Diana Butler Bass HarperOne, 256 pages Reviewed by Marlise Burr-Asher The title of Diana Butler Bass’ newest work, “Grateful,” may arguably be its biggest shortcoming. I can see a prospective reader glancing at this title on a bookshelf, cringing as she remembers the thank-you note she forgot to send her great aunt last month and moving on. There is often a big gap between thinking of ourselves as thankful people and living as thankful humans, as Bass points out. “Grateful” explains why. Although Bass does characterize thankfulness as a practice, this book goes way beyond that. It examines the historical, philosophical and social implications of gratitude. Truthfully, there are lots of other books out there if what you’re looking for is a tutorial on how to maintain a thankfulness journal. What Bass does in “Grateful” is to take us beyond a quid pro quo perception of giving thanks — and this is only the beginning. Bass starts out differentiating between what she calls “cheap … [Read more...]

Gradye Parsons Westminster John Knox Press, 88 pages Reviewed by Linda L. Lanam Since the 2015 publication of the book “Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence” by Erica Dhawan and Saj-nicole A. Joni, the adjective “connectional” has been too carelessly attached to a multitude of nouns. But in his little book, “Our Connectional Church,” Gradye Parsons not only uses the word correctly, but also demonstrates its meaning in a way that is unique and useful. As a resource for a congregational reading list or as required reading for pastors in need of ideas for imaginative and innovative ministry, Parsons has added one more entry to the lengthy list of his services to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The book actually grew out of the tricentennial celebration of the Presbyterian Board of Pensions as part of the Board’s commitment to taking “the long view.” So, at the request of board president Frank Spencer, Parsons, who was concluding his service to the … [Read more...]

Jason Byassee Cascade Books, 264 pages Reviewed by Bob Melone “Where in the world is Jesus?” That is the question that Jason Byassee, former pastor of Boone United Methodist Church in North Carolina, now professor of theology at Vancouver School of Theology, attempts to answer in his book “Discerning the Body: Searching for Jesus in the World.”   We regularly hear and read about the “death of the church.” However because the church is Christ’s risen body in the world today – the presence of God in creation – it is safe to say that death is simply not an option! God is not dead, and the Spirit’s holy and mysterious presence will never be absent from creation.  Nevertheless, sometimes the body can be hard to find. Perhaps that is why Byassee states that he has spent much of his literary career looking hard for Jesus in the church and the world, wondering if it was possible to discern the presence of this one who has changed the course of human history. Christ has indeed … [Read more...]

Kira Schlesinger Westminster John Knox Press, 136 pages Reviewed by Judith Fulp-Eickstaedt Have you noticed lately that there are issues we can’t talk about? A colleague recently shared that the pro-life/pro-choice debate is one where he can’t get a real conversation going. Extreme perspectives on both sides have left those who want a measured, informed conversation feeling attacked for whatever they might say or bullied into accepting one of these extremes as “correct.” The result is a culture of silence around reproductive rights, especially in the church. Yet, in a conversation with a parishioner, I was reminded of the need for guidance and support around these issues. This young woman struggled with the fear of passing a devastating genetic mutation to her child. “As I weighed the awful possibilities,” she said, “I was not even aware that being pro-choice was part of the Christian conversation.” My parishioner’s story speaks to the overwhelming nature of the decisions … [Read more...]

Brett Webb-Mitchell Cascade Books, 220 pages. Reviewed by Kenneth E. Kovacs Like Brett Webb-Mitchell, I have long viewed the Christian life as pilgrimage. A Christian is a pilgrim – a wayfarer – on a journey. We are people of the Way. We follow, as Webb-Mitchell says, “Jesus, the Pilgrim God,” walking with him and being transformed in the walking. We are people on the way, leaning into God’s future, moving toward the horizon of God’s advent. It’s said that pilgrimage is belief in action. My beliefs about pilgrimage were put to the test several years ago when I became a peregrino (pilgrim) and walked over 500 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Since then, the pilgrim life has become even more precious to me, continually informing my life and service as a pastor. Webb-Mitchell’s “Practicing Pilgrimage” is an excellent guide for those wanting to explore the importance of pilgrimage in the Christian tradition. This book won’t tell you what to pack or … [Read more...]