Bridging the Gap

I have not ever read books by Lauren Winner before. She teaches at Duke Divinity School, although she was not on the faculty when I was there as a student. However, I was captivated by the titles of two of her books "Mudhouse Sabbath" and "Girl Meets God," so I picked them up at the Cokesbury bookstore in seminary. That was before 2004 - they have been sitting on my bookshelves ever since! Every once in a while, I glance over at my bookshelves and think that I need to read them - and that I want to read them.

As I was getting prepared to go to Ghana, I considered what reading material I should bring. Normally, I bring much more than I can possibly read - but this time, I chose four books, all spiritual biographies/autobiographies. Before we left, I had already read Dorothy Day's The Long Loneliness, and started Renita Weem's autobiography, which I finished on the third leg of our flight to Accra. That left me with Lauren Winner's books. I've found them to be a most fascinating and captivating read, because they echo a sentiment that I've felt for some time - that spiritual practice is essential to a healthy faith. Even more so, it reminds me that religious faiths are complimentary. I'm not Jewish, but some of my basic Christian practices come from Jewish tradition.

We are people who tend to compartmentalize everything...but our traditions inform and reform one another. I can't practice my Christian faith without knowing that I do so in a tradition shaped by Judaism...and so on. So I am grateful that our God is big enough to bridge the gap among faith traditions. My own is richer because of it!