Customer Reviews

Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book follows the author through his youth, college and young adult years. He was raised by parents who practiced an extremely conservative religion and his college years were spent trying to find what he himself believed. The theme of Christian music runs throughout the book, as the author majored in music business at a Christian college.
I have to say that I was disappointed with this book. I struggled to read it, as I felt that it stereotyped many different religions. The book focused much less on music than I would have hoped. The focus was more on the Christian Music industry, as opposed to the influence of music. As a lover of music, I had really high hopes for this book and was sadly disappointed. Having said that, I did find the author to have a fun, unique voice. I just wish that it had been less judgmental of other religions and more focused on his own conversion. The book skipped from his continued confusion to several years in the future when he seemed to have it all figured out.

In his new book "Hear No Evil," Matthew Paul Turner establishes some of his current thoughts towards the blending of religiosity and music, and then proceeds to illustrate the pitfalls through stories of his childhood through his early writing career. Though the world of music was an easy theme for Turner to focus on, Hear No Evil also covers other aspects of art and expression such as movies, television, fashion, performing, and Calvinism.

Like his book, "Churched," Turner's writing is full of hilarious anecdotes and very clever observations, while at the same time the stories are a sober reminder that there is no fun in fundamentalism, whatever its particular brand. As the chapters proceed and the little boy grows up he must figure out what to do with all the religion he has soaked up over the years. He journeys through college, living in Nashville, booking music for a Christian coffee shop/concert house, and having a job as a writer and editor for CCM (Christian Contemporary Music) Magazine.

While his inside view of "the business" provides insights to the Christian music scene (especially thoughtful are his interactions with Amy Grant, a musician he calls "James" who left the industry, and a church worship leader named Kyle) Matthew's writings aren't an expose on others as much as they are a tell-all book about himself. As he says, "Honesty can sometimes sound judgmental to those who don't fully understand the topic of conversation." And that is what this, an honest conversation from a man who is walking out his faith in sincerity, even when it means being uncomfortably raw, in hopes that tomorrow's songs will be sung in freedom.

I highly recommend this book.

Hear No Evil is a collage of stories from Matthew Paul Turner's past. A former independent fundamental Baptist (IFB), Turner chronicles his spiritual journey with special attention to the role his love for music played.

As a former IFB myself, I could identify with many of his experiences. I was raised KJV only, and also used my Bible as an autograph book (for the great men of God who I was privileged to hear). One of Turner's memories is particularly relevant to the audience of my blog. Sadly it rings true, to some extent, of my own experience and many others. He recounts:

"I didn't study God. I just memorized Scripture verses and practiced Bible trivia. I could have told you the names of the twelve sons of Jacob or offered you a biblically accurate play-by-play of the events that led up to King David sleeping with Bathsheba. I learned facts. I knew a thousand Bible verses by heart, but I couldn't explain why God's story was important to me, personally. (pg. 122)"

Clear and extremely well-written, the book makes for easy reading. In a light-hearted manner, with equal parts humor and candor, Turner recounts his escapades expertly. The stories are interesting and to some extent comical.

Unfortunately, Turner's tone is rather disturbing. As I read the book I was struggling to find a point in it all. Some of the stories seemed a bit over the top. Even granting for some authorial exaggeration, some of the scenarios he described stretched the limits of reality. Often the humor seemed self-serving. And Turner spared no punches in his shots of fundamentalists and other wider segments of Christianity.

Several scenes were painted without a clear resolution. What really is Turner's assessment of all of this? Where did he end up on the other end of the story recounted in the book? He was not timid in his insinuations about the state of Christian rock music. A Christian bass player ejects from his group and considers himself agnostic. Turner doesn't try to win him back, rather he empathizes with the pressure the Christian rock industry puts on its performers to remain virgins, albeit only in a "technical sense". Biblical literalists like the stern publisher of CCM (the magazine Turner edited for a while), have an agenda and aren't to be trusted. A gay former worship pastor, who visits his church on Easter Sunday indiscriminately receives Turner's cheerful welcome.

I do want to be careful not to judge the book too harshly. It is a personal recounting of events and nothing more. Perhaps I'm expecting too much from it. The flavor of the book is perhaps best captured in the following excerpt. Speaking of a fellow Amy Grant aficionado and staffer at CCM, Turner says:

"The story of Michael's early years is nearly identical to mine. Different parents, different churches, different states, but our experiences were the same. Both of us were raised Independent Fundamental Baptists. When we met people who hadn't heard of our form of Baptist, we told them it was Christian for 'scary beyond all reason.'

"By the time we turned twelve, Michael and I were convinced we knew everything there was to know about God. If that information wasn't already stored in our brains somewhere, our parents had flashcards to help us memorize it. People who told us that God was more or less than what we'd been taught were liars sent by Satan to deceive us. Our teenage years brought questions, college brought doubt, and we spent the better part of our twenties in therapy, trying to reconcile our understandings of God, sex, relationships, and what we believed to be true.

"But there was one consistent thread of grace in our lives, a trail we could follow all the way back to when our memories began: music. Music reminded us that we could trust God even when "his people" failed us.

"And at some point, our paths crossed with Amy's music, which gave both of us hope that God wasn't nearly as hateful as we'd been taught. (pg. 200-201)"

This book will resonate with many. But some will be emboldened by it to continue along a trajectory outside of confessional Christianity and orthodox faith. The book is good reading, but must be read with a discerning eye.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, as part of their Blogging for Books program.

To put my cards up front: I didn't grow up on the fundamentalist side of evangelicalism. My parents listened to Amy Grant on the way to church, Bob Dylan on the way to groceries, and Billy Joel on the record player. Yet I did go to an evangelical college where half of the music majors seemed to want to go down to Nashville and become the next Steven Curtis Chapman, Audio A, or Point of Grace -- this was before the modern worship takeover when everyone wanted to become the next Chris Tomlin or Casting Crowns. I was also at CCM Magazine HQ the day after Salem bought them out, and the feel in the building was frosty at best.

So I sympathize a bit with this book, if only thanks to friends who went through much of the same strangeness of fundamentalism: the suspicion of other Christians, the Bible Quizzes, ignorance of life outside the bubble, arbitrary rules, guilt, and discovery of music. Music pulled me in early as well, thanks to artists like Stevie Wonder and the Pointer Sisters on Sesame Street and my parents impressive library of what's now called Classic Rock.

Much of this book is pretty fun, and filled with anecdotes about growing up in this environment. The intro about the young man showing up in Nashville like a deer in the headlights resonated with the kids I knew who wanted to get into CCM. The stories about the frustrated guy playing with his Christian Rock band wanting to run away sounds like countless interviews with people who left CCM. Parts are hilarious, parts are incredibly sad. The story of attempting to force Amy Grant to apologize was perfect in that is encapsulated everything the book was about: Music, distrust, disappointment, and the shallowness of the whole movement. It's a painful chapter to read.

However, I really wish there was more coherency to this book. Intriguing stories start and don't go anywhere. Years of college are jumped over in order to get back home. Chapters just end, and little attempt to reflect is given. While there's a lot of good here, I was hoping for a little more explanation at how he's been able to reconcile his upbringing, his love of music, and burnout from the Nashville scene. There's a lot of stories focusing on Turner, but little self-reflection from Turner.

Still, it's a good read, and the second half of the book is a little more connected. Much of it is worth it for the story of Amy Grant and the politics of promoting virginity in rock shows. Turner has a great way of telling stories, so I wish him the best in honing his craft.

Every now and again you need to read something to take your mind off the other stuff you are reading and in the realm of Christian literature (be it theology or second-rate fiction) this is often more true. The new work of Matthew Paul Turner seemed to much of this type of reading for me.

Hear No Evil is what MPT calls his "story of innocence, music, and the Holy Ghost" and I guess that is a good way to describe his abbreviated bio centered around his absence and then search of good music. For most of the 225 pages it is a sad story that might engender compassion and a desire to change the way we do religion, but Turner pulls through and eventually gets to a place where his faith isn't so harsh and he misses his wife and son when they are out of town.

For those of you that grew up in the Christian subculture there will be some moments of vivid memories of your first Amy Grant concert or maybe your inability to listen to good music because it was "sinful." And for those of you that don't have such experiences you will learn the sad, superficial nature of some in the music industry, and sadly the Christian music industry.

Turner doesn't give you much in the way of revelations of faith but by the last chapter he will have you wondering how far you are willing to allow grace and love to be shared. This book, which WaterBrook sent to me to review, is more likely to have you questioning how you do you faith not why you have one and that is not always a bad place to be, just don't spend much time there!

Hear No Evil is not something that must be on your bookshelf but if you need something to read on the bus to remind you that your adolescence wasn't so bad, reading it wouldn't be so bad. Don't expect new theological concepts or even the greatest story telling (Turner has a tendency to go on a few rabbit trails here) but do expect honesty and one guy's story of late blooming and pursuit and eventual relinquishing of Christian stardom

Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost is a collection of personal stories by Matthew Paul Turner dealing with how music played a role in his life. Of course I wanted to read this the moment I heard about it (despite the fact that Churched remains in the TBR pile) because I'm always interested in how music plays a part in our lives. (similar to books. Music lovers, you know it's similar to books)

I really enjoyed this one, I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so much while reading. Turner grew up in a fundamentalist church with rather strict rules. For instance, they had to sneak off to see Sandi Patty. This story humored me greatly, we actually listened to a fair bit of Christian music in my home growing up and my mom loved Sandi Patty, but all of the controversies I remember, like if a song didn't mention Jesus (like Love in any Language) it was such a bad thing. So while my home and churches were much less conservative, there were some definite commonalities. I laughed through quite a few of the early stories, but the stories towards the end really touched me. My favorite story is "Chasing Amy" which is about Turner's experience with his musical hero Amy Grant, and the opportunity he had to interview her when he worked as an editor for CCM magazine. (it was the magazine for Christian music) Amy Grant, by far, faced the judgement of the Christian subculture more than almost anyone else I can think of for both her attempt to "crossover" into mainstream pop music and her divorce. It was such an issue of hot debate, and it was interesting to read his perspective. But what I loved most of all was the way he identified Amy as "his storyteller." It's eloquently put and I know exactly what he means since I have an artist I think of in much the same terms. I just loved it.

I really recommend Hear No Evil for people who aren't afraid to laugh at the ridiculousness of the evangelical Christian subculture (while still loving it), who maybe have a fairly conservative background, who can find the grace and hope through the humor, and of course, who love music. I'd even venture to say you don't have to believe in Jesus to enjoy this book.

Read this one on my iPhone. First time I'd tried that. It's a quick read, but funny and poignant if you grew up in the 1980's.

If half of this is true, I'm going to call my parents and thank them for raising me in the United Methodist Church.

Who knew that Sandi Patti was considered so subversive? Funny.. that was the first concert that I ever went to. My youth director took us. I couldn't stand it. To each his own, I suppose.

I remember well the 1980's youth programs on how rock and roll was a tool of the devil, and now that's the musical style of many worship services.

What I like about this book is that while we may look back and think some of it seems a bit ridiculous, it's all just part of the age-old practice of adding baggage to the Gospel. There was a time when new believers were expecting to undergo circumcision in order to become Christians. Paul and some of the other early Christians fought against this. We continue to do the same thing, turning clean into unclean.

And that's really what this book is about from a musical perspective. Matthew Paul Turner's journey was raised with a lot of this baggage, and it's taken him years to move beyond it.

I picked up Matthew Paul Turner's memoir with trepidation, hoping it wouldn't be another offering by a clueless Christian musician who thinks he is God's answer to secular music or by yet another Christian musician who rebels against the confines of religion and writes about why being of the world really is OK with Jesus.....

Thankfully, "Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost" (Waterbrook Press, 2010) is neither, and through a lens of humor, turns out to be a very readable, honest look at both of those types of Christian musicians and much more (ironically, Turner once imagined himself as Christian music's answer to Michael Jackson).

Raised in a very strict, fundamental Baptist home where singers like Sandi Patti and Amy Grant were considered too risqué, Turner would not have seemed destined to become an authority in the world of contemporary Christian music. Through a series of circumstances driven by an innate love and ability for music, however, the church soloist-turned-Christian-band-singer, turned Christian coffee house manager finds himself covering the beat (and later serving as editor of CCM Magazine).

Turner's journey through the music world and with Christ is a thoughtful, honest and extremely humorous one. He had me laughing out loud with stories evoking the style of one of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson, who captures the humor of real-life moments. Turner's account of popping aspirin before enduring the physical pain of listening to the audition of a Christian singer whose "voice once in a while accidentally fell on key" caused me some embarrassment while reading on a commuter train where my constant, loud laughter was not welcome.

While Turner elicits laughs at the expense of those whom he meets along the way, he never adopts a mocking tone. Most of the anecdotes include the lesson Turner himself learned from the experience and real insight into what God thought about it.

Likewise, though he's scathingly critical of his fundamental upbringing, a love and his respect for his parents comes through very clearly. It would have been nice, though, to have a disclaimer somewhere explaining that not all Christians, or even Baptists, are like the ones described in the book or that breaking away from legalistic fundamentalism doesn't mean that you have to disregard the bible.

Though the focus of "Hear No Evil" is on Turner's experiences in the music world, the book will be of interest to those not in the industry as well. His recollections about life at Belmont University, for example, can be enjoyed by anyone who has been to a Christian college. He has an uncanny ability to see everything as a learning experience that can be applied at any stage of the Christian walk. In fact, non Christians and skeptics will find the book engaging and non-threatening as well.

The next time I have some free time for reading, I might just pick up Turner's earlier works, "Churched: One Kid's Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess" and "The Christian Culture Survival Guide." Or, if the fundamental part of my faith will allow me a guilty pleasure, I just might laugh out loud all the way through "Hear No Evil" again.


Information about "Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost" is available by visitiing [...]

A free reviewer's copy of this book was provided by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

"Hear No Evil" by Matthew Paul Turner


I just finished reading "Hear No Evil" this morning,not because it's a long book but because when I find a book that I like and makes me laugh, I don't want the experience to end.
Matthew Paul Turner is one of my favorite authors and Twitterers (is that a word?) and bloggers. His books are honest but also humorous. Sometimes you have to get past the sarcasm to see that there is a genuine honest heart that has an important story to tell.
"Hear No Evil" is a book that chronicles his experiences with music. Most of the book deals with his college and young adult experiences in the Christian Music Industry.
His upbringing in a very legalistic church have a very strong impact on his likes and beliefs. I think his friend who described him as a "boy in the bubble" was very accurate. His church and parents sheltered him from the real world. When he discovers some of these things, his reactions will make you laugh. The description of his family dropping him off at a "christian" college was hilarious.
The story of Tina, a woman who had dreams of performing, and Kyle,a man who came to church at Easter were very touching. Matthew has a way of making you laugh but also finding that story that makes you really think about how Christians push away the very people they are trying to reach.
I would hightly recommend this book to anyone. It made my week :)
To buy a copy of this book check out this website

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Hear No Evil is the first book that I've read by Matthew Paul Turner. I've followed him on Twitter for quite awhile, although we've rarely if ever had a conversation, and it just so happens that we live within a few miles of each other.

When the opportunity arose for me to be a part of this blog parade I jumped at it for curiosity sake. Well, OK, perhaps I was a little nosy. It's difficult not to have questions when someone's tag line is "Jesus Needs New PR"--especially when we are nearly neighbors. My inquiring mind wanted to know more about where Matthew was coming from.

After reading Hear No Evil, I get it, not totally perhaps but, at least partially. The author grew up in a home so "rigidly religious" that it makes my "strict upbringing" look somewhat like a picnic by comparison.

In this fundamental environment "fear" was the basis for having a relationship with Christ rather than "faith" in God's grace, love, and mercy. Although I'm unsure I could find a quote in the book to substantiate this claim it is one of the conclusions I came to as a reader. With much clearer insight I now understand why Matthew Paul Turner expends his energy, time, talents, and gifts in the way that he does.

I actually read the entire book in one day. Putting it down, only for bathroom breaks and food, it was indeed a marathon reading session. What can I say? The book was very engaging and I found the author's ability to recall stories from his evangelical up-bringing and share them in a humorous way to be very intriguing. Not only did I want to travel with him, intent on not missing a single tale, I was very anxious to see where his journey ultimately would lead.

Hear No Evil provoked an array of responses from me. I found myself laughing, cringing, gasping in shock on several occasions, reading sections aloud to my husband, praying my 20 year old son doesn't get any ideas from the book, and at times feeling very sad.

Several times I felt myself sink down deep into the couch as I recalled some of the "religious antics" I had personally experienced. Unfortunately I have yet to find the humor in them which means that they are still very painful wounds.

Matthew, on the other hand, seems to have the skills of a masterful story teller. He has the ability to share truth mixed with humor in a way that disarms it from being overly offensive. Or at least the laughter numbs some of the painful truths. Perhaps it's a little of both.

All in all, I found myself grooving along on the journey. At least until it came to an end. As I finished the last chapter of the book I was not yet ready for trip to be over when suddenly it came to a grinding halt.

In many ways it was like attending an outstanding lecture where you've taken in a great deal and yet find yourself fighting the nagging urge to raise your hand to ask a question. Unfortunately three o'clock in the morning is not a great time to call a stranger with inquiries. Twitter echoes like an empty prison about then. Most people don't answer email in the middle of the night. So I did what seemed the most logical, I visited the author's website.

There I found a partial answer to my question. In Hear No Evil Matthew Paul Turner has done an outstanding job of communicating where he "came from" but I personally had a desire to know more about where he is "coming from" now.

From what I gathered at his website he is spending a great deal of time unlearning some things so that in turn he might learn others. Like what it means to have a loving relationship with a gracious God. I'd like nothing more than to have a discussion with the author over a cup of coffee in order to ask a few questions.

Since that seems highly unlikely, I'm hoping to hear more about this in Matthew's next book. We've all experienced "bad religion." Some of us more than others. I'd love to hear more about the author's present spiritual journey and the avenues he is pursuing in his quest to give Jesus new PR.

[This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.]