Bøger i Experiences in Evangelicalism serien

Description:Evangelicals are supposed to be experts at telling their story. From an early age you are expected to have a ""testimony,"" a story of how God saved you from a life of sin and sadness and gave you a new life of joy and gladness. What happens if you don''t have such a testimony? What if your story just doesn''t fit the before-and-after mold? What are you supposed to do if your voice is not one usually heard?In these offbeat, witty, and often bittersweet essays, up-and-coming writers tell the truth about growing up female and evangelical. Whether they stayed in the church or not, evangelicalism has shaped their spiritual lives.Eschewing evangelical clichés, idyllic depictions of Christian upbringing, and pat formulas of sinner-to-saint transformation, these writers reflect frankly on childhoods filled with flannel board Jesuses, Christian ""rap"" music, and Bible memorization competitions. Along the way they find insight in the strangest places--the community swimming pool, Casey Kasem''s American Top 40, and an Indian mosque.Together this collection of essays provides a vivid and diverse portrait of life in the evangelical church, warts and all.List of Contributors:Jessica BeltPaula CarterKirsten CruzenAnne DaytonKimberly B. GeorgeCarla-Elaine JohnsonMegan KirschnerAnastasia McAteerMelanie Springer MockAudrey MolinaVictoria MoonShauna NiequistHannah Faith NotessAndrea Palpant DilleyAngie RominesAndrea SaylorNicole SheetsShari MacDonald StrongStephanie TombariHeather Baker UtleyJessie van EerdenSara ZarrEndorsements:""Written by experienced women writers from diverse evangelical Christian backgrounds, the tales are honest, approachable and revealing. Each author has put aside her inhibitions about exposing the flaws of her home church--from power struggles to the indoctrination of shame--and takes evangelicalism to task for its ''carefully filtered'' yet ambiguous conventions. Yet all of the authors tell of a more realistic, meandering faith, enduring even while rife with doubt. Readers will be inspired to re-examine their own beliefs and perhaps even create their own un-testimonies."" -- Publishers Weekly""OK, male Evangelicals . . . it''s time: you need to listen to your sisters, mothers, and daughters. Their voices have been marginalized for too long, and as you''ll see in these pages, they have some tremendous stories to tell (or ''testimonies to share'').""OK, female Evangelicals . . . it''s time: spread the word on this amazing collection of essays. I''ve never seen anything like it, and I think you''ll agree.""OK, non-Evangelicals . . . it''s time: if you thought all Evangelical women were sitting quietly in church or baking casseroles for the next pot-luck, all the while dreaming of the next election in which they can vote right-wing . . . here''s a jolt and a pleasant surprise for you. Another great collection of deep feeling, honest thinking, and splendid writing from the folks at The Other Journal.""--Brian D. McLaren, author of The Secret Message of Jesus""Since the Puritans, spiritual autobiography has thrived in the New World. These women show that the American conversion testimony is endlessly resilient, as they break and remake it again and again. There''s a wild range of piety here, but the authors do believe in the possibilities of narrative. Intelligent and sensitive, their essays brilliantly shatter the born-again-bimbo stereotype!""--Julia Spicher Kasdorf, author of The Body and the Book: Writing from a Mennonite Life""A marvelous writer herself, Hannah Notess has gathered here a circle of riveting storytellers. Speaking from their own experience, these women reframe the ancient religious questions in contemporary language--questions about suffering, sin, and salvation, about the source and purpose and conduct of life. Above all they ask what Christianity meant to them when they were growing up, and what it means to them now. Their answers are as varied and rich

Description:"If this book moves, I hope it moves in the way pop songs do. There will be a lot of talk about songs, but inasmuch as this is a book about listening to music, it''s also about how listening to music makes us who we are, or at least about how it makes me who I am, and so it is an exploration, an idiosyncratic and opinionated and particular one, of a self shaped by the oddly intersecting forces of the American evangelical Protestant church and the American popular music scene. I don''t mean for that to sound hoity-toity--if this were fifteen years ago, I would say that this book was about Christian music, and I would know exactly what I meant. My purpose now is not only to talk about "Christian music." I am not here to explicate Christian music, to explain why it exists and whether it is any good. Instead, think of what you''re about to read as like an iPod playlist, a collection of essays and thoughts on listening to music and having faith and how they have made me, and a lot of people like me, and maybe you.            Also, there will be some jokes about Stryper."Endorsements:"If you can name the exact musical connection between Michael W. Smith and Sufjan Stevens, then you don''t need to read this book. But you can''t do that, can you? None of us can. But Joel Hartse can, and he does that kind of s#*! on Every. Single. Page. I''m pretty sure he knows everything. Plus, he''s witty and wise. I can''t imagine a better book on the weird world of Christian rock."--Patton Doddauthor of My Faith So Far: A Story of Conversion and Confusion"Part personal narrative and part cultural history, Joel Heng Hartse''s musical memoir is a lovingly written ode to all that is weird and wonderful, disturbing and divine about the world of Christian rock. Conversant in everything from White Town to Rebecca St James, Radiohead to Michael W. Smith, Hartse provides a richly observant, nostalgic document of the shaping artifacts and sonic ephemera of his evangelical youth. His book paints a picture of the recent past that will be funny, poignant, and therapeutic for anyone who grew up in a similar milieu."--Brett McCracken author of Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide"Joel Heng Hartse grew up during an era when Christian rock was actually kind of decent, but he was never shy about exploring all music. He emerged equal parts Jesus freak and music geek. His memoir is utterly charming . . . but seriously, dude, Genesis? --Andrew Beaujonauthor of Body Piercing Saved My Life"Joel Heng Hartse''s travels--and travails--through the world of rock and roll (spiritual, secular, and all those artists who aim to land somewhere in between) add up to something like a lesson in music history. But mostly, it''s a warm, witty, and downright entertaining trek down one man''s memory lane, a lane lined with insight, humor, and, of course, just enough love and sects to keep the pages turning. Joel knows music, and after reading this book, you''ll feel like you know Joel--and that''s a good thing."--Mark MoringPop Culture Editor, Christianity Today"There''s so much to love here: nostalgia tempered by wry humor; a slice of rock and roll history rich in detail yet anchored in emotions we all share; a series of tart but ultimately generous insights into the foibles of a religious subculture. Joel Hartse''s memoir is a postmodern ''pilgrim''s progress,'' the story of a young man in search of truth and beauty, rendered in a voice that is at once self-deprecating and heartfelt.--Gregory WolfeEditor, IMAGE"I basically stopped paying attention to Christian rock music right around the time Joel was getting into it. But even though I recognized only a handful of the bands he cites here, I still found his account of growing up with church and pop music easy to relate to, and fun to read. In an accessible, opinionated, and humorous way, he gets at what the music means--and how that meaning has changed, for him personally and for the

Evangelicals are supposed to be experts at telling their story. From an early age you are expected to have a ""testimony,"" a story of how God saved you from a life of sin and sadness and gave you a new life of joy and gladness. What happens if you don''t have such a testimony? What if your story just doesn''t fit the before-and-after mold? What are you supposed to do if your voice is not one usually heard?In these offbeat, witty, and often bittersweet essays, up-and-coming writers tell the truth about growing up female and evangelical. Whether they stayed in the church or not, evangelicalism has shaped their spiritual lives.Eschewing evangelical cliches, idyllic depictions of Christian upbringing, and pat formulas of sinner-to-saint transformation, these writers reflect frankly on childhoods filled with flannel board Jesuses, Christian ""rap"" music, and Bible memorization competitions. Along the way they find insight in the strangest places--the community swimming pool, Casey Kasem''s American Top 40, and an Indian mosque.Together this collection of essays provides a vivid and diverse portrait of life in the evangelical church, warts and all.List of Contributors:Jessica BeltPaula CarterKirsten CruzenAnne DaytonKimberly B. GeorgeCarla-Elaine JohnsonMegan KirschnerAnastasia McAteerMelanie Springer MockAudrey MolinaVictoria MoonShauna NiequistHannah Faith NotessAndrea Palpant DilleyAngie RominesAndrea SaylorNicole SheetsShari MacDonald StrongStephanie TombariHeather Baker UtleyJessie van EerdenSara Zarr""Written by experienced women writers from diverse evangelical Christian backgrounds, the tales are honest, approachable and revealing. Each author has put aside her inhibitions about exposing the flaws of her home church--from power struggles to the indoctrination of shame--and takes evangelicalism to task for its ''carefully filtered'' yet ambiguous conventions. Yet all of the authors tell of a more realistic, meandering faith, enduring even while rife with doubt. Readers will be inspired to re-examine their own beliefs and perhaps even create their own un-testimonies."" -- Publishers Weekly""OK, male Evangelicals . . . it''s time: you need to listen to your sisters, mothers, and daughters. Their voices have been marginalized for too long, and as you''ll see in these pages, they have some tremendous stories to tell (or ''testimonies to share'').""OK, female Evangelicals . . . it''s time: spread the word on this amazing collection of essays. I''ve never seen anything like it, and I think you''ll agree.""OK, non-Evangelicals . . . it''s time: if you thought all Evangelical women were sitting quietly in church or baking casseroles for the next pot-luck, all the while dreaming of the next election in which they can vote right-wing . . . here''s a jolt and a pleasant surprise for you. Another great collection of deep feeling, honest thinking, and splendid writing from the folks at The Other Journal.""--Brian D. McLaren, author of The Secret Message of Jesus""Since the Puritans, spiritual autobiography has thrived in the New World. These women show that the American conversion testimony is endlessly resilient, as they break and remake it again and again. There''s a wild range of piety here, but the authors do believe in the possibilities of narrative. Intelligent and sensitive, their essays brilliantly shatter the born-again-bimbo stereotype!""--Julia Spicher Kasdorf, author of The Body and the Book: Writing from a Mennonite Life""A marvelous writer herself, Hannah Notess has gathered here a circle of riveting storytellers. Speaking from their own experience, these women reframe the ancient religious questions in contemporary language--questions about suffering, sin, and salvation, about the source and purpose and conduct of life. Above all they ask what Christianity meant to them when they were growing up, and what it means to them now. Their answers are as varied and rich as their voices.""--Scott