Hearts & Minds Books

What do you think of these kinds of books, anyway...a mock quiz

2009-11-07T01:22:22Z

In my last post I celebrated last weekend's Faith4Thought conference at Calvary Baptist in State College, home of the most partying school in America, Penn State University. You can download my keynote talk at their website, by the way if you'd like to hear me yapping about all this worldview stuff, sharing about defining moments for me that lead me to this work I do.) I suggested that the CCO is an organization from which we can learn about churches reaching college age young adults. I noted that they are committed to the institutional church and that they help students gain a sense of vocation and calling, integrating faith into every area of life, including their future careers. (One of their slogans is "Transforming College Students to Transform the World." Yay!)

Equipping laypeople---as mainline churches call those of us who are not clergy---for the work of ministry is something that nearly all denominations and faith traditions affirm. Whether this means lay folks are invited to, say, take up the offering on Sunday or are called to heroic short term mission service or to think deeply about how faith relates to their thinking and practice in their callings and careers, all depends. Some churches nurture discernment about God's call in every aspect of life and others aren't quite that missional or visionary. Some get people working for the parish, others encourage them to be culture-makers in the world. How seriously do we take the call of ordinary folks to find God in the ordinary things they do--work, voting, shopping? Do we really believe Romans 12:1-2 that says that life is worship? And that we need transformed minds and cultural non-conformity? It seems to me that CCO and the Faith4Thought event was interesting to young adults because these are some of the issues facing those in these crucible years. And many students did seem to want to look at books, resources for their journey...

So, join me in a little thought experiment. I'll show some of the bookcovers of some of the titles we sold at this CCO sponsored college age gathering. If you can see them, you'll see stuff on math, nursing, business, advertising, science, food, art, technology, etc. Then take the following little quiz.

When BookNotes writes about a Christian view of engineering or a faith-based approach to psychology or suggests books about a Biblical perspective on art or science or education or business, I think:

a) A Christian view of professions like medicine and math and biology? You've got to be kidding! Get me outta here! As a strategy for Christian outreach to young adults? That's downright looney!

b) Reading books about the interface of theology and social life, Christianity and college classes? Economics and education and ecology in light of Jesus' reign? Do you really think anybody wants to do that? Maybe at F4T they did, but most of us aren't that geeky.

C) Hmmm. I claim to believe that Jesus is Lord, so I kinda guess there is some connection between my faith and thinking about this kind of stuff. Never thought of it quite like that before, really...I wonder if my friends at church would think this is weird? We don't really talk about this that much and I'm not sure if they read books like this. Interesting...

d) You know, I know some artists and lawyers and social workers and have friends in business, and, well, yeah, I think they should know about some of these titles. They just might think that is helpful and pretty neat. I think I'll suggest these titles to them. Who could I have good conversations with about these kinds of resources?

e) I'd love to start some kind of outreach with young professionals or students and let them know that God--and our church--care about their world, their work, their passions and ideals. Wow, maybe we could connect students and mentors, older folks with younger ones around career areas and marketplace discipleship. We're gonna rock this town! Where's my credit card, I gotta buy me some books!

Well, if it these seems a bit out of your comfort zone, or you are not passionate about sharing resources likes these with those who might care, why not listen to that talk I gave? You can download it here. I get pretty excited when I get to share our big dreams of making a difference by helping folks find a more wholistic vision of their discipleship so hold on to your hat! Thanks to Calvary for posting it. Thanks to BookNotes readers for spreading the word...

Church, Young Adults, and Faith 4 Thought

2009-11-02T02:45:13Z

Many church folk fret over the lack of involvement of 20-somethings in their congregations. It is a difficult thing, and there are a handful of books written in the last year or so about young adults and their frustration with their churches. Some have had less than meaningful experiences in evangelical churches; others write from the perspective of mainline denominational parishes. It is something that older church leaders should be talking and praying and thinking and listening about; younger friends, I hope, will refuse to grow jaded or cynical or disengaged.

Congregations that are near college campuses have a unique opportunity to think through ways to welcome college students into their family of faith, and today I was with a church in State College PA that has a history of involvement with the academic community, students, faculty, staff and friends. It is vibrant and youthful, and it was a delight to see older women helping to organize an event for younger students. From the excellent food to the art and ambiance, it was obvious that they were thoughtful about what they were doing (in a fairly standard-issue Protestant building.) Kudos to them for their hospitality and desire to be an outpost of God's reign among the academic community, and their eager welcome of rowdy young folk.

The event was called Faith4Thought, and I view it as a real privilege to speak and sell books at their conference. I've written before about their themes--and the much larger, February Jubilee conference in Pittsburgh to which it points. Relating faith and academic studies, helping professionals learn that God cares about their callings, cares and careers, equipping people live out their faith in the marketplace is a theological obligation, and we are thrilled anytime a local churches raises up this vision of cultural engagement and intellectual growth. When, like Calvary in State College, they do with and for young adults, it is spectacular and illustrates a key to building bridges with many young adults: speaking to these areas that are so important to this generation. I just had a blast---I talked to many about good books and preached my little heart out.

(I believe the audio of my keynote address, by the way, will be posted at their website, soon. I'll try to announce it, at least to the Friends of Hearts & Minds Facebook group.)

Being located in a college town, or near a community college, art school or technical institute, does not guarantee that a church will attract young adults. It is odd to be, though, that many don't even try. Many grumble about the "missing" youth and younger adults, yet don't seem to have much energy or funds for doing anything about, even when there are hundreds (or, more likely, thousands, near them at these campuses.) Let us tell you about one organization that can help, an organization that co-sponsored the Faith4Thought gathering today.

The CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach) partners with local churches near colleges with trained staff to help those churches design plans for reaching, serving, ministering to and perhaps attracting student. We think that they are on to three big things.

1. Unlike other para-church groups, they don't just show up on a campus to build relationships with young adults, starting Bible studies and social justice projects and such; they get stationed at a local congregation which has some kind of heart for student outreach, wants to attract and serve young adults, and wants to be involved in the academic institutions that are their neighbors. CCO is robustly ecumenical in a sturdy inter-denominational way, and they have staff at Episcopal, United Methodist, Presbyterian (USA) and other mainline churches, as well as at CMA, Evangelical Free, PCA, independent and other evangelical churches throughout the Mid-Atlantic. We applaud their inter-denominational approach because it is rooted in a solid ecclesiology. That is, they love the church, they think that ministry should be connected to local congregations, and they think that if we are going to help young adults relate faith and life, one part of that is getting them involved in the ordinary life or real congregations. Church camp, Cursillo, or Passion conferences only go so far, and young adults, like everybody else, need to be committed to the community of faith expressed in a multi-generational congregation. CCO gets this. Hosting an event for students on "academic discipleship" and the vocation of being students in a local church is extraordinary and right. God cares about college students, but so should the local church. To do that, the local church has to show intentional interest in the things that collegiates are about.

2. CCO also understands that if we are to make a difference for God's Kingdom, we must commit to the long-term work of being Christ's people in a particular place. Standing in and with a local church roots us, often, in a style and context of ministry that goes back hundreds of years in the same building! That is, by partnering with the local church, CCO is contextualized into a place, and wants to work within traditional institutions. Partnering with the local church near the local college is a way to make a longer-term commitment to a neighborhood or town or region. It is what some of us call a theology of place. The CCO holds out a vision of not just touching the lives of young adults who are college students, through the local church, but realizes that doing ministry like this allows for the nurturing of networks of influence that may lead to social initiatives, cultural reforms, institutional change. It seems that the theological perspective of the CCO that includes notions of the Lordship of Christ over all of life, themes of vocation and calling, an emphasis on the imagination and a Christianly shaped worldview, and the importance of both evangelism and social action leads naturally to caring about institutions. Locating a ministry out of a church for the sake of the local college shows a seriousness about culture-making and social change that is important. It isn't really surprising that some CCO staff have also started or partnered with other local institutions as a platform for doing college ministry; they have become employed at colleges themselves, at local coffeeshops, or have been hired by Habitat for Humanity. Very cool.

3. It may be counter-intuitive to think that young adults care about these things, but I think they do. Maybe there is a stream of Jack Kerouac in some free-wheelin' hipster youth, but I think many postmodern young adults desire a greater sense of stability, wanted to be connected to strong families, are interested in local economies (hence the attraction of local coffeeshops and such.) If a local church can show why we should care about our communities, students will be enthusiastic volunteers in local missions, cultural renewal, and working as God's servants in creative ways in the local area. At Calvary/F4T I heard of some college students at one CCO related church who are helping out in local high school ministry through Young Life. Another few students were doing some local environmental stuff near their college town. It was exciting to see young adults and older folk together tearing down tables and scarfing pizza as they moved out my book display and prepared for an ancient-future type meal and communion service they hold every Saturday night, for young and old alike. It isn't easy to do the kind of work that will make a church interesting and helpful to serious young adults, but it can be done.

(By the way, on this matter of whether young adults care about institutions and place and permanence, one student at F4T was thrilled to see the extraordinarily profound book called Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement by Brian Walsh and Stephen Bouma Prediger (Eerdmans; $24.00.) She read the rave reviews on the back cover and surmised that this book was not mostly about literal homelessness, but explored displacement as a metaphor for those who are postmodern nomads, who don't want to settle down, like the character in the novel (soon to be a major movie) Up In The Air. She understood that this book, which is also about poverty and environmental degradation, makes the audacious claim that God is a home-making God and Christ promises a sort of homecoming. We must care about our places, land, culture, and institutions, if we are to move forward on these 21st century problems. Not too shabby to be having these kind of meaty conversations with a younger adult in a local church, eh? I LOVE selling books to young adults as they are often most idealistic, interested, excited about learning and growing in their faith. What church wouldn't benefit from these kinds of conversations? What church has older folks who are also on the cutting edge of growing faith, who can stimulate, engage, learn from and with twenty-somethings? Would your church put together a conference entitled "Imagination, Invention and the Imago Dei"?)

So, CCO partners with churches, which illustrates their ecumenical, orthodox ecclesiology. They have a perspective on faith that believes that institutions are part of God's created order and part of Christ's redemptive work, so it is natural they care about local congregations, local people, networks of influence within the local academic community and beyond. And they intuit that young adults want this kind of stuff: robust, evangelical faith applied in innovative and missional ways, committed to big dreams of Kingdom outreach, including discerning vocation and callings. My speaking and bookselling at Faith4Thought reminded me not only of the stuff the event was about--the big themes of calling and career and relating faith and learning for the sake of God's Kingdom--but the broader backstory of local churches and the faith development of young adults.

Doing a one day event like Faith4Thought is not the only way to reach out to young adults, but talking about the relationship of faith and life, work and career, calling and creativity, including "tactile" experiential workshops, rooted in Biblical spirituality and exuberant praise and worship, is vital. I highly recommend you study their event webpage to see the workshop topics, observing how this event was designed. It might be interesting to ponder if your ministry to young adults is this serious. One young lady, in a breakout session I was leading about reading, noted that many young adults don't really know much about the Bible, doctrine, or radical discipleship, letting alone do reading on relating faith to learning and work, because, as she put it, in youth group "we just went bowling."

I suppose not everyone needs to read the serious research on the spirituality of American young adults, but the very prestigious sociological work of Christian Smith & Patricia Snell has finally come out, entitled Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults (Oxford University Press; $24.95.) This is the long awaited result of the five-year study following up the work done in his much-discussed Soul-Searching. Still, if anyone wonders why the young adults and college age are not so present in their congregations, and wants to really know the data or their religious views, this is will be known as the classic go-to volume. I commend it to those who care about young adults, who work with young adults, or with those who want a fabulous example of solid sociological work done by deeply Christian scholars who are at the top of their craft.

Here are just a few more, perhaps less demanding:

Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation Carol Howard Merritt (Alban Institute) $17.00 This is the best book on this topic written by a mainline denominational pastor. It is loaded with astute observations, personal stories, and the latest research. She opens with a story about a Persian rug, connecting places she's lived, itself an anecdote that speaks volumes... Very impressive, even if I may disagree with bits and pieces of her approach, and wish she would have addresses some things that were left out.

Thank You For Asking: Conversing With Young Adults About the
Future Church Sara Wenger Shenk (Herald Press) $14.99 Sara Shenk is a fine writer, a Mennonite with her hear and heart open to twenty-something, voices that are themselves well worth reading and hearing. As Brian McLaren says in the forward "Presbyterians, Catholics, Pentecostals, Episcopalians, and others will feel that these Mennonite stores, with a few small adjustments, could be their own..." For what it is worth, one can tell that the researchers in this huge project were inspired by the work of Sharon Parks (whose book Big Questions Worthy Dreams is one of the best on this age group.) It also cites Steve Garber's Fabric of Faithfulness on the first page. Yay.

Quitting Church: Why the Faithful and Fleeing and What to Do About It Julia Duin (Baker) $12.99 Duin is a religion editor at a major newspaper and has her journalistic chops down pat. This is well researched, well told, interesting and yet very, very thought provoking. She admits she is in many ways a part of this story, and it makes a clear point that many folks (including the younger generations) find church boring not because of dry doctrine or dogma, but because of the lack of it. That is, she has uncovered this massive movement of those who have become bored by congregations that don't challenge them, don't teach much, aren't particularly serious about faith, creeds or culture. I think it is a must-read for anyone wondering about how to engage younger adults.

They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights From Emerging Generations
Dan Kimball (Zondervan) $18.99 Kimball is an easy to read and one of the more traditional authors in the emerging conversation, and this is a standard study of the attitudes of those who may be "spiritual but not religious." Pretty fun stuff. There is a DVD, too, for those who want to be more welcoming, inviting younger jaded ones into conversations about faith. It isn't rocket science, really, but this is a provocative way to enter the conversation and get others thinking about reaching this population.

Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck (Moody) $14.99 This is a hoot of a book, a bit snarky, pretty hip, and yet is a conservative, theologically rich account of these young dudes and their passion for Bible-centered, God-centered congregational life. Woot. Here is the book's website where there is a video clip, a sample chapter and free study guide. Check it out and swing back here to place an order at our special price for blog readers.

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Bibliography posted on Reading, Worldview, Vocation, Public Life

2009-10-28T04:03:40Z

I mentioned in the last post that one of the great things we did a week or so ago was speak at the Christian Legal Society annual convention, this year held near San Diego, CA. What a delight and honor to be doing a workshop among so many other serious scholars, folks like Gail** and Gordon MacDonald, and a whole host of thoughtful public intellectuals, legal scholars, legal aid workers, religious rights activists, and ordinary attorneys working to serve their clients with integrity. The care that CLS offers for their members was shown to Beth and I, too, as their guests. Plus, it isn't every day I get to scarf snacks late at night and do a podcast with smart professors and students about the challenges of being a person of faith in the graduate programs we call Law School. You can find that podcast (and my one rambling comment--stick with me, it was 1:00 am---at the Cross & Gavel website, hosted by my hero, Michael Schutt, author of Redeeming Law.)

**I was the only man in the room, by the way, for Gail MacDonald's amazing talk about her best friends and mentors, mostly dead people she came close to in books. My, my, what a lover of biography, and what a sturdy talk about being a stout-hearted woman. I literally had tears in my eyes as she read excerpts from the wife of Jonathan Edwards, the humble wife of Oswald Chambers (who was with him only a few years before his untimely death) and the extraordinary work and witness of Ruth Bell Graham, who had become a friend of Gail in her time of need. Thank goodness for older mentors who can tell us of the lasting power of reading.

And so, I said that I had a handout at the event, a briefly annotated mammoth listing of books about reading, books about worldview formation and calling, books about public life and political responsibility, and a handful about lawyering. Even if the last few for lawyers aren't interesting to you, the rest sure should be! Here is the link to our monthly column, October 2009. I called it "Making Prominent the Printed Page: Developing a Christian Worldview by Reading Widely."

I know the sort of readers we have here at BookNotes and you are mostly customers and friends who want resources for yourself and others that help your Christian faith be more than only worship and liturgy, more than private devotions or church involvement. For Biblical people, faith is a way of life and Trinitarian worship and spirituality centers us for the "journey outward."

We thank you for the privilege of telling of these titles in the crowded space of your in-box. I trust that some of these descriptions will pique your interest, some will re-affirm aspects of your theological/intellectual journey, some will challenge you to want to dig deeper into the need to read widely, think deeply, and apply faith in responsible ways into every zone of our broken culture. I trust you will click on this link over to the monthly review column, and enjoy my colorful description of these great, great books. I am sure a few will sound familiar. I am equally sure you will be surprised by a few new ones. Please help us spread the word, copying at least parts of this and sending it on to somebody who might be happy to see such a list of rich titles. Thanks.

Just click above on the "reviews" tab and see the archive of monthly longer pieces that I do (most) every month. These random covers are just a few you'll find...

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Developing a Christian Worldview Through Reading Widely: A Bibliography

2009-10-28T03:20:08Z

As I said on the blog post introducing this, I had this as a handout for a workshop done at the October 2009 Christian Legal Society conference in La Jolla, California. What a privilege to sit with a small group of lawyers, judges, jurists and law students and talk about reading as an act of worship, obedience, relevant discipleship and dialogue with the culture. That spells WORD and was the main framework for my remarks about why we need to read seriously. Here, then, are some of the best suggestions I had for this small but serious group.

On Making Prominent the Printed Page: Developing a Christian Worldview Through Reading Widely (for Christian lawyers.)

about reading

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in an Age of Show Business Neil Postman (Penguin) A classic study of how American culture shifted to entertainment, with illuminating case studies from religion and politics. A must-read.

How the Irish Saved Civilization Thomas Cahill (Anchor) A popular telling of the significance of Ireland's discovery (through St. Patrick and others) of reading and writing and books.

The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age Sven Birkerts (Faber & Faber) Part memoir, part lament, part speculation and social analysis about the fate of reading in the world of computers and the internet, with a recent new forward and afterward.

A Mind for God James Emory White (IVP) Short and inspiring, this is a helpful reminder of how reading helps shape a Christian worldview, from which we can effectively work and witness. Makes a lovely gift, succinct and inspiring.

Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling James Sire (IVP) Sire is always worth reading, and here he offers a lifetime of insight from a humble intellectual. A few of the sections are priceless---his love of reading shines through and he offers seasoned advice for being a life-long learner.

on worldview

Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview Michael Goheen & Craig Bartholomew (Baker) One of the best recent discussion of worldview, and how that is embodied in our era, a crossroad of modernity and postmodernity. Very, very insightful.

Creation Regained: A Biblical Basis for a Reformational Worldview Al Wolters (Eerdmans) One of the most often cited books on worldview; the "creation-fall-redemption" Bible study is very clear. The "structure-direction" distinction is essential. One helpful chapter in the second edition compares Wolter's Dutch neo-Calvinism with the popular and important missiological vision of Leslie Newbegin and the Biblical theology of N.T. Wright. Fascinating.

Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior Steve Garber (IVP) One of my all time favorite books by a friend of CLS; Garber eloquently explores three necessary features of a coherent and lasting Christian lifestyle. Worth reading and re-reading for anyone who cares about deep knowledge, integrated vocations, and our responsibility to learn how we can live out the mission of God. (The second edition has a brilliant forward and a moving afterword. Very, very rich.) A small disclaimer: I am mentioned in the book, which truly has nothing to do with my very sincere admiration for this author and the maturity of vision in the exceptional book. You can skip the few pages about me...

Heaven is Not My Home: Living in the Now of God's Creation Paul Marshall (Word) Although he has written important work on international human rights, this is a little known and delightful handbook for distinctively Christian perspectives across all of life. There are chapters on business, citizenship, art, technology, work, play, rest, learning, worship and more. Nothing like it in print!

He Shines in All That's Fair: Culture and Common Grace Richard Mouw (Eerdmans) Although Mouw writes as a Calvinist exploring the Reformed phrase "common grace" this is of vital interest to anyone who lives in the real world, wanting to know if God cares about the ordinary stuff of life. Does God enjoy baseball? Jazz? Popular music? Good laws? Mouw is always worth reading, and he shines here.

Head Heart Hands: Bringing Together Christian Thought, Passion & Action Dennis Hollinger (IVP) Now the President of Gordon Conwell Seminary, Hollinger has several important and insightful books on ethics. Here, he shows how a balanced and robust Christian live must be thoughtful, passionate and active, but that many Christians (and many churches) over-emphasize one aspect of discipleship to the exclusion of the others. With great wisdom and practicality, he shows how all three are deeply intertwined and authentic growth must be multi-faceted.

Serious Times: Making Your Life Matter in an Urgent Day James Emery White (IVP) Inspired by the famous line from John Adams (in a letter to Thomas Jefferson) "My friend, you and I have lived in serous times" this looks at others who have similar left their mark on "serious times." White offers specific insights and lessons from a variety of heroic leaders, from Wilberforce to Lewis, Martin Luther to St. Benedict, Bonhoeffer to Mother Theresa, inviting us to take up our role in seeking God's work in the world. Lon Allison of the Billy Graham Center says, "My soul is quaking under the impact of this book."

Reordered Loves, Reordered Lives: Learning the Deep Meaning of Happiness David Naugle (Eerdmans) Some serious readers have suggested this is one of the best books they've ever read, drawing on Augustine's famous quip that to really understand what a person is like it is less telling to ask what he believes, but what he loves. How can we love the right stuff, in the right way? What if we do not? Naugle is one of the best "worldview thinkers" alive today, and this is a rich, warmly written, deep and rewarding meditation on what to care about.

Simply Christian N.T. Wright (Harper) Wright looks at a few issues that most people care about (from the most intimate to the most public) and uses those nearly universal longings for things "to be put to rights" and asks "what if the Biblical story answered those questions?" The heart of the book is his introduction to the Christian drama, based on a fine overview of the unfolding Biblical story, with some final chapters on what it might look like if that story answered those questions, and the implications for our lives, churches and work in the world. One of the best contemporary apologetics available.

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church N.T. Wright (Harper) If God is truly intending to restore the creation, and the physical resurrection is a foretaste of what God is doing in the world, and if we reject as Platonic a harsh dualism between body and soul then how do we view death, heaven, everlasting life, and such. How does a vibrant doctrine of resurrection and new creation effect our daily sense of hope and mission? Very, very stimulating.

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, & Power, and the Only Hope That Matters Timothy Keller (Dutton) This may be the most insightful and profound brief study of idolatry I've yet seen, intellectually sophisticated yet very nicely written; deep yet practical, challenging yet full of a Christ-centered gospel of transformation. Highly recommended. Due late October 2010.

vocation & calling

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life Os Guinness (Nelson) One of my all time favorite books, the chapters are short but elegant, literary and Biblical, profoundly theological and yet helpful for anyone who wants a sustainable and faithful basis for a "purpose driven life." A must for our times! (By the way, the "prequel", The Long Journey Home is an excellent invitation for seekers.)

A Journey Worth Taking: Finding Your Purpose in This World Charles Drew (Presbyterian & Reformed) Informed by the same vision as Guinness about the need for a thoughtful doctrine of vocation and calling, this is more systematically developed following the unfolding Biblical themes of creation, fall and redemption. Excellent.

Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling Andy Crouch (IVP) One of the most talked about evangelical books in years, this reminds us that worldviews are less abstract ideas but embodied ways of living, and that we are called not just to think or "engage" culture, but to actually produce cultural goods. From omelets to artifacts, laws to businesses, families to civic organizations, we humans make culture, and it is a God-given duty to do it as an act of worship and service. No one has written about this better.

Your Work Matters to God Douglas Sherman & William Hendricks (NavPress) The best, most readable and practical overview of a Christian theology of work. The title says it all...highly recommended.

Fabric of This World: Inquiries into Calling, Career, and the Design of Human Work Lee Hardy (Eerdmans) Often cited, a serious and rich study of the notion of work and calling by an astute Christian philosopher who has written insightfully about the nature and order and possibilities of work.

The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work & Ministry in Biblical Perspective Paul Stevens (Eerdmans) Stevens has written widely on the role of the laity, of the integration of faith and calling, and has worked for years helping Christians think faithfully about their work. This is his best thinking on the subject.

Forgetting Ourselves On Purpose: Vocation and the Ethics of Ambition Brian Mahan (Jossey Bass) Evocative, playful, stimulating, a wise and helpful reflection on the role of ambition, service and such. Not your typical "Christian" book, but very well worth pondering...

political life and legal thought

The Good News About Injustice and Just Courage Gary Haugen (IVP) The International Justice Mission may be one of the most exciting and fruitful international Christian legal organizations of our time. These are foundational, evangelical studies of God's heart for justice and how we can be involved as agents of His healing and reconciliation. Powerful, basic, vital.

God & the Constitution: Christianity and American Politics Paul Marshall (Rowman & Littlefield) I think this is somewhat mis-titled as it is not really about the Constitution as such. It is the best overview of a distinctively Christian view of government yet done. Very helpful for anyone pondering the role of government and a Biblically-informed view of politics.

Church, State and Public Justice: Five Views edited by P. C. Kemeny (IVP) Five scholars offer their take on uniquely Christian politics, and then the other four respond. Excellently presented views include a Catholic perspective, a classical "separationist" view, a moderate Anabaptist approach, a "principled-pluralist" neo-Calvinist view and a mainline Protestant social justice emphasis. Wow.

Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies David Koyzis (IVP) No one volume is a profound and readable in its study of the roots of Western thought and the history of the development of political theory. Koyzis astutely exposes the Enlightenment roots of both liberals and conservatives, and helps us understand the dynamics of ideological conflict in the modern world. Very significant.

Justice: Rights & Wrongs Nicholas Woltersdorff (Princeton University Press) Recently reviewed in the CLS Christian Lawyer journal, this is serious, philosophical stuff, by an eminent Christian philosopher. Anyone called to legal work in any capacity needs to reflect long and hard on the nature of justice, and this scholarly work will help. Important and weighty.

Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World Richard Mouw (IVP) I love this book, its teacherly style, wise ways and gentle call and humble apologetic. Anyone involved in public life ought to read this once every year or so. Lovely, honest, and good.

The Case for Civility: And Why Our Future Depends on It Os Guinness (HarperOne) More than a call to good public manners or civil politeness, this is a fabulous exploration of the nature of our distinctively American way of honoring freedom of speech, rooted in First Amendment freedoms for and from religion. Dr. Guinness is one of our leading evangelical social thinkers, and here he passionately calls for work not towards a Christian takeover, but a leavening influence by advocating for pluralism, fairness and a strong appreciation for the vision of the Framers of the constitution. Highly recommended.

Toward an Evangelical Public Policy: Political Strategies for the Health of the Nation Ronald Sider & Diane Knippers (Baker) The National Association of Evangelicals worked for years to come up with a non-partisan, balanced and Biblically-informed social vision, and their "For the Health of the Nation" document (included herein) was published along with this set of wide-ranging essays. One of the very best collections of evangelical social thinking. Important, and a great reference tool.

Politics for the Greatest Good: The Case for Prudence in the Public Square Clarke D. Forsythe (IVP) The author is a leading policy strategist in bioethical issues and senior counsel for Americans United for Life, a national pro-life public policy organization. He has argued before federal and state courts and testified before Congress; he knows what he's talking about! Here, he offers thorough and wise judgements about moral absolutes, political compromise, and effective Christian involvement. Reasonable and strategic.

How Free People Move Mountaisn: A Male Christian Conservative and a Female Jewish Liberal on a Quest for Common Purpose and Meaning Kathy Roth-Douquet & Frank Schaeffer (Collins) This is a fun and feisty read where two very different individuals argue back and forth, wondering how to bring civic change, greater justice and maturity to our pubic discourse. A great example of digging deep into philosophical and religious foundations, disagreeing and debating, with common concern and passion.

Crime and Its Victims Dan Van Ness (IVP) When Chuck Colson moved from only prison evangelism and ministry to include work for more structural reforms, he commissioned Van Ness to do a foundational Biblical study of crime and punishment. This is the best volume on the topic.

Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime & Justice Howard Zehr (Herald Press) With Van Ness' contribution to evangelical discourse around "restorative justice" as a basis, other (Mennonite) activist-scholars have developed the idea into greater clarity around reforms, values and proposals for more Christ-like approaches in criminology. A very important contribution, which should be considered.

God's Joust, God's Justice: Law and Religion in the Western Tradition John Witte, Jr (Eerdmans) I would be remiss not to note something of the prolific, substantive scholar, Dr. Witte. He is one of the leading scholars in this field, now the director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. This "traces the historic struggles that generated the constitutional separation of church and state..."

lawyering

The Believers Guide to Legal Issues Stephen Bloom (Living Ink) What a joy to see a simple, clear-headed, spiritually-based introduction to legal issues. Most Christian attorneys would know all this, but it is an ideal tool to share with others in your church or practice, framed by simple gospel insight. Nice.

The Lawyers Calling: Christian Faith and Legal Practice Joseph Allegretti (Paulist Press) One of the best overviews of the ways in which faith shapes legal practice, the metaphors that are used to imagine what lawyers are and do, and how to be a responsible, ethical, attorney. Semi-scholarly, readable, insightful, from a Roman Catholic lawyer drawing on many Protestant sources. Very helpful.

Can a Good Lawyer Be a Good Lawyer? edited Thomas Baker (University of Notre Dame Press) An ecumenical collection of essays, sermons, meditations, and reflective pieces, including some written by active CLS leaders. You may not love each and every entry, but most are good, and a few are great.

Redeeming Law: Christian Calling and the Legal Profession Michael Schutt (IVP) I believe that every career and profession should be so fortunate as to have such a winsome, readable, and yet profound and scholarly treatment of nearly every aspect of the foundations of the field. Not necessarily the most simple or practical, but it is the most essential book for every Christian lawyer's library. Highly, highly recommended. Great footnotes lead in many good directions for further study, and the discussion questions make it ideal for personal growth or small group conversation. Get several and pass 'em out!

First Be Reconciled: Challenging Christians in the Courts Richard Church (Herald Press) Many attorneys struggle with the Biblical verse about not going to court, and this Mennonite lawyer take is most seriously. Provocative and important, attempting to be serious about Biblical obedience in the reformation of legal attitudes and practices.

Wee Kirk, CLS, Holy Capers

2009-10-20T04:18:57Z

A few friends who subscribe to BookNotes, or are part of the "Friends of Hearts & Minds" Facebook group, have noticed I haven't been around all week. Our whereabouts have not been a mystery, but for those that care, they have been bookish. Here's the story.

At the start of last week, we were lugging books into the lovely Laurelville Mennonite Camp & Retreat Center in Western PA, serving our great friends at the annual Northeast Wee Kirk Conference. That's "small church" in Scottish, yee surely know, and it is a gathering of those who pastor or serve small congregations, mostly in Presby churches. What an inspiring lot, these hard-workin' (book-buyin') Wee Kirk folk. Thanks to Presbyterians for Renewal for helping fund this gathering.

Wee Kirk was especially good this year as we reconnected with old pal and prolific writer Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish. If you don't know his recent books published by the Alban Institute (Becoming a Blessed Church and Humble Leadership) you really should. They are among Alban's best-sellers! (His congregation was highlighted in the work of Diana Butler Bass, and he makes an appearance in her splendid Christianity for the Rest of Us.) An earlier book he wrote that we love is called Discovering the Narrow Path: A Guide to Spiritual Balance which shows his wise, contemplative approach. Graham strikes me as ancient-future, and we talked about Dutch anthropologist and mystic Andrian Van Kaam, celebrated classic stuff like Testament of Devotion, even as he showed me spiffy worship graphics on his Apple Mac laptop. We've got his books around, of course, so let us know if you want to order any.

Dr. Edith Humphrey was another speaker, she of McGill U. fame (where she studied with N.T. Wright and hung out with Brian Walsh years ago) and now is a beloved Prof. at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She has two very, very thoughtful, pretty intense works. One has this remarkably provocative title, about the rhetoric of visions in the New Testament: I Turned to See The Voice. (Awesome, eh? Think about it.) Another we really recommend is the remarkable Intimacy and Ecstasy: When the Holy Spirit Meets the Human Spirit (published by Eerdmans.) It has a good forward by Eugene Peterson, and he highly recommends it as meaty, spiritual theology. She was an Episcopalian but in recent years has been drawn to Orthodoxy, so she's writing, as a Biblical scholar, out of a very mature inner life, rooted in a liturgical worldview. She is an excellent thinker and quite impressive. She has a chapter in the brand new IVP Academic title Trinitarian Theology for the Church: Scripture, Community, Worship, which looks altogether impressive. Meeting her makes me glad that we carry her work.

Wee Kirk wouldn't be Wee Kirk without Phil Olson, who co-authored the fabulous book most known as a Ron Sider title, Churches That Make a Difference. Phil worked for ESA for a stint, and he helped Heidi Unrue and Ron do this very helpful study of wholistic congregations whose outreach is truly bearing faithful fruit. It is a classic of wholistic evangelism and his passionate (and funny) talk about Philip (in Acts) left us eager to study and serve. We've talked about this book often, and it was tremendous to have Phil telling us about it. It really is a favorite. If you care about missional outreach, especially in an urban setting, this is a must-read.

After these fine days studying God's Kingdom ways for rural churches and small congregational life we experienced some emotional whiplash hopping on a jet to upscale San Diego, where we were privileged to serve the annual event of the Christian Legal Society. Each year, this fine professional association gathers to fellowship and equip for distinctive service those who serve in fields of law, legal studies, legal aid, mediation, human rights and ministry with and among attorneys.

(By the way, in a past issue of Comment there was a symposium on hope; friends of the journal were asked what signs of hope they see. I wrote about professional associations like this, that gather to reflect seriously on their interface of their field and their Christian faith. Art groups like CIVA or IAM, student gatherings like Jubilee, and CLS were mentioned. Just saying, we really take courage that God is working in these vocationally-oriented gatherings. You can read it here if you'd like. It might help you see why we do so much stuff outside the store.)

At CLS San Diego, I had the great joy of doing a workshop on reading, offering suggestions on books about worldview formation, calling and career, civic and political life and how all that frames and informs the art of lawyering well. I had some nervousness about this--there were authors and scholars and judges walking around all over the place---but once I started my spiel, I got pretty fired up. I'm not sure if the small group in the seminar got much out of it, but I was once again reminded of my own sense of calling to help talk about books that can change lives, help us think and see and imagine Christianly, living out all of life, in all of life, in a manner that is Biblically-informed, wise and faithful. Some of these attorney's and public leaders are pretty visionary themselves, and some are doing remarkable work making a difference in their own corner of the legal world. (And, in the workshop itself, was inspired by stories of lawyers who counsel their clients, offering free books, or those who have started reading groups amongst their colleagues at the firm.) Thank God for readers, and especially for Christian lawyers, for those who serve in prestigious practices or small town courts, doing splashy or commonplace tasks, helping their neighbor, working for the common good. It was great to be with them.

I'm no lawyer, of course, but Mike Schutt's book, Redeeming Law:Christian Calling and the Legal Profession, was nonetheless a fabulous, inspiring read when I devoured it a few years ago. Being with Mike at CLS is one of my year's highlights, and I commend this book to you, knowing it is written by a guy I so appreciate and respect. If you know any thoughtful lawyers, it is a must, so please tell them about it. Mike is doing some very fine pod-casting (look out Mars Hill Audio & Ken Meyers!) and I even helped a bit with a zany late night one with a few law students and a law prof and a practicing attorney. Good for anybody thinking about the relationship between studies and real life, between the calling of students as they transition into careers. Anyway, his "Cross & Gavel" website is a treat, especially the podcasts.

Soon, I'll post the annotated bibliography that I handed out at the CLS workshop. It may be helpful for anybody interested in reading, nurturing a worldview, the Christian mind, calling, vocation, and public/political life. A few CLS participants insisted that these sorts of resources ought to be more widely available. So right.

And, this: we heard one of the best speeches I've ever heard, delivered with hilarious zest by an upbeat and contagiously joyful lawyer who is making a difference in so many ways, mostly now in Uganda. Yes, it is a hilarious and clever story, but he is very close to becoming the first non-Ugandan to serve on their Supreme Court. And he'll probably get one of those cool wigs and everything. Better, he may expedite justice in this war-torn land, with a special passion for adjudicating the trial of children who languish in jails due to involvement in the awful child warfare there. Pray for him. His name is Bob Goff. Here is a website of Restore International a non-profit he's started, fighting trafficking, among other good things.

Bob Goff, this great speaker and the highlight of the CLS event, by the way, is somebody some of you have heard of. He is talked about with great gusto in the fine new memoir by Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Days. Miller, as I explained in my Booknotes review here, writes in his new memoir that he has to get a life that is a bit better, especially since they are making a movie about him. What does one do when one realizes that one's life is a bit drab and uninspiring, and the character they are telling about you in the film is better than your real life? Well, Miller wisely studies the process of film-making, learning what makes a good story, and begins to make his life count for something. Bob Goff is his chief ally in this, taking him to Uganda (and a few other crazy places, too. He calls these holy capers.) Goff was the real deal, and it was a remarkable pleasure to hear him extol a life "with the fingerprints of Jesus on it" to these CLS leaders.

And it is a real pleasure to remind you that if you want to hear about this remarkable life, check out A Million Miles in a Thousand Days. If you follow that link given above to my review, or just scroll back a month, we have a pretty sweet deal offered on it.

By the way, local friends: did you hear that Donald "Blue Like Jazz" Miller, and his hilarious comedian friend, Susan Isaacs (author of Angry Conversations With God: A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir) is speaking here in York/Red Lion, PA, this Friday, October 23rd? Thought you may appreciate a reminder. Check out Living Word Community Church if you're anywhere nearby. Buy the book from us, though, since the publisher's marketeers have arranged a dumb out of town chain selling books there. Consider it a holy caper, a mitzvah. Thanks.

And for anybody that is still reading: just got back from an out of town funeral, a beloved Aunt Trudy. She gave us books and art supplies as kids. She was 91. RIP.

Want any of the books we've mentioned? Order here. Say you saw it on the blog and we'll give you a special 20% off blog special. Thanks for caring.

Hearts & Minds 234 East Main Street Dallastown, PA 17313 717.246.3333

Advent Conspiracy book & DVD

2009-10-11T20:55:28Z

We have been gratified to see that a few customers ordered the handsome and important new volume about micro-financing The Poor Will Be Glad by Peter Greer & Phil Smith that we featured last week. The discounted prices still hold, so if you'd like to browse back over the past few weeks, you'll see some excellent titles that offer a faith-based perspective on our global citizenship, on world hunger and the ways in which contemporary Christian faithfulness demands a responsible stewardship of our role in the international economy. (We raved last week about Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson; not everybody loves her book, however, and she reports at her blog getting some pretty harsh criticism on one radio interview. Her frustrated and powerful lament "Smashing Economic Idols" where she quotes Brian Walsh is really worth reading!)

Thanks to those who sent notes, facebook quips, and promises to buy some of these kinds of books. Indeed, the poor will be glad when those with resources commit to learn, study and work towards a more justice way of life. Reading these kinds of books may be demanding for some, but, yet, I am convinced they can be richly rewarding, exciting, even, as we take newer risks into deeper discipleship. It is a privilege to be one of your booksellers and one of the places you look to for reviews of this kind of content. Glad we are in this together.

So, one more to tell about, a really practical and inspiring "next step" in this journey of being vibrant people of faith who care about justice and responsible stewardship: The Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay and Greg Holder (Zondervan; $12.99) is a book & study guide that is the best thing on this topic we have yet seen. Not since the rather obscure Whose Birthday Is It Anyway stuff (from the wonderful alternatives) has there been a powerful, relevant, Biblically-rooted, spiritually-based resource to help us navigate the crazy Christmas consumer-fest. And, wow, is this cool.

Two years ago, these fellas--all pastors of what might be called edgy evangelical emergent congregations---started a very spiffy Advent Conspiracy website for sharing Bible studies and ideas and resources, mostly around a shared vision, a pledge of sorts, to conspire together to do four simple things, four things which would be ancient/future type disciplines designed to help folks focus on (how does one say this without sounding cliched or cheesy) "the true meaning of Christmas." Well, there it is, said in all its cliched glory. Who, really, doesn't want the true meaning of Christmas? It is a cliche, has been romantically sentimentalized and, nowadays, stupidly politicized by the Christian right (who are now busy boycotting stores that don't say "Merry Christmas") but, still, don't most of us hunger for the real thing? Aren't some of us---more women, then men, I'd bet---nearly queasy thinking about the stress of the upcoming season? And don't we all know we have to do something to tone down the materialism?

Here are the four things that the original conspiracy website invited: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. Yep, these four disciplines, taken together, can help put us in a place of creating a holiday season worth remembering, not dreading. Especially if we do it together (the true meaning of conspiracy, of course.) They call it "entering the story."

Now, there is a creatively presented Advent Conspiracy DVD ($19.99) and the brief but powerful book, which includes a small group discussion guide to be used with the DVD. Although any individual or family could do this alone--and you should, if you have to---it is best to cling together to a few other conspirators, a small group, a Bible study, a Sunday school class, a fellowship group. What would our congregations look like if everyone was invited to take the pledge? Worshiping fully we find what Calvin called "union with Christ." Knowing grace we can (as Calvin Seerveld translates Luther) prance with joy. And give freely. Knowing we are loved, we pledge to love everyone, so we spend less on ourselves and give more to those with greater needs.

Here is how they describe the four week curriculum.

Worship Fully---Because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus.
Spend Less---And free your resources for things that truly matter.
Give More---Of your presence, your hands, your words, your time, your heart.
Love All---The poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, the sick, in ways that make a difference.

This is a prophetic dream against the false religion of consumerism, as they baldly put it. And, they are not fooling around: they give strong warnings against the toxic power of ungodly consumerism. And, they are serious about giving. They've included a brief appendix of a few letters from fellow co-conspirators from the website, such as a church of 175 who have raised, $13,000 for clean water wells in Africa; one church in Cincinnati set a goal of raising $18,000 and they raised $72,000. Many churches are working with Living Water International to save lives by drilling wells, but other letters tell of congregants bringing in coats; another did baked goods at a local shelter. These testimonials are encouraging and exciting. Maybe if more of us "breathed together" and found motivation and accountability be being involved in a strategic plan like this, we really could give more.

Here is one such letter in the book:

This is my first year in a parish, and I ran across the Advent Conspiracy website with very little time to prepare. The leadership pulled together, however, and we were able to present the call to live a more simple Christmas season all four Advent Sundays. On Christmas Day we held a single offering to be given to Christian Reformed World Relief Committee to purchase wells for communities that do not have access to clean drinking water ($250 buys one well.) Our church of 220 active members raised just over $50,000. God is good.

I love how they frame this early in the book: they frame it not as a system, but a story.

The Advent Conspiracy is not a four-point checklist for how to do Christmas. It is not a formula or a fool-proof system to make your Christmas more meaningful.

The Advent Conspiracy is the story of the wondrous moment when God entered our world to make things right. It is the greatest story every told, and it changes everything---including the way we celebrate Christmas.

As you read this book, understand what you're doing and why you're doing it. This is not about anger, disgust, or guilt---it is about entering the story of Jesus more deeply with a desire to worship more fully. It is not enough to say no to the way Christmas is celebrated by many; we need to say yes to a different way of celebrating.

Our dream is that as you read this book you will discover Christ and be transformed by entering his story.

Here is the regular prices, and then our 10% off deal:

Advent Conspiracy book $12.99
Advent Conspiracy DVD $19.99
Advent Conspiracy DVD/book pack $29.99 (save $3.00.)

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The Poor Will Be Glad: Joining the Revolution to Lift the World Out of Poverty

2009-10-07T02:56:45Z

I don't usually write about books before we get them here in the shop, but sometimes we get advanced copies or have such stellar reviews from our sales reps (yeah, you know who you are) that we are sold on the thing before it is released, and are itching to talk about it. Every once in a while we shout about a title before it actually arrives.

Since last week I tried to remind our readers that you H&M-ish, thoughtful and well-read, relevant, Christian folk need to be living out our vision of God's reign by attending to issues of the global economy---the kind of stuff raised in the debates about the G20 Summit---I have wanted to tell you about a book that we expect to show up here any day now. It is a perfect book to follow up some of the others I've mentioned.

The Poor Will Be Glad: Joining the Revolution to Lift the World Out of Poverty by Peter Greer & Phil Smith (Zondervan; $19.99) is a new book that the publisher is releasing with a happy degree of unsuspected fan-fair; I am surprised, I suppose, since most publishers know that international micro-financing isn't, well, very sexy (as they say.) It sounds rather arcane and, if not depressing, at least complicated. Maybe we're glad somebody has devised this simple way to enhance the lives of the poor, but what do we know? What should we do?

Well, for starters, we should read up on this stuff, and this could be one of the great introductions to the ways in which we really can make a difference. I did that hefty bibliography last month and you know I think everybody should read Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron Sider. I shared how excited I was about the new Baker/emergent release The Justice Project. This new title illustrates that the current younger generation of new leaders understands that we have to be involved, that most of the world is in great need and the gospel simply cannot be presented as abstract dogma, but only makes sense as a community lives out the ways of God's Kingdom, working for justice in the great issues of the day. One doesn't have to be Ron Sider or Bono to get excited about these new initiatives that transcend ideologies left or right. Greer & Smith show us that through this ingenious plan of small loans (that must be paid back) development can happen through local economies of scale, human dignity, genuine justice as folks are given (to use the Habitat for Humanity slogan) a hand, not a hand-out. You can see it for yourself in the very handsome pictures (by award-winning photographer Jeremy Cowart) in this nicely designed book. Believe me, once you see this, you'll want to share the book. Once you get involved in donating to this cause, you'll want the book as a keepsake reminder of it all.

The Poor Will Be Glad is the work that came out of an extraordinary international ministry of increasing renown: Hope International. (Do check out this website---there are podcasts and videos and great stories and stuff for you to do; be sure to see the spiffy "Hands Up" pictures.) Started by young, thoughtful, good, folk from Lancaster PA (yay) they have developed this way of investing in the lives of local communities, using micro-financing ideas and wholistic ministry to truly change lives and whole regions. As they invest in "hope entrepreneurs" they truly see multi-faceted change and development. Greer, their director, did his undergrad in the great business department at Messiah College, and has an advanced degree from Harvard's Kennedy School, and did micro-financing in Africa for several years before coming to Hope. We know of his background and work, have investigated their ministry, sold books to 'em even (and can report that they've had a presence at Jubilee in Pittsburgh, as they will this year, as Peter takes the stage at Jubilee 2010 in February.) So, we vouch for them. Peter is speaking at the big Catalyst "next leaders" event in Atlanta this week, too, and Seattle's remarkable "Faith, Film & Justice" film festival this weekend, for that matter, so it is clear he's quickly growing to be a respected spokesperson for what ordinary people can do to invest wisely and fruitfully in the lives of the poor. It makes me glad to know that folks are promoting such an important and strategic plan, and that sales of this book is part of it all. We are part of it all. You can be part of it all.

Rob Bell wrote the forward to The Poor Will Be Glad, a move that, again, illustrates not only that Zondervan is really pushing this, but that this represents a newer, younger generation of activists-- savvy, sharp, theologically mature and very passionate about being effective in ways that are faithful. We expect the book to arrive this week, and we are pleased to offer it at the same G20 20% discount we were offering on these sorts of titles last week. We are very excited about this, are fully confident that it will be informative, inspiring, and practical. It is a book you should know about right away, will want to see, and maybe share with others. We are sure that H&M readers are the very kind of people that this book is made for. We are grateful that we are in this sort of work together, and very, very glad that evangelical publishers like Zondervan are investing in such socially significant books, beautifully made and exceptional in every way. Indeed, the poor shall be glad. God will be too.

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Blog Special on a few more books about justice

2009-10-02T04:39:39Z

Here are a few more recent titles to supplement this week's theme, books about global justice, inspired by the G20 Summit and the protests in Pittsburgh. For more serious or academic titles, see the brand new list I posted over at my monthly column, here (September 09.) Some great deeper books listed there, from the new, fantastic Justice Project (which really isn't that deep, just very comprehensive and in hardcover, so I listed it there) to the fascinating and diverse collection in The Gospel and Globalization by Michael Goheen & Erin Glanville (one of my own personal favorites) and several more excellent ones....

Here are a few to whet your appetite, perhaps more basic and less academic.

The Skeptics Guide to Global Poverty Dale Hanson Bourke (Authentic) $9.99 This is a
handsome paperback, full color inside, similar to another fabulous one the author did on AIDS. These answers the tough questions real people ask, a simple overview of the complex issues. I have long been a fan of Ms Bourke's journalism and writing, and here she provides a great service. Very solid information, nicely arranged and usefully presented, simple and clear.

God's Economy: Redefining the Health & Wealth Gospel Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (Zondervan) $14.99 Kudos to Zondervan for being willing to publish this feisty author, who draws on radical sources and is impeccably Biblical. Eugene Peterson has a very good forward, reminding us that the Bible indeed talks about abundance and abundant life but that, ironically, although most Americans talk about it a lot, few seem very content. This is not a self-help book, nor really a scholarly overview of globalization. It is just a solid, inspiring, helpful way to get our heads (and hearts) on straight about money, materialism, and God's call to an upside down way of life that is blessed. Just what is God's economy? I suppose you know that isn't what the television preachers say...

Do Justice: A Social Justice Road Map edited by Kristin Vander Giessen-Reitsma (catapult) $7.95 You may recall that we've promoted this before...it is a small collection of mostly great writing (aha: I have a bibliography here, too) about development, poverty, justice-education, globalization and God's call to service, community development and such. We love the bi-weekly ezine catapult and some of these pieces were published on line. Some are new for this handsome paperback collection. Very nicely done.

Everything Must Change: When the World's Biggest Problems and Jesus' Good News Collide Brian McLaren (Nelson) $14.99 You may know how we were somewhat involved in the hardback book's tour, how we promoted this wonderful study of the inter-relatedness of major world problems and the framing narratives that drive them. I have used some of Brian's brief youtube clips around this theme and tour, and then the DVD curriculum, which is very exciting, visionary, inspiring. (Email me if you want more info on that!) Now, the book is out in paperback, with a bright new cover and a provocative new sub-title. Glad that they are trying to help folk understand what this is about, how Jesus' Kingdom ways are uniquely able to address the complexity of our broken global world, as we take up our role as "revolutionaries of hope." I really recommend this big picture book, readable and interesting and in many ways quite profound.

Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World Mae Elise Cannon (IVP) $20.00 I have been wishing for a fabulous guidebook like this for 30 years, and in all of my study of resources for social action, there is simply nothing like this on the market. It includes lots of topics, and is well written. From trafficking to environmental concerns, from homelessness to debt relief, from global trade issues to domestic violence, this has brief articles, good theology, practical suggestions. There are nice biographical sketches too of folks who have made a difference, Christians throughout church history, and some activists today. Very instructive, pointing you to further resources. Rave review on the back from Gary Haugen and a forward by John Perkins. Thank God for what Shane Claiborne calls "a cookbook for plotting goodness and stirring up holy mischief."

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A Short list of books about globalization, economics, poverty

2009-09-30T04:34:52Z

Earlier this week I did a pair of posts inspired by the important and much publicized G20 Summit held in Pittsburgh, PA. And the mixed bag of serious protests, important resistance, violent anarchist disruption and police over-reaction in the city of steel.

I wanted to list off a batch of important books for those who want to further study this topic--globalization, economic development, world hunger, and such. I am tired from a busy week, eager to tell you about these titles, hoping against hope that some study group or Christian discipleship team or NGO leader might care. I know this is heavy stuff, serious and depressing at times, but---if the Biblical story and it's call to responsible stewardship and commitment to the public good as we image the God who has been revealed in Christ is true, then this is the way to abundant life. This may be part of the cost of discipleship for those of us who have the benefits of living in the wealthiest land in the history of the world. What does it mean to be responsible in these days? I think part of the answer may be found in reading some of these books. I hope somebody out there agrees; we do stock a lot of these, and more, thinking our customers might find them important.

(By the way, if you can get to a library that has The Christian Scholars Review, there is an excellent overview article by three Calvin College professors this quarter [Fall 2009] surveying and offering Christian critique of three main schools of thought in the recent discussions about poverty and development. It is very useful and worth the trouble of tracking it down...)

So, in no particular order, here are a handful that are either very well done, very important, very new, or very interesting to me. Here are the one's I wanna tell ya about. Hang on for the ride.

The Justice Project edited by Brian McLaren, Elisa Padilla, Ashley Bunting Seeber (Baker)
$21.99 We announced this before on the blog, and are thrilled that it is out, declaring it to be one of the top books of the year. Many of these authors are activists, mostly evangelical, or emergent, explaining how the Bible can be understood as a book of justice, how this effects different sides of life, how we can work as agents of transformation for justice in various arenas (from rural life to race relations, using the arts or in the suburbs, around issues of immigration, say, or for the creation itself, on trade issues or parenting.) This is (as Shane Claiborne puts it) "Absolutely dazzling. Here is a choir for social justice that makes the prophets smile." It is a diverse collection (with a few really, really excellent chapters, including a wonderful introduction by McLaren that is worth the price of the book, a good piece on Paul by Sylvia "Colossians Remixed" Keesmaat, Randy Woodley, Shauna Niequist, Peter Heltzel. Most are practical (although a piece (De)Constructing Justice by Tony Jones is pretty serious postmodern stuff) and very nicely done. A great place to start on any journey towards justice and a helpful handbook for anyone wanting to learn more.

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving From Affluence to Generosity Ronald J. Sider (Word) $15.99 I can't tell you how many folks, ordinary people of various denominations, and more famous authors, have said that this was a pivotal book for them, one of the most important religious titles of our time. It is not as controversial as some used to say, and it isn't that hard to read. For anybody that thinks they know the Bible, read this. For anybody that loves the Bible, read this. For anybody that cares about the issues of global poverty, systemic injustice, or how to take steps towards being responsible in our time, this is a must. As John Ortberg says, "This material will be on the final." Thank God for this book. It does, indeed, do a very good job explaining not only God's concern for the poor and the massive amount of relevant Biblical data, not only does it navigate the important ground between different schools of thought, but it does explain issues of trade and aid and debt and structural adjustment and so forth, the kind of stuff that the G20 leaders discussed somewhat and the protesters pushed for. Very, very helpful.

Hope in Troubled Times: A New Vision for Confronting Global Crises Bob Goudzewaard, Mark Vander Vennen, David Van Heemst (Baker) $19.99 Again, this is an essential book for those wanting to understand the global scene. Goudzewaard is a Dutch economist and former parliament member who has been leading a consultation with the WCC and the World Bank for several years, helping generate theologically informed conversation around the "over-development of the West" and the proper ways in which worldviews and ideologies (idols) shape the unfolding of culture and politics. How do worldwide poverty, environmental degradation and widespread terrorism relate? Where do we find hope? Some have taken to calling this brave and insightful trio "the hope-sters" and while this isn't the easiest read, it is richly rewarding in Biblical wisdom and a new-found understanding of idols and the inter-relatedness of the issues of the day, and how they can be reframed and consequently reformed. Very, very important.

The Gospel and Globalization: Exploring the Religious Roots of a Globalized World Michael Goheen & Erin Glanville (Regent College Press) $29.95 This is a book that may not be well publicized, coming out of a small if prestigious Christian graduate school in Vancouver, and developed by a small think tank of Kuyperian Christians, "The Geneva Society" (affiliated with Trinity Western University in BC.) Yet I want to suggest that this may be one of the most thrilling books I've seen this year, largely because there are essays by authors that I know and respect, authors, scholars, activists and public intellectuals whose work is only rarely brought together in one fabulous anthology. Here we have Biblical scholars Craig Bartholomew and Richard Bauckham and aesthetic theorist and art critic Calvin Seerveld; Anglican Abraham Kuyper scholar, Peter Heslam and literature prof Susan VanZanten; Brian Walsh has a truly brilliant piece in here offering appreciative critique of Naomi Klein---it is worth the price of the book if you are at all involved in anti-globalization work---and a thoughtful overview by the ever thoughtful James Skillen. There are so many rich academics here: David Koyzis' book on the historical roots of both the liberal and conservative movement is one I often cite, and here he is, doing a serious bit of scholarly archeology; Bob Goudzewaard, of course, is in this gathering, but so is educator Harro Van Brummelen. Egbert Schuurman has long been an esteemed Christian theorist of technology and it is splendid to see him included. Here, I am only naming names that mean a lot of me, and perhaps to those neo-Calvinists who read catapult or Comment or follow Toronto's Institute for Christian Studies or Redeemer College. In another review perhaps I will discuss some of the multi-disciplinary chapters, why this is such a rich resource, and why I commend it so, chapter by chapter. But don't wait for my further overview: trust me and buy this thing today. It is rare, insightful, righteous, surprisingly diverse and a beautiful example of moving from a worldview to a way of life, from prophetic imagination to policy proposals, from scholarly insight to practical inspiration.

Evangelicals and Empire: Christian Alternatives to the Political Status Quo Bruce Ellis Benson and Peter Goodwin Heltzel (forward by Nicholas Wolterstorff) (Brazos) $29.99 Okay, this is slow sledding, serious scholarship, and a great, great example of the way serious scholars and activists of faith can engage with the most important ideas in the world of ideas today. These are chapters engaging the work of two very, very important theorists of empire, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri. With authors as diverse as Michael Horton and Jim Wallis, Mark Lewis Taylor and James K.A. Smith, Elaine Padilla and John Milbank, this anthology is perfect for anyone seriously interested in politics, economics, globalization, the forces of Empire and the relationship of Christian faith, ideology, civic life and the future possibilities of democracy and shalom. Diverse, international voices, solid thinking, erudite criticism. Wow.

Power and Poverty: Divine and Human Rule in a World of Need Dewi Hughes (IVP) $25.00 The Tearfund is a British evangelical relief and development agency, and, as faith-based NGOs go, is truly one of the most respected, thoughtful, and vital of any in the world. This book is less about the needs of the poor and plans for assistance, but backs up to reflect theologically on the most foundational question of power: who has it, how is it used, how do the dis-empowered become empowered? Christopher Heuertz (international director of Word Made Flesh and author of Simple Spirituality) writes, "An important sign and symbol of where current sociological, philosophical, and theological trends must locate themselves as thoughtful Christian engage power, poverty and the Kingdom of God." This is mostly a book about the Kingdom of God, the providence of God, and how to respond to the claims of Christ's rule in a world of injustice, suffering and brokenness. I love Shane Claiborne's quip that "Folks like Dewi Hughes are theological paramedics trying to rescue us all from the sort of theology that gets people killed and leads to fragile systems where markets collapse." We could us a theological paramedic, I believe, so we commend this serious book to you with great urgency.

Economic Justice in a Flat World: Christian Perspectives on Globalization Steven Rundle, editor (Paternoster) $24.99 This is a rigorous theological press, mostly aligned with a British kind of progressive evangelicalism, balanced, integrated, wholistic and robust. The editor is a professor of Economics & Business at Biola, so the pieces are not all British; what an amazingly balanced set of articles and essays, maybe the best one-volume collection of its kind. Here are pieces by Donald Hay and Bob Goudzewaard, Michael Novak and Sue Russell, John Tiemstra and Judith Dean. This is neither lefty or conservative, but a multi-faceted collection seeking balance and insight. It has a few general chapters and then many that are quite specific on foreign debt investment, offshoring and worker migration, the role of NGOs in Africa, stuff about the international finance systems. For fairly serious students wanting to dig in, this is very good. Good discussion questions make this ideal for an undergraduate study group or a gathering of folks wanting to talk through these issues of international business and economics.

Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman (Public Affairs) $27.95 This book has gotten some rave reviews. For those of use who learned about world hunger from the likes of Art Simon of Bread for the World or Ron Sider or Frances Moore Lappe, we know that starvation is not mostly a "natural disaster" but caused by bad policies, unjust economic patterns, inappropriate models of development and ideologies and violence of the left and right. These clear-eyed journalists take us on a worldwide journey to understand the causes and solutions to vast human suffering. Muhammad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (for working on these very matters) writes "In the twenty-first century, the world has no excuse for tolerating the existence of a billion people going without food. Enough is a passionate and clearly-reasoned call for action to finally end forever the age-old scourge of hunger." Bono puts it like this: "How, in a world of plenty, can people be left to starve? We think, "It's just the way of the world." But if it is the way of the world, we must overthrow the way of the world. Enough is enough!"

Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa Dambisa Moyo (FSG) $24.00 This is a recent contribution to the debate about foreign aid in Africa and an important, much discussed voice. Ms Moyo has worked for Goldman Sachs and the World Bank, has a Ph.D. from Oxford, and is a native of Zambia. It is a scholarly study of how foreign aid hurts, not helps.

No Rising Tide: Theology, Economics, and the Future Joerge Rieger (Fortress) $20.00 This came just the other day; I had read a blurb on the back of an important book by Dr. Rieger and knew him as the editor of the spectacular Empire and the Christian Tradition: New Readings of Classical Theologians. I have skimmed it and it looks like a substantive, theological study of economics from a post-colonial/ liberationist viewpoint. Princeton Theological Seminary prof Mark Lewis Taylor says, "Rieger's book is where Christian theological reflection on the economy must now begin."

Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices by Julie Clawson

2009-09-29T01:53:05Z

In the last post, I reflected that people of faith ought to be aware of the major issues being discussed at the important G20 Summit in Pittsburgh last week. I tried to suggest that some of what they were doing was good, although I also implied that I believed that the protesters--or at least some of them--had some valid concerns. I obliquely criticized friends who dismissed 'em all, and invited us to be engaged, both supportive of legitimate institutional reforms, and glad for some civil protest in the streets that dramatized the urgent issues. Had I been in the 'burgh, I'd have been with 'em. I cited one powerful book by a theologian who participated in the famous "battle for Seattle" when the G8 Summit was hosted there many years ago. Her call for social action and resistance to the forces of globalization are well worth reading. If you are a "big picture" kind of reader, an activist or one wanting to be, this will suit you. I also suggested that if you really don't get what the fuss is about--or why in heaven's name anybody would want to support civil disobedience around these arcane matters---it is a good introduction to how the resistance movement sees things. It is called Shaking the Gates of Hell and we offered it at 20% off.

For anyone interested in one of the most foundational matters when talking about the global economy, there is a brand new book that is literally the best simple introduction to it all I've ever read. Is is called Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices by Julie Clawson (IVP; $16.00.) I will suggest other books about the issues of globalization, development and such in the September monthly column, but Clawson's great book deserves to be mentioned first. It is an engaging and informative read about how the stuff we buy---coffee, clothes, gas, candy, meat---comes from places where the work situations may have been harmful to the growers or producers. Our ordinary shopping choices may effect others in serious ways, and looking at this is a layperson's entry into the field of global economics. I highly, highly recommend it.

I mention it right off the for three great reasons, at least.

First, it is upbeat, practical, and interesting. It makes the sometimes abstract theory more human, more concrete. It lets us all get involved. We simply have to dig deep into some heavy ground if we are going to be responsible stewards of our gifts as (to use Ron Sider's phrase from his classic book) "rich Christians in an age of hunger." But this helps us see the big picture in practical and informative ways.

Clawson has chapters on coffee, chocolate, clothes, fuel, waste, even banking and credit...in
each section she shows just how our daily choices effect those in faraway lands. She maps our place in the global big picture in a way that is easy to follow and, although serious, not terribly harsh. That is, she is not about creating guilty or knee-jerk over-reaction, and she isn't simplistic in assigning undeserved blame. Her first sentence, borrowing from gonzo fantasy novelist Doug Adams, is "Don't panic." As Tom & Christian Sine write in the forward, "Everyday Justice filled us with hope as we read Julie's insights and the practical ideas she shares of how we can make decisions that really will bring everyday justice. These suggestions are possible for all of us to implement without panicking or feeling overwhelmed." So it is a great way into the conversation, a primer that is at once helpful without piling on guilt or drama.

Secondly, not only is this informative and clear as she traces the journey of sweat-shop clothes, or sugar picked by child labor, or the way gasoline gets from an oil well in Africa to your gas pump at the convenience store, but she is, as I've said, practical. She understands that we cannot change everything, that social and political change happens in many ways, and that we each can play a part in understanding and responding to the ethical dimension of our daily choices. Consumer demand drives much of the exploitation of God's groaning creation, and this affords us a chance to vote with our pocketbooks, making specific informed decisions about fair trade products, sweat-free producers, environmentally-conscious corporations. No, we cannot get it right all the time, but we are linked irrevocably, into a web of interdependence (as King once marvelously put it) and we can do certain things to love our neighbors better. Everyday Justice offers concrete suggestions, a few key books and websites in each chapter, and is a fabulous handbook to understanding particular practices and habits that we can move towards. Almost every chapter has a case-study store of somebody who has made it a point to make changes in this aspect of his or her life. Remember that movie What About Bob that had the therapist teach Bill Murray how to do "baby steps." Julie Clawson is your therapist, guiding you baby step by baby step on the journey towards more responsible lifestyle choices. Everybody quotes Ghandi, these days, about being the change we want to see in the world. Start here.

Thirdly, Clawson, whose intercultural studies master's degree is from the not too shabby Wheaton Graduate School, is a good writer who is distinctively Christian. That is, she sees that these daily choices of what food to buy, which coffee shop to support, what kind of transportation to use, and how to be more committed to ethically traded products, as a spiritual practice. While this isn't a Bible study or devotional guide, it is obviously and intentionally rooted in a high regard for Scriptural knowledge and faithful obedience. This is not some trendy fad or liberal social gospel: this is Biblical piety, Christ-like discipleship, firmly orthodox in intent and tone. It is, as Will Sampson says on the back cover blurb, "a more complete way of following Jesus." Or, as Nancy Ortberg writes, "By refusing to make justice a liberal or conservative cause, she helps us participate in restoration, ethical consumption and the beautiful pursuit of justice in God's world." I like the way she weaves theological concerns with daily discipleship; how ordinary choices of where we buy our coffee and chocolate and jeans and dresses are framed by the call to an abundant life of passion and purpose. This tour of everyday life includes some sticky subjects---international tariffs and child labor and sustainable farming--but it is done corem deo. Thanks be to God for InterVarsity Press for doing such a fun, thoughtful, practical and righteous resource.

By the way, Clawson cites some sweet titles that we have long stocked here at the shop. Julia Alverez's lovely little coffee plantation tale, A Cafecito Story, the fascinating study of where cotton and our jeans come from, Fugitive Denim, David Batstone's must-read, truly excellent Not for Sale, or the recent Food Inc. book and documentary are all mentioned, showing that she has waded through the tons of stuff out there on this topic, and has suggested follow up study using the very best resources. I rather wish (of course I do) that she might have addressed the "buy local" movement, the question about whether cheaper is better and the problems with the faceless corporations, big box stores and monster websites like (ahem) a-zon etc. It would have been useful to give a shout out to indie bookstores, at least, no? It is so frustrating that so many even Christian publishers link to such places, but say nothing in their marketing about local, real stores who deserve support.

By the way, for a wonderfully inspiring call to see shopping as an act of shalom, see Born to Shop? by Hope College professor Dr. Todd Steen, in the latest Comment e-zine. He doesn't develop his perspective on normative shopping as an appropriate human calling with great detail, but it a quick thesis that would make for fascinating conversation alongside this book. As always, Comment gets this "in but not of" tone of Christian discipleship just right, careful and joyful, on balance, neither liberal nor conservative. Thanks, Todd.

Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson is a book that is not overwhelming, but offers an excellent, readable overview of the complexities of the global economy in a way that is inspiring; it is practical and useful for enhancing our ethical lifestyle habits in different sides of our lives, teaching us what good stewardship entails; it is delightfully rooted in the good news of the Bible. Regardless of what you know about the G20 stuff, or what you feel about the protests and arrests, we all have to understand the ethical dimensions of our daily choices. Authors from Ron Sider to Wendell Berry, from Bill McKibben to Marva Dawn, from Terry Tempest Williams to Gary Haugen and more have said as much. We can add Julie Clawson to this distinguished list, and happily know that she makes it all sound quite plausible, even fun. Order it and another for a friend. We all need support when we make even baby step changes. Join together and pledge to see the covenantal nature of our economic choices come alive with insight and blessing.

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G20, protests, globalization and Christian faithfulness

2009-09-27T00:29:12Z

I believe that Hearts & Minds customers are the sorts of folks who are aware of the news.. I am sure I don't have to explain the significance of the recent G20 Summit, and I suspect many of us are praying that the diplomats there will follow through with intentions to be fair and just.

You also know that there were protests. It needs to be said that some of the protesters (a large number of them) are anarchists; some have legitimate concerns about the complicity of the modern state in Empire building and colonialism and injustice. Some are just rowdy ideologues wanting to smash stuff--nasty left wing versions of skinheads out to cause some trouble. And, it seems evident, Pittsburgh sure did have a lot of riot-police there to suppress dissent, which, it seems, they did quite thoroughly.

However, it is also important to note that many who marched were attempting to make an important statement, a witness to the ways in which these important global leaders have failed to take the poorest members of the human family into consideration; from its earliest days, and the infamous meeting in Seattle, this Summit has symbolized how just a few powerful countries (or, should we say, a few powerful leaders within those countries) have dominated and set the terms for international economic issues. So, many NGOs and human rights groups use it to campaign for a more just global order, and they are right to do so.

The Jubilee USA campaign to Drop the Debt, for instance, has been embraced by denominations and church leaders from across the globe and this is a perfect venue to ask questions about the Western developed nations promises to set right the injustices and human suffering that were caused by their previous manipulation of aid and trade, debt and high interest. An evangelical friend of mine, with many contacts in the African community in Pittsburgh, helped lead workshops and teach-ins on this huge issue this week. He worked with African diplomats, scholars and students and, while they threw no bricks and did no rioting, their good work is seen and dismissed too easily by lumping them all together with the anarchist disruptions. (Click on the Jubilee USA campaign link above to find a chapter near you if you want to be more involved.)

The ONE campaign, also had a presence in Pittsburgh with a simple plea: schedule the next global economic global economic summit in Africa, where the needs are so great, and the voices under-represented. Again, they have a great website with some good information. If you haven't visited them lately, please do.

This is the moral heart of the protests, that those who are in greatest need--sometimes and in some ways because of the bad policies of previous Western leadership--are given a voice of redress, are treated as participants in their own futures, and that the trade and aid biases be reconsidered in ways that are guided by justice for all and not the self-interest of the powerful. Yes, there is much to the critique, even if it obscured by the kids with handkerchiefs over their faces and their silly sloganeering.

I heard a radio advertisement on a Christian radio station in Pittsburgh that week that cheerfully advised listeners to avoid downtown during the Summit (which was garrisoned off by National Guard, anyway) by attending a helpful event that they were sponsoring in the suburbs. "Get far away from the crazies and the politicians," they advised.

It is a shame that evangelicals (and many other faith traditions) so easily dismiss both groups, without realizing that they had brothers and sisters in Christ in both camps, politicians and protesters, whose calling they (unintentionally) demeaned. Surely there are some well-intended Christians seeking to be salt and light Daniels or Josephs or Esthers, voices of wisdom and justice, within the high-powered diplomatic community; likewise, as I have noted, some of the protesters were themselves devout Christians, seeking to raise a Godly voice for the common good.

Perhaps instead of running to the suburbs the radio station should have boldly invited folks into the mix of politicians and protesters. Yes, yes, I know, it is easy for me to say this from the relative quiet of Dallastown. And I understand that there was some danger, not knowing what the unauthorized, wilder faction of protesters were going to spring. Still, there were congregations and faith communities in Pittsburgh that were trying to support both Summit leaders, protesters, the press and the curious with a ministry of presence and involvement. (There was also a considerable prayer ministry, behind the scenes, that some churches had developed.) I hope you had some friends that were there; one good friend went to "pray with his feet" as Rabbi Abraham Heschel used to say, but left when the tear gas canisters came; another H&M fan was quoted in one of the national news stories. I hope you were paying attention to some of these reports. Resistance to injustice is a holy calling and while hitting the streets, doing civil disobedience and mass protest may not be the most effective way to work for appropriate reforms, there obviously is a time and place for such public witness.

There are opportunities to be involved in issues of creation-care, global justice, economic stewardship, witnessing for peace and public righteousness and the conversations next week about the Summit will be interesting, I'll bet. In my September monthly review column (to be posted soon) are a few books that will help guide us as we engage in thoughtful conversations about what went on in Pittsburgh this week, in the convention center and in the streets, and what will continue to go on in the months to come.

We have specialized in these kinds of books about Christian views of public justice and international affairs since we opened, and are sad to hear that not many religious bookstores stock stuff on global poverty, Christian views of economics, stuff for citizen action. Maybe that is changing, as most religious publishers have done some books along these lines. Let us pray they continue to do so, that bookstores stock them and that people buy them. It is easy to fault local bookstores or church libraries for not having this kind of stuff, but it is often because they are not purchased by the consumers. (Uh, dear reader, that you be you.) When they don't sell, the publishers are understandably reluctant to issue too many more, and then, of course, folks complain that the church isn't adequately resourced. We'll, we stock 'em whether they sell or not, and trust that the right readers will find us.

So if you care to know that we have these kinds of things, pony up and buy some; read 'em or give 'em away to people who might be interested. Start a study group, get a social concerns committee going at your church or campus fellowship, start a Sunday school class. Let us know what your doing, and perhaps we can serve you further by offering resource lists, book titles or action projects. There are so many really good books available. Will trust you value our telling you about them. Will you help us get the word out? We believe that is why you choose to read our blog and order from our shop. For that, we thank you.

Here is the link to the book list of a few good titles on globalization, international justice over at the monthly column pages. These may be helpful to inspired faith-based folk to raise up a witness for the common good, offering unique insights and passions, Biblically-influenced and spiritually sound. Feel free to forward it to anybody who might care. Thanks again.

In the meantime, though, I will do a brief shout out to a few that you just have to know about. Firstly:

If you want to do some theological reflection written by the kind of person who would be protesting---and arrested--at the Summit, I have to tell you about Shaking the Gates of Hell: Faith-Led Resistance to Corporate Globalization by Sharon Delgado (Fortress; $20.00.) The first page of the book describes her night in jail after the infamous Seattle G-8 Summit. Here, she speaks hard truths about the injustices of the global economy, the imbalances of power, the rape of the Earth and the way nonviolent active resistance can be spiritually enriching, joyful, showing a better way as a symbol of Christian hope. Jurgen Moltmann says of it, "This book is authentic and convincing with personal experience and a great vision. In many corners of the world there is a new paradigm emerging...I read this book with a moved heart and new encouragement." Catherine Keller, a theologian from Drew, simply says, "This book doesn't just shake, it rocks!" If you wished you could be part of a spiritually rooted, nonviolent uprising, this is for you. If you really don't have a clue why some people see the world like this, and intend to make a better world a reality, read it and learn. Before you dismiss the protesters as crazies or anarchists or fools, give her a chance.

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Hearts & Minds 234 East Main Street Dallastown, PA 17313 717.246.3333

Hearts & Minds on WORD FM

2009-09-22T02:37:17Z

Thanks to my friends, talk show hosts John & Kathy out in Pittsburgh, PA, who call from time

to time asking me for an on-air book reviews. They sometimes interview me and, as you may guess, they have a huge listening audience. I feel a bit intimidated, although they couldn't be sweeter.

Or, sharper. Half the authors I recommend, they've had on the air, it seems--it is Christian talk radio done right! You may even be able to hear it on line at the WORD FM facebook page here.

I was on this afternoon, even fielding some calls from listeners. After talking about Coop: A Year in Pigs, Poultry & Parenting (Michael Perry), The Unlikely Disciple (Kevin Roose) and Holy Roller (Julie Lyons) and some of the others on our blogged list of most fun books of the summer, we got into it. Calls ranged from the need for books about financial planning to the consequences of the Protestant reformation, from a question about Little House on the Prairie to books for one going through a dark night of the soul. This was a bookselling buzz and the time went too fast. Thanks to those who called in.

I had a stack of books sitting by my phone, new stuff that I would have loved to have given a shout out about, but time didn't permit. It is rare I get to celebrate and recommend books to such a vast audience, and I wish I coulda squeezed 'em in somehow. So, here, now, for anybody who was listening, the titles I intended to promote. Thanks again to J&K for their generosity and support.

In no particular order, then, here are some new, important books that we are excited about:

Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of Image edited by Greg Wolfe (Eerdmans) $30.00 Maybe it is best I didn't bring this up live on air as I could have talked about it for the full hour: it is a large collection of essays, short stories, creative fiction, insightful non-fiction, paintings and a goodly number of poems from the flagship journal for those involved in the movement of those doing faith-based literary art. Image has been around for 20 years and stands doubtlessly as the most classy and significant faith-based literary magazine in publication. This wonderfully bound, handsome and thick hardback is testimonial that through much blood sweat and tears, joy, goodness and grace, a small band of serious Christian writers (and subscribers and donors) have kept this journal alive. Contributors to this "Images' greatest hits" text include Scott Cairns, Annie Dillard, Clyde Edgerton, Mako Fujimura, Pat Hampl, Ron Hansen, Denise Levertov, Kathleen Norris, Ann Patchett, Richard Rogriguez and many, many more. Film-maker Wim Wenders has a piece; there is something by the late, great musician Mark Heard; there is poetry by Luci Shaw; there are stunning full color plates by the likes of Bruce Herman, Catherine Prescott, Tim Lowley, Ed Knippers. There is a great woodcut by Barry Moser, a moving charcoal scene of Christ's passion by Wayne Forte, a haunting b/w piece (graphite, gesso, steel, and pastel on birch) by Erica Grimm-Vance. This book is a stunning bit of serious literature and art and criticism, artfully made, as a labor of love and celebration. With rave endorsements on the back dustjacket by Dana Gioia and Kenneth Woodward and Jeremy Begbie and Lauren Winner, you can see this is the highest quality stuff. It perhaps one of the best examples of the ways in which deeply religious artists have made a contribution to the culture. See their wonderful Image website here. Glory be.

Woman Overboard: How Passion Saved My Life Jo Kadlecek (Fresh Air) $17.95 This is the second book I've enjoyed from this new imprint of the legendary Upper Room press, and it is spectacular. Fireworks were going off in my brain with certain pages, and I kept running inside from my backyard perch to read a section to anybody that would listen. Kadlecek has written a number of books and she is good; very good. These autobiographical pieces hold together as nearly an extended memoir, offering insights about work, calling, passion, relationships, suffering, always finding a way to do more than just go through the motions of life. Robert Benson, whose tender book on vocation,
The Echo Within was one of my favorite books of the summer, says that she is a rare writer that has the courage to examine her life closely and gifted "to write so that others can more clearly see the truth in their own lives." Learn more about her, her novels and other writing, and her husbands documentary film work at Lamppost Media, here.

Follow Me to Freedom: Leading and Following as an Ordinary Radical Shane Claiborne & John M. Perkins (Regal) $14.99 Since my Pittsburgh days with the CCO days in the 70s and our time spent hanging around a few urban churches then, we came to admire and respect John Perkins, an elder African American statesmen of evangelical faith whose books on racial reconciliation and economic development has made him one of the most significant writers of our lifetime. (Read his first autobiographical testimonial, Let Justice Roll Down if you don't believe me.) That he founded the wholistic outreach and leadership school in Mendanhall MS, Voice of Calvary, and the important, national CCDA and authored books inviting conservative evangelicals into the civil rights struggle is not his only legacy; he has mentored dozens of others, leaders in urban ministry, mostly, and is now, in his 80s, wanting to know how to pass the baton on to create a new generation of leaders and followers. These are transcripts of live conversations, with John offering no-nonsense wisdom, and young Shane offering humor, passion and whimsical revolutionary spirit that was seen in his zany and profound Irresistible Revolution. His own experiences from his work in The Simple Way are amazing, and he adds very relevant insights. A book by either is worth reading, but this dialogue format makes for a really unique project.

These two men--and older black gentleman and a hipster young white guy--- are a perfect duo, and this may be the most interesting book of the fall. Highly recommended, just for the privilege of listening in on two very, very important and feisty and experienced leaders.

Jesus Loves You This I Know Craig Cross & Jason Harper (Baker) $17.99 Many admire Craig Cross for his triple x church, the edgy outreach to porn stars and those in the thick of the adult entertainment industry. They've concluded that, in many ways, these are among the most despised folk of our day, and they've earned the right to be heard as they show up, buying booths, at this detestable venues (trade shows of porn dealers, etc.) Believe it or not, they are taken seriously (not so much by the church community, but by the porn dealers and filmakers.) So, now, after their stint in that, they've created this collection of stories that shows that God loves everybody, that the chance to repent is offered to all, and that it is the job of Christ-followers to met people "where they are at" and offer grace and mercy. These stories are basic, tender, tough, and strangely moving: God really is love, and as we share that good news, people come to understand religion--and a relationship with Christ--in a whole new way. There is a DVD that goes with it, too ($12.00.) This DVD has face-to-face conversations with the people described in the book, showing that Jesus does love the porn star, the outcast, the broken, the skeptic, the crook... Pretty touching stuff. Check it out at www.jesuslovesyou.net and then come back and place an order. Thanks.

The Gospel Driven Life: Being Good News People in a Bad News World Michael Horton (Baker) $19.99 Okay, wondrous literary work, passion for life, radical discipleship for justice, and tender tales of care and outreach make for wonderful, inspiring and helpful reading. I really meant everything I wrote above about how we commend these titles. I wish I could have explained about them on the air in the radio talk. Yet, it is our strong conviction (and has been for as long as we've been recommending books) that we also need solid, mature, and serious, orthodox theology to under-gird and guide our culturally savvy and edgy, relevant outreach. A year ago, Reformed theologian Horton gave a devastating critique to both mainline traditions and especially to shallow and trendy evangelicalism in Christ-less Christianity; he not only exposed the vapidness of liberal Christian doctrine, but lamented the lack of teeth in most evangelical theology. In both cases, both "sides" of the Protestant church are basically self-help: we can get by without a radical conversion to Christ exalting faith. We don't really believe in the doctrine of grace. Here, Horton revisits this dilemma and offers lasting hope: the good news is a narrative of God's saving work in the world, and the redemptive work of His cross can be applied not only to those outside the church (who need to "hear the gospel") but to those inside the church who long for Christian growth and maturity. We must (as Luther said) preach the gospel to ourselves. This book shows you how. Right on.

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Head, Heart & Hands: Bringing Together Christian Thought, Passion and Action

2009-09-16T17:59:31Z

Those who follow Hearts & Minds know that we sometimes get to go out to speak at conferences and retreats, doing presentations on vocation, worldview, cultural engagement, social justice and, of course, talks on reading and other book-related themes. We were thrilled this past weekend to be a part of the student leadership retreat for those involved in the Gordon College chapel ministry. Held at a lovely, classic, lakefront camp in New Hampshire, I spoke to vibrant students who do various sorts of ministries and mission projects through the chapel. Dr. Greg Carmer and his extraordinary staff do great work offering programs, discipleship, worship and mentoring and it was a delight to seem them in action with their student leaders---and to hang out with very impressive college students. (Plus, I will never hear Tom Petty's Free Fallin' again, without thinking of the epic Verizon spoof, Free Callin'. I love college kids!)

The theme of our time was captured by the wonderfully titled book by our friend, ethicist and now President of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, Dennis Hollinger, called Head, Heart & Hands: Bringing Together Christian Thought, Passion, and Action (IVP; $15.00.) What an important concept and challenge, to bring together these facets of Christian growth in a balanced and wholistic way. It is a theme Dennis has written about, preached on and listened to folks discuss for years, and this book is a culmination of his good insights. I think it is very important and helpful.

I think we know the sort of reader who attends to our reviews, here, and I think you'd find this to be a great resource, just as the students did at the retreat. Hollinger tells good stories, sharing about people he has met who have lived in only one facet of their faith, overstating the role of thinking, or feeling, or doing. That is, many people (and many churches or faith traditions) tend to miss the depths and riches of a truly balanced and multi-faceted faith journey and live with distortions and subsequent problems. To put it bluntly, they are lopsided. Yes, yes, we must think, and think deeply; we must feel God's Spirit and be open to heart-felt faith; of course we must live in obedience, doing concrete acts of daily service, deeds, and mission. But to see faith as only or mostly a matter of the head or heart or hands is to live a fragmented and reduced form of faith that is not adequate, sustainable, or Biblical. The distortions are real, and dangerous. Head, Heart & Hands shows us why, and what do to about it. Perhaps you might refresh your faith this season by considering your own imbalances or peculiar tendencies. Or you might know somebody whose faith is less than robust, perhaps a bit odd, maybe toxic. Maybe your own congregational leadership is a one-note song. Sadly, many churches are not good places for helpful growth, but feed the very distortions described in the book. This book could help.

Interestingly, this call to nurture all three aspects of faith reminded me of why we chose "hearts & minds" as a phrase to capture what our store is about. This stuff is important to us, and important to our calling, here. Do you, too, have a passion to help others grow in balanced and wise faithfulness? You should know this book. It is a book that I truly love, and that speaks well to what we hope will be the fruit of selling the books that we do. We do indeed need to reject shallow faith, anti-intellectualism, or a religion that fails to grapple with life's deepest questions, and the culture's toughest critics. We need to "think Christianly" and read widely. However, we don't want just arid dogma or a brainy faith, but an experiential encounter with the Spirit (which leads to a wholesome and authentic sense of self, emotional health and a well-centered personality. It was John Calvin, by the way, who insisted that knowledge of God and knowledge of self are intimately related.) And, of course, it is our calling to live out daily discipleship in real practices, coram deo, especially in our particular careers and vocations, seeing all of life as service to God and neighbor. Besides daily acts of kindness and obedience, we need to be advocates for public justice and peace and creation-care, working hard in the culture for the common good, as neighbors, citizens, and as people of faith communities.

One of the great strengths of Head, Hearts & Hands is the way Hollinger shows that we don't just need more of all three aspects of faith. Actually, all three are deeply intertwined, and our thinking/feeling/doing can be mutually related. To think more faithfully will truly allow us to love differently--that is, to care--which, if authentic, will cause us to live differently, as we embody the passions of are heart. And these experiences of passionate feeling and living will naturally allow us to hold new insights, even as we ask deeper questions about the very things we feel and do. This leads to what he calls "mutual reinforcement" as we seek a whole faith for whole people. Dennis is very clear about this, concise and helpful, and we really recommend his work. I only wish I could have cited him more to the students, as re-reading the book helped me prepare for my passionate messages to these young leaders. So, I commend it to you, here.

A beautiful, rich book that deserves it's own review on similar themes, by the way, is the profound Reordered Loves, Reordered Lives: Learning the Deep Meaning of Happiness by David Naugle (Eerdmans; $18.00.) I have referred to it here before, and told the Gordon students about it. What we most love, what we care most about in life, will indeed shape what we think and do. Naugle reminds us that worldview formation and spirituality and distinctive Christian lifestyles are, finally, less a matter of our rational views or creedal affirmations, but a matter of the heart and imagination. You can learn more about it here.

We hope our book reviews and book-selling facilitates among God's people more thoughtful
faith, mature spiritual formation, and relevant, faithful social action. It is our hope that Hollinger's ruminations on this in Head, Heart & Hands are read and discussed, helping us all with a faithful, balanced, healthy disposition to the things of God's Kingdom. And here is a picture of me in lovely Deer Run lodge. You can't see it, but the orange chair to my right has a book on it. Guess what?

Dr. Hollinger, by the way, has a recently released book, (which I actually mentioned earlier this summer, I believe.) It is called The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics and the Moral Life (Baker; $19.99.) As a wise and thoughtful ethicist, I think Hollinger gives us, as Richard Mouw writes, "a rare combination of theological-philosophical expertise, cultural savvy, and pastoral sensitivity." Walt Mueller (of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding) says "it is the best contemporary treatment...I'll be recommending it as a must read for all pastors, parents, youth workers and young adults." We stock that too, of course. It is a real case study of the need for a unity of tender thinking, passionate feeling and embodied deeds, eh? Hollinger is really on to something.

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New Donald Miller: A Million Miles in a Thousand Days

2009-09-10T03:44:05Z

Okay, I sort of told a white lie. Yesterday I waxed on about my favorite books of the summer, hoping folks would shell out for Michael Perry or Richard Doster. I explained about Holy Roller and The Unlikely Disciple. Oh yeah, we listed the books we most loved, enjoyed, learned from, and appreciated over these last few months.

But I did not tell you about one of my absolutely finest reading experiences of the season, the time I spent with my advanced promo copy of the forthcoming Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life (Nelson) $19.99. I didn't feel right mentioning it since it isn't out yet, and it is a real privilege that I got an early review copy.

So I didn't mention it. But when I look at that list from yesterday--and a fine one it is, if I do say so myself--and I think about sitting out back at our picnic table, I have to mention the forthcoming Miller. I was a highlight of my summer reading. Heck, it was a highlight of my summer!

I really did like his million-selling Blue Like Jazz: Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, and thought his Searching for God Knows What was even stronger---clearer about theological concepts, and an important, helpful look at true faith. (For some reason, some are fretful of his doctrine, and I suggest they actually read this one, at least.) I got teary at his book on fathering (To Own a Dragon), and am happy to be one of the few bookstores that really got behind his very first book, later re-issued as Through Painted Deserts which tells of a post-college road trip in a van, thinking about God, girls, beauty and such. Well worth reading! I am not sure exactly why I like his books so much, besides the zany characters he seems to meet and the sly stylings, but if you haven't read him, you simply must. He is a good, clever, interesting writer that speaks in a voice that really works. And he's got fans.

Miller is a somewhat edgy, s they say, a youngish, hipster-slash-bohemian writer whose evangelical faith is challenged by its cheesy and shallow oddities; he's smart enough to see through that, and so wants to tell about a more authentic, Christ-like, real kind of faith experience. So he's been on a journey, trying to be authentic and hip and real and honest about Jesus and life and times. It has helped some of our customers when I say that he is moving out of evangelical faith's cultural in-house ways and sort of meets Anne Lamott on her way into faith, out of her sex and booze addled bohemian past. They are coming from different places, to be sure, but have a bit in common, it seems. She is truly one of the better essayists of our time (and a fine novelist) and it is nice that, now, on the very front of Miller's Million Miles in a Thousand Years hardback, there is this solid Anne Lamott blurb: "I love Donald Miller. He is a man after my own heart." Well, there ya go.

Miller is rooted in and seems to remain in the evangelical church, though (in a way Lamott does not, exactly.) He is a writer that reminds me for some reason of Holden Caulfield, with these simple repetitive sentences and odd places for periods. He tells stories, and he tells them very well, in an understated kind of way. He's funny and also insightful, and this may be his most important book. It is certainly less overtly religious than his others, making it ideal for seekers, or for those wanting to figure out their lives. I suppose that many Christians will want to give it to people, especially angst-ridden 20-somethings or, those like Miller, angst-ridden 30-somethings who may not read a more obvious theological book. I know it sure won't turn anybody off, and it will draw people in. It is a fabulous memoir.

The book will be out in a few weeks, and I must say that I cannot wait to sell it. I so enjoyed it earlier this summer, truly wanting to see what happens to him as he re-evaluates his life Big Time. Why does he do this, you ask? Well, you've got to read the book, but basically it is this: some guys are making a movie of his life, based on the popularity and appeal of Blue Like Jazz. They ask him---white board now moved into his living room at the condominium, starting to map out the screenplay---what he does. What does he do? He thinks about God a bit, imagines himself a writer of deep thoughts. He ponders his last and next book, goes to the coffee shop, complaining about the Christian right, maybe, with some righteous indignation. He cares about stuff. Yeah, yeah, they tell him. Nobody cares about that. It becomes evident, in chapters that are hilarious, and yet somehow very convicting (to this reader, at least), that for a movie about one's life to be compelling, it has to have some narrative arc (as they say in the story-biz) and without some admirable action, some struggle, some movement, well, there isn't much of a movie or story.

So--get this-- the real Don decides that the movie Don is much more interesting and noble and important that he, the real Don, actually is, and decides to do something about it. If the real Don wouldn't be all that interesting in the movie, well, perhaps the theories of movie-making---that is, what makes a good story, what makes a good life---might help him reconfigure his own life.

The subtitle, "what I learned while editing my life" really is exactly what happened. And, man, does he fly. A listless, writerly, ironic, Portland-based, post-evangelical thinker, becomes more intentional, more earnest, more active, more radical, more really real. It is an amazing transformation, actually. Graceful? Well, it isn't without stumbles and set-backs, but I think it is graceful. Yes, this is a graceful book. It is about making a movie about your life, and what that might make you think and do. That is, he wants his real life to be as interesting and noble as the one in the movie they are making. Is that a crazy-good idea for a book, or what? Sederis or Palahniuk didn't think of that, did they?

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller is a can't-put-down saga, a dramatic bit of storytelling about, well, about storytelling. It is about the making of a movie, and the need to have the life the movie is about be worthy of making a movie about. How about you? Would a movie of your life be interesting? Good? If you studied film a bit, read some novels, learned some stuff about narrative arc and virtue and story, might it effect your own sense of the story you are a part of? Do you think God is a part of that?

We say, these days, that our lives should be part of God's story. That our worldview is really best described as the narrative that shapes us, the story we are a part of. That is exactly what Miller discovers, in his lackluster, oddball way. He is honest and funny and a bit goofy and ends up in Africa and riding his bike across country and paddling in a kayak or something up to Alaska or somewhere. He meets some rich people, and some not so rich people. He tells of a very, very moving funeral, where the person's life obviously was worth mourning and celebrating. He wonders about his. And he invites you to wonder about yours. This is one of the books of the year, hip, funny, interesting, contemporary, and deeply right. Our lives need to make sense, and they do that when we live for something other than our own sorry selves.

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BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER 09: Coop, Holy Roller, Unlikely Disciple, Plenty, and more

2009-09-09T02:43:19Z

As is often the case, I'm not quite ready for the Fall to begin. For one thing, there are too many books still on my "want to read soon" stack, and a few lovely titles that just seem right for summer. Oh well. This really has been a rich reading season for Beth and I---that isn't always the case as sometimes we are just too busy handling the books to actually read much. So, we're happy about the lists we've made, and the titles we've loved. Here are

Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting Michael Perry (Harper) $25.99 I've noted this before and both Beth and I name this as our number one book of the summer. Perry is a decent, decent chap, a funny and thoughtful guy, and a heckuva good writer. We love his work. Some of his sentences just made me smile, others had an impact that I can hardly explain. Here he is, again, in the middle of rural Wisconsin, recalling his religious upbringing, his farming family, and he narrates a season where he and his new wife do a home birth, raise some pigs, build a chicken coop, mourn the death of relatives child, struggle with the balance of his writing life and their rural life, trying to be good neighbors, good to each other, and actually get some stuff done. This is one of my all time favorite books, and it is intelligent, wise, very well crafted, and deeply caring. Highly recommended. Then get his others, Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, Off Main Street, and Truck: A Love Story.

Holy Roller: Finding Redemption and the Holy Ghost in a Forgotten Texas Church Julie Lyons (Waterbrook) $18.99 This is the story of a white reporter who enters the world of inner city, Black Pentecostalism, where she is mentored by a self-taught holiness pastor and his wife, even as she reports on their healing ministry among crack addicts. From learning about deliverance from demons, to learning about racism and urban struggles, Lyons and her husband and young child take to the church, and, twenty-plus years later, are still members, the only whites in the African American storefront congregation. Ms Lyons---a fairly conservative evangelical, now Holiness Pentecostal, who herself has a bit of a backstory of her own sadnesses---writes a blog for her newspaper, the Dallas Observer, that is owned by The Village Voice; her pro-life stance and calls for traditional sexual ethics are not popular amongst the liberal gay-friendly readership, but the Voice, to their credit, keeps her on. (Talk about diversity!) So, this woman from a pretty strict, all-white, up-tight, up-bringing, now is getting death threats from her newspaper readership, working the crime beat in what in the 90s was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America, and learning to be a spirit-led Christian among these elder brothers and sisters in a run-down Dallas church where poor blacks come, expecting miracles amidst drugs, sexual violence, gangs and all the rest.

It is hard to tell you how thrilling this book was, and how it oddly kept both Beth and I up nights, reading to see what crazy episode would crack open next. For those who have any interest in charismatic renewal, urban problems, the historic black church, racial reconciliation, or a just rip-roaring spiritual memoir, this is a fine read. As Rod Dreher, of the Dallas Morning News says, "Extraordinary...Few mainstream journalists would have the guts to write with such naked honesty." For a fabulous interview with the author, go here.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University Kevin Roose (Grand Central) $24.99 I think it was my friend Derek Melleby who convinced me that this was really very important, a fabulous inside look at evangelical students, at college life, and at how American fundamentalism is seen by an outsider. A very talented young journalist from Brown University takes on, as it says on the back, a "cross-cultural journey of Biblical proportions." Roose is a fun, writer---he was an intern with the talented and hilarious A. J. Jacobs, who helped him cook up this crazy idea of going undercover to pretend he was a fundy student at Falwell's Liberty U. Of course, Roose doesn't quite know enough to know how to do that, (like, for instance, that he wasn't supposed to cuss, and he ought to know how to locate and pronounce the books of the Bible--duh.) Those of us who have spent time in the evangelical sub-culture will cringe and laugh and cry at his awkward situations. (And those who wonder what a men's dorm is like, well, you get that, too, vividly.) Yet, Mr. Roose is open-minded, and like any good undercover anthropologist, learns to love his subjects. And what subjects they are! Rob Bell says of it, "This is a brilliant book. Absolutely brilliant. Roose's wisdom, humanity, and love kept me going. And I laughed. A lot." Yep. I don't care if you like Falwell or don't like Falwell, if you are interested in American colleges or care about the evangelical sub-culture, this is a great story, well written, interesting and humane. Enjoy.

Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally Alisa Smith & J.B. Mackinnon (Harmony) $13.95 All right, I'll say it right out: I liked this better than another book I said I liked last summer, Animals, Vegetables, Miracles by the esteemed and vital Barbara Kingsolver. Yes, Kingsolver is a master of luscious sentences, and her story of their year of farming was very nicely done. But this! This was fun, really interesting, and significantly engaged me as this young couple promise to live on what they've dubbed "the 100 mile diet." That is, to keep from wasting energy and fuel by shipping food all over the planet--a wasteful and unsustainable habit that they don't spend too much time describing---they intend to eat only stuff grown within 100 miles of their Vancouver home. They are both journalists, so they've got the reporting thing down, and as young writers, they've got a spunky style that is appealing and clever. Some of their pages are truly beautiful, some nearly anguishing. As Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors, writes, "I assure you that your farmer's market will never again look the same. Nothing you eat will look the same! This inspiring and enlightening book will give you plenty to chew on." Yes, it is noble, and give us much to think about as we try to live better lives; Bill McKibben is right in his blurb that says that their account shows us how we might live in a way that is "better for this earth, better for the community and better for our bellies." But here is why I list it now: it was just a hoot to read and I really grew to care about them. They can really write. It was a great saga. I couldn't put it down. Yay. By the way, I showed the cover art of the wonderful hardcover ($24.95) above, although the paperback has a new design. And a new subtitle, the more prosaic Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet.

Causing a Scene: Extraordinary Pranks in Ordinary Places With Improv Everywhere
Charlie Todd & Alex Scordelis (William Morrow) $19.99 I know I often list heavy books about theology and social criticism and social injustice and deep stuff about our inner lives. It's what we do, mostly, and we think our readers appreciate knowing books about the intersection of faith and culture, worship and work, prayer and politics. I love regular non-fiction. But sometimes, I just am taken with a book, or even a part of a book that doesn't have too much point. I had know idea about "Improve Everywhere" (but my kids knew, and you probably do to.) They just pull off these large-scale outdoor stunts, pranks that they truly insist should not harm anyone, with a network of folks that show up that they call "agents." (I'm not making this up!) They invade a Best Buy store with hundreds of people dressed in blue and kakhi, and watch the mayhem for a bit. They recruit people to "freeze" in Grand Central Station, freaking people out. They host an autograph signing in a real bookstore with an author that has been dead for a century, until the store makes 'em leave. They are unpredictable, off the grid, loony, brave, and I think on to something. I'm just not sure what. This book explains some of their best pranks, how they came up with the ideas, and I think explained the details of what actually went down during the actions. I can't actually say, because I was laughing too hard to actually read it all, and went on line right away to see this stuff. The Youtube videos are entertaining, but--and I'm not just saying this--the book really is better. In the acknowledgments, the authors admit that they've learned about the "Situationists" art movement, but they mostly thank Andy Kauffman and the Flaming Lips in the acknowledgments. Of course they do. Check out .www.improveverywhere.com.

I have not read nearly any novels this summer, although (as you can see) my love for memoirs leads me to books that nearly seem like fiction---who could make up this kind of stuff? Beth has covered a lot of fictional ground, though, and wanted to give a shout out to a writer we respect, a smart guy who edits a very thoughtful magazine called byFaith, Richard Doster. Doster's novel of last year, Safe at Home (Cook; $6.99) was a 2009 Christy Award Nominee and is now available in an inexpensive, handsome mass market sized paperback. It is about a sports writer, covering baseball in the south about the time of the civil rights movement. It covers sports, yes, and has a classic Southern feel, taking us into the spring of 1953, in a small town called Whitney. (Doster himself lives in Atlanta, and is a Mississippi native.) As the town comes to grips with racial integration, some very moving stuff unfolds. Beth loved it, actually, and insists that one doesn't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate the well-told story. One doesn't have to like bee keeping, necessarily, to enjoy The Secret Life of Bees, of course, and Moby Dick isn't really just for fisherman. Get it.
.

Crossing the Lines is Richard Doster's new one (Cook; $14.99) and it picks up where Safe At Home ended. The reporter Jack Hall has moved and yet finds himself on the fault lines of race and class as he is sent to cover the Montgomery bus boycott for his new paper. Beth may not be a scholar or historian of this, but she knows a bit about the civil rights movement, and was impressed at the historical accuracy that Doster carries. Some rare names are mentioned, showing us he's done his homework on the details. More importantly, though, for a novel, the story rings true. The characters are interesting. The plot unfolds well, the writing is much better than average. Thank goodness for this kind of fiction, rooted in a Christian worldview, but not didactic or preachy. It is full of drama, though... Highly recommended.

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