The Devil Wears Nada. Tripp York

      Satan Exposed

      Tripp York

      CASCADE Books - Eugene, Oregon

      THE DEVIL WEARS NADA

      Satan Exposed

      Copyright © 2011 Tripp York. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Cascade Books

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      isbn 13: 978-1-60899-560-8

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      Cataloging-in-Publication data:

      York, Tripp.

      The devil wears nada : satan exposed / Tripp York.

      p. x + 154; cm. Includes bibliographical references.

      isbn 13: 978-1-60899-560-8

      1. Devil—Christianity. 2. Devil—Social aspects. 3. United States—History. I. Title

      bt982 .467 2011

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      Manufactured in the U.S.A.

      To my father . . .

      “You are the kind of boy,” the old man said, “that the devil is always going to be offering to assist, to give you a smoke or a drink or a ride, to ask you your business. You had better mind how you take up with strangers. And keep your business to yourself.” It was to foil the devil’s plans for him that the Lord had seen to his upbringing.

      —Flannery O’Connor (The Violent Bear it Away)

      Acknowledgments

      Appearances aside, I really am an ecumenist. I can’t help it; I’m a team player. Of course, I’m very particular about which team I play for, but I do enjoy having friends on other teams. For me, such ecumenicity extends beyond the realm of Christianity in an effort to find common ground amidst other religious and cultural traditions. This book locates such common ground and then seeks to berate it—all in an effort to expose a larger common ground, that of a certain philosophical persuasion that problematically ties many of us together. In this sense, the Devil is something of a foil employed as the backdrop to my theological musing (and haphazard disabusing) made in order to see what underwrites some of our shared claims about God, the Devil, and everything in-between.

      This book would not be possible without the help of a whole lot of friends (along with a few enemies). First, though he should not be held responsible for the content of this book, thank you Tobias Winwright, friend and moral theologian extraordinaire, for the smashingly crafty title. Thanks also to Lynn Barnwell, Amanda Marshall, Tim Weist, Angela Chance, Felicia Dunlap, Brady Plummer, Drew Johnson, Alec Lewis, and Patrick Brandt for their online participation in the search for catchy titles/subtitles. Most of them were terrible, but thanks nonetheless.

      Many thanks to Joshua London, who is a testimony to the intelligibility of paganism (and yes, that’s a compliment). To Bruce Schulte, who is a testimony to the intelligibility of biology (and yes, that too is a compliment). Thanks to Chip Barnette and Joe Baker, whose knowledge of music knows no limitations, and because of which the world is a better place (long live “The Fabulous Paramounts”—thanks David Wright). Thank you Tracy Jo Ingram and Meredith Wadlington for laboriously pouring over this manuscript and making it readable. Many thanks to my good friend Matt Litton who is as excited about this book as I am (that’s only because he has yet to read it), and to Andrew Bergman whose commentary on the “V” on the cover will always haunt me. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Chuck Seay and Scott Thomas. The kinds of conversations I have had through the years with you two are irreplaceable. Your contributions to this book cannot be overstated.

      The completion of this book occurred during my second year of teaching at Western Kentucky University. The folks in the Philosophy and Religion Department have been especially kind as I transitioned from the fine state of North Carolina to the almost equally fine state of Kentucky. To Eric Bain-Selbo, for graciously extending to me your classrooms; Jeffery Samuels, for your recommendations in Thai food; Arvin Vos, for teaching Aquinas; Ingrid Lilly, for just being Ingrid Lilly; Paula Williams, for, literally, knowing everything; and to Scott Girdner, a simple request: please stop having kids so we can skate again.

      To Charlie Collier, Halden Doerge, Christian Amondson, and the wonderful staff at Wipf & Stock, thanks for taking on another one of my books. You would think they would know better by now. I am greatly indebted to the generosity of the Sinderbrands: Paul, Marilyn, and Carly (Tatiana) are ridiculously good to me. As always, my appreciation to my parents for their patience with their youngest child cannot be overstated. Thanks are also in order to my brother, Danny, who did not give up on AC/DC (despite the warnings from televangelists), and to my sister, Cherie, for always being such a good conversation partner. Finally, to all of the ministers, pastors, priests, clerics, Satanists, pagans, wiccans, bodybuilders, and so many others: thank you for tolerating my persistent badgering. I’m sure I was as bad as some of these interviews make me out to be, and, for that, I apologize. For those of you who yelled at me, raised a fist, refused to call me back, sent vicious emails, or even placed hexes on me, you know who you are . . . and so does Satan.

      Tripp York

      Bowling Green, Kentucky

      The devil divides the world between atheism and superstition.

      —George Herbert

      Introduction

      That’s nonsense. I invented electricity. Ben Franklin is the Devil!

      —Mama Boucher

      “Be careful what you wish for,” cautioned Brother Ray, “you just might get it.” Brother Ray, whose name (along with a few others in this book) has been changed to protect him from possible evil repercussions, was dutifully concerned with the scope of my project. “Why on earth,” he asked, “would anyone in their right mind want to find him?”

      I immediately recorded the first observation in my research: Satan, it seems, has testicles.

      Before I could respond, he added, with a touch of baffled sincerity, “Good Lord boy, what’s wrong with you?”

      I looked at this man who had lived a hard life of some sixty-plus years (and whose sideburns suggested a slight obsession with the King of Rock & Roll) and replied, “What’s wrong with me? Brother Ray, like so many other people on this rotating rock, I just want to find God.”

      An occasion for nuance may be in order. I’m not claiming that some ontological personality referred to as Satan is God or is even a god. Despite the deification of Satan by religious people of various stripes, this was not my point. I have simply decided that my research should take a more indirect approach. So much of what passes for a person’s search for God tends to be located in one of two frameworks: personal experience or apologetic precision.

      In regards to the former, it is important to note that many people across a variety of cultures, times, and places have stressed one-on-one experiences with something referred to as the divine. Of course, countless scholars have constructed countless theories for such a phenomenon. Regardless of their