Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution

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I appreciate that Wilson explains what he means when he says that he believes in God (and I like his habit of saying, “I don’t believe in that God, either” when an atheist lists off all the negative attributes — jealous, vindictive, childhood-cancer-causing — of the Sky Daddy God of Abraham) and I am not unconvinced by his belief that life and consciousness seem too miraculous to have arisen by chance alone. (And I was not surprised to learn that Wilson was unable to sell a show discussing God to any network: a show about God being “too controversial” in a landscape of violence, porn, and drunk housewives.) To oversimplify: Believing that we are all divine at our cores ought to lead to us honouring ourselves and every other human on Earth (not to mention the planet itself), and not only would that solve individual problems (like the current crisis in youth mental health) but it would demand solutions for systemic problems (like partisan politics or the bizarre inequality of wealth that sees the seven richest men hoarding more wealth than the bottom fifty percent of humanity). I don’t think it’s controversial to say that the vast majority of us would like to see these changes, so why not look to the deep past and explore the beliefs and ideas that once bound us all together? The “kingdom of heaven” is a condition of the heart—not something that comes “upon the earth” or “after death.” I read Soul Boom right after another book, Biblical Critical Theory by Christian scholar Christopher Watkin. Among the merits of Watkin’s biblical approach to critical theory is teasing out what makes the biblical understanding of the world distinct. Two overriding Christian commitments are that the God of the Bible is a personal God and that the biblical worldview is “emplotted” in a storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation that shapes everything the Bible talks about and teaches.

If you approach your reading of "Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution" expecting to experience the quirky hilarity of Rainn Wilson's iconic Dwight Schrute character from "The Office," then you're likely to find "Soul Boom" a bit of a disappointment. Wilson affirms a generalized version of this basic truth that, if widely adopted by his nonreligious readers, would be progress indeed. His aim is to “advance a conversation about the importance of the divine dimension of existence and how it can influence our lives and our futures, collectively and individually.” This echoes C. S. Lewis’s self-diagnosis that he possessed “an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” Lewis called this “joy,” an emotion that Wilson also affirms as the antidote to the world’s cynicism. There is more, though no less, to this world than what our senses apprehend. I think these 10 points are good conversation starter for those that are spiritual or religious as these are very important topics. We may have some common beliefs which is good to focus on. Rainn talks positively about there being so many good spiritual paths I think he does not see that they contradict each other or that there are spiritual paths that can be dangerous. It was not a good spiritual path as people followed David Koresh, Jim Jones or Marshall Applewhite. It led to destruction and death.I cried when I read about the change Wilson saw in his students over the course of months practicing more mindful and compassionate behaviours. These spiritual gatherings in our home would include Buddhists and Sikhs and Muslims and Mormons, while our bookshelves became filled with books by and about Buddhists and Sikhs and Muslims. Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. At the end of the book Rainn comes up with his idea of the perfect religion and pulls a lot from his own religious group, the Baha'i faith. This book feels at times like advertisements for this, his SoulPancake company and various religious TV shows he pitched that networks passed on even though they were really really good. Take care reading this and maybe look online for accounts of people who left the Baha'i faith and why some feel it is a cult before you make any big life choices. At the same time, Wilson treats Christianity like Star Trek does religion. Star Trek is often as condescending to religion as any of the Hollywood shows Wilson critiques, a lesson I learned while becoming a Trekkie as a missionary kid in the ’90s. In describing one species’ development, for example, Captain Picard remarks, “Millennia ago, they abandoned their belief in the supernatural … the dark ages of superstition and ignorance and fear.”

A well-groomed man with a Ned Flanders mustache said, sipping some coffee, “Well, sometime in the near future, there will be a great rumbling from above, lightning will strike, and there will be terrible storms. The sky will open up, and down will come Jesus Christ on a cloud with a great trumpet blast. There will be an incredibly beautiful city with gold and silver turrets that descends with angels on it, and this is the kingdom of God. The good Christians will get into the city, and it will float away with Jesus to be with God, the Father, and the rest of the people will be left behind, left on earth to perish.” I would HIGHLY recommend this to those interested in spirituality especially if you have not heard of the Baha'i faith before as they have a lot of "new ways" to practice a religion that I think are commendable. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”In a Western world devastated by disenchantment, disillusionment, and cynicism—functionally materialist in its institutions—a more robust recognition of a spiritual dimension to reality can be an oasis. The value of Soul Boom is not so much the new religion of SoulBoom but Wilson’s apologetic for monotheism in a culture increasingly averse to organized religion. Even if Wilson’s view falls far short of the beauty of the Christian witness, Christians can accept Wilson as an ally in holding forth for a deeper and wider sense of reality that includes the supernatural. What I disliked: I don’t think we need a new world religion – I think that idea is kind of dumb. I DO think we need to all focus less on who we want God to be and instead on who He actually is AND then start living like that. We’ve created God in our image instead of reminding ourselves that we were created in His – and we (individuals, communities, and culture) should be altering ourselves to transform to be more like Him, not changing who He is to reflect us – this book is all about creating a religion that conforms to the world as it is today – making everyone feel good. When I think of spirituality and the 1970s, a particular word comes to mind. It’s not “meditation.” It’s not “LSD.” It’s not “guru” or “incense” or “chakras.” We need a change of heart, a reframing of all our conceptions and a new orientation of our activities. The inward life of man as well as his outward environment have to be reshaped if human salvation is to be secured.

Author Rainn Wilson has presented a lofty goal here... To create a Soul Boom, a spiritual revolution. In fact, he believes that it is absolutely necessary to our survival. Normally I find this type of book to be long on inspiration and short on actionable steps, but Wilson goes farther than most in pointing out changes that must be made and offering alternative ideas that, while idealistic, have actual potential. What it’s about: Rainn has been a seeker of spirituality for a long time with his company SoulPancake has done a lot of good in this area of the world. He’s done a ton of research into a variety of world religions all to end with the conclusion that we need a revolution. His proposal is a brand new religion he’s calling Soul Boom. He outlines what all major religions have, what this new religion would have in those ten areas, and seven additional components that we should include in this new religion. It’s a LOT of religion and spirituality talk.

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I didn't even know about a faith called Baha'i so all of that was really fun to learn about. I did however study Buddhism for a total of two months in university and can attest to 'craving' (hopefully in the best sense) inner and outer spiritual change. Rainn unfortunately never warns the reader that not all paths are good. The individual must test and see if it is a good path.