Spiritual Living

By Graham Christian -- Library Journal, 3/1/2007

Armstrong, Kristin. Happily Ever After: Walking with Peace and Courage Through a Year of Divorce. Faithwords: Warner. 2007. c.365p. ISBN 0-446-57989-0 [ISBN 978-0-446-57989-6]. pap. $16.99. REL

Armstrong, divorced in 2003 from beloved and heroic cyclist Lance Armstrong, here makes her own contribution to the steady stream of daily devotionals. This book, she says, is her "thank-you note to God." Readers hoping for a glimpse into the dark secrets of the Armstrong marriage would do better looking at the archives of The Oprah Winfrey Show, but others will be well served by Armstrong's uncomplicated daily reflections on Scripture passages. For larger collections.

Butcher, a scholar of medieval Christianity, offers fresh translations of selected writings by 12th-century German abbess Hildegard of Bingen. A fearless advocate of the truth as she saw it and a correspondent of kings and popes, Hildegard was not only a nun but a poet and mystic of practically psychedelic visions. As Butcher reminds us, an album of her sacred songs, A Feather on the Breath of God, briefly went to the top of the Billboard charts 25 years ago, and Hildegard has proved durably appealing to feminists, Christians, and mystic seekers of all stripes. This brief and flowingly translated selection should renew her appeal. For most collections.

Carroll, founder of the Legacy Project, which solicits and publishes war letters, is the editor of War Letters, Behind the Lines, and now this volume, which focuses on letters home that emphasize religion and spirituality. It is impossible not to be moved by the immediacy and honesty of these letters from the battlefield (and a few from the homefront, including one from the wife of Robert E. Lee). "Does God really love us individually or does He love his purpose more?" asks Walter Bromwich in 1918. Combat Nurse June Wandrey, in 1944, meets the Pope but declines to kiss his ring: "If one thinks of the sanitary aspects of that antiquated custom, it's repulsive." Highly recommended.

Kalas, a professor at the Asbury Theological Seminary and an extremely busy writer (30 books and counting), has written just the book one might have anticipated from the author of The Thirteen Apostles and the "Back Side" series. Kalas's latest celebrates, from a Methodist perspective, 11 women who feature prominently in the New Testament. The author here takes for granted the absolute facticity of the New Testament accounts, so these are little thumbnail biographies of women about whom very little can be known, tailored for the modern nonacademic reader. For most collections.

For many of us, it's seemingly irresistible to try to discern our pet truths in the products of popular culture that exert a terrible fascination for us, often for quite other and nonspiritual or nonphilosophical reasons. In the long wake of The Gospel According to Peanuts, we have seen gospel truths accorded to the Disney Corporation, the Simpsons, Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, and many more. McDowell (theology, New Coll., Univ. of Edinburgh) finds a rich source for Christian theology in George Lucas's Star Wars film series. It comes as no surprise to find moral preachment in this series; the heavy handedness of the makers' intentions tended to weaken the later films. McDowell's efforts, while admirable in their doggedness, tend to diminish the films by burdening them with specifically Christian messages—they do preach, but is it Christ they preach? Still, some readers will enjoy McDowell's attempt to justify their guilty passion for Lucas's space operas. For many collections.

McLaughlin, a longtime entrepreneur and businessman, is now associated with recovery and the popular Mankind Project; his new book, drawing heavily on the insights of Abraham Maslow, encourages his readers to begin with a true perception and appreciation of the Self in order to make use of his "Five Ways" of creating healthy relationships: awareness, personal power, feelings, needs, and inner harmony. McLaughlin's work dispenses much-needed good sense and should appeal strongly to men involved in Mankind Project groups or similar post-Robert Bly movements. For most collections.

This brief work is the brainchild of three minds and at least as many continents: its authors were educated in or work in South America, India, and the United States. It promotes the idea that a humane, ethical work environment under honest and committed leadership contributes to rather than distracts from profit and the pursuit of the bottom line. The authors are careful to distinguish between the spiritual and the religious workplace, and while some of their suggestions may seem banal (e.g., your children's pictures, plants), their work as a whole at least recognizes how much time the modern worker spends in the office and that the happy employee is more effective. A workshop between covers, directed to the supervisor as well as the cube prisoner, this accessible work should find a wide audience, especially among business readers. For most collections.

Mehta, a young graduate student in mathematics, a former Jain, and a current leader in the Secular Student Alliance, made himself the center of a web phenomenon not long ago. He held an auction on eBay in which he agreed to attend any place of worship to be determined by the winner. He later submitted his resulting critiques of a number of Christian churches to the winner's web site. This book reflects on those experiences as well as others Mehta has had while also considering "what works" on Sunday mornings to a nonbeliever and what does not. The result, while intriguing, is distinctly odd and even callow; it does not seem to have occurred to Mehta that worship is not, at root, a form of entertainment and is under no obligation to prove anything, much less to persuade a nonbeliever of the existence of God. Still, many Christians may find it interesting to see their worship through Mehta's eyes. For larger collections.

In a brief collection of 36 essays or sermonettes mostly drawn from his columns for Beliefnet.com, Mouw (Christian philosophy & president, Fuller Theological Seminary) continues his project to discover and rediscover possibilities for grace and goodness even in a fallen world. His core audience consists of those Calvinists who, historically, have held the firm conviction that they are in, but not of, this world. Mouw's conclusions are not predictable or superficially made (Halloween: a qualified "No"; Santa Claus: a qualified "Yes"), but his intelligent ideas should prove of interest to Evangelicals and to anyone who is watching where conservative Christianity is headed today. For most collections.

Piver, a sometime guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and The Today Show and a writer for the Wall Street Journal, Time, Modern Bride, and others, has received mixed reviews for her books: some readers and critics have derided her best-selling Hard Questions: 100 Essential Questions To Ask Before You Say "I Do" as 100 obvious questions. Her new book, however, makes her indebtedness to Buddhism clear and moves beyond her prior questions to an examination of what Piver perceives as the fear that impedes many from making the most of their lives. She moves into the delineation of a seven-day program that she hopes will help many readers toward the joy that lies beyond fear of the self and others. Piver's new clarity and subtlety deserve a renewed and broadened readership. For most collections.

Polisar's name may be more familiar to readers of SLJ; he is the author of Don't Do That, The Peculiar Zoo, The Haunted House Party, and other books beloved by generations of children. His retelling of the Passover story for use as a Haggadah for families, however, is not aimed narrowly at children: it is, rather, a Haggadah meant for use with children. Polisar's narrative is clear and simple without being in any way patronizing to the broad age range likely to read or hear this Haggadah; the illustrations, supplied by Polisar's daughter, are vivid and exciting without distracting needlessly from the story being told. For most collections.

Renfroe, a comedienne and author of books like The Purse-Driven Life and When Did I Stop Being Barbie and Become Mrs. Potato-Head?, as well as a performer captured on VHS and DVD, has written another charming, fast-paced, and hilarious guide to life. Here, more perhaps than ever before, the accent is on humor, and its purpose in helping Renfroe's readers, especially women, to move through life with balance and good cheer. Reading Renfroe is like spending an afternoon with a chatty, resilient, and ultimately life-changing friend; her wit and wisecracks should please readers far beyond her core audience of Christian women. Highly recommended.

It is not every book that arrives at LJ's offices with testimonials from Jane Seymour, Arianna Huffington, Penny Marshall, and that saint of secular humanism, Gore Vidal, but such is the fate of this new work by former television and film producer Robins. Aimed at children but a delight for all readers, it is a kind of animal-story allegory that draws on and fuses insights from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, as well as those of Gandhi, in the pursuit of, and praise of, peace. Whether its teaching mission is too heavyhanded to prove satisfying to children only time and child readers themselves can tell us, but Robins's sincere writing, assisted by Victor Robert's charming pen-and—ink wash drawings, should initially attract a wide audience. For most collections.

Roy, a retreat leader and the author of My Monastery Is a Minivan, has written a charming book of insights and suggested practices for mothers at all stages of mothering. Her outlook is unabashedly spiritual—she looks for moments of grace and meditation in a mother's life—but her sound counsel helps parents to cultivate patience, resilience, flexibility, and gratitude in dealing with children. Many mothers (and fathers, too) should find her book both entertaining and uplifting. For most collections.

These two lighthearted books by voice actress and author Sandsmark do not mark the first appearance of pets in this column, and our readers already know that dogs can be angels. The lessons this former dog owner and current cat owner has to impart are hardly surprising—puppy love, purring, the value of the catnap, working like a dog—but both books are executed with great charm and are delightfully enriched by photographs from Getty Images and Corbis UK. For most collections.

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), Swedish scientist, philosopher, and mystic, has exerted a continuing influence on writers and theologians that the tiny size of the living Swedenborgian church cannot suggest. Henry James Sr. (the father of philosopher William James and novelist Henry James) was a sincere Swedenborgian, and Helen Keller, Balzac, Walt Whitman, and Carl Jung were all influenced by Swedenborg's accounts of his supposed personal experiences of Hell, Heaven, and the true nature of angels. The Arcana Coelestia, first published between 1749 and 1756, was his longest religious work and the basis of all that was to follow. The Swedenborg Foundation has initiated an important new translation of the whole with this first modestly priced volume, ably introduced and explained. Many readers and scholars are likely to be drawn to Swedenborg's curious, difficult, and compelling visions of another world. Highly recommended.

Chancellor of the Dallas Theological Seminary and senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church, as well as author of many volumes of spiritual advice and religious biography, Swindoll is one of the most highly visible and popular representatives of conservative Christianity today. These companion volumes on marriage and parenting are characterized by Swindoll's direct style and his strongly felt perceptions about biblical characters and passages. For Swindoll, the figures of the Old and New Testaments are living, relevant, and pertinent models for contemporary Christian marriages and families and teach them simple, homespun lessons about sincerity, renewal, and faith. For conservative Christian collections.

Toso (writing, Univ. of Arizona) writes with simplicity and clarity about his near-fatal, life-shattering encounter with a rattlesnake. Not all rattlesnake bites are problematic, but his brought on sepsis, and the resultant troubles still afflict him. Toso used his pain and trauma to rethink his relationship to the animal world and to death itself: "If crucifixion is the charged moment when daily life becomes infused with a spiritual depth, then my cross is one spiraled by a winding serpent." Toso's deeply personal work does not seek or accept easy answers; it deserves broad readership and critical acclaim. For most collections.

Warner, a Zen priest and filmmaker now living in Los Angeles, was also a member of an obscure punk band named Zero Defects—hence the subtitle of his new book. Although it is a kind of sequel to Warner's Hardcore Zen, it may even better address the growing interest in accessible, contemporary reality-friendly Buddhism. Warner's chapters address subjects such as God, death, sex, anger, and evil from the perspective of ancient master Dogen but with a hip and modern twist. Warner's intimate, funny, conversational style goes a long way toward imparting his many sensible messages. Deserving of a wide audience; for most collections.

Whelan (Your Breaking Point), a contributor to Celtic Threads as well as a leader of pilgrimages to sacred sites in Ireland, has written an interesting, if limited, guide to certain principles she finds within the Celtic tradition. Whelan's Celtic spirituality is not that of Patrick, exactly; nor is it heavily dependent on the dark mythic stories that dominated the Irish imagination before the coming of the monks, although it draws on both traditions. Whelan is chiefly interested in a kind of earth-centered or Creation spirituality that draws strength from ancient Irish ideas about the cycle of the year and the cycles of nature. Best read in combination with other books about Irish spirituality; for larger collections.

Williams, the telegenic analyst on church matters for several networks and now NBC's consultant on Vatican affairs, has written a straightforward guide to Roman Catholic spirituality. Williams distances his work from self-help, devotional reading and spiritual manuals: it is, he says, a "guidebook" that "takes the Christian proposal seriously." While Williams writes with clarity and precision, it is hard to identify his audience. What convinced Catholic would find the Sacraments or the role of Mary to be news? Still, some Catholics may find this a good preparative for seeking the kind of spiritual direction Williams recommends.

Inevitably, many more books cross the Spiritual Living desk than can be accommodated in our review space. Here are a few more notable titles available this spring. You'll note the durable interest in Buddhist ideas, whether fresh takes on ancient masters or new works, as well as a continued recrudescence in Jewish spirituality.

CHRISTIANITY

The founder of the Damaris Project offers post-feminist spirituality aimed at satisfying both tradition and contemporary concerns.

Copastors of the Victory Christian Centre in Vancouver want parents to understand the "divine differences" between sons and daughters.

Greig, founder of the international, interdenominational British-based charity 24-7 prayer, responds to his wife's devastating illness.

How writer Jordan-Lake and her pastor husband keep things going—and keep things equal.

Following up his Can Evangelicals Learn from Other Religions?, McDermott looks to the Bible for help with the question posed in his title.

Dubbed a hot new release in spirituality by Amazon even before its publication.

The tenth anniversary edition of a warm and contemplative reworking of the psalms.

Are you really living up to the way of the Lord, as prepared by the prophets? A continuation of Peterson's Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and Eat This Book.

A minister addresses tough contemporary questions from a centrist perspective.

JUDAISM

The irrepressible and best-selling rabbi (Parenting with Fire) draws from his TLC TV series, which follows him as he counsels ten families.

Connecting Jewish spirituality to the natural world.

Getting to know the Talmud, a source of many day-to-day values for Jews everywhere.

Estelle seeks to wed her spirituality with the beliefs of her ancestors in a book aimed at readers of all faiths.

What a 19th-century Jewish renewal movement has to tell us today.

BUDDHISM

Part memoir, part crusade to find women a better place in Buddhism.

Exercises that help readers open to the troubled world; from a prolific author of Buddhist spirituality (The Way of the Superior Man; The Enlightened Sex Manual) who has taught everywhere—even the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris.

Guidance from the former dean of the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA.

Journalist and practicing Buddhist Hochswender applies principles of Buddhism to daily life.

Background and tips from a Tibetan master on the use of lojongs, slogans that aid meditation and open the mind.

FOR EVERYONE

Bennet has borrowed from many traditions to shape her rich and varied spiritual life.

Recognizing that children are "human beings, not human doings"; from the founder and president of the Fort Worth-based organization Celebrate Kids.

A biographer of St. Therese de Lisieux celebrates women's spirituality, from the ninth-century Dhoudha to Emily Brontë and beyond.

The lead pastor of the North Coast Church in San Diego County insists that there's more than one way to reach God.