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A Voluptuous God: A Christian Heretic Speaks

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A Voluptuous God is, simply put, a beautiful book. First, a little context. This book is rooted in the Christian mystical tradition - an invitation to a direct, intimate experience and relationship with God. Hence, the title, which is mystic Meister Eckhart's descriptive metaphor of his experience. This book is also rooted in Thompson's personal journey in answer to that invitation. For those familiar, Marcus Borg writes as a scholar about the gap between what is taught in seminaries (at least in some courses) and what is presented in churches; Thompson, a minister, writes how he bridges that gap, inviting his congregation and the reader to step beyond religious doctrine.

Back to my opening comment. Besides some particularly beautiful passages that you'll have to discover for yourself, more generally, this is a beautiful book because it

- Peels away layers of Christian doctrine to unveil the raw beauty of a spirituality rooted in the Christian tradition;
- Calls us into a direct, intimate relationship with God (You'll have to read the book for the author's answer to "What is God?");
- Speaks to some of our heart's deepest longings while pulling us again and again into our hearts and challenging us to stay there, live from there;
- Is open and honest, allowing the reader to learn from personal experiences shared;
- Interweaves teachings from several different religious traditions, showing there are many paths to a common destination -- into the innermost heart where we discover there is no "I," no separate self, but only "we," all one.

Even though A Voluptuous God is beautiful, as well as beautifully written and easily read -- do not expect an easy read; expect to be challenged as this is also a book about courage. Thompson's message is a call to freedom: an invitation to choose to set aside any doctrinal formula that gets in the way and head straight into -- and live from -- our innermost heart in personal communion with God. But, whether we like it or not, freedom comes bundled with personal responsibility and accountability. Just one example. The author reminds us that once we let go and are free of religious dogma associated with Jesus, particularly the belief that all we have to do is believe that Jesus died for our sins and we will be saved, we are left face-to-face with Jesus' message or call to love. As the author shows us, there could be no more demanding message than Jesus' call to love -- radically love: to invite everyone (yes, everyone) to our table, into our hearts.

Perhaps, one of the central questions posed, which the author returns to in many different ways, is, "Do we have the courage and commitment to choose to journey into our hearts and continually wrestle with all it means to live life fully anchored in our innermost heart in communion with God, where we experience bliss, but where there are also no strangers -- where we open and learn to see "God in me" but also to see "God in you and you and you;" where we see "me in you" and "you in me"-- where we are pulled to grow into greater compassion and conscience?" I hope so.

The second-best thing for me about Bob Thompson's book is the way it brings near-mystical experience to my non-mystical temperament. He writes well, and he persuades me of my connectedness with others and with everything. The book makes a positive difference in how I feel.

Yet I have some problems with it. I'd want to argue that he overstates the opposition of "heart" and "head." Also, it's not clear to me how a sense of no-self goes along with a sense of personal responsibility. But I think such problems could be worked out, to the extent they need to be.

The best thing for me about Bob Thompson's book is harder to express. It conveys a feeling of deeply lived experience, a complete lack of pretense, and a respect for my own "soul liberty" that comes off the page and supports me, whether I'm arguing with him or not. This is a very beautiful and helpful book.

This book is helping me figure out what I believe. That's a first. Dusty platitudes prevail at my mainline Protestant church. Just being "in the fold" is supposed to be enough to get me through life.

A Voluptuous God takes my questions seriously. But the book doesn't insist on pat, take-it-or-leave-it answers. Instead, reading it is like having Robert V. Thompson standing alongside me, helping me face life's deepest conundrums. His clear writing leads me through Christianity and beyond to wide-ranging sources of spiritual help. I still have questions, but every chapter provides enlightened suggestions to further my thinking.

For example, Chapter 5, "Do You Believe in Divine Intervention?" lets me see that helping a loved one who is moving inexorably toward death is less about expecting God to intervene, and more about how my "compassionate presence" can make all the difference.

The book is not a slick how-to manual for leading a good life. It's a provocative tutorial for thinking about what I believe and how I can live my everyday life generously, purposefully, and forgivingly. Because the author believes in the value of my attempts, A Voluptuous God is a challenging, encouraging book.

I found this book to be a remarkably thought-provoking exploration of life and spirituality. While written from a Christian perspective, it is relevant to people of ALL faiths because of the way in which it explores universal themes. Thompson is gifted in his ability to convey thoughts and concepts in a way that gently invites the reader to reflect more deeply on how we experience life.

Each chapter stands alone so it can be savored slowly, one chapter at a time. It is a book that I will come back to, again and again.

Being raised a Catholic was a spiritually alienating experience. I tried to live the Word but seeing others in my church being pious in the sanctuary and then being less than Christian in the outer world made no sense to me. So, for many, many years I veered away from Christianity. I never thought a spiritual book written by a Christian minister would help me change my attitude about religion. The chapter 'The Resurrection of Judas Iscariot' literally moved me to tears. I confess I have been in situations where I did not speak out or act upon a situation that required my attention. Several days after reading this particular chapter I came upon a homeless man. He was looking for shelter and food. While I could not give him shelter, I did take him to a restaurant for a meal. I don't think I would have done this had I not read this chapter on Judas. I am now trying to live the Word. Thank you for writing such a meaningful book.

I've been reading A VOLUPTUOUS GOD during my daily commutes on public transportation. Normally, I'd be embarrassed to have people see me with a book that has voluptuous and heretic in the title. But because of the unconventional way Thompson uses these words, I instead feel free to make this provocative reexamination of Christianity clearly visible. And when I refer to it in conversation, I find it stirs the spiritual juices of those having a wide range of religious orientations--right, left, or somewhere in limbo.

Thompson embraces panentheism--the idea that God (or whatever love-connoting term one cares to use) is in all and all is in God. (This is not to be confused with pantheism, which recognizes only the first part, God in all.) Ultimately, he says, we are here, each and every one of us in our own unique way, to make God more fully present--voluptuous--in the world.

A VOLUPTUOUS GOD is heretical in that it asserts a much broader view of Christianity than the traditional belief that it is the only true religion, and that Christ is our one and only savior. Christianity--and every other religion--is just one of many ways to acknowledge the Divine and enable its followers to live in the Divine. Synthesizing the wisdom of theologians, mystics, poets, folk tales, popular writers, and his personal experiences as a minister, Thompson illustrates how we can all be Christs, serving one another in love and compassion.

Having grown up in a traditional Christian environment as a Methodist minister's daughter, I find A Voluptuous God to be a refreshing, encouraging view of spirituality, belief, and life itself. I am particularly moved by Robert V. Thompson's explanation of Soul Liberty as "the freedom to seek the truth in one's own way." After a lifetime of "this is what we believe," it is exhilarating and freeing to know I can give myself permission to seek my own truth. Thompson's section on Soul Liberty allows me to state what I have always believed but not necessarily practiced or spoken: spirituality is not based on facts that prove "this is what God is" - it is a matter of defining one's faith and beliefs through the self realization of what is truth to each of us. I don't think I would have ever felt comfortable or focused in this pursuit without the words found in this book.

As we in this country are confronted with war, natural disaster, and a fear-based political agenda, it is hard for some of us to imagine God as "playful" or as being "full of delight." Yet this is exactly the God Robert V. Thompson depicts in his new book, A Voluptuous God: A Christian Heretic Speaks (CopperHouse Fall 2007). With endorsements from such spiritual luminaries as Deepak Chopra and Joan Borysenko, the book's unorthodox title draws from the words of a 14th century Rhineland mystic. Meister Eckhart's statement, "God is voluptuous and delicious," is a metaphor, says Thompson, for direct aesthetic experience, a kind of focused, sensing attention that can provoke profound experiences of aliveness, beauty, and intimacy.
The book gives voice to a point of view, widely shared by Thompson's parish, Lake Street Church. It is distinct from popular traditional Christian-based doctrine. Particularly in times of growing complexity and change, Thompson feels it is imperative to rely on one's own "inner authority," which he describes as that "deep part of us that tells us something is right, good or true." Many well-known religious writers and speakers today assign "authority" elsewhere - citing scriptural texts to legitimize a choice or worldview.
The word, "heretic," in the subtitle of A Voluptuous God, comes from the Greek haireses, to choose, Thompson, an ordained Christian minister, explains. "A heretic is someone who chooses. A heretic is one who lives through the heart, rather than according to a belief system provided to him or her. Heretics know that the mystery of life cannot be shrink-wrapped, the beauty of life cannot be limited to canvas, and that quest for meaning requires taking risks and making sacrifices. This is why heretics refuse to allow those in authority to speak for them," notes Thompson. Thompson says that rather than seeking an authority outside ourselves for dealing with life's challenges and choices, we can develop a contemplative practice to deepen our awareness and quiet our minds; place ourselves in a community, which is the best place to grow and learn about ourselves as individuals, since no one of us has all "the answers;" and accept that we are not powerless and can individually and together create a better world for all of us. "The heart is a compass that points to specific experiences which carry universal meaning, meaning that is too large for a doctrinal formula. Religious orthodoxy is the inevitable result of thinking exclusively from the head," says Thompson.
His well-considered use of humor allows us to engage easily in the subject matter. The light but not trivial tone of his writing supports his basic premise that we are meant to live our humanity joyfully, thankfully, and fully from our hearts. A Voluptuous God is rooted in the Christian tradition but affirms that truth is found in other religions, and other spiritual traditions and practices. It offers an exploration of the place (which is here and now) "where we belong to God and to each other." It clearly offers insight for everyone from every faith, from every denomination all striving to redeem the "word `Christian' that has been hi-jacked. This book can help us reclaim both the name and the substance of a faith tradition that, rightly understood, has ultimate meaning and deep healing to offer a wounded and often hopeless world."

I was born and raised Jewish, attending an Orthodox synagogue as a child and a Conservative synagogue as an adult. I now live in the mostly Conservative Christian community of Colorado Springs, CO. I never really felt drawn to organized religion and for years I found myself unaffiliated and searching for a spiritual home. For six years, I found that home at Lake Street Church. Bob Thompson's words have shown me the difference between religion and spirituality. They have also helped me to accept Jesus Christ - not as a messiah or savior, but as a rabbi, teacher, and mystic. I have learned to experience God on a personal level rather than as an omnipotent, wrathful, punishing presence.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Voluptuous God, connecting with the essence of Bob Thompson's spirituality, and learning to relate to the concept of being a heretic. I have purchased extra copies to share with friends of like mind living here in Colorado Springs. I highly recommend this book to any and all spiritual seekers.

A Voluptuous God is a wonderful book for people who are on a spiritual quest. I have been a Presbyterian, a Catholic, and a Unitarian, and I have always felt I would never find a spiritual home. I was constantly questioning the various churches' authority and doctrines, and my own personal values. This book gives me permission to question everything - openly and honestly and with a sense of freedom and joy. One line in the book that resonates with me, "Truth is my authority, not some authority my truth." I will share this treasure with the people I love in the hope that they too will experience a meaningful spiritual awakening.