Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters--and How to Talk About It

I found this was an excellent book, particularly for the unchurched and those feed up with the usual religious sound bites. I like Tippett's PRI program, Speaking of Faith very much and the book doesn't disappoint. It is a book about personal faith for the rest of us and avoids the polarizing, divisive language of popular and political discourse. No dogma here and very insightful comments from a very broad perspective. It proivdes new perspectrives on how little we in the West understand valid, alternative views of life, philosophy, morality and purpose.

Krista Tippett in Speaking of Faith, the public radio program she created and hosts on a weekly basis, has lifted the ban on public discourse of meaning, ethics, and values. She dares to draw the lines connecting politics and religion - connecting people. "The human condition is the reality around which political life revolves - and upon which it falters.... This fact is made more complex, not more transparent, in our era where religious passions and identities overtly fuel political conflict," she observes, in the book that echoes the program's name and theme. Tippett's interview strategy is simple: to invite her guests, men and women of spiritual depth, practical achievement, and passionate conviction to speak in the first person, letting their own stories guide and illuminate the conversation. Her approach, however, is far from simple, combining the incisiveness and nuance of a fine mind, broadly and deeply informed, and a heart overflowing with compassion for the world in its urgent complexity. Speaking of Faith is densely populated with Tippett's conversation partners: these "others" speak. However, in the book, her own voice surfaces as well, welcoming us to ponder her religious upbringing, her early careers in diplomacy and journalism, and the sometimes thorny path that eventually led her to a mature spirituality that persists in asking the hardest questions. In a way, Krista Tippett asks those questions on behalf of us all: How do faith and science, religion and politics intersect? Where is God when people suffer? Why do we cause others to suffer in the name of our gods? What is virtue, where is it found, how can we cultivate it? How can we speak unreservedly of the ideals we hold most dear in ways that honor and respect difference? Tippett's writing, like her speech, flows winsomely; she is erudite without pretension or false humility, informed by her passion for clear understanding. The word that emerges most clearly in the end, perhaps, is hope: hope for justice, hope for peace, hope that the human race can survive its own failings, hope that all things will be well. If nothing else in our current culture of fear and uncertainty cheers us, Speaking of Faith should do so. This is a book to read and keep.

You get the feeling that Krista Tippett was overwhelmed by what she was trying to accomplish. One gets the sense that she is 1) Trying to pull together all ideas that she has discussed in the years that she has had the privilege of talking spirituality with some of the most lucid, intelligent, and articulate people in religion and 2) Do some cathartic spiritual mind cleansing and 3) Try to weave the two threads together. The enormity of her enterprise is evidenced by the confusion in the structure of the book and the poorly executed organization. This is true of course, only if you are reading the book as a book. I didn't really understand the key until I was well into the book. The key is that one need to read the book as an extended conversation, or better yet, as an extended essay and rumination on theology, and peripherally, the impact that theology has had on her life. The theological discussion was extremely successful. It opened up deep wounds and it presented wonderful ideas and complex viewpoints clearly and succinctly, much like the radio show. The only drawback with this aspect of the book is that the book is not a comprehensive book, so she was not able to delve into the intricacies of the thoughts as much as she did with the radio program. So a basic understanding of the people of whom she speaks of is almost a necessity. Yet it was also substantial reading. It calls for all of your attention. The breadth of the book, the coverage of the religious landscape, the depth of the potential side trips, are all so very tempting and intellectually stimulating. I found myself thinking about the discourse and I also found myself laying the book down to take notes and to sit and think aloud, trying to digest all the implication brought up. It is certainly not light reading, but it is reading that is good for the soul. She said herself that she felt like she was running out of words, and you can sense the urgency in her writing towards the end. You can hear her thinking: so much to say, so few pages. The interjection of her own personal struggles with religion and her own burgeoning spiritual journey was less successfully treated. It wasn't that the interjections were unwelcome. It is because Krista picked and chose through her personal history to make certain points. I won't begrudge her right to do that, it takes an immense amount of courage to do something like this, but her choice of using limited exposure of her personal journey caused some awkwardness in reading that made me wonder if it was wise to even bring the subject up. It is a Faustian bargain I think; not delving into the personal would have made for a less personal and perhaps less interesting narrative; but not delving into the personal would have also smoothed out a lot of the awkward transitions with her ruminations. Someone who did a much better job of laying her spiritual and emotional life out for all to see is Elizabeth Gilbert in "Eat, Pray,

Krista Tippett approaches the complex issues of faith with an intelligent openness that invites depth and understanding where intolerance and fear often reside. Her reflections present a finely tuned theological perspective that is both urgent and compassionate. Readers of all traditions will find this book especially helpful in a time when religious cross-currents need connection most. Krista's examination of the spiritual life, both her own and others', is done at the personal level where all experiences of the sacred are honored.

Krista Tippett's book, like her radio program for American Public Media, reveals her own passionate involvement with the relationship of theology, both personal and institutional, to the complex world in which we live. The intertwining of her story with the narrative of our times, especially in the last 25 years, brings the concurrent story of the reader into the mix. It is compelling, challenging, and enlivening.