LITERARY SPIRIT \ Religion in the media

"Only Human" by David P. Gushee (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 224 pages, $22.50): Who and what are human beings? David P. Gushee uses a Christian theological language to describe humanity. His approach is ecumenical. He is a Protestant by choice and a minister by calling. He serves as a professor at a Southern Baptist university. This makes his decision to appeal to Roman Catholic teaching on moral freedom and behavior all the more intriguing. What are humans? We are created in the image of God, yet living in a state of sin. Each of us is remarkably different, but we share the same basic nature. We are free as individuals but bound by relationships, choices and consequences. The author's gift for telling stories and communicating complex theological issues in an easy-to-read style keeps the reader engaged while tackling tough questions.
"Real Life, Real Love" by Father Albert Cutie (Berkley, 384 pages, $23.95: Can a celibate priest provide useful relationship advice to the millions of Americans teetering on the brink of divorce, looking for love in Internet chat rooms or trapped in a sterile marriage? The answer is "yes" if he is the Rev. Albert Cutie, the Cuban-American "Father Oprah," who dispenses advice on the radio and in the newspaper from his niche in the archdiocese of Miami. Young and charismatic, Father Cutie has movie-star looks paired with mediagenic energy. His "seven paths" to a good relationship make sense. Techniques in each chapter help readers build solid relationships, develop respect for the partner, clarify expectations, be honest, communicate, learn to live with differences, and commit to growth and maturity.
"The Left Hand of God" by Michael Lerner (HarperSanFrancisco, 416 pages, $24.95): America is filled with nice liberals who don't speak up. Filled with believers who don't go to church, who disagree with fundamentalists, and who equate religion with a narrow conservatism. Shame, says Lerner. A yearning for spiritual meaning in life is universal, he says. But liberals avoid the subject, and, in their silence, have gift-wrapped the realm of religion for the Republican Party. Voicing a rare perspective for today's cultural milieu, the social theorist from Berkeley, Calif., says Republicans exploited the religious right to gain the White House, then to promote war, big business and anti-environmental measures. The administration wears a compassionate veneer, he writes, but in policy undercuts family and middle-class values.
"What Jesus Meant" by Garry Wills (Viking, 176 pages, $24.95): Jesus had no use for organized religion. He didn't care about politics or money. He was "an outcast among outcasts, sharing the lot of the destitute, the defiled, the despised." Today, he'd be far more likely to run an AIDS clinic than a Christian broadcasting network. So says the Gospel, according to Garry Wills. Churches, the famed historian writes, have done their best to blunt and bend Jesus' message. There is much to recommend in this short meditation. But the book, his third in six months, seems slapped together. Wills is a first-rate thinker, seldom better than when he's writing about his faith. His admirers deserve a better effort.
"Boundaries With Teens" by John Townsend (Zondervan, 288 pages, $19.99): Those loving, usually compliant preteens turn without warning into beings from another planet -- distant, defiant, determined to go their own way. What are parents to do? Set boundaries, John Townsend advises, in this been-there-done-that book for parents of teenagers. Using his experience as a psychologist and father of two teens, Townsend advises parents on how to provide structure and give teens the self-control to become responsible adults. The spiritually based principles he advocates are easy to grasp and implement. And he gives tips on getting professional advice.
Knight Ridder Newspapers