Anyway, it is titled, With Lutherans, Tourists, and God In Santa Fe, and it details a trip I made last year to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to attend something called the “Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Bishop’s Luncheon and Issues Briefing.” I went, even though I’m not a Lutheran, nor particularly religious, because the Ministry does some rather important work, as in fighting hunger, protecting children, and generally advancing causes with which I agree.
I wrote the book as a kind of reflection on that…I mean, on the political side of it. You see, I am not sure what I think of the historical Jesus, but I have no doubts about the mission he gave to his followers — to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and liberate the oppressed.
Too often, I fear, churches forget all that. Instead, they focus on things that Jesus did not seem to talk about much, or at all — like damnation, and the “right” way to worship God (plus the “wrong” way), and how or whether you have sex, and with whom, and why you should obey the dictates of Priests and Ministers. They focus, in other words, what is invisible.
And I have a hard time spending my energies on invisible things.
But I can see hunger, and want, and brutality, and evil. Those are real. Those you can know and measure and experience.
So, for me, a church which sets out into the world…the material world…as the real Jesus did…and attempts to change things for the better, that is a church I can admire…
Thus my little book on the Lutherans.
*
Now, as I say, I’m giving it away at the moment. I have it on Gumroad, which is described on Wikipedia as “an online platform that enables creators to sell products directly to consumers.” I’ve used it before, back in the days when I was working with a little publishing company. Chiefly, we used it for “pay what you want” interactions. That is, you download a book and then, if you like it, you “tip” the author with a few dollars or whatever on the site.
Gumroad gives you the option of giving away your digital products. So, I figured I’d set up With Lutherans, Tourists, and God In Santa Fe on Gumroad and offer it there.
But, things got weird. Sixty some people visited the site (according to Gumroad’s metrics) but none of them downloaded the book. I was most annoyed by that. Why were they coming, but not taking the book with them when they left? Particularly since it was free?
Then, I took a long look at the Gumroad page where my book is hosted. You can see it below, by the way.
Now, look at it for moment. It is obvious how you are supposed to get the book? I would submit that it isn’t easy to see. What button do you click? How do you know what you download is free? Or will you be billed later on? Bluntly, you have to have used Gumroad before to know how it works. There’s a problem there, I think.
So, now, when I post a link to the book, I also include instructions about how to use the site. Here is what I’m telling people, “How to download: look at the image of the book and the text below. Scroll down until you see the words “Name A Fair Price.” In the blank space below that, type “0” — that is, a zero, because the book is free. Then click on the button below that which is marked “I want this!” After that, you should be given the option of either downloading the book and reading it at your leisure, or reading it on the Gumroad site. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!”
Will this increase the number of people who actually download the book? I don’t know. Maybe the problem had nothing to do with Gumroad’s interface. Maybe it was simply that nobody wanted the book.
Which would be annoying. But at least I’d know that it was my fault, and not the fault of the channel of distribution.
*
But, there is a question I’m avoiding. To wit, why am I writing about Progressive Christianity at all?
Well, I’m a little concerned by something. Lately, I’ve been following posts on various liberal and left of center webpages and social media. I see a lot of vituperative postings about Christianity. I don’t just mean those Churches which are uniquely anti-progressive — the “God Hates Fags” sort, or the “evangelical” madness of too slick preachers in their mega-churches. I mean Christianity as a whole, as though the entire faith is indistinguishable from its most awful incarnations.
Further, the logical extension of that is a rejection of any sort of co-operation with Churches or faith-based organizations. Frankly, that is incredibly stupid. We are now at a moment of crisis. The Left needs every vote it can get, and every friend it can find.
To announce that you are too fine and noble to accept the friendship and co-operation of progressive Christians (or anyone, for that matter), is fantastically self-destructive.
And if you do such a thing, if you reject such potential allies and divide the Left, I have to wonder…
Whose side are you really on?
~~~
Want a free book? Check out With Luther, Tourists, and God in Santa Fe. It's partly a travel log and partly a meditation on people who actually make a difference in life.
Oh, and it is lavishly illustrated by yours truly.
It’s on Gumroad as a PDF about 52 pages long.
How to download: look at the image of the book and the text below. Scroll down until you see the words “Name A Fair Price.” In the blank space below that, type “0” — that is, a zero, because the book is free. Then click on the button below that which is marked “I want this!” After that, you should be given the option of either downloading the book and reading it at your leisure, or reading it on the Gumroad site. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!
***
Michael Jay Tucker is a writer and journalist who has published material on topics ranging from the Jazz Age to computers. (Among his small claims to fame is that he interviewed Steve Jobs just after that talented if complicated man got kicked out of Apple, and just before the company’s Board came begging him to come back.)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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