Lyz Lenz

I just cut bait on this at page 40, not because it is not good, it seems well put together, but because it is not for me. This seems to be written for Christians who struggle with the decline of the traditional church, with the ways in which faith has been co-opted by those who turn politics and places for the preservation of patriarchy and white supremacy into faith (from Billy Graham to Joel Osteen) and for those who simply do not understand middle-America. I am Jewish. I was raised in the oppressive Christian = American suburban Detroit of the 1970's. I worked at a Christian college in rural Minnesota during the first reign of Trump (hopefully the only, but who knows.) I don't need middle-America explained to me, and I am not a Christian who believes in basic human dignity rather than whatever the hell we want to call the rageful White ugliness of Trump nation. (Have any of us forgotten the chants of "Jews will not replace us" shouted by MAGA hat-wearing mobs?) I do not feel distanced from a religion I love and where the fellowship I treasured has been replaced with ugliness and exclusion. If I were I think this would be a great book. It truly is me, not you God Land. I hope those who will grow from reading this book, or feel validated, will get their hands on a copy.… (more)

Lyz Lenz tell her own story about embracing and then escaping from the Evangelical tradition. Born in Texas and raised mostly in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa she has always lived in the middle of the United States. Her escape from Evangelicalism also required her to leave her marriage. Lenz is a journalist, her interviews on people in Midwestern churches made up a large part of this book. One person who like Lenz moved away from that expression of Christianity said "if the car breaks enough you trade it in" Lyz added "the car was breaking, I was ready to give up driving". Lyz Lenz left the Evangelical tradition that was repressing her but she did not leave her faith. She is now a Lutheran.… (more)

I really struggled with this book. The concept was so intriguing to me: "...her country and her marriage were torn apart by the competing forces of faith and politics. What was happening to faith in the heartland?" And I felt like there were times she made some really good points. But the overall organization of the book was like watching a hamster, and that frustration overwhelmed the positives.

Herein lies the core problem Lenz must face as an author...which story is she telling? Is this a memoir of the breakup of her marriage? Is it a feature about religion in the Midwest? Is this a diatribe against Evangelicals and their rejection of women as leaders? She manages to touch on all these themes, often stridently, and sometimes all in the same paragraph. It got to the point where I couldn't follow her narrative and the points she was making got muddled.

Which is unfortunate, because 1) I live in the Midwest and am concerned about its future, 2) I voted against Trump, 3) I sympathize with her complaints about organized religion and Evangelicals. In other words, I should be a built-in appreciative audience for her and would think I would have devoured this book in minimal time. I didn't. Yet, I will recommend this book to friends and relatives because I was deeply bothered by the anecdotes of rudeness & prejudice she details. And I have to believe that if change is to happen, we need to all be aware of the problems and commit ourselves to doing our part here and now to move forward.… (more)