Holy Envy

According to Taylor (emeritus, religion, Piedmont Coll.; An Altar in the World), holy envy is discovering something in another faith tradition that one's own beliefs cannot quite embody. Here the author takes readers on a composite tour of the Religion 101 courses she's taught over the years and describes how teaching has transformed her interactions with believers of different faiths and enriched her own beliefs. This serves as the conduit for her sojourn and those of her fellow classroom pilgrims. The course of the narrative progresses through a series of field trips, student profiles, exams, and even a baccalaureate service. Through these encounters, Taylor is able to chip away at the particular Christian categories she uses to evaluate religious perspectives other than her own, acknowledging that none of us has a corner on the transcendent, that we each have something to give and receive while remaining true to our own faith. VERDICT Taylor effectively reminds us that religion is more than beliefs, that it involves our deepest selves and is the fabric of our shared lives.--James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC

Copyright 1 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Narrator Hillary Huber delivers a cogent and heartfelt narration of bestselling author Barbara Brown Taylor's beautiful and timely new audiobook. As the theology teacher and former Episcopal priest describes her experiences teaching comparative religion in rural Georgia, her memoir also serves as a deep consideration of what the world's faiths have to teach both the religious and the non-religious. A natural preacher, Taylor writes with an eye for visual detail and plotline. Huber's friendly, rhythmic, Southern-tinged tone highlights Taylor's gift for storytelling. In addition, Huber's clarity and attention to punctuation and pacing emphasize Taylor's excellent writing, which is both accessible and lovely. As Taylor and her students visit temples, mosques, churches, synagogues, and sacred groves, they, and we, are reminded of the humanness of all religions. A.C.S. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 15, 2018
Part of my ongoing priesthood is to find the bridge between my faith and the faiths of other people, so that those of us who draw water from wells on different sides of the river can still get together from time to time, making the whole area safer for our children, says Taylor, an acclaimed pastor, educator, and author. While comparative religion's founding educator, Huston Smith, taught by conveying his world travels, Taylor, who approaches world religion as both teacher and explorer, reaches her students with experiential field trips to places of worship closer to home. She nudges them away from spiritual appropriation and comparison, moving them instead toward challenging discernment of their faith and the faith of others. Taylor, like the best faith leaders, is a great storyteller as well. One of the best, here, is her distillation of the biblical account of Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who came to Jesus to learn about being born again. Taylor's novel interpretation of the story, and the way it gave her entrance into understanding the Holy Spirit, will get readers thinking. Progressive and inclusive Christians and nonbelievers who are sensitive to a multifaith, inclusive America will appreciate this, especially so for those who've followed Taylor's own faith journey. Highly recommended.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)