While there are areas I differ with John Gardner, and I’m still trying to thoughtfully digest his debate-provoking book, On Moral Fiction, I can resonate with this sentiment from early on in the work:

The language of critics, and of artists of the kind who pay attention to the critics, has become exceedingly odd: not talk about feelings or intellectual affirmations — not talk about moving and supporting twists of plot or wonderful characters and ideas — but sentences full of large words like hermaneutic (sic), heuristic, structuralism, formalism, or opaque language, and full of fine distinctions — for instance those between modernist and postmodernist — that would make even an intelligent cow suspicious. Though more difficult than ever before to read, criticism has become trivial.

The iconological criticism of S.T. Coleridge, Ruskin, MacDonald, Tolkien, Lewis, L’Engle has gone exactly the way of all belief about supernatural and religious thought: keep it private, or else. More than that, this way of approaching literature has been so sidelined that it’s about as noticed as the water boy (i.e., not at all). Instead of transformative story, a book is that thing over there, and the words are those objects to be dissected and laid against our enlightened views of science and justice, and separated from anything sacramental that might point to a reality greater than our five senses can perceive.

Christians are as guilty, and the practice of reading and responding to story on a spiritual level has been lost, and trite systems of belief have won the day. As such, the Christian faith in America has lost much of its depth and ability to think and relate to other human beings. Great literature trains us in morality; it teaches us to love and receive love. Current criticism teaches us to criticize.

In the university, “This text is oppressive because…” is the basic operating thesis of the approach to literature. In the church, “This text is dangerous/Satanic/should be avoided by Christians because…” is the approach. Both miss the symbols pointing to the greater reality.

Eat, Pray, Love begins with Elizabeth Gilbert in her early 30s, crying on the bathroom floor. She is catapulted into a severe emotional and spiritual crisis because of the realization that she does not want to have a child. The dramatic meltdown ensues; she divorces her husband, cashes the advance check for her next novel and makes a plan to travel around the world. She orchestrates her recovery in three parts: first, she will eat big plates of pasta in Italy, second she will find God in an ashram in India, and third she will learn to balance pleasure and devotion in Indonesia, thereby triumphing over her severe depression.

I sound sarcastic, but the truth is that I also feel empathic. We all experience seasons of grief, a lack of satisfaction, an ache for more meaning. It was easy to see her appeal as I watched Oprah Winfrey endorse Gilbert and her pilgrimage. I saw women like myself soaking up the wisdom of her story, wanting to break their shackles, drop their burdens, and be free. We love living vicarious emotional journeys. And in Gilbert we find a charming, insightful and self-depreciating voice to capture the adventure.

But the adventure, no matter how cleverly written, seemed circular. Gilbert sets out for reaching the turiya state, or a state of constant bliss, not affected by mood swings, fear or loss. Spoiler: she doesn’t get there. Gilbert says that in the end she was not rescued by a prince, but was the administrator of her own rescue. And although the notion that we can heal and save ourselves is appealing, I don’t buy it. When I noticed that half of my Facebook friends have this novel listed as a favorite I decided to put my thoughts to paper.

Before we get to the point, which is the second part of the book on finding God, I must say this: Eating plates of pasta in Italy is something I have personally experienced. It is awesome and I highly recommend it. After gaining fifteen pounds and enjoying much decadence in Italy, Gilbert travels to India to study in an ashram under the teachings of a famous Indian guru. Here we are taught through our narrator that God dwells within us, as us. That we need to renounce our division from God, to refuse the idea that God is separate from us. My initial response to this was, “Is it a good thing for the God of the Universe to be like me? Is it good that God would love like me? Or have patience like me?” There is more peace in knowing that God transcends the limitations of frail humanness. Although we are created in the likeness of God, thankfully, we are not God.

Zen masters say that “you cannot see your reflection in running water, only still water.” It makes sense for our spiritual health that we slow down and be contemplative. Silence and solitude are universally recognized spiritual practices. But is the point, as the quote says to see your own reflection? Are spiritual journeys really about looking only inward to our own hearts? Gilbert says on her website that “God resides in pockets of silence” that you find when you are brave enough to look within yourself. While in India, she makes a decision to stay at the ashram to look deeper into her own soul, rather than travel into the villages. She believes it took extraordinary bravery to come to this decision.

Sitting perfectly still in meditation for hours, quieting your mind, and seeking self mastery are not easy. But brave? Isn’t being by ourselves the most safe and familiar thing we know? Is meditation good practice for an individual? Maybe. Was Gilbert’s choice good for the Indian people living in hunger and poverty in the town where the ashram was located? Was it brave of her to stay isolated in thought about herself or would it have been more brave to feed to the poor? For me, this is the question that matters.

Is a spiritual journey about looking inside you to find God or looking into the pain of the world and, with the strength God provides, seeking to relieve it? Mother Theresa exemplified one brave enough to engage with others, to be responsible for them, to try to help fix brokenness, and give to those who are in need. However transformative and healing Gilbert’s time contemplating her navel seems to be to her, she missed the point. There were people in that Indian village hungry for healing, and, quite simply, food. My sense is that the rich American could have left a more lasting mark on the world had she looked outside of herself. She could have told a story to inspire people to act beyond themselves, in the interest of others, in the spirit of the love of God.

I love new books, and I love Christmas, because I always get new books, or gift cards for new books.  This year, I’m planning to read as though my entire sustenance were pages and ink. I’ve just finished spending my gift card money at Borders and Barnes & Noble, and here’s my official Christmas book haul:

• Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement, by Brian Doherty.  I’ve been looking for a good overall resource for libertarianism, and this looks like it.  It’s over 700 pages long, and I’m looking forward to digesting it.
• Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, by C.S. Lewis. I can’t believe I’ve never read this, but it’s my next work of fiction after I finish E. Nesbit, The Enchanted Castle.
• The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffery Chaucer.  I love these stories back in high school, and this is a new, unabridged translation.
• The Farthest Shore, by Ursula K. Le Guin.  This is the third book of the Earthsea cycle, which is tremendous myth-making.
• Stardust, by Neil Gaiman.  Gaiman’s been recommended to me over and over again, and it’s about time I read him.

• Madeleine L’Engle: A Wind in the Door
• Scot McKnight: A Community Called Atonement
• Madeleine L’Engle: A Swiftly Tilting Planet
• Richard L. Purtill: J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality, and Religion
• Sara B. Kajder: The Tech-Savvy English Classroom
• Rowing: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
• Joseph Pearce: Tolkien: Man and Myth
• J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• McGrath and McGrath: The Dawkins Delusion?
• H.P. Lovecraft: At the Mountains of Madness
• J.R.R. Tolkien: Farmer Giles of Ham
• Andrew Peterson: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
• N.T. Wright: Surprised by Hope
• J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Richard Beach: Teachingmedialiteracy.com
• J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Beowulf
• Joseph Conrad: The Heart of Darkness
• Roald Dahl: Esio Tort
• Karen Armstrong: A Short History of Myth
• Edith Nesbit: Five Children and It
• George MacDonald: The Princess and Curdie
• Arthur Conan Doyle: The Hound of the Baskervilles
• Chris Tovani: I Read It, but I Don’t Get It
• George MacDonald: Phantastes
• Ursula K. Le Guin: The Tombs of Atuan
• J.K. Rowling: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
• Murgatroyd, et al: Handbook of Cardiac Electrophysiology
• Madeleine L’Engle: Many Waters
• E.M. Forster: The Machine Stops
• Stephanie Meyer: Twilight

Because I haven’t directly plugged it here yet:

You can pre-order my book, Harry Potter & Imagination: The Way Between Two Worlds!

Click here for description and table of contents.

Click here for a short podcast on the book.

I spoke at another Harry Potter conference this past weekend, and here are some photos.

A few quick notes by way of review, then the book promo info below the break:

• A decent, fairly level-headed defense of the standard political Christian right position.
• It has its strengths, especially in not being too over-the-top, not trying to replace U.S. with a theocracy, etc.
• It has its weaknesses which remind me of why I don’t identify with evangelicals on politics anymore.  For example, in the “pro-life” chapter, there’s not a single word on the death of innocents in war.  When Christians can develop some consistency here, we might be able to get people to take us seriously on stem-cell research.
• Nevertheless, I recommend it as a reference and a standard representation of the Christian right wing.

Book info:Book: How Would Jesus Vote?

Summary: The 2008 election is shaping up to be one of the most important political contests in American history. In fact, Dr. D. James Kennedy believes it will be a watershed moment that could impact our very survival as a nation under God.

Values voters—people whose political views and votes are based on their faith in God—are being targeted as never before. As the campaign season moves forward, the significant players will debate terrorism, radical Islam, nuclear threats, global warming, social issues, gay marriage, immigration, education, health care, and many other essential issues that can create sharp ideological divisions.

Into this overwhelmingly complex political situation, Dr. Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe bring a clear, compelling, and nonpartisan exploration of what God’s Word has to say on these critical matters. How Would Jesus Vote? isn’t intended to tell readers which candidates to support; rather it offers a Christ-centered understanding of the world to help readers draw their own political conclusions.

Author Bio:

Jerry Newcombe is senior producer for Coral Ridge Ministries television and has produced or coproduced more than fifty documentaries.The host of two weekly radio shows, he has also been a guest on numerous television and radio talk shows. He is the author or coauthor of more than fifteen books.

Dr. D. James Kennedy is one of the most trusted and recognized Christian leaders of our time. The senior minister of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he is the featured preacher on television’s “The Coral Ridge Hour” and radio’s “Truths That Transform”, syndicated on over one thousand stations throughout the U.S. The founder and president of Evangelism Explosion International and chancellor of Knox Theological Seminary, he is the author of more than sixty books, including the bestselling What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

   WE wear the mask that grins and lies, 
    It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,— 
    This debt we pay to human guile; 
    With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, 
    And mouth with myriad subtleties.

    Why should the world be over-wise, 
    In counting all our tears and sighs? 
    Nay, let them only see us, while 
            We wear the mask.

    We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries 
    To thee from tortured souls arise. 
    We sing, but oh the clay is vile 
    Beneath our feet, and long the mile; 
    But let the world dream otherwise, 
            We wear the mask!

Occasionally, I participate in Blog Tours for WaterBook Press.  They send me books, I review ‘em.  This week is the Children’s Extravaganza.  I’m not entirely sure how to respond to these three books in particular, quite frankly, so I’ll just post the info for them.  I have an extra copy of each.  First come, first served  (Update: They’re Gone!).  Just write me via the “contact” form with your address, and I’ll mail ‘em out.  Info below the cut.Book: God Gave Us Heaven

Summary: Little Cub awakens one morning with some important questions on her mind: What is heaven like? How do we get there? Will we eat in heaven? Will we be angels?

During a delightful day spent wandering their arctic world, Papa gently answers each question, assuring Little Cub that heaven is a wonderful place, “a million times better” than she can imagine. He explains how God has made a way for those who love him to enter their heavenly home forever after their lives on earth are over.

Reuniting the best-selling author-illustrator team from God Gave Us You, this gentle story provides satisfying answers for a young child’s most difficult questions about heaven. Parents, grandparents, childcare professionals, librarians, Sunday school teachers, and others will appreciate the gentle approach to a topic that’s on the minds of so many “little cubs.”

Through captivating, full-color illustrations and tender, biblically sound storytelling, young readers and those who love them will find reasons to rejoice in knowing that God Gave Us Heaven.

Author Bio: Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than one million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Heaven is Lisa’s fourth children’s book, following in the tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She makes her home in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.

Illistrator Bio: Laura J. Bryant studied painting, printmaking, and sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She has illustrated numerous award-winning children’s books, including God Gave Us You, Smudge Bunny, and If You Were My Baby. Laura lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Cover art:

Author Photo:

Books: God Loves Me More Than That, and When God Created My Toes

Summary: In two new books from best-selling children’s author Dandi Daley Mackall, clever rhymes and delightful illustrations help young children, ages three and up, understand God’s huge love for them and his joy in creating them. These enchanting picture books from the writer-illustrator team of Dandi Mackall and David Hohn will instill awe in young children as they revel in each page. Parents alike will appreciate the engaging stories that communicate God’s perfect plan and his divine purpose for little hearts.

            In God Loves Me More Than That, children learn that God loves them deeper than a wishing well, wider than a semi-truck, louder than thunder, and softer than a kitten’s sneeze. Each question, presented with charming child-like faith will help young ones grasp the great love of God through comparisons and descriptions they can easily understand. In short, they’ll discover that His love is bigger, wider, higher, and deeper than anything they could imagine!

            In When God Made My Toes, kids are drawn into the wonder of their creation by God. Their masterful artist who fashioned them just right for amazing and delightful adventures, such as roller skating, finger-painting, doing flips, and drinking cocoa. Children will come to an understanding that God shaped each part of their amazing bodies with joy, delight, and humor.

Author Bio: Dandi Daley Mackall has published more than 400 books for children and adults, with more than 3 million combined copies sold. She is the author of WaterBrook’s two other delightful Dandilion Rhymes books, A Gaggle of Geese & A Clutter of Cats and The Blanket Show. A popular keynote speaker at conferences and Young Author events, Mackall lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, and a menagerie of horses, dogs, and cats.

Illistrator Bio: David Hohn is an award-winning illustrator who graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He has worked as both a staff artist and an art director for a children’s software company in Portland, Oregon, a position which led to his art directing an award-winning project for Fisher-Price. Hohn’s recent projects include Lisa Tawn Bergren’s God Gave Us Christmas.

Cover Art:

Author Photo:

It is our business, as readers of literature, to know what we like. It is our business, as Christians, as well as readers of literature, to know what we ought to like. It is our business as honest men not to assume that whatever we like is what we ought to like; and it is our business as honest Christians not to assume that we do like what we ought to like. And the last thing I would wish for would be the existence of two literatures, one for Christian consumption and the other for the pagan world.

(HT to TMH at BHT)