God Laughs & Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right

God Laughs & Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04  ·  rating details  ·  334 ratings  ·  58 reviews
A national bestseller and winner of the PNBA Book Award and Pushcart Prize, God Laughs & Plays is David James Duncan s (The River Why, The Brothers K) profound, original, and exhilarating tour de force.

In this multiple award-winning and bestselling diagnosis of the contemporary American spirit, David James Duncan suggests that the de facto political party embodied by...more
Paperback, 231 pages
Published February 1st 2007 by Triad Books
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Sparrow
Aug 08, 2009 Sparrow rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: DJD fans
David James Duncan is one of my heroes, both for being a wonderful writer from the Pacific Northwest, and for saying a lot of the things I think way better than I could ever say them. He is a preacher of rivers, which description I think conveys both the lovely things about him and the sometimes irritating things about him. God Laughs Plays is a collection of talks he has given and articles he has written or for which he was interviewed. You can probably gather the basic idea from the title. Dun...more
Douglas
Mar 01, 2008 Douglas rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people interested in American Christianity
Recommended to Douglas by: a Christian truck driver
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Ryan Adair
Duncan is a fantastic writer. His writings on faith, politics, nature, as well as sprinkling some good nuggets on writing were fun and intriguing. I enjoyed how he unashamedly pointed out how faith and politics are not to be mixed—i.e. that America isn't the salvation of the world. I absolutely loved this!

Though Duncan calls himself an Evangelical Christian, he seems to be so "open" as to include other religions as well—He claims no one has the One God and the True Book. He seems to be burned ou...more
Cheryl
A fantastic book, very respectful to christianity while expressing such beauty about the ways we love god or what we perceive as the divine or holy, and while he felt the holy in nature as a child, and I found it as an adult, he writes from his heart to mine. he writes that he cherishes all names for god, all gods from every religion, and every religion, as well as people, trees, rivers, etc. Because his heart is by nature inclusive, and how can he not? amen, my friend.

"[There is a] kind of all-...more
Suzie
Nov 08, 2009 Suzie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: writers, spiritual strugglers
My review . . . can't do justice to the profound love I have for the message of this book. I'll be revisiting it hopefully for the rest of my life. Check out my quotes section to get an idea of the brilliance of David James Duncan, then do yourself a favor and read this book. Read it in the quiet hours of the morning and before you go to sleep at night. Read it in a forest or a meadow, on a riverbank or a sandy beach. Read it in the middle of a train station bustling with men, women, children an...more
Leroy Seat
This is a delightful book, which, unfortunately, I did not read when it was first published. It would have been even more powerful then than now (because GWB is no longer President).

One of my favorite novels is Duncan's The Brothers K (1992), and I have been waiting for him to publish another novel. But he hasn't yet. So I was happy to read this book and have the opportunity to enjoy afresh his writing as well as his worldview.

Duncan ends his book with these words: "If I stake my life on one fie...more
Deon Stonehouse
Duncan was raised Seventh Day Adventist but he found his cathedral in the wilderness, his spiritual life best served in the rivers, streams and mountains. God Laughs & Plays puts forth the belief that intolerance and loss of personal freedom are being justified in the name of religion. He is deeply offended that so much harm is being done in the name of God. He believes we should all be allowed our personal beliefs, that belief should not be dictated by the government. It is way too easy to...more
Tim
I actually believe that Jesus died and then came back to life. I always assumed this made me a fundamentalist Christian. However, the kind of fundamentalism that Duncan addresses in this book is much scarier than anything I have encountered at church. Yes, I have been and am recovering from some extreme forms of legalism that aren't part of the message of Jesus. But I maintain hope that most churches in America (protestant or Catholic) are purer than the extreme that Duncan is confronting in thi...more
Jessie
More of the soul-searching, compassionate criticism that Duncan does so well. Much of this book is a calling-out of the current American religious right; the balance is musings on faith and meaning and action. Duncan has always struck me as being more well-read than I could ever hope to be, and that background makes his novels and his nonfiction incredibly rich. There's a wee bit of overlap in material with some of his earlier nonfiction, but he's such an astonishingly good writer that's easy to...more
Deb
Included my favorite piece of Duncan's writing: Wonder, Yogi, Gladly. I heard him read this essay in 1998. I loved it and contacted the person who organized the lecture to tell Duncan how much I enjoyed it. Several weeks later, a hand addressed envelope arrived from Montana containing a copy of the as-yet unpublished essay and the note: "See you in the pages of my next book." I love this guy!
Astin
Duncan's ability to tell a story already has him on my short list of favorite authors. This collection of deep, whimsical, and everything in between thoughts cuts right to the core of all that I consider true in this world. It was the perfect book for passing an afternoon on my sunny deck, and for bedtime reading to help me bring the day to a content close.
Ron
David James Duncan is just a marvelous writer. His two works of non-fiction are on my permanent shelf and his essays are worth reading. This book looks at the fundamentalist-christian approach with the very jaundiced eye of someone who has been there. His plea to find the incarnated God in creation is exactly right. Funny, thoughtful, holy even.
Jen3n
Well, I'm not sure what to tell you.

This is a well-written, and well throught-out book by a man who wants to wrestle Christianity back from the ultra-conservatives and the political right.

His view of the Christian God is right in line for how I like to think of God when I think of God which is, I have to be honest, not all that often. Not exactly. My spirituality is a little hodge-podge.

But! If you are sick of the religion of "Love Thy Neighbor" being co-opted by a bunch of anti-neighbor war-mon...more
erin
"Wonder is my second favorite condition to be in, after love -- and I sometimes wonder whether there's even a difference: maybe love is just wonder aimed at a beloved. Wonder is like grace, in that it's not a condition we grasp: wonder grasps us... Like grace, wonder defies rational analysis. Discursive thought can bring nothing to an object of wonder."

This is a collection of essays, speeches, and stories or "Churchless sermons in response to the preachments of the fundamentalist right." To be h...more
Marilyn Mcentyre
Delightful, various, deep, and provocative essays by a northwestern writer well worth reading. He speaks with political and theological concern while also maintaining his edgy humor and writing sentences you'll want to remember.
Elizabeth Olson
I love the way David James Duncan (author of "The River Why" and "The Brothers K") thinks about God, the world, ourselves, and how we experience God in the world, and I'm in awe of the loop-de-loops and magic tricks he pulls off with his language. The rants against both Presidents Bush are a little dated, but worth getting through for all the rest. Wow.
Brian
Very heavy read, and it will make you mad at times. On sundays I ran as far from church as possible, but find some common ground with Duncan. You may know him from The River Why, or the Brothers K.

Stephanie LGW
Interesting. I totally understand most of what he says, as it is how I feel about my Catholic upbringing. My politics don't line up with his (they don't line up with anyone's, to be fair), but I absolutely get his point.
Crystal
I absolutely recommend this book to anyone. It opened my eyes to a new look at Christianity and the Church and I found that I identify with a lot of the views of this book.
Charlie Thornton
Loved the way he shows how the religious rights moral stances are almost invariably in opposition to the values Christ exhorted us all to live by.
Dave Brown
I am not a religious person. I never will be. This book, however, makes sense of the paradox that is Christianity. It spoke to my "shame" that I have as a human being especially concerning the fundamentalist right and my mystical experiences that I hold dear and true that cannot be defined by any order or sect.

The book is filled with story, essay, musings and other writing tidbits that Duncan weaves into a single narrative that seeks to return the word Christian to its rightful place. This, fro...more
Irene Lapp Ryan
A refreshing look at politics and religion in good ole David James Duncan storytelling fashion
Dad
A few of the ssays are spectacular ... try Roneo Shows Jamey the Door. Others less so.
Kathy
This book is why I read. It has insight and wisdom and humor and compassion.
Bevin Ellen
changed my life in a spiritual way. Love this book!
Don
This book of essays by one of my favorite writers is stunning in its directness and simplicity -- he's the master of the metaphor.

"If you were basking in bright sunlight, and a man a quarter-mile away suddenly shouted, 'Hey you! I can see the sun from over here! Stop what you're doing and come over where I am! HURRY! You've GOT to come here! I see the SUN! Come out of your darkness, sinner! Get over to where I am!'"

And that's religion, rather than spirituality. And that's what this book is about...more
Candice Munson
Oct 29, 2007 Candice Munson rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone with an open mind
I haven't read it all yet (it was due at the library) but I liked it so far! Don't be put off by the title, Christians. Duncan writes about everyone's Own God. And He is out there for all.
Easy to read and you'll want to discuss it. With anyone.



I like this quote:
"...the most valid form of censorship is that practiced by writers upon themselves. Scrupulously revising or destroying all writing that fails to let readers vanish into the life of their language is every author's duty."

Melanie
I loved The River Why and The Brothers K, and this book is no different in terms of Duncan's perceptive and worldy contemplations of the human spririt and pursuit of meaning. The only difference is this time it's in essay form instead of a novel. While reading this, I do miss Duncan's characters, though I also feel myself conecting directly with the author as he wrestles with the age-old questions surrounding spirituality. Not religious at all...which is why I like it.
Valerie


Much drier than his fiction. Although I really enjoyed the lashing he gave to most large Christian churches without dismissing Christianity.
Sean
This was a great collection of sermons and essay. They all contain Duncan's fire, humor and literary prose that captures imagination. Duncan does a good job of broadening our view of who God is. He walks a fine line, but a lot of his boldness is meant to challenge one's thinking. Some stories have no relation to faith, but are great stories that show how great a writer Duncan is.
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makes me want to go fishing 3 14 Nov 05, 2008 07:24pm  
God Laughs and Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right (Hardcover)
God Laughs & Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right
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David James Duncan (born 1952) is an American novelist and essayist, best known for his two bestselling novels, The River Why (1983) and The Brothers K (1992). Both involve fly fishing, baseball, and family.

Both received the Pacific Northwest Booksellers award; The Brothers K was a New York Times Notable Book in 1992 and won a Best Books Award from the American Library Association.

Film adaptation
I...more
More about David James Duncan...
The Brothers K The River Why River Teeth My Story as told by Water: Confessions, Druidic rants, reflections, bird-watchings, fish-stalkings, visions, songs and prayers refracting light, from living rivers, in the age of the industrial dark The Heart of the Monster: Why the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies Must Not Become an ExxonMobil Conduit to the Alberta Tar Sands

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“The fundamentalists of every faith remain blind to the truth that the “sigh within the prayer is the same in the heart of the Christian, the Muslim, and the Jew.” I have seen this unity with my eyes, heard it with my ears, felt it with all my being.” 7 people liked it
“The only way I know to pluck from the hearts of enemies their desire to destroy us is to remove from their lives the sense that, for their own physical and spiritual survival, they must.” 4 people liked it
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