The
Episcopal Bishop and writer John Shelby Spong has called
Philip's theology "warm, gentle, profound, and moving."
I Love You, Miss Huddleston:
And Other Inappropriate Longings of My
Indiana Childhood
is the uproarious story of
Philip's coming-of-age years in
Danville, Indiana. This new book is now
available for
purchase.
"Flat-out hilarious"
-BOOKLIST
Read an excerpt from I Love You, Miss Huddleston
published in April's Indianapolis Monthly Magazine.
At a recent
speech, the woman introducing me used the word iconoclast. It had
been awhile since I'd heard that word, so when I got home I looked
it up in my dictionary to discover what the woman thought of me. Iconoclast:
1.) one who destroys
religious images or opposes their veneration 2.) one who attacks
settled beliefs or institutions.
I don't recall ever
destroying a religious image, so I'm assuming she was referring to
the second description. I do enjoy dismantling settled
beliefs, not for the sake of wanton destruction, but for the sake of
building something more helpful and beautiful in their place.
For too long, American
Christianity has been poisoned by a narrowness of mind and spirit,
demanding we believe the implausible, affirm the absurd, and despise
the different. Thoughtful people are leaving the Church in
droves, unwilling to diminish their lives or the lives of others for
the sake of faith.
This website is my
ongoing effort to build a Christianity we can live with - a
Christianity that brings out the best in us, not the worst; a
Christianity at home with people of other faiths; a Christianity
grateful for scientific knowledge; a Christianity rooted in God's
grace, and informed by the example of Jesus. It is the
Christianity many of us have longed for, but haven't found.
Perhaps it's time we looked somewhere else. GraceTalks might
be just the place to start.
The focus of
GraceTalks will be wide-ranging, from peace to politics, to Biblical
interpretation, to the role of Christianity in the wider world.
If you're an iconoclast, or leaning that way, I invite you to join
me in building a new kind of Christianity, where love counts more
than rules, and reason more than fear. Enjoy this website,
read and spread its message, change yourself, then change our world.
~Philip
"A wonderful account of the treasures, trials and plain old wackiness of growing up in small town Indiana. Gulley tells his stories with a bright intelligence, a wry wink and warm-hearted good humor, which are at the same time tender, thought provoking and downright hilarious." -Carrie Newcomer, singer and songwriter
"Humor
beats nostalgia and drama; this stuff is a laugh-out-loud funny tweaking of a not terribly misspent youth." –Publisher’s Weekly
"Philip Gulley's memoir is
sweet and funny - funny enough that you're tempted to read
parts aloud just to amuse yourself further."
- Jay Allison, host and curator, NPR's "This I
Believe"
"Philip Gulley gives us the
good laugh, the good cry and a good read of a world still in reach through faith
and family."
- Thomas Lynch, author of The
Undertaking
View a video teaser of I Love You, Miss Huddleston
on
YouTube
July 24, 2009, 7:30 p.m. Americana Music Series Unitarian Univeralist Congregation of Columbus
7850 Goeller Rd.
Columbus, IN 47202
Appearance with musicians
Tim Grimm and Jan
Lucas
August 22, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
FriendsFest '09 Indianapolis First Friends
3030 Kessler Blvd. East Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46220
Appearance with musician
Carrie Newcomer
