The Bush Was Blazing But Not Consumed

As you might have guessed from its title, The Bush Was Blazing But Not Consumed (#459), this book on multiculturalism by Eric H. F. Law is one of the assigned readings for the EfM course I am taking.  In it, he outlines some of the issues congregations have which are divided along racial, cultural or gender-based lines, and seeks to promote practical methods of dialogue that will lead to communication among the different groups.  The goal is to arrive at a point where those divided by their differences  can arrive at some commonalities leading to effective joint worship.

For me, it was really a slog to finish this book.  Although Law makes some good points, they are almost lost in his constant references back to his previous book, which the reader is instructed to consult for explanations of many of the concepts he uses in The Bush Was Blazing.  It's difficult to digest the contents of this book when you have to struggle with unfamiliar and unexplained terminology.  To use one of his own metaphors, he creates his own Tower of Babel in the text.  His work as a consultant for parishes and dioceses, mostly in the western United States, have led to the development of many of the group exercises in the Appendices, but as I read this book, in the back of my mind I could hear a small voice consistently calling "Hire me!  Hire me!  I can train those facilitators for you, conduct those exercises, ask the right questions, etc..."

Overall, I have to come down on the side of not liking this book.  It may be partly because I felt so unevolved after reading it, or that no one can ever achieve or maintain the level of enlightenment Father Law demands.  But I do have to say my group was divided on its opinion of The Bush Was Burning, and in the right hands it could be a powerful tool.  Just don't expect them to be mine!