Why, Duncan, Titus

Well, I'm sick. That's unfortunate, because it means that I can't work today (since until camp starts, I'm working as a contractor's assistant), which means that I'm not earning any money. One good thing about it, though, is that it gives me a chance to catch up on a few things: do some desk work, start preparing for the Bible Study I'm leading next semester, and toss a post or two up here. And, on the bright side, at least I wasn't sick on my birthday (yesterday) and hopefully this gets my 'summer cold' out of the way before camp. All the same, though, stuffy noses and itchy eyes are no walk in the park.

I finished The River Why last week. The book is in my lap in that picture (and no, I'm not the 'long-haired, freaky people:' that's my campus minister). One thing is for sure, that I missed a lot of references, allusions, etc, when I read this my senior year of high school. References to the Tao Te Ching, the Mahabharata, the Qu'ran, and more all flew over my head then, but this time through I was able to pick them out. One of the character's names is Arjuna, for pete's sake! (Granted, he is a slingshot-wielding kid instead of a half-god archer.)

Another thing that stood out to me, especially after reading a lot of David James Duncan's other books, is the fact that I think Titus is, to a large extent, based off of himself. His 'universalist mysticism' (I might have just made that up) and his knowledge of wisdom literature and cultural epics from all over the place are the biggest indicators to me, but also I think the love of fishing, and maybe even the semi-sentience of animals are part of him as well. With that observation, though, I was a little surprised by one of Titus's conversations with Gus.

Gus has just been on this devastating emotional roller coaster, and Titus invites him back to Portland to philosophize for consolation (and enjoy some adult beverages as well). They get to talking and thinking, Titus quoting wisdom literature that Gus is sure to not have known, and eventually they get to this thing called a 'soul pole.' I won't talk about exactly what it is, since I think you ought to read the book for yourself, but for those who have, this'll help them know where to look. Anyway, Gus wants to 'find his soul pole.' So Titus, being the guru he is, leads Gus in what I can describe only as 'the sinner's prayer' for mystics.

You know what I mean: at rallies and conventions, a speaker gives the gospel message and then invites whoever feels God working in their hearts to say a prayer with them. It's a 'repeat after me' kinda thing. Now I'm not saying that people can't be saved through that, but I think that more often than not, people don't really understand the gospel when they say that prayer. Either because they've only heard one side of it and therefore aren't really sure of what it means for them (and they feel pressured to say it), or because this is their 17th time saying it, and they don't understand that Christ payed once for our sins, and once we are washed clean in His blood, we are justified. It doesn't take multiple washings. It doesn't take us 'rededicating our rededications.' It takes Christ.

The reason I think this is strange, is because David James Duncan is passionately against the whole right-wing, evangelical, institutionalized way of religion, yet he uses one of their central techniques at a pivotal moment in his protagonist's life. I don't know, maybe I'm making mountains out of mole-hills, but I think that's a big deal. This book was written something like 25 years ago, so maybe he hadn't fully fleshed out what he thought about mega-churches by then. Or maybe, in spite of all the problems he sees with them, he thinks the guiding hand of a sincere mentor in a sincere disciple's life can turn even that into a positive thing. I don't know. What do you think?