God Is Not...: Religious, Nice, "One of Us," An American, A Capitalist [Paperback]

D. Brent Laytham (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

God Is Not . . . takes on today's prevailing misconceptions about who God is by boldly stating who God is not. Rodney Clapp critiques pop culture's anthem to a slobby, ineffective "God like us," while D. Stephen Long, in "God Is Not Nice," questions our therapy-fed longing for a useful, nonthreatening deity. If God is not an American or a capitalist or "religious," as contributors Michael Baxter, Mike Budde, and William T. Cavanaugh go on to argue, then who is God? Laytham concludes with a stirring essay on who God is, calling the church to visibly demonstrate where its primary allegiance lies.

Audacious without being rude, God Is Not . . . is a lively, necessary, and intelligently reverent read.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Move over, Joan Osborne. In this collection’s first essay, Rodney Clapp brilliantly refutes the singer’s notion that God is "one of us" and "just a stranger on the bus," passively along for the ride. Rather than a rant against popular depictions of God, this essay draws upon two key biblical events (the construction of the golden calf and Jesus’s humble entry into Jerusalem on a donkey) to suggest that sometimes, the fickle masses can crowd God out and create gods in their own image. Other essays in the book also iconoclastically smash popular notions of who God is: God is not a red-blooded American, not a capitalist who urges churches to behave like for-profit corporations and ministers to be "spiritreneurs," not a relativist and, ultimately, not a nice, benign, wholly ineffectual Santa Claus. The authors (all men-and wouldn’t it have been nice to include a woman’s essay on how God is not a man?) draw from the highbrow (theologians and church historians) and the lowbrow ("The Simpsons," Laurie Beth Jones, "The Jerry Springer Show") to demonstrate more clearly what God is by highlighting what God is not.
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About the Author

D. Brent Laytham is professor of theology at North Park Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his Ph.D. in theology and ethics from Duke University. An ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, Laytham takes special interest in bringing pastors and scholars together to address theological and ecclesiological issues.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587431017
• ISBN-13: 978-1587431012
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thought provoking collection of essays, February 7, 2005

By 

Tedd Steele (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: God Is Not...: Religious, Nice, "One of Us," An American, A Capitalist (Paperback)

These essays were compiled to counter some common misconceptions about God. They do so by stating what God is not. The essays are at least thought provoking and at most inflammatory. Then again, the authors never claimed to not be controversial.

In the book there are six essays, five of which speak to something God is not. The first claims that God is not a passive participant in creation. The second argues that God is not nice in the way that culture has claimed God to be. The third reminds that God is not American and this nation is not truly "under God." The fourth describes God's economics in contrast to capitalism, telling us that God is not capitalist. The fifth says that God is not religious becuase that term has come to stand for a generic faith and a generic god. The final essay speaks about God's being one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

I found these essays a quick read. That is because I have read and heard most of the arguments before. I found the essay on economics to be most useful.

This book is great for undergrads or folks interested in exmining their view of God. It challenges many commonly held beliefs, ones that truly need to be challeneged. Highly recommended.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book meant to be discussed., December 25, 2004

By 

A. Meyer (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God Is Not...: Religious, Nice, "One of Us," An American, A Capitalist (Paperback)

This book challenges the Christianity that is practised by many American Christians today. The basis of this book is that by negations - defining what God is not - we can better understand the true God. Separate articles address different faulty views of God and Dr. Laytham concludes the book but outlining what God is, and what the Church should be. An important aspect that should be noted, though there is no chapter dedicated to the myth of a 'masculine god', the gender neutral language throughout the book is appreciated and supports the over-arching theme of the book, that of dispelling faulty views of God.

All of the articles are relatively easy to read and should be read with an open mind and heart. The opening article confronts the pop culture notion portrayed in a Joan Osborne song that 'God is one of us'. The following article, and my personal favorite, is titles "God is not nice". The blasphemous 'nice god' comes from cultural pressures "of late modernity where self-esteem and passion rule" and from theological pressures in favor of a "tolerant god who makes you feel good" (45,48). The books continues with articles that dispel the myths of an 'american god' a 'capitalist god' and a 'religious god'. Dr. Laytham concludes the book by writing that "God is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic"; but I don't want to give away the ending.

I recommend this book to everyone who is tired and frustrated by the Christian god that has been misrepresented and understood and is seeking to reconnect with the true God.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Who speaks for God?, December 27, 2010

By 

Dr. Holley H. Ulbrich (Clemson SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: God Is Not...: Religious, Nice, "One of Us," An American, A Capitalist (Paperback)

This is a book about theology, which for Christians refers to the meaning of the story or stories that are central to Christian tradition. To title a book "God is not..." is a tad presumptuous. It seems to imply that I (the author(s)) know what God is, or is not, and you don't.

If your faith is grounded in Barthian neo-orthodoxy, you will find that this book is both affirming and challenging. But if your theology, like mine, is more liberal, more questioning, more nuanced, more carefully acquired and scrutinized, then this book doesn't have a lot to offer.

The essays on God is not an American and God is not religious are actually pretty good. The essay on God is not a capitalist is weak--I say that as a person with graduate degrees in both economics and theology. God is not a capitalist, but this essay wasn't necessarily effective in illuminating that idea. Overall, however, I found this book to be a bit of a waste of time for anyone who takes theology seriously.