Hearts & Minds BookNotes

OUR BLOG HAS MOVED!

2007-10-19T09:55:00.000-05:00

We've officially moved our blog to our own, new web site! As a result, and in an effort to keep all of our comments in one place, we're no longer accepting comments on this site. Please update your bookmarks, visit us soon at the new site and subscribe to receive e-mail notifications of updates here:

http://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/booknotes

On the new blog, you can search all of our old posts and continue the conversation by posting your own thoughts and comments.

What's wrong with evangelical publishing? Two bad best sellers

2007-10-17T00:39:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in a blog last week that I was irked about two new popular titles, and that I wanted to share my frustrations. Sorry I have posted lately--we’ve been on the road a bit---selling books with pastors of small churches at a Presbyterians for Renewal gig, for instance, and setting up a UCC retreat on the theme of hope in the writings of Desmond Tutu. We were at a glorious wedding in Western Pennsylvania and I am speaking at the chapel of Eastern University in, well, Eastern Pennsylvania. We’re preparing for an important conference on sexual trafficking and human rights at the John Newton Center in Carlisle, PA (October 27th) which will end with a free showing of Amazing Grace at the lovely downtown theatre. (The DVD of that important film, by the way, will be out soon, so do contact us to order it.) We are happy that our new van (with only 69 thousand miles) can journey the miles dispatching our books hither and yon.

And, these books are---we are happy to say—really diverse. We are told that we have a mix in our inventory that is really wide-ranging, and we hope you like the thought. Unlike some so-called “Christian bookstores”, we stock books on a really wide variety of topics, and from a really wide range of theological perspectives. We like the clarity of John Piper, the broad thinking of N.T. Wright, and the neo-Calvinist worldview of Abraham Kuyper. We appreciate the deeper spirituality of Richard Foster and Henri Nouwan, and have enjoyed selling books with Catholic sisters like Joyce Rupp, or contemplatives like good friends Russell Hart, Kent Groft or Graham Standish. You know that we’ve often named Os Guinness and Ron Sider as friends and mentors, and we often write about social concerns, cultural engagement, and the reformation of higher education. Cal Seerveld on the arts and Steve Garber on how to relate learning to a lifetime of moral seriousness are among our favorite books. We stock books for all kinds of church groups, and love telling people about novels and memoirs. Nurturing the Christian mind ought to be a high priority for a bookstore, and our work on worldviews and the integration of faith and learning can be easily seen by looking back to the “top ten” lists on these topics we did here and here, in August.

Why do we do all this? Well, because the Bible tells us to, I suppose. Christ is the King of all creation, and as renewed agents of His reconciliation, we are trying to advance a view of faith that relates discipleship to each and every zone of life, fostering conversations about social innovations and culturally relevant ministry. We hope this is why you sign up for the blog subscription, so we can tell you every time we announce new books or post new reviews.

What we tend to sell a lot of here in the Dallastown shop, though, and what has been common in Protestant bookselling over the last several decades, has been what only can be called faith lite. Simplistic and cheesy stuff is easy to spot, and the popularity of the repetitive and shallow Joel Osteen notwithstanding, it is our delight to get folks who have never read a religious book, or have only read the most crass and silly ones, to move a step towards thoughtful discipleship, and books that are beautifully written and practical in their application, even though they are clear and easy to follow and down-to-earth. I do not expect everyone to tackle Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat and their provocative postmodern reading of Colossians (Colossians Remixed)-- even though I raved about it here repeatedly. I am aware not everyone wants to read my friend Ned Bustard’s good anthology on beauty and the arts (It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God.) Heck, I know that some might even be flustered by the deeply warm and graceful prose of Ruth Haley Barton in her important call to solitude and silence. (Invitation to Silence and Solitude.) I was pleased that we've gotten a few orders from UnChristian which I reviewed last week---but more came from mail order than from folks here. These are all books that Hearts & Minds fans will know about, as I’ve noted them here often. But we don't sell many of these. But I am happy, most days, to sell Max Lucado and Chuck Swindoll, two of the most popular and balanced and clear and accessible inspirational writers of our time. Considering what other less reliable authors are sometimes popular, I am grateful and happy that folks want to read whatever they write.

And therein lies my beef. I could write more thoroughly about this, but I will just protest now, and send something off to Nelson, their publisher. As the two premier popular-level Bible teachers, esteemed by many as balanced and useful, they both have dropped the ball big time.

These two men are perhaps the two quintessential evangelical authors. (And they both have sold millions of books!) Two months ago they both released brand new titles. Chuck has tackled perhaps the quintessential Old Testament summary verse, one of the most popular texts in the entire Bible, Micah 6:8. And he gets it way, way wrong. Max has tackled what is undeniably the most popular New Testament verse, John 3:16, and, guess what? He botches it.

What in the world is going on here, when two level-headed and esteemed evangelical pastors write on two of the most popular passages in the most popular book in the world, and neither can exegete their way to even using the correct words? This, dear readers, is what is wrong with evangelicalism. Despite their history of being Bible believing, and their passion for making Bible truth come alive in vibrant ways for ordinary folks, the desire to make it accessible and real and middle class has caused them to scrub down the passages, truncating their meaning, missing the point and, too often, superimposing a personalistic and middle-class message of self-improvement (with God's help, of course) onto a misreading of the text.

Micah 6:8, as I trust you know, answers the rhetorical question of what God requires of us, and it is the subject of Swindoll's newest book, A Life Well Lived. And the first phrase in the tripart answer is to “do justice.” Believe it or not---for reasons that I cannot even speculate upon---Chuck Swindoll doesn’t use the word. His chapter tells of personal integrity and honesty. There is not an iota of a demand for social righteousness, public justice, concern for making things right, mercy for the poor, covanantal goodness, none of the good stuff that is conjured by the Hebrew word in the text, the word typically translated justice. Is Swindoll the only evangelical left who separates faith from politics, who fails the wholistic call to an integrated faith that is both personal and public, concerned about personal kindness and public justice? Some authors may overstate the trajectory in the text towards public justice and utterly politicize the text. But for an evangelical publisher to allow a leading celebrity author, mega-church pastor, radio preacher and former Seminary professor to stand so ineptly before the Word of God is a travesty.

Lucado is increasingly the main evangelical star, writing children’s books, stories and parables, inspiring gift lines, very cool greeting cards, even contemporary praise CDs. If Swindoll has been typically down to Earth and a moving, clever wordsmith, Max is a master; his books have wonderfully tapped in to the real hurts and anxieties of ordinary folks and have reminded us of God’s love in Christ, our acceptance through God’s merciful grace, told with a wonderful knack for the turn of a phrase. Given all the truly odd Christian writers, and all the poor wordsmiths, Max has been a huge blessing to the publishing world, bringing simple faith into common language, yet in a way that soars with sentiment and care. A bit purple, at times, perhaps, as he nearly overdoes the tender sentences, but we have been fans. His new book is called 3:16 The Numbers of Hope.

It does not surprise me, though, that Max misses, as most of evangelicalism misses, the cosmic scope of the theater (Calvin's word) of God’s redemption when the passage famously says that God loves the world: the cosmos (also sometimes spelled kosmos in some translations from the Greek.) John 3:16 is a key verse in my spiritual journey, as I realized that the text clearly does not say that God died for our souls, or our religious lives, or our churches. Christ died, the passage says, for the whole created order. Romans 8 reminds us, similarly, that the whole creation is groaning, awaiting for people to get right with God (a la the whosoever will of John 3:16b) so that it might be released from the bondage of brokenness, and be set free. The Biblical theme of (re)new(ed) creation is very, very important, and, along with the theme of the Kingdom of God, is perhaps the most important Biblical insight of our time. From the Orthodox (who have always be strong on this) to the Reformed worldview folks, from mainline writers like Pannenberg or Volf to recent Catholic writing, to the emergent conversation, everyone is writing about how God’s healing reign is a reintroduction of the ordered shalom of creation back to his fallen world. Creation-fall-redemption-consumation. For God so loved the world.

Does Mr. Lucado say any of this? Does he even tell what the word world means in its original Greek? He gets it flat wrong, ignoring the plain meaning of the word, and implying that God loves all the people of the nations. This is true enough, but not what the text says.

This truncated view of the gospel, this pietistic and sentimental virtue stuff about honesty and personalized salvation is such a half-truth to be hardly a truth at all. I want to hear the real truth: that God in Christ is buying back his whole fallen world, and that the Kingdom is coming (“on Earth”) and that Christ is Lord of every aspect of life, and that this demands stuff like standing for social justice and creation-care, like Micah 6:8 says and as John 3;16 affirms. In these two books, Chuck Swindoll and Max Lucado are a hindrance to faithful discipleship---but how do we tell nice customers who don’t know any better??

We sell Chuck and Max, and will continue to be glad that fine Christian leaders like them can handle words so well, and inspire us with books of basic Christian growth. But I have recommitted myself to be discerning of the wrong-headed and misguided stuff that the big evangelical publishers push. I want to glorify God by selling books that talk about His sovereign grace over all things. I want books that honor the complexity and nuance of this rowdy and demanding book called the Bible. And I want to hear about social justice and I want to hear about the ways in which God’s atoning death brings wholeness and restoration to all of creation.

Chuck Swindoll slaughters Micah 6:8 and I will be sending the books back, with a firm letter of protest to Nelson. (And if there is any justice, they will pay for the shipping costs.) How dare they mishandle the Word of God like this? What were they thinking? What’s next, Swindoll watering down Amos, with personal integrity flowing down like a mighty water? What, Isaiah 58, saying we should be nice, and then God will hear us? This justice for the poor, this demand for structural change, this call to redemptive economics and righteous policy, that is all so un-pious and un-American! And, apparantly, so easily ignored. Aaaaggh.

Max Lucado misses the full import of the meaning of the word world and thereby diminishes the glory of grace, God’s inclination to incarnation, the death and resurrection of Jesus. It robs us of the vast implications for those who have faith, the daily relevance of their believe, the proper scope of redemption, and the very nature of the everlasting life the text so gloriously proclaims. That the book has this market-driven feel to it---the cover has this nifty logo of the numerals 3-16, and it was released on 9-11—which I must admit leaves me with mixed feelings. (I’m a sucker for the genius behind such marketing campaigns and clever graphics. Yet, sometimes, it seems like somebody came up with an ad first, and then built a slight book around the big idea of the advertising. Did the book follow the tee-shirt, or the CD? Yes, indeed, this is what makes working in the business so darn complicated: shallow books that disregard the very Words of God, presented in a very, very cool package.

Two great contemporary authors on perhaps the two most beloved passages in the Bible. Soon, I will recommend some that get these passage right. And celebrate some of the very solid and useful books that are coming out from evangelical presses. Things are not all bleak. But the mainstream marketing power, making these hugely popular authors immediate bestsellers will misguide many. Let's redouble our efforts to talk about the best books, the most honest Bible study, the most relevant application. After all, as Swindoll has told us, it is important to be honest.

UnChristian & The Tribal Church and brand new home to the BookNotes blog

2007-10-06T14:26:00.002-05:00

I hope you saw the last post--nothing about any books, but very important. It was an announcement that we are happily moving the blog over to the newly redesigned Hearts & Minds bookstore website. We are still transferring the tons of lists, biblios, essays and book review articles that we've archived for years. It will be a while 'til that is all there, but the great news is that we will now be able to edit and add to the website easily. The regular blog posts will continue, but will be more integrated into the bigger website. It's pretty nifty even now, so browse on over.

As we said, though, you have to re-subscribe in the little address box if you want notifications whenever I do a new post. I've got the list of those who do---friends and neighbors, relatives and loved ones--so sign up soon, or you'll throw me into more self-doubt and endless anxiety. Being a small-mart indie bookseller up against the Goliaths of A-zon & Company is hard enough. Don't let a guy hangin'...

Which makes me think, perhaps circuitously, of the big splash made online by UnChristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity...And Why It Matters (Baker; $17.99.) This groundbreaking bit of research and commentary (and you will be hearing more of it this fall, I'd bet) was done under the prestigious auspices of the Barna Research Group. David Kinnaman is the very young new Prez of the pollster group, and has turned their research work on young adults and what they think about Christianity, church, and evangelical faith. The study is powerful, clear, and nearly devastating: classic Christianity has an image problem.

As my old protest buddy, Charlie, still at an urban church in Pittsburgh, would shout, with feigned alarm: Call the Doctor! No, nobody with half an eye open, will be really surprised by this sad news. If you hang around with anyone under 30, with or without body piercings, or you go to any kind of ordinary church, you know where this is heading.

Ahh, but, here are three reasons this book is so very, very important.

1. This provides the hard data, so we don't have to speculate what young adults think about the church. We have surmised and intuited this before, but here are the goods. UnChristian gives us the facts which we need to work on. Read it and weep.

2. The book is laden with sidebars, counter-stories, examples of testimonies of those who are, in fact, doing the sort of stuff (or, as the case may be, not doing the kind of stuff) that younger folks talk about in this book. That is, the truth of the matter is that there are cultural creatives, edgy folks with compassionate hearts, who are passionate about loving God and following Jesus, who bear little resemblance to the picture held by most non-churched folks. They simply don't match the assumptions that are carrying the day in the imaginations of the young adult population. These interviews and testimonial are in many cases folks we know, readers of BookNotes, even or people we admire, so we are thrilled to commend the book for this portion, too. The research piece of the book is supplemented and contrasted with stuff from Andy Crouch and Louie Giglio, Brian McLaren and Chuck Colson, Sarah Cunningham and Mark Rodgers, Jim Wallis and Margaret Feinberg, Jonalyn Fincher and Gary Haugen. If you don't know at least a couple of these names, you haven't been paying attention. And, sadly, that is exactly the problem: the brave and good witness of faithful, interesting Christian folks like this is evidently not changing the perception of the watching world.

3. This book is co-authored by Gabe Lyons, a friend of a friend who I can't wait to meet at Ivy Jungle later this fall. He is the genius behind the Fermi Project, who do the snazzy Q events. This is, if I can sound like the baby boomer I am, where it's at.

Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation by Carol Howard Merritt was just published by the Alban Institute ($17.) A bit pricey for a paperback, but the Alban I. folks are the best mainline denominational publisher for getting solid studies done with no-nonsense evaluations and clear-headed guidance. Much of what they do is based on a solid lay of the land, written by researchers and practitioners in the parishes sharing what they know. I haven't spent enough time with this new release to know how brilliant it may be, but I am very confident it is worth reading, if you are concerned about the lack of 20-somethings in your congregation.

Carol Howard Merritt is a very fine writer, and has been influenced by the popular books a few years ago that documented what some have called "urban tribes" of 20/30-somethings. Seen Friends? Here is a short piece drawn from the book, called "Ministering to the Missing Generation" which will tell you of her title, and draw you in to her journey of thinking about this.

I wish Merritt was more interested in the work of folks like the Fermi Project, and had the movement of transforming, evangelical cultural engagement in view. She is a Presbyterian pastor, so her book is informed by her day-to-day efforts in a fairly traditional church. This is, of course, her strength, and (not to sound too contradictory) that may be the vital contribution she makes. Q will attract some and connect their God-given yearnings for relevance and cultural engagement, purpose and vocation, with a vibrant and clear Christian faith. Wooly, emerging conversations will surely spark the hearts and minds of some, drawing skeptics and seekers, post-evangelicals and others. And, surely, Merritt's ordinary, multi-generational, mainline congregation that isn't chasing after hipster trends or zippy worship fashions, but is just doing what must be done, surely that is a very significant call. She helps us understand her own age demographic, and draws insights for congregational leaders. Her thoughtful (left of center) views and lovely meandering reflections can be found in her blog, here.

Of course, oodles of questions remain. I could offer concerns about either of these titles. It is my job, though, to commend them with great gusto, to hope and pray our announcements here get them purchased and discussed, and that---please, Lord!---churches of all sorts re-double their efforts to think about the unfortunate images we've presented to the young adult generation, the ways in which we've failed to present a compelling reason for young adults to be involved in the community of faith and serious discipleship, and to think hard about what to do. Either or both of these books could help. What do you say?

BIG NEWS: NEW BLOG ADDRESS. PLEASE RE-SUBSCRIBE

2007-10-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

We are very excited to announce to our friends (and newcomers) that the Hearts & Minds BookNotes blog spot will no longer be hosted here at this Blogger site. We are integrating the blogged book reviews I do into the newly revised H&M website. A good friend from the *cino circle of folks (who do catapult ezine) are helping us to recreate the old lists, essays, monthly columns and such, and the blog will now be found at the (newly designed) Hearts & Minds website.

Here's a benefit: both the blog and the website now have a key-word search engine, so you can easily find any mention I've made to a particular author, book or title. How cool is that?

Here's a (small) hassle: if you want to have a simple notification come to your inbox (just like before) you will have to re-subscribe. We are still using Blogarithem. Sorry about the extra typing, but do get busy and type your email address into the little box, found here, at www.heartsandmindsbooks.com. Anytime I add a new posting at the BookNotes blog, you will be alerted. As before, you can then open to my raves and reviews, or you can wait 'til later. At least you'll have the notification sitting there as a reminder. I wouldn't be without it.

At the very least, please bookmark us as one of your favorites. We are eager to move past our 25th year celebrating good books, inviting interested readers into conversations about helpful stuff, and offering glory to God by our own feeble efforts to be an outpost of Christ's Kingdom. Thank you for being a part of it all. Please don't give up on us. Help spread the word. Sign up today.

I'm pretty darn irked, by the way, about two new evangelical best-sellers, which represent much of what is wrong with CBA (Christian Bookseller Association) publishers. Stay tuned. I'm fired up. Let's get this new BookNote address known, so I can get back to the book noting.

Watch Bono preach. Get a Free Book.

2007-09-29T13:45:00.001-05:00

The last few posts have been about books that we care about, and wish were better known within the circle of those who follow religious publishing. Those that know us hopefully know that we invite our friends to buy and discuss these books because we believe deeply that the Bible teaches that we must care about the world and it's problems. Whether these particular books get it all perfectly---they may not---they are current and inspiring and thoughtful. We commend them sincerely and hope they help you live more faithfully in these times.

So, while on this roll, a good friend forwarded me a link to Think Christian, a fine website that shares our concerns about evangelical cultural engagement. Here, they offer the nine minute youtube clip of rock star Bono getting an award from the NAACP. It includes a great tribute, but then he comes to the podium. He tells of how the vision that poured forth from black pulpits about racial unity during the civil rights struggles inspired him as a teen-ager in the violent and religiously-segregated Ireland. Anyone that knows anything about the Irish troubles, or the rise of u2, can see how that very white Irish punk was changed by an understanding of the black experience in America, and the music and preaching that gripped his soul and shaped his politics.

Let this clip load well because you won't want it to stall on ya. By the end, you will be on your feet, or maybe on your knees. And maybe--- I say this with all seriousness and righteous hope---you will buy more books on the great issues of our time, pass them around, review them, form book clubs, give them to preachers and teachers. That is, you know, how McLaren starts his Everything Must Change, wondering what the world's biggest problems are, and what Jesus might say about them. Bono gives us a way into that question, and calls us to action, finding God among the poor and abused, and learning to love in a global way. His stirring speech reminds us of some very important things...

Blog Special
Buy any book I've mentioned in the last several posts,
and we will offer a
free copy
of the little book of pictures Bono took in Africa
On the Move
which has the text of his famous National Prayer Breakfast Speech.
Buy a book, get a free one. Thanks for your involvement in our work.

Everything Must Change

2007-09-26T01:41:00.000-05:00

It is after 3 am, and it has been a hard day in many ways. I won't renumerate the ways here.
Yet, despite a hefty speaking engagement set for tomorrow morning---and more books to set up, first---I just have to tell you about two new items that we got in the store today. They have brought me joy and some hope, even amidst my goofy mood.

Brian McLaren's long-awaiting new book arrived, a bit earlier than I had expected. It is called Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis and a Revolution of Hope (Word; $21.99.) I have been carrying around a beat-up early draft for a while, now, and have been itching to write about it, and now, the time has come, and I don't have time or energy. Still, this is not a sleep-deprived rant, but a well-considered evaluation: this really, really, is a very, very important book. Brian (or the publisher, at least) has billed it as a sequel to the very good The Secret Message of Jesus, which was a great book about the Kingdom of God. I would highly recommend reading that, but EMC would still be useful and inspiring and informative for many of our readers, even if you passed on the Jesus book. It may be his most complex book, yet, and will stretch readers into some important new territory. Good.

Everything Must Change starts, as many of Brian's books do, with some casual and, I find, charmingly honest statements about himself, how the book came to be, and inviting the reader to either agree or not. He says that it may seem presumptuous but he has long had two big questions---very big questions---that have burned within him. Since I gave a talk tonight with an amazing group of 30 some college students on 1 Chronicals 12:32 (look it up, if you have to) and talked about Barth's famous quip about "reading the Bible with the newspaper in the other hand" Brian's two big questions surely resonate. He asks, firstly, what is the biggest problem in the world? And, next, what does Jesus have to do with that? Not a bad way to drawn this reader in. I hope you fall for it, too.

I don't think McLaren would mind if I note here (my lack of sleep may be causing a lowering of inhabitions) that we sent him a manuscript that a friend of mine co-wrote, back before it was published. It was Hope For Troubled Times: A New Vision for Confronting Global Crisis by Bob Goudzewaard, Mark VanderVennen, David Van Heemst (See the April book review column over at the website for some more on that one!) I'm excited to note that Brian cites it several times, and says some very nice things about it. So, if you are a Bob Goudzewaard fan, as some BookNotes readers surely are, know that his imprint is on McLaren's heart and mind. Brian is not new to this struggle of living out Kingdom faithfulness in a complicated and impoverished world. His affiliation with the Call to Renewal--and his own activism in creation care, explained in even his earliest books---give him the right to speak authoritatively on this global stuff. We will write more about it later, but for now, consider ordering it, or at least saying a pray of thanksgiving for one more contribution of deep faithfulness, as I described in my last posting. Things are changing, as church folk connect the dots, live into the promises of God, and dare to dream the biggest dreams. As McLaren puts it, we join a revolution of hope.

The new David Crowder Band CD released today as well. I've listened to it for days, now, and, as I told my wife, while up late packing books last night, it "brought me to my knees." His simple addition of a brief bridge in O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing that there are, "few words that last" and that there is "one great love--Jesus" just made me weep. The second to last cut is called Remedy and it is a splendid, slightly nuanced but not obscure telling of the tale of redemption. Remedy. A good way to say it, eh?

The last song could be the sweet soundtrack to your reading of Brian's new book. It is called Surely We Can Change and it calls us to experience change, to be change, to realize that the whole world is going to change; that is, it is a song about hope--modest hope, on one hand ("surely we can change, something") and grand, eschatological hope, as well. (Yes, Crowder, unlike most CCM stars, knows what that word means.) My description doesn't do it justice---it is a powerfully poetic song, an acoustically driven quiet tune, with a very, very compelling lyric. Other songs are by turn rowdy, electronica, very contemporary. He is a thoughtful writer, a clever lyricist, has a strong and wholistic passion. The last two songs are worth the price of the whole disc. Highly recommended.

Three Books about Justice: in the burbs and around the globe

2007-09-21T22:22:00.000-05:00

Last week I mentioned this important classic of the social gospel movement, by Walter Rauschenbusch, Christianity and the Social Crisis. This new anniversary edition not only retains the original classic, but offers insights by the likes of Cornel West, Stanley Hauerwas or Tony Campolo. I found it thrilling and informative, an important work we should know, made only more important with these contemporary reflections.

And, as you may have seen, I mentioned this great new book, Shaking the System, by Tim Stafford, offering things that he learned about, and from, the great faith-based movements of social reform, from abolition to civil rights, etc. Great, great stuff.

I thought I would mention just three other books which offer a radical social critique, and that give resource, aid and support to those of us who desire to be "morally serious" in our historical setting. These are each more practical than the historical and theological ones I mentioned in the last post. It is fascinating that there are more faith-based books out now about social action and prophetic critique of the ideologies of our time than I've seen in recent decades, and the extraordinary things is that many of these are being published by evangelical or charismatic publishing houses, Christian industry pillars who have not been known in recent memory for doing these kinds of books. Resisting the sex trade or standing for ecological practices, working for racial justice or getting involved in short term mission work, younger evangelicals, especially, are everywhere talking and acting on Biblically-based principles for social transformation. Some, even who indentify themselves as politically conservative are out there doing great socially significant work. (As opposed to decades ago when there were many who identified themselves as liberal socially, but didn't get very involved in actual social activism.)

I have reasons to think why this is, and as one who has spoken for, taught about, hawked books on and generally tried to make a bit of a racket around these things for thirty years, I am now very, very glad, if a bit perplexed, to see these concerns popping up in the evangelical religious press. I am grateful for having known and in some cases worked with (or protested alongside of) with stalwarts like Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis, Ron Sider or John Perkins---great saints whose books you should have on your shelves, if you don't--- but the new generation of activists are coming with fresh voices, often clear, if progressive, evangelical faith, and a connection to spirituality and worship that these older men would surely affirm. These are exciting times to be about the work of nurturing the Christian political vision. Here are three examples of new titles that might not have even gotten published six or seven years ago...

Shaking the Gates of Hell: Faith-Led Resistance to Corporate Globalization Sharon Delgado (Fortress) $20.00 Perhaps the edgiest-looking book this mainline Lutheran publisher has released, this eye-opening journey into the heart of the anti-globalization movement is provocative and disturbing. It makes your heart beat, wondering if her radical critique is really true, whether her lived out resistance to the powers is an authentic example of Kingdom hope, whether, you, too, should be involved in active protest, resistance and forming communities who model different ways of living and being that are not co-opted by the forces of conformity and complicity to injustice.

Rev. Delgado so badly wants to teach about the horrors of our abuse of the Earth, the trampling of the poor, the dangers of arms escalation and the spread of toxic fumes and ideologies, that she doesn't worry about every theological jot and tittle--she blazes away, building a powerful critique and a persuasive call for serious change. This book reminds me of stuff I read by Phil Berrigan decades ago, indeed, draws on Phil's old teacher and pal, William Stringfellow (and his fellow contemplative protester, Jim Douglas.) If you wonder how to best understand "the principalities and powers" and you've read, say, Walter Wink, (or even Sojourners magazine) this spiritually-motivated call to witness against the forces of globalization is a must-read. Sharon has been at this for years, working for sustainable communities and economic empowerment as an ordained United Methodist minister and Director of the interfaith Earth Justice Ministries.

Dangerous Faith: Growing in God and Service to the World Joel Vestal (NavPress) $13.99 First this: this is the first in a great new series called Deliberate, an imprint of books that seem to speak the language of emerging evangelicals, with the tone and passion of newer generation voices, somewhat in the mold of Donald Miller, say. (It is, happily, also a line that is committed to a green approach to book manufacturing, with the vital Earth stats listed for each book. Way to go, NavPress!) This book is seriously evangelical, very wholistic, profoundly cross-cultural, yet it is committed less to the political resistance of globalization as Delgado's book is, but more to missionary partnerships that serve, reach out, care for the needy, showing Christ's compassion and love to the hurting around the globe. Deliberate intends their books to be voices of the new generation, and they combine writing about passionate worship (Louie Giglio of the Passion worship conferences wrote the forward--you can check out his podcast about it here), prayer, simplicity, compassion and justice. It is fun and feisty and, it, too makes the heart race, and invites us to think how we can be agents of global outreach, God's Kingdom coming, serving others, seeking social transformation in Christ-honoring ways. Vestal is the founder of the amazing ServLife International, (check out the great website!) and his story includes traipsing off to all sorts of dangerous places, as hands and feet of a Holy God who calls us to serve the lost. You will learn a lot about the world here, and some of these stories will send shivers down your spine; it is not your mama's missionary story (ahh, but maybe it is. Some of those old timers did extraordinary things, despite the bad rap some of 'em get from novels like the powerful Poisonwood Bible.) Forget those old stereotypes. This here is the real deal. You won't be able to put it down. And it will draw you closer to God in the process.

Justice in the Burbs: Being the Hands of Jesus Wherever You Live Will and Lisa Sampson (Baker/emergent village) $14.99 Wow, what a gentle and challenging little book, the perfect guide to the conversation happening all over---how evangelicals, who major in Bible reading and evangelism, have so often missed the cultural engagement piece, the call to action for the oppressed, the structural stuff about economics, justice and racial reconciliation. Has life in the 'burbs made us immune to how many folks really live, and what, in life, really matters? Has the American Dream edged out the dream of God's shalom, coming in our midst? This is a lovely set of stories to guide us into taking small steps towards what Shane Clairborn called "The Irresitible Revolution" but explored in the middle class context. It is no surprise that dear Shane--urban activist and radical prophet, more akin to Delgado's liberation movement than with most suburban mega-churches, offers a sweet and insightful endorsement to Will and Lisa.

Here's something else you should know. This is the same Lisa Sampson who writes very well-done and truly enjoyable, thoughtful and contemporary Christian fiction. She starts each chapter in this book with a story device, a fictional episode which unfolds as the book goes on. In these vignettes, we watch as fairly ordinary Christian folks in the fairly ordinary suburbs, grapple with bigger questions, and take steps to align their hearts with the passions and demands of God's story. After excellent teaching in each chapter, too, unpacking Bible truth and sharing their own journey toward these issues, there are devotional sidebars, reflections and meditations by friends and collegues of the Sampsons, who, like them, have attempted to live out the implications of Christ's way amidst the complicated 21st century world. From Len Sweet to Brian McLaren, Shane to Luci Shaw, Tony Jones to Christine Pohl, Christine Sine to Kester Brewin, these important voices add a community conversation feel to the book. This is a great book to study, easy (on one hand) to understand and not at all alienating. It would be a great small group study or book for your reading group. From the delightful fictional portions to the insightful discussion questions, this is a great resource. Highly recommended.

PLEASE check out this great youtube video of them talking about the book. If this doesn't get you interested, I don't know what will....come on back and order from us. Thanks.

Christianity and the Social Crisis in the 21st Century and Shaking the SystemTwo Great Books---and a free book offer

2007-09-15T23:06:00.000-05:00

As an evangelical with theology that is historically orthodox, I have nonetheless often come back to the theme of the feeble way the church-- mainline and evangelical-- has often failed to engage the culture in prophetic and transforming ways. In terms of broader questions of worldview and vocation, or more specific matters of social concerns, we've too often not lived up to our high and holy calling to be agents of God's Kingdom.

Perhaps one of the most significant books, and certainly one of the most controversial, of the last 100 years was the important book Christianity and the Social Crisis by one of the founders of the so-called "social gospel" movement, Rev. Walter Rauschenbusch. I am not the first evangelical who came of age, politically and theologically, in the middle of the 20th century and was surprised when I finally got around to reading Rauschenbusch, who wasn't nearly as theologically shallow as we had been lead to believe by our conservative elders. While there remains huge problems with the social gospel tradition, the good Rev. R, and other liberal theologians, it is simply untrue that W.R. wasn't interested in Biblical truth, spirituality, evangelism or Christ's atoning work.

Now, to celebrate that important book's 100th anniversary, there is a spectacular new edition, being called Christianity and the Social Crisis in the 21st Century (HarperOne; $27.95) Here, each chapter of the original Rauschenbusch text is followed up by a new chapter by a contemporary public theologian, preacher, or Christian activist. Each contemporary author offers both praise and some critique, and it makes the reading of the book an exceptionally helpful learning experience. New essays are by Tony Campolo**, Joan Chittister, James Forbes, Stanely Hauerwas, Phyllis Trible, Jim Wallis and Cornel West. One who is not a follower of Christ, the important pragmatist philosopher Richard Rorty has an afterward that itself is very interesting.

What a great idea! We need this conversation in 2007 as much as we did in 1907, and, to be honest, I trust this zealous reformer more than some of the exceptionally odd and arcane theological voices out there these days. This is a handsome book, a helpful resource and a very provocative approach. It is edited, with telling comments throughout, by the great minister's great, grandson, Paul, who is now a dean of religious life at Princeton. Way to go, HarperOne! This one is fabulous.

**I hope you buy this book and read it carefully. Still, for those who may not, you may want to know, for the record, that Tony notes a concern about Rauschenbusch's lack of clarity about the full divinity of Christ and his understanding of the nature of the Scriptures.

***

One of the great misunderstandings, a misunderstanding that helped create the mood that generated the "social gospel" is the accusation that conservative evangelicals, in their passion for soul-winning evangelism and personal piety, failed to develop a wholistic social witness. And while there are ways in which this is so, it is not fully true. This fallacy has been countered often, and now another new book will help dispel these inaccurate stereotypes of the socially unaware evangelical. Tim Stafford's marvelous Shaking the System: What I Learned from the Great American Reform Movements (IVP: $17) looks like one of the best books of the year, and has been eager anticipated. (Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it "required reading for every evangelical with a social conscience.") Ron Sider, John Perkins, Charles Marsh, Jim Wallis and others have all endorsed it. Passionate, well-written, historically colorful, this shows that many of the great reform movements (from temperance to abolition, women's suffrage to civil rights) have been led by people of faith. As Wallis says, "Stafford closes withthe most important reminder---that what ultimately calls us into activism is the Kingdom of God breaking into our world. We are motivated not by partisan politics but by the message of Jesus." He says, "I heartily recommend Shaking the System to all those who seek both a deeper faithulness and a better world."

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Connecting Sunday & Monday

2007-09-08T22:07:00.000-05:00

I thought you might like to see the poster my friend Ned Bustard (World's End Images) did for a Sunday school class I am teaching. I am convinced that mature, sustainable, multi-faceted, faithful Christian engagement with culture--from social action to the arts to marketplace witness to a renewal of education to care for the Earth to the restoration of our towns and cities---will demand an urgent and passionate recovery of the grand themes of the Kingdom of God, the calling of laypeople to vocations of social innovation, the spirituality of the ordinary and a recovery of a high regard for good doctrine, a wise and proper use of the Bible, and the vast implications of Christ's Kingship for every zone of life. This urgency animates much of what we do here at BookNotes, and our desire to sell books to like-minded friends across the country.

I am tickled to do this worldview class at First Presbyterian Church in York, and grateful for the chance to teach in the adult ed ministry of my church. Pray for us. Order books from the lists last week. Thanks.

More new theology books---Scot McKnight, Rowan Williams, John Inge, Hans Kung, Stephen Nichols

2007-09-05T22:42:00.000-05:00

The other day I listed a few serious theology books---although not so academic as to be out of reach for thoughtful lay readers--by important Reformed theologian Michael Horton. Good and significant stuff, to be sure. If that got you curious, I thought I'd just list a couple other books of theology that we have gotten in here at the shop the last week. These are just a few, mind you, but may picque your interest in reading in this discipline.

A Community Called Atonement (Living Theology) Scot McKnight (Abingdon) $17 You may know of our admiration for this author, a friendly theologian who is adept at various sorts of writing-- doing heavy theology, moving devotional meditations, essays of grace-full prose, Biblical scholarship, balanced stuff about the emergent conversations.... Scot here offers the first of a series (edited by Tony Jones) called "Living Theology." If this is any indication, it is going to be a terrific series, and this will be a vital and important contribution.

I would hope that many readers of our BookNotes blog know that there are serious debates raging now in many parts of the church about the nature of the atonement, how justification happens, the ways in which the Bible portrays our salvation, and the role of the Cross and Christ's death in Christian theology. What a mouthful, what a heart-full...this stuff surely matters much to those of us who love the gospels, love the cross, care about matters of orthodoxy, but are eager to always explore new ideas and formulations and insights. Although it is more than a reply to the so-called "New Perspective on Paul" it does, obviously, explore similiar concerns. And so, here, McKnight reminds us that even our most cherished doctrines are lived, theological formulations offered in community. The title itself is intriguing, isn't it?

One of the most important authors on these matters these days is J.I. Packer professor of theology at Regent, Hans Boersma (whose magnificent book, Violence, Hospitality and the Cross: Reappropriating the Atonement Tradition[now out in paperback] is well worth the serious time it takes to work through it.) Of McKnight's A Community Called Atonement, he writes,

Atonement theology, McKnight rightly insists, cannot operate with only one theory; it needs all of the biblical metaphors and each of the traditional atonement models. They all come together, he points out, in the patristic model of recapitulation--or, as he calls it, identification for incorporation. More than just being gutsy, orthodox, creative, as well as scholarly in character, this book actually atones; it models what it sets out to demonstrate, namely, that the church is summoned to work with God in his atoning work.

Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief Rowan Williams (Westminister/John Knox) $16.95 Printed on heavy nearly glossy paper, this small, attractive hardback is a gem to hold, a rare and blessed book which seems to just sing. Here is what Theology Today says, "How rare to find someone who, simultaneously, is thoughtfully and constructively involved both with the main teachings of Christian theology (from the Bible through its formative periods to the present) and also with contemporary culture, politics, education and spirituality."

The Christian Century says "It is a happy coincidence that the most important Protestant theologian in the world is also the best." Agree or not, this is a lovely little book, great for a renewal of your convictions, or as a gift to one who might appreciate a learned and caring intro.

A Christian Theology of Place John Inge (Ashgate) $33.95 Not exactly new, but new to us. This was shortlisted for the prestigious (Anglican) "Michael Ramsey Prize last year. Brueggemann says that he finds it "on target in powerful and compelling ways." Anybody interested in the distinctions between "place" and "space"? On implications of a sacramental vision for land use? A critique of Hellenistic backgrounds to the topic? This looks really fine.

The Beginning of All Things: Science and Religion Hans Kung (Eerdmans) $22 I believe I mentioned this last month in a post about my favorite three publishers (Eerdmans was one of 'em.) Kung is a world class theologian--not my favorite for any number of reasons--but here, he weighs in as a theologian, on the faith/science conversation. Polkinghorne says it is fascinating, and I'll believe him. Anybody want to check it out?? A major new work.

For Us and Our Salvation: The Doctrine of Christ in the Early Church Stephen J. Nichols (Crossway) $14.99 Steve is a prolific writer and professor at Lancaster Bible College. I love this guy and his many books because they are at once historically solid, theologically orthodox, precise, and happily readable---interesting, accessible. Of course, especially these days in popular culture (and too often, in the church) clarity about who Christ is, and who the church has declared him to be, is lacking. In these brief chapters, we get original sources and explanatory stuff, historical theology and up-to-the-minute urgency. With a glossary and all kinds of teacherly helps, this is the best intro to the creedal debates and heresy--and eventual Christology--of the earliest church. What a great little book! Highly recommended.

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Labor of Love column in the local paper

2007-09-02T21:35:00.000-05:00

Every six weeks I have the opportunity to write a column for our local Sunday paper, the York Sunday News. It is a good chance to practice writing non-book review pieces---man, I hate the word limit---for a public audience. Here, I try to offer hints of a Christian view of work and how the broader story of what God is doing in the world might inform our view of our jobs and callings.

The original draft had more about structural change and social innovation, even telling just a bit about our friends in the Christian labor movement in Canada. I had to cut a lot out, but I hope you still enjoy it. You understand why I have the Modern Times photo when you read it.

You can read it here at the York Sunday News webpage.

For a short and Biblically punchy essay that will knock your socks off on this topic, see the always fabulous pieces by my friend Mike Metzgar, at his Clapham Institute, especially the new one called "Labored Day." If this makes you scratch your head a bit, call us asap and we will sell ya some books that develope his point. If you like it, sign up for his automatic notification (like ours, ) and read him regularly. Mike's work is unique, insightful and fun. Good stuff!

And, for a longer, tender and very thoughtful piece written by Steve Garber, please read (and re-read, and send to your pastor to read and re-read) his A Wound in My Heart Has Been Healed. I have mentioned his Washington Institute website before, and it is well worth the visit.

Some new theology books

2007-08-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

As much as Hearts & Minds is oriented towards helping folks read widely across the spectrum of life's topics, relating faith and work, politics, family, or culture, thinking Christianly out of a coherent, Biblical worldview, we do really stock a lot of theology, proper. Interestingly, we sell more theology books to laypeople, it seems, than we do to pastors. Let's hope that they are keeping up their theological chops somehow. I read a piece just this week where John Piper was citing Ron Sider--gotta love that!---reminding us all that we must teach to our youth good doctrine. "Good Doctrine Makes Better (Teenage) Saints." I agree.

We just got in the eagerly anticipated third serious volume by Michael S. Horton, Covenant and Salvation: Union With Christ (Westminster/John Knox; $34.95.) It is the follow up to the solid paperbacks Covenant and Eschatology: The Divine Drama and Lord and Servant: A Covenant Christology. Here, Horton examines Christian salvation from the perspective of covenant theology. It is clear that he goes into serious depth, looking at the relationship of law and gospel, union with Christ, justification, the very meaning of salvation. He is fluent in a wide range of views, and draws upon insights both classical and contemporary.

Blurbs on the back come from world class theologians like Colin Gunton and David Kelsey, from King's College in London, and Yale Divinity School, respectively. Fellow Pennsylvanian John Franke (Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA) writes,

Michael Horton has done more to demonstrate the ongoing vitality of Protestant orthodoxy for contemporary theological reflection than any other current writer.

He continues on, saying this book is "pivotal." J. Todd Billings (from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI) says his synthesis of biblical, historical and systematic argumentation is "stunning."

From Radical Orthodoxy to Eastern Orthodoxy, from the covenants at Sinai and Zion to the controversial new perspective on Paul, Horton is clear, passionate and offers a vital view. One wouldn't have to read all three volumes, either, although all are clearly important contibutions to the theological conversations in our day. I must say I am particularly happy that a mainline denominational publishing house (W/JK) does this important work of a seriously Reformed evangelical. Check out more about the elequant and fiesty Horton by checking out the journal he has edited, Modern Reformation. Check out his radio show, the amazingly thoughtful White Horse Inn,

Here is another fabulous new book, one that I cannot say much about yet. Not Ashamed of the Gospel: Sermons From Paul's Letter to the Romans by Fleming Rutledge (Eerdmans; $19) just arrived. You may know her---I might describe her as one with the elequance and charm and insight as Barbara Brown Taylor, but with a more rigorous commitment to historic orthodoxy. She is now known as one of America's finest preachers, and all of her books are fabulously interesting and edifying. She is not like Horton, in perspective, really, and, mostly, because she is not a professional theologian, but a preacher of the Bible.

As a NYC Episcopal priest, she has held forth well, preaching hard truth in relevant, sophisticated ways. With endorsements on the back from William Willimon---he plays with the (Biblical) word that Rutledge uses (she calls Romans "theological dynamite") and goes from there---and Beverly Roberts Gaventa, from Princeton, her mainline bone fides are well-established. Yet, she is surely preaching nothing but the gospel of God's grace and victory. Dunamis, indeed.

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Top Books on the Christian Mind

2007-08-27T16:42:00.000-05:00

In my last posting I listed my top ten bibliography that I passed out for faculty at a Christian college where I had the privilege of bringing some challenge and encouragement last week. It named my favorite books about worldviews and worldview formation.

Here is another handout I used in my talk, a listing of books that, like the ones on worldview, should be of interest to any readers of BookNotes and friends of Hearts & Minds. If you don't care about this stuff, you might be on the wrong blog spot. To care about books, and how serious-minded Christian books can help us move towards redemptive social engagement, we must first overcome the obstacles of a shallow Christian mind, the lack of intellectual habits within the church, and ramp up our conversations about the nature of Christian learning and wholistic discipleship. Think of Romans 12:1-2...

Let us know if you have found any of these helpful, or have a distaste for any. Because I snuck in just a few more than ten titles, I couldn't call this a top ten list, so I named it only SOME GREAT BOOKS ON THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN SCHOLARSHIP. I wish every church library and Christian leader's bookshelf included a few of these.

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind Mark Noll (Eerdmans) $20 Surely one of the most important books of our time, this named the crisis of evangelical anti-intellectualism, traced its colorful history and charted an agenda for a renewal of the life of the mind. Called “brilliant” by Publisher’s Weekly and a “landmark” by J.I. Packer.

Fit Bodies, Fat Minds: Why Evangelicals Don’t Think and What to Do About It Os Guinness (Baker) $9.99 This is a punchy and powerful set of two extended essays, similar to the more thorough Noll text, but considerably more accessible. The first examines 8 reasons (in 8 short chapters) why American evangelicals failed to think well throughout their development. The second half examines 8 reasons why it remains difficult to recapture a “Christian mind” in our contemporary era. Brilliant cultural criticism, fascinating social history, sober assessment, and a thrilling call for thoughtful, culturally-engaged and innovative thinking.

The Vocation of the Christian Scholar: How the Christian Faith Can Sustain the Life of the Mind (revised) Richard Hughes (Eerdmans) $15 Although the thoughtful and winsome Dr. Hughes has not answered many of the tough questions about worldviewish and perspectival learning, his elegant call to be human and good in the classroom is deeply, deeply moving.

The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship George M. Marsden (Oxford University Press) $16.95 After a New York Times reviewer called Marsden’s call to Christian scholarship “outrageous” his publisher invited him to do this essay on just what this project is about. Lucid, persuasive and solid.

Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning and Living Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. (Eerdmans) $15 So eloquent and caring, this beautiful book was initially done for incoming students at Calvin College, and is now considered a classic in the literature about the meaning of a uniquely Christian college education.

Finding God At Harvard: Spiritual Journeys of Thinking Christians edited by Kelly Monroe Kullberg (IVP/Veritas) $15 A remarkable bargain, this anthology is a collection of various thinkers who have shared their stories and insights with the evangelical student group at Harvard. From Robert Coles to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, from Nicholas Wolterstorff to Owen Gingerich, this is a stellar collection of top-rate scholars. A fabulous resource. Her thoughtful Veritas Forum website is a real treasure trove.

The Integration of Faith and Learning: A Worldview Approach Robert A. Harris (Cascade) $30 A handbook of ideas about relating faith and learning in worldviewish ways. This could be used with students in a variety of settings and, although basic, offers good insights, and engenders a love for truth and a critical mind.

Discipleship of the Mind: Learning to Love God in the Way We Think and Habits of the Mind: The Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling (IVP) $15/$16 Two wonderful, thoughtful and provocative books, a bit meaty for most under-grads, and yet rich enough for the most learned professors. Thank goodness for Mr. Sire’s long life of writing about his own intellectual curiosity, and his insights theological, philosophical, and imminently practical. Bravo!

A Mind for God James Emery White (IVP) $12 A smallish, pocket-sized hardcover, this handsome little volume is an extended essay on which the life of the mind matters, why it is important to read deeply and widely, and how the Christian call to serve our neighbors and impact our world is dependent upon serious learning, in Godly perspective.
A good reminder why what we do matters, the grand impact we hope our teaching will have.

Loving God With All Your Mind: Thinking as a Christian in a Postmodern World Gene Edward Veith, Jr. (Crossway) $19.99 A wonderful guide for beginners, this explores higher education by doing a helpful Bible study of the situation of Daniel and his friends in “Babylon U.” Fun, creative, and a good call to think faithfully and wisely in our “new dark ages.”

The Life of the Mind: A Christian Perspective Clifford Williams (Baker/CCCU) $10.99 Brief, nicely written, with endorsements from the likes of Mark Noll, Art Holmes, Robert Andringa, David Dockery and Harold Heie, this philosophy prof here offers under-grads an argument for Christian thinking and honoring God in our scholarship. Those who are called upon to aid students in their academic discipleship would do well to know these qualities.

The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students Donald Opitz & Derek Melleby (Brazos) $13.99 I have raved about this on line, and nearly everywhere I go. Delightfully enjoyable, passionately Christ-exalting, socially relevant and clearly informed by the best literature, this is the best introduction to being a Christian student that has yet been done. A wonderful invitation to the world of worldviews and thinking and learning. They have an awesome website, growing better each week. I will even get to chime in there on occasion, as will anyone with stories or resources or ideas for this terrific, outrageous movement of nurturing the life of the mind among undergrads. Check it out, here at www.academicfaithfulness.com.

Top Ten Books on a Christian Worldview

2007-08-23T16:23:00.000-05:00

This was part of a bibliography I gave out in my presentation at Geneva earlier this week. Hope you read my last post, as it is a heart-felt cry about integrated Christian living and the call to develop a "thick" reading of a Christian worldview. Even though I wrote this for college professors, I think anyone interested in social action, cultural engagement or church renewal should own a few of these essential, life-changing books. Let us know what you think.

Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview Al Wolters (Eerdmans) $12.00 Often cited, this is truly one of the most succinct, insightful, Biblically-based and philosophically thoughtful books on the topic; a must-read. The second edition includes a newer chapter, relating his neo-Calvinist reformational perspective to the missional vision of Newbigin and the narrative theology of N.T. Wright. Classic.

The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian Worldview Brian Walsh & Richard Middleton (IVP) $15 Perhaps my favorite single worldview book, this (briefly) traces the rise of dualism, brings diagnostic insight into the nature of the problem, shows the resultant rise of secularization and idolatry, and calls for a wholistic and culturally-engaged Kingdom vision, starting with a philosophically-aware and Biblically-faithful recovery of the Christian mind amongst collegiates. Wow.

Subversive Christianity: Imaging God in a Dangerous Time Brian Walsh (forward by N.T. Wright) (Alta Vista Press) $10.95 Four stunning talks, sermonic in their passionate delivery and insightful in their academic rigor, these Biblical studies are largely asking the big question: is a refinement of our worldviews what is needed, and how can “worldview studies” actually help bear fruit in faithful ways of life? Hint: unlike some voices in these conversations, he is particularly interested in the role of the Bible, and how it shapes our imaginations.

The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog James Sire (IVP) $17 Now in it’s 4th edition, this handbook describes the way the most prevalent worldviews answer the most deep human questions. Not quite a guidebook to world religions (he looks at naturalism, nihilism, new-age pantheism, postmodernism and such) it is arranged as a fairly standard text showing comparative views. Very useful.

Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept James Sire (IVP) $15 After being widely known as a scholar of worldviews, Sire tells of his growing awareness that he never fully explained (in fact, never settled in his own mind) just what worldviews are. A philosophy of life? A set of presuppositions? An imaginative construct? Here, he dissects the concept and offers helpful reflections on this very important matter. And, he offers his revised definition of worldviews. He jokingly calls this “Naugle for Dummies.”

Worldview: The History of a Concept David Naugle (Eerdmans) $26 Magisterial, thoughtful, researched with extraordinary insight and grace, this is the definitive book about the rise of the word “worldview”, the use of the idea from it’s first coinage, the different ways in which various Christian writers have used the notion. Al Wolters has called it “a tour de force.” Visit the wonderful website of Dr. Naugle for bonus material, lecture transcripts, bibliographies and other cool stuff. http://www.dbu.edu/Naugle/index.asp

Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity Nancy Pearcey (Crossway) $25 A thick and fascinating hardback, with a useful study guide in the back, this is one of the important, popular guides to the fact/value split, the consequences of this dualism, and the call for an integrated perspective. As with the popular book she co-authored with Charles Colson, How Now Shall We Live? she uses as a case study the impact of naturalism in the sciences. A very important work.

Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters To God Michael E. Wittmer (Zondervan) $16.99 Delightfully written, theologically insightful but very sound, this pleasant and helpfully Biblical work includes a great study guide and reflective case studies for further conversations. Although thoroughly covering the standard material this may have an appeal to those not used to deeper theological, philosophical or worldviewish texts. Nice!

The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior Steven Garber (IVP) $16 Although initially written to be helpful for developing a serious and coherent view of university education, the newer chapters and the change in sub-title indicates that the book is not just for students, and is more broadly about finding a worldview and way of life that can be sustained as followers of Christ allow their deepest convictions to energize them as agents of cultural transformation over the longer haul of their lives. Truly one of the most important books of our time, to be read and re-read, cherished and discussed. See his wonderfully crafted essays at http://washingtoninst.org

Heaven Is Not My Home: Living in the Now of God’s Creation Paul Marshall (Word/Lightening Source) $19 With playful illustrations, great stories and a wholistic vision of integrated Christian living, Marshal offers chapters on “thinking Christianly” and living joyfully in various sides of life. A veritable worldviewish handbook for considering work, leisure, art, politics, science, technology, business, worship and more. What a fun and radical guide to Kingdom living in every sphere of life.

Selling Books & Giving a Talk: Teaching Faithfully at a Christian College

2007-08-18T18:01:00.000-05:00

After the requisite heavy lifting, I'm taking a rented van full of boxes of books out to Western Pennsylvania to the Reformed Presbyterian-owned Geneva College. (Yes, our hefty family van finally died with about 240,000 hard miles on it, and we are in a bit of confusion what to do next.) I will set up a book display for their faculty to have some sort of buyin' frenzy. I hope I bring home less than I take, at least.

Tuesday affords me, due to the gracious and trusting hospitality of their Academic Dean, the chance to do a lecture for their faculty. As I've done with under-grads, and occasionally with college staff, I get to offer some reminders of the urgency and obstacles facing those that are called to the challenge of integrating faith and learning in a collegiate setting.

I have often lamented the way in which Christian persons, even professionals and leaders, don't read much about their respective fields; that is, few Christian [fill in the profession: doctors, salespeople, teachers, journalists, engineers, artists or lawyers] can articulate what difference their faith makes for the ways in which they think about, and live out, their careers and callings. Because this question has not captured their imaginations, they just don't consider the importance of reading books on the interfaces and implications. Perhaps it would help if there were pastors (or booksellers?) framing their understanding of their jobs as being a Christian doctor or politician or coach or businessperson, rather than just being a doctor, politician, coach or businessperson who happens also to be a Christian.

You can see that if we desire to live out a view of the Kingdom of God where professionals (and others!) are salt and light Christians who read widely and think deeply about the relationship of faith and work, worldview and way of life, then it would be very helpful if their mentors in their college years help get that conversation started, and offer uniquely Christian insights and distinctively Christian notions that would influence their earliest thinking about their fields. This is the high calling of, at least, Christian college professors. At least that is what I'm going to preach to the Genevans.

Ahhh, but where do such professors learn such integration? Where did they do their Ph.D. work? In a place that was conducive to Christian scholarship? Probably not. In a place that was hostile to the gospel? Very likely. A new hire at a vibrant church-related college, or an evangelical institution--even the famous ones like Wheaton and Calvin and Eastern--are asked to think faithfully and creatively about the foundations of their fields, and learn a Christianly shaped vocabulary about their disciplines. And they are to teach this alternative stuff in a Christian manner, no less. They come from largely secularly-spirited learning environments, and, presto, they are supposed to be Christian college teachers with this integrated worldview and wholistic vision and uniquely Christian pedagogy?

I grow frustrated that many Christan lay people don't have much to say when asked how they live faithfully in their work, careers and callings, but I ought not too quickly blame even the evangelical professors. Everyone has inherited an anti-intellectualism, a heritage of bookstores without theological substance, preachers who are more moralistic than prophetic, and a dualism that implies that ordinary people in ordinary jobs only have to learn to be honest and nice and perhaps invite people to church. The connection between Sunday and Monday is shallow at best, and not too many churches make things much better. So we can't just blame the less than revolutionary fruit on less than radical Christian colleges.

I cannot wait for the privilege of sharing with these valiant Christian teachers at this small principled college in this rough blue-collar town. If there is hope for a renewal of the Christian mind, in service to God's coming Kingdom of renewed shalom, if academic learning is to be distinctive and service-oriented, such relevant and faithful learning will come from places like this. That these professors will gather together to think hard about the ways they can contribute to the renewal of the Christian mind and the restoration God may bring to Christ's broken world, is a sign of great hope. Please pray for them, for college teachers and student affairs folks, for campus workers and students. And for me, since we long to sell good books in their important places. It is a long haul, in more ways than one. But I have great hope, and our trip to Geneva College is an example of how our little business tries to make an impact in ways that may ripple into lives and institutions and cultures near and far.

There are many, many books that reflect on Christian higher education, and we carry plenty. If you know any college staff, please send us an email if you want suggested readings. You have seen the books that we've promoted for students, written by Geneva teacher Donald Opitz and CCO staffer Derek Melleby, The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness and their terrific, ever-expanding website, www.academicfaithfulness.com. (You know, if teachers read this, as simple as it is, they'd be a good way down the road on this journey, and I shall commend it to Don's colleagues at Geneva! I will similiarly commend it to a pastor's gathering later this fall.)

You may want to know that that book's title (that you see blinking over to the left, still) drew its title from the small but significant book by George Marsden, published by Oxford University Press, called The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship. George got that title, by the way (which rather proves a point I made above) when a New York Times reviewer of his prestigious book on the history of higher education noted that Marsden's claim to do "Christian scholarship" was---and I quote---"outrageous." Oxford then invited Dr. Marsden to do a book on that. It documents this recent movement of "thinking Christianly" about various academic disciplines and measures the impact Christian scholars are making in the humanities, the arts, and the sciences. Opitz & Melleby essentially wrote a student version of that impressive Oxford volume.

To show you how varied our reading can be in this field, though, let me note one new book I've almost finished, which I found very, very interesting.

The State of the University: Academic Knowledges and the Knowledge of God Stanley Hauerwas (Blackwell) $34.95. One chapter was especially interesting, "What Would a Christian University Look Like: Some Tentative Answers Inspired by Wendell Berry." My favorite, though, was "Carving Stone, or Learning to Speak Christian." You may recall his earlier comments in After Christendom about bricker layers (drawing on Alister McIntyre, of course) and his realization that their way of passing on knowledge---not abstracted---was instructive for the life of the church. His description here of a book about several generations of stone carvers was just splendid. Another great chapter, from a speech he gave at Baylor, was fabulously called "Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana: Schooling the Heart in the Heart of Texas." His insightful and clever (and controversial) insistence that "schooling the heart" and teaching ethics is bad for people is classic Hauerwas. The final chapter is called "To Love God, the Poor, and Learning: Lessons Learned from Saint Gregory of Nazianzus." Now that is a set of loves I long to learn, even if it takes a lifetime.

John Shore, good books and the call to support real stores...

2007-08-17T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well. Welcome to any new blog readers who have been sent our way by the fun and verbose and---gotta love him---very repentant John Shore. John is an author I've mentioned on occasion and some of you, who have met us out on the road at conferences or booksellin' gigs, have maybe heard me read out loud some of his hilarious book of apologetics . We've corresponded a bit, and if you've followed today's little tussle in the Christian end of the blog-o-sphere, you will know that I shared my beef with John for his having suggested people buy his book from (well, you know, those big 'ol internet chain places that give guys like me the willies.) I get frustrated when authors don't send people to real stores, or at least mention that their books can be found "wherever find books are sold" although I feel badly when, in fact, most stores don't stock their books.

John then wrote the most lovely and affirming report about our bookstore and my book reviewing efforts and, importantly, the deep connection most good authors have with real bookstores. Author John has spent his fair share of time on the other side of the counter, actually, and has worked as a bookseller. His essay about us at crosswalk, like all his good writing, was energetic and important. And, he talked about us!

So, I feel like I owe him big time. I know he doesn't expect this, and it feels a bit like some "mutual admiration society" doing this quid pro quo thing. But, for those that read him but have not yet purchased his books, or for those who don't follow his writing, here is a bit of incentive.

We do really want to thank him for the shout out, compliment him for his righteous concerns about malls and the dumbing down of literature and the quality of writing and the mass-marketing of theology and all the backstory stuff that so many of us care about, and that usually we mean when we talk about supporting the "small-mart revolution" and buying from real, and preferably, local, retailers.

At least in some fields one ought to have a reliable go-to guy. Maybe it can be local, maybe not. A real doc, a trustworthy mechanic, a local produce place. I'm not against internet sales, obviously, and I spend half my day answering bookish email questions, so I know that many don't have a local bookseller they trust. Perhaps you have a go-to bookseller, a lover of literature who cares about your habits of heart, which, surely, includes the books you do and do not read. Maybe we at Hearts & Minds can serve you on your journey. I hope somebody can, and I am honored to have had Mr. Shore so eagerly recommend us. Thanks to him, and thanks to anybody that cares.

And, so: today's BookNotes deal.

BUY TWO OF JOHN SHORE'S BOOKS AND GET EM AT A GREAT DEAL, $10 off. See below.

Let's help the Penguins book, as somebody on John's blog put it, "march right along." It is on an historic, indie Epsicopalian press (Seabury Press), is a smallish hardback that is funnier than all get out, and really is a very thoughtful study of the biggest questions of life. With cool guys like Eric Metaxas---New York City philosopher, biographer of Wilberforce, VeggieTale writer---offering an endorsing blurb on the back, you know it is solid. If you don't recall, it is alledgedly written by God, and is called (take a deep breath) Penguins, Pain and the Whole Shebang: Why I Do the Things I Do by God, as Told to John Shore. It usually sells for $15, which isn't bad as you will read this more than once. Like I have, unless your really not humorous at all, you will read it out loud to others.

And, do you know one of Shore's more recent books, the fabulous book on evangelism? It is called I'm OK---You're Not (published by NavPress; it usually sells for $12.99.) I wrote about it in an as-of-yet-unpublished monthly book review for the Hearts & Minds website column (don't ask, but I haven't gotten any of them up on the site for several month) and said, sincerely, then, and even more so, now, that this author is the real deal. He cares about people, he understands, in his heart and in his mind, that we are to love others. And it seems, from the stories and illustrations, that he spends time with normal people, not in a holy-huddle.

Sharing the great news of Christ's redeeming love is a calling for us all. It is an aspect of discipleship that is mired in funky expectations, weird theologies, and even weirder practices. It is, though, a splendid and exciting thing to do, to tell others about why you are a follower of Christ, what His death provides, how to find forgiveness and grace and meaning and life. If we are to announce the Kingdom with integrity, it is clear to anybody who has thought about it, that Shore's insight is central and basic and urgent: we have got to stop turning people off. We certainly have to stop being so smug. We have to live out and model a way of life that is, well, good. We have got to show bridge-building love by being agents of grace. The sub-title nearly says it all, and he unpacks it well. Check it out: I'm Ok--You're Not: The Message We're Sending Nonbelievers and Why We Should Stop.

This is a book about not doing evangelism. It is about starting with the Great Commandment and letting others experience God's love as a way towards the Great Commission. I have read oodles of books on evangelism and there are many I like. This is truly one of them and, I'd bet, it is the one you will enjoy the most, laugh about the most, and shake your head (in agreement or, if you are a fire-breather, in disgust, for his seeming lack of proper religiosity.)

I'd like to think that I am a better person when I read this kind of stuff, and, to be honest, feel more playful, even as a book reviewer. He's a hard guy not to like.

Thanks to the publishers who take risks doing these kind of little books that aren't the formulas and cliches that are so often expected in this biz. Thanks to writers like John Shore for being authentic and fun. And thank God for the Spirit's activity in days like today, where a slight offense brought two brother's closer together in our joint calling of getting the words right, and getting the Word out.

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Chasing Sophia by Lilian Calles Barger

2007-08-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

The other day I listed a group of books that were recommendations for an ordinary small group at a fairly typical church; a friend had a women's group that she works with, and wondered about some suggestions. I named a handful---not all for or about women---that were basic and not difficult. Nearly any somewhat educated reader could enjoy them, and I maintained that they were a cut above some of the simplistic stuff that passes for Christian discipleship in many Christian bookstores. Still, they were, mostly, pretty easy to read and altogether enjoyable on basic Christian growth. I hope you looked through that long list and made some notes...most of them are really, really fabulous.

I wanted to cite one more book, but thought it deserved a posting of it's very own. It is not an academic work or a scholarly text, exactly, but it is a bit deeper and richer than even the good ones I described yesterday.

Here, then, is another great book for an open-minded and thoughtful group, women or men. I think it is pretty important, and hope you can help us at Hearts & Minds get the word out about books that are both culturally relevant, well-written, and theologically sound. Thanks again for being a part of our story.

Chasing Sophia: Reclaiming the Lost Wisdom of Jesus Lilian Calles Barger (Jossey-Bass) $18.95. Well, as I said, I started a blog post the other day listing books that were in the genre of simple Christian growth books for fairly traditional evangelical women who wanted something that was more substantive and nuanced than the more typical formulaic approach of many evangelical publishers. I wanted to mention this one, but it is a bit more demanding and rather specialized in it's topic. We have appreciated this writer and her previous book is very, very important, so I naturally want to commend her. Do you know her previous work? Ms Barger wrote an exceptional book on body image, spirituality, feminism, a rejection of dualism and other vital concerns entitled Eve's Revenge: Women and the Spirituality of the Body (published by Brazos; $14.99) that we've promoted nearly everywhere we have gone these past few years. If you don't have that one, you should consider it. It is a masterpiece, and a much-needed one at that.

Barger works with the vital Christian outreach to (mostly) feminists gone sour on traditional Christian faith through the Damaris Project, a ministry which engages folk in meaningful dialogues. They set up honest conversations in what they call salons and search out ways to find common ground amongst diverse participants; their website explains more, and is worth a visit. What a gentle, honest and good approach---that in itself is commendable these days of shouting, eh? We, here, are in happy agreement with their efforts and the bridge-building, thoughtful conversational approach to their project.

Chasing Sophia thoughtfully invites us to consider ways in which Jesus was a Hebrew wisdom-teacher and how the Scriptural insights about sophia could be used to build bridges with those involved in a post-Christian spirituality. It draws well on research about women's ways of knowing and is fluent in feminist literature. It explores the ways in which goddess worship has grown in recent decades. Happily, she brings historic Christian orthodoxy to bear on these thorny questions; you may know that some theologians who reject traditional Christian theology and radically mistrust the Scriptures have used this phrase, often in unhelpful ways... I am not sure if Lilian intends to knowingly re-appropriate the legitimate Biblical truth of this, and just frames it in more appropriate ways. That isn't exactly her battle, here. She is a helpful guide into the large discussion of wisdom, and she is a faithful witness to Jesus. I suspect it will touch the lives of many, women and men alike.

It would make a wonderful small- group book study or the basis for a serious adult Sunday school class or could serve the basis for a retreat. Even better, it would be splendid for a group of those who are not Christians to read with some that are. Know any religious skeptics, gnostics, neo-pagan feminists, those who are new agey, or seekers? This would be a great discussion-starter, I'm sure. She draws on sources as diverse as Elizabeth Johnson to Dorothy Day, from Elaine Pagels to Dorothy Sayers and writes with authority and grace. Please let us know if you'd like to order one and see if we are correct. Maybe you'll even need more...

Chasing Sophia: Reclaiming the Lost Wisdom of Jesus Lilian Calles Barger (Jossey-Bass) $18.95

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Thoughtful Books for a Women's Group

2007-08-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Here is a list sent to a friend who has a group of fairly sharp women, in a fairly ordinary evangelical church setting. Sometimes, here, I list books I think folks ought to know about, stuff about culture and reformation and spirituality and social concern; often these are not typical inspirational books. Here is a list of more ordinary "basic Christian growth" for a young women's group. Even in this rather classic genre we have some suggestions that might be just a bit more interesting than the most typical. Know any women's growth groups or home Bible studies? Could you please pass this along? These really are fine books and deserve to be known more than some of the fluff that is out there. Most, as you will see, are not only for women, so other kinds of groups could use 'em too.

Thanks again for your interest in getting suggestions for books for your group. Since you’ve read Eugene Peterson’s terrific Long Obedience in the Same Direction, it seems to me you could go in nearly any direction, and handle any number of great books. Still, I’ve suggested a few fairly standard, thoughtful books for a women’s group that is relatively ordinary. These books are smart and solid, fun and friendly. That is, there aren’t too academic or specific to any topic----you know we could recommend books on everything from pop culture to world hunger, all within the category of "Christian living" as some bookstores call it. But here are some very inspiring books that are pretty much in the category of basic Christian growth, mostly for women. We think you’d like any of them. All either have discussion/reflection questions or exercises or webpages with study resources which you can download. Let us know if we can serve you further.

Come Closer: A Call to Life, Love & Breakfast on the Beach Jane Rubietta (Waterbrook) $13.99 The subtitle is "15 Invitations from Jesus…" and that is exactly what each chapter explores. Christ issues many invitations and these help us respond, to come closer to Him. This is really creative, and very, very nice.

Spiritual Arts: Mastering the Disciplines for a Rich Spiritual Life Jill Briscoe (Zondervan) $13.99 Books on spiritual formation are very popular these days, and this is a perfect introduction to the practices that help us train for the inner journey. This is not overly deep, not monastic, and all mystical; Jill Briscoe has been an evangelical Bible teacher for decades. It uses Philippians as a guide and includes great discussion questions at the end.

Longing for More: A Woman’s Path to Transformation in Christ Ruth Haley Barton (IVP) $16 This book used to be a book about being a Christian woman, Becoming a Woman of Strength (not to be confused with the Bible study guide by that name by someone else) and it eventually went out of print. She expanded it---a bit more about sexuality, and a lot more about spirituality---and it was re-issued as The Truths That Free Us Now it has finally be re-issued (with yet another name) and we are happy to say it is one of the best books for Christian women we’ve seen. The spiritual exercises at the end of each section are very rich. I hope you've seen the blog posts we've done on her other books, as they are excellent.

Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus Paul E. Miller (NavPress) $14 This is a breath-takingly good book, wise, insightful, passionate and powerful. Really down to Earth, too, but it includes some truly rare insights about Jesus and his own emotional life. I wish there was a study guide with it, but you can download plenty of extra teaching resources at the author’s website.

Metamorpha: Jesus as a Way of Life Kyle Strobel (Baker) $14.99 I have been intending to write a full review of this as it is one of my favorite books of the year! Kyle has a spectacular website (along with other authors) on spirituality, and he has a website with fabulous stuff for this book (study questions, bonus materials, etc.) at www.JesusAsAWayofLife.com. He is the very widely read son of apologist Lee Stobel, and combines worldview thinking, radical discipleship and the inner journey of spiritual transformation all presenting in conversational, exciting writing. Highly recommended.

Questions to All Your Answers: The Journey from Folk Religion to Examined Faith Roger E. Olson (Zondervan) $19.99 This hardback is not a hard read, but it is thought-provoking! Every chapter is a study of a commonly-heard saying that, upon examination, ends up being less than accurate and unhelpful. Or, in some cases, the common answers are not all that clear, really (Chapters includes "The Bible Has All The Answers…" or "Judge Not" or "All Sins Are Equal" or "God Is in Control.") Without being too heavy or antagonistic, this helps us think through what we really believe, moving away from a glossy, cultural spirituality towards a truly Biblical and living faith.

Godsight: Renewing the Eyes of Our Hearts Lacel Arrington (Crossway) $12.99 This is the only one that doesn’t have a study resource with it, but I just had to mention it: it is a very Godly approach to helping women "see" from a Christian perspective. With lots of stories, wholesome piety and beautiful examples, this feisty writer has written a book about a Christian worldview without really saying that. It is about, as she says, "overcoming the seduction of our imaginations." Really, really nice.

Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Women Brings Her Home Jonalyn Grace Fincher (Zondervan) $16.99 I have been telling people that this book may mark a new era in evangelical publishing! I have rarely seen a book for Christian women, about the common topic of being a Godly woman, written with as much verve and energy and thoughtful creativity as this. She is really, really smart, widely read, and challenges young women of the emerging generation (and others) to be faithful in all that they are. The longings of our hearts call us home to Christ, and in that, we are freed to be agents of deeply spiritual transformation.

Transparent: Getting Honest About Who We Are and Who We Want to Be Sarah Zacharias Davis (Revell) $12.99 Again, an indication of the major improvement in this genre! Sarah is Ravi Z's daughter, and her first book, Confessions From an Honest Wife, was amazingly well done---each chapter was a different women, although all told by Sarah, as she gave voice to women she knows. Here, she does the same thing, with each chapter titled after the name of a certain young women, where she shares their deepest longings, tells the truth about what they are really feeling. This is not a book of packaged solutions but of possibilities. Thank God for this young woman as a writer and thinker. This book is truly an authentic gift.

Wanting All The Right Things Shirin Taber (Relevant) $13.99 Part memoir, part cultural criticism, this is a super book about the deepest things of our lives, and the modern woman's guide to finding a spiritually balanced and fulfilled life. Not every evangelical writer knows to quote Maureen Dowd or Naomi Wolfe, and not every modern gal works with the respected Damah film festival. Given the history of this genre within religious publishing, that books this honest and hip exist for young women is nearly a miracle. Yeeah.

Gracious Christianity: Living the Love We Profess Doug Jacobsen and Rodney Sawatsky (Baker) $12.99 This slim book is the combined efforts of a UCC prof at Messiah (who is a friend) and the former President (who was dying of a brain tumor as he wrote this book.) Together, these gentlemen offer a truly gentle and gracious and elegant overview of most Christian beliefs. This is at once a primer on the faith and a call to a certain kind of living, a discipleship that is wholistic and loving, active and, well, gracious. It is marked by serious thinking and exceptional humility. They have a website, too, with stories and extra resources.

When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box John Ortberg (Zondervan) $21.99 A few years ago Ortberg left his position as teaching pastor at Willow Creek and became the pastor of a very large and evangelically-minded Presbyterian Church. What a great, accessible and interesting writer. We love all his books, The Life You Always Wanted, God Is Closer Than You Think, If You Want To Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, and a great one on community, called Everybody’s Normal (Until You Get to Know Them.) Some have relatively inexpensive DVD curriculum to go with, and we highly recommend any. Very fun. This brand new one looks fabulous and reminds us that "winning" isn’t all that matters, and that "success" isn’t the real yardstick of anything that truly matters. Beginning with the right object---being rich toward God---he shows what it takes to really win at the "game of life."

Completely His: Loving Jesus Without Limits Shannon Ethridge (Waterbrook) $15.99 Ms Ethridge has written the Every Woman’s Battle books and is increasingly known as a writer. Here, she tells the stunning story of her journey to faith (as a 16-year-old driver, she made a foolish mistake, hitting and killing a young man on a bike. The family of the boy forgave her, leading her to a living faith in Christ!) Her theme here is knowing we are loved extravagantly, and sharing the love of God with others. Simple but powerful, this is going to get a lot of press, I believe, and she intends to write more.

There are currently two discussion guide resource tools for small groups as a follow up to Completely His. She calls the 30 Days Guides to Loving Jesus Without Limits. Completely Forgiven: Responding to God’s Transforming Grace and Completely Loved: Recognizing God’s Passionate Pursuit of Us (Waterbrook) $9.99 each

Redefining Life For Women think (NavPress) $8.99 This recent "think" line of inductive studies are interactive, hip, and include marvelous readings from other sources (everything from novels to essays to spirituality writings) that parallel the Bible study. Small group stuff just got a whole, whole lot more interesting. There are several for women, several for men, several that are for anyone, and a few for married couples. Extra-special, contemporary and very interesting. Uses The Message for the Bible portions.

Tough Love, Tender Mercies: 3 Short Stops in the Minor Prophets Lisa Harper (Tyndale) $12.97 This looks like so much fun; "on the road with Lisa" DVD includes her fun teaching, playing with this road trip metaphor, and stopping in with plenty of contemporary stuff. The back of the paperback asks "What happens when Malachi meets Scarlett O’Hara?" She has another on the Song of Solomon, too. An upbeat and fun teacher, she has her Master’s in Biblical Studies from Covenant Theological Seminary.

Attentiveness: Being Present (Abingdon Press) Leaders Guide $12; Participants Guide; $9 This is a small group resource in a new series called Living the Good Life Together which is aimed at 20/30-somethings. Still, it is so good, I recommend it to nearly any age group; unlike the standard inductive questions, this is a very interactive, devotionally-rich small group curriculum that is excellent for group involvement and experiences of learning together. There is a thorough leaders guide, and each person gets a participant’s workbook, and there is DVD piece to use, too, if you want. It is about forming character in community.

We have discounts for small groups or reading clubs or Bible studies.
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New Books from Favorite Publishers

2007-08-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

It was a good day, despite the sizzling heat here on the East coast, since new books came from a few of our favorite publishers. I often declare that my publishers of choice are InterVarsity Press, Eerdmans, Baker/Brazos. And we got big boxes from all three today.

Here are two from each publisher, brand new on our shelves.

Foundation for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal Eric L. Johnson (IVP Academic) $35 A bargain, given that it is over 700 pages. With endorsements from thoughtful writers in this diverse field such social scientists, psychologists and therapists as Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, David Powlison, Larry Crabb, Ellen Charry and Robert C. Roberts (whose new book on the psychology of the fruits of the Spirit we also just got in) this is a truly extraordinary contribution. As one reviewer says, it "sets the pace for discussions in the future." That is putting it mildly.

From Achilles To Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics Louis Markos (IVP Academic) $24 I suppose I should read this myself, as I am not fluent in the treasures of Homer, Virgil or the Greek tragedians. I truly liked his previous Lewis Agonistes and imagine this is a splendid literary exposition. Joseph Pearce, the Tolkien scholar, says that Markos is "one of the most exciting writers around today, and there are few more able to lead us on a tour through God's gallery of myth than he is." The whole project---of a Christian congruence with the classics of antiquity---is debatable, of course, but this looks like a wonderful, informative and inspiring read.

The Beginning of All Things: Science and Religion Hans Kung (Eerdmans) $22 I am sure nearly any serious publisher in the world would have taken this manuscript, and it is telling that Eerdmans got it. This world-renowned Catholic theologian has written densely about natural theology and such, but here he offers a lay person's introduction to his thoughts about the interface of science and faith. Kung is not a scientist, but is a world renowned theologian and, as John Polkinghorne suggests, many will find it fascinating to see "how a distinguished theologian offers his personal contribution..." Classy.

Why I Still Believe the Gospel Clarence Boomsma (Eerdmans) $12 A thoughtful little essay---drawing on authors like Brunner and Barth and other thoughtful giants---starts with the author's own crisis of faith, and how he endured (decades ago) serious intellectual doubts about the credibility of historic Christianity. With a forward by Andrew Kuyvenhoven, this little book is a gem. Here's what Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. says: "A relentlessly focused reflection on the gospel's cry of the heart: 'He has risen!' This small and mighty book will straighten the spine of believers.

Finding Your Plot in a Plotless World: A Little Direction Daniel de Roulet (Brazos) $12.99 Brazos, a part of the Baker Publishing Group, has done one of the most significant jobs in recent years of offering consistently important, and usually very interesting, books in ecumenical traditions to the evangelical marketplace. Always more thoughtful than most, and always quite challenging---some of their titles seem akin to the radical orthodoxy movement, and many are about distinctively Christian approaches to the problems posed by our lifetime of cultural accommodation. Here, we have a guy quoting Groundhog Day, the fun fiction of Lee Smith, and the wonderful novel Peace Like a River to recover a sense of narrative to our too often too empty lives. This is a close look at those moments in which we lack direction. Been there? Read this book. Brazos---named cleverly after a river in Texas that reportedly runs the wrong way---can help with this question of finding direction.

Gender, Power, and Persuasion: The Genesis Narratives and Contemporary Portraits Mignon R. Jacobs (Baker) $21.99 This thoughtful reflection by an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Fuller, can perhaps be best described as a study of the centuries-old misconceptions about biblical narratives that have been used to perpetuate gender roles, reinforce biases, and wield power. What an amazing array of scholarly tools this author brings to well-known (but often not closely studied) texts from the book of Genesis. Whew.

We recieved some boxes from some less than interesting sources today, too, and rung up some books that, well, I wouldn't have truly wished on anybody, but, when boxes like this come, with the UPS guy sweatin' up a storm to load 'em in, we are very grateful. Now, if we can only get 'em back out the door. Conservative mom and pop "Christian Bookstores" (or their slick, chain-store counterparts like LifeWay or Berean or Family) don't usually carry these, and, sadly, some of the more mainstream ecumenical stores (and readers) distrust publishers with an evangelical heritage, like those I've mentioned above. It is part of our calling to stock these kinds of excellent books, to work with these kinds of solid, innovative publishers, and to invite a wider readership to the very best in religious publishing. Thanks for helping us spread the word, and for your part in our efforts.

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Practical Books on Green Living

2007-08-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

You may recall that I sometimes copy here samples of correspondence we do with customers with book questions. One very good friend, who is widely read and theologically mature, asked for some basic guides to living more faithfully in the whole area of creation care, stewardship and "living greenly." She had read a title we had previously announced, Barbara Kingsolver's intriguing memoir about eating locally grown food, wonderfully called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and was both delightfully challenged and not fully convinced. Regardless, it inspiried her, as good books do, to think about taking steps towards greater fidelity.

I commended an article I wrote for the website in April, and then listed a few helpful books. Without much editing I wanted to share it, here. Let us know what you think.

Well, this question surely is a big one. There are so many books.... some are, of course, very practical, with little tips about insulation and gas milage and the like. I call them handbooks of hints.

And then there are those that offer the theology of Earth-care, books about creational stewardship . If you want a bit of my story, and the books we read in the 70's and 80's (especially) and a few that have been important to us just lately, please see the monthly Review Article that I did in April over at the website. It is somewhat autobiographical and yet lists batches of eco books, from Small Is Beautiful and Francis Moore Lappe to the latest Zondervan title by Matthew Sleeth. I commend the very weighty new book by Bob Goudzewaard, there, too which is so very important; we helped as an early reader, and although a serious read, Hope for Troubled Times gives the largest of pictures in these hard times. The forward by Desmond Tutu is pretty remarkable, too.

Here are some that may be more substantive and enjoyable than the handy guidebook sort, but more practical than the foundational ones I describe in the April column.

Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective edited by Michael Schut (Living the Good News) $14.95 This is a gloriously handsome collection of essays, articles, talking points, stories, with a great study guide. Contributors includes Henri Nouwen and Richard Foster as well as Juliet Schor, Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, and Cal DeWitt. Highly recommended on simple lifestyle, stewardship and such.

Food & Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread edited by Michael Schut (Living the Good News) $14.95 A must, I'd say, for anyone who enjoys Kingsolver. This is an equally charming and challenging compendium (and good study guide) on eating well, with insights from mystics and cooks, theologians and gardeners, stuff about global poverty and the joy of feasting. Highly recommended for anyone who cares about food, or should!

Living the Good Life On God's Good Earth Edited by David Koetje (Faith Alive) $11.50 This is a great collection of brief essays on different aspects of faithful living: on clothing, on eating, or homes, on energy consumption, on rest & enjoyment, even the plants we choose to grow. My, my, this is spectacular in it's solid insight, brevity and breadth, and usefulness for a study group. Many of the authors are in the CRC/Calvin College orbit, but not all. I love this and there really is nothing quite like it in print. A good forward by Ron Sider.

EarthTrek: Celebrating and Sustaining God's Creation Joanne Moyer (Herald Press) $11.99 Created and promoted by MCC this is a lovely and very useful guidebook to a journey--almost like a daily devotional, with a guide into doing things each day. (It gives you four "weeks" (sessions) for each of the seven days of creation. Not everyone likes this structured way of taking steps but it does have a ton of good information, basic facts and things to do (Some are quite do-able, some, well, less so, like "plant trees.") It was first an on-line study which got good reviews, and has been designed by the same folks who did two earlier ones called Basic Trek: Venturing Into A World of Enough and Parent Trek Nurturing Creativity and Care in Our Children.

Sustainable Living for Dummies Michael Grosvenor (Wiley) $21.99 I hope you don't mind me saying that these Dummies books are usually very good. I'm not at all troubled by them (the way some people seem to be, thinking they are too silly and, well, dumb.) Actually, I find them very solid (C.S. Lewis for Dummies for instance is great!) Here they give plain descriptions of the key ideas in the sustainability movement and while it may not be as rugged or detailed as the old Foxfire books, it does give plenty of really practical stuff around a number of key areas (home, water use, shopping, energy use, etc.) Nicely done, packed with info.

Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth Mathis Wackernagel & William Rees (New Society Publishers) $14.95 Gotta hand it to these radical Quaker types for thinking critically about the biggest issues; this offers tools to actually measure impact, to think creatively about bio-regions and communities, and would be helpful not only for families, but for academics, planners and activists. Whew!

An Earth Careful Way of Life Lionel Basney (Regent College Press) $18.95 You may recall this book by a beloved English prof at Calvin College who drowned a few years ago. IVP eventually let it go out of print---it was ahead of its time, I'm afraid----and the good folks at Regent in Vancouver re-issued it. What a marvelous telling of an ordinary family (well, not so ordinary, it turns out, being a writer and Earth-keeper.) This does have some practical suggestions, but it is mostly his warm narrative and reflections on the meaning of their efforts.

Misadventures in the Middle East, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and a free copy of The Only Road North

2007-07-31T20:11:00.000-05:00

Last week Beth and both read books about the conflicted Persian/Arab Middle Eastern world, books that brought great emotion and wonder to us both. Her choice was the more literary and important one, I suppose: A Thousand Splendid Suns (Riverhead; $25.95), the new novel by Khaled Hosseini, the famous Afghani author of The Kite Runner. This is a harrowing tale of great tragedy, of poverty and war, the repression of the Taliban, the oppression of women, the tenacity of friendships and a touching glimmer of redemption. She was, as we say, deeply moved by it, and I got choked up at one point in her describing it to me. The Kite Runner has been a much talked-about book, of course (it was our local choice for the "One Book One Community" read in York County last year.) This one is even more tragic and rich. For those who can take the heavy stuff (think, uh, the new Cormac McCarthy) this would be a very good choice. Beth has been haunted by it, as have most critics, who have raved. Publisher's Weekly called the writing "lyrical" and of course gave it a starred review.

Mine, though, was a heck of a lot more fun, and yet also disturbing in small ways, a book that I can't quite thinking about. It was a fairly well-written book (not brillant) by some British art-school guys who, upon graduating, make a decision to take off to the broad Middle East, knowing not so much about that region, hoping to paint what they see, express their take on things, sell some work in some high-brow gallery showings along the way, and learn how artists in other cultures work. Part road trip, part travelogue, part artist memoir, part political study, Misadventure in the Middle East: Travels as Tramp, Artist and Spy by Henry Hemming (Nicholas Brealey; $19.95) was hard to put down. As Henry and his pal (and their truck named Yasmine) made their way into Turkey, into Kurdish Iran, to contacts in the art world of Lebanon, Baghdad, Saudia Arabia and Jordan, they are variously considered terrorists or spys or national cultural heros; they are detained at borders and housed with princes. They end up in Israel, detained again, with a patriotic picture above them, laden with irony as they had earlier been hosted by one of the Kings (of Jordon) in the official photograph. As they are released into a hostel which they couldn't afford, the book ends, sooner than I would have wished. Not a bad sign, wanting more.

Post 9-11 Middle East has never been portrayed so earnestly and, I would guess, never quite so humorously. Using art as their passport, as it says on the back cover, they traveled "from the drug-fuelled ski slopes of Iran via the region's mosques, palaces, army barracks, secret beaches, police cells, nightclubs, torture chambers, brothels and artists' studios" all on the way to Baghdad (where they have heard there is a growing and important artistic renessaince. If they can only find it.) Finding hipster artists in a war zone isn't the safest thing to do.

I am positive that this will bring good hours of reading pleasure for anyone who is interested in this sort of crazy adventure journey. It is also helpful to enter into the world of art production (the two buds argue relentlessly about their styles of doing work, the meanings of their projects, fretting how their work will be received and reviewed, and the plausibility of producing enough paintings to actually sell, make some money, and continue on their year-long aesthetic escapade. Sound familiar?)

And, it is a helpful glimpse into these Brits and their take on the take of so many common people they met along the way. The invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam's empire happens while there are there, and their increasing love for the region and its people(s) gives them an open-hearted vantage point to hear the anguish of Arab and Middle Eastern folk, Muslim and Christians and others. The differences and similiarities of persective--on religion, on women, on art, on politics, on Americans, on war---that they encounter is itself illuminating. Misadventure... was a very good book to enjoy, and fascinating journey. Some of Mr. Hemming's artwork can be seen here. An art book showing images and artwork of the journey was published as Off Screen.

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What a journey of three friends--joined by a fourth later--who are doing relief work, firstly in Morocco, and then, starting in Capetown, motorcyle their way throughout Africa. They face everything from wild animals to terrorist bombs, Christian mission projects and hostile civil warriors. To call them intrepid is saying the least as they struggle to make their way through this magnificent and troubled land. A thrilling spiritual journey filled with qualms and doubts and enough authentic epiphanies to last a lifetime will make a great compliment your pick of either of the other two described in BookNote above. Email us, hit the order form at the website, or give us a call at 717.246.3333. Tell us you want the blog special deal with the free book.

Free Book Offer for College Students

2007-07-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

I'm posting from my temporary assignment at Ocean City NJ where, as I've said at my Facebook site, I've been teaching and sharing life with a group of college students at the CCOs annual student leadership experience, the summer-long Ocean City Beach Project. What a privilege it was earlier in the summer to help train the professional CCO campus ministers (as I blogged about a week or so ago--scroll down) and now to meet some of their sharpest students. The house here in OC is spacious and warm (in more ways than one) and we have our traveling book display laid out on pool tables and end tables and shelving borrowed from the kitchen. In between their work and beach fun, meetings and ministry, classes and cooking, they browse the display, and have bought plenty. (One donor, and old OCBP teacher, offers some money to subsidize their purchases a bit. THANKS!) The students have had guest speakers all summer and have learned what community life is like as they sharpen their leadership skills for their upcoming fall semester.

I am grateful for how they befriended me and my family---even the ones lost in HP7 this week. These students represented maybe a dozen different colleges, and various majors and interests. They all work at day jobs on the boardwalk or town, and have all kinds of learning experiences, small groups and Bible studies through-out the week.

My topic complimented their more specific weeks on racial justice, leadership, evangelism, Bible study and such. I gave my lectures on integrating faith and learning, being faithful in academic discipleship (for the sake of culture-shaping, world-tranforming social innovations), helping them relate their Christian worldview to the callings and careers learned in the classroom. From Steve Garber's essential book (Fabric of Faithfulness) to the resources on worldview and the Christian mind by James Sire, from Al Wolters Creation Regained to Neal Plantinga's Engaging God's World, we called these young students to a robust and sturdy faith that can withstand the fierce (or the subtle) opposition found on most modern campuses. (I hope you linked to my op-ed piece in the York Sunday News last week where I pondered the state of contemporary college life. Again, scroll down a few posts below if you haven't read it.) That there is much need for deep discernment in our culture, and in the college classroom, as students nurture the mind of Christ should be evident. For some students, though, and usually their churches, and sometimes even campus workers, the radical call to "take every thought captive" comes as a bit of a shock. The vast implications, once realized, opens new and challanging vistas of ways to connect faith and thinking, devotion and life, prayer and politics, our deepest cares and our longed for careers. One student said I shook her up a bit, "in a good way." Let's hope.

It is our conviction that the best resource on these things for college students is the new book, The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students by Derek Melleby and Don Opitz (Brazos; $14.00)which I have raved about here before. Readers of BookNotes should know I'm close to these guys and feel involved in the manuscript. You can see the advertisement about it on the left.

You know how many books I love and how many new ones I commend; this one gets an banner ad here because we are so committed to making it known. If you are reading this and know anyone in college who has an interest in Christian discipleship and living out faith in relevant ways, this book is a must. If space permitted I'd share portions we read together here at the OCBP. It is both radical and fun; serious-minded and light-hearted. Perfect.

Here's a special deal. I've talked before about the very handsome journal we sell, the special issues of the quarterly Comment, entitled "How to Make the Most Out of College." This is a great collection of essays on several key aspects of college life (from forming friendships to learning how to ask questions, from appreciation of the arts to developing habits of reading, written by your truly.) We usually sell it for $8.00 and it is a marvelous resource for students wanting to ponder some important questions and learn life-giving habits about their college experiences. We'll give ya a free one for every Outrageous Idea... you buy. OCBP students liked it. I'd bet that students you know would too. Email or call us today!

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Eyes Wide Open special deal

2007-07-21T18:07:00.000-05:00

From what I know of our BookNotes readers, I would guess that many of you know, and some have read, Eyes Wide Open: Finding God in Popular Culture by William D. Romanowski (Brazos) $17.99 (See blog special below for sale pricing.) Some may have inclinations to work on this topic, and like that we have commended books like The Culturally Savvy Christian by Dick Staub, our well-loved Everyday Apocalypse, by the extraordinary David Dark, or, yesterday, the books that offer Christian insights into Harry Potter, but haven't read Romo yet. If so, now is the time to buy this important book. I know I say it a lot, but you should trust me on this.

As we noted in yesterday's post, many have expressed delight and approval that we stock the Harry Potter books; once again, the local paper mentioned us in a story (is it really newsworthy that a Christianly-run store stocks Deathly Hallows?) And, yet, yes, there are reports of religious criticisms of Potter fans, including us, and not everybody understands our interests in fantasy lit (and, more generally, why we carry any "secular" novels and music.) Even some that I thought knew us well have been surprised that we stock HP, even though they are glad.

Why are they surprised? It seems that we still don't quite appreciate the Biblical basis for engaging in culture, playing our part in the human task of culture-forming. Our worldviews just aren't Christian enough; we are enmeshed in dualism that minimizes such stuff. I sometimes pontificate about being salt and light, Biblical metaphors for being in the world, and quote Paul on Mars Hill (Acts 17) who knew the pagan poetry of the day. But how about the "foundational command" to cultivate the Earth, the "cultural mandate" as Reformed folk call it, from Genesis 1:28? It doesn't get much more basic than that.

Of the plethora of books about these kinds of things that have come out in recent years, and there are many, Bill Romanowski's book is among the best, and, I believe, the most important. He has studied hard and long about this stuff, having grappled with everything from the neo-Marxist Frankfurt school to the Dooyeweerdian aesthetics of Calvin Seerveld; he's paid his dues in the academic world of social history and he knows his Biblical theology; and he, well, he loves the movies! I would think that every church library should have Eyes Wide Open. Book groups should be using it. It should be given to college students and other young adults, especially, so they know that their church cares about their world, at least. As we increasingly find ourselves in a media-drenched, entertainment-oriented, cultural matrix driven by the movie industry and the "star-maker machinery" (yes, I know, I date myself with a Joni Mitchell line), it is imperative that we master the stuff in this book. Our times demand it, and, really, our faith requires it.

I admit it: I am fond of this particular text because Bill and I were housemates in college and remain good friends. He's a great communicator, serious yet with more than his share of whimsy. Hearts & Minds has supported the book since its earlier edition (and his earlier work, Pop Culture Wars, too.) We stock the Calvin College produced videos of Bill lecturing on the WB lot with oodles of film clips. This new edition of Eyes..., as I exclaimed when it came out a half a year ago, is significantly updated and expanded. It is a must-have. For what it is worth, our L'Abrai-influenced friends at Ransom Fellowship (who publish the excellent Critique magazine) agree. Go here to see why.

In this Potter-esque season in the book-selling liturgical calandar the discussions about literary criticism, religion & fiction, God and popular entertainment, will be everywhere. The debates among some Christians will be firm, but even where there is only a mild uneasiness---readers who don't want to tell their church friends that they love the Harry & Hermione & Ron Weasley---we don't really have a coherent way to get at the issue. In a time when some pastors get in trouble for being seen lining up with their kids to buy the book, where some Christian book industry leaders dare not mention it to their stores (I was told this last week by a very significant person in the trade) since most Christian booksellers refuse to stock it and would take offense by the mention, when folks do buy it yet don't have any skills of discernement about it, I think we must continue to have resources on hand like Eyes Wide Open.

Here is a great interview from INFUZE with Romanowski. He talks a bit about the updated version of the book and other good stuff. Check it out!

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We would like to invite you to help us get the book into circulation. If we can get more folks in discussion about this, with these kinds of ideas, God will be pleased and, frankly, our job here will be easier. Your's will be too, don't you think?

We will sell you two nearly for the price of one: it usually sells for $17.99. We'll sell ya two for $20.00 That's the same as $10 each, if you take two. What a deal!
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Free Book About Potter

2007-07-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

Well, we received our Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows shipment, and we opened the carton, against publisher rules. (Honestly, we wanted to make sure they weren't damaged. Really.) I suspect the same guys that come after you if you take that little tag off your mattresses will be showing up. If you see a Hearts & Minds employee--no names mentioned here---being led off in cuffs, you'll know why. Sure beats tax evasion, though.

We are ready for a few locals to swing by, sans costumes, I hope, at midnight Friday night. Our oldest daughter, who works at a local library, had over 200 for their little party tonight, so we figured we didn't really need another. Readers of our BookNotes blog will know our worldviewish, in-the-world-but-not-of it, Christ-transforming-culture, engage the issues, Isacharian (look it up, I Chronicals 12:22), love for literature schtick but you should know that we will take hits for stocking the magical book. It may seem silly to some of you, but we ask for your prayers. It seems each time we display the latest, amidst the media hoopla, some Christians are shocked that we have them.

For the record, if it were about witchcraft and advocating evil, we would, obviously, think twice before carrying them. We do not think about the Satanic lightly. (We do, interestingly, carry the seriously anti-Christian Philip Pullman "His Dark Materials" fantasy novels, and some very thoughtful Christian books that evaluate the hatred for the church that is so evident in this well-written novels. No body much buys them here, but we have 'em, and pray hard that we are honoring God despite the complexities of those stories.)

Harry, though: we love him. You have read here previously, I hope, that we have quite an array of books like the excellent The Gospel According to Harry Potter by Connie Neal or the very thoughtful Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger, even If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards and Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts There are others, too, and we are grateful for the chance (sorry if I sound like a boring broken record) to help nurture Christian discernment, Godly thoughtfulness, joy in common grace and the habits of happy reading. Or not so happy, depending on how the story turns in HP7.

So: here's a little deal. I've got a couple of the very, very interesting set of rigorous Potter speculations called Who Killed Albus Dumbledore edited by the Orthodox Potter guru, John Granger. (That is, he is an Orthodox Christian, and a good, if perhaps unorthodox Potter guru. He teaches Latin too, which I suppose is neither here nor there. Or is it?)

The first couple folks who order Deathly Hallows from us here (at the sale price of $24.99) we will give a free copy of that along with the order. It is a $15 value, but we need to move 'em out, and would be happy to use it as an incentive to getcher Harry from us. Just ask for the free book.

While supplies last.

And, for those of you who ordered them elsewhere, I cast upon you the Bat-Bogey Hex.

The Language of God

2007-07-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

I promised readers a while back that I would post an announcement when we received the new paperback edition of Francis S. Collins' The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. We are very happy to say that we've gotten it. It has a new study guide, too, making it ideal for a book club or adult study. We are very fond of it. (Click on that link above and read an interview with Dr. C done by Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly.)

Collins, you should know, is the prestigious director of the Human Genome Project at the NIH, and is one of the world's leading scientists. As it says on the back cover, "he works at the cutting edge of the study of DNA, the code of life. Yet, he is also a man of unshakable faith in God and Scripture."

Yes, Dr. Collins--who has given important lectures at Harvard and was an MIT commencement speaker a few years back!---is an evangelical, nurtured in the ways of orthodox faith by friends at the C.S. Lewis Institute and theologians like N.T. Wright and his pal the estimable Dr. Alister McGrath. That he speaks as easily about C.S. Lewis as he does gene sequences shows his thoughtfulness and deeply integrated perspective. The Times review noted that the book "lets non-church-goers consider spiritual questions without feeling awkward." And that is quite a feat, I think, making it an excellent book to give away or to use in a seeker book discussion.

That the book was a New York Times bestseller and has blurbs from the likes of Desmond Tutu and Kenneth Miller and Paul Davies makes it that much more interesting. I think many of our BookNotes friends will be glad this inexpensive paperback is now available (See the blog special, below).

The book should appeal to a variety of readers. It is a science book, after all, and would obviously fit well into that catagory. If you read popular science or are trying to figure out the debates about evolution, this is a great introduction; well-written, making complex matters very understandable. (I announced the new Michael Behe book, The Edge of Evolution, a month ago. He is a brillant and important researcher but his more technical work is beyond me.) Collins writes as a world-class researcher, too, but this is a popular level book, some of it a memoir of his own journey as person of faith and cutting edge scientist.

Collins is not only a scholar with a PhD in chemistry (done when he was, as he explains, a rigorous atheist), but he has a medical degree as well. It makes sense that a friend and mentor is Dr. Armand Nicholi of Harvard Medical School (author of the great book which compares the worldviews of Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, The Question of God.) It was when Collins was in medical school, actually, when he found Christian faith compelling and became a disciple of Christ.

Much of the book explores his take on the reasonableness of faith, and his good work in genetics and in the herculian effort to map the human genome.

(Collins and his team have done very significant work in many areas, of course, but I was especially moved to hear of his discovery of the key genetic problem that causes cystic fibrosis. I was almost moved to tears as he writes of writing a song for patients, families and activists in the CF support community. Obviously, he's a hero in their eyes! See his bio here to see other diseases his research has helped "crack.")

The book makes a good case for faith being reasonable, and he expresses what I take to be solid and orthodox views yet he is open, gentle, and makes it clear that he does not think that Biblically grounded faith leads to either the politics of the Christian right or the inaccuracies of the creationist movement. (Like many of our wisest church father before him, he does not think that the first three chapters of Genesis need to be taken literally.) In a few chapters he dispatches not only agnostic and atheistic assumptions, but explains his disapproval of both young earth creationism and intelligent design.

Ahhh, space here does not permit my small quibbles about his critique of ID.* Let's just say I don't think he presents the full case, although he makes accusations that I would imagine he could easily back up, even if he doesn't fully do so in the text. Interestingly, secularists have noticed that his apologetic includes the argument from design in cosmology (and, cf,in the Big Bang.) He rejects such thinking, though, in biology, where ID has had the most influence. I would love to see some friendly discusion--and knowing Francis just a bit, I know it would be most cordial--between he and, say, Philip Johnson or Mike Behe.

The Language of God ends with a somewhat detailed discussion of moral medicine, the ethics of genetic engineering (stem cell research, for instance) and a call to thoughtful, balanced and reasonable approaches to bio-medicine guided by principles of stewardship, justice, care and integrity. This is the kind of man he is, the kind of science he daily practices, and he is an ideal voice for inviting skeptics into the conversation between Christian faith and modern science. As First Things said in a review of the initial hardcover, "His book may do more to promote better understanding between the worlds of faith and science than any other so far written."

*Here is a review that was published in The American Spectator. Fascinating.

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York Sunday News column: The Yearning of Young Collegians

2007-07-16T12:24:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, I have been asked to write an op-ed piece in our local Sunday paper (The York Sunday News) every six weeks and in past postings, I've linked to those pieces. I usually mention books or authors (duh) and figure that our BookNotes friends might want to see my efforts to talk about the sort of stuff that matters to us here, in a more public setting. Yesterday, a new one was published.

In my last blog post I mentioned helping out with the CCO, the campus ministry organization that trains sharp folks to learn about wholistic campus outreach, and then forms partnerships with congregations that are near college campuses. I allude to them in this column (sadly, their strict word count had me editing out whole paragraphs, cutting entire sentences, and triming some of my more colorful adjectives.) In an earlier draft I named Billy Ferrell as the fella sent by the CCO to York, now working out of Asbury United Methodist.

And, of course, in any talk about caring for the youth of the church, I had to talk about how Derek Melleby and Don Opitz's new book (see the advert over to the left) will help with the college transition.

Read my Sunday News column, "The Yearning of Young Collegians."

What do you think?
Is there somebody---church staff? Parent? College-age student? you could send it to?

Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be

2007-07-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

This goofy gang may be dressed up for an 80's party or something but you should know they are the cream of the crop of today's collegiate evangelists, intellectually and spiritually mature, spending time this summer reading and learning about their upcoming tasks as campus workers. The Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), the para-church campus ministry based in Pittsburgh with whom Beth and I serve as Associate Staff--that means we're their official booksellers---had me out to help with new staff training this week. I offered a passionate and jam-packed class on modernity and postmodernity, the need for campus workers to contextualize their evangelism and disciple-making to the distinctive ethos of the institutions of higher education in which they find themselves.

Obviously, college students will be tomorrow's leaders, and it is strategic and vital to reach often de-churched and secularized postmodern youth with the gospel. It is of equal importance and urgency to help those students who are already followers of Jesus to relate their faith to their majors and future careers. You've seen the little advertisement here on the website for the new book by CCO colleagues Derek Melleby and Don Opitz, The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness (one of the books the new staff are reading together this week.) I have suggested in other posts that this is the best book to give to young adults going off to college and that there is really nothing like it in print. My lectures for these campus workers and their mentors---who will be hitting their respective campuses next month---was an extended riff on the central thesis of the Outrageous Idea book: God calls us to think faithfully and relate a theologically sound life perpsective to the questions of the classroom (along with all aspects of campus living.) To equip youngsters to think in truly Christian ways about their collegiate experiences and to navigate the ideologies and idols of the postmodern university, their campus ministers have got to know the issues, the intellectual mileu, the controversies and practices which need to be lovingly and discerningly engaged. These are deep waters for many young students so these campus ministers have to know their stuff and be flexible and winsome as they exhort the students they befriend. I considered it one of the great priveleges of my summer to get to help teach these campus disciple-makers. That they raise their own salaries makes it tough for their book-buying budgets, too, but they bought what they could.

A good chunk of my time actually was spent hanging out afterwards consulting about books, showing off our book display and helping the new CCO staff learn about our services as booksellers. (They weren't in their 80's party mode by then.) Of course I told them about our "Books by Vocation" bibliography over at the website, and recommended resources on developing the Christian mind, the best books on evangelism, social action, building community, cross-cultural friendships, etc. You can imagine the stuff that campus workers have to read up on---eating disorders and institutional racism, how to teach young people to lead Bible studies and how to help them form sexual character, how to help their sponsoring churches learn to care for young adult guests and how to help make sure their own spiritual lives are deep and refeshed.

Brian Walsh & Richard Middleton's book Truth is Stranger Than it Used to Be ---a postmodern sequal to the must-read Transforming Vision--formed some of our conversation. With a very informed and somewhat appreciative take on the deconstructionist critique of modernity's idols (the myth of objectivity, the idol of progress, the Enlightenment's hubris and reductionisms, the ideologies of Empire, the false hopes of Rationalism, the subsequent encroaching secularization and crass consumerism and relativism) they show the philosophical and cultural consequences of the postmodern turn. The second half of the book is a creative and sustained Bible study, making an audacious claim that the way to speak into the postmodern culture is with the vision of unfolding drama of the Scriptures, showing that the heart of the story is that the Author of the plot, is the God who suffers and dies for His beloved creation, establishing, through a Spirit-empowered, counter-cultural community, a good Kingdom of peace and healing. Can we learn to love the Scriptures like Walsh & Middleton do?** Can we proclaim them with all the pathos and care and hope that they show in Truth Is Stranger...? Can we embody communities of grace that are signposts of the coming Kingdom? In the context of teaching about the call to wholistic dischipleship, intellectual fidelity, and contextualized campus ministry, this was a challange offered to these thoughtful new CCO staff.

Brian Walsh continues this matter in a little known book of four powerful, intellectually- stimulating and Biblically mind-blowing essays entitled Subversive Christianity: Imaging God in Dangerous Times (Alta Vista; $10.) He reminds us---and I reminded the new CCO staff at the highpoint of my lecture---that intellectual switcheroos, changing ideas (even from a dualistic and privitized worldview to a faith that is full-orbed and culturally relevant) is NOT enough. (This is, by the way, a problem with many of the recent conservative writers that are writing about worldviews, as if they are merely a set of doctrinal or philosophical concepts with which we agree or disagree.) Revising the ideas of our worldviews, needful as that is, is not the goal of a fully repentant and renewed faithfulness. Walsh, who has made his living as a Christian scholar and worldview teacher, insists that true spiritual transformation and cultural reformation will happen when our imaginations change. Drawing on sources deep within the prophetic literature (Jeremiah, mostly) as explicated by Walter Brueggemann, for instance, in The Prophetic Imagination, Walsh's Subversive Christianity tells us to allow God's vision to become our own by the breaking of our hearts, a rejection of idols, a pathos-filled imagination that in faith believes that God will do good things in our times. Do we walk by faith? Can we imagine what it means to be hopeful people? Subversive Christianity is one of my all time favorite books, and I recomended it to them.

People of serious faith will struggle with these things, and perhaps our book selections here at the shop, over at the website, and my reviews and blogs here at BookNotes, will help. Hopefully, this motley and silly crew of the CCO--gotta love the guy who shaved his head to look like Mr. T!---will take their exuberant and faithful approaches into the dorms and classrooms, coffee-shops and locker rooms of our Mid-Atlantic colleges and universities. Pray for them, please. And thanks for caring about our bookselling ministry here. Want to join the fun by ordering any of the one's I've mentioned? It sure would be good to know that others, too, are on this journey...

**By the way, in case you haven't followed their writing career: I mentioned the love for the Scriptures (creatively taught) shown in the last half of Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be. Brian Walsh teamed up with his wife Sylvia Keesmaat, and later wrote Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire a book which I named as the book of the year a year ago. It, again, is a politically radical and exegetically solid take on postmodernism, Empire, the nature of the witness of the early church communities and how we, today, might live out the vision of the book of Colossians. Agree with it or not, it is one of the most thought-provoking and extraordinary books I've read. Many folks agree, and we're happy to have had a small hand in it. Subversive Christianity, though, is not as well known, and we would love to suggest it to you.

Jonathan Edwards conference and a brand new book

2007-07-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Well, business went on as usual here at Hearts & Minds this week, with our competent staff handling all manner of orders and inquiries while Beth and I (yes, Beth was well enough to work) set up and sold books at the annual conference sponsored by the Jonathan Edwards Institute. We've linked to their webpage before, and as their organizer (Pedro Govantes) says, "conversations of consequence" emerge from good worship. That is, true worship---honoring and exalting the sufficient One, Christ, who is both our Judge and Friend, King and Savior---has daily consequences. It effects our worldview, of course, and shapes our heart, which shapes our daily practices. These things are talked about with profound regularity over the book tables, meals, workshops and worship services at the annual JEI gathering in historic Annapolis, Maryland. Thanks to the JEI gang for allowing us to be a part of it all.

This year, alongside a fascinating (if we do say so ourselves) display of books by and about the colonial philosopher, theologian, writer, pastor, scholar and missionary, we featured the authors who were speaking. Keynote speakers includes the profound and exquiste D.A. Carson (surely one of the most solid and prolific Bible scholars around, esteemed professor from Trinity), the passionate and interesting Gordon-Conwell professor, Scott J. Hafemann, and the great, great preacher (of the historic-redemptive method) Richard Pratt, of Reformed Theological Seminary. These men are all elequant and passionate and clear and powerful as they teach the most reliably solid sort of classsic orthodox theology, with vivid and explosive missional consequence. If you don't know their scholarship or the many books they've authored click on the links that list some of their prestigious credentials, ecumenical work, and their books. Even for BookNotes readers who aren't conservative or Reformed, these guys are well worth knowing. That they work in dedicated ways teaching in places like Chad, too, is humbling. Theirs is theological scholarship refined in the trenches not only of the academy but in the fields of hard service.

Other authors present included Westminister Seminary's "Van Til" apologist, jazzman and cultural guru, Bill Edgar (who did workshops, for instance, on the musical work of Stravinski and another on truth in an ipod culture) and the prolific pastor, writer, Dean of Prison Fellowship's Centurian Fellows, organizer and scholar of cultural reformation (and, of late, Celtic spirituality) T.M. Moore. Again, it was an honor to be with these Christian leaders, and a treat to make a living selling books to God's people. At gatherings like this, it is especially meaningful, knowing that in attendence are those who are truly eager to learn, open to buying serious books, and are most likely going to pass new insights and commitments on back in their home congregations.

Thanks to those who were kind to us, who offered encouraging words, shared book reviews and ideas and who shelled out hard earned cash for the resources we promote.

Alas, one book which a few conferees asked about was just released and had arrived here in Dallastown, waiting for us when we got back. (If only it had come a few days earlier! Yikes, I suppose I ought not complain about the Providence of God when discussing one who thought so deeply about His soverignity, should I?)

Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections by Sam Storms (Crossway; $15.99) is now here, so I will at least announce it now. Storms is a serious Reformed scholar and writer, recently touched in manifest ways by the Holy Spirit's gifts (yes, I know, a charismatic Calvinist is nearly an oxymoron, but we love it!) It makes sense for Sam, with his "Enjoying God Ministires" and affirmation of the full role of the Spirit, to revisit this classic of how spiritual revivial and emotional life relate. Are all religious feelings truly of God? Does a bunch of spiritual passion indicate the real thing? Are miracles to be sought? That is precisely what Edwards wondered in his day and it is what is called for, again.

Here are a few endorsements from the back cover.

"Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections remains one of the most discerning works of spiritual psychology published in the last several centuries. Dr. Samuel Storms unpacking of this significant work reveals once again for a new generation why the old Puritan so much deserves the most careful study today." Mark A. Noll, University of Notre Dame

"Storms' repackaging of this spiritual classic meets a serious need. His essay on Edwards' personal spirituality, introducing the Personal Narrative, is almost worth the price of the book. Then, his running commentary, interspersed with direct selection from the Narrative are exceedingly helpful." Gerald R. McDermott, Roanoke College

"These texts of Jonathan Edwards have nourished the church for nearly three centuries. In Sam Storms' capable hands they'll now speak clearly, plainly, and powerfully to the church today and for generations to come. If you've ever wanted to tackle Edwards but have shied away, you no longer have an excuse." Stephen J. Nichols, Lancaster Bible College

Sacred Rhythms & The God of Intimacy and Action

2007-07-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

For my Sunday Sabbath reading, I spent some happy hours with a book we have raved about since it came out last year, re-reading portions, and some time with a new one I highlighted in my last post. Fighting over melancoly and exhaustion and a persistent cough, this time of reflection and reading was wonderful. It was my inclination to blog yesterday, but I was resolute not to "work." And so, here's my quickie reviews of two great resources for the journey.

The "something old" was last year's Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton (IVP;$16.) Her first chapter about the yearning so many of us feel, especially those of us active in church life or Christian ministry, for "something more", is worth the price of the entire book, and I've read it several times. Despite our hectic pace and numerous obligations, we foolishly try to pack one more spiritual activity into our already wheezing schedules. We think if we read one more book or participate in one more workshop or log on to one more cyber-prayer site, we will gain serenity. Ruth writes in wonderful prose, clear and helpful, inspiring and gentle, about her own spiritual burn-out and the need to find a "rule of life" that was life-giving. Yesterday, I was once again struck by her wisdom about how to wisely disengage from noise and email and technology from time to time. You can read some of her stuff at www.thetransformingcenter.org.

Ruth weaves together her fluency with the best writers (like Ronald Rohleiser's The Holy Longing or M. Robert Mulholland) with standard insights about the practice of the disciplines, but her style is her own, and her stories from her own lived experience of growing into practices that are faithful and helpful. She moves from profound ideas to very practicial suggestions, written with winsome care and yet an authoritative voice. She knows whereof she speaks.

I've read plenty of books on spiritual formation, over decades, and we stock many, from all sorts of publishers. From Thomas Merton to Gary Thomas, Richard Foster to Richard Baxter, from ancient saints to PunkMonk; we love this stuff. I will say without a doubt that this book is one of the best that I've read. We commend it to you, happily, one more time. Also, the one that preceded this is called Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Tranforming Presence (IVP; $16). It, too, is extraordinary for its clarity, charm, ordinaryness and honesty. I think it is very important (and I will re-read it again, soon.) Happily, an older book she wrote years ago on being a Godly woman is now available again. (It was first called Becoming a Woman of Strength, which she expanded and re-wrote and re-titled as The Truths That Free Us upon learning more about spiritual disciplines, as she was being mentored by Tilden Edwards and the Shalem Institute.) It's has now been re-issued under the title Longing for More: A Woman's Path to Transformation in Christ (IVP; $16.)

I mentioned that I started a brand new book last evening. I announced it in my last post but now that I've read much of it, I can say I am absolutely thrilled and cannot recommend it highly enough. It worked for me on several levels, as it was motivational and inspiring, but also educational in that it taught some new stuff. The God Of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism and Justice is co-authored by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling (Jossey-Bass; $21.95.) It is a winner and reading it touched me ways for which I am, yet this morning, grateful.

I know that not all of our readers are as committed to promoting Campolo's work as I am. As I read his portion of the book, it reminded me why I love him so, and why I've been blessed to know him a bit: he combines an unashamed interest in leading others to Christ. He does altar calls, for God's sake! (Read that sentence again if you need to.) He is outspoken for peace and social justice, but he invites us to be empowered by the Spirit (can you hear him as he says it in that faux-British way that some older evangelicals use, and how he cites from memory the old King James?) I love a guy that still talks about personal evangelism even as he draws on secular sociologists about power structures and uses his storytelling abilities to remind us to be true to Christ and active in the worlds of culture, society and politics. Here, in a way that isn't surprising, but is refreshing and exciting, he brings together stories of evangelism, conversions, evangelistic preaching, and the need to learn from ancient saints and older spiritual practices. This isn't new ground for him, really, but it is explicit and fascinating and motivating.

(More needs to be said, I think, on the relationships between evangelism, spirituality and justice. Authors as diverse as Harvie Conn and Richard Foster and Rene Padilla and Becky Pippert and Tom Sine have weighed in over the years. This isn't the first word on that, nor the last. But it is a very, very good place to keep that conversation going, and I hope it is widely discussed.)

The long middle part is mostly penned by a woman who was raised in a fairly typical---that is, legalistic and pietisitic---evangelical worldview. Her simple faith was very sincere and personal but rarely equipped her to think deeply about the world or experience God in ways other than in the most superficial and dogmatic ways. As she grew into an interest in spirituality, she found herself also moving outward----think of the story of Catherine of Genoa, if you know it: her obsession with her inner life shattered as Christ called her to the poor and social reformation. Mary Albert Darling does one of the best jobs I've seen in describing the methods of St. Ignatius in ways that those not schooled in his complex theology can absorb. That she writes as an evangelical with a growing interest in social justice work makes her an able guide for many BookNotes readers, I'm sure. Darling teaches spiritual formation classes at Spring Arbor college and is especially fluent (as is Campolo) in the Welsyan revivals, his methods of reading spiritual classics in small groups, and ways to incorporate political action iniatives and evangelism, and all things soaked in prayer and an experience of the Spirit's leading.

Do you long for greater solidtude, and a life that is sane? Are you feeling wiped out this summer, stressed, as I am, overwhelmed even as you hunger for more depth? Ruth Haley Barton is an ally and guide. Sacred Rhythms can help.

Do you, again, as we do here, long for God's Kingdom to be seen in greater ways in our post-Christian culture? Do you want relevant engagement, prophetic ministry, political and economic reformation? Do you often consider the ways in which the whole creation is groaning---land and animals, too!---and eagerly await, like Romans 8 says, for the whole Earth to be renewed? Perhaps the clear teaching of spiritual methods that can fund and energize your call to action explaining in The God of Intimacy and Action will help. I can't wait until next Sunday when I can pray and read and reflect more on these two books. May you can order them, and join me in the journey of rest, renewal, revival and reformation?

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A Batch of Important, New Books

2007-06-28T20:06:00.001-05:00

So many great new books in the shop, and I am behind it telling you about them. I’ll dispense with the stories and meandering commentary and get right to it.

The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath (IVP) $16 Science journalist Dr. Timothy Johnson notes its “rigorous logic and exquisite fairness…” Michael Ruse says, “The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGrath’s show why.”

The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives Ravi Zacharias (Zondervan) $18.99 I believe it was Ravi who I first heard lecture against the meaninglessness of Dawkins’ view. Here, he shows that the threads of our lives are intentionally arranged. John Ortberg writes, “Zacharias never met a question he didn’t like. Here he explores life’s deepest questions in a tapestry that is personal, winsome, and clear.” Mark Buchanan says that “Ravi brings a keen mind, a tender heart, and a deft touch to the task…”

Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Mark D. Roberts (Crossway) $12.99 Scot McKnight’s blurb is helpful: “What F.F. Bruce did for my generation of students, Mark Roberts has done for the current generation. Any student who asks me if our Gospels are reliable will be given this book, and then I’ll buy another copy for the next student!” It has been called “brilliant” and “quite simply the best effort I have ever read by a serious scholar to communicate what scholars know about the Gospels…”

Without a Map: A Memoir Meredith Hall (Beacon) $24.95 So, Hearts & Minds raves about books offering a conservative apologetic for life’s meaning in a few recommendations, and then tells of a very, very moving memoir published by the renowned Unitarian publishers of Boston. So be it. This is more than a lovely memoir of spiritual journey, grief, examination and reflection and struggle, it is, Ivan Doig asserts, “one of the bravest stories…bone-honest and strong in every line.” David James Duncan calls it “a masterpiece.” Another lit critic says “Halls magnificent book held me in its thrall from the moment I began reading the opening pages.” With favorite writers like Sven Birkerts saying it is “like a geiger counter ticking along the radium edge of these recent decades. She gives us self as expert witness…” who wouldn’t be intrigued. That it is about her being kicked out of her Sunday school and family when unexpectedly pregnant at age 16, and her coping with this betrayal, makes is a matter of grave importance especially for those who care about righting the wrongs of toxic religion. We can learn much from those who tell the tale truthfully.

Signs of Emergence: A Vision for the Church That is Organic/Networked/
Decentralized/Bottom-Up/Communal/Flexible (Always Evolving.) Kester Brewin (Baker/emergent village) $14.99 Last year, we nearly moved heaven and earth to import a copy of British release, The Complex Christ for one of my best friends, a young, emergent pastor in Pittsburgh. This is the brand new U.S. edition, with a very new title. With rave, rave reviews from Peter Rollins, Alan Hirsch, Tom Sine, Shane Claiborne and other urban workers and those who celebrate the complexity of new thinking, science, webs, change theory and new imagination---applied to urban churches, especially, this may be the book of the year. You really should know about it.

Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus Mark Scandrette (Jossey-Bass) $21.95 A friend just heard a pod-cast of Scandrette and said he was fascinating. (“Out there” I think were his exact words.”) Beautifully written, edgy, a great story of the authors brave journey to a lived faith. Mark Oestreicher of Youth Specialties says it is “a story-weaver’s bountiful spread---filled with chocolate and wine and artisan bread---of the present Kingdom of God.” Anybody who runs something called The Jesus DoJo has my interest…

The God Of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling (Jossey-Bass) $21.95 Anyone who has heard Campolo knows that alongside his call to urban ministry and third world development, his call to serve God fully and to witness boldly, to be agents of social change, he also, always, gives a call to spiritual renewal, to contemplative prayer, to reliance on the Holy Ghost. Here, with a colleague at Spring Arbor College, he “reconnects ancient spiritual practices, evangelism and justice.” How nice to see a bold endorsement from Richard Foster, John Ortberg, Richard Rohr. Mary has been a leader in teaching about the spiritual disciplines (a Wesleyan taught by Jesuits) and her co-authorship of this important book makes for a fabulous energy and balance and depth. Spread the word!

John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace Jonathan Aitken (Crossway) $21.99 The esteemed Mr. Aitken was a distinguished MP in the British Parliament and went on to even more prestigious public service in the Cabinet there.** He currently is the Executive Director of the Trinity Forum in Europe, and active in human rights advocacy. An experienced and serious biographer, he has garnered rave reviews for this new, significant bio of the slave trader turned pastor and abolitionist. With endorsements from Mark Noll, Os Guinness, Chuck Colson, Alister McGrath, Rodney Stark and other important historians, scholars and cultural critics, this book is sure to be much discussed and on many “best of the year” lists.

**Jonathan Aitken, as Philip Yancey explains in his wonderful forward to this book, was convicted of perjury while in high government service and went to jail. Rather than a fall from grace as is commonly said, it was, rather, a fall into grace. Like Mr. Colson before him---and somewhat like the despicable Mr. Newton---Aitken knows well the struggle to find new life, to read while in prison, to emerge a new man. His own personal conversion is not the subject of this book, but his own obvious insight into the story of one like Newton, makes this a remarkably apropos author for a very important story. Amazing grace, indeed. Thanks be to God.

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Vocation, calling and Leading Lives That Matter

2007-06-22T00:22:00.000-05:00

Even as we pray for Shane and The Simple Way, and their damaged, Kensington neighborhood, (and please do follow the link I gave yesterday to consider making some donation to ease the plight from their awful fire) we continue on. I am leaving to speak at a conference---co-facilitate a conversation at a retreat is a better way of describing our hope---at Gordon College, north of Boston. The excellent chaplain there is a good friend, and he's invited a group of alumni from that college to gather (some of them more than a decade out of school) and reflect on their sense of vocation, the ways they are or are not holding on to a coherent vision of the faith that relates to all of life. Of course we trust that they have a mature spiritual life and are active in a local congregation, and hope they will share about such matters. But more, we want to create a safe and energizing space for them to give voice to their deepest yearnings about meaning, purpose, the integration of faith and work and the ways their education (years ago, perhaps) has influenced them as they discern vocational calls and professional stations in ways that are worthy of the name Christian.

My friend sent out some very good excerpts from a few books to them in advance and we will talk about others writings, too. Steve Garber will be joining us, which affords me yet another time to tell of the expanded edition of his Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior (IVP; $14) which is an astonishing book, ideal for the sorts of conversations we hope to have at this little retreat. And, of course, I'll recommend bunches of resources and tell some booksellin' stories.

The main source we used for finding essays and articles and poems is an amazing collection, a thick book that is a rich, rich resource that some of you may want to have on hand. Check out
Leading Lives That Matter: What We Should Do and Who We Should Be edited by Mark Schwehn and Dorothy Bass (Eerdmans; $24 .) With pieces as diverse as Frederick Buechner and Dorothy Day and Mark Twain and Dorothy Sayers, coupled with thoughtful introductions and questions, this literary reader is a great book to dip in to anytime the spirit flags and you need a thoughtful reminder of why you do what you do. Why do you do what you do? Does it matter?

Charles D. Drew just released a wonderfully clear and very helpful book which is smart and important in a quiet and unassuming way and serves as a fine introduction to the notions of calling, shaped by the general themes of the Biblical drama, creation, fall, redemption. It is A Journey Worth Taking: Finding Your Purpose in This World (Presbyterian & Reformed; $12.99.) I think my weekend journey to New England, rushed as it is, tense (I'm leaving behind a number of store duties and family health issues, etc. etc) will be well worth taking. I think I will tell take some of Drew's new book; if they need an intro to this topic that is fresh and Biblical, this is a gem. (Drew planted a sophisticated PCA church in New York, affiliated with Tim Keller's Redeemer, and church well-known for its ministry among professionals in Manhattan.)

I'd bet that many of our readers know Parker's Palmer's lovely little reflection, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (Jossey-Bass; $18.95). Again, that is the kind of thing we will be recommending, hoping to generation conversations about listening well, attending to our lives, discerning together ways to live life fully, exalting Christ, making a difference, finding, somehow, joy through it all. Will you pray for us? Think about these things yourselves? Get these kind of books better known, as resources for churches or fellowships or schools or Bible groups that tend not to ask these kinds of questions, or use these kinds of resources? It is what we are about, here at Hearts & Minds. Thanks for being a part!

Tragedy. Please read about Shane Claiborne's community

2007-06-20T23:05:00.000-05:00

We got word from a friend---a mail-order customer who has become a friend because we sold him The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne---that the community in which Shane lives, The Simple Way, lost their main building in a huge fire. Gone is their educational tutoring center, their arts center, the micro-business tee shirt printer, and other spaces for their urban activism. Although most of the members of The Simple Way household live together in a building apparantly unharmed, Shane resides (when he isn't on the road) in the building that was destroyed. He lost all his stuff and even for a guy who rails against matieralism, this must be incredibly painful. Loss of books, photos, music, clothes, personal mementos, yes, circus gear....

Shane is the real deal, and you should know we gave his wonderful little book a near five-star review at the website in March 2006. I was somewhat critical, though, for the counter-cultural schtick; I chided him for not offering a vision that calls forth involvement in the real worlds of the professions, business, corporate culture, science research, the fine arts, statecraft and such and suggested that the hard-core prophetic calling is not for everyone. Shane liked our remarks and gently thanked me. Although we rarely cross paths, I count him as an admired friend.

At times like this these little nuances of differences in approach fall to the ground, in ash, as it were. Here is a guy who has given up so much to gain the freedom of St. Francis; the freedom of Dorothy Day, the freedom of Jesus. He has thrown his lot in with the urban poor, has done much to better the quality of life in their Kensington neighborhood, and in their announcement about the fire, they spend more time offering up concern and arranging fund-raising for the hundreds of neighbors who have been displaced, they too, losing all their possesions. Our hearts are heavy whenever we hear of these tragedies, and they are too often. Yet when it is a friend, like Shane, (and a partner in the book world, no less) it feels harsher to me.

Here is the link to see pictures of the fire and to read the report from The Simple Way. There you can connect to a link to make donations, either to Another World is Possible (to help Shane and the Christian community of TSW) or the Kensington Family Fund. Please visit their website and spread the word.

If you've bought the Irresistible Revolution from us over the last two years--and alot of you have---consider making a donation to them to help them get back on their feet after this sad set-back. Be sure to pray that God in mercy uses this to exalt Christ, to call attention to His reign of peace and justice, and to draw others into the story of, as Shane puts it, being an "ordinary radical." My hunch is the joyous pranksters of TSW will be back at it soon enough, but their neighbors will have a slower, harder go of it. Let us pray, and act.

new Luci Shaw: Breath for the Bones

2007-06-19T20:56:00.000-05:00

In my last post I told you about our bookselling trip to the CIVA conference, and included some links to several of the more prominent artists that were in attendence. Of course I only offered a few; if you want to get in touch with other artists, perhaps to buy a piece or commission something, CIVA can arrange connections. Perhaps you need a speaker on this topic, or just want to be supportive of these faithful and creative saints, maybe connecting with someone in your region. I hope that my last post, besides keeping you informed of our whereabouts and telling you about some of the best books we're thinking about this week, will get CIVA folks onto your radar screen (as the modern adage puts it.)
Click here for a very thoughtful description of the event written by John Wilson of Books & Culture.

Modern adages. Words. Creativity. Faith. Luci Shaw is a patron saint of this stuff, herself a poet (and proud, dues-paying member of CIVA, by the way.) Many of us have read her work for years, espeically her wonderful poetry. We carry plenty of her poem collections here at the shop and we still stock her (hard to come by) book on grief, God in the Dark. She and her good friend Madeleine L'Engle comforted one another over the losses in their lives, and have written books together about being sister soul mates. (A Prayerbook for Spiritual Friends.) If you don't know Luci's work, but like authors we mention here (like L'Engle or Eugene Peterson, say) you simply must get a hold of some of her books.

Her brand new one was one we featured at the CIVA event, and, although her art is crafting words, and not so much a painterly one, the vision is the same. Somewhat like the little modern classic, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by the aforementioned L'Engle, Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination and Spirit offers Holy Spirited breath, for sure, the sort of breath that can inspire artistry of the highest sort. Excellent, thoughtful, prophetic, allusive, honest, cheerful, real--- these are words that describe the sort of interplay between her deepest faith and the ways in which she has lived out the artistic calling. It sounds rather simple, but she is profound when she reminds us that imagination and spirituality "work in tandem, each feeding on and nourishing the other." Faith informs art and art enhances faith. She draws heavily in this on her beloved C.S. Lewis and, happily, quotes her own poetry often (using these as examples of her points, ways further in to her teaching about these matters of allowing faith to animate our artful doings.)

That this wise book includes discussion questions for group reflection and writing excercises makes it useful for small reading clubs, creative groups or for personal consideration. It is very inspiring, a delight to recommend and a joy to sell. I hope you know her earlier work, but if not, this is a perfect place to come to know this wonderful and remarkable friend, Luci Shaw.

Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination and Spirit Luci Shaw (Nelson) $19.99, hardcover.

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It Was Good: books, CIVA and working with artists

2007-06-18T00:55:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been exhausting; the old pulling, packing, driving, and luggin’ books thing I sometimes tell you about is often pretty stressful. I know it is hard to generate much sympathy for my string of late, late nights and back-bustin’ hauling, though, when I report what a time we have selling books to interesting, good folks. This time, it was the great treat of setting up a large book room for CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) for their biennial conference, Transforming Spaces: Virtu(e) and the Virtual.

You can click on their website if you are interested---it is inspiring to see, so you really should---and you can learn of the serious thinkers and important cultural critics that appeared at their conference, hosted, this year, at the near-by campus of Messiah College. The hour long commute back and forth in the wee hours was a small price to pay to serve their crowd of several hundred artists, art historians, art lovers, art teachers, museum curators, architects, and the like. (I was so exhausted, though, after four nights in a row of only a few hours sleep that I had to pull over to sleep on the 45-minute drive home. Sigh.)

A highlight---besides the warm reception from the good folks there, and the way in which this gang of artistic activists wanted/needed good resources and enthusiastically made their purchases---was learning about the vast array of faithful folks bearing, as Calvin Seerveld as put it, “fresh olives leaves.” From every part of the continent, and with every sort of medium and art form, these folks displayed their work and told their stories, and talked about their tasks and struggles. Like the bird returning to the ark, these artists bear signs of life, offering hope and insight and healing for a culture decimated by avante garde angst, high-brow anti-religious bile and shows of postmodern meaninglessness, on one hand and, and a pseudo-spiritual, cheap sentimentality and kitsch from the church on the other (think “TestaMints or Thomas Kincade, for instance.)

A few of the books we talked about, and sold, there, on these themes include, of course, the Calvin Seerveld book I’ve mentioned, Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves, and a serious, coffee-table look at kitsch from a Christian perspective, wisely and lovingly compiled by called A Profound Weakness written by Betty Spackman. The small but foundational Art for God's Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts by Philip Ryken (pastor of Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian, an arts-friendly church) sold well, as did the top-shelf and very insightful (and very up-to-date) call to artistic faithfulness, Art and Soul by Adrian Chaplain and Hillary Brand. I told many participants about the great collection of brief editorials done by Gregory Wolfe, drawn from his journal, Image, that is collected in Intruding Upon the Timeless (his piece on Kincade, by the way, is very good.)

One of the most important books these days on this topic is by the esteemed art historian at University of Chicago, the widely published James Elkins. There was a CIVA forum on his recent book, On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art, which offered space for a variety of views, some critical and some less so, about his significant take on the legitimacy of faith-filled art. Elkins does not claim to offer a Christian perspective, but Hearts & Minds bud, former CCO staffer and CIVA Board member Dayton Castleman is studying with him and had an upbeat take; Elkins, it seems, has even used some of Dayton’s slides (of his large art installations) in his lectures.

Alongside these helpful conversations, there were speakers who represented varoius artistic mediums, disciplines and perspectives. We were especially delighted to meet Ena Heller, who has done an outstanding job curating the extraordinary Museum of Biblical Art (MoBia ) in New York city. Do check out their website to see what kind of great things they are doing...

And, I enjoyed renewing friendship and good conversations with Ken Myers of Mars Hill Audio. His opening and closing addresses were stellar, jam-packed with insight, challange and the grit of a worldview shaped by the texts like Romans 12:1-2. If you don't know of his audio subscription service, please check him out here. What a smart and important voice! We carry some of his books on CD, too, by the way...

I won’t test your patience by telling all the details, but it was an honor to chat with amazing and respected visual artists like Ed Knippers, Bruce Herman, Ted Prescott and the amazing leader of CIVA, Sandra Bowden. We’ve got autographed copies of her stunning book, The Art of Sandra Bowden (published by Square Halo) if you want a splendid example of a recent CIVA-related book. Faith + Vision: Twenty-five Years of Christians in the Visual Arts is a fabulous collection which she edited, again, released by Square Halo. I have a blurb about it at their website, alongside some very prominent folks in the CIVA community. Check it out here.

One evening of the conference included a very special autographing session with various artists and writers who are collected in the new edition of It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God, a book I raved about last month here at the blog. We snacked on rare olives and great cheeses surrounded by various works shown from It Was Good, hosted by the fine folks at Square Halo Books. You know that we love their stuff, and our friendship with them made these several days that much sweeter.

I hope my sharing of this brings encouragement to you----faithful folks from all over are doing very good work. Buy some books from us about the intersection of faith and the arts (consider donating them to your local library or church resource room) and pray for those who work in the fields of the fine arts. They are doing very special stuff, often against great odds, usually without much finanical security, as they offer their signs of life amidst the death of a modern culture.

Christianity for the Rest of Us

2007-06-12T23:35:00.000-05:00

I loved Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community by Diana Butler Bass not only because I love memoir, and I love churches, and this book told her spiritual biography by way of telling of the various congregations she has been a part of, but because she seems to be a born story-teller. She tells these stories---testimonials, if you will---so passionately and with such a good eye for the good detail, that you know that it really matters. It has been noted that this book may be the only such spiritual memoir that gets at a faith journey as it is seen through the lenses of her congregational life. That this is her professional area of research--parish life and American religious culture---doesn't hurt, either. She tells her own tale, and weaves together her important insights about the formative nature of churches, the changes in American Christianity, and her love for the people, of various sorts, that populate the congregations she describes. This truly is about faith and community, a memoir about churches. We've been commending it for years, and we're glad it is available in this attractive paperback edition.

As I said a few years back, it seems to me that the very, very important Broken We Kneel: Reflections on Faith and Citizenship, which narrates her struggles with post-9-11 unbridled patriotism and nationalism in the Episcopalian congregation where she worked, and her hard decision to leave the parish over her desire to be faithful to the ways of Jesus and to resist church complicity in jingoism and war-fever, is just like one more last chapter in Strength.... It seems very similiar; part-memoir, part Christian testimony, part congregational research. I often tell folks that it is one of my favorite books, that it is one of the most important books to come out after 9-11. As we move towards a year of increasingly common conversations about faith and civic life, I'd highly, highly recommend it (even if you are not, perhaps especially if you are not, a pacifist.) It is short, elequant, and will make you think. And, I hope, it will give you courage to know that some church ladies can stand up for what they believe in, even at great cost for themselves, pulling the prophetic move off with a measure of grace and care, even as very painful decisions are made. Ever been there? This is a very good aid for the journey.

Last weekend Beth and I sold books with Diana at a large gathering of our friends from the Penn SE Conference of the UCC. I am not UCC, but they are very good to us, praying about Beth's vertigo and giving me a chance to blab about our book promotions. Diana told some stories of her research on the best practices of mainline churches and her powerful communication of the gospel---God is alive and well in many ordinary churches, despite what the media says and despite the claim by many evangelicals that the mainline is hopeless---was thrilling. Her main research (years of travelling around visiting vibrant and mature churches of the ordinary, liberal mainline sort) is documented in the excellent, if a bit dense, paperback published by the Alban Institute, entitled The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church. (The forward is by Loren Mead, who shows up in her first book, and the afterward is by her new bud Brian McLaren; isn't that something, a dean of mainline research, and a pastor of an indie evangelical church.) Lauren Winner has a blurb on the back and she calls it "buoyant." It tells an important story, and it is important.

This was followed by another Alban book, a collection of several stories written by pastors who lead churches that are doing this ancient/future, new bit of classic practice in a liberal, mainline setting, thing. From Nomads to Pilgrims: Stories From Practicing Congregations is edited by Diana and a colleague who worked in her Lilly-funded research. Each chapter is by a different writer, from several different denominations, and they tell of ways they've found renewal in the churches, by focusing on concrete Christian practices. Her long chapter there is especially good, making this a great resource to share with others. It is a great bit of inspiration for anybody who cares about American congregational life, especially within the too-often mediocre mainline.

Christianity for the Rest of Us is a book that we named, last year in our end of the year Best Books columns (here and here.) Indeed, it is one of the best of recent years. Full disclosure: I really, really like Diana, and want this book to do well, and am happy to do our little part to promote it. I care about the mainline churches, and want this book to do well. And, I think this book is a bit too often over-reactionary against evangelicals and verges on caricature, at times, which frustrated me to no end and was something I had to get over, because, as I said, I trust Diana's vision and I care about her project. So, I got over it....she is a memoirist, after all, and has her own baggage and perspectives. Those of us who hold to conservative theology more than most of our mainline friends, and perhaps see things a bit more traditionally than she does, would still be wise to work on this great book. It provides the best glimpse into good mainline churches (without merely telling of those successful mainline churches that are successful because they are evangelical, because they are huge, because they are borrowing from the learnings of the mega-churches) and is a vision of a what I am convinced is a movement of God. And, as I said at the outset, she is a great storyteller. Some of these stories will brighten your day; others will perplex you. This is messy stuff, this business of discerning new (old?) practicies that will get ordinary neighborhood folks, who attend ordinary neighborhood churches, to start living like they believe the prayers they say. It ain't easy, and it ain't pretty. This book shows it all, and I am delighted to tell of it once again. That she clearly documents examples of churches that are each doing one (or more) of the top ten practices makes this a very clear work.

We have some of her books left over from the conference, so we would like to make you a deal, a deal I was counting on offering.

Get any two of Diana's books and pick a third one free.
(The least expensive is free, of course. )
Tell us which two you want to pay for, and which one you want free.

Did you know that one Washington DC church, founded for free slaves and whites to worship together in service to the poor, was shut down by the feds in the mid-1800's because there were Northerners and Southerners worshipping together? That that church fell into liberal theology and big money and by the early-1990's had a huge paid choir, a huge staff, immense spiritual problems, and only a handful of parishioners, all white and upper-middle class? And did you know that a new pastor came to town, re-appropriated the old tradition of their founding mother (not the weirdo blip of a huge, powerful and monied crowd of the 1950's, the loss of which was causing great anxieties and identity issues) and began offering eucharist on the streets of Washington DC, gathering together a robust mix of various classes, ethnicities and theological persuasions? By rejecting the civil religion of their recent past, and re-learning the practices of their earliest radical discipleship (from healing services to keeping Sabbath to public justice advocacy) this dying parish has become a lively and faithful marker of what God is doing in mainline churches in a very tough city.

This is the kind of fascinating good news that Diana Butler Bass lives to tell. Her books are useful for all of us, and, even when I find things she tells about, things said and done that I don't quite get, I am very, very glad to be in company with this kind of a pilgrim. Maybe, with these testimonies and stories, practices and new ways, we can all take steps to make our congregations that much more fruitful and faithful. Please God, let the Spirit fall on all kinds of churches.

Strength for the Journey Jossey Bass $16.95
Broken We Kneel Jossey Bass $23.95
The Practicing Congregation Alban Institute $17
From Nomads To Pilgrims Alban Institute $18
Christianity for the Rest of Us Harper SanFransico $23.95

As described above, ask for this week's blog special. Just let us know which two you want to buy, and which third one you want free. read@heartsandmindsbooks.com OR 717.246.3333

Just Generosity and other resources to help "Vote Poverty Out"

2007-06-05T14:44:00.000-05:00

I would suspect that some, maybe many, of our readers subscribe to the Sojourner's/Call to Renewal email. A day or so ago they convened a debate among three Democratic Presidential candidates to grill them about "faith, values and poverty." Jim Wallis, as you should know, has long insisted that the Bible speaks about poverty more than any other social issue, and, although Sojourners magazine has written on a wide variety of issues---from being pro-life to taking care of land, from socially-transformative art to contemplative spirituality, from racism to worship renewal---they routinely come back to being committed to peacemaking and anti-poverty justice work. We have been subscribers since their very, very beginning (any of our BookNotes readers recall Post-American or am I dating myself?) and have sold the magazine consistently since the day we opened. (Well, we actually don't sell too many, but we have 'em here.) Even when we don't fully agree, or have our quibbles, we respect them. I will cherish times of not only protesting at the Russian embassy with Jim, but being in worship with them in DC . Jim gave a talk to a standing around crowd here at the shop for us years ago; now he's regularly on national TV, all trimmed up and wearing a tie. You can see his passionate interview from after the debate when he was interviewed on CNN here. You can sign their petition drive, saying that you will take candidate's poverty positions seriously when you vote, here.

I bring this up not only to tell you about Jim's CNN gig, but to note a few other books that may be helpful if you, too, want to "vote poverty out" (a slogan which, for the record, I find more than a bit odd.) We have a large selection of books on economics, politics, poverty and public policy, from all sorts of perspectives, but I will be brief. Here are a few new, essential ones. If, as Call to Renewal and Wallis hope, we will allow God's concerns for the poor to guide our thoughts about elections and politics, we will have to do some hard thinking about what sort of policies work best for the poor, how to craft policy proposals that are consistent with a Christian understanding of the role of the state, and that have some ability to get beyond the unintended consequences and failures of the bankrupt welfare state.

Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America (updated and revised 2nd edition) Ronald J. Sider (Baker) $17.99 This new edition does for domestic poverty issues what Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger did for global justice. Simply a must-read, an essential, modern classic. With endorsements from across the political spectrum--from Jim Wallis to John Ashcroft, from John Dilulio to Chuck Colson---this is a work that deserves to be taken seriously, a book which we hope we can sell well. The new edition is really, really important. Come on, H&M fans, this is one to get behind.

Living God's Politics: A Guide to Putting Faith into Action Jim Wallis (HarperSanFransico) $15.95 This is a great study guide that compliments the popular God's Politics. It includes thoughtful readings, Scripture, activities for learning, resources for further involvement. Very useful. We commend this for small groups, Sunday school classes and such, but, for what it is worth, here is a friendly critique by Paul Marshall (author of the very significant God and the Constitution: Christianity and American Politics.)

Church, State and Public Justice: Five Views edited by P.C. Kemeny (IVP Academic) $19.00 Wow, was I excited to see this, finally. Kemeny, with a PhD from Princeton Theo, a ThM from Duke and an M.Div from Westminister and a professorship at Grove City College, is uniquely qualified to bring together this broad range of author-activists who go back and forth offering feedback and rebuttle to their respective pros and cons. Here is Clarke E. Cochran offering a very thoughtful Catholic perpsective, Derek H. Davis with the classical Separationist view, Ron Sider with his (nearly Reformed and quite evangelical) Anabaptist view, Corwin Smidt with a neo-Calvinist, Principled Pluralist persepctive, and J. Philip Wogaman with a more liberal church "social justice" perspective. I am thrilled to recommend this, and appreciate these five distinct views, each which offers instruction for the faithful in our efforts to be wise and civic-minded, Christ-like citizens who live out the political implications of the gospel. This is serious stuff, so you should start now. You are going to want to have this under your belt as folks start talking politics more and more in the upcoming year.

Compassion, Justice and the Christian Lfe: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor Robert D. Lupton (Regal) $9.99 Anybody who has worked in urban ministry knows Lupton's important name, and respects his good work in inner-city Atlanta. His Family Consultation Service Urban Ministries is a very important model for economic development. The forward is by none other than John Perkins, and this little quote is on the back, by bro Shane Claiborne "Bob Lupton is my favorite "responsible capitalist" but also a dear friend and brother. He's one of the most cutting-edge thinkers on ecomonic development on the planet, yet he's stubborn enough to keep his feet on the ground where struggle still has names..." Lupton's practical stuff about urban renewal (like "10 Questions Donors Ought to Ask Ministries But Seldom Do" and "10 Questions Ministries Ought to Ask Donors But Seldom Do") shows remarkable wisdom born of hard experience. Excellent, brief, clear.

The Fear of Beggars: Stewardship and Poverty in Christian Ethics Kelly S. Johnson (Eerdmans) $20.00 This is brand new in a series of academic books from Eerdmans edited by the Ekklesia Project. This is a must for those who like Shane Clairborne, but want to go deeper, and, more particularly, study the insights from personalists such as Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day. Kelly offers what looks like one of the most thought-provoking books in this field, breaking new intellectual ground. Christine Pohl writes "One does not necessarily expect a book on begging and reimagining property relations to sing with theological and historical insights, but (this) does just that. Her account is fascinating and beautifully written." New Monasticism leader Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove offers a rave review on the back, as does Ched Myers calls it "an elegant treatise...her commendation of Francis' 'economic unilateral disarmament' is welcome wisdom in our increasingly hard-hearted agnostic marketplace."

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York Sunday News op-ed piece on suburban sprawl and the erosion of beauty

2007-06-02T19:49:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I was giving a major address at a large conference, and some old friends happen to be in the audience. Later they told me they were wagering on how many books or authors I'd mention in my hour-long talk. They figured they lose count with my name-dropping, book-citing, and author-quoting style.

I don't know about that time, but in my recent op-ed piece in our local York Sunday News column, I cited three books and one on-line article. Not bad for 800 words. The piece was about suburban sprawl and the erosion of beauty. "How does a community steward the aesthetic dimension of life?" I asked, moving my rant from a local political matter to the data about concrete and the dangers of sprawl, to the less tangible questions of charm in urban design, architecture and a region's natural and build environment.

There were other authors that I didn't cite such as Calvin Seerveld that, had space permitted, would have upped my citation quotient. (Anybody betting should know I've got to talk books.) On the question of the way God's world is structured and ordered with an aesthetic dimension "built-in", (and a human response-ability hard-wired in as well) Seeveld's Rainbows for the Fallen World is my favorite text. I wish I would have cited him in the paper as he calls us to attend to the allusive and suggestion-rich nature of human culture-forming. He shows how an opened up attentiveness to this can help us live more richly, as God intends.

I hope readers can see a multi-dimensional approach in my opinion piece in the paper, inviting regional planners and the citizenry to care about open spaces with scenic vistas, CO2 emissions, as well as the charm of our buildings; the beauty of local streams and the joys of roadside markets. Seerveld writes about aesthetics and the arts, but this call to attend to this dimension in everyday life comes directly from Rainbows. I hope you read my article. It is, after all, only 800 words. But I do cite a coupla books. Read it here.

The book I didn't cite, but should have, and three great ones that I did:

Rainbows for the Fallen World Calvin Seerveld (Toronto Tuppence Press) $22
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Man Landscape James Howard Kunstler (Touchstone) $15
Home From Nowhere: Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st Century James Howard Kunstler (Touchstone) $15
Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith Eric O. Jacobsen (Brazos) $18.99

Okay bloggers: "Get Reaaady to Rum-baaaaalllll"

2007-05-30T11:28:00.000-05:00

Michael J. Behe is a heck of a pleasant fellow and, as far as I can tell (ah, the rumble will start here, I'm sure) a very thoughtful scholar. He made his name with the New York Times reviewed--that would be a positive review---Darwin's Black Box and his work in what the intelligent design movement calls "irreducible complexity." Dr. Behe is a researcher and professor at Lehigh University here in Pennsylvania, and many of us truly respect him. Even now I grind my teeth when I recall how a friend in the local paper mocked his testimony at the infamous Dover "panda trial" implying he was some sort of wacko. A wacko he is not. Even most reasonable Darwinists who disagree with him see it fit to debate his work, and take him seriously.

The long awaited The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism has just been released by the very presitigous The Free Press. Michael Denton, of course, has a nice blurb on the back as does Dr. Philip Skell, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, at Penn State, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, who says this:

Until the past decade and the genomics revolution, Darwin's theory rested on indirect evidence and reasonable speculation. Now, however, we have begun to scratch the surface of direct evidence, of which this book offers the best possible treatment. Though many critics won't want to admit it, The Edge of Evolution is very balanced, careful, and devastating. A tremendously important work.

Another scholar we admire, and have also met, and who also is a fine fella and an extraordinary scholar, is Francis S. Collins, the well-known evangelical who heads the Human Genome Project. His book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief will be out in paperback in July, with a new, updated chapter. It has some critique of the ID movement, and affirms the processes of evolution in ways that are consistent with the Christian faith. We highly recommend it, and the new edition will be a very important addition to the faith and science dialogue. We'll let readers know the day it arrives.

Would, in this ideological and scientific smack-down, that all those fighting for their views were as gentlemanly (and smart) as these two good men. When hard-core Darwinists pull stunts like stopping exceptional scholars from getting tenure, and when fundamentalist Christians send death threats to evolutionists, we know that we need examples of civil and thoughtful discourse. We've had some fun debates on this blog, in fact, about this stuff, and we are grateful for those who chime in. (Pray for Neil, by the way, who was in a very serious biking accident.) I am confident that Behe's new book will be one of the most discussed and debated titles of the year. He may take the intelligent design movement in a new direction, and he will certainly advance the conversation. For anyone interested in the sciences, it is truly a must-read.

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A good day in the book biz

2007-05-26T16:56:00.000-05:00

It has been a good day. Of course there have been troubles, shipment problems, ordering problems, customer problems, issues with finances, paperwork, computers. Things often seem to go wrong around here (probably just about like your workplace and home.) And there are our health issues (Beth is doing just a bit better, by the way.) Still, with all the hassles of small business life and the nearly insurmountable obstacles for entrepreneurs, today, I think you should know, has been a good day.

Today we got to set up books for a lecture on Harry Potter, by the fascinating Orthodox Latin scholar and Hogwart fan, John Granger (who must tire of the inevitable Hermione jokes.) He wrote the excellent Looking for God In Harry Potter (SaltRiver) and Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader (Zossima Press.) He also co-edited the remarkably thorough, speculative collection, Who Killed Albus Dumbledore?: What Really Happened in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Six Expert Harry Potter Detectives Examine the Evidence (Zossima Press.)

At the display at Derry Presbyterian we offered other books on theology and culture, on Christian views of the arts and literature, a few things about the need to raise children with imagination and discernment. If you’ve been in our shop or been to places we’ve had book displays you may have seen Terry Glaspy’s lovely book, Your Child's Heart: Building Strong Character and a Lasting Faith (Cumberland House) which is very much about nurturing a child’s moral imagination, in part, through great literature. Honey for a Child’s Heart (Zondervan) by Gladys Hunt is a classic in that area, too, and we are grateful for an updated edition. And, there is a brand new book on play therapy and children, just released by Eerdmans, called: Beyond Deserving: Children, Parents, and Responsibility Revisited by Dorothy Martyn.

Something else that made me happy was that I got to feature the new book by H&M supporter and often-mentioned youth culture guru, Walt Mueller. His new book is a must for older youth workers, parents, pastors, teachers or anybody that needs a clear and authoritative guide to the latest trends, the hip stuff kids are into, and ways to think faithfully about the meaning of all that. Check out Youth Culture 101 (Youth Specialties.) You may recall that I've reviewed his insightful and important study, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews And Christian Truth (IVP) which I still insist is a must-read for any youth worker or parent.

But it is a great day for another reason. My very good friend, Derek Melleby called me. The book that he and mutual friend Don Opitz (of Geneva College) wrote for Christian college students will be out within a few weeks. Derek had gotten his author’s first copy and it was a sacred moment. I scooted home by another way, met him at some rural intersection, and he gave me one. That I have an endorsement on the back (along with very prominent and thoughtful Christian leaders) is pretty nifty, but the important point is that The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students is now in hand. What a fun and upbeat and radical call to take faith seriously, to allow our primal convictions—the core of what we most deeply believe as people of the Biblical tradition---to color and shape our thought life, especially in the college classroom. I will review this at greater length later, but to hold this little gem, standing by the roadway with cars blowing by, was fabulous. Way to go, Derek, Don & Brazos. What a great day!

And, I got word that an article I wrote for Comment, the extraordinary Canadian e-zine, is now on line. They have been doing a series with established Christian thinkers offering bibliographies for summer reading, each on a specialized topic. These lists are astounding; just great! You will want to read them all---on the arts, on urban design, or politics, on business and finance, on novels. Mine is a season-ending bit of basic Christian growth, cultural analysis, and the outrageous idea of developing the Christian mind, especially for students. And then a fun batch of memoirs. I hope you read my playful little essay, as well as the other great pieces there. (PLEASE DO!) The “hard copy” version of this colorful magazine will be out before long, too, and we will surely have some to sell later in the summer. It is the best-kept secret of the magazine world and I can't believe I get to write for them.

Thanks for caring about what goes on around here, for your prayers and support.

The Path of Celtic Prayer

2007-05-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

Our previous post noted some recent books on spiritual formation. I introduced those great titles by insisting that an emphasis on spirituality was not in order to escape this world or to turn inward, only, but to form us in ways so we could, as faithful followers of Jesus, be wise in the ways of cultural engagement and, particularly, creation-care. As we've enjoyed lucsious spring weather, here, I've tossed back my head in joy for the beauties of the Earth; as I've pondered the books I reviewed last week about ecology, I am again urgently reminded of the need to integrate faith, spiritual renewal, and creational stewardship.

A tradition that helps with that, of course, is the Celtic one. We have oodles of books---wee ones and big ones---on Celtic spirituality. Some are ancient, some recent. They are, natch, attuned to the cycles of creation and attentive to God showing up in the ordinary.

Here is a brand new one by a very favorite reliable author, the much-respected Calvin Miller, called The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy (IVP/formatio; $18.) Miller, who reminds me of his friend Eugene Peterson, is a crisp and wise writer, and we commend his work no matter what he is writing about (most often the inner journey and faithful spirituality or guidance for pastors on resisting professionalization in ministry.) This new one looks just fabulous, describing various ways to pray (as taught by these ancients.) And it has a chapter "Nature Prayer" as the Irish show how to glory in the goodness of God's handiwork.

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Digging In: new books on spiritual formation

2007-05-21T11:26:00.001-05:00

I have written, in the April monthly column, and the last blog post or two, about creation-care, food, ecology and such. I have an op-ed piece appearing next week in our local Sunday paper about urban sprawl (more on that later.)

I want to segue into mentioning some books on spirituality, a move that might appear to be---to those who don't follow BookNotes carefully---an altogether different subject. Yet, we are convinced that there are connections between our inner and outer lives (even saying it that way makes me uncomfortable), the things of the heart and things of the feet. Rejecting the harsh body/soul dualism of neo-Platonism and the Gnostics, of course, or the individualistic pietism of much of recent evangelicalism, leads us to a gritty and wholistic worldview, and a style of discipleship that is truly "in the world." So my applauding the Barbara Kingsolver memoir and that list of books about the ethics of eating is related, deeply so, to the sorts I mention today. I hope you agree!

You Gave Me a Wide Place: Holy Places of Our Lives by Paul E. Stroble (Upper Room Books; $15) I quickly mentioned this in last month's column. I note it again because it is very much about a spirituality of place. It is a dear book, actively calling us to reflect on God's presence in our places and ways the sacred appears in those places that we care about. The title comes, by the way, from Psalm 18:36. Although not an instructional book on how to pray, care about place or garden, the lovely little memoir by Robert Benson, Digging In: Tending to Life in Your Own Backyard (Waterbrook; $12.99) was a sheer delight, well written and plain, even as he tells of caring for his little plot of backyard, and the people who are part of his story there. Wonderful.

Hidden in Plain Sight by Mark Buchannan (Word) $17.99 This is a gem of a book, one I am dipping into occasionally and enjoying much. You may know how we love his other good stuff, especially the previous one (now out in paperback) called The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul By Restoring Sabbath (Nelson; $14.99). Here, he shows that finding more of God may be redundant: his text in 2 Peter 1 tells us it has already been given. What a great, practical and visionary view of daily spirituality. Read Mark Buchannan, you will not go away uninformed or unaroused.

PunkMonk: New Monasticism and the Ancient Art of Breathing Andy Freeman & Pete Greig (Regal) $14.99 You may have heard of Greig from his work with the 24-7 Prayer movement, or for writing Red Moon Rising and God On Mute. Here, they reflect, in a postmodern, hipster way, on the daily disciplines of attending to the presence of God in the ordinary and living faithfully in that Spirit. The book tells of new "desert fathers" and "monastic communities" around the world. From Moravians to Franciscans, from Celts to charismatics, these new radicals are making a difference in the world, growing in deeper faith and action, and, as they put it, creating "greenhouses of shalom." Prayer, mission, justice. Quotes from Francis Schaeffer on the arts and Ian Bradley on celtic models of church and, of course, Shane Claiborne, Bonhoeffer, etc. It's a whole new world out there. Thank God.

Spirituality Old and New: Recovering Authentic Spiritual Life Donald G. Bloesch (IVP) $18 My goodness, this is a stunning work, a deep and reflective book connecting the earliest spiritual insights of the church fathers and applying it today, in rich and theologically orthodox ways. Gabriel Fackre (emeritus prof at Andover Newton) says, "Here is a biblical and churchly spirituality so needed today as an alternative to the new age nostrums that crowd the mall bookstore shelves." David Gill says that this book "has to be put on everyone's all-time top five list of books on this topic" and John Armstrong says it makes it case "with exceptional clarity and ecumencial irenicism." Serious and important.

The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life Robert Webber (Baker) $16.99 What a shame that Bob Webber has passed away, as he was such a beloved and helpful saint. Here, he tells of the history of spirituality---something those who are reading recent popular writers like Foster, Nouwen, Barton, Nouwen and such---should do. And, he shows, in very thorough and compelling ways, how the Christian story and full-life gospel got truncated and reduced, turned inward and self-centeredly pious (there is that dualism, again!) This is at once a guide to passionate faith and deeper spirituality, formation in the ways of Christ that are "inner and outer" and a very wise and helpful warning about how such longings for the things of God can go wrong. His working metaphor of the Divine Embrace is a good one, and he argues for a spirituality that opens up our daily lives as we respond to God's embrace of God's good creation. What a helpful and informative work.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

2007-05-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sure if you are a book-lover, you've seen, and held, those books that are just so perfect, so filled with possibility, that your anticipation is nearly thrilling. Just holding them is sheer delight, the design and look and feel and importance and quality and perhaps the author (maybe not, maybe it is a new writer for you.) You nearly shudder as you enjoy just holding the thing. And if it has been long-awaited, or highly recommended, you might (am I the only one who does this?) even wait for an appropriate time to honor such a book by opening it with due solemnity. (I'm this way with albums, sometimes, too, hands shaky as I try to get the dumb cellophane off, and that stupid sticky strip, only to wait to put the disc on 'til I can listen with the care the artist deserves.)

Barbara Kingsolver is a novelist well-loved by many; Bean Trees is on the top of lots of people's lists. She is good at her craft, a good story-teller and writer yet isn't so dense and literate that the novels are difficult. Most have serious and not-so-subtle things to say about important matters. She may be known by some BookNotes readers for Poisonwood Bible, her most ambitious and dark story, set amongst missionaries in Africa during the early days of the post-colonial era. For my money, the delightful romp--with hugely significant questions about Anglo/Native relations and inter-racial adoptions and PC thinking and multi-ethnic families--- Pigs in Heaven is a fabulous summer read. Animal Dreams is another set out West, and Prodigal Summer illustrated her recent interests in Appalachia. You may know that she has started awarding a yearly "Bellweather Prize" for new fiction-writers who raise important social questions in their stories, questions of justice, social location, a sense of place and such.

Two collections of nonfiction essays are excellent, and would be good literary companions on your bookshelf with the likes of Wendell Berry or Terry Tempest Williams, Annie Dillard (who has a new novel forthcoming, by the way) or my favorite nature writer, Kathleen Dean Moore.

And so, the hand-handshaking, can't-wait-to-read new book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (Harper Collins; $26.95.) The textured, linen-feel dust jacket is a perfect package for a beautiful book about caring about sensual matters, in this case, as the title says, food. The family, as we learn in the first exquiste pages, has moved from their beloved, harsh Arizona, to Kentucky. They intend to eat only what they can grow, or buy locally. (Each family member gets to pick one exception---her husband chooses organic, and fairly traded, coffee, and she chooses spices for cooking, with the kids making similiar requests.) And so the story begins.

This is Kingsolver's first full-length memoir, and she brings her essayist insight and fiction-writer's sense of story into fabulous play. Her husband has some informative sidebars, and her 19 year old offers her perspective in some of her own nice writing. Sure, it is also polemical. The dust jacket tells of their hopes: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet." Or, as she writes, "This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew...and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced in the same place where we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air." But be prepared for some laughter and pluck. This is a fun book.

They have a wonderful website about the book---with more stuff, some of the recipes, pictures of the farm and all kinds of advice for further action. See www.animalvegetablemiracle.com.

Perhaps you have been following the trends in this whole area--and there have been many good resources coming out. Consider the books about the slow foods movement or the new kid's edition of Fast Food Nation (called, Chew on This), the recent, wonderful, Mennonite cookbook Simply in Season and last year's much-talked about, very thoughtful, Omnivore's Dilemma. Theological reflections have included the breathtakingly fascinating, liberal Episopalian conversion-through-eucharist memoir, Take This Bread (by anti-hunger activist Sarah Miles) to the brand new theological study of meals, wonderfully-entitled Soul Banquets: How Meals Become Mission in the Local Congregation by John Koenig. Shannon Jung's two important paperbacks, Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating and Sharing Food: Christian Practices for Enjoyment are both recent and wonderful. There are more books about the sacraments of the everyday, about the ecology of eating, about faithful approaches to hospitality, meals, cooking and eating, than any recent time--even though Wendell Berry, just for instance, has a chapter entitled "The Pleasures of Eating" in What Are People For? published in 1990. And what thoughtful Christian who cares about these things doesn't know the spectacular cookbook and fiesty, foodie essay by the inestimable theologian and cook, Robert Farrar Capon, Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection? I suppose we could list Diet for a Small Planet (even though Capon might protest) and note that we still stock it. Even the book I've raved most about in the past few years, Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire, has some of this thinking in it, as authors Brian Walsh & Sylvia Keesmaat are doing sustainable agriculture in community with other friends in Canada.

Our family does not do this stuff well. Like prayer or evangelism, I specialize in reading about it, hoping that somehow it counts for something. Am I fooling myself? I have regrets, and hope to make changes, even as I understand that we have some unique obstacles here. But many folks have obstacles, and, in God's grace, we may take steps towards more normative and joyous and just lives. Maybe these books will help.

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two great articles by Andy Crouch

2007-05-14T10:03:00.000-05:00

I hope, as I suggested last week, you visited our website, and read my sprawling (a word I often use to describe my monthly column of book reviews) piece about my anti-nuclear power activism years ago, and the books that have helped nurture and sustain our environmental perspectives. I mentioned some brand new books, of course, but told the story of some older books; it's amazing, isn't it, how Wendell Berry, who I first read in the late 70's, or Walt Brueggemann's The Land, have only become more urgent over time.

I hope you don't mind if I give a very big straw hat-tip to the excellent writer Andy Crouch, who has done, per usual, absolutely excellent reviews of some similar books in the past two issues of Books and Culture. Firstly, from last month's issue, Andy gives a very critical look at a book by a writer we stock, Roger Gottlieb, a lefty activist who has written about how mainline churches and synagogues have helped in progressive social causes over the years. Gottlieb has a new book (on Oxford University Press) on religion and the environment, and Andy, with very interesting stories and good care for the topic, takes Gottlieb to the woodshed. Gottlieb wrote a nice letter to the editor back, appearing in this month's edition, saying that even if his details are debated, he is glad to hear that evangelicals like those in Books and Culture care about the Earth. Who knew? I highly commend this piece, especially if one is involved in mainline, ecumenical or more liberal faith traditions, since Gottlieb would be an ally, and it is helpful to see how a smart evangelical like Crouch replies. And, as I've said, Andy is such a good writer, I'd read any of his reviews..

http://www.christianitytoday.com/global/printer.html?/bc/2007/002/7.32.html

Better yet, may I commend his well written new Books and Culture piece, enthusiastically noting three newer books, including Serve God, Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth, that we promoted last week. Whew. I hate it when we plug something, only to find really informed friends who criticize the book I've endorsed. Please read Andy's great review, where he does the book justice. The first anecdote is worth the moments it will take to point and click, believe me. Will anybody agree to do what he describes? (By the way, if you haven't subscribed to this often heady journal, we would highly recommend it. I wouldn't be without it...)
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/003/8.31.html

Visit the April column: Books on Earth-Keeping and Creation-Care

2007-05-10T00:20:00.000-05:00

I thought I should provide a link to our April column over at the website, www.heartsandmindsbooks.com. (Click on the April 07 highlighted spot, under the bookcover.) The monthly review essay this time includes some very personal stuff about my (mostly previous) life as an enviromental activist, working to educate folk about stuff likeThree Mile Island, hearing Kurt Vonnegut and how Christian faith has motivated us to care about peace, justice, and, as some put it, "the integrity of creation." If you don't care about my revelations of former escapades, jump part way through where I annotate a bunch of books on creation care, Earth-keeping, and mention a brand new book that I am very, very excited about, by a hero of mine, Bob Goudzewaard. Those important books ought not be missed.

Please pay the website a visit. Do any of these books seem urgent to you? Are you not glad that evangelical leaders, especially, are so outspoken these days about God's good Earth?

Sabbath music: new Matthew Smith of Indelible Grace

2007-05-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

Some of you may know of our fondness for the band Indelible Grace, who have put out four good albums of old, old hymns, redone in a contemporary folk-rock, somewhat acoustic, Americana/rootsy style.

I love grungy feedbacky guitar and mandolin, sweet violin and indie rock vocals. Indelible Grace's arrangements are very cool, worship music not as big as David Crowder or Chris Tomlin but still appreciated by young music fans.

This is very sobering music, just a bit unplugged, energetic, passionately moving. The tunes are well crafted, and most are truly singable.

But the lyrics are the bigger point, and the band would say so. They are convinced (as you can read about at their website, here) that contemporary praise and worship is too often too cheery, peppy and passionate, but not theologically substantive enough. (And, as I sometimes tell the leaders at our church, not just shallow, but theologically wrong-headed!) These older hymns, at least the sort that they pick, often written in the 18th or 19th centuries, really get it right. That the band is sponsored by Reformed University Fellowship makes sense of their appreciation of the old Puritan insights about the human condition, our inability to rescue ourselves, God's merciful initiatives to save us, and the curious ways exalting Christ leads to deep, deep, gladness.

Matthew Smith is the front man of the traveling IG band and we loved his first solo album, and his excellent Christmas recording. (Make a note: call or email Hearts & Mind December 1st 2007 and order it!) A new, mellow release---featured as brand new at Jubilee 2007---is called All I Owe. I recommend it not only as Lord's Day listening, but for any day. It has truly blessed me in recent hard times, and I want not only to help promote and sell 'em, but to thank Matthew for his friendly interest in H&M. Check out his blog, here, and listen to some of the CD online.

The wonderful Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing is done pretty acoustically and spare, using the normal tune. It, alone, is worth the price of the disc. I've been touched by the truths of the 19th century poem, by Robert Murray McCheyne, rendered by Smith as the title track, which reminds us of the core matters of the gospel. And, in times of trouble, The Lord Will Provide is a fine reminder, penned in the late 1700's by one John Newton.

The remarkable Anne Steele centuries ago wrote How Helpless and in Matthew's hands, its lyric richness becomes a very moving contemporary hymn.

How helpless guilty nature lies,
Unconscious of its load
The heart, unchanged, can never rise
To happiness and God
Can nothing less than power divine
The stubborn will subdue?
'Tis Thine, eternal Spirit, Thine
To form the heart anew.

'Tis Thine, the passions to recall,
And upwards bid them rise;
And make the scales of error fall,
From reason's darkened eye
To chase the shades of death away
And bid the sinner live
Heaven's beam, a vital ray
'Tis Thine alone to give

Oh change these wretched hearts of ours
And give them life divine;
Then shall our passions and our powers,
Almighty Lord be Thine.
Oh change these wretched hearts of ours
And give them life divine;
Then shall our passions and our powers,
Almighty Lord be Thine.

Here is an informal YouTube video of them live, doing Come Ye Sinners.
Here, from the same informal concert, is a spiffy version of them ripping through How Can It Be. (It isn't every day you get Puritan hymns with the descant singer wearing a Husker Du shirt.)
Here is a live version of a song that I can hardly listen to without tears, sung by Sandra McCraken and Derek Webb, who have helped with the IG projects. Listen to her casual intro remarks, talking about why old hymns are good, and why learning some old vocabulary words may be nice, too. Say Amen sombody!
And if the emotions don't flow with this one, I would check my heart. Here, Sandra and Derek do an informal, live version of one of the Indelible Grace re-makes of a song written by a blind 18th century preacher, O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.

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Church educators and the Mystery of Children

2007-05-02T00:09:00.000-05:00

I have just been with a favorite group that we work with, having the privelege to set up a large book display with the Eastern region of APCE (Association of Presbyterian Church Educators.) Presbyterians plus educators equals an unmitigated enthusism for books, resources, tools with which to teach. They usually have very good speakers ---main- line Presbys, usually, often somebody famous or published. It is a good time, they laugh a lot, and treat me like I'm a hero. Gotta love 'em.

We thank God for the generous spirit of these folks, and their hours of hard work doing what they do, week after week after week. And, although it isn't with some human ambiguities, I suppose I am grateful, on a good day, for the theological diversity and congregational uniquenesses we find in the broader body of Christ. It certainly is interesting to see what authors different folks like, which churches are interested in what aspects of Christian learning, and the way new approaches and models and perspectives do or do not take hold in various locales.

They, of course, knew about Diana Butler Bass's important and fascinating book, Christianity for the Rest of Us, a study of mainline churches and the spiritual practices that, as excercised in fairly ordinary neighborhood congregations, are bringing new energy and renewed vigor to many. Her two books with the Alban Institute, Practicing Congregations and the collection of various church stories, From Nomads to Pilgrims, are both very good for anybody thinking about congregational life, and we sold them at the retreat. The media may too often imply that only evangelical churches are growing, or that the mega-churches are the way of the future within American Protestantism, or that the Christian right speaks for most followers of Christ. Diana shows it ain't so. And, given the buzz on her book at APCE, and others like it, we are very proud that we raved about it months ago, and named it in our year-end list (December 06 and Janurary 07 over at the website. Do read our remarks about it if you haven't seen our mini-review. That, and her other fine books, are very, very important.)

Yet, I have shown two book covers, one above and one below---one by a very famous author that just arrived this week!---that capture much of the interest of these church educators, namely, the desire to think carefully and theologically about our children within our faith communities. We've pushed Marva Dawn's Is It A Lost Cause and Miller-McLemore's Let the Children Come and the excellent compilation, edited by Beth Posterski and others, Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in Church, Family & Community and other such works to anyone that will listen; although we sell many books, many good books, that might be considered in the "self-help" or how-to catagory--parenting and family stuff that is instructional and wise and helpful--it is vital that we think more foundationally and theologically about the nature of our kids, or, as Marva puts it, "the church's children."

And so, Martin Marty's new book must be celebrated. Martin Marty! On children! He is a dear man, a preminent scholar, a fine religious leader and life-long congregational member. (And he bought a book from us once, and then wrote me a lovely note thanking me for having it. I should have been thanking him for doing business with a scrappy little place like ours.) Dr. MM is a serious, erudite writer. We cannot commend it enough, even if it is, at times, a bit academic. It is part of a series edited by Don Browning and John Witte, if that rings any bells for the scholars out there. Publisher's Weekly in its glowing review, notes that it is "breathtakingly ambitious in scope" although they also assure us that it is also quite inspirational.

And, the new Bonnie Miller-LcLemore, In the Midst of Chaos, is equally fabulous, if a little less heady (and with a very lovely dust jacket.) This Jossey Bass series on the practices of faith is some of the best stuff coming out on thoughtful and theologically rich reflections on the distinctives of being Christian in the world, living out faith in every aspect of daily life. This one, with that great subtitle: "caring for children as spiritual practice" has much to teach us, and it is presented in a cogent and gracious manner. (Jerome Berryman, of "Godly Play" fame, writes that "it is as good as it is beautiful.") Like Marty's, it understands the mystery of all this, too. Wonderful stuff, for church leaders, educators, parents, and anybody who cares about children, or the spirituality of the ordinary. Highly recommended.

Good Monsters

2007-04-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

We've been out on the road selling books at events so much lately that the boxes we bring back have piled up in the garage and the store's stock room and even our dining and living room. We have stuff scattered here and there, too much of a lot, and yet we're missing things; general chaos rules around here, usually, and we're in a hard season. Beth has been sick with vertigo and hearing loss (thanks for praying, you faithful friends) and it has been tricky, with no small amount of anxiety from yours truly.

Now, I've got to pick, pull, pack, and lug boxes and boxes of books from these crazy overstock storage places, and the store itself, for an upcoming gig...been working, finally, for hours and hours at it.

And so, my old love for music comes back, cranking up the CD while in the stockroom. I listen to music less than I used to, although my favorites still mean a lot to me----VOL and Bill Mallonee, Bruce Cockburn, Brooks Williams, Nanci Griffith, Mark Heard, U2 (we carried 'em when we opened in 82!) The Band (order the new tribute album from us, for sheer fun and some very moving renditions) and, always, Jackson Browne (do you know the project he did, Some Bridges, with a very funky black gospel choir, Fred Martin and the Levite Camp? Wow!) I listen to mostly classical when I can. In the store we play baroque and Bach and Handel and Windham Hill and tons of Irish fiddle tunes, and solo acoustic guitar discs.

But the last few days, for my hours of work in the book cellar--that is supposed to sound like wine cellar, or maybe bookseller---I put the player on repeat, and listened to the same wonderful album over and over. It was acclaimed as extraordinary and historic by CCM magazine when it came out, but, to be honest, I'm a bit jaded about that whole scene, so not sure what that meant. I listened to it a few times this fall, liked it, but didn't get hooked, at first. I was still enjoying their fine acoustic hymns album, Redemption Songs and the last few by Patty Griffith. And Indeliable Grace.

Anyway, I respect, really, really respect, these guys for several important reasons----their thoughtful approach to culture, their humilty, their living into their social obligations, their artistry, their reading habits (and because they thank two of my best buds on the planet, Ken Heffner and Steve Garber, in the liner notes.) But there are artists I respect, but don't listen to much. I've enjoyed these fellas' work from the very first day the first album came out, and have promoted them in the store and have listened to all their stuff, often. For whatever reason, I'm just slow on the take on this one.

But, I have finally realized, Good Monsters, by Dove and Grammy award winners, Jars of Clay, is stunning. I can't stop listening to it, over and over. Every song is musically rich, grabbing me, now that I've allowed myself to pay attention. There is a progression to the songs, they move towards some kind of climax. The upbeat, driving reminder that I am dead, needing to be a new man, gets me every time; I repeated that song a dozen times. (Yes, I've been book unpacking, packing and repacking a lot.) And "Oh My God" ends up in a passionate and devestating crescendo.

The song "Light Makes Heat" with the African Children's Choir doing some moody background work is amazing; lyrically allusive, but surely emerging from Jars' important African blood:water mission work. What a song!

I am exhausted, from the book work, the choosing and studying and praying and thinking about the past book shows and the upcoming trips and set-ups---my own little bit of preformance art, but also from the carthatic experience of allowing this music to wash over me and shape me and move me. Thanks, Jar guys.

Here is an excellent piece, well written and insightful, about the band, written by Mark Joseph a few years back, at NRO. One of the great reviews of Good Monsters which says it is their best album yet, and which plumbs the universal themes of struggling with depravity and good intentions and the need for redemption which it musically presents, can be found here, written by Tony Shore at HM. Read the posted reply, too, by "Ryan" which has a clear understanding of the themes of the record. And, for a very intelligent review, from an outpost that doesn't suffer fools, or treat faith-filled albums with kid gloves, read here.

I offer these links because at this late hour, even after listening and enjoying and even crying through this remarkable pop album, I don't quite know how to say it any better than these good reviewers. Check 'em out. Or mess around the Jars website----the creative videos are pretty amazing, and the one for Work just won a prominent award last night.

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Best Things in Life, The Brothers K and Christian poetry

2007-04-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

A group of high school students meets here every week and over cookies and exotic teas we talk philosphy. A diverse range of worldviews and philosophical opinion are represented, and it isn't a group designed for Christians. Several of the students have taken an introduction to philosophy class at the local high school, and we get together to keep at it. It is informal and fun. We have been reading----sometimes out loud for effect---the great little book by Peter Kreeft, The Best Things in Life where a Socrates character comes to a modern college and asks good questions of Peter Pragmo and Felcia Flake. We don't know that much about Plato, and I get my digs at dualism in when I can, but, mostly, we've been impressed with Socrates willingness to ask everybody the question of why they do what they do, why they believe as they do, and what reality or truthfulness they base their views upon, and what "ends" they most hope for.

Any of Kreeft's books are well worth reading, and several are ideal for smart, young folks, so we commend them---The Journey is a walk through history where the seeker meets a variety of thinkers, each who offer him yet another piece of the puzzle of forming a coherent worldview. Between Heaven and Hell is a mythical, afterlife dialogue between three fellas that all died on the same day (yes, this part is true, as most BookNote readers will know): John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis. In Kreeft's fun, fair hands, the three---an American humanist, a new agey Pantheist, and a classical Christian--wonder, first off, where the, uh, heck, they are.

Last night, though, we had some special guests. A local philosophy prof and a well-loved English teacher from the high school came to help us through "The Grand Inquisitor" (here for Wikipedia) that intense chapter, a prose-poem, from Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamozov. We had a long and wide-ranging discussion, with many of us wishing we were better read, in philosophy, literature, and, yes, poetry. Although there was not a consensus on that, despite the passionate cheerleading for poetry voiced by the lit teacher.

And so, today, in my in-box (and I hope in some of yours) came the weekly Trinity Forum on-line e-zine, Implications. There was a marvelous, marvelous piece by T.M. Moore on why the followers of Jesus should care about the "second sight" we can nurture by being poetry-lovers. He makes a theological and practical case for reading poetry, and offers three lovely meditations on three good ones (by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Denise Levertov, and Wendell Berry.) Please click here to read this wonderful essay "The World in a Ray of Sun: Poetry as Spiritual Discipline" by T. M. Moore. The most recent book of his that I have read, by the way, published by Presbyterian & Reformed, is a great study of creation, Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creational Theology.

Moore recommends a great, thick, paperback, Sacrifice of Praise: An Anthology of Christian Poetry from Caedmon to the Mid-Twentieth Century edited by James Trott (with a forward by Larry Woidode.) Published by Cumberland House; $26.95 Of course, we stock it. Here is a good review of it, published at Ransom Fellowship's website.

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Wilberforce & the Reformation of Manners

2007-04-21T21:57:00.000-05:00

My column appeared last week in the York Sunday News and I wasn't going to post about it here.

It isn't exactly about books----well, I do mentioned three, in passing---and I've already done several posts on the Amazing Grace film and the great batch of newly published Wilberforce books. But recent events made me want to share this essay with our broader Hearts & Minds circle of friends.

My new piece in the local paper used Wilberforce's second great goal (after the suppression of the slave trade) as a way into the conversation about manners and morals, culture and policy, popular entertainment and the arts, heart change and social change. I need not remind most BookNotes friends that my previous piece in that paper most likely appealed to human rights activists and liberal politicos while this new one might appeal more to those with more traditionally conservative cultural leanings. Please read it here at the York Sunday News website; not sure how long it will be up, so do check it out soon. Why not post your feedback---what do you think about the coursening of our public discourse, the obvious lack of modesty, the ways in which pop culture has become so vulgar?

I wrote this, by the way, before the Imus flap, and the recent debates about X-rated rap, before the horror at Virginia Tech, and the renewned discussions about violent computer games and the gunman's sexual violence. That I used Wilberforce is no cheap trick, as he indeed had a variety of concerns, saw deep relationships between the arts and politics, between the deepest matters of faith and the most arcane details of global economic justice. He was an advocate for Bible distribution and early spokesman for animal rights, was apparently kind and honest and good.

The original Dubya was a lover of books, a great singer, a man of deep faith and solid theology and a lovely host at the many good parties he threw. Walden Media did him right in their marvelous film and I'm glad for the recent biographies, such as the splendid one by Eric Metaxas which I celebrated a month ago (browse back to 2-4-09.) If only we all could, in our own places, nurture this kind of thoughtful, engaged, principled, prayerful activism.

Rallying the Really Human Things

2007-04-18T16:41:00.000-05:00

A few days ago we celebrated the long-awaited release of the first new Tolkien novel in thirty years, The Children of Hurin. I considered offering a reflection, a day or so later, on the campus shootings and how this epic adventure---with its power, violence, the ring, evil, redemption---might help us process the tragedy at Virginia Tech. As you know, I offered instead another piece of redemptive art, the lyric of a favorite Pierce Pettis song.

Still, I come back to the urgency of great literature, of reading, of stories and truths told in books. So I will offer just a few random suggestions, starting with a few about Tolkien's imaginary world, moving to some others more generally about the role of literature in our lives; nothing exhaustive, of course. Books about books are among our favorites, and there are plenty.

The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth Ralph Wood (Westminister/John Knox) $14.95 Many know Dr. Wood as a thoughtful Christian scholar (he teaches at Baylor), an engaging professor, and a passionate Middle Earth buff. Here, he offers his insights in a very readable, yet thoughtful book. It is the perfect, smart starter book in this whole area of pondering the theological vision of Tolkien and how we can see God's truth in these grand stories.

Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings Matthew Dickerson (Brazos) $14.95 This serious book is very well-informed by the author's knowledge not only of the Tolkein tale, but other epic traditions and stories; Dickerson makes a good case for this views, and shows how knowing these classic tales can enhance our enjoyment of the literature and gain deep insights about morality and truth. Again, this Middlebury professor is beloved on campus and an active Christian thinker and leader.

The Battle for Middle-Earth: Tolkein's Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings Flemin Rutledge (Eerdmans) $22.00 One of the best Episcopal preachers around, an author who has published sermons preached in her New York city parish, Rutledge is greatly respected as a thoughtful theologian. Here, in Ralph Wood's words, she "writes about the moral and theological life of The Lord of the Rings with immense verve and insight." What grace!

Lord of the Elves & Eldils Richard Purtill (Ignatius) $15.95 The subtitle says it all: Fantasy and Philosophy in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. An important Catholic author, Purtill is well-respected and gives us a very useful account.

From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy Matthew Dickerson & David O'Hara (Brazos) $19.99 The excellent author of Following Gandalf here gives us the best overview of the significance of myth and fantasy and fairy stories that I know of. Excellent examples, with chapters on everything from Beowulf to Back of the North Wind; from Authurian legends to the "dark matieral" of Philip Pullman. Fabulous.

Rallying the Really Human Things: The Moral Imagination in Politics, Literature and Everyday Life Vegen Guroian (ISI) $15.00 This thick paperback is weighty with ideas, thoughtful, richly wise, well-written by a writer and scholar of great renown. Do you know this Loyola Orthodox professor? He shows up, as most of the best of our day do, on Ken Meyer's Mars Hill Audio Journal from time to time, reflecting on all kinds of things (we love his little books on gardening!) Here, he uses great writers to illuminate important issues of our time. One critic calls him "a scholar of the Real." I think the title is from Chesterton.

There Before Us: Religion, Literature, and Culture from Emerson to Wendell Berry Edited by Roger Lundin (Eerdmans) $18.00 Again, this is a collection edited by a famed evangelical spokesperson for the life of the mind, a renowned public intellectual and respected scholar. Lundin edits, here, a host of writers--many whom I do not know--writing about various aspects of the history of the interplay between faith and culture in American literature. Mark Noll writes, "From the Puritans to the era of Updike, Morrison, and Walker Percy, American literature has always been obsessed with religion. But expert criticism on that obsession, while never entirely absent, has lagged far behind. This outstanding collection..." As Dale Brown (whose named appeared here a few weeks back as I was promoting his spectacular new book on Buechner) observes, "this has reminded me of the centricity of faith issues in the lives and works of iconic American authors like Thoreau, Twain, Dickinson, and Melville..." Heavy, good, stuff.

The Language of Grace: Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, and Iris Murdoch Peter S. Hawkins (Seabury) $13.00 Thank goodness the old Seabury imprint is back in business; Hawkins is the co-editor of the wonderful Augsburg-Fortress series of books Listening for God: Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith. He he turns his good eye to these three twentieth century novelists.

The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age Sven Birkerts (Fawcett) $14.00 I used to say this was one of my favorite memoirs, ever, as this good author tells of his falling in love with books, his interest in the promotion of literature (he worked at a bookstore!) and his humane concerns about the impact of the role of computers and cyberspace upon our habits of reading and writing. I love this guy, and so enjoyed this elegiac story about why reading matters.

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books Maureen Corrigan (Vintage) $13.95 Now out in paperback, this is a book-lover's treasure; as Bobbie Ann Mason says, "If you ever wonder about the secret life of a bookworm, this is the book that will open up the rich rewards of going around with your nose stuck n a book." More, this reflective memoir not only helps you understand her love for books and the act of reading---and how it shapes who we are---but you learn a whole lot about a whole lot of authors, titles, books and writers.

Trying to Stand in a Fallen World

2007-04-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

In light of the sad, sad news of the latest school shootings, and the concerns, generally, about helping students relate faith and life, living meaningfully in the face of the hard stuff of our damaged culture, I thought of this beloved song, a song I've played in collegiate workshops and faith-in-the-real-world kind of talks, especially with students. I think of my younger friends---like those at the Ocean City Beach Project, say, or the younger staff of the CCO, or my old confirmation class kids, most of whom are now away at school---and I just nearly cry. It is good to hear, not just in the news, but, here, "the bloody moon is on the rise" and yet "I swear you're not alone."

Have you ever felt this way? Longing for the light of day?

TRYING TO STAND IN A FALLEN WORLD
Pierce Pettis ©1993 Piercepettisongs (ASCAP)


Won't you take this down for me
Down to the highway and set it free
Where you can hear that rain slick sigh
Of the semis blowin' by

Do you ever feel this way
Like there is no escape
And you're out there all alone
In a place that's not your home


 Trying to stand in a fallen world

Do you recall when we were released
Clutching diplomas and degrees
Bursting out like diver's breath
That hasn't hit the surface yet

Do you ever feel this way
Like somehow we have been betrayed

And you wanna' rail against the crowd
Conspicuous and loud

  Trying to stand in a fallen world

A bloody moon is on the rise
Like a Jolly Roger in the sky
A silent witness with its light
To another night of crime

Do you ever feel this way
Longing for the light of day
Then I send to you my song
And I swear you're not alone

 Trying to stand in a fallen world

I've been told that Pierce wrote this song for the
memorial service of songwriter and friend, Mark Heard.
Click here for the Pierce Pettis website.

New Tolkien on Tuesday!

2007-04-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

A stunning book annoucement was made quite a few months back, word that many of us had heard rumors about for years: faithful third son of J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher, had finished collating a manuscript of his fathers, creating, essentially, the first new Tolkien novel in thirty years. As he did with the very important, and by most accounts wonderful, Silmarillion, the junior Tolkein was faithful to the intent, story, Middle Earth worldview and prose of the story-in-progress. This, I would guess, will be the last real story from the pen of J.R.R. we shall see.

It hits stores this week, and we have it now. If you want us to send it, we can do so, asap. It is called, as those who care most likely know, The Children of Hurin. It is published, of course, by Houghton Mifflin, and sells, in hardback, for $26.00. It includes full color art by famed Middle-earth artist, Alan Lee.

If you say you saw it annouced here, we will give you
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from the dust jacket:

Children of Hurin reminds us that there are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings, and the story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but that were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.

In that remote time Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband, the Hells of Iron, in the North; and the tragedy of Turin and his sister Nienor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves.

Christopher Tolkien notes that, "The earliest versions of this story go back to the end of the First World War and the years that followed; but long afterward, when The Lord of the Rings was finished, he wrote it anew and greatly enlarged it in complexities of motive and character: it became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book I have endeavored to construct, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention."

Here is a site that has some good background information about the new book. Here is another important one, noting the dark nature of some of the story. And for all things Tolkien, visit The Tolkien Library.

And, while you're at it, listen to "All That Is Gold", a wonderful, wonderful folk song by Brooks Williams (from his Back To Mercy CD.) It is inspired by the poems sung by the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings.

Eugene Peterson on resurrection life

2007-04-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

One year ago, shortly after Easter, I noted this book, then new, about the daily newness brought by Christ's victory and the ways to refresh our understandings of discipleship by looking at the post-resurrection stories in the gospels.

I thought I'd run that post again. I'll tell ya'll about his spectacular brand new one, The Jesus Way, soon, but thought this wonderful one is truly worth re-launching. Happy Eastertide!

(Eugene) Peterson's Field Guide to the Resurrection

I couldn't resist the cheap pun, that I've used too many times for other of his rich books; Petersen's Field Guides to Pastoral Ministry or Petersen's Field Guide to the Psalms. I know, it makes you smile, maybe, but only once. Many know the original Peterson field guides---birds, bugs, rocks, flowers. Every family should have a couple, and Reverend Peterson, himself a hiker and birder, would say so too.

Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in Everyday Life isn't exactly a field guide. It isn't quick facts and figures, stats and pictures. But it does give the lay of the land, offering glimpses into a life lived with God, explained by a seasoned and discerning guide. I am teaching a Sunday school class on the book and find that nearly every single page is underlined, dog-earred; it looks shabby with coffee-stained and hand-torn napkin bookmarks and a couple post-it notes peaking out. So much of this is great stuff. It is rich, solid, provocative, elequant--in Peterson's rather slow, down-to-Earth, no-nonsense manner. Like The Message he uses common phrases, not at all purple. This is, as said the other day, sturdy. Just like the resurrection he describes.

I can't tell you how I've enjoyed this book---I've listened to the taped lectures from which the book was drawn several times and read the book twice, at least. Now, after Easter, would be an excellent time to use it in your devotional reading or in a small group.

Living the Resurrection makes a bold claim about how attentiveness to the bodily resurrection forms us in ways that help us live, really live---"before God in the land of the living" as the death-conscious, troubled Psalm 116 puts it. It is all about the spirituality of the ordinary, and how astonishment and amazement form the foundation for being open to the presence of God. There are three long chapters:

Resurrection Wonder
Resurrection Meals
Resurrection Friends

I do not criticize when I say that this book feels somewhat like a large and important parenthesis to Peterson's majesterial Christ Plays in 10,000 Places, a book we were happy to name an H&M Book of the Year last year. It is arranged somewhat similiarly, with good theological anyalsis, guidance for spirituality in ways that are not overly flamboyant or manuevered (let alone manufactured), and important attention to the cultural practices that erode or deconstruct Christian spirituality. Resurrection wonder, meals and friendship must be reclaimed from an inhospitable culture that, in its speed and mastery, slides us away from an awareness of good creation and Christ-bought redemption. It is a wise and helpful approach.

Take a good look at the cover, too. Nice touch, eh?

Living The Resurrection: The Risen Christ in Everyday Life Eugene H. Peterson (NavPress) $16.99

The resolution of the symphony of history: the death and resurrection of Jesus

2007-04-06T17:09:00.000-05:00

I know there are various ways to think about the atonement, and this ugly Friday reminds us of many. And I am aware that there is something troubling about only ever emphasizing one particular model of justification, since the Bible offers several, from adoption and reconciliation to victory over death. But underneath them all, there is this strong Biblical theme of what is at the heart of the Cross, what theologians call "substitionary atonement."

Here, then, from a breath-taking chapter on Christ's sacrifice, from John Piper's The Pleasures of God.

Something troubling has emerged in these chapters.

We have seen that God has pleasure in His Son: he delights in the glory of his own perfections reflected back to him in the countenance of Christ. We have seen that God delights in his sovereign freedom: the Lord is in heaven and does all that he pleases. We have seen that he rejoices over the work of his hands: day by day they declare his glory. We have seen that God has pleasure in his fame: he aims to make a name for himself in all the world and win a reputation for the glory of his grace from every people and tribe and language and nation. And we have seen that, as a means to that end, God has had pleasure in election from before creation: he delights to reveal the glory of his Son to babes and to call out for himself an unlikely people who will make their boast only in the Lord.

Clearly God has a great passion to promote his glory. But the troubling thing that emerges is that God has chosen sinners. He is honoring and blessing and exalting a people who are sinners. And the essence of sin is the belittling of God's glory. Something is askew here. A god infinitely committed to promote the worth of his name and the greatness of his glory is engaging all his powers to bring the enemies of his name into everlasting joy and honor!

Make no mistake, sin is diametrically opposed to the glory of God....(in Romans 3:23) Paul means that sinners have fallen short of prizing the glory of God. We have exchanged the glory of God for something else: for images of glory, like a new home or car or VCR or vacation days or impressive resumes or whatever makes our ticker tick more than the wonder of God's glory...

...The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the resolution of the symphony of history. In the death of Jesus the two themes of God's love for his glory and his love for sinners are resolved. As in all good symphonies there had been hints and suggestions of the final resolution. That is what we have in Isaiah 53 seven hundred years before Jesus came...

John Piper

"The Pleasure of God in Bruising the Son"

The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God

Understanding the Hard Texts of the Bible

2007-04-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

I realize it is April and I never announced to you that the March monthly website article over at the Hearts & Minds website is available to read. It is a long one, a review essay where I list bunches of books and important authors about how to read the Bible. Actually, it is a bit more complicated than that, and I trust you will check it out. Please click here.

A month ago, a college student was chastised by a professor who appeared to be hostile to his traditional Christian convictions about the reliability and authority of the Bible. Whether this well-intended prof would challenge a Muslim or Jewish student I cannot say, but this young fellow felt a bit unsure how to respond, and he wrote to me. I was a bit frustrated---reading more into the situation than perhaps was warranted---that so many secular-minded professors feel at liberty to critique the Old or New Testament documents even if they may not have done serious study into the trustworthiness of these documents themselves. Further, it is commonplace that folks that are otherwise smart and nuanced blast away in the most simplistic way against the wars in the Bible or the mistreatment of women, as if no one has ever struggled with those questions within the church and as if there are simply no compelling arguments in favor of the traditional answers to these perplexing questions. So this student's questions got me thinking about all the books we have about hermeneutics and the ones that try to reply to the very legitimate questions about "the texts of terror" and the harder passages.

I wrote a long, long letter to this young man, and offer an edited version in the column. I hope you find it of interest, and, if you think it is balanced and thoughtful, offering some helpful titles and resources that sound interesting, pass it on to those who might enjoy it. I of course want folks to read this stuff, and hope a few even order books from us. But just knowing these books are out there, and reading my perky annotations, may be encouragement enough for some.

Here's a warning, though: those with a static view either way----the Bible is God's Word ( end of story), OR, the Bible is a man-made collection of biased writings that are violent and we've progressed beyond them---will be disappointed. I hope, though, that many will consider these kinds of titles, the approaches I recommend, and feel inspired to read a couple of books about the most important book in Western history. We owe it to ourselves, and to the Story itself, to learn as much as we can about it. I hope this helps.

It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God (Revised & Expanded)

2007-03-31T10:30:00.000-05:00

It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God (edited by Ned Bustard) and published by Square Halo Books, is one of the few books that I can say with confidence is one of the best we have had the privilege of carrying in our 25 years here at Hearts & Minds. It is a collection of great essays, and seems to be the perfect book for anyone who needs an introduction to thinking faithfully about the arts from a Christian perspective, or that needs more maturity after having read a bit of the classic stuff for starters (Art and the Bible by Schaeffer, say, or Art for God's Sake by Ryken or Walking on Water by L'Engle.) With pieces from working artists like Mary McCleary, Ed Knippers, Karen Mulder, Ted Prescott and others, it is the best collection of its kind in print. And it has just been re-issued in a significantly expanded edition.

Edited by our Lancaster friend Ned Bustard, this collection includes pieces about aesthetics and the arts (like, say, a serious chapter by Adrienne Chaplin called Transfigured on proper notions of beauty, or one by Tim Keller called Glory, on why we need artists) but most are actually about how to do creative, faithful, thoughtful, artwork. (Some chapters are on light, color, truthfulness, and a very creative one on collaboration.) Whether one is an artist, a supporter of artists, or who believes that Christian conviction should lead to engagement with the broader culture (as we've argued here the last few posts) this book simply cannot be beat. We are truly grateful for it's wise presence and happy to be among the few stores to stock and promote it with vigor.

Still, one of the best books we've ever stocked? Yep, it is on our very short list. Let me tell you why I make that audacious claim. It is one of our favs firstly, as I've noted, because it is so very, very good. Important content nicely written with exceptional insight. Further, I like some other stuff about it, stuff that you might want to hear about, since it helps you, blog reader, know a bit about us and what we care about here.

Also:

1. It is lovingly produced, more carefully than most books, I assure you, with color and graphic design and type font and subtitles and such, all by hand by Ned. Ned and his family run a home-based business doing graphic design, and also manage Square Halo Books, which is what some might call a niche press, as they specialize in books on the arts. And, they are Central Pennsylvania, nearly neighbors. We aren't close enough to see each other much, but they do shop here, bringing us samples and tee shirts and greeting from their friends in the art world.

It isn't everybody who knows the leaders in CIVA and gets to edit the work of Mako Fujimuro or Sandra Bowden or Image editor Gregory Wolfe. We love supporting a creative little business that has done such significant networking and publishing among this cadre of underground heroes. I like the rare mixture of hominess and edginess the Bustards live, and it may have something to do with their being Reformed and artistic. Whatever, we love them as they incarnate their solid, stylish book.

2. As I've said, it is lovingly produced, but that ain't all. Although it matters to me that an artifact is made by folks with love in their hearts, if the product isn't that good, good intentions melt away pretty quickly. It Was Good really is an excellent product, a book that looks and feels good and whose content is superlative. It is well written, and this new, expanded edition, is better edited, somewhat re-arranged, and has several new chapters. (Not all publishers really change much when they re-issued a revision. This truly is an expanded version, and the new chapters are remarkable and the older ones touched up.) I know I said it about Fabric of Faithfulness a few posts back, because of the two new parts, but I must say it again here: this newly edited and seriously enhanced edition is so much better than the older version, you should consider getting the new one even if you have the first. Some customers know I sometimes talk people out of buying new books. This isn't one of those times.

3. Square Halo is, in fact, small and indie, and although I wish they had better distribution, and wish they were massively sold through chains and such---we really do want to get the word out, and are glad when good books are well known---there is something cool about being in on something that is such a well-kept secret. I guess the Bustards, and their friends who own Square Halo, and we here at Hearts & Minds, have some sort of a similar view (although I shouldn't speak for them.) We trust that whatever good we are attempting will blossom some how. Or not, Lord willing. Remember that old book of Tom Sine's called The Mustard Seed Conspiracy? That is it: we do our mustard-seed thing and hope for the best. If it blossoms into a big ol' tree that is a spot of healing for creation, thanks be to God. If not, I suppose all the marketing in the world isn't really going to help much.

Maybe I am just using sanctimony to cover for my lazy lack of ability to "ramp it up" and "take it to the next level." But I've read enough Jacque Ellul and Wendell Berry to know the dangers of a manufactured progress that finally is harmful and inauthentic. So, along with mustard-seed projects like classy little Square Halo, we try to make a living, and make a difference. We love selling a book like this because it is a symbol of what we are about, here. If you like us, buy this book. (If you like them, buy it from us.) I suppose it is a bit snide, but if you want Left Behind or The Secret or DVD's of last season's The Apprentice you can go to amazon, since these are the shallow fruits of a mass-produced consumer culture, anyway. It Was Good with its muted but generous color, with fine reproductions throughout, printed on non-tree paper, and its genuine and smart writers and it's righteous vision of a society made whole needs to be hand-sold by staff at a place that cares. Weeeeeee-ah. I say without any false humility that some days I wonder if we are worthy to sell a book like this.

4. It is fun. Joyful. Exciting. This really is nifty stuff: James Romaine riffing on his scholarly work on the Sistine Chapel to open us up to the meaning of creativity? Recording artist, producer and mentor Charlie Peacock on "telling a good story with your life" even as he writes in a contribution called Making Art Like a True Artist? This is great work, energetic and very interesting. Just the artwork shown is fascinating, with Ned's surprising choices of all kinds of (mostly modern) illuminations to accompany the text. I just love books like this, and I hope you do to!

5. Excellent endorsements. I know that sometime authors toss off superlatives as favors to publishers and the business of blurbing can make anybody wonder. But nobody needs to endorse a quiet book from Square Halo; this isn't Tom Clancey or Rick Warren, you know. No, each of the folks who gave endorsements did so, I am sure, out of deep satisfaction in lending their name to a brilliant book, and because they truly believed in the content. From Steve Garber to Luci Shaw, Ken Meyers to Denis Haack, these are folks whose cultural vision has integrity and who we trust. That the book has endorsements from prestigious scholars such as David J. Goa shows further it's reliable importance in the broader cultural scene. That is it cited in good books (like, for instance, The Culturally Savvy Christian about which I posted the other day) is pretty great, too. Maybe only booksellers or editors think like this, but I feel like we are in on something when we have a title like this. Won't you join us?

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Another free book offer: Mouw & Staub

2007-03-28T23:02:00.000-05:00

A few days ago we offered here a deal with included a free copy of the new Richard Mouw book, his collection of short essays, gathered under the title Praying At Burger King. I think the book needs a subtitle, but how to say it? You know in the 1700's book titles where a mile long (just look inside the cover flap of William Wilberforce's Real Christianity and get a load of that.) So, how about "Essays by the kind and brilliant Richard Mouw where he, drawing upon his neo-Calvinist roots, but with ecumenical sensibilities, delightfully, and for our profit, shows what a Christian worldview really looks like in writings on everything from the glorious details of Christian doctrine to how to think about Santa Clause, to how to treat farm animals (and yes, one of the best pieces really is called When Chickens Strut Their Stuff"? No? How about: "Living faithfully in God's world, in the complex details of everyday life, written thoughtfully and graciously in ways that will really make you smile"? Or, how about "Even though this is a really weird cover, the book is really, really, good, trust me."? I don't know why the publishers didn't work a little harder to make this look like the extraordinary collection it is, with a compelling subtitle Any one of these meditations could be fodder for thoughtful reflection, even to be read as a daily devotional. Having them around is a great resource, and I've already found myself telling people about any number of them.

Dr. Mouw is a scholar that I've respected for decades. (Click here for a listing and description of his books, but please come back to finish my post!) One of the reasons is because he was one of the first Dutch Calvinist philosophers who showed nterest in the Mennonite tradition, knew the radical young evangelicals who formed what later became known as Sojourners and interacted with the work of activist theologians like William Stringfellow. In fact, you can read here, in his Mouw's Musings blog, a beautiful reflection which mentions his dialogues with John Howard Yoder. More to the point, though, this wonderful brief posting (which I really hope you read), illustrates some of what he will be talking about at the Abraham Kuyper lectures at Princeton Seminary this weekend. (Ahh, it breaks my heart not to be there, with friends like Gideon Strauss and Ron Sider and Al Wolters lined up as respondents to Mouw's call for full-orbed faith in the tradition of the great Dutch public theologian and statesman.) Mouw writes in his blog post, "Calvinism and Sewage" of how some Mennonite townspeople who held small elected offices in their township, asked him to address them on how his Calvinist heritage could help them be more informed as Christian civic leaders. They felt like the anti-institutional, and finally, anti-cultural tone of much of what they heard at their church didn't equip them to think well about daily service of this sort. Mouw is candid (not proud) of the best of his Reformed heritage and yet not mean at all, and often very enthusiastic about insights from other traditions. And, of course, to make his point, Mouw tells the story I often tell, of Calvin's work on Geneva's sewer systems even as he was writing his magisterial theological work. Read Richard on it, and pray for his lectures this weekend at Princeton.

While I'm on the free book kick, here is a link to some of his posts, a few of which can be found in Praying at Burger King. Browse around here at his archive from beliefnet for a few minutes and I trust you fill find why I find his short reflections so appealing, and why we are eager to promote this little book.

And, lastly, while I am on this theme which I introduced by telling you about Vanhoozer's book on cultural exegesis, Everyday Theology I've been itching all day to get time to tell you about the marvelous new book by Dick Staub. It is called (and this one does have a sub-title) The Culturally-Savvy Christian: A Manifesto for Deepening Faith and Enriching Popular Culture in an Age of Christianity-Lite (Jossey-Bass; $21.95.) Those who attended the spectacular arts conference in NYC last month (IAM) heard Staub interview the architect who is redesigning the WTC as well as his interview of world famous painter Mako Fujimura, and his conversations with Karen Goodwin, who brought Les Mis to Broadway. That these thoughtful and culturally-engaged Christian folks are making a difference is evident. Staub chronicles this sort of work, and the theological vision beneath it, and celebrates God's work these days in this time of renewal. That he invites us all to deepen our faith in ways that will help produce a generation who can be artistic salt and light is thrilling, and is exactly what needs to be said. With a forward by N.T. Wright, and wonderfully mature and thoughtful and surprising leads and excurcions, this books moves us out of the less than adequate ideas and impulses that the church has produced, and calls us to more faithful, relevant and lasting forms of witness and mission. I will surely speak more of this very useful book soon. I've had an advanced reading copy for a while, but didn't want to say anything until it arrived and I knew I could actually sell it. It is now here, and we are running a special.

So, a blog special, again. Buy Staub for $2 off the regular price AND, get Mouw free. Although Richard Mouw's work stands on its own and is a wonderfully enjoyable and spiritually enriching short collection, it would be perfect to read in tandem with something like The Culturally Savvy Christian. We package them together, and you save $12.00. As you can see, I want to generate interest in this stuff. I am sure it is that important. Thanks for caring, for showing interest in what has be so influential to us, and for being a part of our efforts here at Hearts & Minds. We are grateful.

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FREE BOOK OFFER: Everyday Theology & Praying at Burger King

2007-03-26T15:18:00.000-05:00

One of the catagories of books we promote here at Hearts & Minds bookstore is that broad topic of the relationship of Christ and cultural engagement. One aspect of that is precisely the question of how we ought to most fruitfully and faithfully think about cultural artifcates, patterns and trends. For those of us who are seriously Christian, we want our deepest convictions about life, truth, God, the nature of people, the structures of society and the values of the good life to be brought to bear in the very way we think about culture. Many books explore those themes in specific areas--film, rock music, advertising and the like.

Some are very, very important to help us get a good foundation, and you know I often cite the excellent, and recently updated and expanded Eyes Wide Open: Finding God in Popular Culture by my old college bud, Bill Romanowski (Brazos; $17.99.) This is both easy to read and exceptionally insightful; it is Biblically and theologically astute, and very fluent in the latest discourse in the field. It is fun and serious. I might also say--a tiny bit proudly, I'll admit--that Bill has been talking about this stuff his entire adult life, and was mentored as a young Christian in the early 70's by those who knew Francis Schaeffer and Calvin Seerveld and Hans Rookmaaker. Very early books on faith and culture by mainline Protestant scholars, too, were on his agenda, and I might suggest that he was a bit of a pioneer in a field that is really blossoming these days. He even got his name on a hardback scholarly book on the use of rock sountracks in film back in the day when that was notable.

But, now, as I say, this is a field that is coming into its own. The brand new Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends edited by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Charles A. Anderson and Michael J. Sleasman (Baker Academic; $23.95) is an edited volume of highest calibre, with serious essays on a variety of texts and topics which asks how they can be understood from the vantage point of a Christian worldview. That this was edited by the very well-known scholar of Biblical hermenutics, Kevin J. Vanhoozer (PhD from Cambridge, now a theology prof at Trinity) is fascinating, too. On the back cover, it says this, "Generally speaking, students, theologians, pastors and church leaders are well-trained in the task of biblical exegesis. Where many fall short, however, is in the area of cultural exegesis---reading and interpreting the texts and trends produced by our culture, which can have a profound influence on the way we understand the world and practice our faith." Everyday theology may or may not be the right phrase to describe this project, but if you have theological questions about ordinary stuff---MySpace and cityscapes, rap music and Martha Stewart---this is a wonderful collection. It not only includes case studies, but the cumulative effect is to show us how to invoke a practice of thoughtfulness, to graft us into a tradition, however evolving, in thinking Christianly about popular culture and the postmodern world in which we live.

Chapters include a fine introduction by Vanhoozer on what he means by "everyday theology" in which he takes steps towards a theory of cultural interpretation. The large middle section includes chapters which show us the art of reading cultural texts, with pieces like "The Gospel According To Safeway: The Checkout Line and the Good Life", "Despair and Redemption: A Theological Account of Eminem" or "Between City and Steeple: Looking at MegaChurch Architecture." Other pieces include an important essay on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a study of hope in Ridely Scott's film, Gladiator.

The third section of Everyday Theology include a handful of chapters on how to interpret cultural trends--from "The Business of Busyness" to a good one on the blogosphere. The chapter on the trend of designing fantasy funerals is fascinating--- that the author doesn't cite the Christian undertaker and exquisite poet, Thomas Lynch, is a large oversite, but there you have it---this stuff needs to be discussed and argued about. Most of us, at least those of us who are middle aged and younger, talk about this stuff all the time, anyway. This will help us do so in an honorable and useful way that honors God and brings--hopefully--insights of blessings for our families and neighbors.

That the editors have put together for reflection sidebars and book links and a few other useful resources is nice, making it more user-friendly. Still, it will be a hard-sell, I'm afraid, to get people to buy and use a book this diverse and unique. I hope our Hearts & Minds friends, who experience some joy in thinking about these very things, and reading books about all kinds of stuff, will agree that this really could be an amazing book to have. Kudos to Baker for their good work in this field.

* * *

Few authors have been as level-headed, clear, principled and graceful in their relating the Lordship of Christ and the sovereignty of God to the issues of the day as Fuller Seminary president and philosophy prof, Richard J. Mouw. I will write more about him soon, but for now, I offer this: his collection of short pieces, some previously published in his column at beliefnet or in Christianity Today, called Praying At Burger King (Eerdmans; $10.00) will be sent ABSOLUTELY FREE if you buy the above listed book. Mouw--who carries an endorsement on the back of the Everyday Theology book---would be a perfect, easy-to-read, nearly devotional guide to read alongside the heavy stuff in the cultural exegesis book. Mouw is known as a deep thinker, but in these brief pieces he offers lively stories and fun anecdotes about ordinary stuff. As one reviewer put it, "Mouw has the knack for spotting the theologically sublime in the simple things and the profound in the quirky events of life."

Here is why Michael Card wrote about it

Blake spoke of seeing 'the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower.' This is exactly what Richard Mouw has done for us. Whether it is Machiavelli of McDonald's, Martin Luther King of Burger King, Santa Claus or Sister Helen, Mouw helps us to hope that this is indeed a heaven-invaded world."

Read Mouw, on us. And then you will want to--need to---go deeper in. That is where you pick up the one to deepen your skills doing "Everyday Theology."

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Consumed, Deep Economy and another free Bono offer

2007-03-21T23:28:00.000-05:00

In my last blog I told of our special offer as we promoted On the Move, the speech that rock star Bono gave to the National Prayer Breakfast. As you can see by browsing the comment section, it created some discussion, and some links were offered for those who want a dissenting opinion of Bono's policy proposals to "make poverty history." Thanks for those that ordered the books from us. The offer for the free one, and another free book, too, to go with it, is still on.

Two new books came in the other day, and given this bit of discourse, I thought I'd note them. (We stock more books on international justice and globalization and third world poverty and wholistic Christian missions than most bookstores.) These both look very, very good and I think would be helpful for many of our readers.
First, let me mention the new hardback by Benjamin R. Barber, Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole (Norton; $26.95.)

In this powerful and disturbing critique, Benjamin Barber takes dead aim at a fudamental fallacy of our time: the equation of capitalism and democracy. Perceptively exploring the puerility of market culture, Consumed insists on the crucial distinction between consumers and citizens. No one who cares about the future of our public life can afford to ignore this book.
Jackson Lears
editor in chief Raritan

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future is the new book by the excellent writer, hiker, reporter and enviromental activist, Bill McKibben (Times Books; $25.00.) We really have appreciated his many books (The Age of Missing Information was fabulous, and The End of Nature highly, highly regarded. And his one on Job is back out again, too.) Some have likened him to Wendell Berry. Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma (did you see our note about it as a Year's Best in our end of the year list at the website?) has written,

The cult of growth and globalization has seldom been so effectively challanged as by Bill McKibben in Deep Economy. But this bracing tonic of a book also throws the bright light of McKibben's matchless journalism on the vibrant local economies now springing up like mushrooms in the shadow of globalization. Deep Economy fills you with hope and a sense of fresh possibility.

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A new edition of Fabric of Faithfulness

2007-03-16T23:43:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to tell my blog friends about the February column over at the website, which, as you can see here, is mostly about William Wilberforce. I hope the Wilberforce movie, Amazing Grace, is still around your town, or coming to your town, and I hope you like the essay I wrote for the local paper, which I reprint there at the website, and the follow-up bibliography. (Look closely for the free book offer!) Why not send it out to somebody you know?

My good friend Steve Garber remains not only a faithful bud and Hearts & Minds booster, but remains an author that we should read and re-read. I've linked to his essays at his website, before, and in the February website column, I tell of the new edition of Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior. I hate to sound like such a groupie, but I truly think the remarkable forward and the exquistely inspirational afterward that are added to the new edition make it worth having, even if you have the old one. (The new cover is an improvement, too, eh?) Please check out my hat-tipping and all that. It is a book I enjoy writing about, and there are reasons I wrote about it in the Wilberforce review. Steve has been shown interest in Wilby for years, and has been a friend and encourager to some of the key players who cooked up the idea for the film. So I'm not being dramatic or trying to connect dots that aren't there.

The picture, by the way, is of Steve at Jubilee '07, in front of 2200 college students, telling of how a Wilberforce weekend impacted his life, decades ago, in Pittsburgh. I was honored to introduce him at Jubilee. He then interviewed Mark Rogers, a significant Senate staffer, who is now doing PR work for Amazing Grace and is one of the most important guys relating faith and art and culture and policy in North America today, and Isaac Slade, frontman of the band, The Fray. Garber always brings others into the conversation.

Perhaps it was from his time with Francis Schaeffer, or from taking in the novels and short-stories of Wendell Berry, or from his long study of the dualisms that plague our worldviews, but his motto these days is "come and see." That is, his pedagogy is embodied, and he spends much time highlighting the work of others, showing how the gospel can be lived out in meaningful ways. Fabric...of course is loaded with stories, so even as he researched it, he was wanting to tell about the lives of others. It is an important emphasis, though, which I believe you see even more strongly in the new essays in the book; he doesn't want the spotlight on himself, but on those who are engaging in life-long, good work for God's glory.

Do check out the February review. The March one will be up soon, too, so don't wait.

On the Move: Love is on the move, mercy is on the move, God is on the move

2007-03-14T17:29:00.000-05:00

I try to be patient with my friends and colleagues in the Christian bookstore business, and I sometimes get a bit defensive when smart and edgy folks dismiss the mom and pop shops that sell the Jesus junk and too little serious literature. Most of them, the "Christian store" owners, are good, good people, working hard with little financial security.

But I do get on my high horse sometimes, and rightfully so. There is so much dumbness, so much that is tacky and weird, in the material culture of the evangelical scene. And, the ethos of the "Christian Booksellers Association" industry, while improving, still allows for such perverse silliness---golf balls with Bible verses sold with the serious claim that they can be evangelistic if lost ones are found, the new line of Christian breath mints (yes, once again, they are called Testa-Mints; I couldn't make that up), tee shirts which rip off well known ad campaigns (as if that is oh-so-clever) and more bad books than even our most jaded cynic can imagine. We were considering stocking the laminated Bible that you can take in a Christian hot tub, though, but decided to pass...

Sometimes I write letters, scold sales reps (why, oh why, would anybody publish the nonsense in that Stephen Baldwin book, where he affirms anti-intellectualism? And why would an otherwise reliable publisher allow him to do a forward for a book for college students?) I had a protest piece published in our trade journal not too long ago when they awarded the Left Behind novels (less than stellar writing lined with even less than stellar theology) for their significant cultural impact. Yes, they've made an impact all right, with cultural creatives and literary critics mocking us worse than our captors in Psalm 137. God's people at least didn't deserve that taunting.

But I digress, with my little CBA industry rant. My point today is, well, my point is that you can fight back. A case of colossal stupidity has once again emerged from the belly of the CBA beast. I'll tell you about it shortly.

First, this great news: the brand new book by u2 frontman, Bono, published by the nervy folks at Nelson-Word (perhaps atoning for some really dumb books in their publishing past) has just been released. It is called On The Move (W Publishing Group; $12.99) and it is a significant collection of photographs of Bono's first trip to Ethiopia, and a brief chronical of his later work in Africa. These black and white photos, some not seen before, were taken by Bono himself (with shots of him by Kevin Davies.) The text of this small gift book is the much-publicized National Prayer Breakfast speech which Bono delivered last January. It has been widely circulated, and is a powerful, passionate, obviously Christian and serious call to faith, action, obedience and justice. The speech is accentuated with these powerful pictures, giving it an edgy, pomo artsy feel. For more traditional readers, the speech text is reproduced in the back in straight-line paragraphs. It really is worth reading, and this book is really worth having. You could use it nearly as a lectio devino meditation, using the pictures of gloriously human African kids as icons. And you can read the speech in one sitting, using the full edition in the back pages.

Here's the thing that irks me. Some stores are refusing to carry it. Sales representatives are being criticized, the W publishing group being chastised, for daring to carry a book by this renegade Christian rock star. Forget that the book carries a glowing endorsement by Billy Graham! Forget that all the proceeds go to fight AIDS in Africa! You know what Stephen Baldwin says about that nonsense.

So, my sales rep thanked me for buying a bundle. To hear that some stores haven't taken any, that some are mad about it, that some sales reps in some parts of the country have not only found the product ignored, but condemned, well, that just makes me wanna holler.

My plan? Let's sell a bunch of these. Let's show 'em that we care, that some stores are happy to support this (supposedly controversial) project, and will do well by them. Let's make sure that the next publisher that wants to do something like this doesn't back off because CBA stores didn't sell enough of On The Move. I went out on a limb and ordered more than I should have. I believe in this little book and I believe that our circle of friends and customers will know what to do with it.

I don't know how long we can do this, but for now, I offer this: buy two, get one free.

You can keep one, give one as a gift to a friend, and donate one to a library, resource center, youth group, coffee shop, beauty salon, or other give-away spot. What do you say?

The speech is worth reading and pondering. It is worth sharing and discussing. The pictures are excellent, the project very cool, the packaging exciting and artistically moving, DATA and the ONE campaign very reliable. Mostly, it is about showing God's love in compassionate and just ways. It is about a man who leverages his celebrity for the poor, and a publisher willing to get the evangelical community on board. I want to move these, and will give some away. You've got to help us, though. Buy two, get one free.

AND: while supplies last, I will do this. Buy two, get one free, AND I will include a book about Christain faith and poverty, some kind of pro-justice, faith-based paperback. I've got tons of this stuff around here, and will give some away, to anybody who takes us up on this offer. Just let us know you want the blog special. We offer some free stuff and you can take it from there.

God is not silent on the subject... Bono

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