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A Dynamic God: Living an Unconventional Catholic Faith
God doesn't saunter in once for all and settle like a large cat plumping herself into your favorite rocker with an air that says, "Here I am! Now your life is complete!" God dances beyond the threshold and must continually be enticed into our dwelling. I hope these essays remind us all to extend that invitation, clean all the corners and polish the windows, throw wide the door.
When acclaimed essayist Nancy Mairs published her spiritual autobiography, Ordinary Time , Kathleen Norris greeted it in the New York Times Book Review as "a remarkable accomplishment," calling Mairs "a relentlessly physical writer, as fiercely committed to her art as to her spiritual development."
In A Dynamic God , Mairs returns to the subject of religion and spirituality and gives us a passionately individual book of meditations on a life of engaged faith.
Raised Congregationalist in New England, Mairs is a convert to Catholicism. She is also liberal, feminist, and outspokenly activist-and all that in an increasingly conservative church that scorns her brand of progressive iconoclasm.
A Dynamic God explores through beautifully written personal essays the question of why and how Mairs became and remains a Catholic ("despite all odds"); what she finds to love in that tradition; and more broadly, as she writes, how she experiences the holy in her life and in the world.
Mairs gives a wonderful picture of the community of worship she belongs to in Arizona, the Community of Christ of the Desert. They celebrate mass in each others' homes, and Mairs writes about the energy that flows from "the intimacy of crowding together, the creativity of our liturgy, the surprise and humor that bubble up in our dialogue." In the Latino image of the Virgin of Guadalupe she finds inspiration for a commitment to social justice, which she writes about in an essay called "Coveting the Saints." There are essays here on sin and abundance; on understanding vocation in a life circumscribed by multiple sclerosis; on enacting a life of faith through activism.
In her unmistakable, vibrant voice, at once nonconformist and devotional, Mairs offers a book not only for progressive Catholics seeking to reimagine their lives of faith, but for all readers hoping to deepen their experience of the holy in the "God is here."
When acclaimed essayist Nancy Mairs published her spiritual autobiography, Ordinary Time , Kathleen Norris greeted it in the New York Times Book Review as "a remarkable accomplishment," calling Mairs "a relentlessly physical writer, as fiercely committed to her art as to her spiritual development."
In A Dynamic God , Mairs returns to the subject of religion and spirituality and gives us a passionately individual book of meditations on a life of engaged faith.
Raised Congregationalist in New England, Mairs is a convert to Catholicism. She is also liberal, feminist, and outspokenly activist-and all that in an increasingly conservative church that scorns her brand of progressive iconoclasm.
A Dynamic God explores through beautifully written personal essays the question of why and how Mairs became and remains a Catholic ("despite all odds"); what she finds to love in that tradition; and more broadly, as she writes, how she experiences the holy in her life and in the world.
Mairs gives a wonderful picture of the community of worship she belongs to in Arizona, the Community of Christ of the Desert. They celebrate mass in each others' homes, and Mairs writes about the energy that flows from "the intimacy of crowding together, the creativity of our liturgy, the surprise and humor that bubble up in our dialogue." In the Latino image of the Virgin of Guadalupe she finds inspiration for a commitment to social justice, which she writes about in an essay called "Coveting the Saints." There are essays here on sin and abundance; on understanding vocation in a life circumscribed by multiple sclerosis; on enacting a life of faith through activism.
In her unmistakable, vibrant voice, at once nonconformist and devotional, Mairs offers a book not only for progressive Catholics seeking to reimagine their lives of faith, but for all readers hoping to deepen their experience of the holy in the "God is here."
- GenresReligionEssaysNonfiction
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Mairs
26 books31 followersNancy Mairs was an author who wrote about diverse topics, including spirituality, women's issues and her experiences living with multiple sclerosis. She received an AB from Wheaton College, and an MFA in writing and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.
She was diagnosed with MS when she was 28, and wrote several essays on her experiences as a self-described "cripple", including "On Being a Cripple," "Sex and the Gimpy Girl," and the memoir Waist High in the World.
She was diagnosed with MS when she was 28, and wrote several essays on her experiences as a self-described "cripple", including "On Being a Cripple," "Sex and the Gimpy Girl," and the memoir Waist High in the World.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 29, 2017
I just finished Nancy Mair's book "A Dynamic God: Living an Unconventional Catholic Faith" & I love it. Partly I love it because she lives where I grew up & her chapter on the Virgen de Guadalupe delighted me & partly because I love her take on the kingdom of heaven being *here*. This is not a deep book but it is an inspiring book & an important one, I think. I will leave you with two quotes which sum up Ms. Mair's attitude toward participating in our Catholic faith; "I'm damned if I'm going to let my behavior be shaped by warmongers and death dealers. As long as I resist them, I bear witness to another way of being in the world." and then this one; "I have laid out examples of my own work and witness in order to demonstrate a couple of points. For one thing, the entrance to the kingdom is neither hidden nor barred. Those who teach otherwise are trying to mystify the way for a variety of reasons, most of them are not very admirable. The truth is that if large numbers of perfectly ordinary people begin to take care of each other and the creation in which we are all embedded, a lot of people who trade in human misery would lose their access to wealth and supremacy.". I recommend this book to anyone who wants to do something to help the world but isn't sure what or how they might begin.
April 27, 2025
Stay far away from this book
November 30, 2017
What a strong mind and voice essayist and activist Nancy Mairs had. Her body was crippled with MS, but that didn’t keep her from visiting the sick and people in prison, demonstrating for peace with a sign around her neck because she could not hold it with her hands, and writing even though every keystroke was difficult. A convert to Catholicism, in these essays, she analyzes and questions her faith, delving into such questions as how valid are the words in the Bible, is there really a heaven, and does God as described in the Bible really exist. Christian readers not open to questioning might hate this, but I believe as she does that blind faith is not real faith. In the end, she asks, does God care whether you belong to a church if you follow what Jesus preached about love, kindness and mercy? She thinks not. This is not light reading, but it is enlightening. I highly recommend this book and her other books, as well as the documentary [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XggyW...] made about her shortly before she died last year.
December 21, 2019
Tried...really tried. Great to ask questions, feminism an important voice of conscience, good to ask questions about the Church - but can't get past the feeling of being duped by the title. Discomforted by the lack of acceptance/grace, and more than a whiff of buffet-style faith: picking and choosing the bits we like while mixing in popular culture...
August 28, 2018
A moving collection of essays on faith and spirituality by essayist Nancy Mairs. This was my first introduction to her work and I deeply appreciated her vocabulary and her ability to describe place in a three-dimensional way. I am eager to read more of her works.
November 15, 2013
First Words: The book begins with the author's asking questions about our fortune to be born here or there, to this lot or that one, with no apparent merit, purpose, or order involved. With no imperative to make it all fit into a divine plan, the author relaxes into her brand of Catholicism to which she converted in 1977 leaving behind Congregationalism's inerrancy and embracing mystery. Knowing other Catholic brands would deem her a heretic seemed no bother since she is now centered in her evolving relationship with a dynamic God and engaged in serving as God's hands and feet in the world.
Left at the Altar: The author identifies as an alternative Catholic less interested in the Roman than the ritual; more interested in guiding principles than the papal decrees that have accumulated over the centuries. Ms. Mairs' Catholicism involves righting herself in relationship to God and God's creation and building God's Kingdom here on earth. In this mission, she has found a community which formed an alternative Catholic congregation.
Coveting the Saints: While benefitting from the many points of entry to God offered by Mary and a wide variety of saints, the author doubts intercessors, the miraculous, and other forms of divine intervention.
A Calling: Catholicism's emphasis on Incarnation left the author wondering if a lack of spiritual direction should be attributed to her sloth, MS, or humble belief that God could do better than her in selecting a soul for a special mission. Ms. Mair comes to recognize that incessant activity can lure one from the path perhaps even more effectively than sloth. Mindful, rather than slothful or busy, living is needed. She hears the call to receive God at every moment through every creature which may sound like a small in-the-moment sort of thing but actually has significant systematic implications.
Poor God: "The things they are doing in your name." The author wrestles with the usual suspects of horrible attributions to God being used to justify human selfishness and depravity. She then moves on to a discussion of a process/verb God rather than a being/noun God and the lack of emotional resonance found therein. Her solution is a quantum wave God who holds still upon her attention and then resumes waviness. I will give this wave God a try.
God in Love: God is not mean daddy. God is love and we touch God in love of God and love of our fellows.
Enough is Enough: Materialism is bad. Embrace a sense of abundance but do not cling.
Risen? Risen Indeed!: The author takes on some of the contradictions, horrors, and lunacy contained in the Bible.
The End of the World: The Kingdom of God is right here. Get to it! Be calm and trust in God's goodness. Judge and correct yourself, not others. Respond to wrongs not with retaliation but with disproportionate generosity.
Where God Lives: Not being a glutton for disappointment like me, the author is not hopeful about the unfolding of the world but she remains steadfast in her belief in acts of mercy leading not to a perfect and redeemed world but a world touched with God's love. God asks us to put ourselves out for others, not snuggle up in individual comfort. The entrance to God's Kingdom is neither hidden nor barred. The Kingdom is not a place or state of perfect consciousness. The Kingdom is a sometimes difficult process of active love and the choice is ours.
Left at the Altar: The author identifies as an alternative Catholic less interested in the Roman than the ritual; more interested in guiding principles than the papal decrees that have accumulated over the centuries. Ms. Mairs' Catholicism involves righting herself in relationship to God and God's creation and building God's Kingdom here on earth. In this mission, she has found a community which formed an alternative Catholic congregation.
Coveting the Saints: While benefitting from the many points of entry to God offered by Mary and a wide variety of saints, the author doubts intercessors, the miraculous, and other forms of divine intervention.
A Calling: Catholicism's emphasis on Incarnation left the author wondering if a lack of spiritual direction should be attributed to her sloth, MS, or humble belief that God could do better than her in selecting a soul for a special mission. Ms. Mair comes to recognize that incessant activity can lure one from the path perhaps even more effectively than sloth. Mindful, rather than slothful or busy, living is needed. She hears the call to receive God at every moment through every creature which may sound like a small in-the-moment sort of thing but actually has significant systematic implications.
Poor God: "The things they are doing in your name." The author wrestles with the usual suspects of horrible attributions to God being used to justify human selfishness and depravity. She then moves on to a discussion of a process/verb God rather than a being/noun God and the lack of emotional resonance found therein. Her solution is a quantum wave God who holds still upon her attention and then resumes waviness. I will give this wave God a try.
God in Love: God is not mean daddy. God is love and we touch God in love of God and love of our fellows.
Enough is Enough: Materialism is bad. Embrace a sense of abundance but do not cling.
Risen? Risen Indeed!: The author takes on some of the contradictions, horrors, and lunacy contained in the Bible.
The End of the World: The Kingdom of God is right here. Get to it! Be calm and trust in God's goodness. Judge and correct yourself, not others. Respond to wrongs not with retaliation but with disproportionate generosity.
Where God Lives: Not being a glutton for disappointment like me, the author is not hopeful about the unfolding of the world but she remains steadfast in her belief in acts of mercy leading not to a perfect and redeemed world but a world touched with God's love. God asks us to put ourselves out for others, not snuggle up in individual comfort. The entrance to God's Kingdom is neither hidden nor barred. The Kingdom is not a place or state of perfect consciousness. The Kingdom is a sometimes difficult process of active love and the choice is ours.
June 6, 2016
Overall, I thought this was a great book from a progressive Christian standpoint. Nancy Mairs' writing style has a wonderful flow and is enjoyable and entertaining to read. I can't always say that about most theology/spiritual books, so it was very refreshing to read a book in this genre that I actually wanted to keep reading! I was honestly a bit disappointed that it was so short, because I enjoyed her musings so much. I wish that the book had delved deeper into some of the theological issues, but perhaps the book would have been much more boring if that had been the case. When I originally picked up this book, I assumed that it would have more ideas for practical ways to live an "unconventional Catholic faith," and I was disappointed that I didn't find very much. The author only touches on a few things that she does to live her faith in the last essay. I wish her spiritual, service, and activism would have been elaborated on.
November 1, 2011
I appreciate Mairs' clear prose, socially just theology, and frank explorations of American culture. Why, then, did these essays not pop? My favorite is "Enough is Enough," a probing look at the beliefs behind our relationship to money. We need more people showing us how we work from attitudes of scarcity and teaching us to live from a sense of our tremendous abundance. Yet even this essay veered away from the conundrums presented by our attachment to material things into the less controversial topic of our relationship to people. I guess I wish Mairs would dig deeper into her subjects rather than skittering off to something new.
December 29, 2009
This is the first Nancy Mairs book I read. It lead me to all of the others. She has become a voice I trust, maybe it's her intense feminism or her intense faith. As a practicing Catholic, I find Mairs story of her own conversion to Catholicism and her subsequent search for a more spiritually satisfying practice of Catholicism both inspiring and honest.
June 11, 2013
A book for Catholics willing to give up some of the basic doctrines of The Church, written by a woman with MS - often angry yet faithful to the mass/pageantry and formality of the Catholic faith.
As a convert to the Faith, her honest writing questions and laments life and she freely admits to being an "Alternative Catholic"
As a convert to the Faith, her honest writing questions and laments life and she freely admits to being an "Alternative Catholic"
November 14, 2008
Unconventional is right! Gee whiz. I don't know what to say. Lots of very beautiful ideas, some strange ones, and a nice friendly flow to the language. I am not going to say I loved the book, in fact at times I didn't even like it that much, but it wasn't bad.
August 1, 2010
My kind of theology!
August 24, 2010
A Dynamic God: Living an Unconventional Catholic Faith by Nancy Mairs (2008)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews