The Best Part

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up Finding is the captivating manner in which it is told. The cover itself is an actual word-find. And for folks like me, who loved word finds as a kid, I was super-excited to be able to work the word-find before diving into the first chapter. Each of these words, turns-out, becomes important to Chole’s story. What’s more, as Chole tells her story, the chapters are intermixed. The first chapter you’ll read is Chapter 52 and the second chapter is Chapter 1. Half of the book (every other chapter) tells Chole’s story from the perspective of her rearing, while the next chapter recounts where she is now and how she is interpreting the present and past events of her life. The reader is moving through Chole’s story in two directions.

Second, Chole’s story itself is told with a clear voice and delighting manner. You’ll feel as if you’re sitting with Alicia and hearing her talk about growing up as an atheist only later to encounter Jesus. As you engage Chole, you’ll sense that life has been dark and bleak and black for your friend, yet it’s that blackness that somehow lead her to the foot of the cross, as darkness often does. Chole becomes a conversation partner, someone you sit and have coffee with as she reveals just enough of herself that you are interested and feel as though you’re getting to know her, and not so much that it seems as if she is neurotic and hogging the conversation.

What’s more, if like me, you’re concerned deeply with gender-justice in churches, you’ll be refreshed by a genuine encounter with God that reminds you why female voices, prayers and pens are important to the church.

Third, you’ll hear from a committed Atheist. While her arguments for her own atheism may not be the strongest you’ve ever heard, they vibrate with rings of authenticity that allows the reader to know that for whatever reasons she choose to be an Atheist, so did choose for herself.

The Second to Best Part

It wouldn’t be right to leave you simply with the brilliance of this little book, there is one thing – that while not bad – you might want to be aware of before you plunk down your stimulus rebate on this book.

What is it? you ask. Simply this: At times, Chole gets a little preachy. I’m usually OK with preachy, after all, if someone has a message, we’re bound to advocate it strongly. However, when Chole’s preachy-ness reared its head in this artfully designed conversation, it put the brakes on the discourse. It was the only time I felt that Chole was losing her voice and needing to insert some paranesis at the request of a publisher. Can’t you hear that conversation now, “No one wants to just read your story, you have to advocate some kind of behavior.” This, however, is it. That’s the only editorial comment I will offer.

Should You Buy It?

Finding An Unseen God is worth the time, and it won’t take much of it. If you’re looking for advocacy or heavy-duty theology then this book is not for you. If, on the other hand, you want to reconnect with the simple story of a loving God who pursues His people even when they’d rather be left alone, then get your copy today.

The most interesting thing about this book from me was not what I read, but the conversations that it opened up. I read the book during a four hour flight to Denver where I was seated next to a recent graduate of the Univseristy of Colorado who was a self-professed “Intellectual” and “Agnostic.” While I read on a plane, as a pastor I have created my own policy of attempting not to listen to headphones in order to be free for conversations. Why? Because I have had the most fascinating experiences talking with the people around me.

This was no different. While he admitted to being skeptical of Christianity, certain events in his life had led him to believe that everything happens for a purpose. After reading the back cover of the book, he thought a book like this could help with his own spiritual journey. So I gave him the book. To my mild suprise, he accepted it. (Which is why this is light on substance!) At the end of the jetway as we exited the plane, we shook hands and we went our seperate ways. I prayed that Chole’s book might help him to find God through Jesus as well.

The Book
The reason I chose this month’s selection was its intriguing title: “Finding an Unseen God: Reflections of a Former Atheist”. It also didn’t hurt that the author’s website says she listens to Jason Upton – one of my favorite artists.

Alicia Britt Chole takes 165 pages and 52 chapters to trace her journey from birth to belief, fleshing out a work that is one part memoir and one part Christian apology. What’s interesting – and very postmodern of her – is that the chapters do not appear in strictly chronological order, but are arranged to form two complementary threads. One begins with the last chapter and counts down in descending order, while the other begins with chapter 1 and moves in ascending order. Thus, the first chapter is chapter 52, the second is chapter 1, the third is chapter 51 and the fourth is chapter 2, etc. – so that the reader experiences a sort of flashback effect as the book unfolds.

Quote
“Beliefs are celebrated in the light. They are tested in the dark.”

The Good
The book is an honest and touching look at the author’s conversion from atheism to Christian faith, culminating in an unexpected experience of the mystical presence of Jesus. I found the book simple, humble and authentic. It was also a quick read. I finished it in only four or five sittings.

The Bad
When I read a book that centers on an author’s personal experiences, I usually have two questions: (1) who is this and (2) why should I care? I recently read “Come be My Light”, a sort of spiritual biography of Mother Theresa as told through her personal letters. As I read, I never once doubted that the story was a noteworthy one. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about “Finding an Unseen God”. Chole’s story is told with honesty, and is by no means an unpleasant read, but I nevertheless wonder why Bethany House thought it noteworthy. An author doesn’t have to be Mother Theresa to grip us with her story, but in this case I’m not convinced that Chole’s testimony is any more compelling than that of 2/3 of my Christian friends. They too were unbelievers who encountered Jesus. Should they all get book deals?

The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that “Finding an Unseen God” is a light and enjoyable read and makes a rather winsome case for Christian belief in a skeptical age. I’d have no problem recommending it to seekers or those who are taking their first steps on the Christian way. As I’m sure Chole herself would be willing to admit, however, it’s not going to convince any atheists.

No I don’t believe all religions are “equal” for example I am abhorred by the extreme fundamentalism that can run through religions-a fundamentalism that promotes hate nor do I agree with people who are just like, “oh all religions are the exact same” without even understanding or valuing the complexities and various beliefs that each religion carries. But I do believe that each religion carries basic truths that can point people towards God.

Sorry, I got off the topic a little. But all in all I did thoroughly enjoy Chloe’s Finding God.

So overall, this review is truly a critique. I don’t like writing this kind of piece because someone poured their soul into this work. Also, because I feel unqualified. She is a published author… let’s see… where are my published works? None to be found. Somehow it feels like I am backseat driving.

So let me start out with what I did like. The author is a wonderful story teller. Her book goes back and forth chapter by chapter between the narrative of her life, and the commentary on those parts of her life. She brought me into the tale of her journey and I cared about the directions she was taking. Particularly fulfilling were the parts that dealt with her relationship to her father. She knows how to translate love to the written page.

What I did not like in her book was the commentary. To me, it seemed very contradictory and inconsistent. She seemed to vacillate between speaking of the large God of the Universe… to the smaller god of evangelical Christianity. She wanted to speak of the freedom of questioning… but only if you come to certain conclusions.

For example, she presents four filters with which she determines that Christianity is true. Christianity passes these tests, whereas other religions don’t. They are that the religion is:

* Livable
* Consistent
* Sustainable
* Transferable

She uses examples to show where Christianity passes each of these markers. The problem is that each of her points could be used against Christianity as well as for it. They also are passable by many other religions. These kind of logic efforts only work for the convinced.

I also feel she made a weak argument against pluralism. She falls into dualistic premises that require you to agree with her definitions to move forward in her argument… and she is rather prideful at that. She says that “world religions are incompatible at their core”, and of pluralists:

“World religions are NOT saying the same thing, but that is okay because religious pluralists either (1) understands each world religion better than those who practice it, or (2) is enlightened to the point where they can comprehend a reality (“all roads lead to the same god”) that either eludes or offends actual adherents of the great world religions.”

In this, she insists on the same “either/or” arguments that pluralists resist. To her, every Christian is a fundamentalist Christian; every Muslim is a fundamentalist Muslim, etc… What she ignores (or is unaware of) is the overlap that can exist. Where the Muslim who is genuinely moving toward the way of God finds himself having more in common with the Jewish man who is on the same journey, than he does the fundamentalists of his own faith tradition.

Also, she spends a lot of time using her filters trying to rationalize why Christianity is true. Yet in the end, it was a “Damascus Road” experience that brought her to Christ. She wants to show that Christianity can be rationally discerned… but that was not her route to conversion. It kind of felt like a bait and switch.

I have no problem with a “Damascus Road” experience because I had a similar conversion. I thought church and church people were annoying and God was far away. In less than an hour, God became my personal obsessive compulsive disorder.

But the more I learn about other religions, I discover that all my Christian experiences and arguments can be duplicated in those religions as well. The author tells the story of how a certain miraculous event stumped her atheistic mind. However, I have heard similar tales told in every branch of Christendom and other religions as well. Her conversion story can be told in every religion since time began.

My difficulty is not that she had these experiences… but that she tries to make them sound unique. That somehow these validate Christianity, while invalidating everything else.

So in the end, I didn’t see where she had anything new to offer. When she was an Atheist, she was right and everyone else was wrong. Now she is a Christian; and she is right and everyone else is wrong.

She switched jerseys, but is still playing the same game.

I was also quite arrogant and cocky, and worshipped a very small God.

Then I saw love in action. Love is the foundation upon which the world rests, and the greatest power in the universe. Love doesn’t set out to prove itself or belittle an “opponent” with the truth. Love walks alongside anyone and simply listens. It is hard to argue against love.

Alicia Britt Chole has written a new book called Finding an Unseen God. It is a memoir, detailing her journey from atheism to the transforming presence of Love. Her story is a wonderful reminder that God isn’t looking for people to defend his name or prove his existence.

God is looking for people who will transform the world with love.

To live in God’s Great Story is to live in a radical love for all people.

I did however; enjoy reading her patterns of thought and the ways she clearly shows she is now able to think about her belief and intellectually accept it. For me this was the most beneficial section of the book.

The book was a nice short read, that kept my attention enough to read it in two sittings. As a whole I don’t think I will be recommending the book strongly, however it was enjoyable and includes some good and interesting ideas.

breNt

As Alicia Britt Chole tries to write a spiritual memoir she does so beautifully, she has a story to tell, a journey from atheism to faith in Christ. A journey that involves frequent moves, family struggles and significant Christian friendships that lead to her conversion. On this level the book works, it’s no Girl Meets God or Traveling Mercies but its good and a story worth reading.

The book falters as it tries to cover the story in a non-linear manner with chapters alternating between various time periods in Chole’s life. This manner of writing worked for about the first third of the book but then faltered as the chapters stop alternating between her story but started to shift between story and apologetics making it feel jumpy and disjointed.

If you want to read the book you’ll probably enjoy the story but you may want to read the chapters as numbered as opposed to as printed.

The chapter divisions are a little disjointing if read straight through, but they are numbered in such a way that you could read them in a different order if you so choose. Literarily this device comes across as a little eccentric, but even this does not get in the way of the ultimately valuable insights she offers on her faith.

One of the earliest of these is the idea of the *voice* that comes through when reading Scripture, even the confusing parts. She admits to a desire for her religion to be grounded in reality, to have meaning in some realistic terms. She is comforted by the honesty of Biblical writers. Her altar call for believers to take other believers of different faiths seriously is admirable. She says “People have reasons for their beliefs.” Most evangelicals are not relational enough to recognize this, but it is a significant contribution to the conversation to remind us of this. The result, she says, “is—at the very least—respect, which is perhaps a more powerful force than words.”

My deepest respect for Chole is her intellect. I have often taught that the gospel armor includes a helmet of salvation to protect our brains, our minds, our thinking. Christians should be known for their intellect and rational thinking. So often we come across as emotional, and when prompted to give an account for our beliefs we rely on intuition and feelings. Chole clearly outlines some ways that we can hold conversations with others about our beliefs. Coming as she does from “the other side,” these tactical elements of thinking are invaluable, not, as she affirms, to win arguments, but to win relationships.

Pass this book along to someone who is asking the good questions about your faith. The honest questions, the questions that get you thinking about why you believe what you believe. Engage in a dialog about the propositions in Finding an Unseen God. It will be a most fruitful discussion.

Interspersed in the tale of her conversion are stories of her childhood, her family, her acting out as a young girl, the unexpected death of her father and a life lived in several different homes in several different states. At no time in her retelling of these stories can we find an ultimate reason for her atheism and even her conversion… and for that I am thankful. This book is not about any formula for converting someone nor is it a self-help book to hand someone else in a crisis of faith. This book is one woman’s story, simply and quickly told, and an experience of faith that has everything to do with God and the power of prayer.

Chole’s writing is brisk and emotive. The chapters are short and sweet. There are moments when she turns to a more didactive mode of writing, in essence teaching the reader about religion and one chapter that nearly takes the entire book of the tracks on the perils of pluralism.

All in all this is a good, not great, book. It could easily be turned into a book for discussion using the questions that Chole intersperses throughout her prose.

The book is organized in an obscure fashion. As one progresses toward the end of the book it’s obvious that the chapters alternate: 51, 1, 50, 2, etc. This through me for a major loop. Unsure of the intent, I read “half” the book, covering the ascending chapters until I got to the last page. I then read the book “backwards,” beginning with chapter 26 which is on the last page and reading until I finished chapter 52 at the beginning of the book. It would have been helpful to have an explanation on how to read the book.

In spite of the awkward arrangement of the chapters, I appreciated the brevity of Chole’s chapters. Each one was between two and four pages, just enough to communicate the intent with additional “fluff” to fill pages.

Especially impressive about the author was her ability to confront the concept of atheism head on with a humility and simplicity that was first disarming and then inviting. I felt drawn into her experience. She goes to great lengths to share her story with a vulnerability that wins your attention. This method gives patience to reader as she explains the mechanics of her faith in the second half of the book.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who rubs shoulders with atheists.