Saturday, July 29, 2006
"The Contented Soul" by Lisa Graham McMinn (InterVarsity Press, 184 pages, $17) Contentment often slips in and out of our lives like a mirage. We shouldn't be discouraged, Lisa Graham McMinn writes. Three steps can help us savor life, its pain and joy. One, we need to hold onto hope. God showed through Jesus' resurrection that love and goodness ultimately prevail, she says. Second, we must develop a mellowness of heart and learn to relish life's little blessings -- a sunset, a cold drink of water after a long run -- amid everyday stress. They can bring us closer to God and a feeling of rightness with the world. And last, she believes, we must be better stewards of the earth God has entrusted us with. That means living, especially in America, below our means, not up to or beyond them. It means shopping wisely, using less and pushing for corporate accountability. It means truly noticing and exalting in the beauty of nature. Choosing to live joyfully, focusing on the good instead of the bad, requires fortitude and endurance, she says. But if we keep persevering, we can find lasting contentment.
"The Search for Satisfaction," by David H. McKinley (W Publishing Group, 162 pages, $12.99) In our frenetic, contemporary lives, it's easy to wonder whether the Bible can offer guidance. Join David H. McKinley in journeying back to the time of King Solomon, the wisest of men. If there's a single book in the Bible that speaks to this searching generation, Ecclesiastes is it. It's a timeless commentary on living, believed to have been written by Solomon. Several famous phrases such as "nothing new under the sun" and "to every thing there is a season" are found there. Dr. McKinley, teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, uses the idea of a contemporary seeker scanning the Internet to illustrate Solomon's search for meaning in a life filled with everything imaginable, yet still empty. McKinley examines the challenges in Solomon's life and the wisdom that grew from it. Ultimately, Solomon decides that true satisfaction comes only from a relationship with God.
"Llewellyn's 2006 Wicca Almanac" (Llewellyn Worldwide, 288 pages, $8.99) Billed as the "hip witch's guide," the almanac for spring 2006-spring 2007 fulfills its pledge to help readers make plans based on factors like the moon's phase and design, plus it includes color and planetary correspondences for each day. Though a few of the chapters -- particularly Norman Shoaf's article titled "My Training in Wicca" -- are a bit graphic, most are interesting reads. City dwellers new to Wicca may find "Harnessing the Spirit of the City" helpful in that it talks about how the author finds her place in new surroundings. "Live Lightly" is the most expected chapter -- after all, living lightly is all but an official pagan creed. Author Jennifer Cobb encourages readers to learn how to live on less -- less junk food, less clothes, less "junky and unfulfilling relationships." The information in the almanac itself is pretty limited.
"Leading With a Limp" by Dan B. Allender (WaterBrook Press, 206 pages, $19.99) Dan Allender, the founder and president of Mars Hill Graduate School, proposes that leaders need to forget everything they've been taught about personal power being the key to effective leadership. Instead, he says, the one who leads best is the reluctant leader who acknowledges that he or she moves forward with a limp. Allender, who's also a psychologist, defines a leader as "anyone who is moved to influence others to engage a problem or an opportunity for good." He believes that true leaders turn struggles into strengths; and yet, in this day of spin, professionalism and big programs, this message isn't being proclaimed loudly enough. With the right amount of self-deprecation and honesty, Allender often uses his own "limps" as illustrations, rendering the book a compelling read.
"The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism" by Walter Laqueur (Oxford University Press, 240 pages, $22) For 30 years, Walter Laqueur was director of the Wiener Library in London, the leading institute for the study of anti-Semitism. His book is an overview of the topic from the earliest days of the Hebrew people to the present. The roots of anti-Semitism have changed over the centuries, but its existence has remained constant for at least 3,000 years. At various times, it was brought about by religious, economic, racial, political and societal factors. Today, anti-Semites continue to call upon various premises to justify their intolerance.
"Authorizing Marriage" Edited by Mark Jordan (Princeton University Press, 195 pages, $35) For people opposed to gay marriage, this book will feel like a symphony orchestra playing hip-hop. Authors of the 11 essays attempt to use the rigorous traditional methodology of Jewish and Christian theology to reach conclusions that support religious endorsement of same-sex unions. Some of the essayists prove that academic jargon can snuff the spark of even a topic as hot as sex. The writers plow some familiar ground: the affection between David and Jonathan, the ancient Christian friendship ceremony called adelphopoesis, weird linguistic gender ambiguities in the Genesis creation stories.
"Basilica" by R.A. Scotti (Viking, 320 pages, $25.95) It seems the most magnificent church in Christendom was built by committee. The architects of St. Peter's included Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini, but it took almost 200 years to build and none of the architects was willing to let his predecessor's work stand. The story of the Roman church is as much a story of popes as of architects. Nicholas V had the first idea to build such a church, but Julius II, an imperious battering ram of a pope, got it started. He would let nothing stand in his way. A part of his legacy so is the wonderful ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. Twenty-seven popes were involved and most had as many different ideas as did their architects.
"Watching the Tree Limbs" by Mary E. DeMuth (Navpress, 367 pages, $12.99)
Nine-year-old Mara longs to escape from the secrets and haunting shame that dominate her life in a quirky East Texas town. Mara lives with someone called Aunt Elma, but is she really her aunt? "Where are my parents?" Mara wonders. This faith-based novel from former Dallas author Mary DeMuth explores the effects of childhood abuse from the child's perspective. Aunt Elma, who's oblivious to Mara's questions, has her own problems. So when the neighborhood teenager who refers to himself as "the General" pays special attention to Mara, Aunt Elma is too busy to notice. The General demands sexual favors, followed with threats on Mara's life if she tells. DeMuth treads where other Christian authors have feared to tread. Her imagery and lyrical metaphors compel readers to turn each page as she pulls them into Mara's seemingly lost childhood and leads them to a redemptive conclusion.
"The Twilight of Atheism" by Alister McGrath (Galilee/Doubleday, 279 pages, $14.95) Alister McGrath, a prolific theologian from Oxford University, has written an interesting review of the intellectual history of Western culture, with special attention to the question of belief or disbelief in God. His overview of philosophy, theology, literature and political science covers the last two centuries. Oddly, though, he equates "the modern world" with Germany, France, England and the United States. The Muslim world -- is ignored. There is little attention to the faith and practice of ordinary believers. The focus is almost exclusively on the intellectual class. Nevertheless, this is a well-written book, one worthy of reading.
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