Welcome to Spirit of Peace Church

This Week's Feature*
WORSHIP, A Symphony for the Senses, by C. Welton Gaddy and Don W. Nixon, 332 pages, hardback

Gaddy is with Interfaith Alliance Foundation, a think tank researching legislation and religious issues in public life, and promoting separation of church and state. Nixon is with Willow Meadows Baptist Church in Houston. They team up here to produce a thoughtful book on worship which is valuable for those planning worship services in Protestant churches.

The authors see worship of God as the highest priority of a believer, leading to personal moral integrity, educational development, social ministries, and community involvement---to a mature holistic spirituality. Their book includes worship materials to inform, encourage, nurture, and facilitate encounters with God (and, by knowing God, they assert, you better know yourself).

The book goes through the traditional Christian calendar, giving the history of each season and how worship traditions were formed. Every element of worship should point the congregant to God, and this includes everything from the instrumental music to the floral arrangement! The book explains the music, colors, themes, banners, prayers, etc. which might be included in worship associated with each season so as to appeal to all the senses and heighten one's religious experience. Both authors are involved with worship ministry themselves, and have given us a book which is a wonderful resource in planning services.

*Library Notes
Spirit of Peace has a growing library as books and other items continue to be donated. A complete list can be accessed from the "Reading Recommendations" link (readingrecommendations.html) on the web site. If you would like to check anything out, just tell Tom, and he will bring it to church for you.

This is former President Carter's 2008 homage to his mother, Lillian Carter. Lillian Gordy Carter was born in 1898, and lived a full and productive life, passing from this earth on October 30, 1983. She was a wife and mother, farmer, storyteller, housemother, Peace Corps volunteer, nurse, sports fan, public speaker, mother of a President and role model for the nation. All the while, she was also an active Christian. The book is full of remembrances of this remarkable woman and the home life of the Carter family. She was a strong matriarch, highly respected, who, even in the rigidly segregated Georgia of her era, was able to get by with mainly ignoring traditions and practices with which she disagreed.

In 2006, working in the Habitat for Humanity program, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter went to build houses in the town in India where Lillian had worked as a nurse in the Peace Corps many years earlier. While there, a dinner was given in his honor. After the dinner, Carter asked about the gardener at the place where his mother stayed during her Peace Corps work, a man Lillian had liked and had talked about. A lady stood and told him her father had passed away, but she was the little girl whom Lillian Carter had taught to read and write. The lady was now the president of a nearby university. Such stories are examples of all the good that was accomplished during a life of service and giving, and how the world continues to benefit from her life. This is a beautiful, somewhat sad book that will warm your heart.

Marcus Borg, professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University, has written many books, and his writing has been reviewed in this venue previously. This is one of his earlier books. The main focus of the book is the different ways of thinking about or imaging God (also called the Spirit or the Sacred), and how that affects our religious life. He is an Episcopalian and active in the life of the church, but gains insights from other cultures and religions. He sees this work as an attempt to study Christian theology within the framework of religious pluralism.

The Road to Peace, writings of Henri Nouwen, edited by John Dear, 220 pages, hardback

Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch-born priest, a college professor, and, later in life, a pastor at Daybreak L’Arche, a community in Toronto where developmentally disabled individuals live together with volunteers who share life with them. He was a well known and honored spiritual writer whose life was a quest for justice and peace. Dear, the editor, is also a priest and a peace advocate. He has collected a number of Nouwen’s writings and included them in this 1998 book, including pieces about participation in the march on Selma, Alabama, in 1965; the MLK funeral, in which Nouwen participated; the Christian presence among the oppressed poor in Latin America; and the lessons he has learned working among the handicapped. Another piece is a talk Nouwen gave on compassion in the time of AIDS.

Dear finds in Nouwen’s writings “an underlying, foundational commitment to peace and justice”. As a church that seeks to promote such values, the book seems a perfect read for Spirit of Peace members! There are parts about personal spirituality like prayer, intimacy, solitude, and healing, but also much about social spirituality....living in a world without borders, feeling the suffering of others, getting over fears of getting involved, and keeping our eyes on Jesus, who said and says, “Do not fear, it is I.”

This 2002 book was written to explore the history and issues concerning genetically modified foods. It includes an interesting primer on genetics, and it explains DNA. Attempting to avoid the political noise over this subject, Lurquin seeks to provide information so that people can make informed decisions on their own.

Marcus’ 1998 book is well written, and it sets out different reasons for not eating animals or animal products. Ethics and animal rights are discussed, and actual case studies are included about suffering of animals being raised for human food. The author also shows that plant-based diets are more earth-friendly, using less of our scarce resources. However, the majority of the book is about human health, with the author arguing that both the quality and length of life can be improved by adopting a vegan diet.

Marcus makes heavy use of the works of others in his book, so is in some ways an editor as well as an author. Experts whose work is presented include Dr. Dean Ornish, hearth specialist, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, nutrition specialist, Dr. Terry Shintani, weight loss specialist, Dr. Stephen Dealler, mad cow disease expert, among others.

Too High a Price, the Case Against Restricting Gay Parenting, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, 91 pages, paperback

Over 500,000 children are in the foster care system in the United States, and many children can never be placed with a permanent family. The instability and shuffling from one family to another means that many children never find a lifelong family connection. Matching children to the most appropriate family is the job of child welfare caseworkers, but there are never enough families to fill the needs, causing untold emotional harm to the children involved. Within the system, there is widespread agreement that every individual or couple who wishes to adopt or provide foster care must be considered. However, many laws restrict parenting to heterosexual individuals and couples.

According to this work, these laws are based upon misconceptions and stereotypes about gay people. The goal of the book is to meet these beliefs head-on, using scientific research to answer the main arguments used by lawmakers who support such restrictive laws.

Many actual case studies are presented. In addition, the book includes brief summaries of leading social science studies, twenty-five in all, published in peer-reviewed academic journals, with a synopsis of the findings. The book lays to rest any doubts about whether gay people can be good parents.

This is an interesting book about the history of Universalism, from its beginning at the time of the American Revolution until 1961, when the Universalists merged with the Unitarians. Also, a major part of the book is a group of essays by those in the forefront of the movement focused on different aspects of the church's beliefs.

The time just before and during the American Revolution was one of change and intellectual foment in various areas of culture, and religion was no exception. New scientific understanding (Copernicus, Newton) had made it difficult to accept traditional (mainly Calvinist) Protestant Christian understanding of some Biblical passages and the relationship of God to man. Several new liberal groups emerged or grew, especially in New England. Deists put aside Biblical teachings and relied on reason. Congregationalists rejected the idea of original sin. Unitarians rejected predestination and adopted Arminius' teaching that man, by his own efforts, could earn salvation, and emphasized free will; and Universalists thought all people would eventually be reunited with God. The Universalist movement is traced through its two-century, ever changing history until 1961, when the Universalists and Unitarians merged. The history is only 44 pages long, and is easy to read. Following that, there are several essays by leaders of the Universalists on various parts of their belief system and on religion generally, some of which are extremely interesting.

Jesus, A Revolutionary Biography by John Dominic Crossan, 209 pages, paperback*

John Dominic Crossan is well known to some of our members, and some of his writings have been reviewed before. He was a co-founder of the Jesus Seminar in 1985, has been involved in academic research on the historical Jesus for years, and has presented his findings in books and lectures throughout that period. Originally a Catholic priest, he left Catholicism and the priesthood in order to marry and enjoy greater academic freedom. This is one of his earlier books, but one of the most popular.

This book is a controversial account of what we can know about Jesus. Crossan finds different interpretations of Jesus' life and teachings in the four gospels in our Bible, and in the various other writings which were used by the early church. His work is to find out what can be known about who he actually was, what his teachings were, and how he was received during his lifetime. He finds a Jewish peasant who was originally a follower of John the Baptist, who drew a great following due to his warmth and power. Jesus is presented in a brilliant and believable way, not using the straight-jacket of literalism, but the best state-of-the-art literary analysis and thoughtful imagination. This book was well received by a wide range of Biblical scholars.

Gay Marriage (Why it is good for gays, good for straights, and good for America by Jonathan Rauch, 207 pages, hardback

Many books have been written over the last decade on the controversial issue of gay marriage. Some discuss the subject from the perspective of equal rights for gays, and others from the perspective of religion and the Bible. In this 2004 book, the author argues that gay marriage would be good for our nation purely as a matter of public policy, and he spells out the reasons why.

Rauch is the author of several books on national policy and a writer for Atlantic Monthly and National Journal, with work also appearing in many other publications.

This book is perfect for the Easter season. Written by two of the most respected scholars in Biblical and Christian studies, this book spells out clearly what occurred during Holy Week and why. The Gospel of Mark, the original gospel, is used as the main source, because it sets out the week's events on a day by day basis, making it easy to follow. The story starts on Palm Sunday as Jesus, riding on a donkey, with his rag-tag group from Galilee, enters Jerusalem from the east, while Pilate, representing the imperial power of Rome, with his accompanying elite corps of military guards, flying banners, golden eagles held on high standards, and all the other accoutrements of worldly power and prestige, rides into town from Caesarea to the west. The entire Passover week will be presented as these two worlds in conflict.

This is a small, 70 page book which might rather be called a pamphlet. At its core, it examines the Buddhist world view and sees it as much more accepting of and compatible with advances in science than is Western religion. Of course, not all Buddhism is the same, but Burns represents the Neo-Dharma branch in which he was active for years in the San Francisco area. Three parts of the book are as follows: Western Science and Western Religion, the Buddha and God, and Buddhism and Science. It is well written and easy to understand, and one comes away with a basic understanding of Buddhism, one of the world's main religions.

Whether you are preparing a Bible study, doing research on a Biblical topic, or just reading the Bible for your personal edification, there are a lot of resources which can benefit you. The SOP library has several different versions of the Bible, Bible commentaries, and other helps, such as the Bible Dictionary we feature this week.

Do you want to know the exact meaning of a term used in part of the Bible you are studying, its derivation or its pronunciation? Do you need to identify a certain Biblical character? Want help on a reference to a geographical location? All this and more calls for a Bible Dictionary.

Here is a book full of wisdom and guidance for any life. The author believes that spirituality is not "otherworldly," but is rooted in the everyday life--our feelings and how we see our surroundings. It involves the awareness of the presence of God. Here, he presents a collection of daily readings intended to awaken your spiritual sensitivity and suggest simple ways you can open yourself to God. Each day for an entire year the reader is provided a practical suggestion for the day for becoming more spiritual, plus a brief reflection to draw you to God. These are accompanied by scriptural quotations and quotations from other writings.

A brief spot reading of just the "gifts" set out for ten or so days has shown this reviewer that the book is of value. What a good idea to start each day with a reminder of the really important things in life before becoming involved in the rat race of competition for worldly goods. In this book, you have what you need for a daily personal devotional

Abraham (a video tape from Turner Home Entertainment, approx 2.5 hours)
The SOP library has more than just books – this week, we feature a video. This long, 1994 video tape stars Richard Harris and Barbara Hershey, and has won the Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence.

Genesis begins the Bible with a few fairly unrelated stories (the creation, the tower of Babel, and Noah and the flood), but then introduces Abraham in Chapter 12, and the main story of the Bible begins, and it will continue throughout the remainder of the 66 Biblical books. Pursuant to a visitation and command from God, Abraham moves himself and his family from Ur in present day Iraq, to Canaan, where almost all of the events in the remainder of the Bible will occur. His son is Isaac, and his grandson is Jacob (who had his name changed to Israel), and Israel's twelve sons were the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The video tape is part of the Bible Collection from Turner Home Entertainment. This is a powerful epic about an ordinary man who has an abiding faith in God. Abraham (Richard Harris) and his family heed the divine call again and again. Through many, many Biblical events, this tape brings to life the great man of faith. It is suspenseful and action packed with ground-breaking special effects. You will learn a lot about the early part of the Bible, plus be entertained.

The Complete Gospels, edited by Robert J. Miller, 457 pages, paperback
The word "gospel" means "good news", but in Christian parlance, it has come to mean an early Christian document about all or part of Jesus' life and teachings. Using this definition, the book presents some twenty gospels, the four in the canon, plus sixteen others. Before the church officially approved a canon in the fourth century, there were many, many writings that circulated among and were relied upon by the early Christians. Many modern Christians are not aware of the fact that there are other accounts of Jesus' life and work, or tend to think they are unimportant. Experts now believe that some of these early writings served as the basis for parts of the canonical gospels we know (which were written later) and also impacted the development of the earliest Christian traditions. Many relate occurrences and teachings for which we have no other source. Some are Infancy Gospels, only covering Jesus' birth and the early part of his life; some are Passion Gospels, dealing only with the end of his life; some are just collections of his teachings; some, called Signs Gospels, are collections of his miracles; while others cover his entire life, works, and teachings like the four in the canon. Some we have only parts of, and some only small fragments, but some are totally or almost totally available.

The book is interesting to study for the serious Bible scholar, or for anyone just interested in how the Bible was put together. You cannot help but learn a lot about how the Bible came to be. The book includes the four gospels we know in the Christian canon, and these are translated into easy-to-read modern English. It takes a bit of getting used to: "blessed are the poor" becomes "congratulations, poor!", and "kingdom of God" becomes "God's imperial rule." All contributors and the editor are members of the Jesus Seminar. The writings are not just presented: there is also a lot of information about each one, so that you can gain context and a feel for what the author's purpose is. See how the Gnostics saw Jesus, learn about missing parts or added parts in our canonical gospels, and gain a deeper understanding of the Christian movement in its early centuries.

NOTE: Because most of these gospels are not canonical, most will not accept them as inspired by God, but they are important and interesting from a historical standpoint in any event. For example, Protestants do not accept the Apocryphal books as inspired, but admit that much historical understanding can be gained through their study.

Animal Rights edited by Cass Sunstein and Martha Nussbaum, 319 pages, paperback
This book contains sixteen academic presentations on the subject of animal rights. Various professors in the areas of law, ethics, divinity, sciences, and other fields from universities across the United States have contributed different essays, and these have been collected by the editors and are presented in this book. Sunstein and Nussbaum, themselves professors at the University of Chicago, provide an opening and a closing chapter. Some subjects discussed in the book are animal suffering, problems with trying to get legislation to protect animals, the shameful exploitation that is often kept from the public eye, and the beginning of a re-thinking of the relationship between humans and nonhuman inhabitants of this earth.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks, 243 pages, paperbackExplore the marvels of the human mind as the author, a neurologist, writes short narratives about patients who suffer from a wide variety of very unusual and interesting neurological disorders.

The twenty case studies include tales of a man who believes it is still 1945, and who has no memory since then, even of matters that occurred a few minutes ago; a patient who had a brain tumor that, as it grew, stimulated portions of the brain, so that she could relive events of her childhood long forgotten; a woman who has lost her entire sense of the position of parts of her body relative to other parts; a patient with uncontrollable tics and urges to shout obscenities; and a man who can no longer recognize very ordinary objects (as in the title of the book).

These and other cases are related with great sympathy and care for the patients. He explains the medical problems so that a layman can understand them, and tells about how he related to and treated each patient.

Postcards by Annie Proulx, 308 pages, paperback
Proulx (rhymes with true) originally wrote only short stories, and they were recognized as some of the most brilliant and original stories in contemporary literature. In 1992, she published this, her first novel, to great acclaim. Her work has won many awards, with a subsequent book, The Shipping News, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her short story Brokeback Mountain, being adapted into an Academy Award winning movie.

In this book, the backward Blood family lives on a hardscrabble farm in New England, but in the opening passages, the eldest son, Loyal, accidentally takes the life of his lover during a passionate encounter, so he flees and makes his way west. For the entire book, he goes from town to town and job to job, always lonely, without place or close human contact. His only connection with his parents and other family members is through postcards they exchange, all of which are set out in full in the book. Loyal’s life slowly falls apart, as in the end he becomes homeless and in ill health, unable to work.

The reader will also follow those back in New England, as the hard-bitten family tries to live according to its own rules and refuses to accept a changing world. Violence, jail, and a series of other setbacks lead the family to disintegrate, and they finally lose the farm. Earthy characters are presented who refuse to give up old ways. The book makes the people seem real, and it is sad, as all their striving comes to nothing but alienation, frustration, and heartbreak.

The Shack by William P. Young, 248 pages, paperback
This book, a #1 New York Times Bestseller, was read and discussed by several people at Spirit of Peace a couple of years ago. The author's first book, he actually wrote it for his children, with no thought at first of publishing it. He is the son of missionaries, a graduate of seminary, and a devout believer who, obviously, spends a lot of time thinking about spiritual matters. The book has been very widely read, and is still discussed on some Internet sites. Some object to the depictions of God in the book, and others criticize the doctrines taught, but some find it life-changing. There is at least one later book written for the sole purpose of attacking and criticizing The Shack.

During a family vacation at a park in Oregon, the youngest daughter of the main character is abducted. Evidence found at a nearby abandoned shack leads law enforcement officials to believe that she was probably brutally murdered there by a serial killer. This leads the father into a life of unspeakable pain and anger with God which lasts for years, as neither the body nor the presumed killer is found. Four years later, he receives a mysterious note, inviting him to a meeting. The meeting is to take place at the same shack where his daughter was murdered. The note is apparently from God. Against his better judgment, he decides to go to the meeting.

Sex and the Single Savior by Dale B. Martin, 185 pages, paperback
The author, professor of religious studies at Yale, spoke at Trinity University last year, and, afterward, there was an opportunity to meet him and buy his books. That is where this book was purchased, then donated to the church library. It is a collection of scholarly essays on subjects like marriage, divorce, sexuality, and "family values" from a Biblical perspective. The reader will find that the Bible's teaching is often not what many people assume. Homosexuality is covered at length (the author is gay), and the treatment of Romans, Chapter 1, is the best this reviewer has ever seen. Much of the book is about Biblical interpretation, and the author claims that there is an unintentional bias in favor of heterosexuality in much of the traditional exegesis, with an underlying fear of homosexuality.

The book is not written as a unit. The various essays were written over a decade for different purposes, and differ somewhat in style: some are more technical and for the more academic reader, while others are for popular consumption. You can easily skip around to read only the ones that interest you. It is an eye opening book, very insightful, and you cannot help but learn a lot.

This Cold Heaven by Gretel Ehrlich, 364 pages, paperback
If you like to learn about out-of-the-way and unusual places, this book is for you. Gretel Ehrlich first traveled to Greenland in 1993, and fell in love with the people and the place. She has returned many times for extended stays. The book details her visits, but also describes individuals she has met there, the history of Greenland, and the way of life and means of survival of the native population. A surprise: most natives' favorite time of year is the four month winter of total darkness! This is a beautiful and thrilling book about the Arctic north.

During the slower months of summer when many committees and other meetings go on hiatus, I tend to do a lot of theological reading that ends up fueling my sermons. This summer I have already read several books that are the equivalent of a seven-course meal when it comes to food for thought! I thought I'd share some of these with you.

First is Crowned with Glory and Honor, by Christopher D. Marshall. The book was written on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and will be making an appearance in a pulpit near you with an upcoming sermon series. We tend to think of human rights as a secular, but even though the phrase "human rights" does not appear in the Bible, Marshall looks at how the basic themes and concept of human rights is present in scripture, both in the inherent worth and dignity of human beings, and of the protections necessary to safeguard the welfare of those most vulnerable in society, including slaves, widows, orphans, and "strangers." Marshall also explores how a religious perspective provides a balance and a critique to a secular view of human rights, in the themes of covenant, and of responsibilities as well as rights.

Next up is Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum. Now that Obama is president, some people have declared that we live in a post-racial society. But the reality is much more complicated. Tatum lays out what exactly "race" is, how we develop our racial identity, and how all of us, regardless of our identification, can come together, share our experiences, and work toward overcoming divisions. This is still such a touchy, difficult subject, but Tatum spells out the issues very clearly and offers specific ways that we can make progress. I used this book for my workshop on "How to Talk About Race," which I taught at the conference annual meeting, and which I'll be teaching as a three part series with the SoL Center this fall.

Finally, I've just completed The Evolution of a UCC Style, by Randi Jones Walker, which is a history but also an exploration of who we are as the UCC. Most such books tend to focus on our predecessor denominations, and while they continue to be important, we as the United Church of Christ have moved beyond them into something quite new that is still in the process of becoming. This book isn't as readable as the other two, but I felt it really clarified who we are as the UCC, as well as presenting the challenges and questions that we need to address as we move into the future. Most importantly, this book made me love the UCC even more! I expect to rely heavily on this book as I (hopefully) will be teaching a class on UCC History and Polity.

Lest you think I only read brainy stuff, let me add that I am also reading Clone Wars: Wild Space, a Star Wars novel, and The Borrowers, a children's book about a race of tiny people who live among the big "human beans." Sometimes you need fun stuff, too!

On my rounds of visits to hospitals and nursing homes, I've often been struck by how many doctors, nurses, therapists and other staff people were born in another country. If you want to travel the world without leaving home, just visit your local hospital! But it never occurred to me that this curious phenomenon could be a solution to our nation's immigration situation.

I belong to a pastor's group that has been reading a book called "Immigrants and Boomers" by Dowell Myers. Perhaps you are like me, a bit sick of all the hype and hysteria over the whole immigrant "problem," but Myers' book looks at the issue from an angle I have not seen anyone else explore. He points out that as Baby Boomers retire and begin to need more medical care, there is simply not enough of the next generation (ahem, MY generation) to pay their social security benefits, nor to work in all the areas of senior care. Therefore we face a growing crisis of care and living for seniors.

But Myers says that immigrants can help meet both needs. The biggest concern of many people is that immigrants will be a drain on our resources, working low-paying jobs and unable to contribute much to society. But studies have shown that immigrants are hard workers, and are eager to receive training that places them in better jobs. If we offer job training, then these newcomers can enter fields that will care for our future seniors. And their increased income from these jobs will help pay those social security benefits.

Americans have not yet seen the potential good of the immigrant situation because we tend to divide ourselves along lines of race and age and class. But Myers argues persuasively that we really are all in this together. The elder generations depend on upon well-educated younger generations. Whites need Hispanics, and Blacks need Asians. This book is well worth reading, and could indeed hold the key to future benefit for all.

I picked this book up because I wanted to learn more about Florence
Nightingale, and I got so much more as well! Despite the book's length, I couldn't put it down. It gives a fascinating look at the Great Reformers of the
Victorian age, especially the circle of Unitarian intellectuals who labored to make society more just and equitable. (It's discouraging to realize how we
have rolled back many of those reforms in the last 50 years.) In addition to exploring how Florence Nightingale became interested in nursing, it also shows the freedoms and restrictions she faced as a single, upper-class Victorian woman. This was a riveting read.

I have long been sympathetic with the Amish view that technology, far from freeing us, often puts us in chains we don't even recognize. In this book, a young MIT grad and his wife take a year off to live technology-free in an Amish style community. Brende sometimes seems a bit naïve in his praise of the primitive life, and I can't help but wonder to what extent his primitive life is nevertheless dependent on technology elsewhere, but he poses some worthwhile questions about the role of technology in our lives. After reading this book, I decided to switch off my TV for a month. It might have a similar effect on you!

While covering the war in Afghanistan, Seierstad met a bookseller who was determined to keep his shop open even through successions of repressive regimes. She asked to live for several months with his family, where she expected to encounter a more enlightened view. But she discovered that all members of the family were still imprisoned by traditional social roles. We know about restrictions on women (though it never ceases to shock me), but the book shows how men are stunted by patriarchy as well. I continue to be
fascinated by Afghanistan, and this book was a great, if depressing, read.

This book was discussed during one of the workshops I attended at The Center for Progressive Christianity (TCPC) Conference. Lakoff is a linguist, and his book looks at how the political right and the political left use language to express their values. He argues convincingly that the right has been much better at this than the left, so that the left ends up using the right's own language. The title is an example of how as soon as you use a word, you automatically think of that word. Just consider how Bush kept referring to "weapons of mass destruction" even when all those reports were coming out saying that Iraq had no WMD's. Lakoff's book really helped me make sense of our current political climate, and I believe it can be used for our current religious climate as well. The book demonstrates how progressives can think about how to better express our values, instead of parroting conservative values. Everyone should read this book!

This book was also mentioned frequently at the TCPC Conference, and should probably be viewed as a companion to Lakoff's book. Borg describes two different understandings of Christianity: traditional, and what he terms as "emerging." He manages to affirm the value of each view, avoiding labels like "conservative" and "progressive." He also puts all such labels in their proper perspectives as adjectives modifying the common noun "Christian." This book lays a solid foundation for reflection and dialogue on how to articulate progressive Christian values without passing judgment on other Christians who see things differently.

Title: The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation
Author: Barbara Rossing

I didn't grow up with rapture theology. It's rather alien to me, so I was hesitant to read this book as I thought it wouldn't really be relevant to me. But on the contrary, this book made me aware of the extent to which belief in the rapture - a doctrine that is only about 150 years old - has become widespread throughout Christianity, to the extent that even non-Christians assume that it is part of our core theology. In this book, Rossing shows how rapture believers distort the Bible in order to make it fit their beliefs. She also shows how rapture theology contradicts some of our core beliefs about God: that God is good, and God loves this world. Sometimes I come away from ultra-conservative Christians wanting to disassociate from Christianity altogether, but this book makes me want to reclaim Christianity, to take back the God of love that I believe in.

Excerpt: "Fortunately the New Testament itself deals with that very question of how to live if you know the world is going to end -- indeed, that is the central question in the book of Revelation and in other New Testament writings. Early Christians definitely thought they were living at the brink of the end times.... So how did they live? Did they go out and buy things, to use them up? Did they clear-cut the forests? Did they suspend the rules? Did they become an underground high-tech Tribulation Force with a mission to conquer evil through violence, stealth, and better fire power? [referencing the Left Behind books]

"No, they cared for one another and for their neighbors in a very public and open way. Love of neighbor and hospitality to strangers was Christians' surest response to life on the brink of the end times."

Title: Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America
Author: Jonathan Raush

I hardly need to be convinced why marriage should be available to everyone, but Raush comes up with a number of arguments I hadn't thought of before. He does an excellent job of showing what exactly marriage is, why it's important to society, and why everyone has a stake in ensuring that marriage is available to all, rather than limited only to a certain group of people. He also shows how the creation of a second-class status, as in "civil unions," actually harms the institution of marriage. He makes his argument with great compassion and open-mindedness, and he ably exposes the fallacies of the "marriage for straights only" argument. This book should be read and debated by everyone as our nation wrestles with this issue.

Excerpt: "'To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, till death us do part'.... So go the ancient vows.... There is no promise of children here, either to have them or to raise them, no mention of sex, no mention of inheritance, not a word about personal fulfillment.... If marriage has any meaning at all, it is that when you collapse from a stroke, there will be another person whose 'job' is to drop everything and come to your aid. Or that when you come home after being fired, there will be someone to talk you out of committing a massacre or killing yourself. To be married is to know there is someone out there for whom you are always first in line.... Because, in theory, there is no reason why a male-male or female-female couple could not make and sustain the promise of lifelong care giving, opponents of same-sex marriage are reluctant to put the care giving commitment at the heart, rather than the periphery of marriage."

Title: Deceiving the Devil: Atonement, Abuse, and Ransom
Author: Darby Kathleen Ray

The cross has always been central to Christian theology, but it can be both a blessing and a curse. This author describes some of the major theologies of the cross that have developed through Christian history. She then critiques those models using insights gained from contemporary liberation theology and feminist theology, to show how the cross can sometimes liberate people, but can also oppress them. She then offers a fresh interpretation of a 3rd century theology of the cross to show how this ancient doctrine can continue to challenge and guide us today. Ray's book is an excellent summary of the many issues surrounding the doctrine of the cross, and I used it as the basis of my 2004 Lent study group.

We have always been avid readers in my family, but this book made me realize why reading is so important. Azar Nafisi began teaching English literature at the University of Tehran just before the revolution. She continued to live and occasionally teach in Tehran until the mid-90's, when she emigrated to the United States. This book gives a harrowing, first-person account of what it was like to live in Iran during that oppressive regime. Nafisi paints a portrait of a society where any idea out of step with the Islamic Revolution is seen as heresy and treason. But she and a dozen other women gathered periodically to ready the works of Henry James, Jane Austen, Vladimir Nabokov and others. Even though the worlds described in the books differed significantly from Islamic Iran, the women found a connection to the larger world that kept them going even through oppression and the long war with Iraq. This book is a vivid testimony of the power of reading to free our minds.

A novel, but one which embodies the Christian spirit, albeit in a rather old-fashioned way. Jean Val Jean's lifelong struggle with what it means to live as a sinner who has been forgiven is for me the heart of what it means to be Christian.

A profound story of a man of faith who is open to being changed by God. It’s a hard read for white people and for women, but it remains a powerful portrait of faith, humility, and courage in the struggle for justice and peace.

Can you tell that I’m inspired more by stories than treatises? I am captivated by the story of these spiritual “athletes” and the tales of compassion, humility, and forgiveness.

This is one of those books that can be read in one sitting - good thing, because I couldn't put it down. I took lots of notes so I could go back and revisit certain themes. Rohr said so many things I've thought myself about faith and spirituality. For example: "...And the same for blame...now we (blame) parents, institutions, or history itself. There must be a victim and a victimizer. But why? What does it help?...Nothing is gained by accusing or avoiding, except a false sense of control." Powerful concept, in a nutshell.

The author, Richard Rohr, is a member of the Franciscan order of the Roman Catholic Church, and founder of the Center For Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The book, first released in 1990 and revised in 2003, is an interesting read for any Christian wanting to simplify or refocus his/her life. It's as applicable today as ever.

Title: The Last Week
Authors: Marcus J. Borg and John D. Crossan

Any book by such respected scholars would be expected to be very well done, and this book does not disappoint.

The Last Week is about the week of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. On this Passover week, two kingdoms were present in Jerusalem. The representative of the kingdom of God, Jesus, rides into Jerusalem on a donkey from the east on what is now called Palm Sunday, with his rag-tag group of followers from Galilee. On the other side of town, Pilate, the representative of Roman imperial authority over Judea, rides in with all the fanfare and pageantry of royalty, as he relocates from Caesarea, on the coast, to Jerusalem for Passover week. Passover was a time of trouble, a time when nationalistic passions ran high, and there had been problems in previous years. This week, two kingdoms will be in conflict, and on the following Sunday, God will demonstrate which one wins.

The authors follow Mark, the earliest of the gospel writers, to recount the events of the week on a day by day basis. The way Mark organizes his gospel makes this easy. Much of the language of the book is the same language heard on the video by Crossan which is being viewed and discussed in the current Saturday morning study group. It is the radical justice of God versus what is called normalcy for mankind. The Roman rulers, with collaborators in the Temple and the Sanhedrin, ran things pretty much as would be expected by any imperial power then or now, maintaining the status quo and the existing class privileges. Jesus stood opposed, and offered a radical alternative to business as usual.

Some things about the book I did not like. I could not accept some of their conclusions, such as their take on the cleansing of the Temple. I tried, but I think their position is a stretch. I thought they spent too much effort and time trying to absolve Jews from any responsibility for Jesus' death. After all, what difference does it make what agent God uses to accomplish his purposes? Besides, Scripture makes clear that both Rome and local leaders had ample reasons to want Jesus out of the way. And I wish they had spelled out their understanding of inspiration. In discussing how later Biblical writers differ from earlier ones in key areas, the stress is on the conception of the Christian community at the time. Throughout time, as early believers tried to find meaning in the events of this week, their understandings did not stay fixed, and the writers reflect the understandings of the time at which they wrote. The authors do not address the implications of these writers being moved by the Spirit and how that fact should impact our reading and interpretation of these writings. I wish they had stated head-on their view of New Testament inspiration.

You will probably not agree with all their conclusions, like me, but you will also probably really like the book. I found it hard to put down. I feel that I gained a lot of new understanding and insights, and I am very happy I read it.

There are many parts of the book which give the reader new understanding of what occurred, and are very interesting. My favorite part, however, was their long and well supported section concerning this question: why did Jesus have to die? Today, Christians fairly uniformly see this as a substitutionary death for the sins of mankind....a sacrifice. It may surprise you, as it did me, to learn that that was not the initial understanding of the purpose of his death. At first, and continuing among some eastern churches, is an understanding that Jesus' death was for an entirely different purpose. It involves a few, cryptic sections of the Bible which I have always found mysterious, and tended to just skip over. I thought this whole section was fascinating, so I will not spoil the book by telling you more on this subject...only to say that it all has to do with what happened on Saturday of the last week.

Title: Christian Doctrine
Author: Shirley C. Guthrie, Jr.

This book was developed for adult study groups, and ended up being used in some seminaries. It is the most comprehensive, yet readable, book I've read on reform theology. It took me 6 months to read it. Although each chapter is easy to read, it was a lot of material for me to absorb.

My favorite chapters are:
Who Says So? The Problem of Authority
How Can We Find God? The Doctrine of General Revelation
How Can God Find Us? The Doctrine of Special Revelation
Why Doesn't God Do Something about It? The Doctrine of Providence and the Problem of Evil
Is God against Us? The Doctrine of Atonement

The titles of her chapters give a hint that she is addressing scholarly material in a manner that lay people can relate to.

Title: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Author: Michael Pollan

I have maintained a strong interest in dietary choices, vegetarianism, factory farming and attending ethical questions ever since studying and preparing for our church-sponsored “VegeGathering 2005” (studygroups.html). So when I came across Michael Pollan’s latest book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I knew I would have to read it.

I couldn’t have been happier with my choice. Mr. Pollan, an avid gardener and cook, science reporter and award-winning journalism instructor at UC-Berkeley, is such a fine wordsmith that he makes even the sex life of corn plants into great reading! The book is divided into 4 sections each of which features one type of food production and ends with a meal prepared from the subsequently harvested food stuffs. The first meal, which he shares with his wife and son, is picked up from McDonald’s on the fly and gobbled down at 55 mph on a California highway. You guessed it, the ingredients for this fast-food meal came from that great American agricultural megalith, the factory farm and its attendant distribution systems. Secondly, Mr. Pollan investigates what he terms “industrial organic agriculture,” specifically those farms which supply Whole Foods and other giant organic food distributors. After sharing an absolutely delicious-sounding Whole Foods meal with family and friends, Mr. Pollan researches the “family farm” method of food production. He spends time with Virginia farmer Joel Salatin, a major force pushing for renewal of old-fashioned animal- and land-friendly farming techniques and subsequent environmentally intelligent “local only” methods of food distribution. I could just taste the delectable feast concocted from all that locally produced food and wine! Finally, for the fourth meal, Mr. Pollan hunts and gathers his own ingredients from the San Francisco Bay area. Acknowledging that most of us will never have the time, inclination or live in an area conducive to hunting and gathering, he, nonetheless, includes this ancient method of procuring food as it is logical to compare it to our more modern agricultural practices. I'll not spoil the description of this last meal with fellow hunters and gatherers by retelling it here, but the reading of it is well-worth every penny and minute of the reader's time.

It goes without saying that I highly recommend this star of a book. Not only was I enticed by mouth-watering dishes and tickled by funny anecdotes, but some of my most deeply held beliefs were challenged by findings such as the inevitable slaughter of field mice and other creatures during the harvesting of any cultivated area or the obviously happy lives of Joel Salatin's chicks who, rather than stumbling de-beaked and bewildered into thousands of other chicks closely packed into a chicken coop, wander daily about fresh fields eating and contributing wastes to the excellent earth-renewing compost of the farm. What are we vegetarians to do? By the time I finished the book, I almost began to believe that, as a concerned environmentalist, it is my duty to eat the meat of earth-renewing livestock similarly raised on a Salatin-style family farm in Texas. Mr. Pollan, not a vegetarian himself but also not normally a hunter, discusses Peter Singer’s theories on animal rights, his own shame at having enjoyed hunting the wild boar, the general issues of animal cruelty on factory farms, and the pros and cons of vegetarianism.

I could go on and on elaborating the reasons to read The Omnivore's Dilemma, but this doesn't really do justice to the book or the author. All I can say is, "Try it, you'll like it."

Title: What Nietzsche Really Said
Authors: Robert C. Solomon & Kathleen M. Higgins

Drs. Solomon and Higgins, professors of philosophy at UT-Austin, present a clear, quite positive description of the works of a much misunderstood and often maligned philosopher. Nietzsche was deeply spiritual but not in a traditionally Christian way. His spirituality is best understood by "looking to music, the art form Nietzsche considered the most uplifting, the most in tune with the inner truth of things." When we experience a sense of the spiritual while listening to music, we reach beyond ourselves; we are "enlarged." This type of spirituality is not otherworldly or only available through organized religion; it is part of the here and now. Nietzsche relished life with all of its pains and joys; he loved life for the sake of life not because he was "on a tightrope" that leads to an afterlife. I found myself identifying with this aspect of his thinking. It felt both peaceful and rewarding. Solomon's and Higgins' book also includes descriptions of Nietzsche's less positive ideas--his concept of the "ubermensch" and his presumed anti-Semitism, among others. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thinking about different approaches to spirituality, religion and philosophy. Even if you don't agree with most of what Nietzsche said, you will be grateful for the clear way his philosophy is presented.

I've recently returned to reading "young adult/teen" fiction. Why, you may ask. For starters, I found, when my sons were younger, that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, along with them, the Newberry and other award winning books that their teachers assigned. The authors often explored ethical, philosophical, religious and other mature themes that I find lacking in so much "adult" fiction. Secondly, publishers don't charge as much for children's literature as they do for adult books. I guess they can't get away with it! What a deal, right? Two good books for the price of one often mediocre novel.

Last night I finished The House of the Scorpion, a National Book Award winner, by Nancy Farmer, a three time Newberry Honor author, who grew up along the Mexican-Arizona border. In her tale, replete with on-target descriptions of the people and land of the desert Southwest, Matt, a young clone of the drug czar of Opium, a country of the future which lies between the US and what is now called Mexico, uncovers the horrific plans for his future. As the story unfolds we find him confronting "eejits," "crots," the Farm Patrol, and Felicia. Along the way he is also befriended by a strange cast of characters from Celia to Ton-Ton. If you enjoy symbolic fiction like Animal Farm or The Giver, you will find this tale exciting and definitely thought provoking.

Can a person be both an agnostic and a Christian? This author thinks so, and in this book he describes the type of church that is open and affirming toward skeptics.

Discussion of the rationale behind the new Bush doctrine of preemption brought on by 9/11. Read the argument about how to protect us from rogue nations with weapons of mass destruction. Does the Iraqi war prove the book true?

Great summary of Just War theory no matter what your position. Devotes a section to nuclear weapons and terrorism. Also is critical of U.S. in past wars. However, the callousness of killing others with eagerness in a “Just War” took my breath away.

A wonderful book which details all the political intrigues and wars occurring during the time between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. This really helps explain for me the big unknown in my understanding of the Bible. Although the print is small, it's loaded with lots of important facts and interpretations.

Title: The Apocrypha: Bridge of the Testaments
Author: R.C. Dentan

This book is a great compliment to the one above, giving the reader a wonderful summary and interpretation of all the books of the Apocrypha. I recommend this book as well as the one above for a full understanding of the times leading up to the Christian era.

Title: The Cost of Moral Leadership: The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Authors: G.B. Kelly & F.B. Nelson

As a student of Bonhoeffer, I find this book amazingly clear and easy to understand. Not all books by or about Bonhoeffer are as easy to follow and comprehend as this book is. I find this is a "must" book for people serious about Bonhoeffer and learning more about his mind and works. This book is no doubt a result of many years of learning and insight about one of the noted theologians in the 20th century.

Please feel free to add your spiritual reading list to this one at any time. Just send your summaries to semmering@aol.com, and I will incorporate them into this master list. Also, if you want to submit more or less than three book summaries, please send them along as well.