A Spirited Book Club discussion of Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies by Marilyn McEntyre.
Second edition, 2021
Caring for language is a moral issue. Caring for one another is not entirely separable from caring for words. Words are entrusted to us as equipment for our life together, to help us survive, guide, and nourish one another. If language is to retain its power to nourish and sustain our common life, we have to care for it in something like the way good farmers care for the life of the soil.
BOOK OVERVIEW
With the pervasiveness of vitriol and dishonesty today, language needs to be revived and restored. In Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, Marilyn McEntyre exposes the commercial and political forces that affect public discourse in American culture and counters with twelve constructive “strategies of stewardship”—such as challenging lies (including widely tolerated forms of deception and spin), fostering the art of conversation, and encouraging playfulness and prayerfulness in writing and speaking.
Pairs well with the ELCA Conference of Bishops Statement on the Need to Speak the Truth, October 1, 2024
The second edition of this timely and timeless book includes updated cultural references and questions for reflection and discussion at the end, allowing a new generation of readers to apply McEntyre’s wisdom in a world that struggles with truth and graceful language more than ever before.
++Book discussion facilitated by Sheri Brown
When: Thursdays, January 9 & 23 at 3:00 pm AZ (MST).
January 9: Chapters 1-6 and the six strategies of Love Words, Tell the Truth, Don’t Tolerate Lies, Read Well, Stay in Conversation, and Share Stories.
January 23: Chapters 7-12 and the six strategies of Love the Long Sentence, Practice Poetry, Attend to Translation, Play, Pray, and Cherish Silence.
Read about the book and the author, read reviews, and register for the conversation via Zoom.