By Lillian Daniel
New York, Jericho Books, 2013
215 pages
Spiritual
Lillian Daniel, a United Church of Christ pastor, has
created an interesting amalgam in her book When “Spiritual but not Religious”
is not Enough. Part sermon, part memoir, part existential musings; Daniel is
always on point and personal as she explores what it is to be Christian in the
21st century.
A contributor on several national blogs, such as The
Huffington Post, Daniel is also a nationally known speaker and workshop leader.
She is the pastor of First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Some
of her entries in this book are obviously sermons. One that I especially
appreciated is called, An Honest Prayer. I have always been a bit a bit
reticent about the asking for myself in prayer. I am pretty good at asking for
others, praying for others, or asking for clarification for situations. In other
words, I ask for others and not myself. Daniel says, “…that reluctance to ask
God for what we really want is arrogance posing as humility. It seems humble to
not ask God for our own desires, and to put other larger matters first. But
doing that seems to imply we have power in all this. As if by asking God to
cure diabetes before asking for a raise, we might actually affect God’s priorities.”
What I especially appreciated about this essay on prayer is that I have noticed
that when I pray sincerely, I usually end up in a different place than where I was as
I began the prayer. Daniel confirms that power in our prayers…”an exposure of
the deeper need beneath our prayers.”
I also enjoyed the brief essay entitled Things I am Tired
Of. She begins by saying “I am tired of hearing people say stupid things in
the name of Christianity.” She suggests
that we live in a society where ”…stupid and simple spirituality always trumps
the depth of a complex faith.” It echoes my sentiments exactly. Some essays and
sermons are scarcastic and biting; others are joyful, while others are haunting—especially
the final essay in which Daniel discusses her parent’s separation and divorce
in relation to our relationship with God. She says that we are always trying to
separate ourselves from God and each other, while God is always trying to knit us
back together again. This essay really touched me because we have family
members who are trying to find ways to remain in relationship; I wanted to
print off the essay to give to them, but they are “spiritual but not religious”
and I’m not sure they would appreciate my intervening. So, I will have to pray
for them instead.
At best, the essays are profound; at worst they are trivial.
There is an unevenness to the essays that makes the book all the more
interesting, because the reader is left in a guessing game. I have issues with
the title of the book; it is too cumbersome. However, that is a minor issue.
Then I wonder who I will give this book to. Who is the intended audience? in
other words. I liked the book; it caused me to think, but I am not sure who
else would appreciate it. Publishers
Weekly calls this book a “wise and witty collection” and answers my questions
about the intended audience when they say that Daniel “offer(s) a rich banquet
for pastors, lifelong congregants, disaffected Christians, and confused seekers
alike.” Daniel makes me want to attend her church or one of her workshops. I
like how she connects her faith with the trials of living. Her concerns remind
me of my own.
The Publishers Weekly review: http://reviews.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4555-2308-5
An interview with Lillian Daniel: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/april-13-2012/lillian-daniel-and-martin-copenhaver-extended-interview/10756/
There are a lot of Lillian Daniel sermons on You Tube.
Here is one of them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRJfOagNAs4
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