T. M. Luhrmann's When God Talks Back

Today, approximately seventy-nine percent of American adults believe in God or a “higher power.” Of these adults, nearly one-fourth are “born-again” Christians, a terminology used to describe the experience of attaining faith in Christ. It is categorized as a direct and personal relationship with God, when everything they have been taught as Christians suddenly becomes real for them. A study found that twenty-six percent of all Americans say they have been given a direct revelation from God. T.M. Luhrmann, an anthropologist at Stanford University, begins When God Talks Back by acknowledging these staggering statistics. Despite not being religious herself, Luhrmann sets out to explain to nonbelievers how “the mind allows God to come alive for

The Vineyard Movement is rooted in the charismatic renewal and historic evangelicalism. The majority of the members of the Vineyard were white, middle class, college-educated, and moderate. They aren’t Pentecostals, nor are they simply conservative Christians. According to Luhrmann, they placed “a flamboyant emphasis on the direct experience of God.” For the members of the congregation, God is their best friend who loved them unconditionally.

These four years are split between two years in Chicago, Illinois and another two years in a congregation in Palo Alto, California. During this time, she attended weekly church services at which she prayed, sang, and cried alongside the congregation. She even participated in smaller “house groups,” which were devoted to Bible readings and discussions emphasizing what the passages told them about God and his character.

Luhrmann did extensive field research and interviewed hundreds of congregants. Their stories were moving and humbling, but also ridiculous and entertaining. Some Vineyard women had a regular “date night” with Jesus where they would serve a special dinner, set a place for him at the table, and chat. Others would ask God what to wear or whether or not they should get a