‘Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost’ by Matthew Paul Turner – Book Review

Matthew Paul Turner is a blogger, speaker and author of several books.  He is also the former editor of CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) Magazine.  

Not only that, but he’s a funny guy!  I have been reading his blog, ‘Jesus Needs New PR’ and his tweets for a while now.  When I found out he had a new book coming out, I wanted to be one of the first to read it!


That latest book, ‘Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost,’ a memoir of his earlier years, did not disappoint! 

Here’s a video of his adorable son, Elias, helping his daddy promote 'Hear No Evil':

Matthew had a very conservative upbringing.  Here’s his take on it:

“I was raised in an ultraconservative Baptist church where emotion and honesty were even less compatible than Christian fundamentalism and self-worth.  At my church whenever somebody capable of emotional honesty became a member, it created a situation similar to my father’s lectures about a new puppy: “‘As long as it never poops on the carpet, I’ll let it be an ‘inside dog.’”  Anyone was welcome to join us for worship on Sundays, as long as they never emotionally pooped on the carpet.  Most of us kids were “house-trained” before we’d memorized our multiplication tables.” (p. 8)

Matthew muses about his childhood, and the judgmentalism and narrowness of the thinking that is pervasive in many Christian circles.  Some of his examples were so surreal, ridiculous and outlandish that they defied imagination – but they are all too true.  Sometimes, it is best to just laugh at these situations!

Music has been an important element in his life, and it is a main theme in this book.  Here is his explanation of his fandom of Sandi Patty:

“… Since many in my church deemed her evil, being Sandi’s fan made me feel edgy and full of rage, like I was bucking the fundamentalist system.  I didn’t get many opportunities to buck.  I rarely felt the need to.  But Sandi’s music was like contraband at IBBC [his church]…. Nobody garnered popularity points getting caught with a Sandi Patty cassette in their pocket.  That was like a guy admitting he sort of liked the song “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club or piercing the wrong earlobe to make a statement.  If a teacher learned about my loyalty to Sandi, they labeled me a heathen; if one of the kids at my Christian school found out, they assumed I was gay.” (p. 39)  

One more example of his clever prose:

“For as long as I could remember, I have lived a separate existence from normal people.  I don’t believe I comprehended to what extent my life was different from the lives of other people my age, but I wasn’t naïve to how detached we were.  Sure, my parents installed a chastity belt around my brain to keep out unwanted predators like Pee-Wee Herman and the anti-God protagonist who wrote 1984, but I wasn’t ignorant.  I knew my family was different.  I like being different.” (p. 112)

I could go on and on with my praise, but instead will encourage you to read ‘Hear No Evil’ for yourself!  There are just too many pages that are highlighted!  This is one book I will be reading multiple times.

I have been reading many books of late which have been stretching me (all of which are reviewed on this blog) – Mark Batterson’s ‘Primal,’ Gary Thomas’ ‘Pure Pleasure,’ Susie Larson’s ‘Embracing Your Freedom,’ Randy Elrod’s ‘Sex, Lies and Religion,’ and Mary DeMuth’s ‘Thin Places.’ among others.  This book is no exception.  I have had my bouts of being judgmental and narrow-minded over the years, and it is very clear to me that Jesus is none of those!  He operates in love, and that is what I have been learning time and time again lately.  I am glad to see that Matthew has seen that truth as well! 

Other titles by Matthew are:

Churched: One Kid's Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess

Provocative Faith: Walking Away from Ordinary

The Christian Culture Survival Guide: The Misadventures of an Outsider on the Inside

The Coffeehouse Gospel: Sharing Your Faith In Everyday Conversation

What You Didn't Learn from Your Parents About: Sex: A Guide to a Touchy Subject

Relearning Jesus: How Reading the Beatitudes One More Time Changed My Faith


Hokey Pokey: Curious People Finding What Life's All About

This book was provided to me for review purposes by Waterbrook Press.

‘Sex, Lies & Religion: Enjoying the Freedom of Unconditional Sexuality’ by Randy Elrod – Book Review

‘Sex, Lies & Religion; Enjoying the Freedom of Unconditional Sexuality’ by Randy Elrod is only the latest book in the past month or so that the Lord has brought to me that addresses the theme of freedom in Christ.  The others are ‘Embracing Your Freedom’ by Susie Larson, and ‘Pure Pleasure’ by Gary Thomas.

There is a terrific book trailer:

Randy Elrod is the founder of the cre-ate Conference (which is happening this week, February 8-11, 2010) and the Kalein Creative Communication Retreat & Master Class, an international creative communication workshop in Franklin.

His biography (from his website) says this:

Randy Elrod is described by his friends as a Renaissance man. A dreamer, artist, writer, mentor and teacher, he enjoys a marriage of 30 years with his childhood sweetheart, Chris. They enjoy traveling the world, the sacraments of food and wine, the culinary arts, and hosting guests at their home “La Maison des Reves” in historic downtown Franklin, Tennessee.

Mr. Elrod’s main purpose in writing this book is to expose the misconceptions – perhaps even heresies - that have been perpetuated by Christians – and pagans – through the millennia on the subject of sexuality.  According to Randy: “The result is a lot of screwed-up thinking about sex, ranging from a prudish suspicion (even outright hatred) of sexuality on the one hand, to rampant immorality—even among professing Christians—on the other. Both extremes are born of an unbiblical dichotomy between a pure soul and a sinful body.” (pp. 13-14)

Mr. Elrod points out that our ultimate authority must be God, not man-made religions:

A biblical understanding informs us that our ultimate authority must always be the Creator—not the Church or religion. Dysfunction comes when we intertwine the church and God and view them as one. We often forget that both church and religion consist of wayward leaders and broken people just like us. Our Creator alone earned the right to act as our ultimate authority and thus is worthy to receive the reciprocal gifts of intimacy and wild abandonment. He desires both our soul and body more than our religious minds can comprehend. (pp. 19-20)

Mr. Elrod makes the case that the Lord’s desire is for us to enjoy freedom:

The ethos of the Incarnation makes possible the seemingly impossible thesis, “to enjoy the freedom of unconditional sexuality.” Religion seeks to control us by applying excessive conditions and oppressive rules. But the Incarnation does not give rules to follow; it re-creates in us holy longings and the ability to renew the image of the Creator Father in our bodies. It transforms us by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus and to the degree that we accept that transformation, we no longer need conditions and rules, because we no longer desire to break them.  Unconditional freedom is made possible through grace. The only requirement is that we enjoy our freedom. (pp. 127-128)

Mr. Elrod regularly used the Bible to make his points.  I especially appreciated the laser focus he placed on the work of the Holy Spirit in helping us to live out a life of freedom:

Galatians teaches that good fruit characterizes a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. This list of moral qualities or “fruits” produced by following the Spirit leads to freedom and communion with God. Religion worries that “living by the Spirit” instead of rules leads to immorality and sin.  Just the opposite will be the case. A relationship with the Spirit produces the moral qualities that epitomize a life of unconditional sexuality…   But when we live out a spiritual life in freedom, God brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard. These fruits of the Spirit are the underlying spirit of sacred sexuality.  (pp. 110-111)

I found Mr. Elrod’s premises to be biblically sound, and they all encouraged monogamous intimacy in a marital relationship.  I think that this book may need to be read multiple times depending on how your mind has been programmed over the years.  I also think the return on investment will be well worth the effort.

I have to be honest and admit that there were some parts of ‘Sex, Lies & Religion’ that made me uncomfortable – in particular, the sections on masturbation and sexual fantasy.  I was raised in a rules-driven Christian denomination by a parent who was very uncomfortable with the whole subject of sex.  Sometimes I wondered how I was even conceived!  Although I have been married almost five years, there are still some issues that come to the surface on occasion.  Fortunately, the Lord has shown me over and over lately (including the aforementioned books) that there is freedom that I am missing out on, and that is negatively impacting my husband and my marriage.

The enemy of our souls uses history, truth and lies to deceive us.  ‘Sex, Lies & Religion’ does a fine job in exposing those lies.  This book is ultimately is a story of God’s redemption.  Despite my temporary discomfort, I thank Mr. Elrod for bringing those elements to the surface in this important book.  I highly recommend that the book be read by anyone who wants to live a life that is more full of joy and freedom. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from cre:ate 2.0 Publishing to read and post a review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.