I wanted to wait until I finished the book to share it with you here. But I can’t. Wait, that is, not finish it.
A lot of people have written books about the inaccuracies of America’s version of Christianity. But Skye Jethani has written a book – Divine Commodity – that aspires to inspire instead of merely criticize. It never feels self-righteous, cynical or pessimistic. It feels like a loving friend sitting beside a hospital bed reminding the amnesiac lying in it of who he is.
I like to savor books, so I take my time, make notes, write stuff down. I read a little at a time. Pray. Think. Read some more. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book I hate to take a break from and can’t wait to come back to. For me, this book – about how Christianity is shaped by consumer cultures and what we’ve forgotten it could be – is entertaining, deep and almost poetry at times. In other words, I like it a lot.
One of my favorite paragraphs so far concludes Chapter 2 about approaching God with humility, with so much humility that we no longer speak about Him with more certainty than we, mere human beings, are qualified for.
Consumerism, with its never-ending noise about its consumable god, has led us to believe that our words and notions about God are of supreme importance. It has made the church into a noisy orchestra without harmony and fearful of silence. But humble silence offers us liberation from our digital cocoons to experience wonder once again. Silence allows us the space to contemplate the vastness of the heavens and the God beyond them. Silence can shatter the trivialized deity that has occupied our imaginations and provide God the canvas to begin a new work in our souls.
The only thing I hate about this book is that it’s too short. I’ll probably finish it on the airplane today. Dang it.
so glad you’re loving it. i’ll have the hard cover for you when you get back.
I’ve had a similar reaction to the book. It has reminded me of what worship really is, something much bigger and quite distinct from engineering an experience.
And Skye’s use of Van Gogh’s paintings to illustrate each chapter opened my eyes in new ways. Glory!
I’ve ordered it, on Anne’s recommendation. Can’t wait to read it!
Sounds interesting. That paragraph reminds me of the first half of Psalm 46:10, which says “Be still and know that I am God”. I really like that verse because it reminds me to slow down and just relax sometimes.
Maybe it’s the book I’ve been waiting for?
And this is particularly why I miss my Friends church from college. I absolutely loved the open worship. 15 minutes of sitting in silence in church. Awesome!
That’s exactly how I feel about “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. I’m forcing myself to read it slowly. I need time for it to absorb. But dang. It’s hard.
Thanks, Shaun, I’m glad you’re enjoying the book. And your amnesia imagery is so good I wish I had thought of it myself. I’ll have to remember that for the next book (which I’ll try to make a little bit longer).
Skye