Lifecraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday [Hardcover]

Forrest Church (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 2000

In LIFECRAFT, Forrest Church challenges much of the modern search for meaning--indeed, the entire thrust of modern theology. LIFECRAFT reminds us that if we look at our lives as a whole (a spiritual goal many of us after never questioned), "when things go wrong, the entire screen turns dark." Instead, the author says, imagine yourself as "a consortium of personae," rather than as a fixed identity--because otherwise, Church says, we will inevitably think either too much or too little of ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Church, senior minister at the distinguished All Souls Unitarian Church in Manhattan, serves up some thoughtful, brief meditations on making life more meaningful. In Unitarian fashion, the book is replete with provisional, qualified statements about God and acknowledgments of the contextualized nature of all truth. There's no dogma here; readers will find gentle anecdotes drawn from Western philosophy, music and art, as well as from Church's own life and experience. The son of a U.S. senator and the grandson (on his mother's side) of the governor of Idaho, the once-agnostic Church surprised himself and his family by choosing parish ministry as his vocation. He states that life becomes more meaningful when we intentionally divide it up into various projectsAthe parenting project, the career project, the God project, and so onAand prioritize those based on our own situations. Those situations will change, and we must change with them, Church asserts, citing a touching example of a professional football player who quit the NFL to spend time with his terminally ill preschool-age son. At the book's close, Church prods those who feel stuck in a rut to simply "turn the page," much as readers who find themselves reading the same paragraph many times without paying attention need to move on. Church does not offer earth-shattering advice here, but readers will be comforted and perhaps challenged by his call for self-examination. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In his ninth book, Church, senior minister at All Soul's Church in New York City and a popular Unitarian Universalist writer, has written a group of meditations on our most challenging question: finding meaning in life. He confronts vanity, illness, death, and the mysteries of prayer from the liberal religious perspective, and his final advice is simply to keep trying: "Turn the page." His book should find wide readership--and not just among Unitarian Universalists. For most collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 1st edition (May 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807077127
• ISBN-13: 978-0807077122
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,071,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

FORREST CHURCH is currently serving his thirtieth year as minister of All Souls Church in Manhattan. He earned his doctorate in church history at Harvard and has written or edited twenty-two books, including The Separation of Church and State. He lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joy!, June 17, 2000

By 

L. D Sears (El Paso, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lifecraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday (Hardcover)

Forrest Church's LIFECRAFT is an absolute joy to read. I have to say that I found this book quite by accident and chose it because my brother once attended Pastor Church's Church in New York City and because it carried a very positive blurb by Harvey Cox. I am now on my second read and am enjoying it every bit as much the second time around. The book is a collection of ten interrelated essays all dealing with the profound issues involved in the search for meaning in one's life. I was staying with friends on vacation when I found this book and read an essay each day. I found myself reading whole passages aloud to them. I recommend this book strongly for those who find traditional Christianity lacking in depth and credibility. Church has given me a new way of looking at my life--as projects--and a much better way of looking at that which I refer to as "God." It will add much to your life if you have questions unanswered in these areas of your life. And don't we all?

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!, June 27, 2000

By 

David (Sunnyside, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lifecraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday (Hardcover)

I would have read this in one day if I had the time. I had to tear myself away to do other things. Each chapter eases into it's theme, with humor, insight and awe. At first, seeing life as a series of projects seemed simplistic to me, but Forrest delves into these life projects and provides humorous and touching examples from his own life. Eventually, examining a life in this way acquires a deeper significance. As another reviewer noted, there are many great "read aloud" sections and a wonderful collection of breathtaking quotes from others. Forrest makes you feel his awe for the deep meaning that may be found in everyday life, when one lives mindfully. He demonstrates that a spiritual life is not the exclusive province of those who believe in the God of doctrinal religion. Even, if you are not caught up in Forrest's infectious enthusiasm by the third chapter, I guarantee that the last page of the book will blow you away.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LIFECRAFT: A MANUAL ON HOW TO CRAFT YOUR LIFE, April 15, 2008

By 

R. Riddle (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lifecraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday (Paperback)

I READ THIS BOOK DURING A VERY DIFFICULT PERIOD IN MY LIFE, A TIME WHEN DISPAIR RULED AND THE FUTURE SEEMED DARK AND THREATENING. THEN I READ THIS LITTLE BOOK BY FOREST CHURCH AND MY DESPAIR BEGAN TO LIFT BECAUSE OF ITS COMMONSENSE, UPLIFTING IDEAS ABOUT HOW WE HUMAN AND I IN PARTICULAR CREATE MEANING IN OUR LIVES. THE BOOK SUGGESTS WAYS OF LOOKING AT ONE'S LIFE AND MAKING THINGS MEANINGFUL BASED ON THE PROJECTS WE ALL HAVE IN OUR LIVES.

DURING THE LAST FEW MONTHS I'VE RETURNED TO THE SIMPLE WISDOM OF THIS BOOK AGAIN AND AGAIN TO REFRESH MY IDEAS AND MOTIVATIONS. READ IT. TAKE IT TO HEART IF YOU WILL. PERHAPS IT CAN HELP YOU SEE THE PROJECTS YOU NEED TO DO TO MAKE YOUR LIFE MORE MEANINGFUL.