Johnnie Walker Spirituality

As I made my way through every Oscar nominee for Best Picture the past couple of months, the movie American Fiction stood out as one of my favorites. It stars the incomparable Jeffrey Wright as a struggling author who becomes so frustrated with what kind of Black art sells that he fires off a satirical manuscript sample on a lark.

To his surprise, his joke proposal receives an incredibly lucrative offer not only to be published, but for the movie rights as well. He spends most of the rest of the film trying to sabotage the deal, but his attempts only make it more appealing to the well-meaning but oblivious (white) people with whom he negotiates.

To assure him that going ahead with this book is okay, his agent sets three bottles of Johnnie Walker on his desk, each with a different label signaling its quality. Red is the cheapest and worst but also the most popular, black is a little better, and then blue is the most expensive and most refined.

The idea behind the metaphor is that Wright’s character usually writes “blue” books, which are high quality but have limited appeal. But this time he’s written a “red” book, which many more will want to read. They each have their own audience, and the occasional publishing of a “red” book doesn’t take away from the “blue” ones.

I really liked this scene. It not only worked for the story, but it provoked my imagination for other areas in which it may apply.

I first thought about my own books, which I’ve always intended to be in the red/black range. Coffeehouse Contemplative is probably my least red book, which I’ve heard from some readers over the years. My most successful book, Wonder and Whiskey, is solidly red thanks to its pop culture angle.

For pastors and churches, I think this Johnnie Walker metaphor has some merit as well. Pastors and laypeople alike who have been exposed to deeper levels of Biblical criticism, theology, and liturgy may prefer black and blue brands of spiritual exploration. They may prefer delving into the reaches of particular traditions and thinkers, and are energized by the greater understanding and practice that they discover and seek to apply for themselves.

On the flip side, those who develop a taste for black and blue varieties of spirituality may also scoff at red expressions, as well as those who prefer them. Such expressions often do have aspects worthy of valid criticism (as do non-red ones). But such critiques often don’t examine what’s more appealing or engaging about them.

To begin with, those who prefer non-red spiritual exploration tend to overlook that most people of faith are at a red level. That form is going to be the most accessible, the easiest to understand, and the most widely available. That’s not to excuse it from having problematic elements identified, or to deter anyone from black and blue forms. It’s merely to acknowledge that spiritual seekers will gravitate in larger numbers to certain things more than others.

What does this mean for clergy, churches, and denominations wishing to present programs, resources, and worship of a certain quality? I think it means several things.

• The importance of meeting people where they are on their journey. Throwing seekers into the deep end before they’re ready won’t work. Nor will constantly insulting them for preferring the end where their feet can touch the bottom of the pool.
• The need to start everyone with red, and introducing black and blue when people seem ready. Not everyone will be interested in such advancement, but maybe the smaller group that does can have something separate developed more for them.
• The possibility of packaging black and blue concepts in red containers. The message may have the potential for tremendous engagement, but the medium needs some work.
• Keep doing your own blue thing in the meantime. If it nourishes you, keep going. You may be entrusted with guiding people with spiritual needs different from yours, but your own needs deserve attention, too.

Those more interested in deeper forms of spirituality can certainly continue to indulge in them. But if you’re also entrusted with journeying with others, opportunities to engage in “red” forms are to be carefully and seriously considered.