Spiritual Living
Jun 11, 2010Bumper crops on the way! Look for titles in Buddhism and Eastern traditions, along with help in using the power of faith for new directions, including harnessing humor to a Christian outlook and finding a gospel of social justice in the Book of Acts. Here is a season of contemplation and reinvention.
Baker, Sharon L. Razing Hell: Rethinking Everything You’ve Been Taught About God’s Wrath and Judgment. Westminster/John Knox. Aug. 2010. c.226p. ISBN 978-0-664-23654-0. pap. $16.95. REL
The wit and daring of razing rather than raising suggests the innovative approach throughout. Baker (theology & religion, Messiah Coll.) structures her book around a series of ongoing dialogs with friends who have differing opinions on the doctrine of hell—that is, eternal damnation. Her well-informed and engagingly argued conclusion, inspired in part by the ideas of 19th-century minister and novelist George MacDonald, finds room both for our sense of sin and for God’s purgative and redemptive actions. VERDICT An inviting book on some of the toughest issues facing sincere Christian believers—death, hell, and the final judgment—this will appeal to theologians, preachers, and pew-sitters alike.
Best Buddhist Writing 2010. Shambhala, dist. by Random. Sept. 2010. c.320p. ed. by Melvin McLeod & Shambhala Sun eds. ISBN 978-1-59030-734-2. pap. $17.95. REL
This excellent anthology embraces a range of issues (e.g., illness, food, caretaking, and nature) from Buddhist perspectives, becoming a demonstration of the ongoing and powerful interrelationship between Buddhism and life in the West, especially the United States. According to the contributor David Loy, Buddhism “needs” the West, and all the essays suggest the continuing interdependence between the religious practice of mindfulness and our busy, democratic, social lives. According to editor McLeod, Buddhism continues to have influence beyond our awareness, but collections such as this go a long way toward enlightening us. VERDICT A feast of memoirs, histories, discussions, and counsel from American Buddhism, this anthology will appeal to both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
Coughlin, Sandy. The Reluctant Entertainer: Every Woman’s Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality. Bethany. Aug. 2010. c.160p. illus. ISBN 978-0-7642-0750-1. $17.99.REL
Too seldom does this column get to savor a good recipe. Coughlin (“Ask Sandy” column, Christian Women Online) mixes recipes—complete with almost luridly brilliant photographs—with adjurations on ways to make entertaining an opportunity for deeper connections with family and friends. Though not all women have the time or means for the labor expended here, Coughlin should find an audience. VERDICT This lavishly illustrated and warmly written guide emphasizes the Christian and faith-enriched aspects of Coughlin’s approach with such subtlety that it could easily find a place on the shelves of homemakers of all persuasions.
The Dalai Lama & Sofia Stril-Rever. My Spiritual Journey: Personal Reflections, Teachings and Talks. HarperOne: HarperCollins. Oct. 2010. c.304p. tr. from French by Charlotte Mandell. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-06-196022-2. $25.99. REL
Sign and symbol of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as the focus of much political ire directed against the Chinese government and its policies in the country of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama is also a genial and popular religious figure; it is not exaggeration to say that he is loved by millions in both Asia and the West. Stril-Rever has created a “spiritual autobiography” from many first-person passages in his previously unpublished writings. The result was published in French in 2009 and now comes to us in translation. As it is, the work provides neither a consistent argument nor the anchors of a conventional memoir. VERDICT Best read, perhaps, in conjunction with Freedom in Exile (the Dalai Lama’s autobiography), this gathering of insights on a variety of topics should still please the Dalai Lama’s English-speaking adherents.
Freeing the Body, Freeing the Mind: Writings on the Connections Between Yoga and Buddhism. Shambhala, dist. by Random. Aug. 2010. c.250p. ed. by Michael Stone. illus. ISBN 978-1-59030-801-1. pap. $18.95. REL
This volume unites two traditions and practices that are all too often considered either contrary to each other or indistinguishable. In the popular mind the practice of yoga, reduced to a few contortionistic postures, and the traditions of Buddhism, reduced to simplistic insights, fall under the heading of the mysterious East. This anthology threads the needle rather differently, helping the curious reader find the contrasts and commonalities of the two traditions. Most useful to the novice reader, perhaps, is Frank Jude Boccio’s essay, which reflects his background as a teacher of both yoga and Buddhism. VERDICT Although some of the contributions are rather technical, this collection marks a crucial step toward mutual understanding between two important Eastern traditions and will bring pleasure and instruction to experienced and novice readers.
Frenn, Jason. Power To Reinvent Yourself: How To Break the Destructive Patterns in Your Life. Faith Words. Oct. 2010. c.288p. ISBN 978-0-446-54622-5. $19.99. REL
Frenn’s Breaking the Barriers uses the imagery and identity of the Trinity to guide readers toward overcoming obstacles. His new book again represents a kind of convergence of the self-help book with the modern Christian vade mecum: Frenn uses a somewhat predictable mixture of personal anecdote, observation, and Biblical example to reinforce a message of self-actualization with divine assistance. In Frenn’s notion, God alone can help us to understand why we resist positive change; that self-knowledge will lead us to the “power” God wills for us. VERDICT Although this book may prove frustrating for the Biblical scholar or the subtler sort of reader, it may find an audience with Christians who are troubled by stasis in their personal or professional lives.
Jacobs, Alan. Wayfaring: Essays Pleasant and Unpleasant. Eerdmans.Jul. 2010. c.167p. ISBN 978-0-8028-6568-7. pap. $18. REL
Jacobs (Original Sin: A Cultural History) here offers an array of his essays, many of them book reviews, on topics ranging from evangelical history to Kahlil Gibran to W.H. Auden. Jacobs’s brief treatments provoke thought and awaken memory and curiosity, driving readers back to the root topics they discuss. VERDICT A superb introduction to Jacobs’s style and approach, as well as a point of entry to many subjects in religion, philosophy, and literature. Pleasurable and educational for the general reader.
Lucado, Max. Outlive Your Life: You Were Made To Make a Difference. Nelson: Thomas Nelson. Sept. 2010. c.192p. ISBN 978-0-8499-2069-1. $24.99. REL
Lucado (minister of preaching, Oak Hills Church, San Antonio; Fearless), one of the most popular and acclaimed preachers and religious writers in America, adds to his long list of works on the Christian faith an innovatively shaped illumination of the Book of Acts, that sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Acts, when it is read at all, is nowadays treated almost as a weak history of the disciples and apostles after the Resurrection and before the foundation of the Roman church, but Lucado sees it as an impetus to Christian action, especially on behalf of the world’s poor. VERDICT Lucado’s book revives the Social Gospel movement through an engaging re-reading of Acts; it would be a shame if it did not recharge the preachers and believers to whom it is addressed.
Marty, Martin E. Building Cultures of Trust. Eerdmans. Jul. 2010. c.200p. index. ISBN 978-0-8028-6546-5. $22.99. REL
There is no more honored or important writer and thinker on American Protestantism, especially in its more conservative incarnations, than Marty (emeritus, Univ. of Chicago Divinity Sch.; Righteous Empire: Protestantism in America). Here, in eight brief, cogent chapters, he discusses the breakdown of trust in American life—in finance, politics, religion, and the relations between science and religion. He recommends development of “cultures of trust,” since trust is a good in itself, for the benefits that such a culture will bring to public life. VERDICT Marty’s learned, impassioned, and morally informed book comes at a crucial time; this will be bracing and welcome to thinkers both within and without academia, and his recommendations are not limited to religious application.
Mattis-Namgyel, Elizabeth. The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty. Shambhala, dist. by Random. Sept. 2010. c.128p. ISBN 978-1-59030-799-1. $19.95. REL
Mattis-Namgyel, perhaps best known as the wife and editor of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, the incarnational successor of a line of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, offers her first independent work. She addresses the Buddha’s teachings on emptiness and their ramifications for modern readers, especially in the West. Mattis-Namgyel writes with the clarity and grace one hopes for from such a dedicated student of Buddhist tradition. VERDICT This personal and insightful work will most strongly appeal to readers immersed in Buddhist ideas or practice.
Sparks, Susan. Laugh Your Way to Grace: Reclaiming the Spiritual Power of Humor. SkyLight Paths. Aug. 2010. c.144p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-59473-280-5. pap. $16.99. REL
Sparks (senior pastor, Madison Ave. Baptist Church, New York), billed as “America’s only stand-up comedian with a pulpit,” writes here on the relationship between humor and an enriched understanding of God. Although Sparks’s style is appealingly informal as she weaves together instances from her life with spiritual counsel, her book is remarkably unfunny—that is, she may be a better pastor than she is a comedian. VERDICT Brief and at times charming if not funny, Sparks’s book should appeal widely to Christian readers, especially to women who share some of her life experiences.
Spencer, Gregory. Awakening the Quieter Virtues: Discernment, Innocence, Authenticity, Modesty, Reverence, Contentment, Generosity. InterVarsity. Aug. 2010. c.197p. ISBN 978-0-8308-3735-9. pap. $16. REL
Spencer (communication studies, Westmont Coll.; A Heart for Truth) has returned to nonfiction, after writing a couple of fantasy novels, with a dignified treatment of seven “quiet” virtues; rather different from the ancient list of faith, hope, love, and so forth, these respond to the physical, cultural, and emotional “noise” of modern life. VERDICT Spencer writes with clarity, focus, and total sincerity, and his identification of the ills to which we are subject, and their potential remedies in these quiet virtues, comes to seem indispensable. This should have broad appeal beyond Christian readers.
Swindoll, Charles R. The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal. Faith Words. Sept. 2010. c.282p. ISBN 978-0-446-55653-8. $23.99. REL
Swindoll is the wonder and envy of many a preacher: his Stonebriar Community Church is one of the nation’s most successful superchurches, attracting more than 4000 worshippers on a typical Sunday. Still, his latest work urges churchgoers, preachers, and church planters to be wary of the side-effects of the very sort of success his church enjoys—media-driven worship, Biblical illiteracy, volunteerism displaced by professionalism. He prescribes a church life where the sense of caring is “contagious” and champions the models of early—first century C.E.—churches. VERDICT While Swindoll’s theology clings to the moderate conservatism of his background, his message separates him from the less attractive recent tendencies of the Evangelical superchurches; this book will be a welcome guide for conservative Protestant preachers and believers.
Taylor, Chönyi. Enough!: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Release from Addictive Patterns. Snow Lion. Aug. 2010. c.192p. bibliog.ISBN 978-1-55939-344-7. pap. $16.95. REL
Australian-born Buddhist nun and retired psychotherapist Taylor has crafted a book that approaches the challenges of addiction and recovery from a Buddhist perspective. She brings together Buddhist ideas and Western psychotherapeutic insights in an eminently practical book that guides readers through stages of self-awareness and change, meditation by meditation. She includes an address to therapeutic professionals, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Buddhist Eightfold Path mapped to stages of recovery. VERDICT Taylor’s focused, purposeful, and hands-on guide to recovery through Buddhist meditational practice benefits from her years as a therapist as well as her Buddhist sense of compassion; many readers in recovery, whether specifically Buddhist or not, will be grateful for her work.
