Hearts & Minds Books

I am sure that many of our readers read and re-read the classic C.S. Lewis essay in the book by the same name, The Weight of Glory.  The clever play on words in this Christianity Today interview with the Producer of the newly opened Narnia movie just took my breath away.  The Weight of Story.  I hope you know enough about Lewis to know that he would happily concur.

Here is an interview, which is very, very nice.  I found it fascinating, less about the story, I suppose, than the making of the movie.  One of the interesting lines was Doug Gresham's observation that Prince Caspian is, as a book, not as good as The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but the movie ended up better!

There are, of course, oodles of books that have come out about the Caspian story, and many seem to be very good.  We read and reviewed many that came out for the fist Narnia movie three years ago, and some of the same authors have written on this one, now, too. Lyland Ryken, of course, deserves honorable mention, A Readers Guide to Caspian (IVP; $15.00) and Gene Vieth's is great (The Soul of Prince Caspian published by Cook; $12.99.)   I think I am prepared to say that the best of the lot is Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia which is written by Devin Brown, author of Inside Narnia, both published by Baker. It sells for $12.99 and is a very, very good guide, considered by smart guys like Eric Metaxas, as "wonderful and absolutely necessary."   It studies Caspian in light of Lewis' wide body of work, but doesn't focus on the theology and religious meanings (the way Vieth does [very well] for instance.)  It does close literary work, and, believe it or not, is really, wonderfully enjoyable. (Here is a very thoughtful little review of the book which just might win you over, if you're understandably reluctant to read a book about a Narnia story.)

Another new Lewis-related book is a real hoot.  One of the very best books of the batch two years ago on Narnia was the one on good and evil in the stories, written by the brillant Robert Verlarde, one which recently has been reissued with a new title, now called, The Heart Of Narnia: Wisdom Virtue and Life Lessons from the Classic Chronicles (Navpress; $12.99.)  But the brand new one that has to be mentioned is a novel-like story of a guy who alledgedly meets Lewis, and chats him up about a whole bunch of stuff.  It is imaginative and insightful, well-written and fun--- Conversations With C. S. Lewis: Imaginative Discussions About Life, Christianity and God (IVP; $15.)  It's no bus ride through hell, mind you, just a playful exploration of what it might be like to get to grill the Oxford don if he wandered into your town nowadays.

Speaking of imaginative work on Lewis, have you heard of the heavy weight scholarly study of Lewis and the symbolism of planets, secret code stuff uniting into coherence all of the Chronicles?  Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward (Oxford University Press; $29.95)  may be the most important new work on Lewis in decades, and while I have no idea about any of it, serious reviewers have paid close attention to the close attention the author pays to cryptic hints. (Stunningly rave reviews from guys like Walter Hooper!)   Read some reviews, at least, or form a study club, if you can find anybody who knows the Chronicles of Narnia well enough to evaulate it all.  Pretty interesting, eh?

But the movie, yes the movie.  Here is the link to the Harper Prince Caspian website, with their nice motto, "Read it before you see it."  Nice trivia games and other good stuff, including trailers for the film and such.  Spread the word.  Read the books, or books about the books.

Here, if you haven't seen it, is yet another cover;  we have several editions, trade paper size, or rack (smaller, trim) sized ones, some with full color art, colorized work of Bayles, some with the original old black and white drawings, some older covers, and these new vivid ones, done in watercolor.  Happily, no one has messed with the text.  

Hey, with all my connections (yeah, right) in the big publishing world (ha) do you think I could score an advanced copy of Doug Pagitt's forthcoming book?  I've been his pal on Facebook, not to mention in real life, joined up with his promo team, and asked the officials at his otherwise friendly publisher.  But nooooooooooooooo, as Belushi used to say.  No dice.  So it is now released, just came today and I'm not hip like the other hipster reviewers with a leg up.

Maybe it's bad karma because I harbor a secret dislike for the title, a dislike that is secret no more.  What?  Real, orthodox, ordinary, historic, decent faith, like the kind of my mother and father, ain't believable?  Maybe Dougie doesn't know the right people, solid and good and utterly orthodox in belief and lifestyle.

Okay.  Got that off my chest.  I probably wouldn't have had time to read an advanced copy anyway, and I'm really not that peeved by the title, just wary of an implied jab, which I suppose it may be, of old school faith. Nevertheless, I am very excited it is here, and, provocative title or no, it is gonna be a late night.  I can't wait to start reading this thing, eager to ponder and dream and hope and probably be convinced that the title is just fine.   I hear it is a bit autobiographical, too, and I love a good testimony.

Anyway, any book with such a great subtitle has to be taken seriously; listen to this: A Christianity Worth
Believing is Hope-filled, Open-Armed, Alive-and-Well Faith For the Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down in Us All.  So there ya go,  the new book by one of the leading voices of the open-ended emergent conversation about the nature of faith in our time, pastor of Solomon's Porch, author of Church Re-Imagined and Preaching Re-Imagined, and an odd little prayer book called Body Prayer (yep, check that out if the sacred-secular dualism weirds you out or if you've heard that God somehow dislikes our bodies.)  CWB is for anybody who feels left and or let down.  Excellent.

I like Doug as lot.  He has a little reputation for being a bit of a loose canon, maybe even with a big mouth, albeit one that laughs a lot.  So?  As my friend Vince used to say, "It takes an agitator to get the cloths clean."  I've always found Doug to be a caring gentleman, a fun speaker, an engaged spiritual leader, winsome and sincere. I have no idea what he will say here, but I suspect he's going to be saying things that need saying; as a pastor of an informal church that invites the mixed up to feel safe and a part of the community, I suspect that the theology he's doing here will be contextualized to the hurting and disaffected, the needy and, well, left out.  He will say it in creative ways, relish in the calling to make us think, and I am confident he will interact with Scripture.  Maybe he will overstate some things, or understate some things, I don't know.  I just hope folks give him a chance and that those fearful of this edge of the Body of Christ don't overstate their critique.  He's an honest brother, hanging out in the Kingdom of God, offering what Phyllis Tickle says is "emergence Christianity at its clearest and best." 

Check out Pagitt's own description of this, his most ambitious book yet, here.  It is a very, very nice introduction to the project, how and why he came to write it, and his awareness of the complexities of it all.  (Just don't click on the silly corporate links at the end, but come on back here, please.)

So, come on, join me and many others this week in finding time to read this must-read book, to think, pray, ponder, and, if the Spirit uses it to work a change in your heart, you will be that much more passionate and alive, reaching those who perhaps haven't yet seen a Christianity Worth Believing.  Or for whatever reason have grown sour on faith as they used to know it.   Maybe you'll give a copy or two away to somebody who needs just this approach.  May God be pleased to use it well.  I am sure nothing would make Doug happier.

A Christianity Worth Believing: Hope-Filled, Open-Armed, Alive-and-Well Faith for the Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down in All of Us  Doug Pagitt (Jossey Bass) $21.95

We sold books for several days last week with a great gang of friends, pastors of the Penn SE Conference of the United Church of Christ and I promised them this shout-out.  They are a caring group, kind to me, and fun to be with.  They buy a wide variety of books and although obviously deeply rooted in the ecumenical and mainline denominational context, it is always interesting, even a bit surprising, to see what sells.  The very first customer asked about the brand new release by Gordon-Conwell scholar David Wells, The Courage to be Protestant: Truth-Lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in a Postmodern World (Eerdmans; $25) which looks to be a readable finalization of his remarkable, thorough, serious and culturally-conservative series that began with No Place for Truth and moved to the stunning God in the Wasteland then Losing Our Virtue and concluded---or so we thought---with Above All Earthly Pow'rs, his important, if somber, socio-theological critique of postmodernity's influence on Christian thinking and living.

The second person, as I recall, bought the new Joyce Rupp book on prayer; the mystical Catholic nun was their speaker last year. It is simply called Prayer and is part of a new series published by Orbis ($10.)  Everywhere we go, you should know, we sell books about spiritual formation, monastic practices, Sabbath and contemplative prayer. 

 Several folks got the brand new J. Philip Newell Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation (Jossey-Bass; $19.95.)  We here at BookNotes, of course, love much of celtic spirituality--thank God for it's affirmation of creation and the cosmic scope of redemption--- and read Newell's stuff joyfully.  I fret about his harsh critique of traditional views of the cross, though, and his quirky appreciation of Palagius, although plead ignorance on the veracity of his perspective.  Some of my UCC pals my senior know much about this and I am glad for good conversations.

The biggest seller was a newly translated edition of the old Heidelberg Catechism, freshly
rendered by Lancaster Seminary theologian and all around genius, Lee Barrett III.  Lee has written a very useful introduction, a long chapter explaining why even modern mainline churches ought to pay attention to the role of catechisms and confessional traditions.  It is fine stuff, thoughtful and solid, and, while I'm no linguist, it is said that this is a vast improvement upon the older translations, which were based on odd German editions.   Thanks to the UCCs and their Pilgrim Press for releasing this little gem...

One of the books I announced to them, that had just arrived here that very day, is a book that I've long awaited.  My good friend and Nelson sales rep assured me it would be one I'd appreciate.  Wordsmith, publishing whiz and spiritual genius herself, Phyllis Tickle, wrote an absolutely stunning introduction, noting that the sheer beauty of the core of this book---Jesus Himself---moved her to tears.  When it finally arrived, all I could do was hold it up, babble about it and read them a quote from the back about a guy who left the Christian faith, but wondered, after having read the book, if he would have left the church if his pastor sounded anything like this.

I refer to the fabulous and generous new book by Ken Wilson, entitled Jesus Brand Spirituality (Nelson; $19.99)  I was sure these mostly liberal UCC leaders would resonate with the way in which this charismatic (from the Ann Arbor Vineyard) pastor sounded out a deep fidelity to Christ and the complexities of the best of the Christian tradition, and within various sorts of Christian churches, while distancing himself from fundamentalism, the religious right, and all kinds of simplistic or sloganeering religiousity. I read them the first sentence, where Wilson declares, "Jesus wants His religion back" and told them his open-minded thoughtfulness reminded me of the sorts of ministries I gather they are about.

The book, happily, is not just another (nowadays fairly common) critique of the shallowness of evangelical certitudes or the meanness of some of the religious right or yet another call to be open and in conversation as we emerge into new ideas.  It is a thoughtful and deeply engaging and mature study of the ways in which we can approach Jesus, how to make sense of life in light of His ways, about how the best of four streams within Christianity can unite to help create a passionate, faithful and yet grace-filled, life-giving spirituality.  (The four dimensions are, by the way, the  active, the contemplative, the Biblical and the communal.) Wilson himself is very widely read, with great and interesting footnotes (where does a Vineyard pastor buy these kinds of books, commonplace stuff here at H&M but rare in most evangelical stores?)  He is obviously really smart and a clear, inspired writer. He tells good stories, some moving, some understated, gentle.  I can see why Tickle--a woman with a good eye for good words if ever there was one---raved so about it. 

Jesus Brand Spirituality is ideal for any mainline person who wants to make sure their liberal theology doesn't go off the tracks, who wants to stay close to Jesus and the earliest Biblical truths, even if they are not quite where the more traditionalist conservatives are.  It is equally helpful for anyone committed to historic Christian orthodoxy, but who may sense that the recent cultural conflict, dogmatism, moralism and overlays of the evangelical subculture may have obscured some of the clearest elements of the faith.  And---please don't miss this--it is also a fabulous read for anyone who is a skeptic or seeker; at times, it seems like it is written precisely for those who just are willing to get "one step closer to knowing."

 Yes, it is a U2 song title, and Wilson wisely cites it.  This book really is a beautiful invitation.  Join the journey, find out more about our connectedness, to God, one another and, indeed, all created things.  The book is nearly a pilgrimage, to be read and considered as we take new steps toward Christ and into Christ's Kingdom.  Join this ecumenically-minded evangelical pastor (the only Vineyard pastor to have been had hands laid upon him by a bishop and assistant to Pope John Paul II) who himself has a degree in science and is passionate about how faith and the best contemporary thinking can not only co-exist, but feed each other into deeper and complimentary ways of living out vibrant, authentic and solid Christian spirituality.  No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, or with what denomination or tradition you stand, I am confident this is a book that will challenge, stretch, inspire and bless you.  The excellent discussion questions will be very useful for book clubs and they are obviously created with great sensitivity for the cynic, skeptic or searcher.

As Tickle puts it in the foreword,

The faith we Christians claim has been so dented and chipped and discolored by the centuries, so institutionalized and codified and doctrinalized, so written upon and then so overwritten into palimpsest, that there are few Christian who still can discern the contours of the original.  There are fewer still who know, and can persuasively teach, that Christianity was only and always just the container, the wrapping paper being used in shipment through the centuries of time.  It is the Jesus beyond dent or chip or discoloring that is the beauty.

For those that might wonder about the title, Wilson plays with the "brand" language a bit but is aware that it can been seen as a crass capitulation to consumerism (the very stuff David Wells rails against.)  Don't be put off by it as he isn't cheesy or crass and it isn't really a substantial aspect of his thought.

In the beginning, he does write,

I realize that the word brand can be used in a negative sense, as shorthand for the crass attempt to "sell" Jesus in a consumer culture.  But there are two positive senses in which Jesus is a kind of a brand.  First, like a brand-name product, Jesus has a distinct as opposed to a generic identity.  Jesus brand spirituality is not a generic spirituality concerned with processes that can support any number of outcomes.  It's about forming certain kinds of persons, capable of certain kinds of deeds, creating a certain kind of world: persons, deeds, and a world infused by love, properly understood.

No, this isn't a feel-good, universalist call to generic spirituality; it is a call to the Biblical Christ and His church and the specific story of His redemptive plan in the world.  This "love, properly understood" is the subject of one whole chapter, and it is very, very good stuff.  There is so much good here, it is hard to describe in a simple post like this.
Here is an interview with him, and a video, too, which is pretty great.   Here is his blog, onestepcloser.

Wilson notes that copyright infringement of brands is commonplace, and it is the duty of the real brand owner to do exercise proprietary rights. Throughout church history there have been those who have infringed upon the Jesus way, distorted it for other purposes.  "We can only hope," Wilson writes, "that Jesus will continue to challenge every effort to hijack his brand, because he is, and always will be, the main attraction."

We are pleased to announce this good new book to you, a book that seems similar, yet a cut above, many that are raising these kinds of questions these days.  We think it is truly useful, and truly enjoyable.  Jesus Brand Spirituality is a beautiful book, and the claim is true: Jesus Wants His Religion Back.  May this book help it be so.

Even when it entails surreal all-nighters and renting vehicles for stalwart friends who meet us at 3 am to transfer boxes of books, the demanding work of lugging boxes out to conferences and setting up displays for events remains a thrill---rewarding and usually fun, once the brain-draining prep work is done.  Arranging tables, draping and taping fabric, building shelves and laying out the hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of titles is daunting, but when the customers tell us how pleased they are to find good books---stories of the dearth of thoughtful Christian literature in local bookstores and church libraries abound---it is all worth it.

As you can guess, we enjoy mixing it up, selling books at all kinds of events, and feel like it is right and good to support those groups and ministries that seek us out.  In most cases, we feel so honored to play a small role in the events of folks we've come to respect and admire.  For instance, this weekend, we sold books at the Everything Must Change event with Brian McLaren at the Latino Pastoral Action Center in the Bronx, New York.  Raising deep questions about the shifts of perspective needed to address with Biblical fidelity the most urgent issues of the day---poverty, environmental degradation, war---is the focus of this tour, and partnering with this renowned, New York-based, Spirit-filled, politically savvy urban ministry this time was a real treat. (Here is a brief essay about Rev. Ray Rivera and amazing work.)  Thanks to McLaren and the good people at the LPAC, and the Latino emergent cohort there for allowing us to serve them by selling books.  Thanks to my guys Scott, Damen and Bill for manning the display with gusto, talking up Hearts & Minds, and making books available that folk might not otherwise see.

We’ve written here often about the Biblical call to do justice, to be involved in transforming institutions that are broken, about how the imaginations of church folk should be unleashed to forge social innovations; we believe that the Biblical worldview and our best theological traditions call us to this.  We are thrilled that Brian and his Everything Must Change tour team are helping stoke these fires, and we hope you bookmark the EMC interactive website the tour has generated.   If you haven’t picked up Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis and a Revolution of Hope (Nelson; $21.99) yet, you really should.  It usually sells for $21.99 but we have it here for $20.

At the same time this weekend, Beth and I and some other helpers were selling books at a huge event in Falls Church VA where the C.S. Lewis Institute hosted the internationally renowned apologist and Christian thinker Ravi Zacharius.  (Do check out his website. What a rich and thoughtful resource.)  We’ve sold books for Ravi before and it was a true honor to be with him again.  We provided oodles of his own thoughtful books and many more about apologetics, evangelism, cultural engagement, theology and serious spiritual formation (not to mention quite a bit of Lewis, books about Lewis and all things Narnia.)

In his impeccable style of oration (tinged with that charming Indian accent) Ravi told powerful stories of seekers who've come to Christ, skeptics who have become convinced of the truth of the gospel, conversations he is having with persons of various religious views, all over the world.  He told of death threats he gets (from radical Muslim groups mostly) and his compassion and faith in the face of very taxing speaking settings.  It was delightful to hear of his ability to hobnob with the very richest and most powerful and how he is at home, often it seems, with the very poor, with common people from Bangalore to Singapore.  He shared astounding stories of his lectures in the halls of world-class, post-Christian academia (his degree from Cambridge doesn’t hurt) and to congresses and parliaments of developing countries in Africa and Asia.  When the atheist leadership of Albania asked him to make a case for the truth of the Christian worldview for a group of scholars and museum directors, they offered him a special treat---white gloves to handle the gold-painted 4th century parchment of the gospel written by John Chrystostom.  (It was recovered in an archeological dig there in the 900s!)  He opened to the page in Matthew where a woman pours extravagant perfume over Christ and the prophecy is given that her story will be proclaimed far and wide.  Indeed.

Dr. Zacharias' latest book is a cogent critique of the new atheists, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins et al., entitled The End of Reason: Responding to the New Atheists (Zondervan; $14.99.)  The theme of his lectures, though, was taken from the subtitle of the recent volume of apologetic essays written by his RZM staff.  That excellent book is called Beyond Opinion (Nelson; $24.94) and the subtitle is this: Living the Faith We Defend. 

Living the faith we defend.  In an age of increasing secularization and anti-Christian sentiment among the intellectual elites, we must know how to present the truth of the gospel in ways that are clear, compelling, and consistent with Biblical revelation.  But, yes, yes, dear gentleman Ravi begged us, we must live it.  The truths we teach in public must be true in our private lives as well.  As he eloquently writes in his recent book The Grand Weaver (Zondervan; $18.99), God is at work weaving a coherent and deep purpose in our lives, and although we must learn to be articulate in our faith, we must first learn to see God's own hand shaping us, molding and maturing us.  Our evangelism must be rooted in good doctrine and sophisticated understanding but it even more must be lived in community with authenticity and integrity.

 I know Ravi and Brian would not see eye to eye on every matter of doctrine and it seems they have very different understandings of the complex blessings and curses of postmodernity.  They stand together, though, I am sure, in holding up the message of Christ’s cross as an entry into the Kingdom of grace where true life and lasting social change can be found.  Our books, we hope, helped both of their events carry forth their unique take on Christian ministry.  It was a privilege to serve them both.

Oh, by the way.  I will tell you more later, but one book we took to both events is the brand spanking new work by Hearts & Minds friend and CSLI resident scholar, Art Lindsley, a book that uses the great Francis Schaeffer line that love is the “final apologetic.”   Although Art’s approach is clearly more aligned with the rigorous and conservative Dr. Z, and perhaps suspicious of any movement that shifts away from historic orthodoxy on core doctrinal matters, his basic premise is one that is consistent with the best impulses of nearly every Christian reform movement, left, right or center, namely, that our deepest call to faith and repentance must be spoken in love.  “By this all will know…” Jesus said.  After two important InterVarsity Press books on apologetics, True Truth ($15) and C.S. Lewis' Case for Christ ($16), Lindsley's new book underscores the theme raised in slightly different accents by both speakers this weekend, Brian and Ravi:  we must live out the faith we defend, and we do that in love.

I will write more soon about the unique insights of this very thought-provoking, substantive book---not only are there few books on love,  there are none that I know of that does what this one does.  For now, know that we premiered it at both events this weekend, and we have it here in stock at the shop.  Love: The Ultimate Apologetic, The Heart of Christian Witness  (IVP) $15.

One of the events we do each year, setting up a large display of books, is the conference of the Eastern region of APCE (Association of Presbyterian Church Educators.)  Your denomination, if you have one, probably has a similar  professional association for encouragement, training and networking of educators.  If your faith tradition has church educators---heck, even if you have Sunday school teachers---you should befriend them.  Judging from our experiences, and certainly at EAPCE each year, these are stellar folks, creative, caring, forward-thinking, working (hard, at too little pay) to make things happen in the churches.  From training nursery care-givers to recruiting Sunday school teachers, from doing small group training to organizing service-learning and short-term mission trips, educators are truly "in the trenches."  They buy books for their own spiritual formation and tons of kids books.  We spent about 10 hours setting up a large display full of stuff on everything from programming for special needs kids to spiritual formation of teenagers, from intergenerational curriculum to picture books about cultural diversity and God's love for all the peoples of the Earth.  These last few days were exhilarating as we talked about the most artful illustrations in children's Bibles to the theology of suffering in the Psalms.

The main speaker was Dr. Beth Tanner who teaches Old Testament at New Brunswick seminary and has been working hard with some other women Hebrew scholars on the forthcoming Psalm's volume in the prestigious NICOT commentary series for Eerdmans.  It will be a while yet, but she does have a delightful, new, introductory-level book, The Psalms for Today (Westminister/John Knox; $14.95.)  Very useful for small group study or adult classes. 

There were good and serious conversations about the Psalms of lament.  Many of these dear educators had pretty weird stories of people in the church who were not permitted to share grief or express anguish about God's seeming lack of care.  My goodness, a third of the Psalms have lament and rage and I sort of thought our churches had gotten over this overblown sense of propriety and fake faith;  to shame those who express doubt or pain is just wrong.

Walter Brueggemann wrote a classic reflection on the Psalms years ago, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (Augsburg; $18),  one that Tanner drew upon and which reminds us that there is a shape to the Psalter:  there are Psalms of orientation, Psalms of disorientation, and then, mostly after exile, Psalms of re-orientation.  This "good--bad--better" flow naturally reminds us of the bigger theme of the entire Bible, the schema of the Story, "creation-fall-redemption."  That the Psalms can take us through these realities, give voice to these emotions, frame our experience in faithful and true ways is a great benefit of spending much time in the book of Psalms. The publisher Wipf & Stock recently re-issued Walt's smaller book Praying the Psalms, too ($14.)  Very nice.

I got back from APCE late last night, thinking about the Psalms of lament, the church's occasional failure to be a safe space of honest conversation and authentic sharing.  Today, I heard a first hand story of a very unpleasant episode where a fella unloaded a host a Bible verses on a very hurting guy, offering discouragement and what seemed like judgment on this guy---a combat vet---who had shared his pain and frustrations.  None of the verses this guy cited included the lament Psalms.  So, it looks like we do need to remind God's people of the Psalms of lament, the ways in which God invites (through these holy poems) us to share our deepest stuff.  It sort of reminds me of Bill Hybel's recent book title Holy Discontent. 

For someone new to this notion, I have noted here before Michael Card's  A Sacred Sorrow: Reaching Out to God in The Lost Language of Lament (NavPress; $13.99)and his The Hidden Face of God: Finding the Missing Door to the Father Through Lament (NavPress; $12.99.)  Both are fabulous examples of how lament is not only permitted in the Bible, but a way in which we can come to know the deep care of a God who can take our cries of anguish. Highly recommended!  Here is a review of the CD that Card did to give voice to his own sorrow, sort of a soundtrack for the book.  Let us know if you want us to ship you one.

The Cry of the Soul by Dan Allender & Tremper Longman (NavPress; $14) is another amazing book, co-authored by a psychologist and an Old Testament scholar.  The subtitle reads "How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God" and it a study of the various emotions of the Bible.  There are chapters on "righteous anger" and "redemptive despair" and " constructive fear" (even as they are contrasted with in appropriate versions of these emotional state. I've read everything these two guys have written together and it is all good.

Sally Brown and Patrick Miller compiled an extraordinary volume on the laments of the Palms and how to used them in preaching and counseling and in daily life,  simply called Lament: Reclaiming Practices in Pulpit, Pew & Public Square  (Westminster/John Knox; $24.)  A bit academic, rooted in the most thoughtful scholarship and long involvement in mainline church ministry.

Speaking of emotions, we just got the new book by Matthew Elliott called Feel: The Power of Listening to Your Heart (Tyndale; $13.99)  Some reviewers have called it "the definitive book on the proper God-given place for emotions in our lives."  This really looks good---Elliott has a PhD in New Testament from Aberdeen and works in publishing in the developing world.  (You can visit his website here.)

I didn't get to share these titles with my APCE friends, although Dr. Tanner drove them to the Psalms.  If we all remain rooted in the practices of reading, studying, teaching, praying and singing the Psalter, I am sure we will deepen in our emotional lives, find hope and courage in hard times.  And we will "see" life in light of these grand themes of orientation/disorientation/re-orientation. 

It is a great privilege anytime a customer taps out an inquiry on email or picks up the phone to call in an order.  Best of all, we love seeing folks in the shop, although I've grown fond of some of my favorite blogger pals and mail order customers.  We try to keep in homey, but this high-tech stuff has allowed us to serve folks far and wide.

Which is extra cool of course.  Today, for instance, an old acquitence that has started an extraordinary NGO is a very war torn and troubled land asked for some prices on some books about international affairs, peace building, faith-based diplomacy and such.  Knowing he's a bookman, I figured I could rattle off a couple others that, if not precisely what he needs, will at least remind him that there is a growing body of literature on conflict resolution, peacemaking and creating alternatives to war and violence.  Heaven knows---I know heaven knows---that he needs reminded of this in his land of sorrows.

I thought some of you, too, might like to see this little list.  My descriptions are pretty much off the top of my head, cribbing a bit from back covers. There are more.  After some small talk and answering the questions he asked about, I sent off this list.

We couldn’t be happier to tell you about four absolutely fabulous new books on spiritual formation.  I will review them more thoroughly over at the monthly column---I’m reading and writing as fast as I can---but had to at least announce them now.  They've each been in the shop just a few days (although I had an excerpt of one for quite a while.)  I realize the goofy irony of reading books like this quickly, but that's my occupational hazard. Should you choose to buy them, you may want to rush, too, to get to 'em, but please don't.  This is rich, good sapience and deserves to be read with care.


Firstly, I was truly touched, found great enjoyment and learned quite a bit from the brand new Brian McLaren book called Finding Our Way: The Return of the Ancient Practices (Nelson; $17.99), the first in the new “Ancient Practices” series released by Thomas Nelson publishers.  Over the next few years eight books will be released----from authors as diverse as Dan Allender and Phyllis Tickle, Scot McKnight and Nora Gallagher, and I am sure they will be wise and helpful and inspiring.  Each will explore a particular ancient practice, and Brian’s book is the first to set the agenda for the others.  What a nicely done, conversational, insightful call to recapture true spirituality in this age of disorientation.  It was the most pleasant and interesting book on spirituality I’ve read in a long time.  Not as intense as some, nor as mystical, it made these grand, complex matters very attractive and placed them not only in historical context, but in ordinary 21st century life.  It did just what it should as an introduction to this series.  More later!

The second book in this series, the first after Brian’s overview, arrived also, and it is graciously written, a charming introduction to the practice of fixed hour prayers.  Who better to share the history and benefits of this classic custom of “praying the divine office” than Robert Benson, who gives us In Constant Prayer (Nelson; $17.99.) Phyllis T writes a wonderfully little preface, and his first chapter or so has already won me over to reading about this practice that I (truth be told) I have little inclination to pursue.  I will explain more of the book's charm and the significance of the "Ancient Practices" series in the full review, soon.

A very long-awaited book has finally arrived this week, a book that some of us have been awaiting for a year or so, Life With God (HarperOne; $24.95) by none other than Richard Foster.  What a great book this will be, by the man who in many ways helped start the renaissance of contemplative spirituality in this generation.  Here, he offers his writing on how to read the Bible for spiritual transformation.  I will have more to say about this one, too, in the monthly column (soon.)  For now, just now that this has the sorts of blurbs on the back that you’d expect, from across the range of the church: J.I. Packer and Walter Brueggemann, David Neff and Lauren Winner.  Willimon calls is “radiant” and Publishers Weekly reminds us that it is a “deep reflective guide to spiritual rumination and growth.”

Leighton Ford is a well-respected evangelist, a Presbyterian leader and solid author.  Here, though, he has turned in the book of his illustrious career, a book about the deep spiritual habit of paying attention.  The Attentive Life: Discerning God’s Presence in All Things (IVP; $18) is not just about paying more attention to the voice of God—although it is---but it is a profound exploration of Benedictine spirituality, vocation, discipleship, and, yes, aging--- living into the seasons of life with grace and Godliness.  Luci Shaw calls it “a primer in how to respond actively to Jesus’ challenge: Behold!  Look!  Listen!  Take notice!”  John Ortberg says he was “both pierced and healed by longing in the reading.”  Here is a great little interview, with Ford sharing the way in which praying the daily offices--and using these "hours" as a metaphor for the stages of faith development--has helped him in this new phase of life. It is short, but really lovely (especially if you are a dog lover!) Check it out.

A number of friends saw my daughter and I on CNN, sitting in the VIP section at the Compassion Forum hosted by Messiah College on Sunday night.  As you most likely know, the Faith in Public Life folks---we know and respect nearly half their inter-faith board---were joined by the ONE campaign, Oxfam and a few other groups wanting to ask questions about faith and public policy sponsored a discussion with Senators Obama and Clinton (John McCain chose not to attend.)  They each talked about their faith journey, how they’ve experienced and describe God’s presence, and how their sense of Christian social principles might guide them as they confront incredibly complex and urgent social issues such as AIDS, peacemaking, poverty, torture, creation-care and abortion.  The talk was earnest, it seemed to me, and the moderators---CNN’s Campbell Brown, and Newsweek's Jon Meacham---did an admirable job asking questions in fair and candid ways.  Other previously prepared questioners, representing Jews, Muslims and others, were in the audience (we were happy to see some of our acquaintances, folks like Jim Wallis of Sojourners, Lisa Sharon Harper, former IVCF staff friend, and now Director of New York Faith & Justice, the always-interesting NAE policy guy, Richard Cizik and teacher and author David Gushee.) 

Marissa and I enjoyed watching how a TV show is produced, and the opening remarks, music and prayers from the generous hosts at Messiah were inspiring.  Of course the conversation could have gone in other directions, and it is clear that there was a progressive bias to most of the questioning. (Family Research Council leader Tony Perkins was invited and never replied; he later complained that he wasn't involved.)  I enjoyed meeting new folks, authors, think-tank wonks, and policy activists, Republicans, Democrats, people from various faith traditions. Next to me was a sharp staffer from a Washington agency that is working on “third way” common ground strategies---just hearing about these different groups as projects made being there a delight.

I kept thinking of the writing I’ve done this season on books like Ron Sider’s Scandal of Evangelical Politics (Baker; $15.99)—I hope you read my review in February's website column---and how important it is to have this kind of consistent and comprehensive Christian framework for thinking coherently about a “faith-based” orientation to our citizenship duties and the role government.  The candidates are good and thoughtful people, I think, and they each have had church involvement over the years, but I suggest that if you read a few popular level books of the sort I’ve described in that column, you may have a more integrated and wise perspective than half the folks who showed up for the Forum.  It is easy these days to critique the hard Christian right; the last year or two saw way too many repetitive and often mean-spirited left-leaning diatribes against conservatives, books that too often trafficked in the same sorts of one-sidedness and glib overstatement that they criticized  on the other side.  Yuck.

 We hope to promote books that will engender deeper conversations among faith-driven citizens, who are seeking a true alternative to left and right, rooted in a radical Christian worldview. It is the sort of perspective documented in David Gushee's great new book, The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center (Baylor University Press; $I24.95.)  I’ve often mentioned David Koyzis smart work, Political Visions & Illusions: A Survey and Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies  (IVP: $20) and it would be well worth working through this balanced and perceptive history of the ideologies that have shaped American political discourse in this season of election-mania.  Do we even know what words like “liberal” or “conservative” or “progressive” mean, or where they’ve come from?  I know that political philosophy isn’t for everyone, but for anyone who is feeling called to enter serious civic discussions or be involved in campaign work, I couldn’t recommend a serious book more urgently.

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And, enjoy this: I often appreciate the great reviews over at The Discerning Reader and their interview, here, with Os Guinness, around the themes of his new book, The Case for Civility and Why Our Future Depends on It (HarperOne; $23.95) is stellar.  Congratulations to Tim Challis for asking good questions and to Os for once again speaking clearly and significantly into the issues of the day.  I really hope you read the interview.

At the Compassion Forum, I spoke to a few activists, journalists, and scholars and I had the opportunity to bring up Dr. Guinness’ urgently needed book in no less than three different conversations.  Clearly nonpartisan, The Case for Civility is what I sometimes call a foundational text.  That is, he is framing conversation in ways that are basic, reflecting on “first things.”  I hope you print out this interview and, if you know anyone who finds it helpful, that they will spread the word about this profound, foundational study.  We explained our appreciation for it in that same monthly column where I reviewed Sider’s book, by the way, making us one of the first sites to comment upon it--although Challis's Discerning Reader review is much better.  I wish we could sell a bunch, helping not only make the case for civility, but shaping a movement of those who care as deeply about American survival as does her generous critic, Dr. G

Watch CNN archieved video of the Compassion Forum here and various questioners from the Faith in Public Life website, here.  You can read transcripts of the event here. Messiah College has a great slideshow, from several days before up through the big evening, here.

Although it wasn't my main reason for driving to New England, I did enjoy spending some leisurely time walking through Gloucester MA with old CCO alum and good friends Scott & Denise Frame-Harlan and their two lovely kiddos.  They took me to a house once lived in by T.S. Eliot and we looked for the famous rocks of The Dry Salvages, of Four Quartets, but it was, alas, too foggy to see, which for some reason seemed right.  They showed me the colorful Catholic church where Thomas Howard, a famous and flamboyant former evangelical writer, was converted to Rome---we have plenty of all of his books, and love several of them, like the exquisite Christ the Tiger, The Splendor of the Ordinary, and Why Evangelical is Not Enough and his books on Tolkien, Lewis or Eliot.  They showed me the very beach where Sebastian Junger, the guy who wrote The Perfect Storm wrote The Perfect Storm.  Nearly every time we turned a corner, or, later, as I drove home, I saw signs of this famous writer or that----Louis May Alcott, Walden Pond, of course, the real house with seven gables.  I passed near Ipswich (think Updike) and reflected upon the legacy of the first Great Awakening as I neared towns of Edwards.  And had some killer clams and chowder, right from the bay, back in Gloucester, America's first commercial seaport.

Hearts & Minds was in the great state of Mass, as they call it, working for the excellent in-service conference for Christian school teachers, an event sponsored by Lexington Christian Academy, an excellent, alternative Christian school in that famed revolutionary town.

 Getting to jaw with James Sire (a truly charming and clever gentleman besides being a worldview guru and one of our favorite authors, whose many books we stock) and to hear philosopher Peter Kreeft (a prolific apologist, cultural critic and Catholic scholar whose many books we routinely carry), were among the obvious highlights of this year's event for me.  Nothing can explain the rewards, though, of the biggest thrill---that of of offering good books to thoughtful teachers, knowing that to shape their reading habits is to surely effect a generation of emerging Christian students.  The teachers from all over were eager to talk books, and some told me about innovative and important programs they run in their respective schools.  God bless 'em for breaking the mold of what some think Christian schools are about, and illustrating a wide-as-life view of redemption and a caring commitment to helping students become life-long learners, servants and robust disciples of the Master in our multi-cultural world.

  As you might guess, I really promoted The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students by our good friends Don Opitz & Derek Melleby (Brazos; $13.99) as a key book to supplement their work with high school students.  Telling you about that now gives me an excuse to bring it up again---it is the best gift for high school seniors going off to college, you know, and I hope you remember to order some, soon.  (Tell your church, if you can, to consider this is a way to honor your students who are in that college transition year.)  It playfully and smartly writes about worldview and life, about college and classrooms, about learning and living for God, Biblically and with humility and thoughtfulness.  What a great hope for all of our young people! 

At the Lexington conference we heard lectures on science, on inter-faith experiences, on standing for justice in the two-thirds world----all in open-minded spirit of conviviality, with little controversy or tension. From Calvin College scholar Joel Carpenter, who has co-edited with Gambian scholar Lamin Sanneh the serious and important The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World (Oxford University Press; $21.99.) we heard about Christians in the global South.(We featured the important work of Philip Jenkins, too, of course.)   Dordt College's Pro Rege editor, English prof Mary Dengler spoke passionately about the nature of uniquely Christian thinking---she even dared to cite Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd to remind us of the multi-faceted nature of reality, and the subsequent need for multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary teaching and learning.  I especially enjoyed meeting a fellow central PA new friend--we had not heard of each other, oddly---Michael Evans, a vibrant and young African American speaker who argued for schools to equip their young students to learn to become Kingdom leaders of culture, engaged in the Godly vision of transforming the world through investing in various careers and professional arenas, especially around issues of urban poverty and racial justice. It sounded like a Jubilee conference talk to me!  Way to go Mike!

There were numerous other authors speaking at the LCA Cultivating Inquiry conference.  Former Time magazine journalist David Aikman spoke both about China---you should know his highly regarded and very interesting book  Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power which is now out in an impressive paperback (Regnery; $16.95) and offered a thoughtful response to the new athists (Dawkins, Harris, et al) which is the theme of his brand new book,The Delusion of Disbelief: Why the New Atheism is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness (Tyndale; $16.99.)

Marvin R. Wilson was there, pouring out his heart for Jewish-Christian dialogue (and, yes, Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations.)  Wilson has taught at Gordon College for years, helping his students get involved in the Jewish community, and his book, Our Father Abraham: The Jewish Roots of Christian Faith (Eerdmans; $22.00) is considered by many to be the standard Christian study of the subject.  We now stock his DVD (Jews & Christians: A Journey of Faith)  that was on PBS, a fine and useful study for adult groups. We sell it for $29.99.

Thanks to the hosts at LCA for going to the immense effort of hosting this excellent teaching event---and for hosting me as bookseller.  Thanks to Tim Bogertman for helping out, a man who, if he wasn't in church work, could easily be a bookseller any day.  And thanks to Hearts & Minds staff, for helping me go on the road, taking our wares to places such as Lexington Christian Academy, in the heart of literary New England.  I couldn't do any of this without each of them.  May God be honored, and the Kingdom advanced, book by book by book.  Ordering from us, helps all of this happen, too, so I hope you, too, feel a part of it all. 

I wanted to type this on Sunday, as I was using this new book in some sabbath reading, but just didn't get to it.  Even though it is a day late, now, I'd like to share that we now have this book of prayers written by Karl Barth, prayers never before translated into English.  It is a very sweet and thoughtful little paperback simply called Fifty Prayers (Westminster/John Knox; $12.95.)

After noting that a colleague gave him an A in preaching and a D in liturgy,  the famous theologian wrote this in the preface in 1962:

For a long time I never felt good when before and after my sermons I thought I should, or was allowed, to keep to the order of the usual liturgical books...I was disturbed by the lack of functional relationship, but also by the inorganic relationship between the archaic or even the modern language of these prayers and the language of my sermons.  For a while, I sought help by replacing the petitions of the order of liturgy not with extemporaneous prayers ( I have never dared to risk such a thing), but with freely bringing together biblical passages from the Psalms.  Only in more recent years did I begin to set forth such texts, first for the end and later for the beginning of the main part of the worship service, within the context of preparing for the sermons themselves.

Isn't it interesting that in just a few generations we have even one of the century's foremost preachers and theologians uncomfortable with conversational prayer in worship, to a time when liturgy in many Protestant churches has been so thoroughly contextualized to the commonplace and extemp, where nearly anyone can utter nearly anything?  I am not overly fastidious about liturgical purity (even though some of my friends in our church's contemporary service think I'm fussy) but it is evident that Barth has a certain gravity and thoughtfulness that is striking.

He continues, naming the considerations that guided him in writing these prayers.

The worship service, the center of the entire life of the community, must be presented as a whole, a whole of calling on the gracious God.  Following the greeting of the community as the people of this God, the worship begins with the common singing, which I think is not seen as being as important as it truly is.  It continues with the pronouncement of the community's thanks, its penance, and its special petition for God's presence and support in the special act of gathering for worship, by the member of the community who service as the leader of the action.  It ascends to the sermon, in which the call to explanation and application o