Mud & Poetry: Love, Sex, and the Sacred

Musician and new author Blanski is on a mission to shake up Christianity. The themes he addresses are not new, but his edgy and hip prose breathe new life into them. Being a Christian, Blanski contends, is not about pursuing angelic purity and removing soul stains—it is a messy endeavor. Within the mess, however, God is present, laboring in human lives, and nothing in life is off limits. He draws from a wide variety of sources from within, and outside, the Christian tradition. Most impressive is the author's articulation of his own ongoing journey toward a good life. He doesn't subscribe to the popular notion of conversion as immediate and final; rather, his sense of it is much more gradual, lasting throughout life. Some may find a touch of naïveté in this work, especially the passages regarding marriage. But young adults could benefit greatly, especially those with a sense that they should not have to completely change who they are in order to pursue religious faith. (Sept.)