Mar 17, 2010
A Review of Hear No Evil: Buy the Book. Sleep is Optional
There are two rules I have when deciding which books to buy:
1. Is the information valuable?
2. Will I want to read the book again?
Matthew Paul Turner’s latest book Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost fits both of my criteria. In his follow-up book to Churched, Turner has put together a fun page-turner that is so hard to put down you’ll have no other choice but to stop sleeping until you’re done.
Don’t worry, caffeine can compensate for lost sleep.
While Turner doesn’t give us a life-changing treatise on theology, he does tell an engaging story about his love for music, his hopes about making it in the music business despite his fundamentalist background, and the troubling aspects of the Christian music industry. Without attacking anyone in particular, Turner confesses his own faults and ignorance with refreshing honesty, while never shying away from the times he uncovered the ugly truth.
From dealing with tacky Christian acts to judgmental CCM editors, Turner has a unique perspective on the darker side of the Christian music industry that still hasn’t changed his love for artists such as Amy Grant and Sandi Patty. The scene in which Turner shared his dislike for Bob Dylan in a room full of Dylan-devotees and future music industry professionals is worth the price of the book in and of itself.
I would suggest you pick up Turner’s book because it will be one of the most entertaining books you’ll read this year—period. However, Turner also raises tough questions about the Christian appropriation of pop culture, the tendency to create Christian alternatives, the quest for “Christianized” fame, and the other extreme of fundamentalist alienation from culture.
Beyond providing some hilarious moments, this book will challenge readers to critically evaluate the connection of Christianity and culture. Turner’s stories read like a series of case studies on the topic, with Turner serving as our guinea pig. He’s the funniest guinea pig I know.
If you’re not quite convinced yet, you can read a sample chapter and drop by Turner’s popular blog Jesus Needs New PR. It’s difficult to be funny, thoughtful, and gracious all at the same time, but I believe that Matthew Paul Turner is one of the few Christians who can pull it off.
A note to readers: I received a free copy of this book as part of a blog tour with the publisher.
