As the Broken White Lines Become One: A Spiritual Travelogue

In As the Broken White Lines Become One Michael Gehring recounts his spiritual journey through the landscape of late-twentieth-century southern American Christianity. This account depicts how and why he drifted away from the Roman Catholic Church fellowshipped for a while with the Assemblies of God sojourned for a prolonged time as an outsider to the institutional church and eventually found a theological home within United Methodism. What follows is a spiritual journey with a lot of turns. The work is not intended to be a complete autobiography. Significant biographical details and relationships are not included as this narrative focuses on the shifting and sifting grounds of American Christian denominations. This chronicle primarily concerns the spiritual journey that led him to United Methodism and what it was like not only to choose it but also to inhabit it. Any pastor who has spent some time with a Rolling Stone cover of Bob Dylan a photo of Ernest Hemingway a James Baldwin lecture flyer and the Arkansas flag hanging on his office wall has to be a fascinating eclectic and unpredictable voice in the church. And that is surely true of Michael Gehring. In this compelling memoir he traces his journey from his southern and Catholic roots through the fire of Pentecostalism by way of Presbyterian corridors and on to the vibrant piety of Methodism. The twists and turns seem at times random even haphazard but Gehring is able to help us see the hand of grace guiding him along the way. He could have been a housepainter he flirted with being a philosopher but now he is a creative and courageous pastor. As one of his heroes Bob Dylan sings Theres a slow slow train coming and we can all be grateful that Gehring has taken us along to savor the ride. --Thomas G. Long Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching Candler School of Theology Emory University In the gospels Jesus is not only on a perpetual road trip but also calls ordinary people to journey with him. One of the most interesting traveling companions that Jesus has called is Michael Gehring. In this loving honest memoir Mike portrays a life in movement an intelligent inquisitive man drawn by Christ through an assortment of experiences good and bad and of churches struggling to be faithful. Mikes is a circuitous interesting journey a life made more adventurous by the summons of Jesus Christ. This book is sure to be received as one of finest of ministerial memoirs. --Will Willimon United Methodist Bishop retired and Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry Duke Divinity School Michael Gehring recounts his courageous journey of faith with humor and insight. He tells it like it is and is never dull. We get the sense of a man who is confident enough of Gods love and presence in his life to take a risk in deciding what to do and which way to go. Gehring is a very gifted writer and has a story worth telling. --Jerome Kodell Abbot of Subiaco Abbey 1989-2015 It is rare to find a pastor-scholar who can craft a candid and self-disclosing life journal which conveys clarity and true grounding for faith and authentic conviction. Michael Gehring takes the novice lay reader and the trained theologian on a rich exploration in pursuit of living answers to challenging questions of religious integrity the roots of loyalty and the meaning of cultural heritage. Gehrings journey is intriguing and inviting. He respectfully invites the reader to join a development journey filled with rich intellectual curiosity and a search in matters of the soul. He examines sensitive issues pertaining to the institutional structures of the church and their connection to personhood relationships and practice. This autobiographical-like story is instructive creatively thematic and superbly personalized. It speaks in the tone of an ordinary seeker of truth who is sharing a wealth of time-honored testimonials. Finally it helps the reader to imagine