July Book Log

I'm not getting as much uninterrupted reading time these days (pastoral work and caring for a 7-month old will do that), but I'm getting better than ever before at using periodic 5 minute breaks for reading instead of playing on my phone. Here's what I found time for this month in the early hours and those spare moments.

CHRIST PLAYS IN TEN THOUSAND PLACES: A CONVERSATION IN SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY by Eugene H. Peterson

Before he was the latest touchpoint in evangelical Christianity's civil war over how the church should address homosexuality (if you're not familiar with the controversy, you're better off), Eugene Peterson was a pastor, professor, and author--one of my favorites, in fact. His skill with language is, in my opinion, unparalleled among modern Christian writers, and his books always leave me thinking. Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, the first of five books in a series on "spiritual theology," contains all the hallmarks of a typical Peterson book (beautiful use of language, pastoral tone, spiritual focus), but nevertheless made for a somewhat frustrating read.

In this book (and presumably the other four, which I intend to read over the next few months), Peterson seeks to bring spirituality, with its devotional focus and embrace of mystery, and theology, with its grounding in Scripture and its systematic approach, together. One's theology, says Peterson, must be spiritual, and one's spirituality must be theological, because both are needed to live according to the way of Christ. Peterson breaks up his thoughts into three sections, three areas in which Christ is at work: in creation, in history, and in community. By observing how God moves in these contexts and then by becoming a part of that work, we draw closer to God and better live as He intended us to.

Peterson is trying to do a lot in 338 pages, and it shows. This is probably the closest thing to a systematic theology he ever wrote (though its structure in no way resembles that genre's), and he is dealing with some big concepts and heavy theology.  While far more readable than your average systematic theology, it is nevertheless a slog at times, saved by his skillful use of language and insightful exegetical insights. This isn't an academic work, but that doesn't mean it's easy either.

The book seems to wander at times, and while the rabbit trails he leads you down are useful individually, you can't help but get the feeling that the individual parts may be greater than their sum. Peterson has wise things to say about, just to name a few things: the Trinity, creation, Sabbath, what "the fear of the Lord" means today, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and adopting Jesus's means instead of just his ends...and if that seems to cover a lot of ground, then you may be starting to understand my problem with the book. My understanding of the next four books in the series is that their focuses are narrower, and I look forward to that. In Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places, Peterson gave me a 16 course meal with 60 different kinds of food...I loved everything there, but I hope his next offering will be a little easier to digest.

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE by John Piper

As I've mentioned previously, I'm not John Piper's biggest fan (though neither am I his biggest detractor), but as long as used bookstores keep putting his books on the clearance rack, I'll probably keep buying them. After all, whether you agree with his theological bent or not, there's no denying Piper's influence on contemporary Christianity, to say nothing of his impact on the kingdom of God. With this, the third Piper book I've read and reviewed, I've now got a pretty good idea what to expect out of the average book he puts out, for good and ill.

Don't Waste Your Life is based on the famous "Seashells" sermon that Piper preached at the 2000 Passion conference, a sermon that catapulted Piper into the national spotlight. In that message, Piper decried the American dream of leisurely retirement, saying that the Christian who devotes his or her life to trivial pursuits and worldly comfort has wasted the life God gave them. The message was and is convicting, and prompts the listener/reader to ask these question of virtually everything you do: Is this bringing God glory? If so, how? And if not, then why am I wasting my time with it? The message is not flawless--at face value, it seems to ignore the entire concept of Sabbath--but it is valuable, and the Holy Spirit has used it to bring many Christians out of the doldrums of materialism and into the mission field.

As for the book...well, it kind of reads like a 30 minute sermon stretched to 180 pages. This, I'm learning, is a trademark of Piper's books: they are usually not original works so much as extensions of his more compact sermons, articles, and interviews. Freed from time and space constraints, Piper's writing enables him to throw as much Scripture at you as he can find (the man loves a good proof text) and to approach his main point from as many angles as he can come up with. As such, reading Piper can be exhausting, even when you agree with everything he's saying...sometimes you want to throw up your hands and cry, "I get it already!"

With that being said, Piper's prose is much better in Don't Waste Your Life than anything else I've read by him, particularly in the first two chapters, where he gives his personal testimony. This is a book meant to be accessible to anyone, and it largely succeeds in that goal, especially if read in sips instead of gulps. You may find that Don't Waste Your Life drones on and on, but its central message is a good one, and one that American Christians in particular need to hear. Overall, for the sake of its powerful message to generations of contented, privileged, unfocused Christians, I would recommend spending a few hours reading this book...or at least taking 30 minutes to listen to the sermon.

BORN TO RUN by Bruce Springsteen

In the interest of full disclosure, there was never a chance I wasn't going to like this book. Bruce Springsteen has been my favorite musician since the day I watched his 2001 Live in New York City concert, a 3 hour video so mesmerizing that I watched it twice in two days before begrudgingly returning the DVD to the friend who'd urged me to check it out. I own every one of his 18 studio albums, 4 of his official live albums, 5 bootleg concert CDs, several EPs, singles, and compilations, a concert DVD, and even a few albums on vinyl. The only hole in my experience with the Boss is seeing him live myself, a dilemma I will pay virtually any amount to rectify the next time he's in Texas. So when he released his memoir last year, there was no question that I was going to like it and enjoy it.

What did surprise me was how objectively good it was.

On one level, Bruce (yeah, I'm going first name basis on this one) is simply writing his life story chronologically, from his childhood in Freehold, New Jersey to his days as a bar band musician through his illustrious career with (and, for a time, without) the E Street Band. This aspect of the book is perfectly fine, especially since it is written in his signature voice, full of interesting insights and anecdotes. But Bruce, Peter Ames Carlin's 2012 biography of the Boss, gives you most of these details in a more straightforward account, and doesn't leave out the messier parts of the Bruce's life, such as his first marriage and subsequent divorce, which Born to Run takes pains to avoid talking about whenever possible.

But Bruce didn't write a strictly-the-facts autobiography; he had something bigger to say. Where the book soars is in talking about depression, first his father's and then his. With the literary chops that have always set his songwriting apart, informed by the insights of the psychiatric professionals who have now treated him for decades, Bruce describes with pointed honesty how his father's undiagnosed depression cast a dark cloud over the lives of both him and his family. When the story moves into Bruce's early success, he candidly explains how his famous work ethic and onstage energy were self-medication for the family curse he now knew he'd inherited. Most surprisingly, it is in the last 50 pages that depression rears its head again, with the rich and famous rock star confessing that for a year and a half (2013-2014) he found himself uncontrollably sobbing at little things and unable to get out of bed for weeks at a time before consulting a psychopharmacologist and receiving new medication. Bruce's descriptions of depression, examples of how it ruined his father's life, and ultimately triumphant story of reclaiming himself through the help of both his family and psychiatric professionals all offer a better message to those needing help than any PSA could.

Even if you're not a Springsteen fan, this is one of the better rock star memoirs out there (which is saying something, since there have been some excellent ones in the past few years). If you're already a fan, this is required reading.

GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson

This was a book seemingly made for me: a Pulitzer Prize winner, a novel about the life of a preacher, and a story of fathers and sons all rolled into one. Besides, it came highly recommended by several of my seminary professors, who placed it on their lists of must-read novels for all pastors. However, by the time I finished it, I felt almost exactly like I did after watching Wonder Woman a few weeks ago: it was definitely good, but I think all the hype set my expectations too high.

Gilead is the story an old Kansas preacher, written as a series of reflections to his young son. The book is highly character-driven, to the point where 80 pages in I was wondering if a plot would ever emerge (some semblance of a linear narrative finally develops in the second half of the book). As the narrator tells the story of his own life, the lives of his father and grandfather, and ultimately the story of the godson who bears his name, author Marilynne Robinson drops nugget after nugget of wisdom about family, faith, and the beauty of life itself.

What sets Gilead apart, as many reviewers (and my professors) have noted, is that it is an unapologetically spiritual novel. The narrator is neither portrayed as a fundamentalist hick nor as a charismatic charlatan, the two stereotypes of preachers that contemporary fiction is littered with. Rather, he is an educated, thoughtful, and faithful man trying to honor God, his church, and his family...not to mention himself. When he struggles, he prays. When he questions, he quotes Scripture. When he sins, he asks for forgiveness. Gilead is neither a story attacking religion--the kind that often earn glowing reviews in mainstream literary publications--nor a religious tract masquerading as fiction, i.e. 95% of the "Christian fiction" section at your local bookstore. It is simply a quiet portrait of a life of faith.

My only complaint about Gilead echoes what I said about Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places (though I enjoyed Gilead more). At times the book feels like brilliant writing in search of a story to tell, a series of proverbs needing a central point. However, this issue is mostly resolved by the book's conclusion, as one character arc concludes and the book's main themes become more evident. I just wish the first 100 pages had felt a little tighter, because they made for a sleepy and occasionally frustrating reading experience. Overall, while Gilead is not the best work of fiction I've ever read (as my professors' recommendations had led me to believe it might be), I would still recommend it, especially to any believer looking for a book with a faithful perspective and good creative writing, a combination that is unfortunately difficult to find.

ESSENTIAL DEFENDERS VOL. 2-3 by Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema, Jim Mooney, Len Wein, Jim Starlin, David Kraft, et al.

After my introduction to "the greatest non-team in comics" last month, I continued my crash course with Essential Defenders Vol. 2 and 3, collections that took me from issues 15 through 60 (along with a few crossover issues in Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-in-One). And now that I've got this many Defenders stories under my belt, I can say this with confidence: this is a fun series.

Imagine the Avengers without the high stakes (and with a lot more C and D-list characters) and you've got the Defenders. While the original team started with some heavy hitters in the lineup--Doctor Strange, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer--by issue 15, two new characters, Nighthawk and Valkyrie, have already been introduced to the book following previous brief appearances in the Avengers. Their lack of pedigree gives the writers plenty of room for imagination (and no pesky continuity to deal with), and it is probably for that reason that they are the only characters in every issue of these two volumes. C-list superheroes at best, they nevertheless become the bedrock of the team (by issue 60, Nighthawk is the leader and Valkyrie the most powerful member.) Along with Doctor Strange and the Hulk, who alternates between comic relief and destructive force of nature, the core lineup is a good mixture of personality, power, and mystery. Other Defenders who join the team include Luke Cage, Red Guardian (a Soviet superheroine), Hellcat (a happy-go-lucky acrobat), and Demon Slayer (still not totally sure what his deal is, honestly.)

The highlight of these two volumes is clearly Steve Gerber's run as writer. Best known as the creator of Howard the Duck, Gerber inserts a comedic, don't-take-this-too-seriously sensibility to the book without ever departing from its action roots. Probably the best example of this comes when the Defenders face off against the Headmen, a group of would-be world conquerors who have one trait in common: they all have heads that don't match their bodies. Seriously. Take a look:

So many questions. But the answer to all of them, inevitably, is, "Because comics. Don't think about it too hard."

That's a pretty good attitude to take for all of these Defenders issues. Whether it's the story where Nighthawk's brain has been transplanted into the body of one of the Headmen and that Headman's body into a deer, the continuing saga of the ex-husband of the woman whose body Valkyrie inhabits, or the ongoing mystery of the Elf With A Gun (who is he? why does he keep shooting people? does he even have anything to do with the Defenders, since his appearances are all non-sequiturs?), the 1970s Defenders series is a dated, hit-or-miss slice of the Bronze Age that no one would call a masterpiece. But it's a heck of a lot of fun. Time to go shopping for Essential Defenders Vol. 4!