No longer a book nerd?

I read now more than ever. But most of my reading is online. So it came as a surprise when I found myself spending $33.16 on a pair of books when I was at Hearts and Minds with Adam (my best man) and Lina (his 18-month-old daughter) this past Saturday. Even worse, the books were the first I grabbed and I didn’t spend more than thirty seconds deciding on them.

The first is Peter Rollins’ The Idolatry of God: Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction. I’ve dug Rollins’ work since Aaron Kunce (pastor at Red Lion’s megachurch, Living Word) recommended The Orthodox Heretic and Other Impossible Tales. But I was sold when I opened Idolatry and it read, “The zombie apocalypse has already happened.”

Another bit that captured my attention:

Instead of God being that which fills the gap at the core of our being, the God testified to in Christianity exposes the gap for what it is, obliterates it, and invites us to participate in an utterly different form of life, one that brings us beyond slavery to the Idol.

Okie dokes, what’s the other book?

The second book that I snagged had a terrible cover. But the title grabbed me. Of Games & God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games. I hadn’t even heard of this one. So I tested it by going straight to the glossary to see what games this guy was playing. All the obvious ones were in there: the Call of Duty Modern Warfare series, Metroid, and God of War. But he also had a couple indies. Most notably? Crayon Physics Deluxe, a relatively obscure indie title. “Okay, maybe this dude is alright.” I thought. Also, the author covered the game thatgamecompany made before Journey, Flower. So he won some points in my mind. But the real issue in my mind was how he covered the subject of games. Was he too critical? Was he too accepting?

The back of the book seems to attest to his balance on the subject:

Kevin Schut, a communications expert and an enthusiastic gamer himself, offers a lively, balanced, and informed Christian evaluation of video games and video game culture. He expertly engages a variety of issues, encouraging readers to consider both the perils and the promise of this major cultural phenomenon.

I’m pretty stoked about these titles. But I’m even more stoked that I’m back to supporting Byron and Beth Borger and their business. I didn’t realize until Saturday that I could literally walk to his shop (though probably not in January or February). Crazy!