Walter Wangerin Jr. Zondervan, 176 pages Walter Wangerin is well-known for his collections of stories, including the award-winning “The Book of the Dun Cow” and “Ragman.” For many years he served as an inner-city pastor and from that experience many of his stories arose. Readers familiar with those stories will recognize his particular voice and vision in this new collection. The stories are drawn from ordinary experiences with his family and others. Yet in these events, the light of God’s grace is revealed. This is Wangerin’s gift: simple stories that point to the extraordinary presence of God. The result is a heightened anticipation of God in world. Where will grace next be revealed? These stories cause you to enter that search and ask that question. They are divided into nine sections of two stories each; taken together they comprise a theological compendium of grace revealed in ordinary life. The cynic might describe the stories as too simple and predictable, bordering on … [Read more...]
Fearless Dialogues: A New Movement for Justice
Gregory C. Ellison II Westminster John Knox Press, 160 pages Reviewed by Angela Williams “Baby, I don’t know how to change the world, but I can change the three feet around me.” These words from Gregory Ellison’s Aunt Dotty inspire the root of a new movement for justice: “Fearless Dialogues.” Weaving poetry, prose and theory, Ellison introduces a powerful new approach to having difficult conversations with people from all walks of life. Such a “fearless dialogue” does not mean a conversation without fear. Instead fear + less is defined as a compound word that names the fears that come with having difficult dialogues in hopes of lessening the impact of those fears. Approaching unlikely partners from this place of humility creates space for radical relational change. More intriguing than a basic facilitator’s guide, this book invites the reader to join the dialogue and creates a full-body experience with each turn of the page. This blend of art and science seeks to overcome the … [Read more...]
Kitchen Table Giving: Reimagining How Congregations Connect With Their Donors
William G. Enright Amazon CreateSpace, 86 pages Reviewed by Baron Mullis What if fundraising were a fundamentally joyful activity? Bill Enright believes not only that it can be, but that it must be. Enright has been urging spiritual leaders to get savvy about talking about money for a generation and in “Kitchen Table Giving” he issues a captivating invitation to reflect on the art of leadership and the mechanics of talking about money as a spiritual leader. Reflecting on the insight that most congregation members arrive at church with their decisions about giving already made, Enright explores when and where these decisions happen, and concludes that decisions about giving are made in the heart of the home, right at the kitchen table. In six pithy chapters, the reader is invited to recognize that congregation members are already talking about money – and that they both want and need spiritual guidance. Seeking to help spiritual leaders understand how to be a part of this … [Read more...]
Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy
Anne Lamott Riverhead Books, 190 pages To put it mildly, mercy is in short supply these days. Children flee their homes with no place to go and wash up on shores. Some are shocked, others are too busy to notice and there are those who scoff at pleas for compassion. Mercy is a venerable word and a practice embedded in the Bible. But it seems to have been forgotten in these days of white-hot politics and violent attacks. Fortunately, Anne Lamott is rediscovering mercy. This collection of essays may be her finest. Without wavering from her search to find mercy, she tells stories, filled with her characteristic honest wit, that illuminate the clues of its presence. They amount to an invitation — a hopeful summons to pay close attention to acts of mercy. Lamott has taken seriously the prophet Micah whose words became for her a new call. What might it mean to love mercy? She goes in search of that question and the result is this book. She writes: “The world keeps going on. You can … [Read more...]
Defying Gravity: Break Free from the Culture of More
Tom Berlin Abingdon Press, 112 pages Reviewed by Henry G. Brinton Christians have often disagreed about money — some see it as a sign of God’s approval and others consider it to be a temptation that pulls people away from God. The Bible can be used to support either approach — Proverbs 10:22 tells us that “the blessing of the Lord makes rich” while Jesus insists that “you cannot serve God and wealth” (Luke 16:13). Now Tom Berlin, senior pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia, provides a new image for money: gravity. In “Defying Gravity,” he makes the case that our money and possessions have a pull on us that is similar to the gravity that holds our bodies to the earth. “Financial gravity enables us to function in our daily lives,” he writes, causing us to pursue basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter. But at the same time, it can be an oppressive force that pulls us away from faith in God. Faithful Christian living does not require us to reject … [Read more...]
Planetary Solidarity: Global Women’s Voices on Christian Doctrine and Climate Justice
Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Hilda P. Koster, editors Fortress Press, 392 pages Reviewed by Cynthia Holder Rich “Planetary Solidarity” is a rich collection of provocative essays by an ecumenical group of notable female theologians from around the globe. Those interested in deeply exploring environmental justice and climate change and the particular impact these have on women and what women are doing and saying about it will find a wealth of resources here. The book is the third in a series of edited works on theology, gender and justice. Grace Ji-Sun Kim collaborated with Jenny Daggers on the first two: “Reimagining with Christian Doctrines” and “Christian Doctrines for Global Gender Justice.” Many essays in this volume respond to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment (“Laudato Sí”) and ask pointed queries of the encyclical, pushing beyond its parameters to pose new questions, encourage further inquiry and catalyze faithful action. Contributors explore the encyclical’s … [Read more...]
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