Friday, September 22, 2006

By Ian Morgan Cron. Published by Navpress. Reviewed by Lou Jacquet

Every now and then, a book so unique comes along that it seems there are no conventional categories to put it in. Ian Morgan Cron’s first book, billed as “a creative and compelling hybrid of fiction, theology and historical biography,” is all that and more.

Cron, in real life the senior pastor at Trinity Church in Greenwich, Conn., has created a fictional character named Chase Falson, “founding pastor of the largest contemporary evangelical church in New England,” who has a breakdown under the pressure of the role and ends up seeking wisdom from his Uncle Kenny, a Franciscan priest living in Italy.

Along the way, the reader learns a great deal about St. Francis and a fair amount about Chase Falson. What fascinates a reviewer and, presumably, the numerous readers of what Cron calls “wisdom literature” will attract is that one has to keep reminding oneself throughout the narrative that this is a work of fiction. So realistic are Cron’s use of original dialogue and description mixed with historical facts that it seems as if we are reading a detailed non-fiction description of Falson’s struggles.

Readers will follow with interest the ruthless manner in which the New England pastor’s congregation seeks to oust him, and the way in which he takes elements of Franciscan spirituality back home to face that same evangelical congregation with plans for creating a more radical, Gospel-based Christian denomination. But some of the most compelling aspects of the book lie in the descriptions and insights the real-life evangelical Protestant author provides about Catholic spirituality. One gets the sense that he has read more and understood more about the challenging core truths of Catholic theology, especially from a Franciscan perspective, than not a few members of the Catholic laity and clergy as well.

Cron’s first effort as a novelist is not a perfect book by any means; a section near the end where Falson addresses his congregation seems to run on overly long, for example; his romance with a former addict named Maggie likewise seems a bit strained at times as an element of the plot. But at other points, such as when Falson encounters ordinary Catholics in Italy who bathe AIDS victims, feed the poor and live on the streets with the homeless, the results are stirring. Asked at one juncture to describe what took place when he met up with AIDS victims and those who serve them, Falson says, “I think I just became a Christian.”

The author also has a sense of humor. When Falson is surprised at the arrival of a friend from the States he had not expected to encounter in Italy, he quips, “seeing Jesus on rollerblades would have surprised me less.”

The reader will learn a surprising amount about the life of Francis, told in a fresh manner here, and find insights about the Church in the modern world and how it must adapt and change, in Cron’s view, if it is to survive and prosper in this new century. As Falson notes, after spending time with the Franciscans in Italy, “I realized we have been more about programs than community [at his church in New England]; we have been more of an organization, with me as CEO, than an organism, an expression of Jesus on earth.” That is a statement that members of Catholic parishes across the United States could use for some soul-searching reflection.

Although Cron tells the reader in a preface that he had hoped to include much more material on the historical Francis, he has wisely relegated that to an extensive Study Guide section which will be of interest to faith-sharing groups, students and casual readers alike. An extensive bibliography of books and articles about St. Francis and various issues facing Christian denominations is also helpful. This is clearly the most unusual and compelling book of the year about living the Faith.* Highly recommended.