Austin Channing Brown Convergent Books, 192 pages Reviewed by MaryAnn McKibben Dana I’m so thankful to former PC(USA) co-moderators Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston for instituting a denomination-wide read-along of Debby Irving’s “Waking Up White” as part of their “One Church, One Book” initiative. “Waking Up White” chronicles Irving’s journey into awareness of the ways white supremacy is woven into the fabric of the American experience. As much as I appreciated the book – my jaw dropped to learn about the countless thousands of African American service members from World War II who were excluded from the GI Bill – I also found myself longing for more on this topic. Enter Austin Channing Brown’s bracing reflection, “I’m Still Here.” Whereas Irving’s work is eye-opening about the ways structural racism is all around us, Channing Brown’s book illuminates the ways that those racist structures influence individual white people’s behavior and the impact that behavior has on people … [Read more...]

Henry G. Brinton Koehler Books, 242 pages Reviewed by Michael F. Frosolono Henry Brinton, a Presbyterian pastor, crafted this novel that captures a reader’s attention without devolving into sloppy sentimentality or invoking miracles to facilitate the story. “City of Peace” incorporates fast action and believable characters, and illustrates the value of the radical hospitality Jesus advocated. Harley Camden, 57 years of age and at the peak of his career, pastors a growing and large United Methodist Church in Sterling, Virginia, with a large staff that produces programs running seven days a week. He leads his congregation through the narrow corridor between the Scylla of the Religious Right and the Charybdis of the Secular Left. Harley’s sermons avoid overt politics but, instead, help people follow Jesus by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting prisoners and welcoming strangers. Harley’s world disintegrates when Islamic terrorists kill his wife and college-aged … [Read more...]

Debbie Blue Eerdmans, 224 pages Reviewed by Deborah McKinley Speaking about Mary, the mother of Jesus, author Debbie Blue reveals the point of her book: Help us to know in a very deep way that the divine is so much bigger than we think. Exploring three biblical matriarchs with an inquisitive and fresh perspective, Blue offers a great gift to the church: reading the Bible with the questions of our time. This is a hope-filled book. As Blue explores the stories of Hagar, Esther and Mary, she reveals each woman’s strength and mystery, and shows that the divine is so much greater than we can imagine. Using these three women’s stories, Blue draws us together in an interfaith weaving, noting the important intersections between Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Beginning with Hagar, Blue asks: How does this story reveal more of who God is? Blue notes that Hagar received the same promise as Abraham: “I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude.” … [Read more...]

Amy-Jill Levine & Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, illustrated by Denise Turu Flyaway Books, 32 pages In recent years Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso have taken to writing children’s stories based upon biblical texts. This wonderful pair and is enhanced by illustrator Denise Turu who provides delightful illustrations. In this telling of the familiar story, the Blues and the Yellows are people who never mix. They live in fear of one another and make a habit of avoiding each other. That begins to change when one of the Blues is in an accident. What happens after that, of course, is what makes this tale so delightful for families and children. In re-casting the story of the Good Samaritan, the authors (both Jewish) provide an opportunity to consider the meaning of friendship. What happens when neighbors who are strangers actually become friends? Children learn from their parents about how to engage those who are different from them. This book can be a great asset for parents who … [Read more...]

Eric Liu PublicAffairs Books, 256 pages Reviewed by Allen Timm Community organizer and activist Eric Liu believes that individuals have the power to influence their community. When people find others to join them, they have even more power. Congregations have both people and resources that can be employed to bring change to their community. What kind of change? That is the question every congregation needs to ask. What breaks the heart of God in our community? Where is God at work in our community that we can join? Who else hears this call who can join us? Liu describes how to change the narrative. He says that too often people blame others for the problems that exist. Rather than talk about “them,” Liu suggests we talk about “us.” We have to change what needs to be changed. We can rewrite the narrative and bring people together to create change. How do we do that? We claim the legitimacy of the change we are calling to make. Liu calls this rewriting the rules of who has the … [Read more...]