randis724's review against another edition
3.0
I am actually rating this book 3.5 stars. The premise of this book is that as Americans have left organized religion, they have look to every day activities for identity, purpose and meaning. Examples include: parenting, romance, politics, technology, food, and more. This has led to anxiety, strained relationships, and performancism.
Some of the analysis in the book was familiar and contained nothing groundbreaking, while other parts of the book gave me a totally new way of looking at things and several aha moments. If you enjoy reading analysis of our current culture, then you may enjoy this book.
Some of the analysis in the book was familiar and contained nothing groundbreaking, while other parts of the book gave me a totally new way of looking at things and several aha moments. If you enjoy reading analysis of our current culture, then you may enjoy this book.
ben_smitty's review against another edition
3.0
Seculosity is an assessment of the cultural competition surrounding American culture primarily, especially as these forces have been exacerbated by social media. Zahl's book is not an exegesis of these rival liturgies, however. It's more of a general explanation for those who live their lives without realizing that hustle culture is fundamentally changing them into anxious pricks.
I think it's fair for me to claim that Seculosity is essentially You Are What You Love with a Lutheran twist. Zahl seems to suggest that accepting the Gospel will ultimately prove countercultural enough for the believer to set him free from proving his worth via cultural capitalism. This fits in neatly with Luther's view of law vs. grace (intentionally), here defined as fighting to feel "enough" vs. accepting that Jesus has already made you "enough" by His blood. So stop trying so hard.
And though Zahl's prose is fun to read, his ideas are fairly late to the game. The book feels similar to others in the "liturgical revival in evangelicalism" category which picked up in the 2010s. My personal disagreement with Zahl is similar to my own disagreements with Luther; maybe the solution isn't submission but negation, not just acceptance but asceticism. Though then I'd be accused of pushing "law" onto people again.
I think it's fair for me to claim that Seculosity is essentially You Are What You Love with a Lutheran twist. Zahl seems to suggest that accepting the Gospel will ultimately prove countercultural enough for the believer to set him free from proving his worth via cultural capitalism. This fits in neatly with Luther's view of law vs. grace (intentionally), here defined as fighting to feel "enough" vs. accepting that Jesus has already made you "enough" by His blood. So stop trying so hard.
And though Zahl's prose is fun to read, his ideas are fairly late to the game. The book feels similar to others in the "liturgical revival in evangelicalism" category which picked up in the 2010s. My personal disagreement with Zahl is similar to my own disagreements with Luther; maybe the solution isn't submission but negation, not just acceptance but asceticism. Though then I'd be accused of pushing "law" onto people again.
jtisreading's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible Book- Must read- Just do it. Period.
From ME
From ME
sperkkio's review against another edition
4.0
Insightful yet concise look into the many areas we as humans in the west take on as our “religion” in place of true gospel hope.
peterdray's review against another edition
5.0
Church attendance may have declined in the West over past decades, but David Zahl argues that we haven't lost any of our desire for righteousness. Today we're just as liable to make ourselves feel righteous as ever - for instance, in the way we parent and eat, and in the way we work and rest. Yet, unlike in the Christian gospel, no grace is on offer. Our culture is left exhausted, competitive and judgemental. David Zahl invites us instead to find our sense of "enoughness" in Jesus, coming just as we are.
s12eaton's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
marmanold's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
alcazalsir's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it. Got me to think about religion as it is being practiced by Americans today in a whole new way. When contemplating the decline of church attendance today I used to be fond of saying things like “they’re at yoga” or “brunch is the new church.” David Zahl looks at places Americans are putting their time, money, and emotional energy, such as work, parenting, romance, and politics and he focuses on the motivation behind it - the drive to be enough, to prove ourselves worthy. He even identifies how this happens at many churches today. We either focus on doing enough to achieve personal sanctification or social righteousness. Either way the focus is on us and what we are doing. The beauty of Christianity is the offer of grace. All that needed to be done has been done. And God offers it to us now in our place of failure and inadequacy. I’m grateful to Zahl for his keen analysis and for reminding me of the good news of God’s grace. A favorite quote: “Christianity at its sustaining core is not a religion of good people getting better, but of real people coping with their failure to be good.”
jacobgane8's review against another edition
5.0
Such a delight to read! Zahl, throughout this whole book, read my mail with ease and offered a reminder of God’s grace that was both poignant and beautiful.
Arguably my favorite quote from the book:
“What makes Christianity a religion of grace, ultimately, is its essential revelation: of a God who meets us in both our individual and collective sin with a love that knows no bounds, the kind of love that lays down its life for its enemies. It is not a roadmap to engineering spiritual enoughness but a glorious proclamation that on account of Christ, you and I are enough—right now, right here, before we do or say anything. That is to say, Christianity at its sustaining core is not a religion of good people getting better, but of real people coping with their failure to be good” (p. 176).
Arguably my favorite quote from the book:
“What makes Christianity a religion of grace, ultimately, is its essential revelation: of a God who meets us in both our individual and collective sin with a love that knows no bounds, the kind of love that lays down its life for its enemies. It is not a roadmap to engineering spiritual enoughness but a glorious proclamation that on account of Christ, you and I are enough—right now, right here, before we do or say anything. That is to say, Christianity at its sustaining core is not a religion of good people getting better, but of real people coping with their failure to be good” (p. 176).