An American Gospel: On Family, History, and the Kingdom of God (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sometimes religious inspiration can come from the most unlikely places. Reece, author of the award-winning Lost Mountain, is the son and grandson of Baptist preachers. His own religious world-view, however, comes not from traditional Protestant Christianity, but from American thinkers such as Walt Whitman, Thomas Jefferson, William James and the lesser-known scientist Lynn Margulis. The author intercalates his personal story, which is one of great tragedy, with those of these great historical figures. His goal is not quite clear from the outset, but that is the point. He is searching for a form of Christianity that he can live with, since he believes that the usual sources are unhelpfully dogmatic. The primary tension is a classic one: the struggle between the material and spiritual worlds. Reece is unconvinced by his stern grandfather's brand of Christianity, based more on the punitive teachings of Paul, he believes, than those of Jesus. The kingdom of God can be found, at least partly, right now—no need to slog through life in order to celebrate one's reward in the hereafter. There are disjointed moments in the narrative, but the overall project is commendable. (Apr. 2)
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Product Description

From the award-winning author of Lost Mountain, a stirring, inspiring work of memoir, spiritual journey, and historical inquiry—a dazzling chronicle of a personal and national identity reclaimed.

Erik Reece’s grandfather was a Bible-thumping, fire-and-brimstone Baptist preacher. He loved to hunt and fish and explore the Kentucky woods, but for him, existence on this earth was about denying the pleasures of this life in preparation for the next. Erik’s father was a Baptist minister, too. But at the age of thirty-three—not coincidentally, Jesus’ age when he was crucified— Erik’s father violently took his own life, and Erik ended up spending much of his childhood in the care of his grandparents.

So, while Erik grew up with a conflicted relationship with Christianity, he also grew up with an acute awareness of a part of the country suffering ongoing economic, environmental, and even spiritual collapse. When he himself neared age thirty-three, he found unexpected comfort and guidance in his intellectual hero Thomas Jefferson’s famous Jefferson Bible, especially when he began to track similarities between it and the Zen-like message of the Gospel of Thomas. Inspired, he undertook what would become a spiritual and literary quest—to identify an “American gospel” coursing through the work of both great and forgotten American geniuses, from William Byrd to Walt Whitman to William James to Lynn Margulis. In synthesizing that gospel—one that prizes the pleasures and glories of this earth—Reece began to find a way to a spiritual and intellectual peace with his own American soul.

The result of Reece’s journey is a deeply personal but also deeply thought out, inspiring, and stirring book, delivered almost like a secular sermon, about personal, political, and historical demons—and the geniuses we can and must call on to combat them.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover; First Edition edition (April 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594488592
• ISBN-13: 978-1594488597
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #495,528 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a modern view of Christianity, May 18, 2009

By	David N. Miller - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This excellent book provides a needed antidote to the sometimes toxic elements of the religous right and other fundamentalist Christians who focus primarily on salvation in the next world rather than this one. The author, who became disenchanted with Christianity following the suicide of his Baptist preacher father (his grandfather was a preacher as well), provides a fascinating view into what he refers to as an "American Gospel". Using Thomas Jefferson's "modification" of the Bible, the writings of Walt Whitman (particularly his poem "Song of Myself" published in "Leaves of Grass"), and the newly-discovered (in 1945) Gospel of Thomas to illustrate his points, author Eric Reece provides a rationale for a more nuanced, complex view of Christianity. I first read this author in an essay that summarized some of this material in Harpers magazine, and was very much looking forward to this book, which I found to be interesting, well-written, and thoughtful. I recommend it highly.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rediscovering Christianity, May 23, 2009

By	James Hiller (Beaverton, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Erik Reece has a history of religion in his family; from his grandfather to father, living in Virginia, raised as a Baptist. Because of his upbringing, his view of religion was one of punishment, sin, and eternal damnation for those who don't repent. The book serves as a catalyst for a different view of his faith. Part memoir, part reflection on religion in America, part history, "An American Gospel: On Family, History, and the Kingdom of God" is a must read for Christians seeking new.

Reece starts his book with the tragic suicide of his father, who ended his life due to a battle with bipolar disorder. The event is recounted is brief, but echoes through his life and through the pages of the book. Reece's main thesis presented is a desire to find the true essence of Christianity; he claims that religion has co-opted Jesus' story and transformed it into something that even he wouldn't recognize. Quoting Tolstoy, Whitman, and others, he journeys through an ulterior story of religion in America, one not often taught or mentioned.

As an antidote to the fierce Puritanism that pervaded our early history, he writes about William Byrd's embracing of nature in America as a religious experience, as well as her native people whom he learned from and didn't fear. He writes beautiful about Whitman, and how he came to discover the poet (and specifically "Song of Myself" while summering at a Buddhist monastery. Another standout chapter is his romp through the much examined Alexander Hamilton/Thomas Jefferson feud and their competing visions for America, with an intriguing focus on "Jefferson's Bible", a tome that emphasizes Jesus' philosophy and morals over his miracles. Each chapter dwells and explains his ideas without directly attacking "the other side". His writing is light, personal, insightful and reflective; I simply fell in love with the book by page 20.

I highly recommend this little book. Reece's background may have been tragic, but should he continue to write, and reflect like this, his future seems very bright, indeed.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An american Gospel, July 4, 2009

By	Linda L. Carter "laughing frogs" (La Grande, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I heard a review of this book on NPR and I was excited about what I imagined. I imagined a review of those founding writings that looked at how our founders felt about freedom and responsibility. But, that wasn't quite what he was writing about. This is a coming of age memoir of a young man with interest in history and religion. It is a good book, but I am way beyond coming of age books, I was looking for philosophy. It is well written but not of interest to an aging baby boomer.