Erin S. Lane
Autor von Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe
Werke von Erin S. Lane
Getagged
Wissenswertes
- Geschlecht
- female
Mitglieder
Rezensionen
More than a decade of Catholic school failed to cultivate anything but atheism in me. I love a good memoir though, and the cover of Erin Lane’s book intrigued me when I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. As I glanced over the table of contents and skimmed the foreword, I thought to myself “What was I thinking? I’m not even religious! I’m not going to be able to read this book.”
I’m slightly surprised to report that I really enjoyed it! I read the entire thing on one of those lazy rainy days when leaving the couch seems like an impossibility. It is a book about religion. Mostly, however, it’s one woman’s story of her own quest to find a place to belong within the world of her faith. She never struggles with her belief in God but questions how it fits within tangible day to day life among other believers. Reflections on Christianity and biblical verses are seamlessly integrated with tales of the places she’s lived, communities she’s a part of, and her marriage and family.
Lane very nearly manages to never come across as preachy thanks to her willingness to expose her own quirks and flaws. She has a hard time committing to the idea of weekly attendance at church. On this she says “I believe in being the church. I believe in attending a church. I just don’t like to do it.” Her feminist views also infuse a bit of humor, such as when she mentions changing all the he’s to her’s and the Father’s to Mother’s while singing hymns “in order to enact a dose of liturgical affirmative action on behalf of the female sex.”
If I had to offer one criticism, and it’s a very small one, it would be that the timeline is challenging to follow. It’s sometimes unclear whether something she describes happened in the past, perhaps when she was living in a different city, or more recently. This ultimately has very little impact on the narrative because her stories aren’t dependent on a sense of time or place.
I think you may need to have some interest in or history of experience with religion to really appreciate this book, because a substantial part of it is an exploration of faith. I never felt like the author was trying to convert the reader or push her viewpoint, however, and I found this book smart, beautifully written, and immensely enjoyable.
… (mehr)
I’m slightly surprised to report that I really enjoyed it! I read the entire thing on one of those lazy rainy days when leaving the couch seems like an impossibility. It is a book about religion. Mostly, however, it’s one woman’s story of her own quest to find a place to belong within the world of her faith. She never struggles with her belief in God but questions how it fits within tangible day to day life among other believers. Reflections on Christianity and biblical verses are seamlessly integrated with tales of the places she’s lived, communities she’s a part of, and her marriage and family.
Lane very nearly manages to never come across as preachy thanks to her willingness to expose her own quirks and flaws. She has a hard time committing to the idea of weekly attendance at church. On this she says “I believe in being the church. I believe in attending a church. I just don’t like to do it.” Her feminist views also infuse a bit of humor, such as when she mentions changing all the he’s to her’s and the Father’s to Mother’s while singing hymns “in order to enact a dose of liturgical affirmative action on behalf of the female sex.”
If I had to offer one criticism, and it’s a very small one, it would be that the timeline is challenging to follow. It’s sometimes unclear whether something she describes happened in the past, perhaps when she was living in a different city, or more recently. This ultimately has very little impact on the narrative because her stories aren’t dependent on a sense of time or place.
I think you may need to have some interest in or history of experience with religion to really appreciate this book, because a substantial part of it is an exploration of faith. I never felt like the author was trying to convert the reader or push her viewpoint, however, and I found this book smart, beautifully written, and immensely enjoyable.
… (mehr)
Statistikseite
- Werke
- 2
- Mitglieder
- 59
- Beliebtheit
- #280,813
- Bewertung
- 3.6
- Rezensionen
- 2
- ISBNs
- 5
Lane describes herself in the book with these words:
Lane's memoir shares her struggle to belong to a church. She struggles with patriarchal pastors, artificial gender roles, and feeling 'lost' and 'disconnected' in the congregation. She does learn belonging by choosing to stick with a community, to show up at stuff, to read the community charitably, to be vulnerable and to offer 'her portion.' But this is no Pollyanna tale. Lane's church angst persists. She sees the gifts of Christian community and belonging, she leans in, but it remains a struggle
I read this book with interest, because I really wanted to hear how her story turned out. She doesn't attend church with her youth pastor husband, and at one point, moves to Seattle for a season (for work, but also to figure things out). Her marriage to Rush and cold feet about commitment, is also a window into her struggle to commit to a local congregation.
But reading this book reminded of some of 'the lessons in belonging' I have had in my own church journey. I haven't struggled in committing to churches the same way Lane has, but I can think of a couple of churches that I didn't feel I belonged to until I committed to them for a coupe of years. There is no shortcut to knowing and being known.
I recommend this book for anyone who likewise struggles with 'going to church' or feels angsty about committing to a community. Lane is winsome and funny. And she keeps it real. Despite being so theologically thoughtful, this isn't a preachy book. I give this four-and-half stars. You should totally read it.
Note: I received this book from SpeakEasy in exchange for my honest review.… (mehr)