
Seculosity
David Zahl
(Author)Description
Being enough is a universal longing.
Seculosity makes the case that being religious is alive and well in modern society. While American organized religion may be declining, the desire to fill the void with everyday life pursuits is another form of worship. David Zahl describes his life as having one foot in the religious and secular worlds, a claim his biography justifies and states "the marketplace in replacement religion is booming." At the heart of our society lies a universal yearning not to be happy so much as to be enough. To fill the emptiness left by religion, humans look to all sorts of activities -- food, family, relationships, social media, elections, social justice movements -- for identity, purpose, and meaning once provided by organized religion.
In our striving, we chase a sense of enoughness. But it remains out of reach. Human effort and striving is causing burn out, depression, and anxiety. Even our leisure activities, such as dating and movie watching, become to-do list items and once accomplished we'll hope to feel contentment with ourselves.
Seculosity takes a thoughtful yet light-hearted tour of "performancism" and its cousins. Performancism is "one of the hallmarks of seculosity," affecting how we approach everyday life. It cripples us with anxiety (Am I enough?), shame (Do they think I'm enough?), and guilt (Have I done enough?). Performance-based living while admirable will only leave us worn out because when is enough, enough?
Zahl challenges the conventional narrative of religious decline claiming society has become religious about busyness and accomplishments. Zahl unmasks the competing loyalties our lives revolve around in a way that is approachable, personal, and accurate. Eventually, Zahl brings readers to a fresh appreciation for grace -- the grace of God in all its countercultural wonder.
Product Details
Publisher | Fortress Press |
Publish Date | April 02, 2019 |
Pages | 211 |
Language | English |
Type | |
EAN/UPC | 9781506449432 |
Dimensions | 9.1 X 6.1 X 0.9 inches | 1.1 pounds |
About the Author
David Zahl is the founder and director of Mockingbird Ministries, editor-in-chief of the popular Mockingbird website, and cohost of The Mockingcast. He and his family live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he also serves on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church. Zahl is the author of A Mess of Help: From the Crucified Soul of Rock N' Roll and coauthor of Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints).
Reviews
"Zahl's wise, funny book ranges from high culture to low, from Jane Austen to World Wide Wrestling, from Karl Friedrich Nietzsche to Donkey Kong to expose the false gods of the 'seculosity' that dominate our age. His message is subtle but straightforward: slow down and open yourself to the indescribable, inexorable mystery of God's grace." --David Ignatius, columnist at The Washington Post
"I finished Seculosity not as a reviewer but as a penitent. The book is wise, moving, and often quite funny. Zahl has given us a tonic, smartly and affectionately revealing both the vacuity of our own pursuits and the brilliance and power of the gospel to satisfy our greatest strivings." --Christianity Today
"There is no better observer of the human condition these days than David Zahl. Here he exposes the haunting inadequacy of our various and sundry religions -- psychological, social, political, and even ecclesial. He prepares the ground and plants the seed of divine grace that can -- if we would just rest in it -- become the healing balm for our tortured lives." --Mark Galli, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today
"In this engaging, enjoyable book, you will find rest from the relentless effort to be enough and encounter Jesus, who truly loves you as you are." --Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church
"The central message for David Zahl -- and for preaching the gospel -- is that Jesus is 'not the messiah we would elect but the one who elects us.' It's a cause for rejoicing that he has put this at the heart of Seculosity, a book that reminds us that it is not our own virtue we ought to signal, but Christ's." --Fleming Rutledge, author of The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ
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