read his novels. Read about his experience during WWII as a POW during the bombing of Dresden or his latest book A Man Without A Country, a collection of essays.

Read one of his last interviews, with Rolling Stone here.

Here are some great quotes (take the time to read them);

Kurt on humanity "We're terrible animals. I think that the Earth's immune system is trying to get rid of us, as well it should."

Kurt on evolution/ ID "I do feel that evolution is being controlled by some sort of divine engineer. I can't help thinking that. And this engineer knows exactly what he or she is doing and why, and where evolution is headed. That’s why we’ve got giraffes and hippopotami and the clap."

On life "Everything you need to know about life is in 'The Brothers Karamazov"'

Advice for young people "What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured."

On Supporting the troops “In case you haven’t noticed, we…dehumanize our own soldiers, not because of their religion or race, but because of their low social class. Send ’em anywhere. Make ’em do anything. Piece of cake.”

On Why we are here "I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."

On politics "There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don’t know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president."

On Christianity and politics "For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
"Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon? Give me a break!"

On art and writing "If you really want to hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be a homosexual, the least you can do is go into the arts. But do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites, standing for absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college."

Kurt on death "(Speaking at Isaac Asimov's funeral) Isaac is in heaven now, that was the funniest thing I could have said to a crowd of Humanists. God Forbid, Should I pass on sometime, may all of you say that Kurt is in Heaven too."

And finally, Kurt on himself "You realize, of course, that everything I say is horseshit."

most quotes from Wikiquote's Vonnegut entry.

new Links

I know it is hard to wade through the inordinate amount of links I have on this blog. I have attempted to split them up into bite-sized morsels for easy consumption, but how does one know if I added something tasty to the dinner selection on the right.

I may do some new cleaning, but I wanted to let you know I added some new books and music, leaving of some things I listened to and read months ago.

Some of the new music I will point you to:
The Format- Dog Problems (good smart indy pop- tasty like Matthew Sweet used to be)
The Lancaster Orchestra- With a Little Help from my Absent Friends (Swedish? alternative country folk- recommended by Dustin)
The Stevenson Ranch Davidians- hymns, psalms and spiritual songs (shoegazer pop with Americana influence- reminds me of BRMC)
also music from Josh Ritter, Dear and Glorious Physician and others.

Some of the added books include:
Fiasco by Thomas Ricks
Crunchy Cons by Ron Dreher
Thy Kingdom Come by Randall Balmer
Spanking the Monkey by Matt Taibbi
Simply Christian by N.T. Wright


I will try to add to the links during the next week or so. Stay tuned!

Tagged List of Books

My friend from high school, college roommate and life long compadre, Mike Houghton releases his list of books in response to my tag. Go read it and laugh. Then tell him he needs to blog more often.

Apparently I am It

I have now been tagged by Bob Robinson who was tagged by Scot McKnight, who was tagged by Steve McCoy. Now, I usually hate this stuff, but since Bob is a nice guy and I have never met him, I thought I would honor the request.

1. One book that changed your life:
I was going to say Loving God by Charles Colson because this book introduced me to a new level of faith as a college student (his late 80s and early 90s books were not angry diatribes against society and for the election of Republicans). However, Charles and I have changed dramatically in the past decades. The most important book for me of the past 10 years is Coercion by Douglas Rushkoff, which every Christian leader needs to read and allow to influence the way they look at church and do it (it has almost nothing to do with church though).

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
The Moral Vision of the New Testament by Richard Hays. I keep coming back to this book to remind myself how I need to interpret the New Testament. His chapters on homosexuality, abortion and violence should be read by every pastor (and preached) and cultural leader. I would like to preach again whenever I read this book.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
The Lord of the Rings trilogy in one leather bound volume. I am looking for a large number of pages, along with a great story arch and complexities to take my mind off the inpenetrable boredom. I cannot think of many books to keep me going for such a long period. The only comparable book I can think of is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (again I am thinking volume- I would finally be able to take the time to read it without being distracted by life and shorter easier novels).

4. One book that made you laugh:
Amongst the many, I pick the latest. Spanking the Donkey by Rolling Stone (and former The Nation) correspondent Matt Taibbi. Taibbi follows the 2004 election from New Hampshire through November, usually with the Democrats, whom he knew would lose based upon the ineptitude of their strategy (hence the title). He takes time to work undercover for the Bushies in Orlando, wear a gorilla suit to a Kerry campaign stop ("I will stop wearing this costume when your candiate stops being full of *%#%"), assume the identity of an adult film director to work for Clark and take drugs to handle Edwards' speeches. If you get angry at the farce we call a 2 party system and the elections, please read the book (at least read the description on Amazon).
Publishers Weekly calls it "a compelling, and somewhat chaotic, mix of reporting, anecdote, social commentary and rant. "

5. One book that made you cry:
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. His experiences in a concentration camp make up the first half of this important book. It is harrowing. I would have mentioned Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker, but we listened to it on tape, so that cannot count (I am pretty sure).

6. One book you wish had been written:
Straight Talking Presidency by John McCain. In his account of embarassing the Religious Right and their minions in the 2000 election through his defeat of George W. Bush (which caused Karl Rove to repent and join the priesthood) and Al Gore, McCain reminds us of how parties can work together for the greater good. His account of the last minute stoppage of hijackers on 9-11 and subsequent toppling of Islamist dictatorships in Afghanistan and Iraq through Reagan-esque sabre rattling but no armed confrontation make us realize how great it is to live in this nation. The chapter on a Marshall Plan for the Middle East and Africa, in which we attempt to bring those countries out of poverty and into the 21st Century through development reminds us why America is so popular abroad.

7. One book you wish had never been written:
The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay. While Bob took care of the Bible version which influenced this heinous book, I mention the book that brought this terribly heretical and popular theology to the masses.

8. One book you’re currently reading:
Almost done with Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America: An Evangelical's Lament.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Everyman by Philip Roth

10. Tag 5 others:
I am going to go with people who read alot and others may not know of, but have good things to say.
James Wilcox (who will tag Fletch)
Ryan Sharpe
Jeff Gentry (who will tag Dustin)
Will Samson (somebody let him know since he does not read my blog)
Mike Houghton (so he will post something)

Rudy would have trumped one of these, but he is on hiatus.