Serene Jones' epic work of raw truth, fierce love, and spiritual teaching is as muscular as the fractured soul of this century demands. From her abiding Oklahoma roots to her historic leadership of a legendary New York seminary, her story illuminates the deep fault lines of this age - and points beyond them.
Troubled and inspired by what she learns, Taylor returns to her own tradition for guidance, finding new meaning in old teachings that have too often been used to exclude religious strangers instead of embracing the divine challenges they present. Reimagining some central stories from the religion she knows best, she takes heart in how often God chooses outsiders to teach insiders how out-of-bounds God really is.
Throughout Holy Envy, Taylor weaves together stories from the classroom with reflections on how her own spiritual journey has been complicated and renewed by connecting with people of other traditions - even those whose truths are quite different from hers.
The one constant in her odyssey is the sense that God is the one calling her to disown her version of God - a change that ultimately enriches her faith in other human beings and in God.
Another beautiful, invaluable, relatable work by Taylor.
I can't wait to listen to it again.
I've enjoyed Taylor's "Leaving Church" and "An Altar in the World" so I looked forward to this one and it did not disappoint.
The narrator’s use of a “Southern Accent “ was extremely distracting! I listened through the first few sections trying to give the narration a chance. I even tried the first chapter but couldn’t get past the narrator. In other books written and narrated by Barbara Brown Taylor, her voice is warm, personable, and a delight to listen to. I was really looking forward to this book, and am sad to not be able to finish it.