Contents 

Review of "The Book of Bird"

by John L and Pamela S. Indo
co-authors of The Iron Ghetto

    Unlike many books of faith and inspiration, Vance Redden, in The Book of Bird presents a unique account of his Christian experience unhampered by the politics and popular religiosity of our time.  Whoever reads this book will not find great theological erudition; nor will he/she find a dogmatic and guilt-laden exhortation to repressive morals.  Far from it, in the spiritual experience of the author, God and salvation are known only through the abounding presence of God's love.  It is Divine Love, he says, that moves us to repentance and good works, and not the fear-mongering legalism of sensational evangelists.

    If the ancient monks communed with God in the repose of the wilderness, Vance Redden accomplished the same experience in the throes of a Texas prison.  It is there in the company of brigands and social rejects that he became acutely aware of what cannot be taken for granted in spiritual life.  Of crucial importance in this connection is the problem of social injustice in the historic Judeo-Christian paradigm.  Why, the author asks, did God permit atrocities to occur in the Old Testament, many of which seemed to take place in the hallowed name of Divine retribution?  Cannot an All-Powerful God do better that "twiddle His thumbs" in human blood?  Similarly, why, he asks, does God permit gross injustices today and allow people to fall into bizarre spiritual follies?

    With ingenious literary style, the author presents himself as entering into dialogue with God on various topics.  Questions and answers are exchanged in a lucid, dialectic manner.  In the course of his imaginary dialogues with God, the author concludes that God permits historic injustices to take place not to exhibit His wrath, but rather to dramatize the worldly consequences of sin.  In essence, it is human beings in their spiritual darkness who construe a situation whereby such atrocities occur.  It may even be, the author says, that some of these Old Testament atrocities did not actually occur, but exist only as myth or metaphor in order to make the moral point, so to speak.  Biblical literalism, therefore, is not only unnecessary, but actually may be misleading.  If one will know the true nature of God, Vance Redden says, study the life and example of Christ.  Christ is the nature of God made known to us.  In this way, we will never go wrong.

    There can be no question that many will view this approach as "unorthodox,"  But be that as it may, we must never forget that in His time, Christ's teachings were regarded as "unorthodox."  The epistles of St. Paul teach us that the riches of Christ are "unsearchable."  This means that the infinite Mind and Wisdom of God and His Written Word cannot be reduced to a fixed and final concept or a sterile and unbending dogma for that matter.  Proud and erudite Christians, therefore, should be more humble before raising a "knee-jerk" criticism of this book.

    The Book of Bird by Vance Redden is a marvelous literary and spiritual achievement of our time.  It should be read and studied by all persons who prefer "inspiration" over "palliation" in their devotional lives.