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A review by yetilibrary
An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor
2.0
I read this for a church book club, and while the book had some solid, even excellent, chapters, in other ways I found it flawed. An Altar in the World is best suited for people who identify as "spiritual, but not religious," and for those who are looking to expand their spirituality outside of their standard worship experience. Taylor tends to dismiss out of hand what religion has to offer outside of a standard (often boring) weekly worship experience, so I would urge those who are working within a faith tradition to explore what their religion has to offer them in terms of religious experiences in addition to reading this book.
In addition to giving religion rather short shrift, Taylor is also writing from a place of unacknowledged privilege. This book is really for people who are somewhat settled in their lives and who live relatively comfortably, and who have lived relatively comfortably in the past. (I don't think someone who has cleaned toilets to make a living would find her anecdote of how She Cleaned Yucky Toilets In A Homeless Shelter This One Time to be as moving as she'd hoped; for that matter, I don't think someone who is or has been homeless would find it so charming, either.) Taylor does avoid romanticizing the poor, but that may be because she's not fully aware (in her writing) of poverty: in this book, manual labor is a thought-provoking change of pace from a yuppie lifestyle, and making do with less is a considered life choice.
Even with these shortcomings, though, An Altar in the World does have some good insights. The chapter on prayer is excellent--one of the best I've read, particularly in terms of its accessibility. The book's focus on finding a connection with God and "the Holy" in the natural world and in our daily lives is also eminently worthy of consideration, and helpful to many people who seek God but have trouble connecting. Overall, the book does have some serious flaws, but it is timely and not without its merits.
In addition to giving religion rather short shrift, Taylor is also writing from a place of unacknowledged privilege. This book is really for people who are somewhat settled in their lives and who live relatively comfortably, and who have lived relatively comfortably in the past. (I don't think someone who has cleaned toilets to make a living would find her anecdote of how She Cleaned Yucky Toilets In A Homeless Shelter This One Time to be as moving as she'd hoped; for that matter, I don't think someone who is or has been homeless would find it so charming, either.) Taylor does avoid romanticizing the poor, but that may be because she's not fully aware (in her writing) of poverty: in this book, manual labor is a thought-provoking change of pace from a yuppie lifestyle, and making do with less is a considered life choice.
Even with these shortcomings, though, An Altar in the World does have some good insights. The chapter on prayer is excellent--one of the best I've read, particularly in terms of its accessibility. The book's focus on finding a connection with God and "the Holy" in the natural world and in our daily lives is also eminently worthy of consideration, and helpful to many people who seek God but have trouble connecting. Overall, the book does have some serious flaws, but it is timely and not without its merits.