Not really leaving
Memoir, as a literary genre, has been around since St. Augustine wrote his Confessions -- and sometimes it feels as though I've been reading memoirs since that time! I recently came across Barbara Brown Taylor's, LEAVING CHURCH, and immersed myself into her spiritual journey for several days.
Now considered to be one of the foremost preachers of the Episcopal Church, she actually traveled through several denominations en route to that status. Apparently she's been writing for some time, but I have to admit this was the first time I've learned of her and now I have a sense that I've missed out on a lot and need to catch up.
LEAVING CHURCH is both an easy and dense read. By that I mean, her life story is riveting, the writing flows quickly and is, in some ways, a bit of a page-turner. On the other hand, the author takes the time to ponder deeply some of the stumbling blocks and concerns that dogged her at various times. The final chapter -- don't skip ahead and read it first! -- summarizes many of her current beliefs so the reader is left with some understanding of where she stands now. That chapter was intensely hardy. And so, I'm recommending LEAVING CHURCH as your one spiritual read for the summer of 2010.
I'd heard it was good but bad. Maybe I'll have to read it and see for myself since I have chosen to "leave church" in this past year. Being Catholic just got to be too much. The sex abuse, the put-down of women and the stealing of the people's money plus a hierarchy that is concerned with hanging on to power and the good ol' boys club finally became too heavy a burden.
ReplyDeleteI can't blame you for reacting to all of that! You might enjoy this woman's journey - in the end she didn't really leave.... but she sure thought through some stuff and changed venues.
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