literary spirit \Religion in the media

“Abraham’s Children” by Jon Entine (Grand Central Publishing, 420 pages, $27.99): Just who is a Jew? Definitions have been many for a group variously identified — or misidentified — as a people, a religion, a culture, an ethnicity or some combination of these. Jon Entine uses advanced DNA technology to suggest an answer. “Jews have unique advantages as candidates for genetic study,” he says, citing their many tightly knit communities worldwide for generations after the expulsion from Palestine described in the Bible. “Provocative answers to questions of ancestry and identity ... might be found in our DNA. It’s the genetic equivalent of history’s Dead Sea Scrolls.” DNA testing, in fact, confirmed the author’s personal Judaic connection by finding that he had a genetic marker common to people of Eastern European Jewish origin, a mutation known to raise the risk of breast cancer — which several people in his family had. Others have also been surprised to find connections, such as Bill Sanchez of Santa Fe, N.M., a Catholic priest who’s a genetic relative of Aaron’s, the Jewish high priest at the time of the biblical Exodus. This is a reader-friendly presentation of some high science sure to startle with its conclusion about Jewish DNA: “The legacy of the ancient Israelites is also preserved in millions of unbelievers, Christians, and Muslims destined to carry their biblical inheritance forever in their genes.”

“Arguing the Just War in Islam” by John Kelsay (Harvard University Press, 272 pages, $24.95): This is a short, thorough, but nontechnical account of the early rise of “Shari’a reasoning” in Islam. Kelsay, a professor at Florida State University, explains in clear language the ways in which legal reasoning in Islam was both changed and renewed in the colonial era. He then shows how it is adopted by contemporary Muslims to justify a range of approaches to new political situations unanticipated by classical Islamic jurisprudence. He makes a good argument that classical Islamic reasoning was diverse because it always recognized that legal judgments were contextual rather than ideological. This gives way to a diversity of legal reasoning in the modern world, exploding the myth of a single “Islamic” approach to either the necessity or the means of war in achieving political aims. The book is well researched and based on impeccable sources: a must-read for those who want to move beyond hype and fear to a nuanced understanding of the multiple possible futures before the Muslim world.

“A Second Coming” by Bryan Wilson (CE Music/Bryan’s Songs Records): As many a child star can attest, it’s often tough trying to carry that childhood success into adulthood. And it looks like that’s going to be the case for gospel child star Bryan Wilson. Now 26, Wilson made a name for himself at age 12 with his captivating rendition of “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” with the Mississippi Children’s Choir. He subsequently received Dove and Stellar Award nominations, released two solo CDs and toured with some of gospel’s biggest names. Then he went off to college at Princeton University and anguished through a voice change. Now he’s back with “A Second Coming,” his first release since 1999. The 12-track CD is being hailed as a “departure” from Wilson’s roots in traditional gospel. And it is that. But sometimes, when you take a different route, where you wind up is not necessarily good. That’s what happened here. It’s a nice effort, but much of the CD sounds like what it is — a former star trying to reinvent himself. Too bad that Bryan Wilson’s “second coming” is not the one we’re looking for.

“Encore: The Best of The Clark Sisters” by The Clark Sisters (Dexterity/Rhino): Gospel music followers always knew that the Clark Sisters could sing. Now the entire music world knows, since the four ladies from Detroit recently won three Grammy Awards — the first of their 35-year recording career — for the group’s top-selling CD “Live: One Last Time.” Two days after the Grammys, the group released “Encore,” a compilation CD featuring a dozen of the foursome’s greatest hits, many of which are out of print. Included on the CD are such Clark Sisters perennials as “Is My Living in Vain?” “You Brought the Sunshine,” “There Is a Balm in Gilead” and “I Am Blessed.” In addition, the still-relevant “Pray for the USA” shows up on the CD, which includes commentaries interspersed throughout. During the 1980s, the Clark Sisters — Karen Clark-Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Jacky Clark-Chisolm and Elbertina “Twinkie” Clark-Terrell — were gospel’s top female contemporary group. No one is more deserving of an encore.

“God of This City” by Passion (sixsteps/Sparrow): Every year or so, the Passion movement offers up a new CD of impeccably produced live music that demonstrates exactly how exciting contemporary praise can be. The recipe rarely varies: Gather a crowd of college students, bring in a half-dozen top praise leaders and then hit the “record” button. The results are almost always superb, and “God of This City,” the latest incarnation, is no different. Recorded at Passion conferences in Atlanta, Boston and Chicago, the collection features Chris Tomlin, the David Crowder Band, Matt Redman and other Passion veterans leading vibrant shout-and-response anthems that yank you from your seat. The title track, borrowed from the Belfast rockers Bluetree and performed by Tomlin, is one of the most infectious songs to appear in the Passion series. The Crowder Band offers “The Glory of It All” and its contemporary take on “O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” both powerfully rousing. Texas praise leader Charlie Hall lowers the volume a bit with the thoughtful “Walk This World.” Mostly, though, Passion music is all about dancing-in-the-aisles praise, and “God of This City doesn’t disappoint.

“WOW Gospel 2008” by various artists (Zomba Gospel Group): Sure, “WOW Gospel 2008” is a compilation two-disc set. Sure, most — if not all — of the 33 songs included are well-known to gospel fans by now. But that’s the point of “WOW.” The popular series is designed to leave the faithful slack-jawed from the nonstop hits of their favorite singers. All the major players are represented: Kirk Franklin, Smokie Norful, Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard, J Moss, Byron Cage, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, to name a few. And for good measure, there’s even an entry from Patti LaBelle. “WOW Gospel 2008” has just about everything and everyone that pure-gospel fans want to hear. The songs are a great mixture of upbeat contemporary, traditional melodies and some things in between. It’s little wonder that the annual “WOW” gospel CD is one of the industry’s most sought-after projects.

“The Words of Jesus” by Phyllis Tickle (Jossey-Bass, 206 pages, $22.95): This is a hybrid book: three parts devotional, one part scholarly. It is easy to read and will be easy to give as a gift. Three quarters of this 60,000-word book is nothing but quotes from the New Testament: no explanation, no commentary, no footnotes. The quotes are the words of Jesus, accompanied by their immediate context but extracted from their various narratives. The sayings are arranged in five groups: public teaching, private instruction, healing dialogue, intimate conversation and post-Resurrection encounters. The author, editor and/or arranger — it’s difficult to know what word to use for such a task — is a well-known Episcopalian scholar, preacher and author. The book begins with a 50-page, 15,000-word essay that describes her journey with this project, including wrestling with the apocalyptic elements of Jesus’ teaching. At the end, she lists the various biblical translations and paraphrases that influenced her own renderings of the words of Jesus.

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