Review by Booklist Review
Bolz-Weber follows up her 2014 Pastrix with a collection of stories from her current pastoral life as the leader of the Lutheran congregation House for All Sinners and Saints. Although her own experiences as a rebel, addict, and current-day badass are still essential to the stories here, the focus is more specifically on how she finds her own burgeoning understanding and communication of Christian doctrine in everyday situations (presiding at a friend's deathbed, traveling abroad with a tour group of strangers). Warm, witty, and unafraid to expose her own faults, Bolz-Weber is also well educated and respectful of both her congregants and her readers. Many of the chapters here are tied to specific liturgical events and seasons (Lent, Easter), while others focus on rites (absolution, prayers for the departed). Never stuffy or doctrinaire, this is a book for any reader with curiosity about Christianity as a lived practice as well as feminists who are interested in a model who functions in a male-dominated context.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bolz-Weber, pastor of the House for All Saints and Sinners in Denver, Colo., presents a compulsively readable account of her meetings with many remarkable sinners who still retain the glimmers of God's grace. Bolz-Weber isn't your typical pastor; she is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, covered in tattoos, often profane, and convinced that God can be met in the darkest places, just as readily as in any church. Stepping through the liturgical year, reflecting on the deepest meanings of Christ's presence in these rites, the author deftly explains why God's love should be the heart of every sacred (and secular) experience. There is great healing to be found in this kind of preaching. Some readers may blanch at her often rough language, but her love for God and for humankind shines through on every page. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by Library Journal Review
Bolz-Weber follows up her memoir Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint with this thought-provoking portrait of people and circumstances that have taught her Bible truths. (One cautionary note: her style includes quite a bit of vulgarity.) Some chapters are humorous, such as when she goes to a shooting range with her "token conservative friend" and her panic attack in the Holy Land over a mountain road. Other chapters reveal deeper emotions and difficulties, for instance, dealing with death and suffering. One key truth is confessed in the first chapter: "half the time, I wish God would leave me alone. Getting closer to God might mean getting told to love someone I don't even like, or to give away even more of my money." Yet throughout the book, God brings people into her life, and she becomes "a person on whom God is at work." Verdict Recommended for readers who enjoyed Bolz-Weber's previous books or authors such as Anne Lamott and Brian McClaren. An entertaining, reality-based alternative to the polished "professional Christian" memoir.-Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
