By Geffrey B. Kelly and F. Burton Nelson
Eerdmans. 2003. 317 pp. Pb. $25.
ISBN 0802805116
— Review by James L. Mechem, Santa Fe, N.M.
There are a lot of people who know something about Bonhoeffer; many know a lot about him; two men who know a great deal about him, Kelley and Nelson, have produced an excellent study of the relation between Bonhoeffer's life, and the theological and ethical dimensions of his thought.
By John W. de Gruchy
Fortress. 2002. 255 pp. Pb. $29.95. ISBN 0800636007
— Review by Aurelia T. Fule, Santa Fe, N.M.
John W. de Gruchy, professor of Christian studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, is known and esteemed by many Western readers because of his earlier works. In Reconciliation he writes:
The relatively peaceful ending of apartheid and the transition to democratic rule in South Africa did . . . take the world by surprise. It also set in motion . . . the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) established to seek the truth about the past in order to facilitate national reconciliation (p. 10).Soaring Where Christ Has Led: Innovative Worship Ideas for the 21st Century
By Richard Avery and Donald Marsh
CSS. 2002. 180 pp. Pb. $29.95.
— Review by Mary Ann Lundy, Santa Fe, N.M.
Many of us cannot remember a time when we did not know and sing what came to be a noun, "Avery-and-Marsh." "Let's do an 'Avery-and-Marsh,'" we'd say, or "I'll look in Avery-and-Marsh and see what there is for Easter." Going to national meetings and conferences meant that we could see them "do their thing" in the flesh, which meant arousing passive, stone-faced Presbyterians to move and clap and dance and, yes, sing with gust.The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children
By Katherine Paterson
Dutton. 2001. 266 pp. $24.99.
— Review by Freda Gardner, Princeton, N.J.
The subtitle could be: What Makes Katherine Tick? What are the thoughts, experiences, loves, concerns that make this author so prolific, so admired around the world; so ready to speak to and with children and to care about them with a passion that marks the decades of her life? Who are the people that called forth that passion and keep it burning today? And what of God, who continues to call Katherine Paterson to many ministries, to the use of the gifts that are hers?
Jesus of Nazareth
By Dorothee Soëlle and Luise Schottroff
WJKP. 2002. 160 pp. Pb. $14.95.
— Review by Gary Collins, Newport Beach, Calif.
Jesus of Nazareth by German theologians Dorothee Soëlle and Luise Schottroff provides a fine introduction to the feminist/liberationist view of Jesus, as well as fresh insights for those who have already had that introduction. Twenty-four gritty poems — nine from Soëlle — are spread through the text to inject into the scholarly narrative the authors' deep concern for the Earth's overlooked and exploited ones.
The Good Life: Truths That Last in Times of Need
By Peter Gomes
Harper. 2002. 388 pp. Pb. $23.95.
— Review by Lewis F. Galloway, Columbia, S.C.
The Good Life by Peter Gomes is a fresh presentation of the challenge to live a good life by practicing virtue. His book will give rise to much discussion about the crisis of purpose in North American higher education, the meaning of virtue and the nature of the good life.
Abraham: A Journey into the Heart of Three Faiths
By Bruce Feiler
William Morrow. 2002. 224 pp. $23.95.
— Review by James H. Gailey, Brevard, N.C.
Bruce Feiler's Abraham is not an attempt to solve the political problems of the Near East. Instead it is the personal journey of a sensitive Jew seeking understanding of the spiritual ancestor of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Feiler has literally walked over significant sites in the Holy Land, and he realized that no physical traces of Abraham could be found.Body and Soul: Rethinking Sexuality as Justice-Love
Marvin M. Ellison and Sylvia Thorson-Smith, eds.
Pilgrim. 2003. 393 pp. Pb. $21.
— Review by Isabel Rogers, Richmond, Va.
"Despite decades of debate, conflict over human sexuality continues to persist unabated in the church." So begins the last chapter in a book that has grown out of that long debate, Body and Soul: Rethinking Sexuality as Justice/Love.
When Religion Becomes Evil
By Charles Kimball
HarperSanFrancisco. 2002. 256 pp. Pb. $21.95.
— Review by Gerald A. Butler, Eureka, Ill.
Religion can nurture and lead people closer to God. It can also destroy body and soul. Charles Kimball deals with that paradox in this book, which is timely, informative and easy to read.
Searching for Home: Spirituality for Restless Souls
By M. Craig Barnes
Brazos Books. 2003. 191 pp. $17.99
— Review by John A. Dalles, Longwood, Fla.
In a society in which almost everyone is from somewhere else, and where they are likely to move on again before very long, how does one combat or respond to a profound longing for home? This is the problem M. Craig Barnes addresses in this timely book.
Showing Mary: How Women can Share Prayers. Wisdom and the Blessings of God
By Renita J. Weems
Warner. 2002. 194 pp. $12.95.
— Review by Lillian McCulloch Taylor
In Showing Mary, Vanderbilt biblical scholar Renita Weems has claimed Mary, the mother of Jesus, for Protestants — and especially for women. Weems views Mary not as a pious, passive woman, but as a strong, vibrant individual. Following the biblical text closely, Weems lays out her portrait of the mother of the divine son.
Vital Signs: The Promise of Mainstream Protestantism
By Milton J Coalter, John M. Mulder and Lewis B. Weeks
WJKP. 2001. 137 pp. Pb. $16.95.
— Review by Lillian McCulloch Taylor
Pastors and church leaders will welcome the re-issue of this 1996 summary of 15 years of research concerning mainline Protestantism in America. Many will recall that the research was originally published in seven volumes under the general heading, The Presbyterian Presence, appearing between 1990 and 1992 from Westminster/John Knox Press. That research was aided by a significant grant from the Lilly Endowment.
What was needed upon conclusion of the seven-volumThe Ideal Seminary: Pursuing Excellence in Theological Education
By Carnegie Samuel Calian
WJKP. 2001. 137 pp. Pb. $16.95.
— Review by C. Benton Kline, president and professor of theology emeritus, Columbia Seminary
Sam Calian, president of Pittsburgh Seminary and senior among presidents of PC(USA) seminaries, has written this book to mark his more than 20 years in that position. The book does not presume to present the ideal of a seminary, but it indicates some of the trail markers on the way to an excellent seminary. It will be of interest to any and all who are concerned about the role and influence of seminaries in the church and in the community.
Steps Along the Way: A Spiritual Autobiography
By Diogenes Allen
Church. 2002. 134 pp. Pb. $13.95.
— reviewed by Ed White, Washington, D.C.
This book recounts Diogenes Allen’s search for the providence of God. He begins by describing the shock of witnessing the overwhelming poverty in India in 1955: “I was not prepared for the horror of seeing people dying in the street” (p. 3).
Struggling with Scripture
By Walter Brueggemann, William C. Placher and Brian K. Blount
WJKP. 2002. 80 pp. Pb. $9.95.
— review by David W. A. Taylor, Cary, N.C.
This little book of 80 pages is an immensely useful resource for interpreting the Scripture within the cultural context of our time. These three biblical scholars of unimpeachable reputation take the Bible with utmost seriousness, yet not as fundamentalists. They insist that we must struggle with Scripture if its word is to be “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.”The Sprituality of Men
Philip L. Culbertson, ed.
Fortress. 2002. 282 pp. Pb. $22.
— review by J. David Wiseman, Cary, N.C.
A story is told of several Americans traveling in Africa, who had hired a native guide to lead them up a mountain. As they climbed, the guide stopped for rest more frequently than the hikers desired. Growing impatient, one hiker finally posed the question, "Why are we stopping so often?" The wise guide responded, "We need to give our souls time to catch up with our bodies."
Pursuing Peace
By Albert N. Wells
Rainbow. 2002. 264 pp. Pb. $14.95.
— reviewed by Albert C. Winn, Winston-Salem, N.C.
The year 2002 does not appear to be a good time for publishing a book on the pursuit of peace. But Al Wells has done it, despite the widespread approval of national policies of war and retaliation which has followed the horrendous breach of peace on Sept. 11, 2001. On the cover of this book, the subtitle "It’s the Thing to Do" is altered by an insertion that makes it read, "It’s still the Thing to Do."
Ichabod Toward Home: The Journey of God’s Glory
By Walter Brueggemann
Eerdmans. 2002. 150 pp. Pb. $15.
— reviewed by James K. Mead, Orange City, Iowa
Every preacher and teacher — and everyone who listens to sermons and lessons — cares about the theme Walter Brueggemann addresses in Ichabod Toward Home, based on his 2001 Stone Lectures at Princeton Seminary. Using the Ark Narrative in 1 Samuel 4-6 to explore what the church does when it stands before a biblical text, Brueggemann contends that the story of the ark’s capture, exile and return offers an alternative vision of the church’s proclamation and life in the world.
Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition
By Andrew Purves.
WJKP. 2001. 160 pp. Pb. $16.95.
— reviewed by Richard Ray, Bristol, Va.
Turning this little book by Andrew Purves over, weighing it from hand to hand, I realized that I could not easily write an impersonal response to it. I knew its author too well. During the past few years in which we were colleagues at Pittsburgh Seminary we often discussed its basic themes.The Christian Life: A Geography of God
By Michael L. Lindvall.
Geneva. 2001. 135 pp. Pb. $11.95.
— reviewed by Bill Klein, Lexington, Va.
Anyone familiar with Michael Lindvall’s book, The Good News from North Haven (reprint expected Summer 2002), will welcome his most recent effort. The Christian Life is another in the expected 12-volume Foundations of Christian Faith series being commissioned by the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and published by Geneva Press.The Next Christiandom: The Coming of Global Christianity
By Philip Jenkins
Oxford. 2002. 270 pp. Pb. $28.00.
— reviewed by Ben Lacy Rose, Richmond, Va.
The thesis of this book is that, contrary to much that is being written and heard today, Christianity is alive and well in the world, and will continue in good health into the foreseeable future. The "God is dead" movement is dead, but God is still very much alive.
Enriching Our Spirits: Suggestions for Su,mmer Reading to Deepen Our Souls
I read books for many purposes. To amuse and to entertain me (I am an avid fan of the detective story). To inform me (I try to keep up with recent biblical scholarship) but, also, to enrich my spirit. As I seek a closer sense of God's intimate presence, I have been helped from several very different sources.
The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
By Rosmary Radford Reuther and Herman J. Reuther
Fortress. 2002. (2nd ed.) 320 pp. Pb. $18.00.
—reviewed by Daniel Durway, Raleigh, N.C.
Most Americans know what is going on in the Middle East, but few Americans know why it is going on. Indeed, according to Rosemary Radford Ruether and Herman J. Ruether, theologian and political scientist, respectively, "Much of the world does not know the actual history" (p. iv).
Pilgrimage of a Presbyterian: Collected Shorter Writings
By John Leith, Charles E. Raynal,ed.
Geneva. 2001. 363 pp. Pb. $29.95.
— reviewed by Richard A. Ray, Bristol, Tenn.
In 1949, John Leith included these words in a sermon on race relations preached in Nashville:
"It is hard to be a Christian. But after all, it is about time that we should get into our thinking that this business of being Christian is and always will be an arduous and dangerous business. It is not made for cowards and for the weak."
More Than Chains and Toil: A Christian Work Ethic of Enslaved Women
By Joan M. Martin.
WJKP. 2000. 190 pp. Pb. $24.95.
— reviewed by Portia Turner Williamson, Durham, N.C.
What a well-crafted volume, significantly advancing the discussion concerning slavery in America! Joan Martin is a theological ethicist who employs womanist methodology to discover the meaning of work in this context.
"Discovery" is a technique that renders the internal as external. By means of this method, she examines the social, theological and political aspects of blackwomen’s antebellum work.
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