By C.E. Moore
GENRE: MEMOIR
PUBLISHER: WATERBROOK PRESS
PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 16, 2010
For many readers, Matthew Paul Turner needs little to no introduction. Writer for such periodicals as Relevant and CCM, Turner’s words have shaped the thoughts and musings of Christian readers and non-Christian readers for some time. His books, Churched: One Kid’s Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess and The Christian Culture Survival Guide only helped add to his influence. If one includes what can only be described as his prolific blogging at JesusNeedsNewPR.com and it would seem Turner is poised to be remembered for some time. However, rather than resting on his considerable laurels, he has returned to the world of print media with his newest title, Hear No Evil: My story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost.
The lowdown. Turner grew up in a fundamentalist Baptist family. He lays it on a bit thick towards the beginning of the book, at times approaching things with the wide-eyed wonder and confusion of a young child, at times his adult disappointment (or disdain) for how it left him unprepared for the “real world” escaping into the text. He chronicles his transformation from young child with rules and parameters of one kind to music editor in the Christian subculture—a world with rules and parameters not unlike the fundamentalist Baptist background he came up in. The parallels drawn are sometimes humorous, sometimes morose and disheartening.
Ultimately, though, Hear No Evil ends as a clarion call to Christian artists to be more honest and churches to be more welcoming of that honesty and, when necessary, healthy skepticism.
What fascinates me most about Turner’s writing is that he is able to remember so much of his childhood with such vivid detail. I’m not sure if he kept journals while growing up, but it seems as if his memory is a little too crystal clear. We all have moments we remember fondly. Some with great detail. However, I suspect that for the vast majority of us, our memory is bit more like Swiss cheese, coming to us in a bits and pieces.
What troubles me most is that Turner has to write a book like this at all. And this is where there review slips into the world of opinion. This site and its reviewers have been on the receiving end of a large amount of criticism because we call some Christian music “unimaginative and wholly uninspired.” For some reason, Christian artists are afraid to dig deep. For some, this is the fault of an industry that knows its audience and its expectations. However, capitulation is always the fault of the artist in question. Thus, Hear No Evil’s overall message resonates with me on an intensely personal level. Christian artists do need to dig deeper, the industry needs to allow them to create rather than emulate, and consumers need to be willing to go deep with the artist rather than swim in the shallow end of the pool with waders on.
Review copy provided courtesy of Waterbrook Press
