God Bless America, by Karen Stollznow

It goes without saying that the United States is a theologically diverse nation.  One result of the religious freedom we enjoy is the freedom to believe whatever wacky thing we want.  And some Americans believe some pretty wacky stuff.  Karen Stollznow, an Australian transplant to the U.S., has spent some time doing anthropological research on several examples of the wacky religions of our great nation.  Her book God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States recounts her findings.

The groups she covers are, for the most part, tiny minority groups that are easy for most mainstream Americans to dismiss.  Few would disagree with her conclusion that polygamist, fundamentalist Mormons who force young teens to marry older men are despicable, or that there's something a little off with practitioners of voodoo, Scientologists, or New Agers.  She is particularly bothered by charlatanism, when said practitioners perpetuate a set of beliefs in order to make money off the true believers.

Her greatest ire is reserved for the groups or subgroups that harm others.  "Several of these religious groups are closed societies, allowing corruption to flourish.  Religious freedom becomes an excuse to commit crimes under guise of God. . . . [M]any religious beliefs and practices endanger the physical and psychological health of their followers."  Some of the groups she describes have abundant examples of such harm.

Each chapter gives a brief history or background of a particular religious group, raises some objections to their beliefs and/or practices, especially dwelling on harm inflicted or fraud perpetrated, and, in most cases, she describes her own experiences as a guest and observer at their religious services.  Her presentation is, for the most part, even-handed and objective, but it becomes clear that she is writing as a nonbeliever.  I don't think she ever comes out and says it, but I feel fairly certain she would self-identify as an atheist.

As an evangelical Christian who has attended Charismatic churches for over 20 years, I was struck by her negative portrayal of the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement.  It's not that what she writes is inaccurate or false.  My problem was the unbalanced focus on some unsavory elements in the movement.  Most Charismatics would share her disdain for fake faith healers and over-the-top prosperity gospel preachers (although these guys have way too many followers).  I would invite her to spend some time at some of the churches I have attended, where genuine prophetic words have been spoken to great effect, where people have been certifiably healed of various medical conditions, and where lives have been miraculously changed through an encounter with the Holy Spirit.  Stollznow's experiences and conclusions should serve as a stark reminder to all Christians of the need to present a consistent, biblical witness, and to see signs and wonders not as a sideshow or focus of our faith, but as loving expressions of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.

Given that I had a more personal perspective on her chapter on Charismatics, it led me to reflect more deeply on the other chapters.  I wonder how much of her focus on the unsavory elements of the groups covered is deserved.  Very few Mormons are fundamentalist, polygamist pedophiles.  Very few Amish are reclusive, controlling, incestuous fiends.  Very few exorcists are insane, abusive murderers.  The bottom line is that whatever the belief system, some people are bad.  That applies to any group of people, whether a minority religion, a particular profession, fans of a particular football team, or whatever.  So even as Stollznow presents a thoughtful discussion of religious beliefs and practices, including her own first-hand experiences, it's possible that she was swayed by possibly atypical, anomalous negative examples.  (By the way, one group she defends a little is Satanists, whom she says have been unfairly persecuted by false claims of Satanic ritual abuse: "Satanists certainly have their faults, but they have been unfairly stigmatized and victimized for crimes they didn't commit.")

Despite a possible tendency to focus too much on the negative, the minority of minority religionists, Stollznow's book is a good-natured, naturally irreverent tour of some interesting byways of our religious landscape.  As a Christian, my prayer for her is that she will see this truth: belief in God and in the saving work of Jesus Christ is not intellectually irreconcilable with the natural order and the witness of history.  Further, the Christian life does not necessarily lead to wacky, irrational beliefs and practices.   More power to you, Dr. Stollznow, as you seek truth, and may you know that the giver of all truth is seeking you, too.



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

Football Revolution, by Bart Wright

Spend a Saturday afternoon watching college football, then spend some time watching games from the 1960s and 1970s on YouTube.  It doesn't take long to see the differences.  In the old games, linemen shoulder-to-shoulder at the line of scrimmage, lots of running, maybe an occasional pass.  Today, the linemen are often spaced apart from each other, multiple wide receivers will line up from sideline to sideline, and while a good running back is appreciated, the passing game is king.  Veteran sports journalist Bart Wright chronicles this transformation of the game in his new book Football Revolution: The Rise of the Spread Offense and How It Transformed College Football.

Drawing on lots of personal interviews and contemporary first-hand accounts, Wright recounts the coaching trees, team personnel changes, and key seasons and games that had a part in the gradual dominance of the spread offense.  As he writes, "The game has changed so much is barely comparable to college football of the 1960s, 1970s, and for most of the nation's teams, on into the 1980s." Teams that were slow to make this shift frequently ended up at a serious, unexpected disadvantage.  As a Baylor fan, I was particularly interested that he identifies Baylor's loss to San Jose State in 1980.

The 1980 Baylor Bears were perhaps the best Baylor team ever to take the field.  Walter Abercrombie was busy setting all of Baylor's rushing records, and linebacker Mike Singletary was putting the hurt on the oppositions' offensive efforts.  The Bears were 7-0, ranked 10th in the nation, and picked to beat visiting San Jose State by 20 1/2.  SJSU's head coach Jack Elway (John's father) and offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson were pioneers of the spread offense, which effectively took Singletary, who was used to defending the wishbone and option offenses in the Southwest Conference, out of the game.

Years later Singletary reflected, "I guess it's kind of cool to think back on it as the first time people realized what the spread could do.  I didn't think it was very cool at the time; it was just so weird. . . . It was just to different to play against that kind of football." Baylor coach Grant Teaff called their spread offense "extremely tough to stop." Elway called that Baylor win "the greatest win in my 28 years of coaching."

There had been passing in college football for years before Jack Neumeier, a high school football coach in Southern California, had an epiphany at a high school basketball game.  He began to think of spacing and timing in the passing game, beginning to think about football as basketball on grass.  His star quarterback was John Elway, whose father Jack took the spread to the college game.

Wright weaves this story together with lots of college football history, interesting personal stories about the coaches and programs, and brings the game right up to this season.  Naturally, the threads get pretty tangled at times, but Wright does a nice job of drawing along the narrative.  What is the spread offense, and why did it come to dominate the college game (and make some serious inroads in the NFL)?  Wright sets the story straight.  An interesting read for the football fan.

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

Mongoliad: Book 3, by Neal Stephenson

I have such mixed feelings about The Mongoliad.  I wanted to like it more than I did.  I think the problem may lie in the corporate authorship.  Neal Stephenson is one of my favorites, but he does tend to tell some long stories (see his 3 volume, 2,688 page Baroque Cycle).  But The Mongoliad author list stretches on to eight names.  It's like one of those variety shows, where the individual acts are good, but there are just too many, or an all-star game, where the talent on the court is great, but it turns out to be a boring game.

All of that said, I didn't dislike The Mongoliad.  There is plenty to like.  The plot by Western soldiers to assassinate the Khan.  The political maneuvering to replace the pope.  The vivid descriptions of hand-to-hand combat.  The rich feel of the historical and geographical setting.  But the end result seemed over long and bloated.  A great effort, an interesting literary project, but the sum did not end up greater than the parts.

Game Changer, by Kirk Cousins

Cousins and Griffin

In the latter half of the last decade, a couple of lightly recruited quarterbacks came to play at colleges that were trying to regain some footing on the football field.  They both led their teams to great seasons, and both became known as team leaders, articulate speakers, and young men guided by their faith.  In the 2012 NFL draft, they were both drafted by the Washington Redskins.  The lives and careers of Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III have some parallels, and now run on the same track in the NFL.

In his new book, Game Changer: Faith, Football, and Finding Your Way, Cousins talks about his life and his faith, and gives the reader insight into his relationship with the real Game Changer, Jesus.  The son of a pastor and church consultant, Cousins has definitely been shaped by his faith and shows a spiritual maturity beyond his years.

Fans of Michigan State football will not be disappointed with Cousins' recounting of his seasons there.  He had some serious letdowns, but turned those into opportunities to grow his faith, and, ultimately, led the Spartans to a couple of their best seasons ever.  I was reminded of the feeling Baylor fans had when RG3 led the Bears to bowl games, two years in a row.

Time will tell whether Cousins has a great NFL career.  At the rate RG3 has started this season, Cousins might have a chance to step up.  In any case, Game Changer shows that his priority is not being in the spotlight leading the team, but in serving Christ, whether on the field, on the sideline, or after football ends. 

The Plague Forge, by Jason Hough

Skyler and crew are back for the final installment of Jason Hough's Dire Earth Cycle.  If you read his The Darwin Elevator and The Exodus Towers, you will be eager to dive into The Plague Forge.  If you haven't, well what are you waiting for!  This is fun, action-packed, original sci-fi!

The alien events of the first two books--the arrival of the alien ship, the elevator, the plague--set the stage for the penultimate event, the arrival of a new, much larger ship, which sets up a second elevator and sends smaller ships to several spots around the planet.  In The Plague Forge, Skyler and his friends from Exodus are in a race with Grillo and the crazy Jacobites to gather the alien artifacts in preparation for the final alien event, whatever that might be.

Of course, along the way, they have to kill a bunch of subhumans, take perilous journeys around the world, and face the mysteries of alien technologies.  Hough's plot never slows the pace, his characters are believable and likable (and in some cases thoroughly hatable!), and the alien speculative element is top-notch.  This is a solid ending to a thoroughly enjoyable trilogy.  One word of caution: The Plague Forge would be considerably less enjoyable without first having read the first two books.  I know you'll join me in looking forward to what springs next from the imagination of Jason Hough!



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

Boring, by Michael Kelley

As Michael Kelley says, his publisher must have really believed in him to publish a book called "Boring." The cover is perfect, the doodles of a student bored with a droning lecture in the napping hours after lunch.  Far from being boring, Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life is one of the most encouraging books I've read in a long time.

It's easy for all of us as Christians to get caught up in the extraordinary.  Whether it's a desire to emulate the heroes of the faith and "do great things for God," or the desire to experience God in worship or to see miracles happen, we may "find ourselves bowing down to the idol of excitement all while claiming to be seeking after the living God."  Kelley encourages us to remember that God is present and active in our everyday, boring lives and choices.

The ordinary things we do, going to work, being a parent (As Kelley says, "Parenthood is a massive series of monotonous and repeated tasks."), attending church (even when the worship is far from inspiring and the preacher drones), tithing, all are ordinary but we should learn to view them in light of an extraordinary God.  He is present and active when we're folding laundry, sitting on the expressway, changing a diaper, mowing the lawn.

Kelly writes:

A regular life isn't just a series of physical times and moments strung together; it's a progression of being formed into the image of Jesus.  A casual conversation isn't just a series of words between friends; ins an interaction between beings made in the image of God.  A marriage isn't just a contract between two people; it's a walking, talking illustration of the reality of the gospel.  Parenting isn't just teaching kids to be good citizens; it's seeing our children as arrows of light shot into darkness.  And finances aren't just a few bucks here and there; they are the window into what we love and what we believe.

So it's a change of perspective.  Miracles happen, and some Christians do amazing things and have books written about them.  But that's not the norm.  It's doubtful I'll have a book written about me.  I may do some great works.  But here's what God expects of me: "Do the next right thing. . . . Do that which you know is from God, and keep doing it, one choice at a time." It reminds of the famous quote from Friedrich Nietzsche, "that there should be a long obedience in the same direction."

I liked this book overall, but one story stands out and illustrates Kelley's point exceptionally well.  You may be familiar with the story of Jim Elliot, the missionary who was martyred in Ecuador in 1956.  The deaths of Elliot and his companions have inspired many, including me--I named my oldest son Elliot in honor of Jim Elliot.  But I had never heard of Jim's brother Bert.  Bert and his wife were missionaries in Peru before Jim went to Ecuador.  And there they stayed, for over 60 years, until Bert's death in 2012.  Faithfulness.  A life of living in obedience and dying to self, every day for 6 decades.  Bert described Jim's life as a "great meteor, streaking through the sky."

The kingdom of God can use streaking meteors, but that is not the plan of God for everyone.  Most of us will be "faint stars. . . . We will go through life, day after day, doing very much the same thing tomorrow that we did today." To do the next right thing.  Then the next.  Even when it's boring.  And knowing that "there is no such thing as ordinary when you follow an ordinary God."

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

Walk in Their Shoes, by Jim Ziolkowski

Some guys finish college, spend a few years wandering around the world, experiencing cultures and working adventuresome jobs, then head back to the real world to settle down for a comfortable career and a typical American life.  As Jim Ziolkowski tells in his new book Walk in Their Shoes: Can One Person Change the World?, he began to follow that path, but after the adventures he had as a young man, he didn't last long in the world of finance before he knew he would never be able to settle into corporate life.

When a young Jim Ziolkowski was wandering around Nepal, he ran across a village where villagers were celebrating the building of a school funded by some British mountain climbers.  That experience stuck with Ziolkowski, and a few years later, he started the non-profit that would become buildOn.  Soon it became apparent that working a demanding, full-time job in corporate finance was not compatible with running a growing international charity, so he left the corporate world behind.

BuildOn has a dual focus: building schools in impoverished rural villages in several countries, and engaging lower-income American high school students in active service.  In both cases, he wants to avoid an entitlement mentality and dependence.  Of the work building schools, he says education is the key: "We couldn't rescue villagers; we had to empower them through education to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations."  When buildOn builds a school, they only do so with the support, buy-in, and labor of the villagers themselves.

Similarly, the kids at buildOn's U.S. high school programs are not involved just for fun, free stuff, or entertainment.  They put in service hours in local nursing homes, graffiti clean-up, and, in some cases, travel to work on the overseas school construction projects.

Ziolkowski's story is inspiring, as he takes the reader on the journey from his randomly inspired vision in Tibet, to his gathering of a small group of friends to share that vision, to convincing corporate and individual donors to fund the vision.  His story is also deeply personal, as he tells of his journey from carefree, unmarried world traveller, to a man with a specific vision, to marriage, and to parenthood.  Especially wrenching are the passages in which Ziolkowski wrestles with balancing his desire to oversee buildOn's international work first-hand, and his need to be present with his family as his son struggles with a debilitating seizure disorder.

The personal stories of the people he meets really make the book.  Whether villagers who assist in the school construction, the students who are able to get an education their parents never dreamed about, or the American teen from the inner-city whose world view is expanded by his experiences of third-world poverty.

Walk in Their Shoes is an encouragement to do just that: step outside of where you're comfortable and touch someone's life while experiencing life with them.  You and I may never start a major international nonprofit with activities in dozens of countries, but we can share our lives with the world around us.  What an inspiring example.

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