Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality

4.42 of 5 stars 4.42 · rating details · 67 ratings · 20 reviews

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Echoing Hosea, Jesus defends his embrace of the "unclean" in the Gospel of Matthew, seeming to privilege the prophetic call to justice over the Levitical pursuit of purity. And yet, as missional faith communities are well aware, the tensions and conflicts between holiness and mercy are not so easily resolved. At every turn, it seems that th...more

Paperback, 201 pages

Published March 4th 2011 by Cascade Books (first published March 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

I See Satan Fall Like Lightning by René Girard

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by René Girard

René Girard Constellation

23rd out of 38 books — 3 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 203)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 26, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology

This book is subtitled "Reflections on Purity, Hospitality and Mortality", and it is a blend of psychological and theological analysis. Starting from a similar grounding in psychological research to Jonathan Haidt ("The Righteous Mind"), Beck probes deeper with a profound meditation on the significance of the text "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" for Jesus' ministry and for the Christian church.

In brief, Beck's contention is that the psychology of disgust is active in many conscious and uncons...more This book is subtitled "Reflections on Purity, Hospitality and Mortality", and it is a blend of psychological and theological analysis. Starting from a similar grounding in psychological research to Jonathan Haidt ("The Righteous Mind"), Beck probes deeper with a profound meditation on the significance of the text "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" for Jesus' ministry and for the Christian church.

In brief, Beck's contention is that the psychology of disgust is active in many conscious and unconscious ways in the thought and worship life of the church. The core function of disgust, he says, is to protect the boundary of the body, for example to prevent us from eating offensive food. But the psychology of disgust and the associated notion of contamination spill over from this core role into the sociomoral and existential realms. "The central argument of this book", writes Beck, "is that the psychology of disgust and contamination regulates how many Christians reason with and experience notions of holiness, atonement, and sin. In a related way, the psychology of disgust and contamination also regulates social boundaries and notions of hospitality within the church."

Beck wonders why churches, followers of Jesus whose practice of inclusivity – of table fellowship with “tax collectors and sinners” – was one of the most notable features of his ministry, so often retreat into practices of exclusion, into “gated communities”. “Why is it so difficult to create missional churches?”, he asks. And he finds the answer in the psychology of disgust: the unconscious activation of this psychology in church affairs prioritizes “sacrifice”, that is boundary-forming ritual activity, over “mercy”, that is, boundary-transgressing hospitality and welcome after the model of Jesus. Beck suggests that the tendency for Christians to be “captured” by disgust psychology is like a “theological sweet tooth”, and that this “capture” has a variety of unhealthy outcomes: fear of contamination, scapegoating, exclusionary practices, even a Gnostic flight from physicality. Indeed, it is remarkable how many aspects of church life are illuminated by Beck’s psychological insights.

In Beck’s view, the “theological sweet tooth” represented by our attraction to disgust psychology cannot (and perhaps should not) be eliminated: it can only be managed. How can this come about? In his final chapter Beck suggests that the Eucharist can function as a divinely ordained regulating ritual against the danger of what he calls “purity collapse”, that is, the privileging of purity over all other concerns such as welcoming others or facing our own need and mortality. For the Eucharist simultaneously activates many facets of disgust psychology; food and ingestion; ritual purity, atonement and sacrifice; table-fellowship and hospitality (as in I Corinthians); and animality/mortality (“this is my blood”). “In this ritual, purity is tethered both to hospitality and to the body… the Eucharist, properly practiced, regulates how the church experiences otherness and difference… (and) pushes against the Gnostic temptation by keeping the disgusting aspects of the body firmly in view.”

“If this book has any recommendation”, concludes Beck, “it would be for churches to attend to and cultivate the tensions inherent in the celebration of the Eucharist.” His meditation provides an incisive resource for such attention.(less)

like · see review

Nov 05, 2012 Matt Cromartie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read and discussed this book in my community group at church. It was certainly an interesting read. The author starts by trying to answer the question of why Jesus would quote/say "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" in Matthew 9 and examines how and why the church has fallen short of that standard in the modern era. To do this he dives deeply into disgust psychology: why we are disgusted by certain things, how disgust causes contamination, how disgust affects the way we interact with others, etc....more

like · see review

Jul 25, 2011 Elise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, philosophy, religion

I finished a book! Yay! First one since the twins were born.

Unclean by Richard Beck, to me, was a psychological analysis of why we are so prone to being elite, exclusive, and inhospitable to “others.” Beck gives an academic analysis of “disgust,” a human emotion that at its heart, is meant to protect us from ingesting substances that could be physically harmful. Society conditions us, however, to feel disgust and a variety of things and people that are actually not disgusting (in the sense of ha...more I finished a book! Yay! First one since the twins were born.

Unclean by Richard Beck, to me, was a psychological analysis of why we are so prone to being elite, exclusive, and inhospitable to “others.” Beck gives an academic analysis of “disgust,” a human emotion that at its heart, is meant to protect us from ingesting substances that could be physically harmful. Society conditions us, however, to feel disgust and a variety of things and people that are actually not disgusting (in the sense of harming us physically). To make a long story short, some of these things and people that certain societies teach as disgusting (poor hygiene, certain “moral” offenses, homosexuality, body issues such as gore or deformity) keep us from being hospitable to groups of people (i.e. excluding them) rather than taking care of them (which, ironically, would be the Christ-like thing for Christian Americans to do, but Christian Americans tend to be most vulnerable to this type of hostility).

Just as we would spit out (“expel”) a disgusting substance in our mouths that could physically harm us, we tend to exclude (“expel”) groups of people we label as “disgusting” from the circle of people we deem worthy of our love and hospitality.

Rather than giving in to elitist thinking and excluding groups of people, Beck argues that “Hospitality is about selfhood. It is that space where the dignity of every human person is vouchsafed, embraced, and protected…” implying that the people that we are taught by society that it is ok to avoid, or ok to withhold help from, should actually be given a status of dignity.

The opposite of a “disgusting” substance or person is a “pure” substance or person. Religions (including general American Christianity) place a lot of emphasis on “purity”. In Unclean, Beck argues that the “…flight into purity is often a flight from need into self-sufficiency. And this flight into purity and self-sufficiency has catastrophic effects upon human compassion and empathy…”

Disgust is often linked to people and substances we relate to our animality (sex or other physical acts that remind us our bodies are the same as animal’s bodies), death or to impurity. (For example, for Christians that believe homosexuality is a sin, why are gay couples called impure or disgusting, but someone that is prideful is not called impure or disgusting, even though pride specifically called out by Jesus a sin and homosexuality is not? Beck’s psychology behind this suggests that Christians view sexual sins as “impure” because they remind us we really are physically animals, while pride does not act as such a reminder.)

The heart of the book for me is a call back to hospitality – i.e. community, taking care of each other, being kind and considering others needs, etc – on page 175:

“The repression of death and need is particularly acute in America and other modern, technologically advanced nations. The reason for this is that our material wealth and technological success obscure our need and vulnerability. Never suffering want or poverty, and trusting in modern medicine, Americans can live (and pretend) as if they were immortal. This creates a cultural worldview that is characterized by what Ernest Becker has called “the denial of death,” the refusal to admit the reality of death into our lives and consciousness. Arthur C. McGill gives another cogent analysis of this…[noting] that “Americans like to appear as if they give death hardly any thought at all.” The American ethic is, thus, “for people to create a living world where death seems abnormal and accidental. [Americans] must create a living world where life is so full, so secure, and so rich with possibilities that it gives no hint of death and deprivation.”

What we see in this death repression is a collective and cultural denial of our own vulnerability and need. The American duty, according to McGill, is to be “fine,” to take up “the duty to look well, to seem fine, to exclude from the fabric of [our] normal life any evidence of decay and death and helplessness.” This social pressure to be “fine,” to hide from others our vulnerability and failure, is the dark and pathological side of the American success ethos. It is the drive to become so materially successful as to eliminate all trace of need. It is the quest, as noted above, to be god-like: separate, autonomous, self-contained, and without need.”

The other, shorter, message that really hit me was this:

“True love moves me into need”

True hospitality and charity is not giving to others only when we have excess material things, excess emotional strength, excess time – caring for others out of true love for humanity requires us to give to a point of being in need. Not only when we have “extra,” because there is always someone who has less than us (money, time, emotional and mental health, physical strength) and so there is always someone we can help no matter what our means.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 03, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's been awhile since I've read a psychology book, felt good stretching those particular mental muscles again.

This book put a new lens on the idea of purity, for me. Beck articulated and explained, from a psychological perspective, some of the gut feelings I've had but been unable to rationalize, with regards to church culture and behavior especially. It's fascinating to delve into what disgusts us and why, and to realize that these almost instinctive impulses limit or completely block our abil...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 29, 2012 Graham rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very readable.

Nicely incorporates social psychology research onto the major ideas of Volf in Exclusion/Embrace.

The idea of "moral dumbfounding" with respect to disagreements on social subjects between liberals and conservatives was a particularly helpful application.

He has blogged at greater length about the Death Denial which could be the dominant theme of disgust psychology.

Includes some helpful readings of Gospel texts particularly Jesus/Pharisees.

A nice application of the Lord's supper as...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 Andrew Marr rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: spirituality-of-peace

This is one of the most important books I've come across this past year & I've read a lot of books I think are important. The concept of impurity/uncleanness is a major element in religious traditions & so deserves & requires careful examination theologically & psychologically. Mary Douglas' "Purity and Danger" is a classic & Beck discusses some of her ideas, but this book cuts more deeply into how WE experience uncleanness & impurity, so this book is at least as practica...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 23, 2012 Ali M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: soul-food

Excellent. Why isn't psychology integrated with theology more often? It's so illuminating. Unclean is one of the best breakdowns of the subconscious Christian life I've read since Insurrection: To Believe Is Human; To Doubt, Divine. It's essentially a discussion of disgust psychology, and how this universal human impulse regulates nearly every aspect of of our daily lives - affecting how we group and label people in our minds, react to certain behaviors that are alien to us, and become isolated...more Excellent. Why isn't psychology integrated with theology more often? It's so illuminating. Unclean is one of the best breakdowns of the subconscious Christian life I've read since Insurrection: To Believe Is Human; To Doubt, Divine. It's essentially a discussion of disgust psychology, and how this universal human impulse regulates nearly every aspect of of our daily lives - affecting how we group and label people in our minds, react to certain behaviors that are alien to us, and become isolated from others without realizing it... all in an effort to protect ourselves from recognizing our own deep needs. The whole book stems from Jesus's words in Matthew 9:13 - "Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

Beck backs up his points with insight from various psychological studies, proving that none of his correlations are as loose as we'd like to think. He makes a startling case for how, as Christians, we even sometimes work to avoid recognizing Jesus as fully human, because to be human is to need things - to love at all is to be vulnerable. And we don't want to be vulnerable. We don't want to be needy. (And we certainly don't want God to be that way.)

He uses this discussion to shed further light on the theological case for God as a trinity; if God were a single solitary being, he couldn't possibly know (or be) love. The relationship at the heart of the trinity involves need on the part of God, giving and receiving - an active relationship. This, in turn, is powerfully illustrated in the Incarnation and crucifixion. That's easy for Christians to confess intellectually, but do we really accept it? Do we live it? Are we Gnostics at heart, or do we embrace God in the mundane, the God who "lowered himself" to become a human being, using spit and dirt to change lives as much as his words?

I was also challenged by the statement: "True love should move us into need." If you help someone because it's no sweat off your back, is that really love? Shouldn't we aim to help people in a way that forces us to move beyond our comfort zone(s)? Like the poor woman in Luke 21:1-4 who gave every penny she had, in contrast to the rich man who dumped his surplus into the treasury; true love should give enough that the lover lacks for it. It should affect or change me in some fundamental way. Otherwise, it is an empty gesture made from behind self-imposed boundaries.

Ouch. I love it when books like this shake up my world.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, psychology-anthropology-sociology, philosophy-theology-spirituality, recommended

Excellent! Richard Beck, on my short list of favorite living authors (due largely to his blog "Experimental Theology"), has written a book in the intersection of psychology and Christian practical theology. These sorts of intersections are critical to a circumspect and self-refining Christianity, and Beck does a good job introducing us to a few of the issues involved.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a psychological approach to the liberal-conservative divide in Christianity and the correspondi...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 06, 2012 Josh Barkey rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book made a little bit of my brain leak out my ears. In a good way. I bought it at a hyper-inflated internet price because I interact with Dr. Beck's blog on a regular basis, and I both wanted to see what he'd have to say in a longer format and to support him in his writing. I don't regret it.

Super-basic breakdown: Beck uses psychology to try to figure out why people in the Christian community are such turdbuckets to people who engage in moral behavior of which they don't approve. It would...more

1 like · like · see review

May 07, 2012 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion, non-fiction

This is a meaty book with a lot of stuff to say about the intersection of the psychology of disgust and churches, particularly the tension between purity and hospitality. As someone who would be seen as unclean by many churches (including ones I used to be part of), this felt like someone finally explained what I couldn't figure out about why I'm "unclean" but the twice-divorced man on his third marriage was "clean". It's backed with interesting studies (loved the dixie cup one) and the whole su...more

like · see review

Jun 28, 2012 Robert Cornwall rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: church-and-ministry, spirituality, social-justice, theology, religion

Richard Beck brings his training in psychology together with his deep reading of scripture and theology to unpack the message that God loves mercy not sacrifice. In Unclean, he speaks of how disgust and contempt function as boundary markers and how they can and must be overcome/regulated by love and mercy.

Excellent book, at points conservative and other points liberal, but always informative and challenging!

like · see review

Apr 25, 2013 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biblical-studies, psychology, ecclesiology

The overall message of how our affect of disgust informs (determines?) or morality is still a much needed message for the church. I would strongly recommend the book for that reason alone even though I have criticisms of his biblical understanding and some unevenness in his style and content.

like · see review

May 21, 2013 Anafalz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Richard Beck reflects on the lack of hospitality in the church. Reflecting on the concept of "disgust" and how it affects our decision making, he artfully illustrates the need to work on our "disgust reflex." Wonderful companion to "Living into Community" by Christine Pohl.

like · see review

Jul 06, 2012 Raborn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very good. Examines how we respond to "the other" who is not like us by looking at the psychology of disgust. Good read.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 21, 2013 Coryke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology

The first MUST READ I've encountered.

like · see review

Apr 29, 2013 Curtis Lillie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Challenging insights, but a bit repetitive at times. A must read for church leaders.

like · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Michael Hanegan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, kindle-library

I'm taking the time to re-read this book with an eye to its implications for life with people of other Christian traditions. What does it mean to reexamine the "ick factor" and purity boundaries from within the Christian tradition? This book will be important in that conversation.

like · see review

Jul 26, 2012 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

This clearly stated things that I have long believed. It was surprising to read such a book written by a minister as it was so honest about how certain "Christians" treat others they do not see as their equals. I am not saying it a perfect book, but it was quite enjoyable for me to read.

like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Jordan Peacock rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychology, theology

The content is good, but I preferred the writing & structure on the original blog posts to the way it is presented here.

Nevertheless, I'll be facilitating a group read of this in the near future; the content is definitely worth grappling with.

like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Judy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent!

like · see review

May 24, 2013 Jessica Hartley marked it as to-read

May 23, 2013 Rock marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, abrahamic, non-fiction, sexuality

May 23, 2013 Jessica added it

Shelves: thesis

May 22, 2013 Stephanie marked it as to-read

May 17, 2013 James Anderson is currently reading it

May 16, 2013 Matt marked it as to-read

May 15, 2013 Jeremiah Rice is currently reading it

May 12, 2013 Kaela marked it as to-read

Shelves: gender-sexuality, religion-philosophy

May 09, 2013 Sally marked it as to-read

Shelves: theology

May 08, 2013 Jessica Rowan marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Religion > Theology

7 users

Religion

6 users

Psychology

5 users

Non Fiction

4 users

Philosophy

2 users

Spirituality

2 users

See top shelves...

About Richard Beck

Dr. Richard Beck is a Professor of Psychology at Abilene Christian University, and he is the author of the popular blog Experimental Theology: The Thoughts, Articles and Essays of Richard Beck and the books Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality and The Authenticity of Faith: The Varieties and Illusions of Religious Experience. As an experimental psychologist and a practicing C...more

More about Richard Beck...

Books by Richard Beck

The Authenticity of Faith : The Varieties and Illusions of Religious Experience

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Unclean: Meditati...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality
avg rating	preview: Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality Goodreads rating: 4.42 (67 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10851385-unclean?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1302530069l/10851385.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10851385-unclean?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality by Richard Beck[/url]

Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (3)

Genres

About Richard Beck

Books by Richard Beck

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Unclean: Meditati...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)