WITHOUT BUDDHA I COULD NOT BE A CHRISTIAN

Paul Brion sounds like a personable cleric as he narrates this illuminating look at how Christian teachings can be reframed to be less literal and more consistent with the Buddhist view of the human condition. His colorful phrasing palette and obvious connection with these ideas radiate authentic wisdom and inspire curiosity. This is personal writing about the former priest's discomfort with the way language constricts Christian teaching about the nature of God, the universe, and our relatedness with other people. Brion delivers this deft reconstruction of Judeo-Christian teaching, which eases the pressure of Old Testament justice and offers a Christianity that sees God not as an old man in the sky but as a presence in all of us, an amorphous energy that provides grace as we struggle to minimize suffering in ourselves and others. T.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2018]