All That's Holy: A Young Man, An Old Car and the Search for God in America

Tom Levinson
Law School, University of Chicago

顿补迟别:听September 23, 2003


Event Recap

滨苍听All That鈥檚 Holy: A young guy, an old car and the search for God in America听(Jossey Bass, 2003), TomLevinson recounts the story of hisdecision to driveacross Americaand talk to peopleabout their relationshipto God, toreligion, and theirspiritual lives, ina journey that ultimatelyleads himto a greater understandingof hisown religious identity.Visiting theBoisi Center onSeptember 23rd,Levinson read passagesfrom hisbook that illuminatedthe spiritual pathways heuncovered in others, and hinted atthe discoveries these experiences alsorevealed within himself.

Describing himself as afourth generation Jewish New Yorker,Levinson鈥檚 religious quest took himfrom an undergraduate degree inreligious studies from Princeton toa Masters in Theological Studiesat Harvard Divinity School. Aftergraduation hisjourney took himto work in afaith based socialjustice organizationin Boston,where he was alsostruck by the ideaof producing aStuds Terkel-likeoral history ofspirituality inAmerica.

He embarkedupon his journeyin the fall of 1999and traveled bycar for three anda half months, during which hespent hours having conversations,and listening to the stories of others,only to find that he had embarkedupon a pilgrimage rather than a factfinding mission as he had firstintended. His journey brought himinsight, understanding, and ultimately,transformation.

Levinson read passages fromhis narrative and answered questionsfrom the audience about how he wasreceived by the people he met on theroad. He was asked whether the peoplehe met tried to convert him toChristianity and whether he encounteredany anti-semitism. Although hedid experience some attempts to converthim he felt no ill feelings frompeople he met towards his jewishness.He said he found himself sharingmore of himself than he anticipatedin his conversations, most ofwhich lasted for hours and includedsharing meals and invitations intothe homes of people he met. Hisencounters included a conversationwith a convicted killer days before hisexecution, the owner of a caf茅 called鈥淐offee Messiah鈥 who dubbed hisenterprise a 鈥減ostmodern church,鈥and a Buddhist seeker named ElvisMiranda. Levinson is currently a secondyear law student at theUniversity of Chicago.