We were delighted that so many customers and friends responded to the various titles we suggested in our latest BookNotes that landed in your inboxes (if you subscribe) right in the middle of the Thanksgiving holiday. Black Friday isn’t so hectic around here but we smile, knowing it was the exciting day we opened our doors back in 1982. No shindig here, but as I suggested in that latest newsletter, we are very, very grateful for those keeping this family biz alive. Thank you one and all. Your orders and notes and calls have been appreciated, believe me.

I also hoped you enjoyed those links to a podcast on which I appeared to talk about Advent reading and the reminder of our own “Three Books from Hearts & Minds” bi-weekly podcast. Check them out (and share if you are so inclined.) You can watch them at YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple.  Again, we are grateful and hope that our story of the sort of stuff we do here somehow encourages you in living out your own story, even in your own “hopes and fears of all the years…”

Which brings me to this short BookNotes.

I feel compelled to share a few ideas for you about what some call a “blue Christmas.” I’ve been to some “Blue Christmas” services where people lament and wail and offer up their grief to God, a special sort of Christmas gift of shared sadness. I’ve been to others that while they may not sing “Joy to the World” they are only just a tad more gentle, with quiet verses and soft candles. Services that offer a place to ponder the season in light of our hurts and sorrows and worries are a godsend. However, it seems to me that one hour out of a busy season of ho-ho-ho-ing isn’t enough. We need to make space for God to touch our hurting hearts. Advent is a perfect time for getting in touch with such stuff. We should be glad that the liturgical cycle of the church year affords us this time of attending to longing and unmet hopes.

First one we highly recommend.

The Advent of Justice: A Book of Meditations by Richard Middleton, Brian Walsh, Sylvia Keesmaat, and Mark VanderVennan (Wipf & Stock) $15.99  / OUR SALE PRICE = $12.79

Although not only about grief and loss exclusively my favorite Advent devotional remains the small, Bible-rich set of reflections, The Advent of Justice, which you may find helpful even if (maybe especially if) you are worried and/or jaded or disappointed.

I read through this short book every Advent, not only because all four authors are among my good friends but because I know of no other book that connects Old and New Testament (and longing, lament, hope and promise) so very, very well. I guess one might say it is Brueggemann-esque — provocative wisdom drawn from close socio-cultural reading of the settings of the Biblical texts. I think it is nothing short of brilliant… it understands the context of the prophets, the looming concerns about exile, and the facts-on-ground-questions about poverty and displacement and full-bodied hope. This was first done by the social justice ministry and public theology organization in Canada, the Centre for Public Justice. The evocative writing of these four is rooted in the practice of waiting even while attentive to the realities of pathos. You’ve never read an Advent book like this and you, too, may revisit it often.

4 on hard times /  4 on hard Advents

Here, then, are four books (of many, many) about sorrow and lament and sadness in our Christian lives. And then I’ll name four that are specifically about attending to those realities during Advent and the Christmastide season which follows. I hope these are helpful.

Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About the Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive Russ Ramsey (Zondervan) $29.99  // OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

I’ve commented about this already, describing it as a book I really, really liked and very highly recommend to one and all. Each chapter explores the hard times of a certain painter and how his or her work can remind us of our own deeply human hurts and struggles. It is not a downer of a book, but is edge-of-your-seat informative and yet, in an allusive and gracious way, invites readers into the stories of these painters (some religiously-inclined some less so) and their visions of life and hard times.

I am honored to have an endorsement blurb on the inside (and, please know, it really is an honor.) Russ Ramsey wrote a previous book like this called Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eye of Faith which I thoroughly enjoyed. This one is (as Douglas McKelvey puts it) “highly entertaining and informative” but “in the end they reveal themselves as hospitable invitations to get to the transcendent heart of things.”

The storytelling is great, the artwork shown is moving, the ways in which such stories shape our hearts and unleash something — this book is worth every penny. And it will allow you to honor your own human story, even if it is sad or complicated.

A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in the Rituals of Grief and Healing Amanda Held Opelt (Worthy) $17.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

Again, I have written about this at length before but wanted to just remind you of it here, now. Amanda (the sister of the late author Rachel Held Evans) was in great grief after the rather sudden and unexpected death of her sister. The short version is simple: she found great comfort in exploring various grieving practices in various cultures, exploring what they get at, what they offer, why some folks do these (sometimes slightly odd to most) customs and how they can bring healing and resolution. I really, really enjoyed this book, its creative style reads like great nonfiction reporting and memoir, almost, and its advice is offered with a light touch.

Sarah Bessey (herself a very talented writer) says, “One of the best books I’ve read in ages… a profound, mystical, and even haunting book that will be a faithful companion to all of us who have seen trouble.”

Walking with God Through the Valley: Recovering the Purpose of Biblical Lament May Young (IVP Academic) $28.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $22.40

This is brand new and I haven’t read it all but I’m happy to announce that this is really, really good, a refreshing deeply Biblical study (but not unaware of the deeper philosophical and theological questions that ensue as you unpack texts of lament and ask the big questions of theodicy.) And yet, not only a Biblical study, it is deeply pastoral, human-scale, an invitation to get real with God and each other and use these passages in our own faith communities. We need to learn to practice lament in our own lives and in our churches. This book offers an excellent foundation.

We have a good number of books about lament — Biblical and more experiential — and this tends to be a bit headier, exploring how lament “echoes throughout the pages of Scripture.” But May Young — who chairs the Department of Biblical Studies, Christian Ministries, Intercultural Studies and Philosophy at Taylor University. — knows how to teach and how to inspire and how to even come alongside us, guiding us towards how to engage the texts of lament and explore them in our own contexts.

Bible teacher Andrew Abernethy says that Walking with God Through the Valley is, “A fantastic book! Not only do we learn more about cement, but we are propelled through personal examples to practice lament individually and communally.”

Ingrid Faro of Northern Seminary says,

“This is the book on lament that we’ve been waiting for and need.”

 

The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Curt Thompson (Zondervan) $27.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $22.39

I promised that this would be a short BookNotes column so I do refer you back to one of the other times I explained why we so appreciate Dr. Curt Thompson and why The Deepest Place is so very, very important for us today.

It is on the nature of suffering but it is no dry treatise on the reasons for suffering. Nor is it merely a pious reminder to trust God in all things. Curt is a neuroscientist and therapists (see some of his own unique and wise therapeutic practices in his fascinating, beautiful book called The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community) so he knows a bit about what really gives folks a sense of hope, how our characters can be profoundly shaped in Christ-like ways as we learn resilience and authentic flourishing.

There are fabulous stories in this wise book and it is — as author Ian Morgan Cron puts it — “a spiritual formation tour de force for anyone ready to look life’s inescapable pain in the eye and make something better of it.” Jessica Honegger notes on the back that this book can give “durable hope.”

Blue Christmas: Devotions of Light in a Season of Darkness Todd Outcalt (Upper Room) $14.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $11.99

This may be a fairly conventional Advent devotional — a nice page or two a day during the season — but written for those who are hurting or down. Reflective and honest but still mostly about Advent. While it suggests (on the back) that “for many, this time of year magnifies loneliness, anxiety, grief, and despair” Blue Christmas doesn’t dwell too bluntly on the hurts and fears. I wish it were a bit more raw, but it wants to offer some bit of charm, I guess. Outcalt is the lead pastor of a large United Methodist Church and has written a lot of books (including one about praying through cancer. He understands.)

There are closing prayers for each devotional and some additional prayers in the back which are honest and useful. Also discussion questions.

There is also a short “Blue Christmas” worship service outline in the back with sample invocations and prayers, litanies and carols, nicely structured.

A Weary World: Reflections for a Blue Christmas Kathy Escobar (WJK) $16.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $12.80

This one, by an author we deeply respect (who pastors an innovative and inclusive church in North Denver called The Refuge), may be a tad more profound, including a deep understanding of those who are demoralized due to injustice in the world, those who, need to lament not just due to their own difficulties but because they bear some of the weight of the world…  A Weary World offers understanding about the great sadness in the world this time of year when many are worried and exhausted and when, not only do some of us struggle, but the whole world seems so disordered. She offers a lot of allusive insight, great reflections exercises and more.

Kathy has done Blue Christmas services for years and they have been sincerely appreciated, especially among those who want something substantive but will not settle for religious cliches. There is extra digital content for worship ideas and study groups at the publisher’s website.

Wounded in Spirit: Advent Art and Meditations David Bannon (Paraclete Press) $29.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

This is a remarkable (and very handsomely designed) hardback with artwork, each devotional inspired by painters who were troubled and sad.  I have raved about this extraordinary book before and extreme David Bannon’s insight and care immensely. (Philip Yancey, who knows a thing or two about such things, wrote a breathtaking foreword.)

Not unlike the new one by Ramsey, listed above, Bannon used these artist’s stories of loss and depression to console his own emotional sadness in his own time of loss and struggle with depression. A powerful story… a great resource.

Honest Advent: Awakening to the Wonder of God-with-Us, Then, Here, and Now Scott Erickson (Zondervan) $19.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

Again, this is one we’ve highlighted often, before. Some really like it, not only for the hipster graphic art, but because it is written in conversational, honest, storytelling, almost memoir style. This is a bit edgy, kind of cool, by a really raw writer who is a young-ish artist. He understands the creative impulse, has a less than typical sort of spirituality, and enhances his good book with lots of graphics and illustrations (that are black, white, and gold; very cool!) This is all about needing to be real during this season, being honest about the audacious story of Mary and Joseph and the incarnation, but also about our own feelings of alienation and discontent. Can we be honest about all that, bringing it all together? This fresh and engaging book (now out in a paperback) will be a book for those who may not want a more typical book of holiday cheer.

What do I say to open up this latest BookNotes? Happy Thanksgiving? Certainly so. Some years I list all those we are grateful for in the book industry, writers and editors and marketers (at least those who don’t shill for Amazon), those in our supply chain and our own team here, staff and volunteers and cheerleaders. And (obviously, although we can’t say it enough) you, our faithful readers and book-buyers. We are grateful.

I could also wish you a meaningful Advent. If you want to hear me yap on about the meaning of it all and the sort of reading we might do this season (and nearly an hour of book recommendations) check out the UpWords podcast (from the Upper House campus ministry and study center at University of Wisconsin) where they hosted me as a guest, again. You can watch the conversation unfold on YouTube, or listen at Apple or Spotify podcasts.

We just posted the latest Advent book episode of our own every-other-week “Three Books from Hearts & Minds” podcast, too. Again, you can watch it on YouTube, or listen at Apple or Spotify podcasts. Thanks much to the very bright Phil Shiavoni and Sam Levy (both who are area directors for the CCO and very dear pals) who lob soft-ball questions like, “Okay, Byron, what three books do you want to tell us about this time?” And we’re off…

I could also ask how you are doing (emotionally, spiritually, relationally) given the bizarre and taxing ongoing circus of public life these past weeks. Several have reached out to talk about the nutso Cabinet picks hitting the news each day; it is hard not to be glib to our neighbors who are scratching their heads and scowl “we told you so — you voted for this madness.” It’s going to be a complicated season, eh? I am sure to speak out about the President-elect’s bad character and bad policies (and affirm him when he gets it right as he surely sometimes will) but we want to deepen our ability to listen to others and extend grace even as we disagree. More on that later.

For now, how about a few books to help you through this awkward, demoralizing season?  I have wept bitter tears. Maybe you have too. Maybe not. In any case, you are not unaware that these are confusing times, at best, for many of us. Here are some titles I’m eager to share with you that just might help. Each is very highly recommended and any book mentioned is 20% off. Send us an order and we’ll reply personally. Thanks.

As always, you can order easily by clicking on the “order” link at the end of the column.

 

Defiant Hope: Essays on Life, Faith, and Freedom Michael Gerson (Simon & Schuster) $28.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.19

We have a big stack of these here and I hope many of our friends (regardless of their orienting philosophy or voting record) will pick it up. It is, I assure you, a book worth owning. I know a few of these essays well, and many I’ve never seen. I suspect even if you were a Gerson fan, you’ve not seen this incredible array of his astute columns and pieces.

For those who may not know, Gerson was an acquaintance and we admired him greatly. Even though I did not always agree with him — he was a speechwriter and confidant of George W. Bush — he was a political figure and public thinker and solid, gracious Christian scholar who was extraordinary. A top thinker, great writer, serious Christian, from his Wheaton days on, he was respected and loved. He famously guided Bush through the awful days following the horrific 9-11 attacks and he came to be known as one of the visionaries, if not the architect of what came to be known as “compassionate conservatism.” (He had become an assistant to the President on policy concerns by the middle of the aughts and was known globally for advancing Bush’s stunningly life-saving work in Africa, with a little help from his pal named Bono.)

Mike’s big 2007 book Heroic Conservatism: Why Republicans Need to Embrace America’s Ideals (and Why They Deserve to Fail If They Don’t) was throwing down a gauntlet, it seems, and he eventually took his own advice and broke with the GOP over their embrace of Donald Trump, a political move he morally could not abide. In the first Trump years he was a gadfly and prophet, speaking with increasingly heart-broken tones that good people would drift so far from the sort of wholesome conservative values they once seemed to embrace.

In 2010 Gerson released a slim but serious book on Moody Press, co-authored with conservative thinker Peter Wehner, called City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era that carried a foreword by Timothy Keller. (Moody Press; $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99.) Years later he graciously contributed a helpful section to the co-authored, concise book by Stephanie Summers and Katie Thompson of the Center for Public Justice called Unleashing Opportunity: Why Escaping Poverty Requires a Shared Vision of Justice which remains a very interesting little study on domestic poverty. (Falls City Press; $12.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $10.39.)

Like others in his conservative, intellectual, caring camp, Gerson took hits when he renounced the MAGA ideologues and he paid a price for that. And he made enemies with his touching, remarkable piece in the WaPo, “Why Anthony Fauci Is the Greatest Public Servant I Have Ever Known” from October 2022, published just weeks before his death in November of that sad year. It makes for very good reading now as we ponder new directions in what little public health infrastructure we have in the U.S.

I do not know if it was related at all to his changing political awareness but he wrote vulnerably and movingly about his depression. (His National Cathedral talk about it from 2010 is included here) And, of course, he got cancer. (His famous Washington Post column, “After Cancer Diagnosis, Seeing Mortality in the Near Distance” from December of 2013 is here.) And Parkinson’s. His lovely piece about his dog dying is here as well, not to mention wonderful essays about his kids, about Harry Potter, and about “Crying at the Movies.” There are some really poignant and lovely stories.

This grand collection of some of his best work includes a handful of pieces under the headings America, Faith, Family, Heroes, The Arena (including the wise “Abortion Deserves a Sober Debate, Instead, It Gets a War of Unreason” from June of 2022), Life and Death, and four very interesting pieces under the heading, Presidents.

David Brooks wrote a stellar, profoundly moving, introduction. The first line reads, properly, “It is not an exaggeration to say that Michael Gerson possessed one of the most important consciences of his generation.”

They first met, we are told, when Mike was working as a Senate staffer, “devising a package of proposals to help the poor and the marginalized.” Later, Brooks notes, “In short, he led a life of astonishingly moral coherence and grace in a political world that bends towards cynicism and egomania.” At one point he says a person such as Mike ends up with a “hyperactive conscience.”

I have read Brooks’ substantive introduction twice already and it is nearly worth the price of the book. It is moving and wise. But, of course, we read on, one article at a time, or skipping around (they are grouped by theme, not chronologically) and savor the work and vision of the late, great, Michael Gerson.

Passing in 2022, one of his last pieces was “Gaffes Aside, I Once Assumed GOP Goodwill on Race. I Was Wrong.”  It simply must be read. And yet, dour as he could be in his assessments, he was often joyful and lived with “defiant hope.” What a great title for this collection. Defiant Hope is certainly a great book for our times. Highly recommended.

Brooks writes:

This tradition did not provide Mike with a preset political platform. He got something far deeper, an underlying worldview, a set of priorities, an order of loves. This worldview, and way of being, starts with the great inversions that Jesus embodies. “The whole Christmas story is pregnant with enigma and violated expectations,” Mike wrote.

Brooks continues, quoting Gerson, from a striking piece that is included in the book:

“The Creator pulls on a garment of blood and bone. Almighty God is somehow present in a fragile newborn. The deliverer of humankind is delivered, slimy with vernix, in a place smelling of dung.”

One Lost Soul: Richard Nixon’s Search for Salvation Daniel Silliman (Eerdmans) $36.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $29.59

Impious and amoral, petty and vindictive, it should be obvious that Richard Nixon — brilliant in many ways (and more politically significant than many realize) — is not (as it says on the back cover of this thrilling recent book) “the typical protagonist of a religious biography.” But — get this — historian and scholar and writer Dan Silliman insists that “spiritual drama is at the heart of this former president’s tragic story.”

Some of us have heard how the night before his resignation, Richard Nixon grabbed the arm of Henry Kissinger and prayed. And wept. This was one of the most vulnerable (rare) and spiritual (even more rare) moments in his troubled life. He later summoned Kissinger back to his office and begged him not to tell anyone. But it was too late, Kissinger was so struck by the whole odd affair that he had already told several aides and colleagues.

So begins this extraordinary book. If you’ve read any of the many books about Nixon or about the Watergate crisis (and you should as a way to understand the deep corruption and power-mongering mixed with religious-like zeal even in our time since the parallels between Nixon and Trump are, in some manner, notable) this is surely one to add to your library. And if you have not, it is a great one to start with to understand this enigmatic President who escalated bombing even on Christmas Day, all the while carrying a strict moral baggage from his Quaker mother.

One of Silliman’s great insights — documented diligently through having done obvious years worth of serious archival research (and, yes, he listened to all the infamous tapes) — is that Nixon yearned for approval, for love. From his often cold parents to the figures of the main religious movements of the mid-century, to his friendship with Billy Graham and more, the line from Kissinger stands out. He wondered out loud, “Can you imagine what this man would have been had somebody loved him?”

Silliman is an accomplished scholar, teacher, author (we loved his fabulously interesting Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith; Eerdmans; $27.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $22.39), and now is the news editor for Christianity Today. This new work is another in the respected multi-volume, serious series called the Eerdmans Library of Religious Biography.

Two quick things that drew me in besides my firm memory of protesting Nixon’s warring madness and watching his solemn resignation speech that August afternoon, and my evangelical prayer that somehow Billy Graham’s evangelism touched his soul somehow. First, Dan’s opening chapter is riveting. You will be drawn in and have some sort of empathy for this “one lost soul.” And, secondly, the fabulous afterword which tells in vivid prose what it was like doing the research for this, is nearly worth the price of admission if one wonders what the task of writing a serious biography is like. From letters and papers, numerous biographies (he tells you which were most helpful and which were not), hours at the Presidential Library (in Yorba Linda, California.) That some of Silliman’s study was delayed by the Covid pandemic furthers the poignancy of this scholar’s “note on sources.” Read that first and you’ll want to follow him anywhere.

Silliman writes with the flair of a journalist, the eye of an investigative reporter, and the instincts of a highly trained historian. (Off-stage, he actually is all of those things: journalist, reporter, and historian.) Whatever one’s view of Nixon’s policies, Silliman makes a powerful case that he was a man obsessed with his work, tortured by self-doubt, and perennially searching for the God he never could quite find. Silliman’s portrait of Nixon’s religion is a moving and sterling addition to the Eerdmans LRB’s distinguished shelf list. — Grant Wacker, author of One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham

This beautifully written book not only brims with historical insights; it is deeply moving. Silliman helpfully chronicles Nixon’s exploits with various religious movements and leaders throughout his life and career. But more importantly, Silliman’s unique contribution is his breathtaking and affecting depth of analysis of the spiritual struggles of a man who labored for grace and longed for acceptance. — Aaron L. Griffith, author of God’s Law and Order: The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America

The Church in Dark Times: Understanding and Resisting the Evil That Seduced the Evangelical Movement Mike Cosper (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

Many of us have been pondering for years how the once vibrant and theologically engaged evangelical church could be reduced to a mere voting bloc, one that supported a man who bragged about not needing forgiveness (not to mention his sexual molestations) and was, in fact, convicted of felony. Can (as the back cover of this new book puts it) “evil hide in the church behind good intentions?

Let me be clear, though: the evangelical voting bloc for the MAGA agenda and the vexing adoration of Trump, is not the main theme of this book. It is context and it is background (at least for this reader) but the more obvious sins — he names them as evil! — of the evangelical movement are, among other things, a dynamic of abuse (sexual, sadly, and of power more generally, hubris and the like.) The seductions of what Hannah Arendt called “the banality of evil” come into play as Mr. Cosper struggles to document and understand what went wrong.

The Church in Dark Times is a cry from the heart of the movement by one who has written widely (on worship and wonder and the Bible and on a distinctively Christian posture of cultural engagement.) Alas, he saw things in his church planting circles and the evangelical conference circuits that were troubling and soon enough he found himself both profoundly alarmed, deeply depressed, and, eventually, somewhat of an outcast among some old friends as he wrote about the troubles in evangelical circles. He famously investigated and produced the much-discussed podcast series about the fall of Mark Driscoll and the virtual collapse of his big, notorious, Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Shortly thereafter Cosper did a very moving memoir (that I recommended here at BookNotes) called Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found (IVP; $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20.)

As the publisher puts it, in The Church in Dark Times, Cosper “uncovers the underlying causes of the breakdowns of the church and offers practices that foster healing and renewal.”

(In makes for an easy to follow structure — the first half is the careful diagnosis and the second on proposals for what to do.)

Complex and, yes, dark as this may be, it is fascinating and helpful and — hear me on this! — a vital resource for folks from any religious tradition. Whether one is Roman Catholic or mainline Protestant, Mennonite or charismatic or Orthodox, believe me, there is stuff here not only about (as one chapter puts it) “Authority, Violence, and the Erosion of Meaning” but how to resist dark times in any of our faith communities. It realy does offer practices for healing and renewal.

There is a chapter on resistance to evil that includes exceptional insights from Eugene Peterson and Charlie Brown. (See, it isn’t all gloom and doom.) To help steady and equip us Cosper writes about solitude and thinking, about storytelling and culture-making, and a chapter that I have not yet gotten to, on worship. This is great, rich, stuff.

With Hannah Arendt as a guide he knows that evil isn’t alway obvious, showing itself in blatant malice and overt cruelty. More often, the malevolence is more subtle. His repertoire of final chapters are brilliant, showing profound (yet practical) things we can do to help work for reform and renewal.  This is a very, very important book for us all. Even if you think your faith tradition is sane and healthy and your local congregation is safe and good. Don’t miss this.

Cosper brings to bear his extensive work uncovering some of the most troubling moments in the American church, his deep and wide knowledge of art and culture, and, most important, his love of stories, Scripture, and the church. — Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis

Makers By Nature: Letters from a Master Painter on Faith, Hope, and Art Bruce Herman (IVP Academic) $28.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $22.40

There are hard tears and there are what are commonly called tears of joy. There is an anguish in both and I am feeling a lot just holding this extraordinary volume, yes, literally, with tears in my eyes. I really hope you consider this one.

Packed with some of my favorite contemporary art by a favorite artist, made with fold-over French folded covers on a paperback full of soft color and fabulous interior design, the book artifact, Makers By Nature, is a sight to behold, a beautiful reminder of what a book can be. And, it is a reminder of how the Christian faith can be different from what the popular media (and, often, the secular mindset) too often construes in to be. This is expansive, not stuffy,  thoughtful and caring, gracious and full of big questions and glimmers of wonder, examples of what it means to be a truly good person, a good citizen, a good friend, probing, always probing, as these letters do, the meaning of faith and creativity and art and hope. Unless one is tone-deaf to the world of the arts or care-less about the biggest questions of truth and meaning and vocation and faith, this book is a quiet classic of Christian life.

The letters are sometimes chatty and in reply to questions from previous conversations with the recipient — they met at a Duke, they worked on an installation somewhere, they were students long ago, they were at a Board meeting together wrestling with philosophical questions, they were asking for his advice about the rhythms and practice of being a working artist or for explanations about some of his provocative pieces. And (I was surprised to realize) they are fictional. Although — curiously — they are (at least some of them) to real people whose identity readers may figure out (painter and writer Mako Fujimura, philosopher and critic Jamie Smith, spiritual writer Bobby Gross) and a handful of women and men I can only speculate about. It doesn’t matter, really; these are letters for you, for me.

Makers By Nature uses this epistolary form, Bruce tells us, for a few reasons; mostly, it suits his own relational style, and his disposition to think on his feet, not crafting a lengthy, coherent, argument about faithful aesthetics or the integration of faith and art. This collection of letters, then, is a tremendously rich and very helpful compliment to the major works in this movement of Christian thinkers pondering the nature of faith and art. Herman writes on vocation and tradition, prayer, paradox, desire, failure, craft and style, on loss and discouragement, on “The Anxiety of Influence”, being “A Servant of the Work” and “Hallowing the Everyday.” And more, unfolding in lovely, entertaining, even, old-fashioned letters.

These letters forming the chapters of Makers by Nature will be exceptionally helpful to working artists but, frankly, will offer Godly counsel, devout insight, and creative encouragement for any and all of us. I mean that. This book is a treasure that will keep you company for the long haul. As Malcolm Guite notes in his wonderfully precious foreword, not unlike reading Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, this book might be that transformative.

Guite notes that Bruce could have done an academic treatise, but, instead…

He has chosen something far better, something personal, engaging, and practical, something whose most luminous moments shine thorough amid the most down-to-earth and homely advice, something which is aimed not at the theoretician but at the artist herself.

Cam Anderson writes,

…each epistle enables Herman’s readers to benefit from the artist’s lifetime of learning, his strong connections to so many, and his life-giving practice of paying attention. Bruce is always paying attention to God, the world, art, and those he loves. — Cameron J. Anderson, Distinguished Fellow for Art and Literature at The Lumen Center in Madison, Wisconsin, author of The Faithful Artist: A Vision for Evangelicalism and the Arts

Why Everything That Doesn’t Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth (Thomas Nelson) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

We championed this book before it came out, knowing that a collection of letters from Charlie and Andi would be spectacular — fun and interesting, artful and wise. Then, after getting some pre-orders, we describe it again, glad for our customers to know we were recommending it. Many of our customers have followed his music career (and now of Andi’s role in ArtHouse and her own very good volume, Real Love for Real Life.) They have both published chapters in classy, good collections by our friends at Square Halo Books as well. For those that may not recognize their names, Charlie has been an innovative and at times edgy recording artist in the contemporary Christian music scene and, more generally, an award-winning producer and coach for exceptional artists (from The Civil Wars to Switchfoot to Ruby Amanfu to Merle Haggard, Jacob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Bela Fleck, Rich Mullins, The Lone Bellow, Ashley Cleveland, and on and on.) He may be my only friend who has to attend the Grammys.

This recent book is a collection of hard-earned and profound wisdom about, well, almost everything that matters. From family life to vocation and work, from artfulness to politics, from offering hospitality to advice about being a public speaker, these letters are so interesting and, again, the word that comes to mind is wise. They call it “the way of love” (and who doesn’t need a shot of love these days?)

Do you want to mend part of the hurting world in which we live? Do you long for a better public face of gospel Christianity? Do you wonder how to discern when it is time to change something in your life? Might you want to arrange more time in your schedule to write? Are you worried about passing on a meaningful, non-toxic kind of faith to children and grandchildren? Are you reluctant to admit you are a dreamer? Or that you are weary?

In love, can you lean in?

Believe me: the gracious, smart style woven throughout this great collection is the sort of demeanor and perspective we need right now. We can join God’s redemptive work in the world, using our God-given imaginations to live out a good faith “in but not of” the world around us. We can help shape the world in specific ways, whether that is, as it says on the back, “from the kitchen to Carnegie Hall.”

The kitchen? Yep, the first chapter is about learning to cook and what might be lightly called a theology of the kitchen.

These fine letters (some from Andi, some from Charlie, and some from them both) are a “model for expressing love in marriage, friendship, citizenship, and very kind of work — even in the midst of cynicism, fear, exhaustion and oppression.” Don’t we all need a gentle nudge toward beauty and goodness? With chapters like “Why No Part Is Too Small to Matter” and on addressed to “the sick and suffering”, this is so rich and up-lifting. Charlie and Andi have been friends and heroes of ours for decades and it is a delight to recommend Why Everything That Doesn’t Matter… in fact, it is more than a delight, it is a passion, a zeal, an obligation. This book is that good and that important. Pick a few up today.

By the way, I’ve got an advanced copy of Charlie’s fantastic forthcoming autobiography, Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music coming out in a cool hardcover from Eerdmans perhaps as early as late January. (Eerdmans; $32.99 / OUR PRE-ORDER SALE PRICE = $26.39.) It is well written and a blast!  PRE-ORDER it today and get on the waiting list.

The Art of Being a Creature: Meditations on Humus and Humility Regan Sutterfield (Cascade) $25.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.00

Okay, I’ll admit the last few suggested titles — curated for those who maybe need some extra encouragement and hope in these complicated times — are a bit on the artful side, wonderful reads (for anyone) by culture-makers, creators, artists. (And the first two listed, admittedly, were about political figures, from Michael Gerson to Richard Nixon.)

How about a hope-filled, encouraging book by a farmer? A theologian of the land, an Episcopalian who knows something about (as the subtitle suggests), the very human condition of being linked to the soil and to Christian virtue of humility? Ragan Sutterfield is your man and the quite new The Art of Being a Creature is one of the great lessons we all must embrace. This is a rare, good, book.

I’ve adored and raved about books that highlight the fragility of our human condition. Many folks of faith have done expert work on reminding us of the theology of limitations and the practical wisdom of embracing our fundamental reality of being creatures. From Kelly Kapic’s excellent You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (Brazos Press; $26.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59) to Liuan Huska’s memoir of chronic pain, Hurting Yet Whole: Reconciling Body and Spirit in Chronic Pain and Illness (IVP; $20.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $16.79) to the gorgeously written The Gift of Limitations: Finding Beauty in Your Boundaries by the great Sara Hagerty (Zondervan; $26.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59) there are plenty of titles with inspiring prose reminding us of our limits, boundaries, constraints.

Sutterfield’s new book links all this — with exceptionally good writing, by the way — to our very dignified role as creatures in God’s good world. But yet, he is wiser than most about how (“from AI to the Anthropocene”) our technological age has created somewhat of a crisis about the meaning of being human. Such power has “pushed human life to the limits.” Naturally, we are alienated.

As it asks on the back cover:

“What if a study of the soil, the humus from which humanity came, could shed light on our condition? What if attending to the soil could teach us something about how we should live?”

This will come as no surprise to those who have followed Ragan’s work. He is a writer whose first book — a brilliant, concise volume written a bit more than a decade ago — was called Cultivating Reality (a provocative title for sure, eh?) The subtitle of that was “How the Soil Might Save Us” which he explores here in greater depth. In the following years he has been ordained and, not unrelatedly, has become an expert in permaculture (he farms in his native Arkansas.) He has written my favorite, lovely introduction to the writing and life of Wendell Berry (Wendell Berry and The Given Life (Franciscan Media; $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19.) As a pastor, priest, and writer he invites us to ponder what abundant (dare I say sacramental) life looks like, what it really means to be a human, to be fully alive, and to attend to the soil beneath our very feet.

The Art of Being a Creature is more than a tract against gnosticism and it is more than a call to agrarianism (although he does cite Wendell Berry, Gene Logsden, Bill McKibben, etc.) It is ultimately about a spirituality of matter, a call to Biblical and spiritual faithfulness, an enjoyable set of stories and illustrations (from composting to discovering awe, from “pushing a wheelbarrow” to nurturing solidarity) where we can in our very lifestyles overcome some of the barriers between heaven and Earth.

This, too, seems to be a book for our times. Learning to realize our connection to the Earth and thereby living a bit more locally, being attentive to the trees and birds around us and developing the skills of stewarding well that which is given to us, all seem so urgent, now. The Art of Being a Creature is a gift.

Weaving together reflections on the soil, the biblical story, farming, compost, and our hope for the healing of creation, Ragan Sutterfield has created an allusive and poetic symphony of gratitude, awe, and solidarity with and for the soil and ourselves as creatures. This book evocatively and compellingly invites us to join the dance of all of creation, so that we, who are intimately bound with the soil, might become more deeply rooted in the life of the Creator. — Sylvia Keesmaat, founder, Bible Remixed, co-author of Romans Remixed: Resisting Empire / Demanding Justice

How to Be a Patriotic Christian: Love of Country as Love of Neighbor Richard J. Mouw (IVP) $17.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

This is another book that just cries out to be recognized at a time like this. I have highlighted it before and have admitted that, even if I might have worded things a slightly bit different here or there, I am in great awe of Richard’s calm ability to guide us through very thorny matters — thorny academically and thorny morally and thorny theologically — and leave the reader wanting even more. It is a clear-headed, down-to-Earth book that is informed by his lifetime of good thinking, developing his own ecumenical but generally Reformed world-and-life view and philosophy of political theory. Mouw — who taught philosophy (particularly political philosophy) at Calvin College early in his career — moved to become an esteemed President of Fuller Theological Seminary. Now back at the Paul Henry Institute in Grand Rapids, holding forth on public theology and social ethics and Christian perspectives on all manner of things, How to Be A Patriotic Christian is very well researched and very well informed.

For those who worry that a book like this seems too close to Christian nationalism or that using the word patriotic to defend the Christian’s commitments to patriotism, fear not. As the subtitle says, Mouw is drawing on matters of land and culture and state and justice to enhance our love for others. This is nothing approximating a chauvinistic or pompous elevation of one’s own land and he bears no brief for idolatrous American exceptionalism (although he is quick to honor distinctive American traditions and guiding principles.) I think that those who tilt left and those who tilt right in their cultural assumptions and political ethics will find something here to appreciate. It is, in that sense, a bridge-building book, something we can talk together about, perhaps even in agreement over much.

Good folks that we trust — Luke Bobo, founder of Pursuing the Great Good and John Inazu (author, recently, of Learning to Disagree Well) just for instance — have nice endorsements on the back. (Inazu is right when he says Mouw’s is “one of the wisest and kindest voices around.”) This good book would be worth reading even if you didn’t care a whit about patriotism. And if you do, it is a must, helping you see your patriotism in a faithful manner.

In a fresh and upbeat way, Mouw is asking questions akin to one of the most important books in all of Western history, The City of God by Saint Augustine, written during the collapse of the Roman Empire. That is, what is the relationship between Christianity and culture, between Jerusalem and Athens, between this world and the next? Can, somehow, some sort of temporal honor to our own land and a wise stewardship of our citizenship bear witness to our standing as members of a different Kingdom? Mouw says yes. Agree or not, in and for these days, How to Be a Patriotic Christian by Rich Mouw is a very helpful guidebook.

Let me be blunt: if you are saying “not my President” right now and are in disdain of the President elect, you may need this book (not to dissuade you from your needed critique, but to put it in appropriate frame.) And if you are even a partial MAGA disciple or are excited about what Mr. Trump may do come January, again, you, too need this book. It is not flamboyant or needlessly provocative, but reasonable and gracious and a good, good read. We are going to be having this conversation in weeks to come and you’d be smart to have this under your belt. Buy a couple, at our BookNotes 20% off.  You’ll be glad you did.

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BookNotes

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Back in mid-October we saw some vivid Christmas decorations down the street a bit next to a house decorated with grisly Halloween scenes. One doesn’t have to be a liturgical calendar geek to know that’s just too early. The Trump signs next to Santa’s sleigh didn’t compute, either. It got me cranky; maybe that’s why our annual Advent book list wasn’t any earlier this year. (Well, there was that national election that you might have heard about.) Now, at last, here we go — with some hot cider in the mug, here’s the latest BookNotes with some descriptions of new Advent and Christmas readings.

A second one will come soon listing children’s books to help families celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Of course there are a lot of great titles from other years, so if you love book browser, you might enjoy checking out these old BookNotes from previous years. (You can use our search box at the Hearts & Minds website, too, if you’re looking for what we might have described and recommended before.) Many of these seasonal books are still in print and may be in stock here at the shop now:

• https://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/2023/11/2023-advent-books-20-off/
• https://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/2022/11/7905/
• https://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/2022/11/advent-resources-for-families-with-children-2022-some-new-some-older-all-20-off/
• https://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/2019/12/childrens-books-for-advent-and-christmas-and-a-gem-or-two-illustrated-by-ned-bustard-on-sale-now/
• https://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/2021/11/advent-2021-resources-for-groups-classes-families-and-for-personal-use-all-20-off/

Given the heaviness of our times for many of us these days, might I suggest (from previous lists) perhaps The Advent of Justice, a keen, brief, Biblically-based set of mediations by Brian Walsh, Richard Middleton, Sylvia Keesmaat, and Mark Vander Vennan. Or perhaps the passionate, insightful hardcover, The First Advent in Palestine: Reversals, Resistance, and the Ongoing Complexity of Hope by Kelley Nikondeha or Keep Watch With Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers with contributions by Shane Claiborne, Sami Awad, Becca Stevens, Padraig O Tuama, and more, who will inspire a gracious sort of faith-infused social activism. Honest Advent (by Scott Erickson) would be good for some of our readers, I’d bet. And we simply must, each year, remind readers of the excellent, hefty collection of sermons by the Reverend Fleming Rutledge, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ, a must-have volume in my view.

For those new to the meaning of Advent, don’t miss the small Advent: The Season of Hope in the ongoing “Fullness of Time” series edited by Esau McCaulley. You’ll see in last’s year’s BookNotes my rave review of Christmas: The Season of Light and Life in that series by Emily McGowan and Epiphany: The Season of Glory by Fleming Rutledge. Thanks be to God.

 

Glad and Golden Hours: A Companion for Advent & Christmastide Lanier Ivestor, illustrated by Jennifer Trafton (Rabbit Room Press) $35.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $28.00

We’ll start off this BookNotes Advent newsletter listing not with a daily devotional or reflective study of Biblical texts or the spirituality of the journey to Bethlehem but rather, a big, sprawling, wonderful, wonderful keepsake volume that a offers, well, a guide to thinking about and doing something with the themes of Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmastide and such, in light of a rich theology of incarnation and hope. Glad and Golden Hours, done exquisitely by the creative folks at Rabbit Room, has lovely watercolor illustrations on good paper, with lots of colored ink a pastel pages, each offering ideas of how to celebrate, how to engage the ups and downs of the season, things to do, stuff to make, prayers and songs and cookies and candles and more. If you long for some sort of coherent and thoughtful framework for thinking about family rituals and seasonal customers and feasting and fasting and more, Ivestor and Trafton have given you a delightful, tangible, almost lavish guidebook.

There are a lot of popular books about holiday crafts and home-based celebrations but none hold an (Advent) candle to this. It is upbeat but honest, deeply aware of sorrows and losses, and the best resource we know to reshape the landscape of our daily holiday lives.

I adore this paragraph from the back cover. They had me at Capon, even more at Supper of the Lamb, but the rest is worth pondering all season.

Like Robert Capon’s Supper of the Lamb, this is a book that defies the trappings of a mere cookbook or a collection of craft projects. It’s an embodiment of a rich theology of Creation of what it means to be human when everything is both falling apart and coming back together.

As Investor says, “If the full radiance beyond the darkness of this world was unmasked at once, I don’t think we’d be able to bear it.” This book will help you unfold along with the season, wrestling with feasting and mourning and the “coexisting forces of great grief and great joy” She calls her home Ruff House and you are invited in for some glad and golden hours. Join in!

Comfort and Joy: Readings and Practices for Advent Sherah-Leigh Gerber & Gwen Lantz (Herald Press) $16.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

Speaking of books with recipes and concrete ways to embody both the waiting/longing themes of Advent and the feasting of coming Christmas, this book offers both a daily devotional format (looking at lectionary texts drawn from Wilda Gafney’s A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church) and brings the Mennonite sympathies of the authors to bear in a really, really good Advent reader. There are devotional entries that are Biblical and solid, even thought-provoking, but there are other entries that are about finding grounded practices allowing us to “notice the sacred amid the ordinary.” Both of these Anabaptist women are serious thinkers and have forged a friendship around their shared love of writing well.

As it says on the back, “in these pages you’ll find ways to engage more deeply with favorite traditions and cultivate creative space for new ones.”

“Reading this book was a gift to me, and I’m happy to recommend it as a gift of grace for the Advent and Christmas season.” — April Yamasaki pastor and author of Four Gifts: Seeking Self-Care for Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany Jonathan Gibson (Crossway) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

If you know Gibson’s beautifully done, Celtic-themed (in a green and gold box slip-case) Be Thou My Vision then you will understand the format and design and power of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. This is written by a theologically conservative, straight-arrow Reformed pastor who is drawn to ancient liturgy and formal prayers and rubrics. In each entry, the day’s “liturgy” (printed with red ink highlights) includes meditations and calls to worship, times of adoration and prayers of confession. There are of course assurances of pardon and some catechism teaching from the classic creeds of the church. From intercession to the Lord’s Prayer, there are fabulous rhythms of daily worship — good for individuals, families, small groups.

This 40-day devotional offers rich, classic liturgical devotions to worship during the season of Advent and Christmastide.

Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas: An Advent Adventure from Genesis to Revelation John Hayward (IVP/UK) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

Hayward has directed the Jubilee Centre in the UK and is known throughout the world as a mission leader and proponent of a holistic, evangelical vision. With endorsements from the likes of respected human rights activists such as Baroness Caroline Cox of Queensbury, you can be sure this is no simplistic or truncated perspective. Some have said it is a rare book, even, not only because of its deeply relevant Kingdom orientation but because it draws, day by day, on Biblical texts not usually associated with the season of Advent or the texts of Christmas. It starts with Genesis and works each day through the unfolding drama of Scripture to show how these interrelated texts point to Christ.

Surely a good reminder, refreshing, maybe even surprising for a Christmas-season read. It’s a nice hardback with gold embossing on the cover.  25 readings.

Season’s Greetings: Christmas Letters from Those Who Were There Ruth L. Boling (Upper Room Books) $14.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $11.99

Over the decades of our selling holiday books for our customers here in Dallastown we’ve come to very deeply appreciate Upper Room as a publisher of contemplative, well-written, easy-to-read, reflective books. Almost without a doubt their Advent and Lent releases are well worth having. We were excited to see this one because Ruth is a PCUSA minister who has served several churches here in the mid-Atlantic region. Her books on children and worship are stellar and enduring. She also, later in life, got a Doctor of Ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in a program on Creative Writing and Public Theology.  We are fans.

Season’s Greetings is creative writing par excellence. It is not goofy (even if the very notion seems a bit whimsical.) As the great Thomas Long puts it, “Be prepared to meet the people of the Christmas story in ways you have never encountered them before.”

Each of 12 chapters starts with a letter from one of the characters of the story.  (Imagine opening your mailbox to find a bundle of Christmas letters addressed to you from all the biblical characters who were there for the birth of Jesus!)

There are pieces here from Mary, Joseph, the innkeeper, a shepherd. Don’t forget the midwife. You can hardly imagine the one from Herod and praise the Lord for the epistle from the Magi. These “vividly imagined letters”, the back cover says, “speak to the many meanings of Christmas — awe, wonder, disruption, scandal, and hope.” And more.

In the hands of a less thoughtful theologian or a less competent writer, this could turn maudlin or simplistic, a cheesy device. That would be okay, even, for the sheer fun of it, but in Ruth Boeing’s hands, these letters become a powerful bit of straight talk, compassionate insight, culturally-informed wisdom. What a book filled with, as one reviewer put it, intellectual rigor and a touch of humor.

At the end of each letter there is a prayer of confession, a whole bunch of thoughtful questions for reflection or discussion, and some journaling prompts.  Of course there is a closing prayer. There is also a nice guide for clergy or church leaders at the back and some suggestions for small groups. She is quite an educator, so offers these aids for your use. But the power is in the letters. Enjoy!

The Christmas Letters: Celebrating Advent with Those Who Told the Story First Magrey R. DeVega (Abingdon Press) $17.99;  The Christmas Letters Leader’s Guide $15.99 / OUR SALE PRICES = $14.39 (book), $12.79 (Leader’s Guide

Well, speaking of letters, get this: This is an Advent study of a few of the Epistles of the NT that allude to the miracle of Christ’s birth. In a way, these are the first to write about the story, so we can dig into Romans, 1 John, Philippians, and Colossians, each which contains “the earliest attempts by the church to understand and celebrate the incarnations of Jesus Christ.”

Rev. Magrey, the Senior Pastor at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, Floria, says that we are meant to read these letters “as if they’re written to us, to guide us, and to teach us and help us follow Christ.” These are ancient words but can help us more fully appreciate the meaning of Christ’s birth.

Tired of the routine studies of the classic nativity story? Try this It’s a four week study, good for book clubs or classes or small groups or to do on your own. Even without the Leader’s Guide, there are reflective questions and lots to ponder. Nice, basic, inspiring. And believe me, this guy loves the waiting Advent season — he’s written several others that have been popular other years…

The Inklings at Christmastide William Murdock (Lion’s Breath Publishing) $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

I’m not going to lie: I wanted to adore this but it’s a little funky — a few typos (even on the back cover) and some odd design that you tend to find on self-published books. I wish this would have been done on a major publishing house with a classy and artful design that it deserves.

Because, self published as it may be, this is really unique. It allows us to “bring home for the holidays” friends like Lewis, Tolkien, Charles Williams, and other Inklings, not to mention Chesterton, Joy Davidman, George MacDonald, and the like. As Murdock puts it, you can “sit with some of the greatest men and women of faith and reason whose words have resonated throughout the decades.”

Murdock enjoyed the friendship of Sheldon Vanauken (known for his gripping book A Severe Mercy, about the death of his wife Davy and his correspondence with C.S. Lewis.) Curiously, that led Murdock to come to know Larry Norman, the remarkable rock star, who in turn opened the door for him to read the Inklings and Chesterton and more.

There are readings here for Advent through Epiphany. To be clear there is only one line or two from Lewis or Vanauken or Williams or Chesterton (or Larry Norman) for each day along with Bible readings, a meditation drawing on these insights, by Mr. Murdock. There isn’t a lot of writing from the Inklings, et al, per se, but the spirit of these imaginative thinkers pervades the meditations. What an interesting idea!

Prepare the Way for the Lord: Advent and the Message of John the Baptist Adam Hamilton (Abingdon Press) $16.99; Prepare the Way Leader’s Guide; $14.99 Prepare the Way DVD, $39.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59 (book), $11.99 (Leader’s Guide), $31.99 (DVD)

Just when you wondered if the great Adam Hamilton could do another Advent teaching, he comes up with this little study, a major project that few have approached as a key to Advent. Yep, cue “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord” from Godspell, if you remember that, because here is a study in four weeks of the relationship of John the Baptist “prepare ye” speech and prophecy and the coming of the Jewish Messiah.

Actually, he brings in the annunciation, Zechariah’s prophecy and gets to John’s ministry and preaching before a chapter called “Witnesses – Testifying to the Light.” This is rich, rewarding stuff, popular-level but not too sentimental. It’s solid teaching, informed by good scholarship. I appreciated the final postscript (yes, I jumped ahead) called “Judgement Day and the second Advent.” Prepare, indeed.

In each of the gospels, the story of Jesus is intertwined with that of his cousin John, the one whom the prophets foretold would come to “prepare the way of the Lord.” The life, ministry, and message of John the Baptist makes us and our world read to receive Christ.

Advent for Exiles: 25 Devotions to Awaken Gospel Hope in Every Longing Heart Caroline Cobb (B&H Publishing) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I’ll admit to being a sucker for this lovely and handsome hardback, compact sized with a lavish green cover. I love that Caroline Cobb is a songwriter and storyteller and assume this will be, as they say, “a more honest, imaginative, and Scripture-rich companion for the Advent season.”

She indeed does weave together God’s Word, song, Biblical imagery and what she calls responsive exercises.

Importantly, she invites us into the lives of the Hebrew exiles in the awful time of 597 BCE, the date Brueggemann reminds us of often, so seminal and generative, when they were taken from their homeland into Babylonian captivity. They ached for return, longed for restoration. Some of our favorite Advent song lyrics— “O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel” — remind us that this is at the heart of the Biblical story we honor during this somber season. Cobb helps us “travel the Advent road from darkness to daybreak, wilderness to garden, exile to homecoming.” I like that approach. We will see what she does with it, but I know of no other Advent devotional that so intentionally leads us into this poetry of longing, set in exile, and hoping for home.

It isn’t every lovely Advent book that quotes solid Biblical teachers like Sandra Richter (The Epic of Eden), the legendary (dense) Meredith Kline, Michael Williams (Far as the Curse Is Found), my Bible heros Craig Bartholomew & Mike Goheen, not to mention Tim Mackie’s great “Bible Project” videos — all alongside Tolkien and and Emily Dickinson. And, yes, Fleming Rutledge. This is a winner.

Rediscovering Christmas: Surprising Insights into the Story You Thought You Knew AJ Sherrill (Waterbrook) $20.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $16.00

I’ve been fond of AJ Sherrill as an author, not really knowing much about him. I liked his The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation: How Knowing Ourselves Can Make Us More Like Jesus, one of the better enneagram titles on our big shelf of them, and, importantly, I hope you know his great Brazos Press title, Being with God: The Absurdity, Necessity, and Neurology of Contemplative Prayer, which offers just what it say — neurology and contemplative prayer, crazy and important as it is. So I’m a fan, but recently a good, supportive friend told me he knows him well and that just made me all the more happy, hearing about his own story, love of books, and solid, mature faith. Hooray.

And now this little Christmas book appears, with a great foreword by Rich Villodas, with two sections — seven chapters for Advent (“The Gift of Waiting”) and seven for Christmas (“The Gift of Receiving.”) It claims to offer some really fresh insights. Really?

Don’t believe me? Understandable. But check this out:

Rediscovering Christmas opened my eyes to a world of meaning I had never known. — Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art

This little (but powerful) text packs a punch–with insightful historical knowledge, keen biblical sensitivity, biting cultural critique, and compassionate pastoral love. It gives the Advent season a whole new level of excitement for the follower of Jesus. — A. J. Swoboda, professor, pastor, and author of After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith Without Losing It

Rediscovering Christmas draws us into the mystery and messiness of the birth of Jesus Christ in our broken world. . . . AJ invites us to place one foot in the ancient Christmas story and our other foot in our own everyday lives. — Trevor Hudson, minister in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and author of Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard and Pauses for Advent: Words of Wonder

Stay Awhile: Advent Lessons in Divine Hospitality Kara Edison (WJK) $17.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.60

Kara Edison has an MDiv from Duke and has pastored in rural, suburban, and urban settings, which is a good sign that she knows a variety of readers from a variety of church settings. She’s also worked as a United Methodist campus ministry, which is pretty nifty. She brings to this hospitable table a lovely endorsement by Adam Hamilton who says she writes with “a scholar’s insight, a pastor’s heart, and a storyteller’s gift.” Nice.

The book might seem a companion to the helpful, soulful, Lenten work by Christine Coy Fohr, a title called Meeting Jesus at the Table. Here, though, in Advent, she takes us through images of divine hospitality. In the incarnation, God proves God’s own hospitality to us — Christ comes to us and is for us. But yet, the babe and his holy family needs to be shown quite human hospitality (which doesn’t come easy in first century Palestine, or in twenty-first century USA.) Our own preparation for receiving Christ takes physical and embodied attention, and, obviously, spiritual and emotional attentiveness. These reflections help us ponder the coming of Christ — past, present, and future.

Stay Awhile is one of the most useful books on the list this year not only due to the moving stories and important content, but because it includes weekly reflections for personal or small group use (of course) but besides the briefly daily meditations, too, there are ideas for including your whole congregation. As it says on the back, congregational resources include liturgies, sermon starters, children’s moments, and even a no-rehearsals-needed Christmas pageant. How about that?

Show Me Your Ways, O Lord: Devotions on the Psalms of Advent Kathryn Nishibayashi, Beth-Sarah Wright, Nancy Frausto, and Kim Fox (Forward Movement) $12.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $9.60

This small, compact book is a blessing for those who want some inspiring devotions exploring the Psalms for the season. There are Psalms of adoration, lament, repentance, and thanksgiving.  As they say on the back cover:

This collection connects us to the eternal truths of Scripture by reflection on the assigned Sunday Psalms for Advent from all three liturgical years. What a great idea, eh?

Borrowing Wonder: Christmas Poems and Reflections to Open the Heart John Shea (Liturgical Press) $19.95 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.96

When we opened our store in the early 1980s, John Shea was a very big name in popular Catholic renewal, writing a lot of really creative stuff and speaking all over; he was an energetic, passionate, colorful storyteller, poet and organizational leader. I haven’t kept up with his recent work, and was delighted to see this new, handsome, compact sized hardback.

Besides poetry there are a few upbeat essays in creative tones, a couple of very cool line drawing illustrations and a few photos. Nice to know his creative juices are still flowing, offering wisdom and care, wonder and joy, opening our hearts to the gospel of God.

There are some wonderful endorsements on the back, including a great blurb by Ronald Rolheiser who says that Shea is his favorite religion poet. Child-like joy and seeing goodwill will be a “balm for those parts of us that are jaded and cynical.”

Calling All Angels: An Advent Study of Fearlessness and Strength Erin Wathen (WJK) $17.00 / 13.60

Want an Advent study that is solid Biblically, evocative of faith and courage, and yet leaves room for questions and doubts and openness? Better, Calling All Angels (as you might expect with the title drawn from the Jane Siberry song) is fluent in pop culture and draws on songs from Over the Rhine and Mumford and Sons and the Indigo Girls. Her book playlist includes “Christmas Must Be Tonight” by the Band and “Angels from the Realms of Glory” by Annie Lennox, a song by Ella Fitzgerald. From Goo Goo Dolls to Emmylou Harris to Amy Grant to “Gabriel’s Message” by Sting, this is so much fun, and deeply moving.

After the Biblical meditations (each with a closing prayer) there is, at the end, four weeks of worship resources for those tasked with coming up with Call to Worship litanies, candle lighting and children’s messages, communion prayers, and the like.

A Timeless Script from a First Century Doctor: Advent Through the Eyes of Dr. Luke Rick Farmer (WestBow Press) $21.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $17.59

Anybody who calls the writer of the third Gospel (and Acts!) “Dr. Luke” has my attention, both because it is obvious the author has done some homework, and is playful enough to wear the scholarship lightly. I enjoy these sorts of books, well conceived and simply told, conversational and inspiring (even as they are informed by professorial insight.) A Timeless Script is this rare kind of book with quotes from Leslie Newbigin, and worldview studies combined with goofy cartoons. The print is a good size, there are quotes and jokes, and the academic stuff is found mostly in interesting footnotes.

More than mere Biblical insight, Farmer offers great wisdom here, devotion in the best sense of the word. He has studied faith formation and religion and has a degree in Psychology. He is a preacher and a teacher — and, truth be told, a former staff member of the fabulous Pittsburgh-based campus ministry organization the CCO. That he has been involved with the big Jubilee conference and has gone on to lead classes and mentor young adults shouldn’t surprise us.

This chatty volume has 300 pages —  plenty to read in a month. Dr. Farmer does Biblical study, practical application, offering keen faith-based visions of God’s Kingdom transforming those who trust in Christ, including those with mental health concerns, parenting needs, desires for healing or desperate for fresh starts. From the Gospel of Luke he draws insight from the life of Jesus, does some analysis of our cultural biases against the supernatural, and invites us to a whole-life discipleship filled with true truth, deep joy and real hope.

Be of Good Cheer: A Christmas Devotional Susan Hill (Zondervan) $16.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

Some books are nice to give as gifts for those who may be first drawn to the lovely aesthetics, a warm-looking and holiday-obvious book with brown pinecones and white marshmallows and tan candles on the cover. There’s an open journal shown on the cover, there, too, inviting in the slightest hint to take time this season of decorations and beauty to think about what it is all about.

There’s nice design here, traditionally inviting like a cool Hallmark card. (And even a “To” and “From” plate in the front if your giving it as a gift. It says on the back, “Has merry and bright got you overwhelmed and exhausted?” This 40 days devotional invites us to quiet our mind, enjoy the nice photos and quaint, seasonal illustrations. Each reading is based on a Bible text and has a random one-word title so one can dip in whenever one has time…

Come Discover Christmas: a 32-Day Advent Devotional Arnold R. Fleagle, illustrated by Timothy R. Botts (Chosen) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

At first glance this is a lovely, trim sized devotional with holiday trappings, some cartoony holly and a great type font drawn so nicely. And, yep, then you realize that this is decorated by the remarkable calligraphy art of the great Timothy Bolts. He has not done books much lately and it is a great joy to see him at it again. Each entry here has the signature Botts animated calligraphy, flowing, shouting, praising. It’s nice.

Rev. Arnold Fleagle has some central Pennsylvania connections as he has served in the Christian Missionary Alliance denomination. He’s a good preacher, has won some writing awards, and here offers good insight, well told.

He writes,

Come Discover Christmas is designed to serve as a road map through the colors and characters, the places and prophecies, and the sights and songs of Christmas.

You will encounter unique views on the advent of our Lord including the ironies of Christmas, the politics of Christmas, and the inconveniences of Christmas.

Several carols are unpacked, too, nicely, I’d say. Well done.

One of Us: Reflecting on the Radical Mystery of the Incarnation A.D. Bauer (Square Halo Books) $16.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

This is not a daily devotional and not exactly a seasonal book, but what better time to read up on the implications of the incarnation than now, in the season leading to the very celebration of this amazing reality, God With Us, in the flesh. There are tons of books these days on the humanity of Jesus and how Christ’s own humanness can mold and shape and inspire us to be ourselves more fully human. There are deep theological studies reflecting on how it can be that this second Person of the Trinity can be an earthling. Most draw on the ancient classic — one of the most important books in the history of the world — On the Incarnation by Athanasius. And some of these are a bit heavy, tedious even.

A.D. Bauer is a small church, Reformed pastor who loves great art and literature and has written several other books that we stock (most recently his helpful How to See: Reading God’s Word with New Eyes.) I’ve highlighted One of Us earlier this fall when it first came out and I’m happy to give a fresh red and green holiday shout out here, now, since it is so very germane. It is short and readable and very clearly Biblically faithful.

One of Us starts with a lovely, inspiring essay about how the incarnation — Christ becoming fully human — should give us great hope. God understands us and in Christ, we are accepted in our frail humanness. The first half of the small book, in fact, is arranged under the heading “Living Like Us” and these chapters remind us of Christ’s baptism, how he faced temptation, and how he lived a very full life. He is fully God and fully human ‘(“man” as A.D. puts it, harkening to an older formulation of theological lingo) and this is an astonishing truth. It is a helpful truth. Pastor Bauer has had conversations with folks who need to hear that Christ was one of us. Maybe you need to hear that, too.

The second half of One of Us shows how this Jesus, the incarnated One, reverses the effects of the human fall into sin. The short chapters are good to name as any one of them could be incredibly helpful for most of us:

• Jesus Lives in Harmony with God and Others
• Jesus Performed Miracles
• Jesus Taught the Kingdom of God
• Jesus Relied on the Scriptures
• Jesus Faced the Cross

In a short epilogue laden with New Testament texts and confident gospel vision, Bauer reminds us again not only how connected we are to Jesus — He is like us! — but also a great assertion that Christ is (as 2 Corinthians put it) YES! Jesus’s life, Bauer tells us, “shows us how to live in opposition to the fall.”  And of course, we do that in Him and for Him. This is a gospel-centered message and is a great resource in our Advent journey as we move to the great celebration of Christmas.

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The weight and destination of your package varies but you can use this as a quick, general guide:

There are generally two kinds of US Mail options and, of course, UPS.  If necessary, we can do overnight and other expedited methods, too. Just ask.

• United States Postal Service has an option called “Media Mail” which is cheapest but can be a little slower. For one typical book, usually, it’s $4.83; 2 lbs would be $5.58. This is the cheapest method available and sometimes is quicker than UPS, but not always.
• United States Postal Service has another, quicker option called “Priority Mail” which is $8.70, if it fits in a flat-rate envelope. Many children’s books and some Bibles are oversized so that might take the next size up which is $9.50. “Priority Mail” gets more attention than does “Media Mail” and is often just a few days to anywhere in the US.
• UPS Ground is reliable but varies by weight and distance and may take longer than USPS. Sometimes they are cheaper than Priority. We’re happy to figure out your options for you once we know what you want.

If you just want to say “cheapest” that is fine. If you are eager and don’t want the slowest method, do say so. It really helps us serve you well so let us know. Keep in mind the possibility of holiday supply chain issues and slower delivery… still, we’re excited to serve you.

BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

20% OFF

This only shows a part of our large book display…

What a joy to be out on the road, setting up big book displays at events (like our beloved Wee Kirk small church conference where I got to do a workshop on reading and a keynote talk on God’s big mission) and, just a few days ago, the fabulous, yearly gathering of the Christian Legal Society (CLS) this year held in Washington DC.

Despite the wide range of politically informed scholars and thinkers at that event, the conversations were civil — one woman brought us from candy after she realized we would not be voting for her preferred candidate; lawyers often love to argue and it was fun holding forth with law professors and circuit court judges and scholars of jurisprudence. Okay, I didn’t really hold forth, I listened and learned (except, well, when I didn’t.) What an impressive gathering. Like at our rural and small church gathering, it’s so good to be with those who want good books. And they bought books, believe me! Thanks be to God for the opportunity to serve sharp folks of varying church traditions working out their own callings and careers and deepening the contours of their public theology. One could say we were in our wheelhouse.

For those who might get a kick out of what we sold at the CLS event — alongside single copies of this or that book on government or prayer or marriage or missions or grief or history or Advent devotionals or Every Moment Holy or the new N.T. Wright (The Challenge of Acts) or the new devotional of Tim Keller’s writings (Go Forward in Love)— there were a few big sellers. Rebecca McLaughlin was there from her home-base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she has worked with Veritas Forum and we almost sold out of everything of hers we took. (Her Confronting Christianity and Confronting Jesus are top-notch volumes of apologetics and her little book about friendship, No Greater Love, is vital, actually, as we form communities that show forth brotherly and sisterly love.) We have all of her books, of course, and you can get them at our BookNotes 20% off. Even her little one on Christmas –  Is Christmas Unbelievable? Four Questions Everyone Should Ask about the World’s Most Famous Story.

And naturally, many appreciated heady books such as the brand new academic survey of the ideological roots of some branches of critical theory, To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse by Carl R. Trueman (B+H Academic; $34.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99) or, less philosophical and more moderate in tone,  The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust by Francis Collins (Little Brown; $30.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $30.00.) We literally had hundreds of books in the cultural studies section, from classic positive ones like the must-read, fabulous Culture-Making by Andy Crouch to recently released social criticism such as The Uses of Idolatry by William Cavanaugh (on Oxford University Press) to big picture (and dare I say brilliant) “architectonic” cultural discernment such as Beyond the Modern Age: An Archaeology of Contemporary Culture by Bob Goudzwaard & Craig Bartholomew.

There was a breathtaking panel on AI with some very sharp attorney’s who have explored the legal ramifications of this generative intelligence and who pondered deeply about the age-old but oh-so-vital question “what does it mean to be human?”

Jason Thacker (known for his thoughtful scholarship and the popular little book, Following Jesus in a Digital Age) was there on the panel as well, offering great insight about this very matter; so much depends on our clarity about the Biblical truth of people being made in the very image of God. His book The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity was ahead of its time and has just now be re-issued in paperback (with a lovely forward by Richard Mouw.) (Zondervan; $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99.) We have his other work, too, but for most of us, this is the best, basic, theological guide to this sort of stuff. We have a lot of other books with theological reflections, on AI — send me an email if you want a longer list — but I’d say to start with this one.

Many were delighted to see the fresh (surprising, even) new take on things by the conservative cultural critic Rod Dreher, in his brand new Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age (Zondervan; $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99.) which Dreher might suggest is the antidote to his previous broadside to “live not with lies” or his friend Aaron Renn’s book Life in the Negative World about how best to challenge the confusions of the post-Christian cultural milieu.

Living in Wonder is itself wondrous and we were glad some appreciated it there. You probably read our two previous BookNotes entries about it, but if you haven’t yet, you should consider it! That’s Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age.

We featured a lot of books about political theory and Christian approaches to public and civic affairs; we had a section against Christian nationalism that annoyed a few folks, I supposed, one-sided as it tended to be. I made an up-front announcement on the exceptionally balanced and sober Citizenship without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement by David Koyzis (IVP Academic; $18.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40.) We had books calling for reform of criminal justice, like the good books by the Mennonite restorative justice thinker, Howard Zehr (Changing Lenses: Restorative Justice for Our Times) or the more brainy 2023 Crossway book by Matthew Martens, Reforming Criminal Justice A Christian Proposal or books like the IVP titles Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice That Restores (by Dominique DuBois Gilliard) and Rethinking the Police: An Officer’s Confession and the Pathway to Reform by black police officer Daniel Reinhardt. There are a lot of helpful resources for those of us wanting to think through the challenges and point towards necessary reforms.

We loved hearing H. Knox Thames, author of Ending Persecution. He is a respected global peacemaker and religious freedom advocate, telling of his years serving as a State Department diplomat helping global government agencies understand the role of religion (and competing religions) in regional conflicts and discovering plausible, just resolutions. His brand new, semi-scholarly work on the University of Notre Dame Press just came out and when announcing it I blurted out that I think he should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. You heard it here first…  He has served our country through work on the Helsinki Commission, the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and other such projects. Thames was a State Department appointee to the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief and is a current member of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS), an organization dedicated to preventing the destruction and theft of cultural property during armed conflict and natural disasters. For now, read his splendid Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom (University of Notre Dame; $45.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $36.00.)

For those running legal aid clinics for the poor, they were glad to see a book I had just last week announced at BookNotes, Redemptive Service: Loving Our Neighbors Well by Lisa P. Stephenson & Ruthie Wienk (Baker Academic.) I hope they noticed the important recent book by the great black preacher and activist William Barber and his associate Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, White Poverty: How Exposing Myths about Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy (Liveright Publishing.) Naturally, we showed off Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, one of my all time favorite books, by the great Bryan Stevenson, who is making a difference through his Equal Justice Initiative.

For anyone doing anti-poverty work, we have a rare little book co-written by the late Michael Gerson, on how the best ways out of poverty take a deliberate cooperation on the part of government, non-profits and private sector efforts, and personal aid; that is, both justice and charity.

Unleashing Opportunity: Why Escaping Poverty Requires a Shared Vision of Justice by Michael Gerson, Stephanie Summers, and Katie Thompson (Falls City Press; $11.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $9.59) illustrates the sort of public theology and robust commitment to principled pluralism promoted by the Center for Public Justice who sponsored this fine little book. It briefly explores five key issues that are taking a disproportionate (and often feasting) too on low-income folks. There is some helpful analysis and great stories — we hoped some at the CLS gathering would notice it. Anyway, we had a lot of these sorts of resources at the event.

We have long been a fan of Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang who work for World Relief, the relief and development arm of the NAE. Their book Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion and Truth in the Immigration Debate (IVP; $22.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39) was game-changing for many and it was a delight to know that Matt was at CLS. (We have dozens more on this topic if you want to reach out.)

Matt also co-authored a fabulous little (and very inspiring) book on refugee ministry (with the great Stephen Bauman) called Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis (Moody Press; $13.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $11.19) which, of course, we featured. Most recently, Soerens co-authored a profound and important book inviting us to realize that God’s church includes many who are not part of the dominant ethnic culture, who have experienced some things in a way some of us have not, have been demeaned or persecuted, marginalized, oppressed, or impoverished. Knowing their stories, is very, very urgent and will help our own churches stay fixed on the ways of God’s Kingdom. Check out this important book — you will be better having read it; I know I was. Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church by Matthew Soerens and Eric Costanzo and Daniel Yang. (IVP; $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19.)

A number of the lawyers at CLS work on the topic of religious freedom, both for individuals (of any or no faith) and organizations or institutions. We featured more than a dozen books that we carry just on this topic alone, most prominent this year being Liberty for All: Defending Everyone’s Religious Freedom in a Pluralistic Age by Andrew Walker (Brazos Press, with a great foreword by the impressive Robert George) and the lively Michael Bird’s 2022 release, Religious Freedom in a Secular Age: A Christian Case for Liberty, Equality, and Secular Government (Zondervan.) We were glad to have the excellent collection edited by our old friend Art Lindsley and his colleague Anne Bradley Set Free: Restoring Religious Freedom for All (Abilene Christian University Press) which includes pieces by most of the major scholars of the field.

Still, as vital and interesting as these kinds of remarkable books may be, most folks at such a conference are not fighting on the front lines of religious freedom or social injustice or prison reform. Most are ordinary attorneys, offering legal counsel to businesses or small town clients. They work in tax law or real estate or property or bankruptcy or in medical stuff. Like most of us, they are trying to do their job well, with competence and care, informed by Biblical principles and Christ-like values. We had some standard-fare books that I love along those lines, from Work Matters (Tom Nelson) to Every Good Endeavor (Tim Keller & Katherine Alsdorf) to Women, Work, and Calling: Step Into Your Place in God’s World (by Joanna Meyer) to the new, lively, The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters for Eternity (Even When You’re Not Sharing the Gospel) by Jordan Raynor. Perhaps a bit more allusively and broadly, we sold a number of Steve Garber’s Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good which I hope you know I love. We even had a stack of some of my own edited volume, Serious Dreams: Big Ideas for the Rest of Your Life which I thought might be inspiring for some of the law students or recent grads. Chapters were first done as commencement addresses for college grads heading out to the workforce by the likes of Nicholas Wolterstorff, John Perkins, Amy Sherman, Rich Mouw, me, and more…

Of all these general sorts of books on work and calling, there are those that are specifically about lawyering. For years, the go-to, necessary book for those working in this field was the fabulous The Lawyer’s Calling: Christian Faith and Legal Practice by Roman Catholic attorney, Joseph Allegretti. More meaty and rooted in a robust evangelical worldview is the essential volume by our dear pal Mike Schutt, called Redeeming Law: Christian Calling and the Legal Profession (IVP Academic; $30.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.79.) It remains, in many ways, the gold standard of a thoughtful resource in this field. What a book!

 

The Servant Lawyer: Facing the Challenges of Christian Faith in Everyday Law Practice by Robert F. Cochran (IVP; $28.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $22.40.)

This year, at long last, we saw the release of a book we have been eager for, an easy-to-read, enjoyable one for ordinary lawyers that is practical and profound, useful and readable, less theoretical then these other standards, but rooted in a comprehensive Christian orientation. As yoiu can see, the new one is called The Servant Lawyer: Facing the Challenges of Christian Faith in Everyday Law Practice by Robert F. Cochran, a man we admire very, very much. We’ve highlighted it here at BookNotes but having it featured at the national Christian Legal Society gathering felt like a launch party.

The book carries a lovely foreword by law prof John Inazu. Even as I often say that every career should have a single, ground-breaking and seminal book like Redeeming Law by Cochran’s friend Mike Schutt, I now also say every career should be so fortunate as to have a scholar and practitioner unfold basic Christian notions for thinking and serving well in their particular career area that is as practical as The Servant Lawyer. The Servant Lawyer is simply the perfect book for ordinary lawyers! We rejoice that Christian lawyers have these great resources and that they hopefully inspire other professional fields — engineers, doctors, architects, social workers, bankers, teachers — to develop books that are not too hard and not too simplistic, not too theoretical but not merely about being nice and honest on the job, but explores habits and practices and dispositions to think faithfully and serve well at work.

We applaud Cochran for being such a good thinker. He has written other serious works and edited a very useful one called Law and the Bible: Justice, Mercy and Legal Institutions, (where his own chapter was co-written with his old friend, the late Dallas Willard.) His academic and teaching prowess helps him know how to draw out good stuff about the daily practices of lawyering. This new The Servant Lawyer addresses real-world situations experienced by most lawyers and “charts the way toward a truly Christian practice of everyday law.” Bob is the Brandeis Professor of Law Emeritus at Pepperdine and now is a scholar at James Davison Hunter’s important UVA think-tank, The Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture.

 OS GUINNESS

One of the great experiences at our event last week was getting to see and hear and sell books for one of our longest supporters and friends, Dr. Os Guinness. It has been a while since we’ve seen the erudite scholar and social critic, and it was just wonderful to be together, if only for an evening. His address was eloquent and serious and he said one thing that struck me. He noted that whoever is declared the winner in the election, the struggle to reform the ethos of America and deepen our civic education about the first things of the Republic, in Biblically faithful ways, will be ongoing.

The more important date, he suggested, isn’t this current election or the upcoming inauguration day, but, rather, a few short years from now — 2026 which will be the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. It is true that historians observe that many great empires have a shelf life (so to speak) of about 250 years. In that context, Guinness’s last few titles (which even I have suggested may sound a bit alarmist) may be prophetic and urgent: see below my brief descriptions of compelling books with ominous titles such as Zero Hour America, Last Call for Liberty, A Free People’s Suicide. Maybe his passion for renewing a failing civilization is worth hearing yet again.

Os has been a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies, a Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum and the EastWest Institute in New York. He was the lead drafter of the Williamsburg Charter in 1988, a celebration of the bicentennial of the US Constitution, and later of “The Global Charter of Conscience,” which was published at the European Union Parliament in 2012.

(For a glimpse into his effective speaking and diligent thinking, take a look at him doing an informal lecture to a group of students, here) or an older, moving presentation on his classic The Call, here.)

Here are 12 of the books by Os Guinness, all of which we have highlighted at BookNotes before.

ALL ARE ON SALE – 20% OFF.

The Dust of Death: The Sixties Counterculture and How It Changed America Forever  Os Guinness (IVP) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

This is one of the first (if not the very first) books I read by a thoughtful evangelical on matters of society and culture. I often wonder where I’d be in my life if God didn’t bring this book into my life as a young adult, offering an example of culturally-relevant and timely Christian thinking. He looks extensively at the mid-20th-century, organizational, capitalist culture and the 60s counter-culture with astute, prophetic insight, finally showing that they are both inadequate. The “third way” he points towards is a full-orbed understanding of the Kingdom of God. A few years ago they did an anniversary edition with an updated introduction, suggesting why this analysis is helpful yet today. I even have the great honor of having an endorsement blurb on the inside. Right next to the prominent historian Mark Noll, who called it nothing short of a “bolt from the blue” that is “even more timely than when it first appeared.”

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life Os Guinness (Thomas Nelson Publishers) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

This may be Dr. Guinness’s most enduring work and a book that set off (eventually) a landslide of books about vocation and calling, a Christian sense of the marketplace and the work world, and a movement of evangelicals integrating faith and careers. Developing a Christian view of work is now known to be a central aspect of our whole-life discipleship and no other book has been as seminal, delightful, provocative, and vital. One of my all time favorite reads which I have revisited often. I hope you own it.

Fools Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion Os Guinness (IVP) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

Some have suggested this is one of the greatest books by this great writer and Guinness himself may say it is one of his favorites. He looks at three great influences in his life and what they taught him about the art of persuasion. (The three key leaders are C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, and the sociologist Peter Berger.) We must do more than merely state our opinions (about faith or politics or culture) and then get mad when others don’t agree. We need this counter-intuitive application of “fools talk” and to learn the art of persuasion.

Among the many stellar reviews this book has received since it released in 2015, listen to this from his (late) good friend, Reverend Timothy Keller:

Os Guinness’s books have been invaluable for the Christian church for decades. A great deal of what I know about communicating the faith in modern times I learned from him. This book does not disappoint. Unlike most books on apologetics, it addresses the actual dynamics of conversation and persuasion –as well as providing an unusually comprehensive range of accessible and useful arguments and appeals for the truth of Christianity. I highly recommend it. —Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

I love how Mary Poplin (whose own journey of faith as a Christian academic was clarified when she worked with Mother Teresa) alludes to Dorothy Sayers when commending Os Guinness:

There is no doubt that Western culture has lost its understanding and attraction to the truth embedded and realized in the life of Jesus Christ. As Dorothy Sayers said in 1947, ‘The brutal fact is that in this Christian country not one person in a hundred has the faintest notion what the Church teaches about God or man or society or the person of Jesus Christ.’ Os Guinness, in his characteristically clear and insightful style, helps us recover the art of persuasively making the case for the truth of Christianity. Fool’s Talk uniquely suggests we use, not the eager-to-win argumentative styles of the twenty-first century, but the persuasive styles of the church fathers, Old Testament prophets, New Testament writers and Jesus himself as our models. The irresistible nature of their reasoning and Guinness’s brilliance in explaining them is a sure guide. — Mary Poplin, author of Is Reality Secular? and Finding Calcutta

Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization Os Guinness (IVP) $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

This is a hard-hitting book, still winsome as he often is, but a serious call to be people with spine and backbone, to be nearly impossible as the world judges, those who know what we believe and why we believe it and are willing to askew worldly privilege or status or acceptance as we stand for God’s truths in a fallen world. Can we be brave and wise and good and “impossible”? Agree or not with every detail of his social analysis or forward-looking agenda, this is a book we all need reminding us of the cost of discipleship.

Guiness, as I have said before in our many BookNotes reviews, was born in China (to missionary parents, serving selflessly there among the poor) and lost two brothers in his family’s harrowing escape from Communist persecution. Some sound the alarm about, say, aggressive secularism or radical Islam, and, frankly, I sometimes think they are fear-mongering, perhaps for their own profit or ideology. Not so, Os Guiness — who has earned the right to call us to face reality (“without flinching: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion”) and to be faithful and full of goodness, despite all. This is a book unlike many you will pick up and we do recommend it.

With his unique blend of incisive clarity and prophetic vision, Os Guinness has written a book that will challenge, encourage, and awaken us to live wholeheartedly for Christ in this ‘grand clarifying moment.’ I recommend Impossible People as a book for such a time as this. — Amy Orr-Ewing, director, The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics

The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom Os Guinness (IVP) $22.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39

In the CLS lecture the other evening Os reminded us of the upcoming 250th anniversary of our country’s founding and wondered out loud if such a significant marker may be somewhat ominous — many historians suggest that most empires do not last much longer. Will we keep our grand Republic? Are our democratic practices, institutions, and structures adequate for our time? Understanding the foundation of our nation’s founding is key, this admiring Brit thinks, and in this he offers one of the most powerful overviews of the roots of American politics that you will ever read; he links our views of freedom not only to insights from the Romans and before that, the Greeks, but from the Hebrews. Note the important subtitle, here. The book is dedicated to the late public intellectual, the Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

This book should be read by anyone who is concerned about the future of America and of Western civilization. In warning that Western freedoms are under threat, Os Guinness is not issuing an angry culture-war call to arms but a rational, cogently argued case for looking again at what made America and the West so successful in the first place. Guinness is a masterful writer. He pulls no punches in his critique of what ails the postmodern West. His arguments will and should be hotly debated, but they should not be ignored. —Rob Gifford, senior editor, The Economist

Last Call for Liberty: How America’s Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat Os Guinness (IVP) $26.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59

In this powerful book Dr. Guinness observes:

“The hour is critical. The American republic is suffering its gravest crisis since the Civil War. Conflicts, hostility, and incivility now threaten to tear the country apart. Competing visions have led to a dangerous moment of cultural self-destruction. This is no longer politics as usual, but an era of political warfare where our enemies are not foreign adversaries, but our fellow citizens.”

The roots of this crisis, he believes, is (at least in part) that we have adopted a vision that is more rooted in the revolutionary fervor of the French Revolution instead of the more healthy approach of the American solution, so the question is, in a nutshell, do we stand on the shoulders of those from 1789 or 1776? This is not the blather of Christian nationalism or sentimental patriotism, but a serious question of our roots and branches as a nation and as a culture. The book is arranged as a series of 10 questions on how we understand freedom, how we plan to sustain freedom, how we are vigilant about the institutions critical to freedom and whatnot. He asks if our constitutional republic “will be restored or replaced?” What a grand, important question, underlying a set of very good inquiries.

The final afterword is offered as a stirring conclusion, “American’s choice: Covenant, Chaos, or Control.” This is classic Guinness, a clarion call to the things he cares so much about. Don’t miss it.

Zero Hour America: History’s Ultimatum Over Freedom and the Answer We Must Give Os Guinness (IVP) $23.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.19

This shares even more of Dr. Guinness’s profound appreciation for the structures of American freedom and liberty, based on Judeo-Christian principles enclosed in the Declaration and Constitution. He is understandably alarmed — you can feel the looming crisis in the title — and, I gather, troubled (and perhaps sometimes angered) that many Americans seem to care little about our civic foundations and the dangers of losing our distinctively American principles for ordering freedom. Are we unaware that history is offering us this current ultimatum?

Even at the CLS event, more than one person linked Os’s observations, tireless talks, and books as in the tradition of Alexis de Tocqueville — a “visitor’s careful observation of the American experiment.” Discover here a stirring vision for faithful citizenship and renewed responsibility, not only for the nation but also for the watching world. Here he brings great detail and further focus to his concern that we are a people caught between two revolutions (the American, of course, and the French, whose spirit animated the destructive Russian and Chinese revolutions.) He outlines seven key foundation stones of freedom which we simply must understand.

He makes a compelling case that we are in an urgent “civilization moment” with a (soon to close?) window of opportunity to renew our civic virtues. Of course, as a God-fearing evangelical, he is quick to call us to God’s ways, to trust in Christ’s Lordship, to allow the Spirit to guide us towards repentance and renewal. He is not hopeless, but this book is full of passion and concern.

The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity Os Guinness (IVP) $17.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

We are proud to stock this (as with all the others, and more) book of Guinness even though — truth be told — we don’t find many who are interested in buying it from us. Alas, it is a great read, important, insightful, wise. There is great analysis and some powerful stories. Like with the Knox Thames book above, this captures some of the most vexing and most thrilling things going on in the world today where we see the intersection of human rights and religious faith, global diplomacy and Christian mission. While not overtly a book about world missions and being of such savvy international insight that it could and should be read by those who do not share his animating Christian orientation, The Global Public Square at least should be you your radar screen. Global affairs matter and we should be aware of the ways in which “making the world safe for diversity” can be a key principle to bring groups together in decent common cause. Guinness travels all over the world lecturing on these (and similar) themes and he is uniquely positioned to speak to our 21st century global setting.

I found this to be an exceptionally potent book and I’m a bit sad it isn’t among his better known volumes. He takes much of the serious work he has done (in, say A Free People’s Suicide, and, decades before, the Williamsburg Charter on first amendment freedoms) and applies these to the global public square.

Here is how the publisher describes it:

Recognizing that tyranny takes on secular as well as traditional guises, Os Guinness seeks a return to the first principles of religious and political freedom. Hearkening back to the “soul liberty” of English Puritan Roger Williams, Guinness argues that a society’s greatest bulwark against abuse lies in its people’s freedom of conscience.

There are commendation quotes affirming this book by exceptional figures. For instance, a former senior director of the National Security Council, (yes, working out of the White House) and the director of Georgetown’s  Religious Freedom Project. Tremendous author and global freedom activist Paul Marshall weighs in as well with a very valuable blurb. Please read these, among many, vital endorsements:

“One of the foremost religious-liberty thinkers of our time, Os Guinness sets a soaring goal for this book: establishing a vision of religious freedom (‘soul freedom’) that accommodates competing truth claims about who man is and why he exists, guarantees freedom and justice, and builds stability amidst a fragile world order. Guinness succeeds magnificently. This book should be required reading for the secularist and the theocrat alike. Its Global Charter of Conscience is a blueprint for all the peoples of the world–both in the West and beyond–struggling to achieve for themselves just and lasting regimes of ordered liberty.”  –Thomas Farr, director, The Religious Freedom Project, Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs

“For a generation now, Os Guinness has stood as one of our most consistently prophetic voices. In this latest book he returns to a lifelong concern: the precarious status of religious liberty in a fractured world. Drawing on a breadth of insights from history, philosophy, sociology and theology, Guinness makes a compelling case for the primacy of ‘soul freedom’ as the only enduring foundation for securing peace and human flourishing in our fractious era of unprecedented pluralism. And he does so in his inimitable way, with passion, eloquence and civility. It is a challenging yet ultimately hopeful message that demands to be heard, and to be acted upon.” — William Inboden, University of Texas-Austin, former senior director, National Security Council, the White House

“Os Guinness consistently tackles salient and difficult issues and, while giving due recognition to their complexity, analyzes them in clear argument and expounds them in lucid prose. In The Global Public Square, he does so again. Contemporary problems of diversity and religious freedom are massive, urgent and growing, but our deep differences are seldom addressed in other than a shallow way. This short but wide-ranging and eloquent defense of freedom of religion and conscience, and civility and plurality–which the author summarizes as ‘soul freedom’–provides much-needed insight and guidance in our common future.” — Paul Marshall, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and coauthor of Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide and Heaven Is Not My Home: Living in the Now of God’s Creation

Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times Os Guinness (IVP) $20.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $16.79

Guiness admits here that we live in dark times. He reminds us that many Christians wonder if modernity has made Christian though essentially irrelevant and impotent. As more and more scholars explore life in a “secular age” some realize there are glimmers of hope and surprising possibilities, despite our failing churches and conflicted cultural battles.

This is about how the church has done much good in society throughout history — through the best art and literature, “building cathedrals and universities, proclaiming God’s goodness…” Can we nurture this whole life vision for all-of-life redeemed sort of cultural renewal? Only as we do things in God’s ways, for God’s glory. Renaissance is a hopeful book, a succinct appeal for cultural transformation. Unlike some spiffy calls to social engagement, Os draws on his knowledge of key points in history. He offers wisdom and insight, passion and a prayer at the end of each chapter. It’s a favorite of mine and reminds us (alongside his more academic studies of American politics and his less than optimistic take on American dispositions these days) that he is, as a strong Christian leader, a man of great hope and joy.

One of my favorite, short Guinness books it would be our deep pleasure to receive your orders.

Carpe Diem Redeemed: Seizing the Day, Discerning the Times Os Guinness (IVP) $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

I could wax on and on about this…. Who doesn’t want to make the most of our time in this fast-paced and hectic age? The title alone is intriguing and I think important. We all love the “Carpe Diem” slogan (and, for some of us, Tony Campolo’s rousing sermons about it.) But Os astutely reminds us that we can’t very well seize the day without knowing something about the day. What time is it, culturally? Where are we? What does faithfulness look like in this particular cultural moment? Sheer passion or exhibiting moxie to grab the gusto simply isn’t an adequate Christian perspective. We sure needn’t be driven by FOMO. What, really, are we seizing? And why?

What we should rather do is nurture habits and skills of discernment — about the times, yes, but also of learning to listen to God’s own voice — and respond in obedience to his call. It seems this upbeat and relatively practical book could be seen as a decades-later revisit of The Call. I refer to it as a sequel although it clearly stands on its own. A great, stimulating read.  Come on!

The Great Quest: Invitation to an Examined Life and A Sure Path to Meaning Os Guinness (IVP) $16.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

Several years ago Os helped produce a series of remarkable studies, used often in business or executive circles, studying important literature or vital social critics to open the door to discussions about values and truth, renewal and grace, social virtue and more. They have gone out of print, but this book may have emerged from that initial study, exploring what Socrates meant when he said that the “unexamined life” was hardly worth living. Many more or less believe that but few are diligent or brave enough to ask the biggest questions and search for an authentic, coherent, plausible worldview. Is there such a thing as “a sure path to meaning”? Why or why not?What does an examined life look like? What kind of questions might we ask and how do we know what to seek? What should we read and study? Are there guides along the way? This little book is thoughtful but not dry, serious but not deadly. It has tons of inspiring information but is only 130 pages. You should have a few on hand, just in case.

Signals of Transcendence: Listening to the Promptings of Life Os Guinness (IVP) $16.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

I adore this little book and am glad to have commended it often before here at BookNotes. It is a collection of brief biographies, exploring the intellectual and spiritual longings of those who sought for something more. From Tolstoy to Lewis to one of Guinness’s own beer-brewing relatives to one of his own academic mentors, Peter Berger (who may have coined the phrase “signals of transcendence”), he offers these testimonials of serious seekers who listened to the echos. Not all are Christians, by the way, but each captured something about the mystery of life (Philip Hallie asks why goodness happened in a place that hid Jews during the Nazi terror.) Each story shows how things in the creation (Chesterton being taken by a dandelion, say) or in our longing hearts, become clues for those wanting to make sense of our human existence.

I like how the publisher puts it:

Through unsatisfied longings or disillusionments that yet yielded glimpses of beauty or joy, these moments drew people toward epiphanies of transformation. And the same can be true for us, should we have the courage to follow the signals wherever they may lead.

Listen for the signals. And discover what more awaits those with ears to hear.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Os Guinness is releasing several forthcoming books over the next season or so, self-published and soon to be available. Please let us know if you want volume 1 as soon as we can acquire it; it is entitled Our Civilizational Moment: The Waning of the West and the War of the Worlds (Kildare Press.)

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• United States Postal Service has an option called “Media Mail” which is cheapest but can be a little slower. For one typical book, usually, it’s $4.83; 2 lbs would be $5.58. This is the cheapest method available and sometimes is quicker than UPS, but not always.
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BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

20% OFF

Great new books keep coming and we have dozens and dozens — children’s books, Bible study guides, New York Times bestselling novels, history, science, psychology, stunning memoirs and provocative social science. We’ve chosen almost 20 brand news ones to describe briefly. Whether you are reading this before or after the US election we are in momentous times and we’d be honored if you’d glance back at the books on politics we’ve listed over the last half year — yep, you can scroll on back and be inspired or depressed or stimulated or provoked. There are some really interesting releases and some very wise authors. For now, though, here’s to some well done new titles that have to be on a curated Fall Hearts & Minds list. Enjoy.

We are glad for those who use public libraries and, of course, appreciate anyone who shops at their own small-town local indie bookstore. We bookstore owners scattered all over this county, are all, in one way or another, in this together, and we are glad that you support places that stock real books for your browsing pleasure. But, ya know, we really do need the business and are glad for orders sent our way here in Pennsylvania. We are told we’re a bit unique in the ecosphere of book providers and if you like any of this, we would be grateful for your support.

BEFORE WE TELL YOU ABOUT THE BRAND NEW ONES, HERE ARE A FEW WE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED AND NOW HAVE IN HAND. Pre-orders have been sent out and the authors, publishers, and we, here, thank those who reserved some. It helps. You can go back to our website archives of previous BookNotes and search for my original reviews if you’d like, but I’ll fill ya in here. They are still quite new, so we figured we should celebrate them again. Here are a few…

All are 20% off. You can click on the “order” link at the end. Thanks.

Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About the Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive Russ Ramsey (Zondervan) $29.99 // SALE PRICE = $23.99

This is a book that I so appreciated and on which I have a blurb on the inside endorsements page. What an honor. A sequel to the collection of artists looked at in Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith, each chapter telling the moving stories of the anguish or doubt in the lives of famous artists. And how they can help you! So good.

 

The Challenge of Acts: Rediscovering What the Church Was and Is N.T Wright (Zondervan) $29.99 // SALE PRICE = $23.99

This is about the size of Wright’s recent (and important, I think) Into the Heart of Romans. Not a major, technical commentary, but not an overly succinct guide (like in his usefully brief Acts for Everyone.) This modest hardback so far packs a wallop and brings his visionary understanding of the Kingdom coming — what some call realized eschatology — to bear on the adventures in the exciting book of Acts. Perfect for anyone needing some inspiration for their Bible reading without wanting a super technical commentary.

By the Word Worked: Encountering the Power of Biblical Preaching Fleming Rutledge (Baylor University Press) $19.99 // SALE PRICE = $15.99

We were honored to announce this a while back, inviting folks to pre-order it from us. Her first book with the prestigious Baylor University Press, it is the edited transcript of her “Parchment Lectures” given at Truett Theological Seminary on the topic of homiletics and a robust theology of the Word of God.

Editor Kimlyn Bender (professor of Theology and Ethics at Truett) writes in the introduction of hearing Fleming the first time at a conference at Princeton. Bender recalls the striking person and her sermon (on the topic of the Word of God in John’s gospel), writing:

I knew when I heard it that I had heard more than the words of a fiery Episcopalian. What overwhelmed me was the content to which it pointed, indeed the gospel to which it gestured. I could speak of Reverend Rutledge’s many intellectual and rhetorical girts, as well as of her wit and graciousness that I experienced in our conversations at the conference, but what truly struck me was the sermon itself.

Dr. Kimlyn recalls Rutledge later reflecting on customs of preaching about the characters involved in the Transfiguration story, and exclaiming, “I don’t want to hear about Peter, I want to hear about GOD!”

From Bible to Barth, Northrop Frye to Caravaggio, William Willimon to Flannery O’Connor and always back to the Bible, this new Rutledge book offers great insight about the power of the proclamation of the Word of God in our churches.

Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis Norman Wirzba (Yale University Press) $26.00 // SALE PRICE = $20.80

Wirzba is a very fine writer, a scholar who teaches (at Duke) theology and spirituality, is an editor of compilations of Wendell Berry writings, a farmer, himself, and — yes! — a friend of Hearts & Minds. It’s an honor to know such folks and he really is full of — as Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury and no slouch on the academic front) puts it, “concentrated moral energy.” Even the title of this new one (that we announced months ago, it seems), Love’s Braided Dance, is thick with nuance and allusive suggestion, poetic and delightful. But it is no flight of fancy. The book is a study of this world as it is, complicated and in crisis. Listen to Mako Fujimura who has a splendid endorsement blurb on the handsome back cover:

Peering straight into the heart of the darkness of our violent world, Norman Wirzba invites us on a riveting journey of hope. Love’s Braided Dance choreographs a movement for a sacred dance of forgiveness with love and courage.

How about that? “A journey of hope… with love and courage.” We need love and courage more than ever this days and if this lovely text gives us signposts of hope, it is worth every penny. Of course he draws on agrarian principles, applying that imagination, creational vision to the world today.  I can’t wait to read the chapter “A Hopeful Architecture” and have high expectations for the second to last, “A Hopeful Economy.” Hope grows, as he puts it, “in places of belonging.” This book will help you find your place. Highly recommended.

Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World) $30.00 // SALE PRICE = $24.00

Perhaps you will recall that we announced this suggesting it is the first collection of essays and nonfiction pieces he has put together in a book in quite a while. He did a moving memoir in 2008 (that we still stock) and the award winning Between the World and Me, followed by an important collection of his journalistic essays, We Were Eight Years in Power — subtitles “An American Tragedy.” He moved into fiction, the Black Panther Wakanda books (The Water Dancer), his take on Captain America, etc. Now he is back with public affairs work, good writing with striking insights about American power and privilege and his work as a black scholar.

His important essay on Gaza in The Message collected was debated in a national TV interview a few weeks back and it seems there is much controversy, about the piece and about his reaction during the episode. You should read it yourself.

Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age Rod Dreher (Zondervan) $29.99 // SALE PRICE = $23.99

I highlighted this and had hoped for a lot of pre-orders; not too many saw it at that time, I guess. It’s now out and it is a beautiful book. Maybe some readers have had enough of his negative cultural assessments and alarmist calls to create conservative Christian enclaves (The Benedict Option and Live Not By Lies.) This beautiful, engaging book reads perhaps more like his wonderful memoirist works like How Dante Can Save Your Life, say. This book, as I noted before, is about being open to a sense of wonder, responding to the even weird paranormal stuff that we all know about but often don’t cope with. These stories of those captured by deep meaning and the mysterious aspects of life are nothing short of splendid.

Some have said this new book is his best, and it well may be. Yes, there is some Charles Taylor-esque expose of modernity’s disenchantment, but he explains it wonderfully. It really is a thrilling story of a hurting man’s struggle to find hope amidst the mystery. Put on some old Van Morrison and give it a read.  Highly recommended.

The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionize Life with God Dallas Willard (Zondervan) $29.99 // SALE PRICE = $23.99

Thanks to those who pre-ordered this; gathered together well after his death, this collection of pieces on the parables is being billed as a sequel to The Divine Conspiracy Part Two. Which makes it nearly “The Divine Conspiracy Part Three.” Richard Foster suggested that The Divine Conspiracy was one of the great books in all of church history (and Foster would know, given his impeccable breadth of reading) so any follow-up from Willard on this theme is obviously welcomed. He is missed by many, and his influence continues to grow as witnessed by the bold forward by the energetic John Mark Comer. There is also a study-guide type workbook, too. Wow.

The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith and Trust Francis Collins (Little Brown) $30.00 // SALE PRICE = $24.00

When we announced this earlier this summer we were thrilled that it was coming. We got a few pre-orders and the author had a few media appearances. There was a great program at the always-worth-watching Trinity Forum conversation. Kudos to them for hosting that (even though, almost inexplicably to me, some were nasty in firm rebuke.) Despite the contentious policies set in place during the pandemic to assure some sort of public health and the less than fully understood virus, Collins kept at his job doing his best, allowing his theology and values and scientific mind to lead his work as scientists and policy advisor.

There is always a fringe sort of conspiracy set who despise what most science figures say these days, but there are also those who we might describe as “in the middle” or not fully decided about what might have been better in those frightful years when thousands were dying each day. Those folks need this unflinching retrospective and beautiful testimony of Collin’s good work. Anyone who wonders about the different ways of knowing God’s creation and the different ways of talking about public health, the insight about wisdom is nearly brilliant. For anyone — as Senator Roy Blunt puts it, “seeking common ground and common goals” The Road to Wisdom is a great illustration of how Collin’s served and what he stands for.

Many know that Collins has worked with those in the cystic fibrosis community, having discovered some of what causes that deadly disorder. He writes music for kids in wheelchairs and speaks and sings at gatherings for those who are stuck ill. He doesn’t brag about any of this, but I know that is the sort of good man he is, a doctor and scientist with a heart of gold, influenced by his conversion to Jesus Christ. His call for listening, for wisdom, for hope, is exactly what we need.

An inspiration; and unflinching look at Francis Collins’s life as a research scientist, a man of faith, and a servant-leader who oversaw the work of our nation’s medical research agency through turbulent times. — Yo-Yo Ma

A Whole Life in Twelve Movies: A Cinematic Journey to a Deeper Spirituality Kathleen Norris & Gareth Higgins (Brazos Press) $19.99 // SALE PRICE = $15.99

In my advance announcement of this I exclaimed how much I have appreciated Gareth Higgins’s other books on film, and how surprised I was that literary figure Kathleen Norris (a) knew the Irish Higgins and (b) loved movies so much. She has written lovely, even holy, memoirs about her faith journey and interior life and like Annie Dillard, say, is esteemed as an eloquent writer and keen observer of faith and life. Who knew she loved the movies?

And that anybody could think of a book like this, chronicling how to think about life from birth to death…  this is really, really fascinating!

A Whole Life in Twelve Movies comes with a fabulous foreword by the Jesuit James Martin and explores a film (or sometimes two) each about birth, childhood, community, “The Breaking and Remaking of the Self”, two chapters on vocation, relationships, overcoming success, generosity, transforming conflict, death and beyond and a final one (on a film called Into the Great Silence). There is a “for further viewing” section, too naming other films to enhance one’s life journey. This book is a great idea, a self-help sort of book of extraordinary guidance through life by way of telling about the characters and plots of important films. I didn’t know all of the cinematic features, but sure did know some. Can you guess in which chapter they explore Babettes Feast? Wonder Woman 1984? The Fisher King?  The oldest one they explore is from 1937 and then they jump to 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. They have several from the previous decade and the most recent was released in 2020. Pretty cool, huh?

Reading the Bible Latinamente: Latino/a Interpretation for the Life of the Church Ruth Padilla DeBorst, M. Daniel Carroll R., and Miguel G. Echevarria (Baker Academic) $19.99 // SALE PRICE = $15.99

I highlighted this sight unseen on a June BookNotes list of important, forthcoming titles on reading the Bible well, including a number inspired by the much lauded announcement of the pioneering The New Testament In Color edited by Esau McCauley. In that BookNotes I said that we:

…simply couldn’t miss this opportunity to name it with these others. We respect Ruth Padilla Deborst immensely (and still am astonished she showed up with her famous father in our store one day years ago) and we love Danny Carroll who we met years ago as well. Echevarria haș a contribution in the above-listed New Testament in Color; his PhD is from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is professor of Greek at Southeastern in Wake Forest, NC. He did the recent Engaging the New Testament: A Short Introduction for Students and Ministers published just this Spring, also by Baker Academic.Together they have given us what Justo González has called an “unexcelled” introduction to the topic. Perfect, eh?

Again, to be clear, we list these books not just for, in this case, Latino or Latina readers. No, this is for the breadth of all of God’s people. An unexcelled basic introduction to Latina and Latino readings of Scripture. It tells the church at large that the Bible is still relevant in our day and will be relevant wherever believers are willing to take the risk of reading it with new eyes.

Reading the Bible Latinamente reminds us that the only way to understand the word of God honestly and clearly is to see it through one’s cultural identity and social location. The authors make the case for a beautiful and transformational reading–a reading that liberates rather than discriminates, marginalizes, and oppresses people. This book is not just for the Latino/a church but for the whole of God’s people. — Al Tizon, North Park Theological Seminary, author, Christ Among the Classes: The Rich, the Poor, and the Mission of the Church

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Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering Malcolm Gladwell (Little Brown) $32.00 // SALE PRICE = $25.60

I suppose most BookNotes readers will know of the remarkable social critic, excellent writer, podcaster, and person of faith, Malcolm Gladwell. He has written fun and intriguing books that have made their way into the public discourse over the last decades. One of his most famous was the runaway best-seller, The Tipping Point published early in the new millennium. The subtitle was “How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.” I’m still a fan.

Alas, Gladwell is one of those honest thinkers who wants to admit when he’s wrong or when he has changed his mind. His weird collection of arcane details and his astute study of experience and big data makes him, now, reassess. Revenge of the Tipping Point is his sequel, almost 25 years later that as the jacket discretely puts it, “reframes the lessons of The Tipping Point in a startling and revealing light.  He’s exploring what we might call “the dark side” of social epidemics and tipping points. You can hardly believe all the stuff tells about from interviewing the world’s most successful bank robbers to those with alternate takes on everything fro Covid to the opioid crisis. He’s concerned about social engineering but he gets there by an opening chapter on Miami and another on “The Magic Third.” What a book.

A Prophet in the Darkness: Exploring Theology in the Art of George Rouault edited by Wesley Vander Lugt (IVP Academic) $36.00 // SALE PRICE = $28.80

This book fits well among others in the essential IVP Academic series, Studies in Theology and the Arts; we stock them all and think they are excellent resources for those interested in this growing field You may recall our rave review of the wonderful Eerdmans hardback published recently by Wesley Vander Lugt (Beauty is Oxygen.) While this one is less aimed at ordinary readers as that one is, it still is fascinating enough that we hope it gets many, many readers.

Vander Lunt edited this collection of fabulous chapters, each working on various aspects of the vision portrayed by Rouault. In many ways, I am attracted to this due to the groundbreaking book published (now out of print) by Square Halo Books where Mako Fujimura and historian Thomas Hibbs explored some little known, even rare, Rouault pieces. That seminal, small work may have inspired some of these contributors — Hibbs is in here and he footnotes that early title, and Square Halo friends James Romaine and William Dyrness are here, too. What a splendid collection of older and younger scholars of aesthetics and art history!  There are a lot of essays I’m looking forward to, but I started with Pittsburgh-based artist Pamela Rossi-Keen’s chapter, “Art in Community: Rouault, Walter Brueggemann, and Postindustrial Imagination.” Wow.

There are plenty of Rouault reproductions in A Prophet in the Darkness but there is also a centerpiece of artistic interludes, full color plates of other authors, some inspired by the great Frenchman.

And, for BookNotes friends who will care, there is a beautiful, final afterword, two poems by Leslie Anne Bustard, originally written as she beheld the beauty of the original Square Halo volume of Rouault paintings.  What a very, very nice touch in an otherwise splendid book. Kudos to IVP for keeping this kind of Christian scholarship alive.

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R Tolkien John Hendrix (Abrams) $24.99 // SALE PRICE = $19.99

Well, speaking of friends of Square Halo Books and their manager / printmaker Ned Bustard, John Hendrix is an illustrator, designer, and graphic artist that Ned knows well and that we have often talked about together. Many adore his two children’s books based on miracles and parables in the gospels, and every year we enjoy his children’s picture book Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914 but he is perhaps most known for the excellent graphic “novel” edition Faith Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler. Like that one, Mythmakers interweaves handwritten text and cool design with graphic art in his signature style and, yes, tells the extraordinary story of the friendship between two of the great fantasy writers of the 20th century, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

The two men’s friendship (wonderfully explored in books like Diana Glyer’s insightful Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings or the magisterial The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip & Carol Zaleski or Clyde Kilby’s handsome Paraclete collection A Well of Wonder) has rarely been some charmingly portrayed than in this new artful edition and we are sure Mythmakers will be on many a Christmas list in a month or so. We are honored to have mentioned it early on, glad it has just arrived, and thrilled to know we might get to send  some out. It’s a solid, sturdy hardback, over 200 pages, full color illustrations on every page.

The Holy Ordinary: A Way to God Mark Longhurst (Monkfish Book Publishing Company) $18.99 // SALE PRICE = $15.19

I could go on and on about this readable little book and perhaps will revisit it again later in the season. It’s on a small indie press but should become well known as it is just so clear and helpful; it is nearly a bell-weather book about the nature of contemporary faith, church life and religious expression. We have, I might add, known Mark for a long time and admire him very much. He hints at some of his story in The Holy Ordinary and it is not uncommon (if more vivid than for many of us, perhaps.) Mark was raised as a preacher’s kid in the evangelical mold, went to a Christian college, increasingly became wisely aware of the flaws of the more strict side of evangelicalism and moved to a devout and passionate faith informed by mainline denominational approaches to the Bible, prayer, witness, worship, and justice. He became a pastor in the UCC and advocated for an inclusive, gracious faith and, in his own telling, was still longing for more, hungry for a deeper encounter with the goodness of the God he so readily proclaimed. The heart of the book is how any of us can find a more contemplative and mystical encounter with God but Longhurst’s own backstory is what we might simply call a journey from evangelicalism to mainline Protestantism to ecumenical mysticism. He is still ordained as a Protestant preacher but he works with Father Richard Rohr, well known Franciscan mystic and social activist who wrote a lovely blurb for Mark’s book calling it “wonderful” and “dear to his heart.”

There is a deeply holy way to life that is wholistic and mystical but which still attends to the ordinariness of raising children and being involved in civic life. Yes, he draws on medieval saints (like Hildegard of Bingen) and modern spiritual writers (his stuff on Merton is very good) and is a good guide for anyone, even if one isn’t involved in a traditional church at the time. This openness and graciousness (even as he offers more Bible study than many books on the contemplative streams of experimental spirituality) make it an ideal book for folks of all backgrounds.

There are four main units or parts to this journey. The first is entitled “Contemplation” and starts with a meditation called “Say Yes.” This is about living vibrantly and “showing up to reality.” I liked that he drew not only on Merton but Howard Thurman.  The second part is on “Connections” (and he invites us to “sing to the cosmic Christ like John Muir” and calls us to love animals (“like St. Francis”) and “Make Sense of Angles Like a Scientist.” He explores here the significance of the resurrection and reflections on the trinity. Part three is on “Liberations” which shows, again, that an attentiveness to the interior life necessarily makes us more aware of the injustices of the world. He ruminates with James Baldwin and is honest about racism. He calls us to be “subversively joyful.” I love it!

The fourth part is a bit longer and is under the rubric of “Embodiment,” he is both very practical here (making room for the holy, creating sacred space, meeting God in the arts, and more) and, again, reminds us that we pray in and through our bodies.

The final part is called “Transformations” and here we “enter that dark night” and even prepare for death. There’s some profound stuff here (including a nod to the Shakers, actually, who welcomed Christ’s arrival so distinctively.

For years, I’ve been wishing for a book that could introduce ordinary people to the spiritual life in a healthy, honest, accessible way. Mark Longhurst has written what I’ve been waiting for. As inviting as a warm conversation in front of a crackling fireplace, The Holy Ordinary may be what you’ve been waiting for too.— Brian D. McLaren, author of Naked Spirituality: A Life With God in 12 Simple Words and Faith After Doubt

The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today Jennifer Powell McNutt (Brazos Press) $19.99 // SALE PRICE = $15.99

Jennifer Powell McNutt is an author whose name should be increasingly known; she has contributed to several projects, co-authored volumes (like the short and compact but fully astute Know the Theologians) and has done major, academic work (particularly around Reformation history; one of her weighty texts is a book called Calvin Meets Voltaire set in 1798.) She is a lively and beloved professor and chair of the  Department of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College and it may be that this becomes a break-out book for her, alerting many to her good writing and fabulously creative, faithful mind. I heard she just lectured at Princeton, which is notable.

This great book is, as you can tell from the title and important subtitle, a book exploring the seminal role of Mary Magdalene in the New Testament. (That it, it is not Mary the mother of Jesus, of Magnificat fame.) This Mary M. was, of course, among the last to bear witness to the death of Christ at the cross and was the first at the empty tomb. Her role in the ministry of Jesus (in all four gospels) was, as Professor McNutt says, “pivotal in many ways.” How so? Read this — there’s so much to learn. For instance, get this: church tradition tells of her important role in the first century having perhaps been a missionary and church planter. This book happily helps us learn about that, too. As the publisher explains:

McNutt invites readers along on her journey through southern France, tracing the path remembered by some church traditions as where Mary Magdalene spread the gospel. Christians will learn from the disciple known as the “apostle to the apostles” how to embrace Jesus’s calling to “go and tell” with faith and courage. They’ll also be encouraged by the reminder that God uses ordinary, imperfect, and unexpected people to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

You know that I value good book endorsements and trust those who are in the know about things. I’m telling you, you should notice those who have endorsed The Mary We Forgot — After a great forward by her colleague Esau McCaulley, it is like a who’s who of youngish Bible scholars and Christian writers we adore. Check this out:

“It is difficult to praise this book too highly. I commend it to all who want to follow Jesus, especially those interested in the attention, dignity, and tasks of ministry that he gave (and gives) to women in the church. Highly recommended!” — Tish Harrison Warren, Anglican priest, former New York Times columnist, and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night

“The fanciful story of prostitute-turned-saint makes for good drama, but what does Scripture really say about this Mary? McNutt rightly dwells on what the Gospels teach: her faith and deep devotion to Jesus. This was a delight to read.” — Nijay K. Gupta, professor, Northern Seminary; author of Tell Her Story

“At a time when we have forgotten so many biblical women, this book calls us to remember one of the most crucial. Take up and read!” — Beth Allison Barr, professor, Baylor University; bestselling author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood

“A rich and provocative book that brings the larger biblical narrative to life again.” — Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis

“McNutt leaves no stone unturned in her quest for the real Mary Magdalene. This book was a joy to read!” — Carmen Joy Imes, associate professor, Talbot School of Theology; author of Being God’s Image and Bearing God’s Name

His Face Like Mine: Finding God’s Love in Our Wounds Russell W. Joyce (IVP) $18.00 // SALE PRICE = $14.40

Oh my, I needn’t say much about this, but it is a very, very powerfully written,  thoughtful, eloquent, honest, raw, well-written study of God’s own suffering found in our own, and His love to be experienced when we are most wounded. One reviewer said it left him breathless.

For anyone who suffers — and is that not all of us? — this is a lovely, artful, good read, but also offering a clear-headed (if maybe a bit surprising) theology of God, an exploration of the nature of God and God’s involvement with us, here and now. What a wonder.

To be honest, I liked the look of this when it first came out last summer, but I hadn’t explored it. Now that I have started it, I am sorry I didn’t say more sooner. Listen to this from IVP:

Russell Joyce was born with a rare craniofacial disorder called Goldenhar syndrome, where the left side of his face was not formed. Years of patchwork surgeries made him more outwardly presentable, but not without deep pain and physical and emotional scars. But a life-changing encounter broke through to him with a power he never thought possible, in the very place he never thought to look — his broken face.

This set Russell on a journey to understand what was hindering him and others from experiencing the power of God’s grace and being truly set free. During a season of starting a new church in Brooklyn, New York, he learned how the broken places of our lives can be transformed when Jesus meets us in the realities of our woundedness. God doesn’t love us despite our wounds but through those very wounds. By his scars we are healed, and we can find new depths of freedom in Christ, scars and all.

A warning: this journey will not be easy. A promise: it will be well worth the risk.

Church planter, Ralph Moore reflects,

“‘Yes, you are broken. But you are not ugly. Do you hear me? There’s a difference. I choose you as you are. I will always choose you.’ In a visualization exercise, Russell Joyce spoke those words to his younger physically scarred self. Understanding that Jesus and our loved ones embrace us, scarred as we are, is key to this incredible book. I’ve seldom come across something that speaks to the secret pain I carry. This book brought healing to my soul as it will to yours.”

Scripture Hymnal Randall Goodgame (Rabbit Room Press) $29.99 // SALE PRICE = $23.99

I suppose you know the great fiction and fine work put out by the classy little collective in Tennessee known as The Rabbit Room. Maybe you at least know the beautiful (three volumes) known as Every Moment Holy. That their name is a nod to Inklings lore, they are, shall we say, really cool and solidly creative.

Their latest releases is this lavishly produced, just slightly oversized hardback hymnal, with two color ink, some wonderful litanies and prayers in the back, and handsome embellishments of lovely design touches. It’s a great book to behold, a great book to hold.

The heart of Scripture Hymnal, though, is the theologically rich and wonderfully curated set of Scriptural songs written and chosen that connect head and heart, Bible and music. That Indelible Grace founder Kevin Twit is thanked in the acknowledgements might tell you something. Goodgame is known as an Dove Award winning songwriter and is respected and beloved for his Scripture-based songs. This carries out that effort, offering word for word Scriptures in songs that can be sung alone in devotional settings, in small groups or at home, or in congregations.

The interior illustrations are by the talented Stephen Crotts.

Gifts & Gratitudes – A Year of One Thousand Gifts: A Journal Ann Voskamp (Thomas Nelson) $22.99  // SALE PRICE = $18.39

Sacred Prayer – 90 Days of Intimacy With God: A Journal Ann Voskamp (Thomas Nelson) $22.99 // SALE PRICE = $18.39

Many, many folks a few decades ago were swept up in making One Thousand Gifts a best seller and there were subsequent gift editions and podcasts and all sorts of stuff celebrating this then new author, Canadian farmer and mom, Ann Voskamp. She has gone on to do any number of lovely books and Advent calendars and more, but, still, some think of her One Thousand Gifts as her most enduring, lovely, inspiring work.

Gifts & Gratitudes brings back the great writing of that landmark book by arranging them in short excerpts alongside full color (rather rustic) photography and very class interior design and graphics. There is space for journaling, too, in these heavy-stock paper pages. All in all, this is a devotional journal that includes excerpts of One Thousand Gifts and arranges them in a beautiful gift volume.

The second book mentioned, Sacred Prayer: 90 Days of Intimacy with God continues the style with very contemporary, classic graphics and photos on handsome paper. This, too, is more of a journal, with daily spaces for your own writing, alongside prayer prompts for every day (for three months.) Some of the writing from this attractive book is taken from her more recent volume Waymaker: Finding the Way to the Life You’ve Always Dreamed Of. What a lovely adaptation of that thoughtful work into a prayer journal.

Redemptive Service: Loving Our Neighbors Well Lisa P. Stephenson & Ruthie Wienk (Baker Academic) $26.99 // SALE PRICE = $21.59

Oh my, I could write about this for pages, but I can also tell you about it very quickly. It is, almost without a doubt, the most thoughtfully readable, upbeat, but solid exploration of a Biblical theology of loving our neighbors that has come out in ages. It offers a distinctively Christian, sophisticated evangelical approach to redemptive service. It draws on old writers we love like Brian Walsh & Richard Middleton, John Perkins and Bryant Myers and contemporary social critics like Amartya Sen and Matthew Desmond. And the first part, especially, features tons of great Bible teaching with excellent footnotes drawing on remarkable Scriptural teachers from a wide breadth of scholars.

Decades ago there was a much-discussed divide among those who favored preaching the gospel and those who did social action, caring for the poor or standing for justice. Debates between those favoring word or deed plagued us — it was a cheap stereotype then (and not at all the case now, in any case) but many saw this as the differences between “conservative” evangelical churches and more mainline “liberal” ones. In our circles, at least, Ron Sider blew that apart with his insistence on both/an and did a string of books insisting on a Biblical view which brings together word and deed, gospel proclamation and embodied prophetic action against injustice, prayerfulness and political action. So many followed suit and the books making a case for a holistic Kingdom approach fill shelves of our bookstore. (Just think of Al Tizon’s must-read Whole and Reconciled: Gospel, Church, and Mission in a Fractured World as one example of fresh thinking on this.)

Enter Lisa P. Stephenson and Ruthie Wink of Lee University who both work with what is called their Benevolence Program. Old-fashioned as that phrase may seem, their opened-up understanding of the value of benevolence and their theological foundation, offered here with rich, careful, study, makes this one of the best introductions to this topic we have seen in years. It compares and contrasts benevolence and service and the pursuit of justice, showing how this service to others  is central to our identity and mission as Christians. It is up-to-date and vital.

Blurbs on the back of this readable if nearly academic book are themselves masterful. Mimi Wariboko of Boston University (a Pentecostal scholar) and Stephen Offutt of the Baylor Institute for Studies Religion and Fuller’s famous Amos Yong all insist that this book demonstrates how anti-poverty work and other social change activities are key to faithful Kingdom living. One reviewer notes that “at the core of a flourishing Christian community is a symphony plurality of callings that articulate the common good of God’s Kingdom.”

Since these authors have PhD’s and are teachers of young evangelical students, they’ve learned something about how to pitch this wholistic vision and how to help others discern their own callings into ministries of social change. They are fluent in the educational pedagogy known as service-learning and their college offers global perspectives (which is evident in the book.) They can help us all discern God’s call to care and give us good direction on ways that can develop. This really is a very, very important book and I hope many consider working through it.

The Gift of Small: Embracing Your Church’s Vocation Allen T. Stanton (Fortress Press) $26.00 // SALE PRICE = $20.80

Do you remember that in the last BookNotes I mentioned that we’d be showing books, speaking and leading workshops for the annual Wee Kirk conference in Western Pennsylvania? Wee Kirk is Scottish for “Small Church” and this gathering invites those with small congregations to join together to celebrate their unique gifting and their own problems and possibilities. We have bunches of books on small congregational life (with books on small church leadership, doing education in a small church, administrative stuff, missional vision, and more, not to mention books helping us understand the contemporary contours of small town life, rural settings, and the like.)

The Gift of Small is a brand new one that is concise and clear and affirms the context of typical small churches. He warns that worrying too much about numbers and growth is not only unhealthy but perhaps idolatrous, an almost unconscious capitulation to idols of efficiency and numbers and metrics of quantity over quality. I think he is really right, and I like not only his storytelling and his up-to-date research and data on church size and styles, but his hopeful invitation to think about vocation and calling. The relationally-rich, non-programmatic small church creates a network of friends that can help members attend to God and appreciate a sense of God’s call.

I’m not sure he does it justice but Stanton spends a few pages interacting with my friend Steve Garber and his important Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good which many of our customers have found deeply stirring. This notion of vocation is important to Stanton (both the vocation of the church and the vocations of the membres) and it is good to have him discuss this, as so few books about congregational life do. Stanton is aware of blue collar and rural people and wants the small church to be a community that is formative in the way at which Garber suggests (even if Steve’s stories are not set in Appalachia.) Stanton is a United Methodist small church pastor and health care worker in rural Tennessee. His previous book was Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations. Congrats to him for this new one, one of the ones I highlighted at Wee Kirk 2024.

American Reckoning: Inside Trump’s Trial – And My Own Jonathan Alter (BenBella Books) $29.95 // SALE PRICE = $23.96

American Reckoning  just released this week and I am half way through. I can’t wait until my after-midnight reading time tonight to pick it up again. He is a clear, spunky, good writer who has honed his craft in years and years of Newsweek columns and in countless other mainstream media stories. He is a storied writer, having done books on FDR and has developed close friendships with many of our contemporary politicians (most famously, Alter did the best big biography there is of Jimmy Carter called His Very Best and an excellent pair on his friend Barack Obama.)

We learn a lot about Alter in the first portion of American Reckoning as he talks about his civic minded, politically active family, his mother’s involvement in Chicago politics and his being shaped by her values and of women in public life. (In the year Martin Luther King famously lived in a slum in Chicago, Alter’s mother hosted him; Jonathan would have been about seven years old when the famous MLK visited.) Years later, he became close to John McCain, knew the in-house tensions and good working relations between Obama and Biden (even though I gather Alter isn’t a big fan of Biden even if he understood Biden’s antipathy towards those with elite educations and higher-class lifestyles.) Somebody dubbed him a “Zelig of journalism.”

As one who reported on — sometimes affirming and sometimes not — political leaders of various stripes, having been in their meetings, travelled on their planes, imbibed in after-hours libations and conversations, and came to know many decent public servants, you can suppose how he came to disdain Donald Trump and his break-the-rules revolutionary style and his rich-man’s demeanor and arrogance. Alter knew Trump decades ago in New York City and wrote stories on him in the last century about his consistent dishonesty and the embarrassment he was to working people in the hard-scrapple city of the Big Apple. He knew in those years Trump’s pal the notorious Roy Cohn — remember when Nixon sued Trump and his father for blocking Black people from renting their apartments? Years later when Trump said so many bad things (more than once!) about veterans, Alter took it quite personally; he loved his dad who was a WWII hero and he was close to McCain, who Trump mocked for being a Viet Nam torture victim and POW. Alter cares about this human-scale stuff and he also cares about the Constitution and he cares about his country, even as he has struggled to maintain idealism and hope in these complicated days.

When Alter, who comes across (to this reader, anyway) as a decent, patriotic, Democrat-leaning, public scholar and fair-minded journalist, gets a chance to be one of only a handful of reporters allowed into the Trump trial (for abusing political funds to pay off Stormy Daniels) he jumped at the chance. He actually didnt want the job since he knows so many details already of Trump’s mendacity, but he felt called, like he had to do it. Alter is emotionally fraught over how many fellow citizens approve of such a cad (not to mention how Trump acolyte Judge Aileen Cannon ruled for more and more delays for the Florida case about the former President refusing to turn over classified documents he had at Mar-a-Lago) and he takes Trump’s nod to those who rioted at the Capitol on January 6th quite personally — as we all should, it seems to me. He despises Trump and all that he has done so his moment-by-moment reporting of this astonishing trial is free-wheeling and opinionated. Plus, he has cancer and, as the subtitle of the book reveals, he is facing his own sort of reckoning.

As he puts it, pondering how the rule of law is so important, and the former President’s own suggestion that he will not accept outcomes of the upcoming election, “That’s why it’s important to invest a sordid trial with the constitutional grandeur it now deserves.”

It is a sordid trial and Alter doesn’t sugar coat it; it is not a classy, profound meditation, but a street level look as the whole thing unfolded. If you like courtroom drama, you’ll find it here.

Jonathan Alter’s American Reckoning is a wonderful hybrid — a memoir of an extraordinary career in journalism, a political history of our recent past, and above all an insightful account of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York. It’s also a cry for decency and democracy at a critical moment. — Jeffrey Toobin, author of Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Rightwing Extremism

John Lewis: A Life David Greenberg (Simon & Schuster) $35.00 // SALE PRICE = $28.00

Well, speaking of books about famous people, few leaders of recent memory have been as fondly remembered by most — a few hated him — fellow politicos than the civil rights leader and friend of MLK, John Lewis. From his days on that famous bridge in Selma to his days in the US Congress, Lewis has been a stalwart leader — dare we say  a drum major — for justice.

The late Mr. Lewis has written his own books (in 2012 he released a book called Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America) and a few years ago Jon Meacham wrote the well-received His Truth Is Marching on: John Lewis and the Power of Hope. We are glad that some who read “graphic novels” know of the comic-style illustrated three part biography about Lewis, called March Books One, Two, and Three.) But no one has done the sort of major, serious, thorough biography that he was due, and now our wait is over.

I haven’t started this yet, but it is said to be of the calibre that would put it alongside, say, eminent Pulitzer Prize winning volumes such as King: A Life by Jonathan Eig,  Frederick Douglas: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight and The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcom X by Les Payne. Congratulations to David Greenberg for giving us such an important new volume about a true American hero.

Invisible Jesus: A Book About Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ Scot McKnight & Tommy Person Phillips (Zondervan Reflective) $22.99 // SALE PRICE = $18.39

We have so many books about those who have deconstructed their fundamentalist faith and those wanting to understand why so many are leaving even less strict churches. There is nearly a cottage industry of these books and in part because they are often so moving and interesting and in part because we mourn this trend and want our customers to understand it, we stock many. This is yet one more. But…

It does seem to me that this is a bit different than many that offer (often understandable) laments about mistreatment in churches or incoherent mixes of political or social opinions which masquerade as Biblical truth. No, this isn’t just another recital of those important criticisms, but is an invitation for all of us to first listen. McKnight and Phillips, one a working Bible teacher and author and the other a working pastor, suggest that “instead of seeing today’s movement of deconstruction as a problem to solve, could it be a prophetic voice resisting a distorted gospel?”

They tell us about recent studies and share the results of many candid interviews they did. They look at various themes and strains within and among those leaving the church and offer stories of those who have tried to make sense of former convictions that no longer seem true, those who have deconstructed but not given up faith. There are those who may stay away from church in part because they want to be faithful to Jesus and His ways and they see church as part of the problem, not an ally to their own growth and spiritual formation. Wow.

As the back cover puts it, “Invisible Jesus is a prophetic call to examine ourselves and discern whether the faith we practice and the churches we belong to are really representative of the Jesus we follow. Each chapter examines a different topic and offers biblical reflections that call us to not only listen more carefully, but to change how we live out our faith as followers of Jesus today.”

Perhaps you will recall the important book about goodness that McKnight co-wrote, reflecting about how congregations could develop a culture of tov, a Hebrew word he explores. In A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing Tov and then in Pivot The Priorities, Practices, and Powers That Can Transform Your Church Into a Tov Culture, he gives us principles to help avoid abuses and toxic relationships in overly harsh churches. This new Invisible Jesus is not unrelated as he sees that some who are leaving the church are practically right to do so: they see the problems of arrogance and the idols of certainty and the lack of safe acceptance and they wonder if they can endure. Scott McKnight and  Tommy Phillips help us listen well and wonder how to take seriously the charges against us. Can deconstruction be a form of conversion, away from consumeristic religion and towards the real thing? Can the Jesus who is at the heart of Christian faith still be the number one thing?

Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments Joe Posnanski (Dutton) $30.00 // SALE PRICE = $24.00

Joe Posnanski is without a doubt one of the top tier, if not the top king, of sports writers in America. He is awarded for his eloquence and insight and he is beloved for knowing so much about the sports he writes about. Sports fans everywhere know him and those who like reading about sports love him. We have a few fans who adore his two recent baseball books, Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments and, of course, The Baseball 100.

Lifelong student of the game, Posnanski here writes as eloquently about a very different sport and, yet, it shines with the same eloquence and passion and fun and interest as his baseball books. I have had a favorite football book before — oddly, I know, it was by wild man novelist Steve Almond who wrote in 2015 (when we were learning most about brain injury in the sport) Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto. And I loved Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood, the wonderfully told story of Baltimore Colt’s captain Joe Ehrmann and his conversation to Christ, written by esteemed Sport Illustrated penman Jeffrey Marx. But this season I’m going to start these 100 moments to explore why we love football. Why We Love Football is going to be great, I’m sure.

Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts Oliver Burkeman (Farrar Straus & Giroux) $27.00  // SALE PRICE = $21.60

Do you know the best-selling smash Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. That’s in paperback, now, and is ideal for those who are obsessed about our “lengthening to-do lists, work-life balance, and the ceaseless battle against distraction.”  It was a bit philosophical, thoughtful and wise; a few of our customers said his questions about resisting the futile modern fixation of getting everything done helped them reframe their use of time and their daily choices. He is not overtly writing as a person of Christian faith although somebody told me that he cites one of my own favorite theological writers — maybe Jamie Smith, or maybe Andy Crouch. In any case, he is said to be bright and gracious and helpful.

This new one, Meditations for Mortals, is almost what we might call a daily devotional, or a set of thoughtful (almost secular) inspirational readings. This isn’t claptrap or cliched inspirational bromides but good stuff to ponder, mature advice, interesting ideas. Cal Newport (Slow Productivity and Deep Work) says it is “More than a book of ideas, Meditations for Mortals offers a practical path towards personal transformation.”

How does this happen? Newport continues,

(This) helps you sidestep the shallow allure of frenetic busyness and find a liberating joy in the limits and imperfections of life. A must-read.

Krista Tippett applauds his “personal, literary, and journalistic adventures into wisdom” and suggests this is a “retreat of the mind” and is a “very special book.” She says we should read it “for the sake of our aching world as well as the state of our own souls.”

By the way — this is so interesting: he is on a mainstream secular publisher and he writes that he favors Buddhist practices of meditation; maybe he’s into Zen and other sorts of psychological / spiritual habits. But yet, in his fascinating annotated bibliography he cites several contemporary Christian writers (like Covenant College’s Kelly Kapic and Mockingbird’s David Zahl’s Low Anthropology and evangelical faith/work writer Jordan Raynor) and identifies them as such. He has epigrams by C.S. Lewis and is as up-to-date as commending Hearts & Minds fav Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times by Elizabeth Oldfield. And he says, “If you’re the sort of person who enjoys cold showers and punishing triathlons, you might try exploring Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time. So there’s that. And his appendix is an “index of afflictions” —which you might even want to turn to first.

God Has a Name: What You Believe About God Will Shape Who You Become John Mark Comer (Nelson Books) $25.99  // SALE PRICE = $20.79

We reviewed this when it was released several years ago, now, in a handsome, uniquely shaped paperback. One person told us it was the most life-changing book she ever read and not a few people were deeply struck by his description of God’s own self-revelation in giving us a name. This is solid, serious, theology made playfully cool and upbeat for contemporary readers. There are even some cool line drawings that remind you of some editions of Rilke or something. I was glad for that black paperback, but it has now been expanded, given a new subtitle, some different back cover copy, and put into a more standard hardback (sans dust jacket per his other books like The Ruthless Elimination or Hurry or the new blockbuster Practicing the Way.)

We are told there are more than 4000 more words in this expanded edition (on the practice of contemplation, mostly , I think) and the slightly different format is itself nice. It does seem to be of renewed interest because of the contemplative spiritual practice shared in Practicing the Way and the new workbook size companion guide. If you already have the older paperback of God Has a Name I can’t say it is worth it to get this new hardcover. If, though,  you are somewhat new to the Comer party, or have only just looked at the great (free) online streaming “Practicing the Way” video course, you might want to pick up this newly released, handsome edition. Like the others by Comer, we have it at 20% off.

When the Church Harms God’s People: Becoming Faith Communities That Resist Abuse, Pursue Truth, and Care for the Wounded Diane Langberg (Brazos Press) $19.99 // SALE PRICE = $15.99

This just arrived (a bit early) today and I’ve not had time to look at it yet. But we ordered a bunch (sight unseen, as is often the case in this biz) for at least two reasons. First, heaven knows we need books on this topic. There are a lot, but we need more. Please, God, help us heal the wounds of so much hurt. And, secondly, Langberg may be truly one of the most knowledgable and insightful and vital authors on this topic of toxic faith, church abuse, the abuse of power, and the psychology of recovery. She has a PhD from Temple and as a psychologist (with more than 50 years of experience) she is thoroughly, deeply Christian. (Her remarkable book, Suffering and the Heart of God was done years ago before “trauma informed scholarship” was a thing, but she surely named it well, published by the gospel-centered folks at New Growth Press; her important work on understanding abusive churches, Redeeming Power, was done not long ago by Brazos.)

And so, we are pleased to announced the brand new guide to becoming the sort of church that can resist abuse and, in truth, care for the victims. There are several books emerging now that the scandals of sexual abuse in churches is well known — think of the two Tov ones by Scot McKngiht or the latest by Aimee Byrd (The Hope in Our Scares.) But none of the many are written by a therapist who has such expertise about serving the abused as Langford nor by one who has put herself on the line working to expose the offenders and stand with the hurting. She is a person who we should listen to.

This is a book for every Christian, but it is also a book for anyone wounded in the name of Jesus or seeking to understand who Jesus is and what the church is designed to be. — Rachael Denhollander, speaker, author, and victim advocate

As one of the foremost psychologists of our time, Langberg unpacks how the church can once again reflect the true beauty and character of Jesus: the preeminent good shepherd. A must-read book for both the sheep and the shepherds who guide them.
— Boz Tchividjian, attorney for abuse victims and founder of GRACE

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BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

20% OFF

YEP, here it is again, the offer extended, re-posted below, with the 30% off discount deal and an offer of a free book sent your way — IF YOU ORDER BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024. I’ve newly included just a few other titles, too, on the front end, and then the rest of this BookNotes is a repeat of the one I posted previously. If you missed that earlier deadline for the 30% off deal, here is a second chance. Hooray!

We’ve got lots more on this topic, but I was pretty satisfied with the array of titles I listed for you a few weeks back, more or less arranged by ease of reading and scholarly depth. As voting day draws near, most of us have an awareness of the importance of this election (and some, I’m sure, are adamant about your thoughts and opinions; I sure am.)

I’ve been doing a Faith & Politics class at my church and videos of it can be found at First Presbyterian Church of York’s Facebook page or at the church website. I’m pretty excited and a bit goofy at times and the sound isn’t great on one of them but most folks have enjoyed the course and I invite you to check it out. (This week I review just a bit about Jesus and his first sermon about the Year of Jubilee and then move into the drama of Paul’s civil disobedience and trials in Acts to set the stage for a quick look at Romans 13.) We are glad for those who have tuned in as I try to offer a big picture overview of the good of politics, what the Bible says, and general principles for thinking well about our citizenship. We’re calling it “Elephants and Donkeys and the Lamb (Oh My)” with a clever nod to the Wizard of Oz. Ha. The point, of course, is serious and I hope whatever your political passions are, you’ve done some thinking about how you relate your faith (if you are a follower of the Lamb of God) to your public life, your civic involvement, and your voting up and down the ballot.

I sometimes say that how we end up voting is somewhat less relevant than how you came to decide; that is, the process of thinking it through matters. (I favor the process offer by Ron Sider in Just Politics, for instance [see below], but it is notable how some who have strong political opinions seem not to have taken diligent steps to allow their Biblical faith to color their political values and candidate choices.) I hope you have a reasonable Biblical hermeneutic, that you’ve read a bit about law and justice in the Bible, the grand history of Christians in political life, that you have a coherent public theology. Otherwise, we can get stuck in conventional secularized loyalties to parties and ideologies that may or may not be consistent with a Christian worldview or a faithful political agenda. The process of being formed in civic holiness isn’t easy, I’ll admit, but we are grateful that some have said that our books have helped.

For those that want a quick dip into this conversation about books that offer a way to think about Christians stewarding well their gift of citizenship, I invite you, also, to listen to my latest “Three Books from Hearts & Minds” podcast, in which I describe three books on faith and political life. You can watch the Zoom conversation on YouTube or listen podcast-style on Apple or Spotify. We say in the program notes that we offer 20% off on any books mentioned, but if you order any of those in the next three days, we’ll do 30% off and send along a free book added in, too. That OFFER EXPIRES at midnight OCTOBER 23.

In this BookNotes I am going to give a fresh shout-out to five other relevant books, then just re-post that big listing from two weeks ago about the vocation of citizenship. We are extending our 30% off offer for a few more days.

If you feel so inclined, I’d ask you share this. We’d love for folks to see our suggestions. Thanks

Here are the five that I’ve added in to this redux BookNotes. I wanted to spice it up with a couple that I hadn’t listed before. They are very good reads, one and all.

Each are 30% off until October 23rd; after than back to the more typical 20% off BookNotes special.

“Here Are Your Gods” — Faithful Discipleship in Idolatrous Times Christopher J.H. Wright (IVP Academic) $22.00 /  OUR 30% OFF SALE PRICE = $15.40

I have noted before how much I appreciated this, a fabulous book drawn from a couple of well received talks by the international ministries director for Langham Partnerships in the UK. He has written a lot of books, including a magisterial one called The Mission of God, and more.  This exploration — the title comes from the Israelite exclamation given at the sight of the golden calf — not only is an astute study of idolatry but then offers particularly keen insights about what we might call political idolatry. It’s really, really good.

Tremper Longman (author of The Bible and the Ballott, named below) says it is a “must-read for Christians as they engage with the political process.”) Duke Divinity School Old Testament professors Ellen Davis reminds us that Wright’s insights relate to “mission, creation care, justice, work, addiction-treatment, and the cultivation of theological maturity and ethical integrity.” She says it is “a sobering call to repentance and the renewal of Christian vocation.”

The Justice Calling: Where Passion Meets Perseverance Bethany Hanke Hoang & Kristen Deede Johnson (Brazos) $24.00 / OUR 30% OFF SALE PRICE = $16.80

This is one of my all-time favorite books by two authors I so respect and I can hardly say enough about it. Briefly, it is a study of justice and — get this! — the need for a persevering hope in our passion for justice. That is, while we serve a faithful God who does not falter, we (as it says on the back) need a “deep perseverance we can’t muster on our own.” Despite the staggering needs of a broken and unjust world, we need God’s strength to keep us going and profound Kingdom hope to keep on keeping on.

This very fine work is, in the words of Andy Crouch, “a deep, wide, wise contribution to a truly comprehensive understanding of justice.” Despite the violence in our world and corruption on our political systems, this is a real encouragement. Delightful is word that comes to mind, but that makes it sound maybe a bit light-weight, and it is not. It is (in the words of Dan Allender) a “glorious book.” When books carry such fine endorsements by scholars like Nicholas Wolterstorff and global activists like Gary Haugen, and educators like Kara Powell, you it is book worth having on your shelves. In the months ahead, you will need to have it near at hand.

I love how The Justice Calling does, indeed, invite us to the vocation of being agents of justice. It is serious, but inviting. The Bible has more about this topic than most know, and this book offers the needed Biblical theology of justice from the whole story of Scripture. Yet, as I’ve said, it also has this spiritual formation piece and tone, offering a call to hope, a guide to perseverance. There is real promise and great possibility taught here. It isn’t about politics, as such, but the call to justice is part of our own discipleship and public fidelity, so this is a great resource as we think about civic life and the values the might shape our voting. Highly recommended.

Jesus Takes a Side: Embracing the Political Demands of the Gospel Jonny Rashid (Herald Press) $17.99 / OUR 30% OFF SALE PRICE = $12.59

You might recall the name of this author — Jonny Rashid — from the candid and pathos-filled telling of the story of the now-defunct, radical, Brethren church in urban Philly, Circle of Hope, told so well in Eliza Griswald’s Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church. I reviewed that book in a previous BookNotes and have already discussed Jesus Takes a Side. My previous review of Rashid was written before I read about his fiesty role in the anti-racist work of Circle, and reading Griswald on the painful struggle within that earnest congregation helps shed some light on Jesus Takes…

Be that as it may, the book is darn good. From Drew Hart’s riveting foreword through the many stories Rashid tells — he grew up in central Pennsylvania and felt in his very body the discrimination faced by people of Arab descent in the racist US, especially during President Trump’s “Muslim travel ban”, for instance — I couldn’t put it down. Jesus Takes a Side is an unashamed, progressive Biblical study showing how Jesus always sided with the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized. This is a Bible-based, evangelical sort of liberation theology that insists we may not (espeically in the name of civility and graciousness) refuse to take the explicit teachings of Jesus seriously and stand, in fact, where he would stand. Drawing on James Cone and Howard Thurman, Walter Brueggemann and Abraham Joshua Heschel, Melissa Florer-Bixler and Willie Jennings and so much more, this passionate young pastor has offered a controversial book that, as author Kurt Willems  puts it, “will provoke important conversations about what it means to follow Jesus in any political system.”

Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right Scot M. Coley (Eerdmans) $26.99 /  OUR 30% OFF SALE PRICE = $18.89

Oh my, I should have been pushing this earlier as it is an excellent study, a great book that (as the back cover says), “exposes the inner workings of the religious right’s propaganda — and how Christians can resist it.” It isn’t just an expose of the misogyny and complicity in racist movements idolatrous nationalism that plagues the religious wing of the MAGA movement, but is a careful study of their rhetoric and prooftexting (and what he explains as “motivated reasoning.”)  Professor Coley teaches at Mount St. Marys University in Maryland and lives in Lancaster, PA. He’s a respected scholar and popular teacher.

Ministers of Propaganda fills a real need in the literature, not only offering a wise and balanced Christian assessment of the far religious right, Christian Nationalism, and such, but shows how that movement has taken hold, how it has promoted itself and disseminated its frankly undiscerning and at times idolatrous views of culture, church and state. As historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez puts it, Coley “brings a philosophical scalpel to evangelical truth claims,” where, as she puts it starkly, “much of what passes as ‘biblical’ can better be understood as propaganda, as the deliberate obfuscation of reality in the interest of propping up self-serving hierarchies of authority and submission.” Wow. She is in the middle of it and her own historical research overlaps with his, so her evaluation is important and reliable. If you have been shaped by evangelical takes on creationism, race, gender, and the like, or if you’ve read Du Mez’s Jesus and John Wayne, this will be an important book for you. His penultimate chapter (“Christo-Authoritarianism”) is really something and the final word, “Resisting Christo-Authoritarianism” is vital. I recommend this one.

List to Andrew Whitehead, an exceptionally reasonable scholar, author of American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church:

I couldn’t put this book down. Coley skillfully provides a framework that reveals how and why influential portions of American Christianity have consistently failed to embody the command of Jesus to love our neighbors as ourselves. Equipped with this knowledge, readers will be able to recognize these mechanisms at work, faithfully confront those advocating only for self-interested expressions of Christianity, and pursue a more just future for all.

How to End Christian Nationalism Amanda Tyler (Broadleaf Books) $27.99 /  OUR 30% OFF SALE PRICE = $19.59

Wow, this book just came out and while it is a guidebook for those of us who want to dismantle the false ideologies of extreme Christian Nationalism — written by the lead organizer of Christian Against Christian Nationalism — it is also an introduction to the movement and will be useful resource for the years to come. We are glad to announce it and offer it at this extra discount.

Ms Tyler has a great writer’s voice in this easy-to-read books; she strikes the right notes from her background as attorney and civic leader, life-long Baptist and Christian activists. The names of those she thanks in the acknowledgments are a whose who of those researching and writing about this controversy within the public square. She obviously knows her stuff and this has energetic endorsements from Jemar Tisby, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Anthea Bulter, William Barber, Robert Jones, Liz Theoharis, Bradley Onishi, and people from non-Christian faith perspectives, too, such as Eboo Patel and Rep. Jamie Raskin (who calls it “a gift to America in dangerous times.”)

Here is how it starts:

“When did you become radicalized about Christian nationalism?”

The question from the journalist jarred me. I had never though of myself as a radical about anything. I’m a mild-mannered person, and freinds have long remarked on my ability to remain outwardly calm and collected in stressful situations. As an attorney, I’ve spent my career steeped in rational inquiry, measured analysis, and logical argument. I’m a lifelong Baptist, and I lead a religious advocacy group, so I spend a lot of time preaching, participating in Bible studies, serving on church committees, and going to potlucks.  I’m also a mother, so I have volunteered for the PTA, packed countless lunches, and read many bedtime stories. I wasn’t sure what was so radical about days spent reading Supreme Court opinions, writing sermons, and making dinner for my family.

I also associate the term radicalized with extremist violence, something that must be roundly condemned no matter its source. We see radicalization all around us in the nation and in the world, and I had never thought of the term as having anything to do with me. How did working to maintain the separation of church and state and to protect faith freedom for all people become radical?

How to End… is a fabulous and reasonable project, a good primer, a hopeful guide to making a difference in turning around the public reputation and witness of people of faith who have been involved in politics in unhelpful ways. Amanda Tyler seems like a gem.

Part way through this fine book she talks of her work (years ago) for a Democratic political figure in Texas and how people would flood his public events with ugly chants and scary posters. Soon enough they started bringing guns; this alt-right anger (in those years against Obamacare plans) lead to — in her telling — the awful, bloody rampage of the US Capitol on that infamous January 6th. (You know, the one the former President Trump called “a day of love.”) We must disentangle evangelical and Biblical faith from this extremist and authoritarian civil religion even as we advocate for pluralism and religious freedom and sanity. There is work to do, and this guidebook will be useful for many.

Okay, three more days, folks. Here’s the BookNotes we sent out a few weeks ago. Enjoy.

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ALL OF THESE ARE ON SALE AT AN EXTRA DISCOUNT FOR THEE MORE DAY ONLY. Order now and get 30% OFF. After that they will return to our customary BookNotes 20% discount.

 

AND — we will offer a free book that we have selected for you, to be sent (while supplies last) with any purchase from this list. Cheers.

I’ll group the recommendations in a few categories or levels of sophistication. The categories are a bit fluid, I’ll admit. I hope you read through the whole important list.

101 – BASIC, ACCESSIBLE  BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP

201 – MORE SERIOUS, READABLE BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP

301 – MODERATELY ADVANCED READS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP

401 – IMPORTANT BOOKS ON POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & CULTURAL ANALYSIS –

URGENT BOOKS ON THE DANGERS POSED BY THE EXTREMIST RIGHT WING

Again, all books are 30% off until October 23, 2024. And we’ll send two free ones, while the bonus supplies last.

101 – BASIC, ACCESSIBLE  BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP 

The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life Vincent Bacote (Zondervan) $18.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.29

This little classic makes the simple case of why we must think about the call to engage culture and care about political life in light of God’s call to holiness. A lovely, very brief introduction to a wide-as-creation, Biblically-informed vision of public life. Buy a bunch!

Dr. Bacote teaches at Wheaton College and has published widely about the Bible, the Holy Spirit, public thinking, civic life, racial justice, and the theology of Abraham Kuyper.

 

Politics for People Who Hate Politics: How To Engage Without Losing Your Friends on Selling Your Soul Denise Grace Gitsham (Bethany House) $16.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

A really basic guide to American citizenship and Christian faith by an experienced Republican politico. Although she tilts right, her first allegiance is to the gospel and for building unity.

There are endorsements on the back not only from a Fox News commentator but a Democratic Senator. Maybe not my own favorite but a good starter resource for someone you may know.

How To Be a Patriotic Christian: Love of Country as Love of Neighbor Richard Mouw (IVP) $18.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.60

I adore this little book, always in awe at how Mouw can bring his professional training as a political philosopher in the Reformed tradition to bear in a way that is readable and enjoyable and instructive and helpful. This lovely book is a great starter for reminding us of why patriotism — properly understood — is a good thing, even though it can go ugly and even idolatrous at times.  I appreciate his “on the other hand” balance and his insight that our patriotism should be an avenue of love of others. Solid.

 

Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christians Guide to Engaging Politics Eugene Cho (David C. Cook) $17.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.59

Many of us have admired Cho for his passionate work not only as an innovative evangelical pastor but his radical work on poverty and wages. His work with immigrant communities in his home state of Washington has been studied and praised. But now he is most known as the CEO of Bread for the World, the premier citizens action group that works on legislative efforts that help mitigate hunger, both globally and in the US. BFW is a group we should all appreciate — their long-time President, the late Arthur Simon was a friend and regular customer — and Cho wrote this upbeat book about civility and effectiveness in political activism before he took over the leadership of Bread. This is a very fine book, thoughtful and insightful. Enjoy!

Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to the Lamb, Not the Donkey or the Elephant Patrick Miller & Keith Simon (David C. Cook) $17.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.59

I know that some of our customers enjoy the provocative Truth Over Tribe podcast where these dudes regularly remind Christians that they dare not be loyal primarily to a tribe, a party, a group other than the church of Jesus Christ. Like the book, it is enjoyable and yet really thoughtful. Many of us feel exhausted by tribalisms of all sorts and while this does not shy away from political involvement, it puts it within the context of the ideologies of tribalism that are so very hard to avoid these days. Can truth and love win out over tribalism and fear?

The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics Curtis Change & Nancy French (Zondervan) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

  Chang is a long-time, thoughtful theological scholar having written on the likes of Augustine and Aquinas. Now a working psychologist, he partners here with long-time civic activist — until a few years back, exclusively with the Republican Party — Nancy French. Both have come a long way in pondering how a Biblical view of humility and hope can guide us through the “how” and “what” of complex political conversations. They offer some “types” of approaches and postures, ranging from the harsh ideologue to the hurting cynic. There is a better way of conversing and they invite us to think Christianly less about political philosophy but about comporting ourselves with graciousness and Christ-likeness.

The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems Our Partisan Divide Joshua Ryan Butler (Multnomah) $17.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.90

I, at least, couldn’t put this one down and hope you will also find it engaging and helpful.  It is really helpful and a necessary guidebook to understanding the lay of the land in ways that are a bit more wise and interesting than the routine left vs right continuum. Using a matrix quadrant of four views, Butler suggest these perspectives are almost like religions for some people and people of Christian faith ought not be taken in by any of the four tendencies. I think he is right in exposing the religion-like commitments that undergird these orientations of progress and responsibility and identity and security (as he names them.)

After this astute orientation, he offers Biblical insight rooted in a vivid understanding of who Jesus is as Lord and how his disruption (as Party Crasher) can bring hope to our partisan mess. He offers ten political commandments for Christlike engagement, too. Some are pretty common sense (and oh-so-necessary) and others are surprising and nearly brilliant. A fun and provocative book.

Kingdom and Country: Following Jesus in the Land That You Love edited by Angie Ward (NavPress) $16.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

As you may know, I’m often frustrated that the media and many thoughtful Christian leaders put all evangelicals in the same far-right basket of those who go along with the MAGA movement’s nutty claims about the last election being stolen and who are willing to support a candidate who gives the nod to racists in the KKK and  violent thugs like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Of course this is not at all the case, and this collection of informative and inspirational pieces is such a good example of ordinary evangelicals who care about justice and the common good, who see the Bible as guiding them to resist overstating the ideologies of the right or the left. What do you do when the priorities of God’s Kingdom clash with political trends? A great handful of rising leaders within the broader evangelical movement. There are women and men from different social locations and ethnicities, too, giving a fresh batch of insight and passion. Most admit there are few easy answers and following Christ is complicated. Very highly recommended.

By the way, see another in this “Kingdom Conversations” series edited by Angie Ward called The Least of These: Practicing a Faith Without Margins (NavPress) $16.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies N.T. Wright & Michael F. Bird (Zondervan) $22.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.09

I have previously reviewed this one, of course, and we have been proud to feature it at events over the summer and fall — there is no doubt that these Biblical scholars have thought well about public life and the threats to democracies around the world in these dangerous days. But, to be clear, they are Bible guys, and here they study the Scriptures, especially the New Testament teaches about “the powers” and what it means that Christ has conquered them. I’ve read a few other theological studies of the powers — think Berkof, say, or Walter Wink, or Marva Dawn — but this is doubtless the best, most readable, study of a Biblical basis for our Christian political witness. Of course we love how it explores the nature of the Kingdom of God, framing the upheaval of our day by the light of the here-but-still-coming reign of Christ.

201 – SLIGHTLY MORE SERIOUS, READABLE BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP 

The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor or Kaitlyn Schiess (IVP) $18.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.29

A generation of young Christians (and old ones, too) are weary of the political legacy they’ve inherited and are hungry for a better approach. This asks how we should form our political convictions and how we can explore the habits and practices that inform our visions of citizenship and the public good. This is nearly brilliant, a must read for one and all.  Blurbs on the back sing its praises from Makoto Fujimura, James Skillen, Karen Swallow Prior, Molly Worthen, Matthew Kaemingk, Michael Wear. Right on — an absolute must-read for anyone interested in political faithfulness.

This explains it well and why you will value it. Not only for you own earnest self-evaluation but as entertain others in conversations about how they form their views.

How should Christians vote? In the last several years, this question has become a dividing line in the church, polarizing the people of God into opposing camps and fracturing the Christian community along worldly fault lines. With wisdom beyond her years, Kaitlyn Schiess recognizes the folly of centering on this question and instead focuses on a better one: What sort of people are we being formed into? With biblical grounding, theological depth, and the spiritual urgency of a next-generation leader, Kaitlyn lays the groundwork for a better, more faithful approach to political engagement. After finishing this book, here is the one thing I know for sure: we have not seen the last of Kaitlyn. — Sharon Hodde Miller, author, Nice: Why We Love to Be Liked And How God Calls Us to More and The Cost of Control: Why We Crave It, the Anxiety It Gives Us, and the Real Power God Promises

Compassion & Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler (IVP) $24.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.80

This is a fabulously rich, enjoyable read that explores questions of social justice and moral order as it pertains to the common good. These authors worked in what they called the “AND” campaign — think of the gospel called to speak the truth in love. Or, as the title summarized, compassion and conviction. This shows how we who follow Jesus in light of a Biblical orientation may sometimes feel too progressive for conservatives and too conservative for progressive. We needn’t be stuck in this continuum, really, but this campaign is trying to help us be more faithful, wholistic, balanced approach.

What an honor for the to have the black political activist Barbara Williams-Skinner write the powerful foreword.

The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life Michael Wear (Zondervan) $18.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.29

When I reviewed this at BookNotes earlier this year I raved and now I want to rave again. This is not a simple guide to thinking faithfully about politics (let alone about how to vote) but is more foundational, inviting us to ask how our hearts are, what sort of soulful approach we should have as we think about political service in God’s complicated world. Few books related prayer and our political responsibilities so well, that’s for sure.

Surely most of us need a deeper interior life, a view of knowing the world and how things work that is informed by the spirituality of a Biblical worldview. I love Michael Wear and would read anything he does. In this book he is deeply and wonderful informed by a wide reading of the whole corpus of the great Christian philosopher Dallas Willard. There is simply nothing like this one in print. Don’t miss it.

Wear’s 2017 book about working for and then leaving the Obama administration (as a very young man) is still very well worth reading — it’s Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House about the Future of Faith in America (Thomas Nelson; $16.99.) / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

The Bible and the Ballot: Using Scripture in Political Decisions Tremper Longman (Eerdmans) $25.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.19

The good Dr. Longman is one of the great Biblical scholars and teachers working today and here he has several significant chapters on what we might call a political hermeneutic; that is, how do we read the Bible to ascertain a “Biblical perspective” on modern civic life? These are well done, thoughtful, nuanced but not overwrought or arcane. It’s complicated, granted, but he offers some warnings and advice. The second half of the book offers a nuanced Biblical orientation towards a number of hot topics from immigration to pro-life concerns to questions about nationalism to racism, poverty, and more. After amassing the Biblical data, he wisely calls for a principled pluralistic in applying Scriptural wisdom into our modern, secular, political landscape. This is, at least, a handy resource to have around.

Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit Parker Palmer (Jossey Bass) $17.95 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.56

I do not need to say much about this, I trust. Parker Palmer is a gentle, quiet, insightful author, a Quaker who has written with passion about public life most of his life. He has written about teaching, the reform of higher education, famously about vocation and “listening to your life” and about how concern,generally, about the spirit (or the Spirit) of our lives matters, also to our public and cultural endeavors. From the journey inward to the journey outward he has been a good and wise guide.

Here he draws us into this invitation to listen well, to be decent neighbors, to work hard for a civil and gracious public order that invites reform and human caring. I’m not sure if his nonviolent circles and kind initiatives of finding common ground are potent in this polarized age, but I’d like to think they are. We are, I think most agree, in this together. We can appreciate others and we can hold tension in life-giving ways. Right? Can we form community among our own often tense communities? Palmer offers here five “habits of the heart” that can be developed in everyday settings like families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations, and workplaces to help restore an ethics of government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” A distinctively Christian contribution might want to say more than that (in fact, Palmer wants to say more than that) but it’s a good start, eh? A lovely and heartening book.

301 – MODERATELY ADVANCED READS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP 

Just Politics: A Guide for Christian Engagement Ronald J. Sider (Brazos Press) $26.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.20

I have maintained ever since this first came out years ago that it was simply the best book on a Christian approach to political life that I have yet read. He draws on a wide range of thinkers and activists, offers an impeccable commitment to the authority of Scripture, and calls us not only to research the Bible well but also to, in light of a broad Christian vision of life and society, evaluate well the data on the ground about key issues. (That is, for example, even if we agree that social policy ought to be biased in favor of the poorest among us, good folks can disagree about whether or not, in fact, for instance, raising the minimum wage helps the poor in the long run.) So, here, Sider gives us an inspiring process of how to think well about politics as such and how to humbly but responsibly develop a consistently Christian view of best approaches to policies and, finally, to voting. The late Ron Sider badly wanted us to be biblically grounded and factually responsible and graciously active. It isn’t a difficult read, really, but it is thorough — although not even 250 pages. You can do this!

James Skillen, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Public Justice, says,

Ron Sider builds on years of experience and conversations with Christians across a very wide spectrum. His balance is better than that of most who want to influence politics for the better. And biblical faith is the solid platform on which he builds and balances. Listen to Ron carefully before taking your next step. Just Politics — that’s what we need!  — James W. Skillen, founder and former president, Center for Public Justice, author The Good of Politics

The Politics of the Cross: A Christian Alternative to Partisanship. Daniel K. Williams (Eerdmans) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

Now out in paperback this is, as the publisher puts it, “a theologically and historically informed treatise on a Christian approach to politics that foregrounds the priorities of God’s Kingdom instead of blind partisan loyalty.” It has been called “judicious” and Williams has been called “one of our finest historians on evangelicals and politics.”

Listen to this:

We live in a time when far too often partisan politics and catchy slogans replace thoughtful Christian engagement. Fiery rhetoric is often detached from fair-minded assessment of the past and present. It occurs on both sides of the aisle. Thankfully we have people like Daniel K. Williams, who offers both the nuance of a historian and the concerns of one committed to the fullness of ancient Christian concerns. This book will at times surprise, but also hopefully inform and encourage, those seeking to more faithfully navigate the debates of our age. — Kelly M. Kapic, author You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News

Citizenship Without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement David T. Koyzis (IVP Academic) $18.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.60

Wow! Hooray! This shipped to us more than a month early, arriving before I had time to do the major review that it so richly deserves. This thoughtful project is a somewhat more accessible and practical follow up to his magnum opus, one of the more important books of civic life to have been published in the last 25 years, Political Visions & Illusions: A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies (see below.) That major work shows the deep roots of Western culture and how the binary fountainheads of political ideologies of our times — simply but, the left and the right — are more related, philosophically, then many realize. How can people of serious faith navigate the complex ideologies that pull us towards these particular (if distorted) visions?

Once one realizes the dangers of imbibing too deeply from the wells of these secularized visions, that is, once we reject the illusions and most profound claims of the left and the right alike, how then shall we vote? Well, it isn’t that simple because, for Koyzis, responsible citizenship is much more than showing up to vote every four years. What does it look like to engage wisely “without illusions” in our day by day citizenship? Can we enter the public square without betraying our own deepest convictions? Can we wisely compromise and yet offer a faithful, gracious voice? This book is fabulous, serious, important. It is just out — we’ve got it now at 30% off. Hooray. Don’t miss it.

In an age of heightened political division and widespread insistence on individual rights, often to the detriment of a vision for the public good, this primer on the task of being faithful Christian citizens is a breath of fresh (principled!) air. While reflecting the erudition of a senior political science scholar, Koyzis’s book is eminently readable, theologically grounded, and insightfully practical for anyone wanting better to live in the tension between the heavenly kingdom of God for which we pray and the broken earthly political and social contexts in which we all live. — David Guretzki, president, CEO, and resident theologian, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

Citizenship Without Illusions is the best one-stop treatment of political citizenship written by the most significant evangelical political theorist of our day. In it, Koyzis makes a case for political engagement as a divine vocation in which our allegiance to Christ is primary and our allegiance to political parties and platforms is secondary. His ability to turn complex political realities into practical frameworks for action is second to none. Highly recommended. — Bruce Riley Ashford, senior fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology

Faithful Politics: Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters Miranda Zapor Cruz (IVP Academic) $24.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.80

My, my, let me tell you that this is perhaps my favorite new book on this topic of the season so far — stunning almost, brimming with insight, remarkable clarity, page-turning writing, balanced, wise, vital views. This “helps us learn from Scripture and from Christians of the past as we discern how to be salt and light in our own time and place.”  The author is a popular professor of historical theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. She holds a PhD in religion politics and society from Baylor University and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary. Wow. This is one you should have to last nearly a lifetime.

The most comprehensive understanding of the role of the Christian believer in national politics from a biblical, theological, and historical perspective to date. A classic for generations. — Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent emerita of The Wesleyan Church

This book is a trust guide for any and all believers who are struggling to faithfully navigate the oft-bewildering and sometimes downright distressing landscape of American public life. — Heath W. Carter, Princeton Theological Seminary, co-editor, Turning Points in the History of American Evangelicalism

The Good of Politics: A Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Introduction James W. Skillen (Baker Academic) $24.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.80

Jim Skillen has been a hero in my view (especially for his work in founding the Center for Public Justice) and has been a good friend to Beth and me over the years. He has written a lot, some of it brilliant, some a bit arcane. This is his magnum opus, or so it seems, with a detailed survey of how the government has been understood by different thinkers throughout church history. As he honors the unfolding of social diversity and the rise of the possibilities of the modern state Skillen stands solid on Augustinian notions of the sovereignty of God and yet shows how even Augustine’s seminal The City of God, as important as it is, is itself mired in more than one political theory. Ditto with Constantine, Aquinas, Althusius, Calvin, John Locke, etc. There is so much to know and this is more than an introduction, believe me.

The detailed second half of The Good of Politics offers a birds-eye view of various political issues in light of his argument for what Kuyper called “sphere sovereignty” and both principled pluralism and  structural pluralism. If you take it slow this repays the work tenfold. One of the primer Christian political thinkers in our lifetime, a quiet scholar and patient gentleman. You should read his astute, important work.

Church, State and Public Justice: Five Views edited by P. C. Kemeny (IVP Academic) $35.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $25.19

This book came out in 2007 and remains as important now as it was then. One of these back and forth that can be so illuminating as five authors offer their particular viewpoint and the others offer critical feedback. We have here top notch authors representing what might be called a Roman Catholic view, an Anabaptist / Mennonite view (by the great Ron Sider), a mainline Protestant social justice perspective, a principled pluralist view (informed by the legacy of Dutch and Reformed leader Abraham Kuyper and modern advocate Jim Skillen) and a classical separationist view by a  Baptist professor at Baylor.  This is really fascinating and truly informative. Your head might spin a little but we all need to consider the various options and learn the strengths and weaknesses of those who have spent their lifetime in Christian political service and scholarship.

Five Views on the Church and Politics edited by Amy Black (Zondervan Academic) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

Not unlike the above volume edited by Paul Kemeny, this one, edited by Wheaton professor Dr. Amy Black (author of the lovely, lively, Honoring God in Red or Blue: Approaching Politics with Humility, Grace, and Reason) includes five scholars from robust religious traditions, each going back and forth with the others. Here is how they arrange the debate:

An Anabaptist view (which they call “Separationist”, being the most limited possible Christian involvement in politics) is represented by Thomas Heilke; a Lutheran approach (called “Paradoxical” includes a robust witness and a strong separation of church and state) which is represented by Robert Benne; there is a “Black Church, prophetic” witness (which reminds us that the church’s mission is to be a voice for communal reform) and is represented by Bruce Fields; there is a Reformed (or “Transformationist” vision which emphasizes God’s sovereignty over all things, including churches and governments) and is represented by James K. A. Smith and the Catholic view (which they call “Synthetic” which encourages political participation as a means to further the common good of all people) and is represented by J. Brian Benestad. For what it is worth, Jamie Smith’s reply to each one is itself a stellar example of solid ecumenical insight and helpful, gracious critique. Smith’s role in this is brilliant.

Toward an Evangelical Public Policy: Political Strategies for the Health of the Nation edited by Ronald J. Sider & Diane Knippers (Baker) $24.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $17.49

This big, now out of print, book is one we still recommend (we have only a few left) as it is nothing short of extraordinary, fabulously conceived and deliberately edited with a wide range of thinkers. The two editors (now both solving their differences in heaven) were themselves representing two very different orientations (Sider was at the time the often lefty President of Evangelicals for Social Action and Knippers was the President of the very conservative Institute for Religion and Democracy.) The contributions to this 380+ page volume include scholars we respect — from political writers and leaders like Paul Marshall and Stephen Monsma to profs of public theology like Dennis Hollinger and Max Stackhouse and Nicholas Wolterstorff. Some are known on issues around life and bioethics (Nigel M. De S. Cameron) and others think Biblically about peacemaking (like Glen Stassen.) On the ground congressional staff like Mark Rodgers contribute and other women and men with evangelical theology and public policy experience contribute. This is not only a call to sophisticated civic responsibility, but a handbook of big-picture thinking and specific topical policy proposals. Included is the impressive document “For the Health of the Nations.” Perhaps a bit dated? I’m not so sure…

401 – IMPORTANT BOOKS ON POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & CULTURAL ANALYSIS

Political Visions & Illusions: A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies David Koyzis (IVP Academic) $35.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $25.19

I have alluded to this above — his new one is more practical and designed for ordinary citizens — and I insist it is one of the most important volumes in decades. He insists that the philosophical movements that gave rise to what today we might call “liberals” and “conservatives” are much more alike that we often realize and as we unearth the assumption behind these ideologies, we realize that as Christians attempting to be faithful in our formulations of our political theories, we really ought to be careful not to fall into visions of change inspired by these essential pagan illusions. What a book! Careful, thoughtful, wise, this is complex and rich, important for anyone serious about developing a uniquely Christian discernment about modern politics. The newer expanded edition has a great introduction by Richard Mouw.

David Koyzis introduces readers to the range of political theories that have emerged and competed for dominance since classical times. He carefully and respectfully separates wheat from chaff in each of them in terms of a Christian worldview, and in a style that is clear, irenic, and persuasive. The second edition helpfully updates the first in terms of major political events of the past two decades. In an increasingly polarized world, this kind of book is essential reading for concerned citizens of all political and religious leanings.” — Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, professor emerita of psychology and philosophy, Eastern University, author Gender and Grace: Love, Work, and Parenting in a Changing World

This second edition of David’s great book is a gem. The brighter light he now shines on his assessment of modern ideologies comes from an in-depth assessment of the story each tells and the idolatry exhibited in each one. This also pushes Christians to examine the extent to which we may be compromising our dedication to God by bowing (even unconsciously) to other gods for political guidance. In this day of heightening nationalism, racism, terrorism, and sheer ignorance, the message of this book could not be more urgent or important. Read and discuss it carefully even if it takes weeks to do so. The multiple forces at work in our homelands and around the world will not be thwarted or redirected by one election or one major event. Christian love of God and neighbor demands responsible civic service and that requires the kind of understanding provided by Political Visions and Illusions. — James W. Skillen, founder and former president of the Center for Public Justice, author, The Good of Politics

Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology James K.A. Smith (Baker Academic) $27.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.90

This is the third major piece of the “Cultural Liturgies” trilogy. You may know Smith’s summarizing volume You Are What You Love which captures in lovely, readable prose the profound insights of these three major volumes. What you may know now is that he wrote that one — You Are What You Love — before he wrote this third major one and, in fact, as he explains in the beginning, he changed his mind a bit. So good as that third section of You Are What You Love is, Awaiting the King explores political theology with other conversation partners and with other conclusions. It’s mind-blowing, serious but important. Kristen Deed Johnson of Western Theological Seminary (and co-author of The Justice Calling) says it is “masterful” and “constructive.”

One of the great contributions is how seriously he takes the important scholarship of Willie James Jennings (The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race) and his deft, detailed examination of the heady work of Oliver O’Donovan. Whew.

Not every book of public theology has endorsements from Yuval Levin and Stanley Hauerwas and even Eric Gregory of Princeton. This is impressive stuff as he sets out “to reform Reformed political theology.” Wow.

Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis James Davison Hunter (Yale University Press) $40.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $28.00**

**This book is currently out of stock and we are unclear when they will be available again. We have a waiting list.

Called his “melancholy masterpiece”, the recent, weighty, Democracy and Solidarity is certainly one of the books of the decade, exploring with in-depth and scholarly rumination what sort of shared values a democracy like ours needs to survive and if we have lost such plausible unity in our era of nihilistic culture wars. When I first announced this a few months ago at BookNotes I cited Jon Meacham’s back-cover blurb which reminds us of its importance.

Meacham, author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, writes:

With his characteristic wisdom and acuity, James Davison Hunter has written an important and illuminating work on the cultural roots of our current democratic discontents. For those seeking to understand how we got here – and what we can do now – this is a vital book.

I first heard of social historian Jackson Lears from Ken Myers on his astute Mars Hill Audio services. Lears continues to be an astute cultural critic and it makes sense that he would know Hunter. Lears writes about this fresh and challenging interpretation of America in crisis:

Hunter has the insight to discern the nihilism pervading our politics, the courage to see its authoritarian consequences, and the wisdom to imagine humane alternatives.

Calvin in the Public Square: Liberal Democracies, Rights, and Civil Liberties  David W. Hall (Presbyterian & Reformed) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

I have been dipping into this big volume again for a class on politics I’m teaching at my church — it came out as part of the Calvin 500 series of books from P&R in 2009 — and I must say I’d love to be able to teach more of this, even if it is above my pay-grade. Hall is a rigorous historian and informed Calvin scholar and this makes the case (whether one likes the magisterial Institutes or not) that the experiment in local governance in Geneva in the mid 1500s was a vanguard of new thinking about human rights and the common good, shaping much of the development of Western political science and even revolutionary transformations. There’s a reason why, centuries later, the British King George squawked about “that Presbyterian war” in 1776. What a major work this is.

In the past two decades, a small cottage industry of important new scholarship has emerged documenting the distinctive Calvinist contributions to the development of Western theories of law, democracy, and human rights. In this engaging volume, David Hall offers a crisp distillation of the latest scholarly findings and a clarion call to reclaim the Calvinist pedigree of some of our most cherished political ideas and institutions. — John Witte, Jr., Professor of Law, Director, Center for the Study of Law and Religion Emory Law School, author Christianity and Law: An Introduction

Why Liberalism Failed  Patrick Deneen (Yale University Press) $19.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.30

It is above my pay-grade as a small-town bookseller, I’m afraid, to say much about this short but much-cited volume. Professor Deneen teaches at Notre Dame and, if you are reading this part of BookNotes, I suspect you know that he does not mean “liberalism” in the sense of being a contemporary Democrat (a lefty on the continuum of liberal to conservative) but classical liberalism, the ideology from the Enlightenment, written into our Declaration of Independence, inspired by the likes of John Locke. That is, in liberal modernity we are free of the superstitions and constraints of the Medieval world and extol a value-free world where each person does what they want — highlighting individualism and freedom and rights and the like. In a way, this understanding of classic liberalism is part of being modern in the secular age. Does that sort of political ideology (that often animates the right and the left in contemporary American political discourse) really work? Can it be sustained? Is our liberal political order in disarray, in part, because it has succeeded? Rod Dreher wrote in the American Conservative back in 2018 that it was the most important political book of the year. David Brooks says, in a blurb in the expanded second edition, that most debates these days are really less about policy but more about “basic values and structures of our social order.” He’s right, I think.

And listen to this:

Bracing. . . . Deneen comes as a Jeremiah to announce that Tocqueville’s fear that liberalism would eventually dissolve all [its] inheritances . . . may now be fully upon us. –  Ross Douthat, New York Times, author, The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success

American Covenant: How the Constitution United Our Nation – And Could Again Yuval Levin (Basic Books) $32.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $22.40

What an amazingly well-informed book this is, just chock-full of new insights and ideas. In the words of a recent review by the young scholar Brad Littlejohn, “the basic structure of the book is methodical and easy to follow. After articulating (his) basic theses, Levin devotes one chapter to each of to the basic building blocks of our constitutional system: federalism, the Congress, the Presidency, the courts, and our party system (a slightly later innovation, to be sure, but one that he considers “a missing piece in the constitutional puzzle”).

He continues,

Each chapter begins with a masterclass in constitutional history, mining the Convention debates and the Federalist papers for insight into how each element of our political order was designed to build consensus through friction. Each then explains how and why we have lost our way, either by misunderstanding the purpose of these institutions, failing to nurture the norms that sustain them, or by consciously trying to do end-runs around them in order to achieve more decisive policy action.

In comparing and contrasting Yuval Levin’s view of our fellow citizen’s shared assumptions with the more pessimistic evaluation of Hunter (see above) he muses:

Our politics increasingly takes place within the funhouse mirrors of a thousand overlapping media ecosystems, each purporting to tell us what our fellow citizens and governing authorities really believe. Judging by many of those data points, it is certainly not implausible to conclude that we are in uncharted territory, and perhaps past a point of no return: we no longer have sufficient agreement on the basics of anthropology and morality that can serve as the starting points for political negotiation.

Zero Hour America: History’s Ultimatum Over Freedom and the Answer We Must Give Os Guinness (IVP) $23.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.79

Guinness has been one of my favorite authors for decades and he writes about a variety of topics and themes, but he has done in the last six or seven years a trilogy of titles that speak to his perception that America has drifted from her balance of ordered liberty, sustained by the virtues of the citizenry, and that we are in a serious crisis point. Zero Hour is a punchy, passionate cry from the heart, informed by his extraordinary knowledge of Greco-Roman civic philosophy and insights from the America Founders who shaped a new set of political ideas (in contrast, he is wise to remind us) to the secularizing and finally authoritarian impulses of the French Revolution. Over and over Guinness brings new evidence, fresh explanations, and renewed energy to this big project of understanding the decline of the United States. He is worried, but not hopeless. As Steve Forbes (of Forbes Media) notes, Os “longs to see it return to the grand vision of its founding ideals.”

If Zero Hour insists that America has lost its way and will fall (“unless…”), his naming seven key foundation stones of freedom is a helpful pathway towards defining and ordering our life together. These are eloquently offered, as always, but, in a way, are keys to further (much-needed) conversation. As always, Guinness is realistic but proclaims a message of hope. His passionate reminder of the urgency should not be minimized and his gospel-driven reliance on God dare not be forgotten.

For more detailed and thorough teaching — important books that came from Os before the succint and feisty  Zero Hour America — I recommend his 2021 release The Magna Carta of Freedom: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom (IVP; $22.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.09) which brilliantly relates the book of Exodus and a Jewish view of freedom with the secularizing ideology of the French Revolution. It is dedicated to the great British Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks. This is one of Guinness’s most important and foundational books to understand what is behind the motif of freedom in the American revolution. I have read it twice and while there will be sections you may not fully agree with, it is simply indispensable these days.

Before that, he wrote in 2018 his political masterpiece, now out in paperback, Last Call for Liberty: How America’s Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat (IVP; $26.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.89.) The publisher summarizes this robust call for active and informed citizenship like this:

The American republic is suffering its gravest crisis since the Civil War. Will conflicts, hostility, and incivility tear the country apart? Os Guinness provides a careful observation of the American experiment, offering a stirring vision for faithful citizenship and renewed responsibility for not only the nation but also the watching world.

Christ and the Common Life: Political Theology and the Case for Democracy Luke Bretherton (Eerdmans) $35.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $24.50

Big and thick and richly drawn, this magisterial volume is one of the best examples of Christian political theology I have ever seen. David Gushee calls it “a monumental achievement” and Cambridge University scholar and author Sarah Coakley says it is written “with incisive clarity and remarkable accessibility” and is a “scholarly achievement of great note.” It is also, I’d say, inspirational, drawing as it does on Biblical insights about being a neighbor and about the most foundational ethic of all: love. It is a major, important, lasting contribution.

Bretherton is a distinguished professor of Moral and Political Theology and senior fellow of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University.

Deeply learned and humane, Bretherton’s book surveys the landscape of political theology while making its own argument for ‘why Christians should be committed to democracy as a vital means for pursuing a flourishing life.’ Bretherton’s five case studies — on humanitarianism, Black Power, Pentecostalism, Catholic social teaching, and Anglicanism — are nothing short of a master class in different Christian conceptions of political flourishing. — Cathleen Kaveny, author Prophecy Without Contempt: Religious Discourse in the Public Square

Luke Bretherton has been thinking hard about the polis, plurality/pluralism, and democratic citizenship for a long time. This erudite synthesis and expansion of [Bretherton’s] work over the last two decades brims with insights into essential and interrelated topics, such as secularity, toleration, economy, sovereignty, and populism. This book makes the case for democracy and establishes the framework for discussions in Christian political theology for the next quarter century. — Amos Yong, author, Renewing the Church by the Spirit: Theological Education After Pentecost

The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here Kaitlyn Schiess (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

I hope you know the name Kaitlyn Schiess (I commented on her Liturgy of Politics above.) She is a PhD student (studying with Luke Bretherton, in fact, at Duke) and has already shown herself to be an astute observer of the unfolding conversations about solidly, graciously, Christian political options. This isn’t, granted, heady political philosophy, but I listed it here as it is less about forming a Christian political mindset as it is an overview on how the Bible has been too often misused in public discourse. There have been many who have written about this exact thing — I still like a book by a Jewish scholar in 2007 called Thumping’ It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today’s Presidential Politics — but this historical study is without a doubt the best work on the topic to date.

Beth Allison Barr has called it “clever, judicious, and remarkably persuasive” and Skye Jethani says it is a “must read.”

Whether you lean left or lean right, whether you come from a red state, blue state, or a purple one, if you are a Christian who seeks to apply biblical principles to your political thinking, you will find something instructive, challenging, and enlightening in this book. — Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination

Recharging the American Experiment: Principled Pluralism for Genuine Civic Community James W. Skillen (The Center for Public Justice) $9.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $6.99

I have mentioned Jim Skillen often and highlighted above his major, wonderful volume The Good of Politics. This is a more complex work, but not super-scholarly. It might be a bit demanding only because it is written out of a framework and using arguments that are not typical within our assumed binary political continuum. Skillen here sets out to bring an innovative vision of building civic community by explaining both principled pluralism and confessional pluralism and how that political lingo and governmental agenda from a reformational worldview  — with roots in Kuyper’s political party in early 1900s Holland, actually — might recharge our nearly bankrupt America civic life. Fascinating and, for those who are eager, a vital project.

This Is Going to Hurt: Following Jesus in a Divided America Bekah McNeel (Eerdmans) $24.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $17.49

This isn’t a book about political philosophy, as such; heck, it is hardly a book about politics since it is so centered on people’s stories. But McNeel is a talented, snarky — and, really, really funny — political reporter. As an old-school investigator she has carted herself all over, talking with people about their hopes and fears and hurts. And this book — shocking in some regards — is a vividly told report from the front lines of our divided culture where people are not only arguing, but, often, ignoring the bruised and bleeding, nearly right under their (our?) noses. It is, finally, a book about compassion. It is an unashamed call to care.

Former conservative/evangelical Frank Schaeffer wrote a remarkable foreword, noting that the sacrifice of self for another is “the highest sacrament of all.” He continues, “The promise of sacrificial mercy McNeel offers is unconditional, based only on faith and love. And that alone is the answer to suffering”

This book offers, as another reviewer noted, “a compelling challenge to the narratives that separate us from the suffering of others and, for the sake of healing, calls us to deeper compassion for all humanity.”

In this fiesty, remarkable read, McNeel tells of kids who are facing huge mental health challenges; she writes about immigrants, about those who are victims of climate change; about the poor and the abused. She is candid about re-thinking some of her narrative around the Covid crisis. There’s a great chapter about (as she calls it, “the mockumentary”) of critical race theory (and “why kids use the n-word.”) In a chapter that will disturb some, she offers human-scale and tender reports from the complicated abortion debates. As a Texan, she knows quite a bit about gun culture, and enters the discussion about mass shootings. Holy smokes, this is a brave, caring book — clever, passionate, raw, real. As the wonderful Mae Elise Cannon (author of The Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World) tells it, “McNeel doesn’t shy away from addressing critical divisions within the church while calling us to respond ore faithfully as witnesses to the cross.”

At the end of each chapter MnNeel offers the same set of bullet-points showing where the key fissures are, what might be done to build bridges, what trade-offs might be necessary, and how the “Us vs them” mindset has damaged our conversations on this topic. Despite these keen take-aways, Ms McNeel is a master storyteller and believes in the power of stories; that’s the heart of it. One chapter is called “Turning the Stories Inside Out.” This is one heck of a book and I name it here because I am sure this sort of human solidarity with those who suffer injustices is, frankly, a core piece of any political philosophy that dares to suggest it is Christ-like.

URGENT BOOKS ON THE DANGERS POSED BY THE EXTREMIST RIGHT WING

Your Jesus Is Too American: Calling the Church to Reclaim Kingdom Values over the American Dream Steve Bezner (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

This lively author trains church planters, is an executive of the Texas Baptists, and a professor at Truett Theological Seminary. He’s beloved and respected for an evangelical vision that calls us to confront the idols of power and influence that have eroded principled Christian ways. Although he is beloved in his context — Beth Moore wrote the lovely forward; Beth Allison Barr says she’s giving it away to friends and family — others esteem it as well. Philadelphia African American pastor Eric Mason affirms the book’s Christ-centered worldview. Michael Wear says the author has “put his heart into this book” even as he calls for obedience to the way of Jesus. This warns about how the ideologies of various political movements can quickly erode the clarity and power of our Christian discipleship. This is a great, readable book, a good reminder for one and all.

American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church Andrew Whitehead (Brazos Press) $24.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $17.49

I have highlighted this several times in recent months and find it to be both warm and semi-scholarly, a clear-headed and inspiration book by a serious academic; he is, by the way, trained as a sociologist and he follows the data in ways most of us do not. He’s written on other prominent publishers and here distills much of his research and thinking for a Christian audience. It is one of the best studies of so-called Christian nationalism, explaining what it means, exploring how prevalent it is, and reflecting on why it all matters to those wanting an effective, Biblical faith. Excellent.

American Christian Nationalism: Neither American Nor Christian Michael W. Austin (Eerdmans) $17.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.59

This is brand, brand new by an author we’ve followed for years. (It was just a few months back when we were celebrating his lovely book (Humility: Rediscovering the Way of Love and the Life of Christ. Professor Austin also wrote the very important book QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross: Christianity and Conspiracy Theories which grows more timely and urgent with each passing week.

This succinct new one shows how nationalism is contrary to both American values and Christian virtues and then he offers a simple vision for a better form of civic engagement. This is, as Daniel Williams writes, for Christians who are “dismayed by the contemporary state of American politics.” Joel Looper (of Another Gospel) notes that it avoids “any hint of a polemical tone” Wow.  By the way, there is a very good foreword by the respected and eloquent Marlena Graves. We obviously need this short (86 pages) but potent book.

The Violent Take it By Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy Matthew D. Taylor (Broadleaf) $32.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $23.09

When historian Kristin Kobes Du Mex says a book is “required reading for anyone seeking to understand Christian nationalism” I take notice.

After hearing him one Sunday morning on NPR I realized he is a vibrant Christian with a charismatic church past, and that his passion is more than academic or even patriotic, but from a place deep in his own heart. He understands his topic — the New Apostolic Reformation movement of so-called prophets and apostles — and understands well their interest in spiritual warfare, the Seven Mountains mandate, the Jericho Marches, the Cyrus stuff, and more. That January 6th was organized in part using conference calls from Pentecostal preacher Paula White’s office in the White House should be front page news. That these neo-Pentecostals, who call themselves Apostolic prophets, are very different then the older school fundamentalist Moral Majority (who at first rejected Trump as too worldly) and are all-in about the lies of the 2020 election steal and the like, is vital to understand.

Other authors who have written about the extremist Christian right — Bradley Onishi (of Preparing for War) and Katherine Stewart (of The Power Worshippers), and Samuel Perry (of Taking America Back for God) and Jim Wallis (of The False White Gospel) all give urgent reviews for this being not only meticulously researched but a major contribution to our understanding of public religion in our age. The radical charismatic movement has catapulted from the fringes and into the center of MAGA politics and the implications are fast. This “propulsive” account of the network of this new version of the Christian right is an important expose. This is a piece of the puzzle we have to understand.

Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor Caleb E. Campbell (IVP) $18.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.60

One of the longer and most heart-felt reviews I’ve done this year was in the BookNotes last July when I explored the importance of this beautiful, painful, energetic, and very helpful book which helps us realize that the very far fringes of the QAnon / Proud Boys / alt-right that approves of militias and winks at the KKK and the like is, frankly, not really Christian. That is, to counter this cult-like devotion to this extremist ideology will take more than kind conversations but a serious-minded missional strategy that is committed to loving others and sharing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Christian Nationalists are neighbors to be loved and we need a pastoral response that is gospel-centered and gracious. Yes, it is, as one reviewer put it, “ a sobering assessment of the heretic elements of American Christian nationalism” but it also is written by one with “a deep love for those who have fallen into its trappings.” I so appreciate the love and grace and commitment to truth that pastor Campbell shows in this guide to ministering faithfully to “Christian” nationalists.

The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism Tim Alberta (Harper) $35.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $24.50

Tim Alberta is a respected journalist and a Christian — an evangelical pastor’s kid, in fact — who has covered the ugliness of the far right, having written a mainstream bestseller (American Carnage.) When Trump loyalists and MAGA believers assailed him at his own father’s funeral, he realized that he had to write more intentionally about extremist Christians and the theologically weirdness of our times. He is not only one of our best political reporters, but he is a gracious and solid Christian; he cares about this stuff a lot. There is a large amount of sordid detail here, but you will need to keep turning these 475+ pages. Even those who follow political news will be shocked at the ways in which the GOP has co-opted so many on the religious right. This is trenchant and revealing, compelling and deeply moving. If you saw him in his many media appearances (watch the one on The View, for instance) you will know how good he is at explaining complex matters with care and insight.

Another Gospel: Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Evangelical Identity Joel Looper (Eerdmans) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

This one was highlighted alongside my BookNotes review of Disarming Leviathan and it “offers his fellow evangelicals a theological rationale for resisting Christian nationalism.” Politicized evangelicals seem to think they are fighting liberal and secularizing forces but Looper shows that it is they who are eroding the first things of the gospel, mixing up the church and the state, reducing religion to civic values from a (mis)remembered past.

I hope you saw the excellent review of this in Christianity Today that highlighted that while the author firmly exposes the nonsense of some of the leaders of the Christian nationalistic right — Eric Metaxas, Robert Jeffress, Stephen Wolfe — he also explores the public theology, such as it is, of others who are lesser known. This not only reflects on Trump’s inadequate view of Christian faith but critiques others of the Christian right for grounding their civic views in ideologies other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember the Apostle Paul’s warning about adopting a false gospel? We should all take heed. Looper helps.

Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America Sasha Abramsky (Bold Type Books) $30.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $21.00

This just recently came out and I am almost finished with it already. I have to admit there were times I had to stop to catch my breath; reading this has brought up great turmoil in my own life, mostly around the radicals who — despite thousands dying of Covid in 2021, with hospitals and morgues on overload — started movements, sometimes violent, against anyone who believed in masks, social distancing, or quarantining. As the awful virus spread, there were thousands and thousands who formed groups to take over small town councils and push back against what they thought were draconian policies. To this day it is a hot-wire topic and those who were anti-vax seem to often deny the reality of their neighbors who were dying. Of the morgues. Of the stress of the nurses and doctors. Add to this the complexities of the BLM protests and the political tensions around, eventually impeachment trials and the like. From Trump to George Floyd to wild fires to school closings to the so-called lock down measures, the first half of our current decade was pretty horrid. Abramsky is understanding of the vast tensions in our cultural air and he tries to be fair to all involved.

(He is a fair and honest reporter, telling the backstory of lots of colorful characters, but doesn’t cover up the nutty stuff that happens — rumors that Antifa activists were coming in a white bus to destroy a small town, for instance and citizen vigilantes brought out their long-guns against their neighbors who were peacefully protesting about racial injustices.)

This riveting report studies a town in Washington and the ways in which well-meaning, even conservative public servants were hounded (sometimes with the most vile, sexually abusive and threatening language — utterly by otherwise super-spiritual Christians, even) by those who had entered this extremist campaign to make America great again. This is a book full of trauma and local conflict. It has been called chilling and disturbing. We all know it is true. There are, as Jeff Sharlet (author of the must-read Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War) writes, “real people in this ultimately reported book, real consequences — and also real hope.”  Is authoritarianism a problem? You bet. Do many want to upend standard institutions of civic life? Sadly, more than you may know.

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TO PLACE AN ORDER 

PLEASE READ, THEN SCROLL DOWN TO CLICK ON THE “ORDER” LINK BELOW.

It is helpful if you tell us how you want us to ship your orders. And if you are doing a pre-order, tell us if you want us to hold other books until the pre-order comes, or send some now, and others later… we’re eager to serve you in a way that you prefer. Let us know your hopes.

The weight and destination of your package varies but you can use this as a quick, general guide:

There are generally two kinds of US Mail options and, of course, UPS.  If necessary, we can do overnight and other expedited methods, too. Just ask.

• United States Postal Service has an option called “Media Mail” which is cheapest but can be a little slower. For one typical book, usually, it’s $4.83; 2 lbs would be $5.58. This is the cheapest method available and sometimes is quicker than UPS, but not always.
• United States Postal Service has another, quicker option called “Priority Mail” which is $8.70, if it fits in a flat-rate envelope. Many children’s books and some Bibles are oversized so that might take the next size up which is $9.50. “Priority Mail” gets more attention than does “Media Mail” and is often just a few days to anywhere in the US.
• UPS Ground is reliable but varies by weight and distance and may take longer than USPS. Sometimes they are cheaper than Priority. We’re happy to figure out your options for you once we know what you want.

If you just want to say “cheapest” that is fine. If you are eager and don’t want the slowest method, do say so. It really helps us serve you well so let us know. Keep in mind the possibility of holiday supply chain issues and slower delivery… still, we’re excited to serve you.

BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

30% OFF

Welcome, again, to the regular BookNotes newsletter from Hearts & Minds, an indie bookstore in Dallastown, Pennsylvania. After that last, large BookNotes listing recommending books on faith and politics (grouped in four sortings, from easiest to most sophisticated, and then another group of a few on the dangers of Christian nationalism and the alt-right) I thought I would do a shorter listing of titles that are being featured at an off-site event we are helping a bit with this coming weekend.

We do a number of off-site events and we so appreciate those who invite us into their spaces of learning and renewal, allowing us to enhance their conferences and retreats with book displays.

Currently we have a hefty set of books at the Southeast Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature, this year hosted by the good folks at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA. While the scholarly workshops are on a variety of seriously literary topics the general theme is on the imagination of one George MacDonald, so we were thrilled to be invited to share titles there. The great UK poet and writer Malcolm Guite is speaking as well, so, again — thanks to SERCCL and Covenant (and one of our favorite customers there who is heading up book sales for us.) Wish we were there.

Soon we will be in Western Pennsylvania at one of our favorite annual events, the 2024 Wee Kirk Conference. Wee Kirk is Scottish brogue for small church and we adore this down-to-Earth gathering of Presbyterians (held at the lovely Laurelville Mennonite Retreat Center.) It’s always a great event with gathered faithful from small towns and rural areas. We hear church leaders, seminary professors, Bible scholars (and me, this year, doing both a keynote talk and a set of workshops.) Pray for Beth and I, please, and for all those salt-of-the-Earth folk attending the lovely Wee Kirk event.

At the end of October we will sell books at a very different sort of event, an always captivating, rather sophisticated gathering of Christian attorneys and jurists and religious freedom advocates who come together under the auspices of the Christian Legal Society. It’s an important event held in a swanky venue and they treat us very well; we work hard to bring a helpful array of titles curated for this sort of audience, exploring their vocations. From speakers like Os Guinness and Rebecca McLaughlin (and a prominent Supreme Court Judge from Uganda!) we will be on our toes, hoping to serve them well.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Missions Initiative McClure Lecture and WMI Conference / October 11 – 13

For this BookNotes we are showing books which will be on display at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Missions Initiative annual McClure Lecture and the following WMI conference. The theme of the event is “Mission in the Margins: Lessons and Practices from the Global Church.” Participants there will have a QR code linking to this BookNotes for each of these titles (selected by the WMI speakers) which obviously relate to the authors and presentations at the event. Isn’t that cool? We wanted to share this with our broader audience and subscribers, knowing that, firstly, at least, it is designed for the PTS missions conference and 2024 Don McClure lecturer, Dr. Harvey Kwiyani.

We thought you’d enjoy seeing — alongside the previously mentioned events — the sorts of stuff we find ourselves involved with, giving thanks to God for the various ways God’s people are on the move, serving here and there, in literature programs in higher education, in rural and small churches, in law practices and judiciaries, and, as shown below, among those working out innovations of faithfulness in gospel proclamation throughout the globe.

As always at BookNotes, the titles we show are all at a 20% off discount. We’ll show the regular prices and then the special BookNotes / WMI conference discount.

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the links to our Hearts & Minds Bookstore secure order form page where you can safely enter credit card info. Just tell us what you want, fill in the data, and we’ll reply promptly to confirm everything.

Freeing Congregational Mission: A Practical Vision for Companionship, Cultural Humility, and Co-Development B. Hunter Farrell & S. Balajiedlang Khyllep (IVP Academic) $26.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.80

I so admire Hunter Farrell (the director of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Mission Initiative and the great association director, Bala Khyllep. Hunter was once the director of world mission for the PC(USA) and has studied at both the Sorbonne and has a PhD in anthropology from a prominent seminary in Per. Bala is a pastor in the Pc(SA) with a ThM from Princeton; he belongs to the Khasi people and grew up in northeast India. Together they are heros in the world missions movement, combining evangelical zeal and ecumenical study and academic acumen and deep, deep awareness of the continuing crisis facing mission as it is practiced by North American congregations. I have reviewed this remarkable book before but as you can guess it critiques the colonial-era assumptions of mission “launched from a position of power” and, instead, invites local congregations to resist the harmful effects of such “selfie” approaches and move to partner with churches from the global south and majority world Christian movements.

As it explains on the back, this book offers a Christ-centered theology of mission rooted in companionship, an appetite and competence to engage across differences with cultural humility, and insights and strategies to accompany local and global neighbors in what they call co-development.

Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West Harvey Kwiyani (Orbis Press) $40.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $32.00

While Orbis Press is a legendary and storied Catholic publisher that became known for publishing books of liberation theology (out of their Maryknoll Society offices in New York ) and rigorous theological works that advocate for a missional mindset that is culturally relevant and framed by a passion for the poor, they are also known for extraordinarily thoughtful scholarship on global missions (from a variety of perspectives.) This important book, by an African leader and missionary to Europe [did you get that!], is quintessentially cutting edge missiology, a book which is part of the ongoing series of the American Society of Missiology. It’s an important read by an important scholar/practitioner.  Congratulations to Dr. Kyiyani for doing the Donald McClure lectures at PTS this year.

Harvey Kwiyani is a Malawian theologian at the Church Mission Society in Oxford, UK, where he leads the Centre for Global Witness and Human Migration, and manages the World Christianity and Diasporas programs. He serves as Executive Director of Missio Africanus, an intercultural mission training initiative that seeks to equip and empower the global church for mission in Europe.

Africa Bears Witness: Mission Theology and Praxis for the 21st Century edited by Harvey Kwiyani (Langham Publishing) $34.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $27.99

What a joy it is to get to serve organizations like the WMI and what a joy to suggest books by globally-relevant books published by the Langham Partnership’s publishing program. Langham, you may know, emerged from the evangelical work of holistic preacher and leader, the late Rev. John Stott. Stott’s multi-faceted mission vision is perhaps taken more seriously in other parts of the world and not enough people in the US know the books coming from the Langham’s UK organization, but this is one great example.

Africa Bears Witness is said to be a “remarkable collection of essays which explores the role of African Christianity in God’s mission around the world, offering an empowering look at the work God is accomplishing in and through the African church.”

Harvey Kwiyani is a Malawian theologian at the Church Mission Society in Oxford, UK, where he leads the Centre for Global Witness and Human Migration, and manages the World Christianity and Diasporas programs. He founded Missio Africanus, an intercultural mission training initiative that seeks to equip and empower the global church for mission in Europe. Having long-served in mission in Europe and North America, he writes on cross-cultural mission and leadership, and has authored several books, including Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West (Orbis Books.)

A Practical Discipleship Model That Fosters Maturity: Responses to Tradition, Divinities, and Witch Doctors in the Context of the Anyuwaa Church Owar Ojulu (Wipf & Stock) $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20

This African leader is a pastor in a small town and a very rural part of Western Pennsylvania — I did some student teaching in 1976 in one of the villages where he now pastors a Presbyterian Church — and he is known and beloved. This book tells his story and ministry insights from his work in both Western Ethiopia and Western Pennsylvania.

“Standing on the bridge between God’s word and God’s beloved world among Anyuwaa people, Owar Ojulu insightfully traces the touchpoints where the gospel takes distinctive shape. In this work we receive a compelling, urgent, and universal call to discipling; the model that Ojulu has provided for doing so with contextual sensitivity, prayerful partnership, and spiritual hope is a gift to the Anyuwaa church and Christians everywhere.” — Beth Lindquist McCaw, associate professor of ministry, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary

Based on a lifetime of ministry in western Ethiopia and among the Anyuwaa diaspora in North America, Owar Ojulu proposes a culturally appropriate discipleship as a strategy to help the Anyuwaa church reclaim the gospel in their own context. This book can help the Anyuwaa church and US Christian leaders seeking to help their churches become more faithful and relevant to the world.” — B. Hunter Farrell, director, World Mission Initiative, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

“Discipleship is difficult in any cultural context, but especially with those whose pre-Christian cultural influences continue to permeate every aspect of their worldview. Owar Ojulu’s excellent study on practical discipleship is not only for the Anyuwaa church, both in Ethiopia and the Diaspora, but for all who work among people groups who are struggling with the proper balance between their old way of life and their new life in Christ.” — Larry W. Caldwell, professor of intercultural studies and Bible interpretation, Kairos University

Migration and the Making of Global Christianity Jehu Hanciles (Eerdmans) $47.99 /  OUR SALE PRICE = $38.39

I suppose this could be described by using the annotation from the publisher — it is called “a socio-historical study of the spread of Christianity through the lens of human migration and intercultural exchange.” Yes, it is a scholarly contribution, beautifully published by Eerdmans, and considered magisterial. But it is also passionate and insightful, offering a new conceptual framework for the role of migration in the formation of the global church. It has rave reviews from The Calvin Theological Journal and Religious Studies Review, and, importantly, a lush and wonderful foreword by the amazing Philip Jenkins.

Jenkins writes:

In Beyond Christendom and other writings, Hanciles did so much to define an emerging field. Now, it is wonderful to see him applying his insights about migration and mission to an earlier era — nothing less than the first three-quarters of Christian history, the years before 1500. This is a remarkably ambitious goal, which he accomplishes with great success. Throughout, we must be impressed by his range of scholarship, and his acuity, as he roams through so many diverse eras and locales. He never lets us forget the links and parallels that bind those early centuries to our own day. This is an adventurous transnational history, which demands to be read and cited.

Jehu J. Hanciles is the D. W. and Ruth Brooks Associate Professor of World Christianity at Emory University. Originally from Sierra Leone, he is also the author of Beyond Christendom: Globalization, African Migration, and the Transformation of the West and Euthanasia of a Mission: African Church Autonomy in a Colonial Context.

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Ilan Pappe (One World Publications) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

In a previous BookNotes where we recommended resources to help us understand the ongoing tragic situation in the Middle East and ways to be thoughtful peacemakers during the war in Gaza, we named this searing, illuminating volume. We noted that it is historically significant — written by an Israeli historian! — breaking ground by reporting on facts not widely realized by many in the West. It is edgy and passionate and vital reading. 

Here is how the publisher describes its project; read this, please:

The renowned Israeli historian revisits the formative period of the State of Israel. Between 1947 and 1949, over 400 Palestinian villages were deliberately destroyed, civilians were massacred, and around a million men, women, and children were expelled from their homes at gunpoint. Denied for almost six decades, had it happened today it could only have been called “ethnic cleansing.”

Decisively debunking the myth that the Palestinian population left of their own accord in the course of this war, Ilan Pappe offers impressive archival evidence to demonstrate that, from its very inception, a central plank in Israel’s founding ideology was the forcible removal of the indigenous population. Indispensable for anyone interested in the Middle East.

Alongside some Pittsburgh area activists, this workshop is led by Shireen Awwad Hillal, Director of Bethlehem Bible College Community & Outreach and Samuel Munayer, a Palestinian theologian.

Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, the Bible Mitri Raheb (Orbis Press) $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20

Again, we have highlighted this before and it is important to have it there at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary WMI conference. Decolonizing Palestine powerfully exposes the ties between “settler-colonial geopolitics” and various faith claims, decolonizing not only the land in which he lives, but our own theological discourse and attitudes. It is a short but weighty book.

Rev. Mitri Raheb is a Lutheran pastor (he served as the senior pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem from June 1987 to May 2017 and as the President of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land from 2011-2016) and continues to speak around the world, inviting support for his various NGO works and his efforts to do public theology. He is also the founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. He has published dozens of books and we have stocked many over the years, from Faith in the Face of Empire to In the Eye of the Storm, and more. Decolonizing Palestine is his most recent.

Urban Ministry: An Introduction Ronald E. Peters (Abingdon Press) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

There are many many books on urban missiology and this good one rings true in many ways, on many levels. It is a serious text, a guide for preparing those doing ministry in urban settings, but it is written nicely, standing among other classics in the field. One of the great strengths is that the author himself is an exceptional example of savvy urban leadership, both in church and the broader community. Ron’s work in the Metro-Urban Institute at PTS is one example of the integrity of this important text.

As the publisher writes, Ronald Peters clarifies the nature of urban ministry as a theological discipline by showing how its core values of love, justice, community, and reconciliation (among others) engage the issues of economics, education, family life, public health, ethnic relations, and religious life in the urban environment. Arguing that the city has always served as an arena of God’s activity, Peters articulates a theological rationale for urban ministry that is both hopeful and yet realistic, affirming that God loves the city and its people and encouraging practitioners to do the same.

Ronald E. Peters is Henry L. Hillman Associate Professor of Urban Ministry and Director of the Metro-Urban Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion Gregory Boyle (The Free Press) $19.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.20

We are glad that the urban ministry workshop at the WMI conference will be recommending this as it is a true, modern classic, a great read by a great man. We have long stocked all of Fr. Boyle’s books (also Barking to the Choir and The Whole Language and the art-filled, full-color devotional, Forgive Everyone Everything.) For those that may not be familiar, Boyle works with great compassion and care within the gang culture of south L.A. and offers jobs (and spiritual transformation) through his famed Homeboy Industries. Considered nearly a modern classic, this is a fabulous book.

By the way, we are now taking pre-orders for his forthcoming volume, to be released in early November, Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times. ($30.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.00.)

An astonishing book . . . about suffering and dignity, death and resurrection, one of my favorite books in years. It is lovely and tough and tender beyond my ability to describe and left me in tears of both sorrow and laughter. – Ann Lamott, author, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope

Heaven’s Passport – For a Fuller Life on Earth Samuel Calian (Sam Calian) $19.99 OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

This new, self-published book by the former President of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a special addition to the books on display at the “Missions in the Margin” WMI conference. Sam has an accomplished past and has written widely in his context serving both Presbyterian higher education (a book on pursuing excellence in seminary training), for ordinary church leaders (The Spirit Driven Leader), and on congregational vitality within the mainline denominational setting (see, for instance, his 1999 volume, Survival or Revival: 10 Keys to Church Vitality.) I recall fondly a splendid book he did decades ago featuring dialogue between Protestant and Orthodox churches.

This new one uses the metaphor of a passport, a guide to purpose and faithful stewarding of our gifts and hopes. He offers clear-headed and devotional insights about living an ethical life and allowing God to work in us…

This is what he says about it:

Each of us is created in God’s image, the imago Dei, with all that implies about our lives to be spiritually empowered to leave the world a better, more just, and humane place honoring God’s creation. Readers will use this book not only as a resource for strengthening their own inner sense of living under God’s grace, but also as one’s biblical passport.

As we noted, all of these books are related to specific workshop or speakers at the 2024 WMI conference at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Folks there, as well as any BookNotes readers, get 20% off. Just click below which will take you to the secure order form page. Tell us what you want and we’ll take it from there. Happy to help, eager to serve. Thanks, all.

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TO PLACE AN ORDER 

PLEASE READ, THEN SCROLL DOWN TO CLICK ON THE “ORDER” LINK BELOW.

It is helpful if you tell us how you want us to ship your orders. And if you are doing a pre-order, tell us if you want us to hold other books until the pre-order comes, or send some now, and others later… we’re eager to serve you in a way that you prefer. Let us know your hopes.

The weight and destination of your package varies but you can use this as a quick, general guide:

There are generally two kinds of US Mail options and, of course, UPS.  If necessary, we can do overnight and other expedited methods, too. Just ask.

• United States Postal Service has an option called “Media Mail” which is cheapest but can be a little slower. For one typical book, usually, it’s $4.83; 2 lbs would be $5.58. This is the cheapest method available and sometimes is quicker than UPS, but not always.
• United States Postal Service has another, quicker option called “Priority Mail” which is $8.70, if it fits in a flat-rate envelope. Many children’s books and some Bibles are oversized so that might take the next size up which is $9.50. “Priority Mail” gets more attention than does “Media Mail” and is often just a few days to anywhere in the US.
• UPS Ground is reliable but varies by weight and distance and may take longer than USPS. Sometimes they are cheaper than Priority. We’re happy to figure out your options for you once we know what you want.

If you just want to say “cheapest” that is fine. If you are eager and don’t want the slowest method, do say so. It really helps us serve you well so let us know. Keep in mind the possibility of holiday supply chain issues and slower delivery… still, we’re excited to serve you.

BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

20% OFF

Thanks to those who have recently sent orders our way. We literally depend on your support to keep our lights on here in Dallastown and we are more than grateful. In the last months of BookNotes we’ve highlighted titles on spirituality and birdwatching, work and Bible study, poetry, ecology, disciple-making, the arts, family relationships, church life; we’ve featured books on wonder, grief, social media, vocation, a Christian philosophy of history, and on practical virtues like discovering habits of joy. We’ve featured fun travelogues and unforgettable biographies, but not as many novels as we wished. From our interior lives to our culture-making, from theology to the arts to the sciences, we’ve enjoyed inviting folks to read widely so as to freshen our imaginations for that sort of discipleship Peterson called “a long obedience in the same direction.” We are proud of our friends and readers and appreciate your involvement in this movement of reading for God’s Kingdom. Hooray.

In this BookNotes I am going to do an epic listing (with fairly brief remarks, hard as that may be for me) about the vocation of our citizenship. Yep, here’s a big list of books on politics. I’ve mentioned many of these before, but wanted to offer these again.

If you feel so inclined please share this (if it doesn’t cause you too much grief. Or maybe, especially if it might!) Thanks.

ALL OF THESE ARE ON SALE AT AN EXTRA DISCOUNT FOR TWO WEEKS ONLY. Order now and get 30% OFF. After that they will return to our customary BookNotes 20% discount.

AND — we will offer a free book that we have selected for you, to be sent (while supplies last) with any purchase from this list. Cheers.

I’ll group the recommendations in a few categories or levels of sophistication. The categories are a bit fluid, I’ll admit. I hope you read through the whole important list.

101 – BASIC, ACCESSIBLE  BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP

201 – MORE SERIOUS, READABLE BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP

301 – MODERATELY ADVANCED READS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP

401 – IMPORTANT BOOKS ON POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & CULTURAL ANALYSIS –

URGENT BOOKS ON THE DANGERS POSED BY THE EXTREMIST RIGHT WING

Again, all books are 30% off until October 17, 2024. And we’ll send a free one, while the bonus supplies last.

101 – BASIC, ACCESSIBLE  BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP 

The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life Vincent Bacote (Zondervan) $18.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.29

This little classic makes the simple case of why we must think about the call to engage culture and care about political life in light of God’s call to holiness. A lovely, very brief introduction to a wide-as-creation, Biblically-informed vision of public life. Buy a bunch!

Dr. Bacote teaches at Wheaton College and has published widely about the Bible, the Holy Spirit, public thinking, civic life, racial justice, and the theology of Abraham Kuyper.

 

Politics for People Who Hate Politics: How To Engage Without Losing Your Friends on Selling Your Soul Denise Grace Gitsham (Bethany House) $16.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

A really basic guide to American citizenship and Christian faith by an experienced Republican politico. Although she tilts right, her first allegiance is to the gospel and for building unity.

There are endorsements on the back not only from a Fox News commentator but a Democratic Senator. Maybe not my own favorite but a good starter resource for someone you may know.

How To Be a Patriotic Christian: Love of Country as Love of Neighbor Richard Mouw (IVP) $18.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.60

I adore this little book, always in awe at how Mouw can bring his professional training as a political philosopher in the Reformed tradition to bear in a way that is readable and enjoyable and instructive and helpful. This lovely book is a great starter for reminding us of why patriotism — properly understood — is a good thing, even though it can go ugly and even idolatrous at times.  I appreciate his “on the other hand” balance and his insight that our patriotism should be an avenue of love of others. Solid.

 

Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christians Guide to Engaging Politics Eugene Cho (David C. Cook) $17.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.59

Many of us have admired Cho for his passionate work not only as an innovative evangelical pastor but his radical work on poverty and wages. His work with immigrant communities in his home state of Washington has been studied and praised. But now he is most known as the CEO of Bread for the World, the premier citizens action group that works on legislative efforts that help mitigate hunger, both globally and in the US. BFW is a group we should all appreciate — their long-time President, the late Arthur Simon was a friend and regular customer — and Cho wrote this upbeat book about civility and effectiveness in political activism before he took over the leadership of Bread. This is a very fine book, thoughtful and insightful. Enjoy!

Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to the Lamb, Not the Donkey or the Elephant Patrick Miller & Keith Simon (David C. Cook) $17.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.59

I know that some of our customers enjoy the provocative Truth Over Tribe podcast where these dudes regularly remind Christians that they dare not be loyal primarily to a tribe, a party, a group other than the church of Jesus Christ. Like the book, it is enjoyable and yet really thoughtful. Many of us feel exhausted by tribalisms of all sorts and while this does not shy away from political involvement, it puts it within the context of the ideologies of tribalism that are so very hard to avoid these days. Can truth and love win out over tribalism and fear?

The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics Curtis Change & Nancy French (Zondervan) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

  Chang is a long-time, thoughtful theological scholar having written on the likes of Augustine and Aquinas. Now a working psychologist, he partners here with long-time civic activist — until a few years back, exclusively with the Republican Party — Nancy French. Both have come a long way in pondering how a Biblical view of humility and hope can guide us through the “how” and “what” of complex political conversations. They offer some “types” of approaches and postures, ranging from the harsh ideologue to the hurting cynic. There is a better way of conversing and they invite us to think Christianly less about political philosophy but about comporting ourselves with graciousness and Christ-likeness.

The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems Our Partisan Divide Joshua Ryan Butler (Multnomah) $17.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.90

I, at least, couldn’t put this one down and hope you will also find it engaging and helpful.  It is really helpful and a necessary guidebook to understanding the lay of the land in ways that are a bit more wise and interesting than the routine left vs right continuum. Using a matrix quadrant of four views, Butler suggest these perspectives are almost like religions for some people and people of Christian faith ought not be taken in by any of the four tendencies. I think he is right in exposing the religion-like commitments that undergird these orientations of progress and responsibility and identity and security (as he names them.)

After this astute orientation, he offers Biblical insight rooted in a vivid understanding of who Jesus is as Lord and how his disruption (as Party Crasher) can bring hope to our partisan mess. He offers ten political commandments for Christlike engagement, too. Some are pretty common sense (and oh-so-necessary) and others are surprising and nearly brilliant. A fun and provocative book.

Kingdom and Country: Following Jesus in the Land That You Love edited by Angie Ward (NavPress) $16.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

As you may know, I’m often frustrated that the media and many thoughtful Christian leaders put all evangelicals in the same far-right basket of those who go along with the MAGA movement’s nutty claims about the last election being stolen and who are willing to support a candidate who gives the nod to racists in the KKK and  violent thugs like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Of course this is not at all the case, and this collection of informative and inspirational pieces is such a good example of ordinary evangelicals who care about justice and the common good, who see the Bible as guiding them to resist overstating the ideologies of the right or the left. What do you do when the priorities of God’s Kingdom clash with political trends? A great handful of rising leaders within the broader evangelical movement. There are women and men from different social locations and ethnicities, too, giving a fresh batch of insight and passion. Most admit there are few easy answers and following Christ is complicated. Very highly recommended.

By the way, see another in this “Kingdom Conversations” series edited by Angie Ward called The Least of These: Practicing a Faith Without Margins (NavPress) $16.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies N.T. Wright & Michael F. Bird (Zondervan) $22.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.09

I have previously reviewed this one, of course, and we have been proud to feature it at events over the summer and fall — there is no doubt that these Biblical scholars have thought well about public life and the threats to democracies around the world in these dangerous days. But, to be clear, they are Bible guys, and here they study the Scriptures, especially the New Testament teaches about “the powers” and what it means that Christ has conquered them. I’ve read a few other theological studies of the powers — think Berkof, say, or Walter Wink, or Marva Dawn — but this is doubtless the best, most readable, study of a Biblical basis for our Christian political witness. Of course we love how it explores the nature of the Kingdom of God, framing the upheaval of our day by the light of the here-but-still-coming reign of Christ.

201 – SLIGHTLY MORE SERIOUS, READABLE BOOKS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP 

The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor or Kaitlyn Schiess (IVP) $18.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.29

A generation of young Christians (and old ones, too) are weary of the political legacy they’ve inherited and are hungry for a better approach. This asks how we should form our political convictions and how we can explore the habits and practices that inform our visions of citizenship and the public good. This is nearly brilliant, a must read for one and all.  Blurbs on the back sing its praises from Makoto Fujimura, James Skillen, Karen Swallow Prior, Molly Worthen, Matthew Kaemingk, Michael Wear. Right on — an absolute must-read for anyone interested in political faithfulness.

This explains it well and why you will value it. Not only for you own earnest self-evaluation but as entertain others in conversations about how they form their views.

How should Christians vote? In the last several years, this question has become a dividing line in the church, polarizing the people of God into opposing camps and fracturing the Christian community along worldly fault lines. With wisdom beyond her years, Kaitlyn Schiess recognizes the folly of centering on this question and instead focuses on a better one: What sort of people are we being formed into? With biblical grounding, theological depth, and the spiritual urgency of a next-generation leader, Kaitlyn lays the groundwork for a better, more faithful approach to political engagement. After finishing this book, here is the one thing I know for sure: we have not seen the last of Kaitlyn. — Sharon Hodde Miller, author, Nice: Why We Love to Be Liked And How God Calls Us to More and The Cost of Control: Why We Crave It, the Anxiety It Gives Us, and the Real Power God Promises

Compassion & Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler (IVP) $24.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.80

This is a fabulously rich, enjoyable read that explores questions of social justice and moral order as it pertains to the common good. These authors worked in what they called the “AND” campaign — think of the gospel called to speak the truth in love. Or, as the title summarized, compassion and conviction. This shows how we who follow Jesus in light of a Biblical orientation may sometimes feel too progressive for conservatives and too conservative for progressive. We needn’t be stuck in this continuum, really, but this campaign is trying to help us be more faithful, wholistic, balanced approach.

What an honor for the to have the black political activist Barbara Williams-Skinner write the powerful foreword.

The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life Michael Wear (Zondervan) $18.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.29

When I reviewed this at BookNotes earlier this year I raved and now I want to rave again. This is not a simple guide to thinking faithfully about politics (let alone about how to vote) but is more foundational, inviting us to ask how our hearts are, what sort of soulful approach we should have as we think about political service in God’s complicated world. Few books related prayer and our political responsibilities so well, that’s for sure.

Surely most of us need a deeper interior life, a view of knowing the world and how things work that is informed by the spirituality of a Biblical worldview. I love Michael Wear and would read anything he does. In this book he is deeply and wonderful informed by a wide reading of the whole corpus of the great Christian philosopher Dallas Willard. There is simply nothing like this one in print. Don’t miss it.

Wear’s 2017 book about working for and then leaving the Obama administration (as a very young man) is still very well worth reading — it’s Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House about the Future of Faith in America (Thomas Nelson; $16.99.) / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $11.89

The Bible and the Ballot: Using Scripture in Political Decisions Tremper Longman (Eerdmans) $25.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.19

The good Dr. Longman is one of the great Biblical scholars and teachers working today and here he has several significant chapters on what we might call a political hermeneutic; that is, how do we read the Bible to ascertain a “Biblical perspective” on modern civic life? These are well done, thoughtful, nuanced but not overwrought or arcane. It’s complicated, granted, but he offers some warnings and advice. The second half of the book offers a nuanced Biblical orientation towards a number of hot topics from immigration to pro-life concerns to questions about nationalism to racism, poverty, and more. After amassing the Biblical data, he wisely calls for a principled pluralistic in applying Scriptural wisdom into our modern, secular, political landscape. This is, at least, a handy resource to have around.

Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit Parker Palmer (Jossey Bass) $17.95 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.56

I do not need to say much about this, I trust. Parker Palmer is a gentle, quiet, insightful author, a Quaker who has written with passion about public life most of his life. He has written about teaching, the reform of higher education, famously about vocation and “listening to your life” and about how concern,generally, about the spirit (or the Spirit) of our lives matters, also to our public and cultural endeavors. From the journey inward to the journey outward he has been a good and wise guide.

Here he draws us into this invitation to listen well, to be decent neighbors, to work hard for a civil and gracious public order that invites reform and human caring. I’m not sure if his nonviolent circles and kind initiatives of finding common ground are potent in this polarized age, but I’d like to think they are. We are, I think most agree, in this together. We can appreciate others and we can hold tension in life-giving ways. Right? Can we form community among our own often tense communities? Palmer offers here five “habits of the heart” that can be developed in everyday settings like families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations, and workplaces to help restore an ethics of government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” A distinctively Christian contribution might want to say more than that (in fact, Palmer wants to say more than that) but it’s a good start, eh? A lovely and heartening book.

301 – MODERATELY ADVANCED READS ON POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP 

Just Politics: A Guide for Christian Engagement Ronald J. Sider (Brazos Press) $26.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.20

I have maintained ever since this first came out years ago that it was simply the best book on a Christian approach to political life that I have yet read. He draws on a wide range of thinkers and activists, offers an impeccable commitment to the authority of Scripture, and calls us not only to research the Bible well but also to, in light of a broad Christian vision of life and society, evaluate well the data on the ground about key issues. (That is, for example, even if we agree that social policy ought to be biased in favor of the poorest among us, good folks can disagree about whether or not, in fact, for instance, raising the minimum wage helps the poor in the long run.) So, here, Sider gives us an inspiring process of how to think well about politics as such and how to humbly but responsibly develop a consistently Christian view of best approaches to policies and, finally, to voting. The late Ron Sider badly wanted us to be biblically grounded and factually responsible and graciously active. It isn’t a difficult read, really, but it is thorough — although not even 250 pages. You can do this!

James Skillen, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Public Justice, says,

Ron Sider builds on years of experience and conversations with Christians across a very wide spectrum. His balance is better than that of most who want to influence politics for the better. And biblical faith is the solid platform on which he builds and balances. Listen to Ron carefully before taking your next step. Just Politics — that’s what we need!  — James W. Skillen, founder and former president, Center for Public Justice, author The Good of Politics

The Politics of the Cross: A Christian Alternative to Partisanship. Daniel K. Williams (Eerdmans) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

Now out in paperback this is, as the publisher puts it, “a theologically and historically informed treatise on a Christian approach to politics that foregrounds the priorities of God’s Kingdom instead of blind partisan loyalty.” It has been called “judicious” and Williams has been called “one of our finest historians on evangelicals and politics.”

Listen to this:

We live in a time when far too often partisan politics and catchy slogans replace thoughtful Christian engagement. Fiery rhetoric is often detached from fair-minded assessment of the past and present. It occurs on both sides of the aisle. Thankfully we have people like Daniel K. Williams, who offers both the nuance of a historian and the concerns of one committed to the fullness of ancient Christian concerns. This book will at times surprise, but also hopefully inform and encourage, those seeking to more faithfully navigate the debates of our age. — Kelly M. Kapic, author You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News

Citizenship Without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement David T. Koyzis (IVP Academic) $18.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.60

Wow! Hooray! This shipped to us more than a month early, arriving before I had time to do the major review that it so richly deserves. This thoughtful project is a somewhat more accessible and practical follow up to his magnum opus, one of the more important books of civic life to have been published in the last 25 years, Political Visions & Illusions: A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies (see below.) That major work shows the deep roots of Western culture and how the binary fountainheads of political ideologies of our times — simply but, the left and the right — are more related, philosophically, then many realize. How can people of serious faith navigate the complex ideologies that pull us towards these particular (if distorted) visions?

Once one realizes the dangers of imbibing too deeply from the wells of these secularized visions, that is, once we reject the illusions and most profound claims of the left and the right alike, how then shall we vote? Well, it isn’t that simple because, for Koyzis, responsible citizenship is much more than showing up to vote every four years. What does it look like to engage wisely “without illusions” in our day by day citizenship? Can we enter the public square without betraying our own deepest convictions? Can we wisely compromise and yet offer a faithful, gracious voice? This book is fabulous, serious, important. It is just out — we’ve got it now at 30% off. Hooray. Don’t miss it.

In an age of heightened political division and widespread insistence on individual rights, often to the detriment of a vision for the public good, this primer on the task of being faithful Christian citizens is a breath of fresh (principled!) air. While reflecting the erudition of a senior political science scholar, Koyzis’s book is eminently readable, theologically grounded, and insightfully practical for anyone wanting better to live in the tension between the heavenly kingdom of God for which we pray and the broken earthly political and social contexts in which we all live. — David Guretzki, president, CEO, and resident theologian, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

Citizenship Without Illusions is the best one-stop treatment of political citizenship written by the most significant evangelical political theorist of our day. In it, Koyzis makes a case for political engagement as a divine vocation in which our allegiance to Christ is primary and our allegiance to political parties and platforms is secondary. His ability to turn complex political realities into practical frameworks for action is second to none. Highly recommended. — Bruce Riley Ashford, senior fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology

Faithful Politics: Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters Miranda Zapor Cruz (IVP Academic) $24.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.80

My, my, let me tell you that this is perhaps my favorite new book on this topic of the season so far — stunning almost, brimming with insight, remarkable clarity, page-turning writing, balanced, wise, vital views. This “helps us learn from Scripture and from Christians of the past as we discern how to be salt and light in our own time and place.”  The author is a popular professor of historical theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. She holds a PhD in religion politics and society from Baylor University and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary. Wow. This is one you should have to last nearly a lifetime.

The most comprehensive understanding of the role of the Christian believer in national politics from a biblical, theological, and historical perspective to date. A classic for generations. — Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent emerita of The Wesleyan Church

This book is a trust guide for any and all believers who are struggling to faithfully navigate the oft-bewildering and sometimes downright distressing landscape of American public life. — Heath W. Carter, Princeton Theological Seminary, co-editor, Turning Points in the History of American Evangelicalism

The Good of Politics: A Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Introduction James W. Skillen (Baker Academic) $24.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.80

Jim Skillen has been a hero in my view (especially for his work in founding the Center for Public Justice) and has been a good friend to Beth and me over the years. He has written a lot, some of it brilliant, some a bit arcane. This is his magnum opus, or so it seems, with a detailed survey of how the government has been understood by different thinkers throughout church history. As he honors the unfolding of social diversity and the rise of the possibilities of the modern state Skillen stands solid on Augustinian notions of the sovereignty of God and yet shows how even Augustine’s seminal The City of God, as important as it is, is itself mired in more than one political theory. Ditto with Constantine, Aquinas, Althusius, Calvin, John Locke, etc. There is so much to know and this is more than an introduction, believe me.

The detailed second half of The Good of Politics offers a birds-eye view of various political issues in light of his argument for what Kuyper called “sphere sovereignty” and both principled pluralism and  structural pluralism. If you take it slow this repays the work tenfold. One of the primer Christian political thinkers in our lifetime, a quiet scholar and patient gentleman. You should read his astute, important work.

Church, State and Public Justice: Five Views edited by P. C. Kemeny (IVP Academic) $35.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $25.19

This book came out in 2007 and remains as important now as it was then. One of these back and forth that can be so illuminating as five authors offer their particular viewpoint and the others offer critical feedback. We have here top notch authors representing what might be called a Roman Catholic view, an Anabaptist / Mennonite view (by the great Ron Sider), a mainline Protestant social justice perspective, a principled pluralist view (informed by the legacy of Dutch and Reformed leader Abraham Kuyper and modern advocate Jim Skillen) and a classical separationist view by a  Baptist professor at Baylor.  This is really fascinating and truly informative. Your head might spin a little but we all need to consider the various options and learn the strengths and weaknesses of those who have spent their lifetime in Christian political service and scholarship.

Five Views on the Church and Politics edited by Amy Black (Zondervan Academic) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

Not unlike the above volume edited by Paul Kemeny, this one, edited by Wheaton professor Dr. Amy Black (author of the lovely, lively, Honoring God in Red or Blue: Approaching Politics with Humility, Grace, and Reason) includes five scholars from robust religious traditions, each going back and forth with the others. Here is how they arrange the debate:

An Anabaptist view (which they call “Separationist”, being the most limited possible Christian involvement in politics) is represented by Thomas Heilke; a Lutheran approach (called “Paradoxical” includes a robust witness and a strong separation of church and state) which is represented by Robert Benne; there is a “Black Church, prophetic” witness (which reminds us that the church’s mission is to be a voice for communal reform) and is represented by Bruce Fields; there is a Reformed (or “Transformationist” vision which emphasizes God’s sovereignty over all things, including churches and governments) and is represented by James K. A. Smith and the Catholic view (which they call “Synthetic” which encourages political participation as a means to further the common good of all people) and is represented by J. Brian Benestad. For what it is worth, Jamie Smith’s reply to each one is itself a stellar example of solid ecumenical insight and helpful, gracious critique. Smith’s role in this is brilliant.

Toward an Evangelical Public Policy: Political Strategies for the Health of the Nation edited by Ronald J. Sider & Diane Knippers (Baker) $24.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $17.49

This big, now out of print, book is one we still recommend (we have only a few left) as it is nothing short of extraordinary, fabulously conceived and deliberately edited with a wide range of thinkers. The two editors (now both solving their differences in heaven) were themselves representing two very different orientations (Sider was at the time the often lefty President of Evangelicals for Social Action and Knippers was the President of the very conservative Institute for Religion and Democracy.) The contributions to this 380+ page volume include scholars we respect — from political writers and leaders like Paul Marshall and Stephen Monsma to profs of public theology like Dennis Hollinger and Max Stackhouse and Nicholas Wolterstorff. Some are known on issues around life and bioethics (Nigel M. De S. Cameron) and others think Biblically about peacemaking (like Glen Stassen.) On the ground congressional staff like Mark Rodgers contribute and other women and men with evangelical theology and public policy experience contribute. This is not only a call to sophisticated civic responsibility, but a handbook of big-picture thinking and specific topical policy proposals. Included is the impressive document “For the Health of the Nations.” Perhaps a bit dated? I’m not so sure…

401 – IMPORTANT BOOKS ON POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & CULTURAL ANALYSIS

Political Visions & Illusions: A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies David Koyzis (IVP Academic) $35.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $25.19

I have alluded to this above — his new one is more practical and designed for ordinary citizens — and I insist it is one of the most important volumes in decades. He insists that the philosophical movements that gave rise to what today we might call “liberals” and “conservatives” are much more alike that we often realize and as we unearth the assumption behind these ideologies, we realize that as Christians attempting to be faithful in our formulations of our political theories, we really ought to be careful not to fall into visions of change inspired by these essential pagan illusions. What a book! Careful, thoughtful, wise, this is complex and rich, important for anyone serious about developing a uniquely Christian discernment about modern politics. The newer expanded edition has a great introduction by Richard Mouw.

David Koyzis introduces readers to the range of political theories that have emerged and competed for dominance since classical times. He carefully and respectfully separates wheat from chaff in each of them in terms of a Christian worldview, and in a style that is clear, irenic, and persuasive. The second edition helpfully updates the first in terms of major political events of the past two decades. In an increasingly polarized world, this kind of book is essential reading for concerned citizens of all political and religious leanings.” — Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, professor emerita of psychology and philosophy, Eastern University, author Gender and Grace: Love, Work, and Parenting in a Changing World

This second edition of David’s great book is a gem. The brighter light he now shines on his assessment of modern ideologies comes from an in-depth assessment of the story each tells and the idolatry exhibited in each one. This also pushes Christians to examine the extent to which we may be compromising our dedication to God by bowing (even unconsciously) to other gods for political guidance. In this day of heightening nationalism, racism, terrorism, and sheer ignorance, the message of this book could not be more urgent or important. Read and discuss it carefully even if it takes weeks to do so. The multiple forces at work in our homelands and around the world will not be thwarted or redirected by one election or one major event. Christian love of God and neighbor demands responsible civic service and that requires the kind of understanding provided by Political Visions and Illusions. — James W. Skillen, founder and former president of the Center for Public Justice, author, The Good of Politics

Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology James K.A. Smith (Baker Academic) $27.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.90

This is the third major piece of the “Cultural Liturgies” trilogy. You may know Smith’s summarizing volume You Are What You Love which captures in lovely, readable prose the profound insights of these three major volumes. What you may know now is that he wrote that one — You Are What You Love — before he wrote this third major one and, in fact, as he explains in the beginning, he changed his mind a bit. So good as that third section of You Are What You Love is, Awaiting the King explores political theology with other conversation partners and with other conclusions. It’s mind-blowing, serious but important. Kristen Deed Johnson of Western Theological Seminary (and co-author of The Justice Calling) says it is “masterful” and “constructive.”

One of the great contributions is how seriously he takes the important scholarship of Willie James Jennings (The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race) and his deft, detailed examination of the heady work of Oliver O’Donovan. Whew.

Not every book of public theology has endorsements from Yuval Levin and Stanley Hauerwas and even Eric Gregory of Princeton. This is impressive stuff as he sets out “to reform Reformed political theology.” Wow.

Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis James Davison Hunter (Yale University Press) $40.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $28.00**

**This book is currently out of stock and we are unclear when they will be available again. We have a waiting list.

Called his “melancholy masterpiece”, the recent, weighty, Democracy and Solidarity is certainly one of the books of the decade, exploring with in-depth and scholarly rumination what sort of shared values a democracy like ours needs to survive and if we have lost such plausible unity in our era of nihilistic culture wars. When I first announced this a few months ago at BookNotes I cited Jon Meacham’s back-cover blurb which reminds us of its importance.

Meacham, author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, writes:

With his characteristic wisdom and acuity, James Davison Hunter has written an important and illuminating work on the cultural roots of our current democratic discontents. For those seeking to understand how we got here – and what we can do now – this is a vital book.

I first heard of social historian Jackson Lears from Ken Myers on his astute Mars Hill Audio services. Lears continues to be an astute cultural critic and it makes sense that he would know Hunter. Lears writes about this fresh and challenging interpretation of America in crisis:

Hunter has the insight to discern the nihilism pervading our politics, the courage to see its authoritarian consequences, and the wisdom to imagine humane alternatives.

Calvin in the Public Square: Liberal Democracies, Rights, and Civil Liberties  David W. Hall (Presbyterian & Reformed) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

I have been dipping into this big volume again for a class on politics I’m teaching at my church — it came out as part of the Calvin 500 series of books from P&R in 2009 — and I must say I’d love to be able to teach more of this, even if it is above my pay-grade. Hall is a rigorous historian and informed Calvin scholar and this makes the case (whether one likes the magisterial Institutes or not) that the experiment in local governance in Geneva in the mid 1500s was a vanguard of new thinking about human rights and the common good, shaping much of the development of Western political science and even revolutionary transformations. There’s a reason why, centuries later, the British King George squawked about “that Presbyterian war” in 1776. What a major work this is.

In the past two decades, a small cottage industry of important new scholarship has emerged documenting the distinctive Calvinist contributions to the development of Western theories of law, democracy, and human rights. In this engaging volume, David Hall offers a crisp distillation of the latest scholarly findings and a clarion call to reclaim the Calvinist pedigree of some of our most cherished political ideas and institutions. — John Witte, Jr., Professor of Law, Director, Center for the Study of Law and Religion Emory Law School, author Christianity and Law: An Introduction

Why Liberalism Failed  Patrick Deneen (Yale University Press) $19.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.30

It is above my pay-grade as a small-town bookseller, I’m afraid, to say much about this short but much-cited volume. Professor Deneen teaches at Notre Dame and, if you are reading this part of BookNotes, I suspect you know that he does not mean “liberalism” in the sense of being a contemporary Democrat (a lefty on the continuum of liberal to conservative) but classical liberalism, the ideology from the Enlightenment, written into our Declaration of Independence, inspired by the likes of John Locke. That is, in liberal modernity we are free of the superstitions and constraints of the Medieval world and extol a value-free world where each person does what they want — highlighting individualism and freedom and rights and the like. In a way, this understanding of classic liberalism is part of being modern in the secular age. Does that sort of political ideology (that often animates the right and the left in contemporary American political discourse) really work? Can it be sustained? Is our liberal political order in disarray, in part, because it has succeeded? Rod Dreher wrote in the American Conservative back in 2018 that it was the most important political book of the year. David Brooks says, in a blurb in the expanded second edition, that most debates these days are really less about policy but more about “basic values and structures of our social order.” He’s right, I think.

And listen to this:

Bracing. . . . Deneen comes as a Jeremiah to announce that Tocqueville’s fear that liberalism would eventually dissolve all [its] inheritances . . . may now be fully upon us. –  Ross Douthat, New York Times, author, The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success

American Covenant: How the Constitution United Our Nation – And Could Again Yuval Levin (Basic Books) $32.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $22.40

What an amazingly well-informed book this is, just chock-full of new insights and ideas. In the words of a recent review by the young scholar Brad Littlejohn, “the basic structure of the book is methodical and easy to follow. After articulating (his) basic theses, Levin devotes one chapter to each of to the basic building blocks of our constitutional system: federalism, the Congress, the Presidency, the courts, and our party system (a slightly later innovation, to be sure, but one that he considers “a missing piece in the constitutional puzzle”).

He continues,

Each chapter begins with a masterclass in constitutional history, mining the Convention debates and the Federalist papers for insight into how each element of our political order was designed to build consensus through friction. Each then explains how and why we have lost our way, either by misunderstanding the purpose of these institutions, failing to nurture the norms that sustain them, or by consciously trying to do end-runs around them in order to achieve more decisive policy action.

In comparing and contrasting Yuval Levin’s view of our fellow citizen’s shared assumptions with the more pessimistic evaluation of Hunter (see above) he muses:

Our politics increasingly takes place within the funhouse mirrors of a thousand overlapping media ecosystems, each purporting to tell us what our fellow citizens and governing authorities really believe. Judging by many of those data points, it is certainly not implausible to conclude that we are in uncharted territory, and perhaps past a point of no return: we no longer have sufficient agreement on the basics of anthropology and morality that can serve as the starting points for political negotiation.

Zero Hour America: History’s Ultimatum Over Freedom and the Answer We Must Give Os Guinness (IVP) $23.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.79

Guinness has been one of my favorite authors for decades and he writes about a variety of topics and themes, but he has done in the last six or seven years a trilogy of titles that speak to his perception that America has drifted from her balance of ordered liberty, sustained by the virtues of the citizenry, and that we are in a serious crisis point. Zero Hour is a punchy, passionate cry from the heart, informed by his extraordinary knowledge of Greco-Roman civic philosophy and insights from the America Founders who shaped a new set of political ideas (in contrast, he is wise to remind us) to the secularizing and finally authoritarian impulses of the French Revolution. Over and over Guinness brings new evidence, fresh explanations, and renewed energy to this big project of understanding the decline of the United States. He is worried, but not hopeless. As Steve Forbes (of Forbes Media) notes, Os “longs to see it return to the grand vision of its founding ideals.”

If Zero Hour insists that America has lost its way and will fall (“unless…”), his naming seven key foundation stones of freedom is a helpful pathway towards defining and ordering our life together. These are eloquently offered, as always, but, in a way, are keys to further (much-needed) conversation. As always, Guinness is realistic but proclaims a message of hope. His passionate reminder of the urgency should not be minimized and his gospel-driven reliance on God dare not be forgotten.

For more detailed and thorough teaching — important books that came from Os before the succint and feisty  Zero Hour America — I recommend his 2021 release The Magna Carta of Freedom: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom (IVP; $22.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $16.09) which brilliantly relates the book of Exodus and a Jewish view of freedom with the secularizing ideology of the French Revolution. It is dedicated to the great British Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks. This is one of Guinness’s most important and foundational books to understand what is behind the motif of freedom in the American revolution. I have read it twice and while there will be sections you may not fully agree with, it is simply indispensable these days.

Before that, he wrote in 2018 his political masterpiece, now out in paperback, Last Call for Liberty: How America’s Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat (IVP; $26.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $18.89.) The publisher summarizes this robust call for active and informed citizenship like this:

The American republic is suffering its gravest crisis since the Civil War. Will conflicts, hostility, and incivility tear the country apart? Os Guinness provides a careful observation of the American experiment, offering a stirring vision for faithful citizenship and renewed responsibility for not only the nation but also the watching world.

Christ and the Common Life: Political Theology and the Case for Democracy Luke Bretherton (Eerdmans) $35.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $24.50

Big and thick and richly drawn, this magisterial volume is one of the best examples of Christian political theology I have ever seen. David Gushee calls it “a monumental achievement” and Cambridge University scholar and author Sarah Coakley says it is written “with incisive clarity and remarkable accessibility” and is a “scholarly achievement of great note.” It is also, I’d say, inspirational, drawing as it does on Biblical insights about being a neighbor and about the most foundational ethic of all: love. It is a major, important, lasting contribution.

Bretherton is a distinguished professor of Moral and Political Theology and senior fellow of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University.

Deeply learned and humane, Bretherton’s book surveys the landscape of political theology while making its own argument for ‘why Christians should be committed to democracy as a vital means for pursuing a flourishing life.’ Bretherton’s five case studies — on humanitarianism, Black Power, Pentecostalism, Catholic social teaching, and Anglicanism — are nothing short of a master class in different Christian conceptions of political flourishing. — Cathleen Kaveny, author Prophecy Without Contempt: Religious Discourse in the Public Square

Luke Bretherton has been thinking hard about the polis, plurality/pluralism, and democratic citizenship for a long time. This erudite synthesis and expansion of [Bretherton’s] work over the last two decades brims with insights into essential and interrelated topics, such as secularity, toleration, economy, sovereignty, and populism. This book makes the case for democracy and establishes the framework for discussions in Christian political theology for the next quarter century. — Amos Yong, author, Renewing the Church by the Spirit: Theological Education After Pentecost

The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here Kaitlyn Schiess (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

I hope you know the name Kaitlyn Schiess (I commented on her Liturgy of Politics above.) She is a PhD student (studying with Luke Bretherton, in fact, at Duke) and has already shown herself to be an astute observer of the unfolding conversations about solidly, graciously, Christian political options. This isn’t, granted, heady political philosophy, but I listed it here as it is less about forming a Christian political mindset as it is an overview on how the Bible has been too often misused in public discourse. There have been many who have written about this exact thing — I still like a book by a Jewish scholar in 2007 called Thumping’ It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today’s Presidential Politics — but this historical study is without a doubt the best work on the topic to date.

Beth Allison Barr has called it “clever, judicious, and remarkably persuasive” and Skye Jethani says it is a “must read.”

Whether you lean left or lean right, whether you come from a red state, blue state, or a purple one, if you are a Christian who seeks to apply biblical principles to your political thinking, you will find something instructive, challenging, and enlightening in this book. — Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination

Recharging the American Experiment: Principled Pluralism for Genuine Civic Community James W. Skillen (The Center for Public Justice) $9.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $6.99

I have mentioned Jim Skillen often and highlighted above his major, wonderful volume The Good of Politics. This is a more complex work, but not super-scholarly. It might be a bit demanding only because it is written out of a framework and using arguments that are not typical within our assumed binary political continuum. Skillen here sets out to bring an innovative vision of building civic community by explaining both principled pluralism and confessional pluralism and how that political lingo and governmental agenda from a reformational worldview  — with roots in Kuyper’s political party in early 1900s Holland, actually — might recharge our nearly bankrupt America civic life. Fascinating and, for those who are eager, a vital project.

This Is Going to Hurt: Following Jesus in a Divided America Bekah McNeel (Eerdmans) $24.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $17.49

This isn’t a book about political philosophy, as such; heck, it is hardly a book about politics since it is so centered on people’s stories. But McNeel is a talented, snarky — and, really, really funny — political reporter. As an old-school investigator she has carted herself all over, talking with people about their hopes and fears and hurts. And this book — shocking in some regards — is a vividly told report from the front lines of our divided culture where people are not only arguing, but, often, ignoring the bruised and bleeding, nearly right under their (our?) noses. It is, finally, a book about compassion. It is an unashamed call to care.

Former conservative/evangelical Frank Schaeffer wrote a remarkable foreword, noting that the sacrifice of self for another is “the highest sacrament of all.” He continues, “The promise of sacrificial mercy McNeel offers is unconditional, based only on faith and love. And that alone is the answer to suffering”

This book offers, as another reviewer noted, “a compelling challenge to the narratives that separate us from the suffering of others and, for the sake of healing, calls us to deeper compassion for all humanity.”

In this fiesty, remarkable read, McNeel tells of kids who are facing huge mental health challenges; she writes about immigrants, about those who are victims of climate change; about the poor and the abused. She is candid about re-thinking some of her narrative around the Covid crisis. There’s a great chapter about (as she calls it, “the mockumentary”) of critical race theory (and “why kids use the n-word.”) In a chapter that will disturb some, she offers human-scale and tender reports from the complicated abortion debates. As a Texan, she knows quite a bit about gun culture, and enters the discussion about mass shootings. Holy smokes, this is a brave, caring book — clever, passionate, raw, real. As the wonderful Mae Elise Cannon (author of The Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World) tells it, “McNeel doesn’t shy away from addressing critical divisions within the church while calling us to respond ore faithfully as witnesses to the cross.”

At the end of each chapter MnNeel offers the same set of bullet-points showing where the key fissures are, what might be done to build bridges, what trade-offs might be necessary, and how the “Us vs them” mindset has damaged our conversations on this topic. Despite these keen take-aways, Ms McNeel is a master storyteller and believes in the power of stories; that’s the heart of it. One chapter is called “Turning the Stories Inside Out.” This is one heck of a book and I name it here because I am sure this sort of human solidarity with those who suffer injustices is, frankly, a core piece of any political philosophy that dares to suggest it is Christ-like.

URGENT BOOKS ON THE DANGERS POSED BY THE EXTREMIST RIGHT WING

Your Jesus Is Too American: Calling the Church to Reclaim Kingdom Values over the American Dream Steve Bezner (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

This lively author trains church planters, is an executive of the Texas Baptists, and a professor at Truett Theological Seminary. He’s beloved and respected for an evangelical vision that calls us to confront the idols of power and influence that have eroded principled Christian ways. Although he is beloved in his context — Beth Moore wrote the lovely forward; Beth Allison Barr says she’s giving it away to friends and family — others esteem it as well. Philadelphia African American pastor Eric Mason affirms the book’s Christ-centered worldview. Michael Wear says the author has “put his heart into this book” even as he calls for obedience to the way of Jesus. This warns about how the ideologies of various political movements can quickly erode the clarity and power of our Christian discipleship. This is a great, readable book, a good reminder for one and all.

American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church Andrew Whitehead (Brazos Press) $24.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $17.49

I have highlighted this several times in recent months and find it to be both warm and semi-scholarly, a clear-headed and inspiration book by a serious academic; he is, by the way, trained as a sociologist and he follows the data in ways most of us do not. He’s written on other prominent publishers and here distills much of his research and thinking for a Christian audience. It is one of the best studies of so-called Christian nationalism, explaining what it means, exploring how prevalent it is, and reflecting on why it all matters to those wanting an effective, Biblical faith. Excellent.

American Christian Nationalism: Neither American Nor Christian Michael W. Austin (Eerdmans) $17.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.59

This is brand, brand new by an author we’ve followed for years. (It was just a few months back when we were celebrating his lovely book (Humility: Rediscovering the Way of Love and the Life of Christ. Professor Austin also wrote the very important book QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross: Christianity and Conspiracy Theories which grows more timely and urgent with each passing week.

This succinct new one shows how nationalism is contrary to both American values and Christian virtues and then he offers a simple vision for a better form of civic engagement. This is, as Daniel Williams writes, for Christians who are “dismayed by the contemporary state of American politics.” Joel Looper (of Another Gospel) notes that it avoids “any hint of a polemical tone” Wow.  By the way, there is a very good foreword by the respected and eloquent Marlena Graves. We obviously need this short (86 pages) but potent book.

The Violent Take it By Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy Matthew D. Taylor (Broadleaf) $32.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $23.09

When historian Kristin Kobes Du Mex says a book is “required reading for anyone seeking to understand Christian nationalism” I take notice.

After hearing him one Sunday morning on NPR I realized he is a vibrant Christian with a charismatic church past, and that his passion is more than academic or even patriotic, but from a place deep in his own heart. He understands his topic — the New Apostolic Reformation movement of so-called prophets and apostles — and understands well their interest in spiritual warfare, the Seven Mountains mandate, the Jericho Marches, the Cyrus stuff, and more. That January 6th was organized in part using conference calls from Pentecostal preacher Paula White’s office in the White House should be front page news. That these neo-Pentecostals, who call themselves Apostolic prophets, are very different then the older school fundamentalist Moral Majority (who at first rejected Trump as too worldly) and are all-in about the lies of the 2020 election steal and the like, is vital to understand.

Other authors who have written about the extremist Christian right — Bradley Onishi (of Preparing for War) and Katherine Stewart (of The Power Worshippers), and Samuel Perry (of Taking America Back for God) and Jim Wallis (of The False White Gospel) all give urgent reviews for this being not only meticulously researched but a major contribution to our understanding of public religion in our age. The radical charismatic movement has catapulted from the fringes and into the center of MAGA politics and the implications are fast. This “propulsive” account of the network of this new version of the Christian right is an important expose. This is a piece of the puzzle we have to understand.

Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor Caleb E. Campbell (IVP) $18.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $12.60

One of the longer and most heart-felt reviews I’ve done this year was in the BookNotes last July when I explored the importance of this beautiful, painful, energetic, and very helpful book which helps us realize that the very far fringes of the QAnon / Proud Boys / alt-right that approves of militias and winks at the KKK and the like is, frankly, not really Christian. That is, to counter this cult-like devotion to this extremist ideology will take more than kind conversations but a serious-minded missional strategy that is committed to loving others and sharing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Christian Nationalists are neighbors to be loved and we need a pastoral response that is gospel-centered and gracious. Yes, it is, as one reviewer put it, “ a sobering assessment of the heretic elements of American Christian nationalism” but it also is written by one with “a deep love for those who have fallen into its trappings.” I so appreciate the love and grace and commitment to truth that pastor Campbell shows in this guide to ministering faithfully to “Christian” nationalists.

The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism Tim Alberta (Harper) $35.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $24.50

Tim Alberta is a respected journalist and a Christian — an evangelical pastor’s kid, in fact — who has covered the ugliness of the far right, having written a mainstream bestseller (American Carnage.) When Trump loyalists and MAGA believers assailed him at his own father’s funeral, he realized that he had to write more intentionally about extremist Christians and the theologically weirdness of our times. He is not only one of our best political reporters, but he is a gracious and solid Christian; he cares about this stuff a lot. There is a large amount of sordid detail here, but you will need to keep turning these 475+ pages. Even those who follow political news will be shocked at the ways in which the GOP has co-opted so many on the religious right. This is trenchant and revealing, compelling and deeply moving. If you saw him in his many media appearances (watch the one on The View, for instance) you will know how good he is at explaining complex matters with care and insight.

Another Gospel: Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Evangelical Identity Joel Looper (Eerdmans) $19.99 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $13.99

This one was highlighted alongside my BookNotes review of Disarming Leviathan and it “offers his fellow evangelicals a theological rationale for resisting Christian nationalism.” Politicized evangelicals seem to think they are fighting liberal and secularizing forces but Looper shows that it is they who are eroding the first things of the gospel, mixing up the church and the state, reducing religion to civic values from a (mis)remembered past.

I hope you saw the excellent review of this in Christianity Today that highlighted that while the author firmly exposes the nonsense of some of the leaders of the Christian nationalistic right — Eric Metaxas, Robert Jeffress, Stephen Wolfe — he also explores the public theology, such as it is, of others who are lesser known. This not only reflects on Trump’s inadequate view of Christian faith but critiques others of the Christian right for grounding their civic views in ideologies other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember the Apostle Paul’s warning about adopting a false gospel? We should all take heed. Looper helps.

Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America Sasha Abramsky (Bold Type Books) $30.00 / OUR EXTRA SPECIAL SALE PRICE = $21.00

This just recently came out and I am almost finished with it already. I have to admit there were times I had to stop to catch my breath; reading this has brought up great turmoil in my own life, mostly around the radicals who — despite thousands dying of Covid in 2021, with hospitals and morgues on overload — started movements, sometimes violent, against anyone who believed in masks, social distancing, or quarantining. As the awful virus spread, there were thousands and thousands who formed groups to take over small town councils and push back against what they thought were draconian policies. To this day it is a hot-wire topic and those who were anti-vax seem to often deny the reality of their neighbors who were dying. Of the morgues. Of the stress of the nurses and doctors. Add to this the complexities of the BLM protests and the political tensions around, eventually impeachment trials and the like. From Trump to George Floyd to wild fires to school closings to the so-called lock down measures, the first half of our current decade was pretty horrid. Abramsky is understanding of the vast tensions in our cultural air and he tries to be fair to all involved.

(He is a fair and honest reporter, telling the backstory of lots of colorful characters, but doesn’t cover up the nutty stuff that happens — rumors that Antifa activists were coming in a white bus to destroy a small town, for instance and citizen vigilantes brought out their long-guns against their neighbors who were peacefully protesting about racial injustices.)

This riveting report studies a town in Washington and the ways in which well-meaning, even conservative public servants were hounded (sometimes with the most vile, sexually abusive and threatening language — utterly by otherwise super-spiritual Christians, even) by those who had entered this extremist campaign to make America great again. This is a book full of trauma and local conflict. It has been called chilling and disturbing. We all know it is true. There are, as Jeff Sharlet (author of the must-read Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War) writes, “real people in this ultimately reported book, real consequences — and also real hope.”  Is authoritarianism a problem? You bet. Do many want to upend standard institutions of civic life? Sadly, more than you may know.

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• United States Postal Service has another, quicker option called “Priority Mail” which is $8.70, if it fits in a flat-rate envelope. Many children’s books and some Bibles are oversized so that might take the next size up which is $9.50. “Priority Mail” gets more attention than does “Media Mail” and is often just a few days to anywhere in the US.
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BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

30% OFF

How about that last BookNotes — some fabulous brand new books and some important ones to consider pre-ordering. You can pre-order anything, of course —- just visit our inquiry page or our secure order page at the website — but we wanted to let you know about a few especially good ones coming in the next few weeks. Most we’ll have a bit early, I’m sure. We were proud of that mix of suggested titles, so if you missed that, check it out, HERE.

And at least one or two customers are still talking about the special Labor Day BookNotes, not only with books about work and a Christian view of our labors, but a handful of fabulously-written memoirs or creative nonfiction that explore various work settings. Fun, huh? Check that one out HERE.

The last two podcasts were fun, too — one listed three sorts of books about work (that was a Labor Day feature) and then in the next one I told about three good books about reading the Scriptures. Another “Three Books from Hearts & Minds” podcast (describing three books about prayer) is about to drop today (you can find it at our Facebook page, eventually; you can watch us on Youtube or just listen on Apple or Spotify.) They release every other week.

And, yes, the 20% off discounts are all still good. Hooray for that.

We’re looking forward into the fall when there’s a new commentary on Acts coming from N.T. Wright (see below), an important collection of pieces on preaching coming from Baylor University Press by our friend Fleming Rutledge, and the previously mentioned Reading the Bible Latinamente edited by Ruth Padilla Deborst & Danny Carroll, R is coming in early from IVP. In early November will have the next Norman Wirzba book (Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis on Yale University Press) which I know I need, and the new one by Catholic priest and gang-land activist, Gregory Boyle (Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times.) In what will surely be seen as one of the great publishing events of the year, a long-waiting new volume (with the curious title The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World) by the exquisite author of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer will be available in mid-November. It’s only $20.00 in hardcover and with our BookNotes discount, you’ve got to get it.

It’s going to be a good season (and I’ve only named a few of the best nonfiction highlights) and we’ve got some great and rather practical ones here, now. Thanks be to God, right?

Here, then, with no further ado, are eight brand new ones that we have here at the Dallastown shop and four excellent forthcoming ones you really ought to pre-order now.

Longing for Joy: An Invitation into the Goodness and Beauty of Life Alastair Sterne (IVP) $18.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40

What can I say briefly about Alastair Sterne and this extraordinary book? Please know it is very, very highly recommended. I know a number of customers loved the excellent book we pushed a year ago, The Invitation to Joy: The Divine Journey to Human Flourishing by Daniel Denk (which was released by Eerdmans) and I wasn’t sure we needed yet another book on joy; to be honest, many such titles seem less than serious, glib almost. But Sterne is an amazing person (who has worked closely with more than one of our favorite friends and customers) so we realize how good he is, as a thinker and writer and, well, as a person. You may recall his excellent previous book (that came out maybe four years ago) called Rhythms for Life: Spiritual Practices for Who God Made You to Be which was a down-to-Earth reflection on spirituality with a solid vision for vocation and our real-world callings. That book should be better known among us, I’d say.

Longing for Joy is now his brand new one and his thesis is both lovely and profound. True joy (not cheap happiness) is connected to goodness and beauty. We long for this — is being haunted too strong a word? — and he invites us into this desire, even if we struggle with what might be generally called mental health issues. It is hard to describe how moving this nicely construed and excellently rendered work is. I’m only part way through and concluded I had to lead off with it in this BookNotes. As a reader, you are going to appreciate it, I’m sure.

There is something here for all sorts of readers, by the way. The gorgeous first chapters are about our longings, including profound meditations on presence and absence, joylessness and cultivation of virtues. The second portion includes “the story of joy” which is Trinitarian, which chapters on the Father, Son, a pair entitled simply Crucified and Resurrection, and one on the Spirit. The large third section are pieces about the possibilities of joy in all manner of settings and contexts. It’s all so good.

And I’m not alone in thinking this. Karen Stiller (we reviewed her excellent book on holiness — Holiness Here — a month or so ago) says that “Like a master craftsman, Sterne weaves story, Scripture, and meaning into the most convincing case for joy I’ve read yet.”

I was delighted to see an author who has not released anything new in quite a while who is a writer I esteem immensely, Mike Mason (The Mystery of Marriage, The Mystery of Children, Champagne for the Soul) had a solid endorsement on the back. Mason writes,

Through rich storytelling and wise teaching, Alastair Sterne is an excellent guide to those cozy rooms, fireside parlors, and old summertime porches in that beautiful place you may have forgotten–the House of Joy.

Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Area of Being Human Carlos Whittaker (Thomas Nelson) $19.99 / OUr SALE PRICE = $15.99

This is another book that I can only mention briefly as too long of a review would be unfair. This unfolds as part memoir, part report from the front-lines of a rather unique set of experiences, and a guidebook to practical ways to live more faithfully and fruitfully amidst the noise and blessings of the internet. I don’t want to spoil the fun.

One need not, in fact very few could, do what this creative writer did. He takes nearly two months off to live in a fresh place and context (two fresh places, actually) to see what he could learn about our lives with screens. I love the cover, crossing out “Dis” and replacing it with “Re” since that is sort of the end game, here, disconnecting for a while to find ways tog et reconnected, rightly.

(By the way, even though he doesn’t mention it, this reminds me a bit of the older book by my good friend Sam Van Eman who wrote The Disruptive Discipleship: The Power of Breaking Routine to Kickstart Your Faith which is about how we might change up our lifestyle for a bit, trying some odd experiment or fresh change to learn some new patterns of faithful discipleship. This Whittaker book doesn’t work the theory the way outdoor educator Van Eman does, but he shows it — this is one heckuva disruption and one heckuva kickstart to some new patterns. It really is a fascinating project and you’re going to want to listen in, reading along for fun, and for good ideas to take home into your own life.

Simply put, as you might get from the title, Carlos Whittaker goes to a monastery to hang out with monks and then he goes to an Amish farm and joins their household for a time.

As it says on the back cover, most of us “have gotten so used to notification and alerts, pings and rings, that even if we don’t want to be on our phone so much, we don’t know what to do about it.” I can relate, can’t you?

(Aside: there are a lot of good books on what to do; I’d recommend at the very least the splendid The Life We Always Wanted by the astute thinker and wonderful writer, Andy Crouch.)

If you like chatty conversational books with a lot of storytelling, this work of creative nonfiction covers what Whittaker learned in his several weeks with the monks at Saint Andrews. His very first encounter with Father Patrick (who he likens to a brother of Patrick Swayze and Gandalf) will make you smile, and from there on out your in with him in this rather intense Benedictine way of life, which, of course, at first, he hates. This is not the famous Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris, which I have a sneaking suspicion he’s never heard of. For their part, the monks didn’t know or care that he is a popular evangelical writer. (And he was surprised that, uh, monks these days have phones. So there’s that.)

The second section is written of his time with the Miller family (in what he calls the Amish School.) In this section he’s in Ohio, working on a farm with a fascinatingly simple Anabaptist family. Although at least they talk (a lot) there is an awkwardness here for this black, very modern gent, not unlike what he first experienced with the monks. It’s a different experience for sure — no silent meal partners here — and he learns quite a lot. It’s a breezy, fun account, and we’re sure it will off some “tools and motivation” for living a bit less encumbered. It’s fun and a bit funny and — with his brain scan with his hero Dr. Amen (I tempt you, but no spoilers in this review!), Carlos’s last era (at his own home) shows just how to finder deeper relationships in a tech-saturated world.

Living With Grief Nicholas Wolterstorff (Cascade) $18.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40

This is a book that is short and simply stunning. I’ll admit I was so taken in part because I hadn’t heard it was coming, although many have wished for it for decades. It is short and seriously profound and my hands shook when I turned the first pages. Let me explain.

Nicholas Wolterstorff is arguably one of the world’s most renowned philosophers, having done major, heady works on Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Oxford, etc. He is a theologian, as well (at least in the sense of doing philosophical theology) and has serious books about the nature of God, the experience of knowing God, the importance of liturgy, and has written widely about the relationship of worship and work, prayer and politics. His passion for Christian thinking about what we might call political philosophy (what is justice?) is equal to his knowledge of aesthetics and his interest in the arts. His wonderful autobiographical book ,In This World of Wonders, tells his own story as a Calvin College graduate and his journey into the wider world of intellectual renewal within evangelicalism, his role in the scholarly community, and his efforts for public justice. He even contributed a wonderful graduation speech to my own edited book, Serious Dreams: Big Ideas for the Rest of Your Life and we admire him greatly.

A key moment in his life, in 1983, however, was and remains horrible. His adult son died suddenly in a hiking accident, and, as any father would be, he was overcome with grief. A personal journal he kept in the aftermath — passionate, powerful, poignant — called Lament for a Son is a near classic among those who read about the topic of grief. Nick notes often that it was not written to be published or read widely but friends convinced him it would give others a model of honest, raw, Christian grieving. He published it reluctantly in the late 1980s, and we have had it regularly in our big grief section at the shop ever since.

This, then, a half a lifetime later, is one in which he offers some systematic and serious ruminations on how to cope with life’s sorrows. It’s been a long time coming.

There are just a few dense, short chapters. He explores “What is Grief?” and “What to Say.” He has a major chapter called “Owning and Disowning Loss and Grief” followed by “Owning Loss and Grief Redemptively.” The final chapter — succinct but wise — is “Where Is God in Loss and Grief?”

If Lament for a Son was a cry of grief, a cry of the heart, Living with Grief is “descriptive, reflective.” If the first was called passionate and poetic, he says this one is “dry, literal, prosaic.”

This extraordinary and I’d say nearly historic book has its genesis in some lectures Wolterstorff gave at Fuller decades ago; he had even lost the manuscripts in the subsequent years. A friend of his who had used those lecture notes in a class at a local prison (that also reads together Lament for a Son) had Nick joined that class a time or two to speak. It was at these prisoners urging that he revisited (and revised) those long lost Fuller lectures and now offers them here, finally, now. It is not for everyone (and neither is Lament for a Son.) But it is one many of our readers should read and some will cherish.

Ignite Your Soul: What Exhaustion, Isolations, and Burnout Light a Path to Flourishing Mindy Caliguire (with Shawn Smucker) $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

Many of us who have followed the many books that have come out in the last twenty-five years or so about spiritual formation, soul care, and spiritual direction might know Mindy Caliguire’s name. She did a small, quiet book about spiritual friendship and another that I thought was brilliant called STIR: Spiritual Transformation in Relationship which explored the stages of growth and how intentional relationships allow us to explore our faith formation together. (You’ll see some of her influences in the important work of Ruth Haley Barton at the Transforming Center, if that helps place her a bit for you.) So if she does a new book, it is going to be upbeat and delightful but also very well considered and helpful.

A second feature of this, besides the significance of the author and her solid reputation and experience in this space — she works with folks in churches and marketplace settings and offers guidance in a superb, online community named the Soul Care Collective — is that it is co-authored with a dear friend, central Pennsylvania’s Shawn Smucker. Sean is an amazing person, a novelist, co-writer, blogger, podcaster, and (get this!) a fairly recent bookseller having opened, with his wife, a lovely little shop in Lancaster, PA. Sean has an eager passel of followers and they will be delighted to know he has come alongside Mindy and helped her with this nice, new book.

To be clear, this book carries weight; a sort of hopeful seriousness, I’d say, but it shares pain and seems to really understands the complex moods and conditions of many modern readers. Are you burned out?  Might you say you are in a “bone-dry existence” or in a season where you miss (or don’t even miss) a once fiery (or at least glowing) experience of faith? She, too, has walked through this valley of the shadow. She gets it.

She writes, with exquisite honesty,

“The destruction that tore through my parched soul was not the end of the story. Nor does it have to be the end of yours.”

 

Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Area and Place Ben Lansings and D. J. Marotta (IVP) $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

I’ve been waiting for this book for months (having chatted with the author last winter) and it just came in —nearly a month early!  Hooray. We’re very excited by this handsome, illustrated guide to various sorts of saints, done on heavier stock paper, making this a grand volume, if slim, with some true heft. D.J. Marotta is a savvy, young, Anglican priest in Richmond (who has a great vision to reach college students, by the way and works with the CCO for that purpose.) Marotta wrote a wonderful previous book that we highlighted here at BookNotes a while back, called Liturgy in the Wilderness: How the Lord’s Prayer Shapes the Imagination of the Church in a Secular Age. Readable but astute, informed by the best thinkers, with some prophetic oomph to it, that little volume is a delightful gem.

But this one is perhaps even more delightful as it is a co-authored project with an artist who is involved in Redeemer Anglican there in Richmond. He has been doing these string “modern icons” on social media for quite some time. It is fabulous to have pastor/writer D.J add his thoughtful devotional essays. The sense that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses is nearly palpable.

This sort of book (a saint-a-day, so to speak) is time-honored and so very useful. Those who use them love them! From the important devotionals of Orbis editor Robert Ellsberg like All Saints or Blessed Among Us to the soon-to-be released artfully designed work of Kreg Yingst, Everything Could Be a Prayer: One Hundred Portraits of Saints and Mystic ( I hope you saw our invitation to pre-order it) this brand new one can stand comfortably, wisely, even, with them. And the art — wow. It’s a full color illustrative graphic style (very different than the wild work of Yingst) and drawn to hint at the stylings of icons.

I like how there are some short essays in here — how to pray over these pictures, an overview of church history, a bit about why such diverse, global folks are portrayed and held up as those who bear witness and speak to us today. It shows their feast day (if they are formal saints in the Catholic or Orthodox churches) and helpful stuff about them all. There are favorites here and, I suspect, some you do not know much about, if at all. Marotta’s insights and Lansing’s art are a great combo. This book is a blessing.

Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spirituality Hungry Brad East (Eerdmans) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

I’m not going to lie: this cover doesn’t grab me. I’m not sure who it is for. But you know what? It’s a thrill nonetheless, a fabulous resource, a great guide to Christian faith and growth. It’s not goofy or dumbed down, but its epistolary style makes it warm and gracious. East is a professor of theology at Abilene Christian University (and has a rather academic work on the church and another on reading the Bible in the church.) Here he is inviting God’s people to think about the task of saint-making. I’m part way through and it is inviting, warm, personal.

Is it for young people? I think so, I guess, but not just teens or young adults. It is written not by the good Professor as a scholar, but as a fellow pilgrim, perhaps something like a mentor, or even a confirmation sponsor. If you’ve ever hoped to disciple another, you need this fabulous guide to the spiritual life in Christ.

Yet, even if it is for “future saints” (we are all currently saints, if yet sinners, so I’m not pleased with the title) it is, clearly, of great value (and enjoyment) for those of any age or stage. This is one of the best guides to the habits and practices and convictions and insights we need as saints moving into deeper friendship in the church of Christ.

Since these are letters there are no shown footnotes or citations. But the back is jam-packed with endnotes, by sentence, citing, more often than not, Scripture and church Fathers, ancient theologians and a few more recent, from Lewis to Barth to Bonhoeffer. It ends with a small, black and white icon. Kudos.

Blurbs and rave reviews on the back of this are impressive. Wow — Rowan Williams, Alan Jacobs, Tish Harrison Warren, Stanley Hauerwas, Matthew Levering, Miroslav Volf, all top-class leaders, writers, thinkers. They all affirm East’s serious invitation to those who may be familiar with the faith, having been raised in the orbit of the church, but who are restless, bored, distracted, and mostly untutored. Letters to a Future Saint is a rare and vital work.

The Practicing the Way Course Companion Book: An Eight-Session Primer on Spiritual Formation John Mark Comer (Waterbrook) $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20

I am not always a fan or workbooks and supplemental resources that go with primary texts. I know some enjoy the questions and blank spaces for journalling or reflection, but sometimes it just feels like an add-on, as if the publisher needs yet another item. But not always.

This is one of the best study guides I have ever come across and I can’t say enough about it. (Except to say that it is also available for free for download at John Mark Comer’s “Practicing the Way” online ministry, and, despite that, I still want to commend this oversized, thorough companion guide.)

If you’ve been around me lately you may know we have a huge stack of Practicing the Way here at the shop and have been talking about how much I appreciated not only the book but the fabulously made, really solid, really interesting free streaming classes based on the book. When our Presbyterian adult ed class went through it this summer we all agreed it was so good. We downloaded the free discussion questions and wished for more time to explore the extra content offered in the handouts.

That free extra content is designed to be used with the free online class, and I very highly recommend that visual content. But it parallels the book, so even if your not interested or able to stream the course, The Practicing the Way Course Companion Books is tremendous to own, to use, to share. Good, good stuff.

The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World Christine Rosen (W.W. Norton) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

This is named, by the prestigious publisher, as “social science” and I suppose I cannot argue. It is also profoundly theological, deeply philosophical, and, so far, a heck of a great read. I’ve appreciated Ms Rosen since her serious memoir, ahead of its time, I think, My Fundamentalist Education: A Memoir of a Divine Girlhood, and have appreciated her scholarly presence with books on, for instance, the history of the eugenics movement. She has been affiliated with Hunter’s Institute for Advanced Studies of Culture at UVA and works currently as a Senior Fellow at the the important, conservative American Enterprise Institute in DC.

I love the title (the subtitle, though, is odd since we clearly are not in a disembodied world, even if there are online tendencies and some odd ideologies that suggest as much.) Still, we get her drift, don’t we? And for anyone cares about this anti-Gnostic concern, the question of how to experience real life in an increasingly technologically mediated world, Rosen has thought hard about it all.

She is no Luddite, as far as I can tell, but she does want to know “what kind of a person is formed in an increasingly digitized, mediated, hyperconnected, surveilled, and algorithmically governed world?” Well, wow. What do we gain and what do we lost when, as she suggests, we “no longer talk about the ‘Human Condition’ but the “User Experience’?

Yep, if you worry at all about all this talk of AI and the metaverse and venmo and TikTok challenges and (yes) online conspiracy culture, this book could provide insight and solace.\

Just listen to this, which ain’t no algorithy, but my own selection to share with you, for real; I’ve met Alan Jacobs and I’ve read Alan Jacobs; you can trust this:

Christine Rosen has written a wonderful book. It is not merely a warning against algorithmic control of our lives, but, more essentially, an encouraging guidebook to the recovery of personal experience in all its manifold forms. The Extinction of Experience reconnects us with our own lives in marvelous ways.–Alan Jacobs, author of Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader’s Guide to a More Tranquil Mind

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When PRE-ORDERING more than one forthcoming book please let us know if we should send them as soon as they release or if we should hold one and consolidate it with another, sending them together. Whatever you prefer…

Even After Everything: The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Risks and Loving Anyway Stephanie Duncan Smith (Convergent) $26.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.80  – ON SALE DATE = October 15, 2024

I’ve had an advanced copy of this for a while and have been itching to tell you about it. The opening epigraph is a line from a Madeleine L’Engle poem and early on she tells about a YA novel by the great Gary Schmidt, so I knew I was going to love it.

Even After Everything is, in my view, one of the best books I’ve read all year; it will, without a doubt, be in our annual Best Books of the Year list. It’s very well written, very raw and yet beautiful. I respect this good writer and her remarkable gifts of crafted fine sentences, fine paragraphs, fine pages. This is a great read, a very good book.

It is so well written and captivating I suspect that for some of us who value glorious spiritual autobiography and memoir will not even care (at first) what it is about. Her subtitle makes it sound a bit like a standard-fare guide to Christian growth, and insofar as she offers insights and hard-learned wisdom, it does give readers fresh perspectives and solid ideas that can help them along the way on their journey. It reminds us that we are not alone and in her story one can take away much.

But, wise as she is, I don’t want to invite you to this only because you will learn or grow or be aided in your spiritual practices. Rather, this is one of those texts that, as Lewis reminds us in Experiments in Criticism, we should first “behold.” That is, enter in, with eyes wide open.

Not only is Duncan Smith’s prose surprising and vivid, this is a rare memoir in that it chronicles her own deep grief and pain (she experienced two miscarriages) and arranges the narrative alongside the church calendar. I suspect a book of sorrow though he liturgical year has been done before, but I can’t think of such a work.

This is more than a clever device; it is central, substantive, important, amazing. In her telling the tale this way, something odd happens. There is an interaction (I think of Crowder’s song “Beautiful Collision”) of disorientation and reorientation.

She lost her first pregnancy on the winter solstice’s longest night (“just as the world readied to celebrate its most historic birth on Christmas”) and, oddly, gave birth (after an unexpected and rather uncertain pregnancy) to a daughter nearly one year to the day of her loss. This marked — tears stream down my face as I even write this — “the peak of pandemic death in their city.” As my advanced galley copy puts it, “This clash prompted a desperate search for steadiness, in which the liturgical year became an anchoring force.”

An anchoring force. What a phrase.

This is the best (and I’ve read a few) books on the liturgical year I have ever read, even though it isn’t a book that we will put in the nonfiction section of our church room it is a memoir, a story, a book of marriage and sexuality, of progeny and death, of loss and birth and sadness and joy

She writes, in Even After Everything, alongside personal episodes, reflections like this:

Shauna Niequist writes of a friend who was in a session with his spiritual director. He was chronicling the great disappointments of his life when, “all at once the usually reserved priest book in and yelled his name. “These are the terms! Now what’s the invitation?”

These are the terms: Every one of us is loosed into a world where anything can happen, nothing is secure, and anxiety has a hell of an imagination. We are haunted by the whole kingdoms of hypotheticals — ghost futures spiraling out in every direction. And when the contractions come calling and the what-ifs start wilding, our vital systems begin to clench.

It’s enough to make anyone forget how to breathe.

I read that newborns learn to breathe from their mothers, by synching the rhythms of their heart rate, their inhale and exhale, to hers. In the closeness of chest to chest, they learn the most vital sign. Heart to heart, they learn how to live.

So maybe that’s the invitation: Stay close to the beating heart of love…. Let love be the tempo, trust its steadiness, lean in close.

Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age Rod Dreher (Zondervan) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99  – ON SALE DATE = October 22, 2024

If the above mentioned memoir is beautifully written and raw and enlightening, so, too, this one, in a different style, is captivating, very well-written, smart and inspiring. I cannot do justice to the many remarkable stories and the great, substantive chapter. Dreher is a great memoirist, a potent cultural critic (I did not like his last two books much) and here, has given us a splendid bit of perusal storytelling — his own deepening of faith in a season of very hard times — shaped by his sharp social studies. If you know the names of the amazing Iaian McGuilchrist, say, or (of course) Charles Taylor, you will be pleased to know their serious work has informed some of his teaching about the secularizing forces of the post-Enlightenment West.

I, for one, need tiring of reading yet another take on how we got into our modern mess. In this excellent telling, we significantly lost a sense of a social imagination that supposed what some might call the “supernatural.” We are a people who scoff at miracles (even as we deeply long for them.)

We have more than a dozen great books that explore the shift in the cultural milieu given the rise of the secular age; in various ways and with various strengths, many help us place ourselves historically, know what time it is, so to speak. Knowing why our friends and family think as they do, dream as they do. They help us discern at a deep level what went wrong and why even for those of us with lively faith, it is hard, sometimes. Really hard.

And, we have books that share with readers a vision of the spirituality of the ordinary, affirming a sense of wonder. We have a shelf full of just such books and a few are well known — A Tree Full of Angles, Tortured Wonders, A Liturgy of the Ordinary, Eyes to See: Recognizing God’s Common Grace in an Unsettled World, and so many more. Yet this new Rod Dreher book is more than an eloquent plea to recapture wonder, to stand in awe, to enjoy the goodness of God’s world and our place in it, but it is a guide to how to do that, even when it seems complicated. This is more than sighing at the beauty of a sunset or being attentive to how glory streams all around. And it is more than a theology of the possibility of miracles, but it is both, actually. It is one of the most stimulating, thought-provoking, and excellent books I’ve read in ages.

If time permitted I’d quote fabulous paragraphs and great quips, but I’ll just note this: he starts the story with a reasonable guy who has been haunted by his experiences with UFOs. And then another who fears he has been plagued with demons. Dreher is an Orthodox Christian so he does not rule out the possibility of the demonic; indeed the sensor wonder of much of Orthodox faith sets the stage for some of his opening us to the fullness of life. Although this book isn’t about the paranormal, as such (see the fairly recent Encountering Mystery by brilliant New Testament scholar Dale Allison or the anticipated book [coming in a few weeks, also by Eerdmans] by evangelical Bible guy Alan Streett called Exploring the Paranormal: Miracles, Magic, and the Mysterious.) But I would say read Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age. I am working through it and it is more than a delight, it is itself wondrous. Wow.

Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us about the Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive Russ Ramsey (Zondervan) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99 – ON SALE DATE = October 22, 2024

I wonder if you recall that about a year or so ago Russ Ramsey — who has written well about his own near death experience, and other theologically-rich topics of practice living — did a stunning, fabulous, easy-to-read, but so informative book called Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith. Like a few other excellent and enjoyable introductions to art appreciation from a Christian orientation, Rembrandt…. was not just about Rembrandt (although that first chapter about him was spectacular) but each chapter invited us to discover some of the world’s most celebrated artists and their work. I enjoyed it a lot and said so here at BookNotes.

Earlier this year Ramsey’s people — him or the publisher I do not know — invited me, of all people, to offer an endorsement of this new one, sort of a sequel to the Rembrandt one. Wow! I’m no art critic and I at first almost demurred.  But then I wondered if they invited me to this sacred task because they wanted to have potential reader realize that ordinary folks can enjoy such a book, that is it is not primarily about aesthetics or deep art criticism or for those who already know plenty about paintings old and new, Like it’s predecessor, Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart it is full of stories, the glorious stories of we humans who ache, who sin, who fear, who need to struggle to even stay alive some days. Van Gogh did have a broken heart and therein lies some of his artistic beauty. That is why we need such paintings and artwork in our lives, to “teach us about wonder and the struggle…”

This forthcoming one, Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart is, I think, better than the first.

Here is what I said for my book blurb. I wonder if it will be in the real books once they come out in a few weeks; if so, probably in an edited, slimmed-down version. I do love the book and am glad for it’s energy, honesty, and how it invites us into these stories of fascinating artists.

In Russ Ramsey’s fabulous follow up to the fabulous Rembrandt Is in the Wind he offers more well-told stories of artists — some who you will know, some who you may not — which becomes a door flung wide to big questions, urgent questions, about the very things that matter most. With verve and gusto he tells us about details of the artist’s lives and helpful interpretations of their work, sharing his own journey to appreciate these paintings done by other hurting humans who, flawed as they may be, still carried the imprint of the image of God. Among the many contributions this book makes is how great creativity sometimes emerges from great sorrow and how, therefore, we who also ache can take comfort in the gestures and symbols and colors and stories of great art. Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart is a book to own and a book to share.  — Byron K. Borger / Hearts & Minds

The Challenge of the Book of Acts: Rediscovering What the Church Was and Is N. T Wright (Zondervan) $26.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.80  – ON SALE DATE = October 22, 2024

Okay, friends. I have no idea what to say about this, other than that Wright is the sort of author who ordinary readers can benefit from and to whom deeper scholars will want to pay attention, just to see what the prolific New Testament scholar has to say… in other words, this book should be on your list.

I love the book of Acts and although we’ve got our favorite commentaries on this grand story by Dr. Luke, I’m positive this one will be on the short list of the most often recommended. I think any of us who care about the Bible will be glad to hear Wright is doing a new one; I do not know this for sure, but I’m guessing it is somewhat analogous to but maybe more detailed than his lovely Into the Heart of Romans. The forthcoming Challenge of Acts is 176 pages

(For what it’s worth, The Bible Speaks Today: The Books of Acts by John Stott is absolutely splendid and just about the only one you’d need for most ordinary readers and Willie James Jennings Acts in the “Belief Theological Commentary” commentary series is nothing short of brilliant at times. We love the “Story of God Commentary” series and Dean Pinter did the Acts on in that fabulous series and so interesting; F. F Bruce’s NICOT is, of course, a classic.)

That Wright is asking questions about the nature and task of the church (drawn from a culturally-sensitive reading of Acts, of course) is important. In this day and age it is among our greatest needs, getting clear about the local church. I trust he’s going to be really helpful on this.

Here is the bit, swiped from the publisher website:

Acts is a substantial book. It sits right in the middle of the New Testament, looking back to the four Gospels and ahead to the mission of the early church. It provides a framework for our understanding of the letters; but it does more than that. Acts offers a sophisticated and nuanced view of what it means to think of the gospel of Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, going out into the world over which Israel’s Messiah claims the status of Lord.

This Christian movement and thinking, detailed in Acts, entailed confronting the wider culture of the Greek and Roman world, as well as the culture of the Jewish world, which provides us today with an important message as we ourselves face new questions about gospel and contemporary culture.

From the renowned author of Into the Heart of Romans, N. T. Wright brings to the book of Acts his expert’s eye on theological nuance and cultural context, distilling it down into an introductory commentary, perfect for anyone looking to take their own reading a little deeper and discover the profound (and often forgotten) potential of the church and the Way of Jesus Christ.

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Every Moment Holy Volume III “Pocket Edition” edited by Douglas McKelvey (Rabbit Room Press) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

At last, the beautiful third volume of the exceptional series of prayer books for ordinary folks on ordinary days, is now out in a lovely compact sized, flexible, soft leather. The first had responsive prayers (in their lingo, “liturgies”) in two-color ink for all manner of events in one’s life, from drinking morning coffee to having a yard sale, from going on vocation to going to bed, from praying about having “too much information” to putting up a Christmas tree. There are just an amazing array of heart-felt and eloquent liturgies here for every imaginable occasion. It comes in larger size, leather-bound hardback and the compact sized, soft leather edition.

The second one has liturgies for recital or meditation, to be prayed during times of grief, loss, sorrow, and lament. Again, this one (in handsome tan) is available in both the regular size, leather-bound hardback or in the smaller sized, soft/flexible leather. This one is a must for pastors needing words and liturgies for all manner of sadness, sickness, and sorrow.

The third one — again, on random, daily experiences — is compiled by McElvey but composed by a handful of scholars, parents, pray-ers, and poets (some whose names you may know) and had only been available (until now) in the striking, blue leather-bound hardback. We are thrilled to announce that now Volume III is out in the smaller, compact-sized, soft, flexible, blue leather edition. Hooray. These three are all designed with good linocuts and art, done sharply in classy typography, nicely printed on good paper with sewn in ribbon markers. Kudos to Rabbit Room and our friend Ned Bustard who did artistic oversight.

Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church Abram Van Engen (Eerdmans) $26.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.80

Yes, as above, poets can write prayers. Liturgical renewal needs writers of hymns and fresh writing of laments and more, but what about poetry, as such?  This book reminds us of the value of poetry, a theological framing of poetical gifts, and makes the case that slowing down to attend to the play of words for which poetry is known, is a spiritual necessity. When it says “the church” in the subtitle it does not necessarily mean in worship or even congregational use. This book is for God’s people in their reading lives. Yes, we all need to think faithfully about the creative arts, both beholding and creating, especially the literary arts. This is one of the best arguments for the value of poetry we have yet seen. Poet Christian Wiman says it is “brilliant, humane, intelligent, and necessary.” Wiman notes, and I agree, that this great book has something for everyone, the novice or the expert. Whether you love poetry or are a bit unsure, this is a great read.

Please (please) read these excellently-put endorsements from two authors whose voices and suggestions we trust:

I’ve been waiting for someone to write this book. Sensitive to newcomers and even skeptics, Abram Van Engen is a warm, wise, generous guide into the manifold gifts poetry offers. A master teacher and thoughtful scholar, Van Engen writes as a fellow human, a pilgrim on the way with us, sharing his experiences with poetry to entice us to find our own. At once practical and existential, this book is a master class and a love letter. Like the Ancient Mariner, I will be grabbing people by the lapels and pressing this book into their hands: Here’s why poetry is the song you didn’t realize your heart wants to sing. — James K. A. Smith, Calvin University, author of You Are What You Love and How to Inhabit Time

We need poetry more than ever. In our moment in history, words have often been rendered cheap, combative, and manipulative. But poetry calls us back to the beauty, depth, and power of careful, crafted words. A gifted teacher and writer, Abram Van Engen is a deft guide for those new to poetry and those who have enjoyed it for decades. His vital exploration and expert curation of great poems rejuvenates our imagination, giving us new eyes to notice our own lives–with all the joy and pain they hold and hide–and to glimpse God’s work in and among us. I will return to this luminescent book again and again. — Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night

Flyover Church: How Jesus’ Ministry in Rural Places Is Good News Everywhere  Brad Roth (Herald Press) $19.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I’ve written about Roth before as I loved his book God’s Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church, also published by this astute Mennonite press. There are a good number of books about small churches but most do not look at the uniquely rural context of many small churches. And while this book isn’t exactly about small churches, it is about small places. What some of the big-wigs on the coasts call, sometimes with diversion, flyover states.

Flyover Church invites those in rural or even small town places to ponder how this unique context — both the strengths and weaknesses, so to speak — can shape how we incarnate the good news of God’s Kingdom in those often out-of-the-way places.

Brad Roth is a pastor in rural central Kansas. He grew up baling hay, tending sheep, and shearing Christmas trees on a farm in Illinois. He is a graduate of Augustana College, Harvard Divinity School, and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Brad obviously has a heart for serving God and God’s people in rural communities and helps us all appreciate that, and he seems passionate about sharing faith in word and deed. While we all aspire to such seamless living, integrating what we do and say and how we live, there is something notable in his Mennonite tradition that reminds us to incarnate the gospel in real community. And, maybe something about rural USA, too, that thrives on this kind of down-to-Earth show and tell. The Flyover Church is a great read, thoughtful and interesting and important. Hooray.

In this book, Brad Roth opens the soul of the small-town pastor, describing our struggles and challenges, not to cause us to abandon ministry but to give us hope and perspective by helping us understand ourselves and the communities we serve. Writing with personal reflection, insightful research, and theological clarity, Roth gives us insight into what it means to be a rural pastor. Like his previous book God’s Country, this book is invaluable and is on the must-read shelf of books on rural ministry. — Glenn Daman, author of The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America

Flyover Church is a gift to the whole church. Brad Roth offers a compelling portrait of rural churches, a portrait whose beauty is drawn from the hope and hardships of ministry in rural places. This book offers important truths about the rural church, and in doing so reminds us that these congregations are full of deep and meaningful ministries. — Allen Stanton, consulting fellow at University of the Ozarks and author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations

Technology and Christianity: Essays on the Interface Egbert Schuurman (WordBridge Publishing / Paideia Press) $24.95 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.96

This is a rare book, published in the Netherlands, imported through Paideia Press in Canada. It’s important and we are grateful to announce it. I’ve been a fan of the often difficult but deeply insightful and therefore rewarding author Egbert Schuurman since I first came across a little book he wrote in the 1970s published by Wedge Books, affiliated with the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. He was evangelical, broadly Reformed, culturally aware, prophetic in its Biblical orientation, bringing a Godly orientation to the details of our mechanistic and engineered world.  I used it with engineering students, glad that it was not as cryptic or negative as, say, the important Jacque Ellul, without allowing for any idolatry or neutrality in our perspective on the applied sciences. He continued to write philosophical work on technology and it’s role in the modern world, mirroring (or maybe even influencing) Albert Borgman (who, interestingly, became friends with Eugene Peterson, who often got his friends reading Borgman.)

Technology and Christianity brings this reforming view to the theories of technology and is, in essence, a greatest hits or collection of best essays of professor Schuurman — some newly translated for the first time in English! We cannot stress enough how important it is for all of us to be pondering how we relate our faith to our lived experience of a world mediated by so much engineering, so much technology. To think faithfully about the sciences and creation, about the goodness of the built environment and the ideologies of growth and efficiency the deform it, about how the zeitgeist causes our imaginations to suppose it is normal for things like algorithms to do our thinking for us, even as we should know in our bones that the possibilities of technology is a blessing from God who put human minds to the task of discovering possibilities in the realm of technique. Capitalism and philosophies of reductionism have deformed our imaginations and we want to, with Schuurman, insist that God’s world is good, fallen, and yet, in fresh obedience to the ways of Jesus, being redeemed. This collection of heavy essays about Christian views of our technological world is a gift for those thinking about such things. Kudos.

A funny aside: some know that we have greatly promoted two books by our friend Derek Schuurman — Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology, and one he co-authored, A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers; they’ve got the footnotes of Professor Egbert Schuurman, and they obviously shared the reformational roots, in the line of Abraham Kuyper, even. I assumed they were father and son, and maybe said that publicly. Curiously, the younger Derek is no relation; the last time I saw him at Calvin University, we chuckled again about that. So similar but no obvious relation.

The Mystics Would Like a Word: Six Women Who Met God and Found a Spirituality for Today Shannon K. Evans (Convergent) $26.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.80

This is another brand new one that we just got in and while I haven’t studied it, I am sure it is going to be fantastic. One of our staff was quite taken by one chapter, and I know folks we admire have greatly appreciated it. For instance, Sarah Bessey (we raved about her recent Field Notes for the Wilderness) says it is “illuminating and powerful.. and one she has “wanted for ages.”  K.J. Ramsey (Book of Common Courage) says Evans writes with “humor and humanity.” And, Ramsey teases us with one of the better lines in an endorsing blurb I’ve read in a while, Evans “welcomes us into a larger, weirder, and more compelling spirituality than we commonly encounter today.”

As a Catholic mystic feminist, Evans can be a bit weird for some, I suppose. And others have given us feminist analysis of saints before (think of the remarkable work of Mirabai Starr, who endorses this one, too, by the way.) But there does seem to be something about this one. She cares about this hurting world and is candid about why a feminist vision can be helpful. She is the author of the Brazos Press gem Feminist Prayers for My Daughter. Do you know it?

Still, unique as this may be, it is finally about mystics you have known of, but maybe don’t know much about. This looks like a great primer for those wanting to become familiar with Margery Kemp, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Therese of Lisieux, and Catherine of Siena.  It’s hard not to want to know more about these amazing (audacious) women who “forged a spirituality that is more inclusive, surprising, and empowering than we ever imagined.”

Calvin for the World: The Enduring Relevance of His Political, Social, and Economic Theology Ruben Rosario Rodriguez (Baker Academic) $27.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $22.39

Wow, there are so many things going on in this fabulous book that I hardly know where to begin. I guess you can tell from the title itself that this author must be an extraordinary scholar — he’s got a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and teaches theology (and Latin American politics) at Saint Louis University so he is obviously learned, even, we find, in quite an interdisciplinary manner. Who can speak knowingly into the idols of our time and the principles of Reformed thinking about public theology, knowing a bit about political theology and economics? I’m excited just to learn new stuff about the application of long-revered Christain principles to our very modern world.

And, obviously, this isn’t just any generic sort of public theology, but he is asking how we might appropriate the life and teaching of the Frenchman who lived in Geneva in the 1500s, Jean Calvin. Can the controversial Calvin be fruitful for funding our faithful discipleship today?  Smarter folks than I will have to weigh in on if Rodriguez accomplishes his audacious goals in this relatively short book (it’s about 175 pages.) Some — like Dr. Luis Rivera Pagan, an emeritus professor at Princeton — have called it “an excellent contribution to the analysis of the importance of Calvin.” Dr. Elsi McKee, another retired emerita professor, says it is lively and relevant, even exciting.

One of the things this engaging (if academic) writer is doing is putting Calvin in his original context. Those who know anything about Calvin’s ministry knows (although may not think about it) that he lived in a city rife with debate about the wisdom of allowing immigrants and refugees. (Calvin was an immigrant, of course, exiled, in a sense and was active in his support of the refugees.) He has long been considered one of the early public theologians that gave us a framework for thinking about democracy (and, boy, do we Presbyterians like to vote on things!) Not a few American revolutionaries, we can recall, were Calvinists. (For a quick primer on this, see, just for instance, The Legacy of John Calvin: His Influence on the Modern World by David Hall, published by P&R during the 500th year commemoration in. 2008; for more detail see Calvin in the Public Square: Liberal Democracies, Rights, and Civil Liberties or, from a traditionally free-market perspective, see Calvin and Commerce: The Transforming Power of Calvinism in Market Economies, both co-edited by Hall, also published in the “Calvin 500” series by P&R.)

Dr. Rodriguez is not the first to suggest there are solid connections between Calvin and third world liberation theologians — read Reformed thinker/activist South African Alan Boesak, for instance (as Rodriguez does.) Rodriguez’s chapter on Calvin’s reception in Latin America is itself incredibly informative. Even if you’ve not read Bonino, say, this is good stuff.

Can the theological legacy of the Reformed, social leader, pastor, and public theologian John Calvin be expanded from mere systematic formulations about predestination and the like? The tradition of neo-Calvinists (or Kuyperians) from Holland do that well. Here, a major thinker is evaluating the ups and downs of this Reformed legacy and — in the words of Kenneth Woo of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary — “unveils that vision’s liberative potential for theologians during and since the Reformation era.”

Jesus for Everyone – Not Just Christians Amy-Jill Levine (HarperOne) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

A year ago Any-Hill’s acclaimed 2020 The Bible with and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently was released in paperback by HarperOne and this one is her second serious, if popular-level book with them. We admire her in many ways and enjoy her verve and writing style, that has been described as scholarly work “that reads like a good sermon.” This very new one, Jesus for Everyone, is a major, long-awaited release, written, at first, for those unfamiliar with the facts of Jesus’s life and teachings and the fascinating complexity of taking it seriously. Professor Levine, as you should know, is not a Christian, but a more liberal Jew who attends an Orthodox synagogue. She makes her living at a Christian seminary teaching mostly Christians on their way to do gospel ministry. And she knows about our Lord as well as most, believe me.

This new hardback should instigate a lot of lively conversations. It’s lively, thoughtful, funny and provocative. You should know about it…

To be clear, she is not a believer and certainly not a Christian. Yet, she is upbeat and passionate (if creative and quirky) about teaching the Bible, especially the gospels on the life of Jesus, particularly doing close readings of texts and what they do and not not say, and wondering what they may or may not mean. In a sense she is in a tradition with others searching for “the historical Jesus” and seems to know and cite everybody across history and the spectrum of denominational and scholarly persuasions. Her footnotes are simply fascinating.

Levine is firm in rebuking wrong-headed stereotypes about Judaism (including those who insist that Jews didn’t allow men and women to talk in public, which the gospels themselves refute often, or that Pharisees believed that keeping the law would save them.) She is hard on mainline liberal theologians and some evangelical pastors, less for the pastoral skills or church leadership (she would be agnostic about such things) but about their lack of honesty about the texts and their lack of awareness of first century Judaism. She’s a piece of work, and we enjoy her feisty writing. Barbara Brown Taylor has said her writing startles with its “brilliance and pluck.”

This book — originally started to invite atheists to consider Jesus, but broadened her scope to any (nones and dones, for instance, or fellow Jewish congregants) —covers a lot of how the gospel accounts speak to 21st century concerns. From economics to health care, women’s concerns to race and ethnicity, from marriage and singleness to politics, and more, she invites us to “meet Jesus in His time and ours”

The Gospel of John: The Beginners Guide to the Way, the Truth, and the Life Amy-Jill Levine (Abingdon Press) $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

DVD – The Gospel of John DVD: A Beginner’s Guide to the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Abingdon Press) $44.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $35.99

Leader’s Guide – The Gospel of John: The Beginners Guide to the Way, the Truth, and the Life Leader’s Guide (Abingdon Press) $15.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $12.79

Amy-Jill Levine, described above, also just released this brand new, six-chapter book and video series on John (you can also buy the DVD and/or Leader’s Guide at our sale price) which is a paperback Abingdon Press companion to one she released last year in short book and/or video format, The Gospel of Mark: A Beginner’s Guide to the Good News, so she is a busy scholar, popularizing her many lectures (at Vanderbilt where she teaches first New Testament and early Jewish studies) into easy to read, if sometimes provocative books and video presentations. What fun. As noted above, she is not a Christian but teaches any who are interested — mostly Christian seminarians — about how to study the gospels while sensitive to the truths about first century Judaism. She is quick to point out anti-semitic notions and wrong-headed ideas about Jews, Pharisees, or Middle Eastern customs, which she knows a lot about. These are fiesty, fun, easy to read, and should provoke hearty conversation…

The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story Richard B. Hays & Christopher B. Hays (Yale University Press) $28.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $22.40

This book came into the shop a bit early and we have sent out the pre-orders already. We are thrilled to see a new book by the eminent New Testament scholar whose long-awaited book reverses his previous position (after 30 years) on same-sex relations and their permissibility within the context of Biblical sexual ethics. Aided by his son, also a Biblical scholar of considerable seriousness, this is said to be a major work, obviously on a prestigious university (peer-reviewed) academic press. It is important.

I’ve got two quick things to say about this since I have not yet studied it. Firstly: anytime Hays speaks or teaches we should pay attention. I know of people who disagree with him about a few things he writes or ways in which he relates a Biblically informed worldview and social ethic to the world around us, but they still like and respect him greatly. He’s a good, earnest thinker, a significant scholar, and a very nice guy who should be honored as such.

Secondly, his vital and wise books such as Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels (Baylor University Press), Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (Yale University Press), The Conversion of the Imagination: Paul as Interpreter of Israel’s Scripture (Eerdmans) or his magisterial The Moral Vision of the New Testament: a Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethic (HarperOne) and certainly the large collection of miscellaneous pieces and essays, Reading with the Grain of Scripture (Eerdmans) all show his deep commitment to the Scriptures and the unfolding story of the canon. That he (Emeritus NT Professor at Duke) and his son Chris — an OT Professor at Fuller —have worked hard on this volume is significant. As one reviewer noted, the release of this book “is an event of historic significance.”

Quarrels regarding the Bible and human sexuality have ossified in recent decades, afflicting entire denominations and ostracizing many. In this remarkable book, Christopher Hays and Richard Hays combine intelligence, humility, and generosity in a conversation that is instructive both within and beyond communities of faith. — Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Princeton Theological Seminary, author, Romans: A Commentary

When the best interpreters reread the Scriptures with intellectual acumen and humility, as well as keen attention to the Spirit’s call for reconciling love, both church and academy are strengthened. Praise God for this book. — Ellen F. Davis, Duke Divinity School, author, Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship, and Ministry

Briefly, I suppose it might be helpful to note that a sharp and gracious thinker who disagrees with Hays and Hays, Preston Sprinkle, has written a long and detailed critical review at his own Center’s website. If Sprinkle is correct, I am a bit disappointed that the book didn’t forge the new ground that I assumed that it would. I appreciate the general graciousness of Sprinkle’s strong critique, and yet wonder what he misses in this book that has been admired by many others. All I can say is read it yourself and make up your own mind.

Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right Arlie Russell Hochschild (The New Press) $30.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.70

Perhaps you know Arlie Hochschild for her previous, much-discussed 2016 volume Strangers in the Own Land which developed from her time living among conservative and right-wing workers in a polluted area of Louisiana. As a social scientist and liberal activist (from Berkeley, California, no less) she wondered why folks would support government policies that, in fact, enabled the pollution that was killing them. She famously befriended a lot of such folks and that book was laden with insightful reports. She tells of a Tea Party activist whose whole house was swallowed by a sinkhole, yet who championed the rich New York candidate whose policies would not help them one bit. As she warms to the people she meets, she writes about the “anger and mourning on the American Right.” The humility of the book’s author and it’s tone earned it accolades among smart readers across the political spectrum. And, yet, the quandary remains.

I have not even started this brand new one, Stolen Pride, but I am sure I will. I’ve read several advanced descriptions and I’m confident that it is as important (and as empathetic) as Strangers in Their Own Land. One “starred review” at Publisher’s Weekly says she is in this new one revisiting the same humane themes and sociological concerns as Strangers but this time interviewing Appalachian residents of Pikeville, KY, considered to be one of the whitest, poorest, and most conservative counties in the country — “to understand how the once purple coal town turned deep red.”

She discusses “the pride of paradox” which is (quoting the PW review) “the tension between dwindling economic opportunities and the belief that one’s successes or failures in life reflect one’s abilities.” The upshot? Get this: as she will show, residents “blame themselves and feel ashamed when their lives don’t turn out as they hope.” And how does this cause them to vote for the likes of Trump? That is the question of her thesis, that his “shamelessness proves a cathartic release” when they support him, failing to acknowledge obvious systemic wrongdoing ( such as the opioid addictions foisted on them or awful extractions like mountain-top removal.)

In a recent interview Hochschild notes that “red states are a prime target for someone for whom shame is almost a political ore that he picks for.” She continued:

“Trump has what I would call a ‘shaming ritual.’ First, he’ll say something transgressive. Then, he’ll make himself the victim of shaming from a punditry that says “you can’t say that, that’s not American.” Then he’ll roar back at his shamers. I think of this as a very powerful ritual that satisfies. Some of the people I came to know, I ran my interpretation of this by them and they would know what I was talking about — this cathartic performance of shame was recognized as part of his appeal.”

Like other academic studies of rural and poor white regions, it becomes clear that not all of the disadvantaged fully favor the MAGA movement; this impressive study will give us much to think about and ponder about why and how people construe their lives and work out their public values.  Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right is going to be cited, I predict, for years to come.

Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class  Sarah Smarsh (Scribner Books) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

I’m delighted to tell you about this, as I so, so loved her previous two. This collection of essays might include a few pieces you’ve seen if you read widely in journals and magazines and online places, but I bet for most of us, this is going to be fresh and new writing from a woman who loves her midWestern identity. Her memoir, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth told a somewhat different sort of story than the one drawn by J.D. Vance, and was often talked about alongside social conscious works such as Nigel and Dimes and Evicted. I adored it, mentioned it often, and was moved by her honest, upbeat writing about her hardscrabble upbringing in rural Kansas and eventually going off to college, with a complicated set of cultural expectations and experience.

If I like Heartland I enjoyed her spectacular, short but astute, and wonderfully realized study of Dolly Parton called She Come by It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs. Sort of a tribute to all women who grew up poor and work firmly in the working class, Smarsh gets Dolly’s poverty, her work ethic, her congenial feminism, and her roots music that becomes a huge pop culture empire. What a story!

And so, this new one is a collection of essays. Bone of the Bone. The prestigious Kirkus Review gave it a rare starred review calling its impact “staggering.” They say, “This powerful reckoning with the costs of being poor should be required short-form nonfiction reading.”

One of my big disappointments this year at the wonderful Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing was that my schedule was such that I just couldn’t get to her workshop there or to another gig where she was speaking at the Festival. It would have been a blast, and I was curious about her conversation about faith and culture and art and social progress. I suspect reading this won’t be quite as much fun, but it’s a good call, anyway. I’m looking forward to it.

Plundered: The Tangled Roots of Racial and Environmental Injustice David W. Swanson (IVP) $18.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40

I could write an entire BookNotes on this spectacular volume but I will be brief. For those who followed his previous book Discipling the White Church, you know that Swanson is a theologically evangelical, passionate, well-read pastor of a multi-racial church in a mostly black neighborhood in urban Chicago. With neighborhood has roots in the black freedom struggle going back to Frederick Douglas and Ida B. Wells and MLK and Gwendolyn Brooks, those who lived, preached, worked, or wrote there have taught Swanson a lot.

Including this expansive understanding that the damage done by white supremacy and economic systems that have been extractive, simply must be repaired; we are partnering, as Christians, with a God who is restoring all things, including these two most systemic and vile aspects of our modern world — racism and environmental injustice. As others have shown in great detail, the two overlap in what is sometimes called environmental racism. Swanson admits he has not written a book making this case, really, but assumes it. What are the Biblical and theological resources we have in our faith communities to create practices of creation care and racial justice in our own places? Plundered does help us understand the problem but, more, digging deep into the idols of greed that have deformed our place in the world, invites us to ways to reverse the urgent situation.

The conversations about moving beyond mere stewardship (oh, if he had only cited the best collection of short pieces on this, the must-read Beyond Stewardship: New Approaches to Creation Care, edited by Dave Warners and Matthew Kuperus Heun published by Calvin College Press in 2019) towards a more wholistic approach to humankind relationships to other creatures naturally leads Swanson to draw on wisdom from ingenious thought leaders (from Robin Zimmerman of Braiding Sweetgrass fame to Randy Woodley, who wrote  Shalom and the Community of Creation and Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview) and black scholars and activists. (Indeed, he cites bell hooks, often, including the famous interview she did with rural, white, agronomist, Wendell Berry.) In my limited reading in this field, I would suggest that there is simply nothing like it. Thanks be to God!

You know I’ve recently featured the book by the aforementioned Calvin University biologist David Warners called Reconciliation in a Michigan Watershed: Restoring Ken-O-Sha. His co-author, Gail Gunst Heffner has a chapter on environmental racism in that previously mentioned collection, Beyond Stewardship and it, too, is an excellent overview of this interdisciplinary topic. Her brief chapter brings into focus some important questions that shape the book Gail and Dave did on this Western Michigan watershed. They know, like Swanson, that our rationalist and often individualistic ways of doing theology have got to shift so that we can learn from Native peoples and other marginalized folks. This book models this and shows us how to proceed.

Another writer who is also an inner-city Chicago pastor is Jonathan Brooks (lead pastor of the famous Lawndale Christian Community Church) and he says of Swanson’s Plundered that it uses “beautifully written imagery, amazingly honest narratives, and sound biblical and historical research.” Indeed. As many who have endorsed it note, it is really interesting, very honest and super inspiring. And I would say very, very important. 

For what it is worth, Swanson has long loved the great outdoors, studied environmental science in college and was especially keen on wilderness trips, camps, adventure education and outdoor ministry. That God drew him to the life of a pastor, in an urban setting, no less, is a surprising story he tells a bit in the beginning. That he now is uniting his old love for creation and passion about creation-care with his insights learned from living as a part of the black community our nation’s third largest city, is a sweet, perhaps nearly ironic, gift of God. Read this book.

Sharing the Crust: A Communion of Saints in a Baltimore Neighborhood Mark Gornik (Cascade Books) $27.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.60

We will have this book in stock any day now and I can’t wait to see it. Mark Gornik, now an urban pastor and educator in New York, wrote this book about his early work — legendary, actually — forming a socially-engaged, intentional PCA church in an economically hurting 70-block neighborhood in Baltimore, called Sandtown. The multi-faceted work attracted a lot of attention in the 80s and everybody from John Perkins to Habitat for Humanity leaders to Joni Eareckson Tada crossed their paths.

Joni? Yep, because, you see, one of the main movers and shakers of this wholistic Kingdom outpost was himself wheelchair bound. His name was Allan Tibbels and those that knew him (and his wife, Susan) remember them as amazing people. The work Allan did, as a white guy in a largely black neighborhood, and how this PCA church (called New Song) got off the ground and into issues like housing and healthcare, education and the arts, is the stuff of urban ministry legend. Gornik tells of the small changes and slow growth, the serious peacemaking and community development done in and through New Song. Mark Gornik’s To Live in Peace: Biblical Faith and the Changing Inner City remains a must-read standard in the field or urban ministry, and now this, a personal story which is said to be exceptionally inspirational and informed by solid Kingdom theology. Yes!

Can pain, loss, and hope co-exist? Injustice, deprivation, and celebration? How does individual calling, communal vocation, the search for justice, and commitment to place relate? Mark Gornik’s evocative ode to radical friendship and community building ‘on the journey towards new creation’ offers embodied and generative responses to such urgent questions. I could not put it down! — Ruth Padilla De Borst, associate professor of world Christianity, Western Theological Seminary

For what it is worth Allan’s moving story was written about very well in a concise chapter by Gornik in a big hardback book (that perhaps inspired the writing of this broader one about the folks at New Song) called People Get Ready: Twelve Jesus-Haunted Misfits, Malcontents, and Dreamers in Pursuit of Justice edited by Peter Spade, published by Eerdmans.

One of Us: Reflecting on the Radical Mystery of the Incarnation A.D. Bauer (Square Halo Books) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99   DUE SEPTEMBER 17

I am always happy when somebody I know writes a book and this forthcoming one is no exception. Alan — his pen name is A.D. — is a pastor and seminary prof and, importantly, one of the chief leaders/owners of Square Halo Books. You know Square Halo for their beautiful gift books of Christian art, and their truly essential books reflecting on creative, aesthetics, the arts, and books about that interface of faith and the artistic realm. Square Halo Books is one of the great gifts in the faith-based publishing world and every Christian bookstore should carry their stuff. We’re glad our customers have grown to appreciate their many title. A.D. Bauer is behind most of that, just so you know.

Here he is at his geeky self, though, pondering big questions that theological types think of. The start of the book suggests it may be a bit of a personal help in one’s own struggles of faith and life, but, frankly, he doesn’t connect those dots much. It’s a grand, readable, down-to-Earth exercise in theological speculation. doctrinal teaching, and Biblical study. And if that isn’t practical, then nothing really is. So even though some authors may be more chatty and help you apply the lessons learned in a more lively or intentional manner, few are as honest and systematic and careful. This is a lay-person’s introduction to one of the chief matters of the Christian faith: who Jesus is and, if, as we all say, he is fully human and fully divine, how, then, did he live? And does it matter?

A. D. asks questions like whether or not Jesus could really be tempted. I mean, really tempted? Or, he wonders why Jesus, if fully God, had to grow in knowledge as it says in Luke 2:52. When he heals, is he doing that as God, or as a faithful human? (The gospels give examples of when Jesus couldn’t heal. What’s with that?) And what is going on with Jesus being filled with the Spirit? (You thought He was one with the Spirit, right?) When He dies and descends into hell, what happens to the Trinity? As a human, can we really understand us mere mortals?  Admit it — you’ve asked these sorts of questions yourself, and what Bible study group doesn’t have at least one (annoying?) person who keeps asking these oddball kinds of curious questions? I sure wish Bauer was in our Bible study when these kinds of things come up. He knows his stuff.

Of course, these questions actually aren’t odd at all. And the answers A.D. gives are solid, Biblical, informed by his own diligent pastoral study of the texts of Scripture. He brings in a lot and it’s fun and a good example of doing Scriptural study.(You can see this care in his other Square Halo Books, The Beginning: A Second Look at the First Sin, The End: A Readers’ Guide to Revelation, and the very helpful How to See: Reading God’s Word With New Eyes.) He doesn’t tell a lot of stories, he doesn’t get cute or fancy, he just plows onward, following the lead of this question or that, answering the best he can, with a conviction that such insights will lead us to a deeper understanding of who Jesus was (and is!) and how his humanness can be formative for us in our own spiritual growth. This stuff is not simplistic, but it is clear-headed. It is not easy, but it isn’t arcane.

As you might guess — and if you haven’t guessed this, you really need this book! — he spends some times reflecting on what some call the “self emptying” of Christ’s power and divinity (the Greek word is kenosis) described most vividly in the famous passage of Philippians 2: 5-11. Frankly, I think he doesn’t say all that should be said about this key text and I’d have wished for greater clarity about a thing or two. It is clear that in some sense, Jesus gives up the privileges of his divinity, although no orthodox theologian suggests he gives up his divinity.

Some theological teachers use examples of extreme views to show what they do not teach, and Bauer does this a bit, almost caricaturing writers or thinkers who, for instance, overestimate (or underestimate) the human nature of Jesus or the divine nature of Jesus. Maybe in his circles this is a live concern — I frankly don’t know if I know anybody who is unaware that we must fully emphasize both/and; that is, Jesus isn’t half and half, part human and part God, He is fully human and fully divine. This was settled in the 4th century (with Saint Nicholas famously bloodying a heretics nose over it.) I don’t think I know anybody Christian who denies, in theory, the full humanity or deity of Jesus, although some may not think through the implications of it all. Which is why this book, and others like it, are so important.

There are a lot of books on this these days, and while One of Us doesn’t engage with any of the recent ones that insist we can learn much from Jesus’s humanity (or even the classic, On the Incarnation by Athanasius) but it can happily stand next to the others on the mystery of the what we call the incarnation. It will, Bauer promises, help you see that Jesus really is “one of us” and that will lead you to love Jesus all the more.

Priests of History: Stewarding the Past in an Ahistorical Age Sarah Irving-Stonebraker (Zondervan Reflective) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99  DUE SEPTEMBER 24

I love a good book about why history matters, about how we should view history Christianly, and how we can “steward the past” as this author puts it. I’m excited to see this — it looks fantastic. It is, for the record, I suppose, nice to see a woman historian writing warmly about this matter of historiography and why it is so important in this rootless age. I love the evocative title, don’t you?

By the way, Irving-Stonebraker is Professor of History and Western Civilization at Australian Catholic University. She received her PhD in History from the University of Cambridge and held a Junior Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford. (She converted from atheism to Christianity while an Assistant Professor at Florida State University.) Her first book, Natural Science and the Origins of the British Empire, won the Royal Society of Literature and Jerwood Foundation Award for Nonfiction. She and her husband  live in Sydney, Australia, with their three children and are members of an Anglican church in the Diocese of Sydney.

The Message Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World) $30.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.00  DUE OCTOBER 1

I bet most of our BookNotes readers have at least heard of the award winning, brutally honest, and very compelling writer, Ta-Nehisi Coates. We have carefully recommended reading Between the World and Me his vivid anti-racist manifesto, and his collection of essays Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy. Not as many have purchased from us, even though we have long touted, his very moving memoir of growing up in urban Baltimore, The Beautiful Struggle. And many know his Black Panther comics and that fantastical novel, The Water Dancer.

Now, after many years, he has returned to his long-form essay style, giving us a collection long awaited by many. It was going to be a book about writing, but…

Here is what the publisher tells us:

Ta-Nehisi Coates originally set out to write a book about writing, in the tradition of Orwell’s classic Politics and the English Language but found himself grappling with deeper questions about how our stories–our reporting and imaginative narratives and mythmaking — expose and distort our realities. In the first of the book’s three intertwining essays, Coates, on his first trip to Africa, finds himself in two places at once: in Dakar, a modern city in Senegal, and in a mythic kingdom in his mind. Then he takes readers along with him to Columbia, South Carolina, where he reports on his own book’s banning, but also explores the larger backlash to the nation’s recent reckoning with history and the deeply rooted American mythology so visible in that city–a capital of the Confederacy with statues of segregationists looming over its public squares. Finally, in the book’s longest section, Coates travels to Palestine, where he sees with devastating clarity how easily we are misled by nationalist narratives, and the tragedy that lies in the clash between the stories we tell and the reality of life on the ground.

“Coates is intellectually fearless . . . unshackled by political or racial ideology, humane in his judgments, respectful of facts, acutely aware of the difference between what is knowable and what is not.” —The New Yorker

 

Confessions of an Amateur Saint: The Christian Leader’s Journey from Self-Sufficiency to Reliance on God Mandy Smith (NavPress) $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19   DUE OCTOBER 8

Oh my, this is one I had the great privilege of reading in an early manuscript form, and have even written an endorsement for. I don’t know what of it will actually be on the book, but here is what I said on reading my friend Mandy Smith’s amazing, honest, new work:

“Years ago Mandy Smith wrote an exceptionally important book called The Vulnerable Pastor about ministers being real — honest about their fears and doubts and weakness. Here in Confessions of an Amateur Saint she shows us exactly what she means and how it is done, modeling a painful vulnerability that is rare, especially among professionally-trained clergy. I came away stunned, amazed, a bit disturbed, and very, very grateful. I promise you that you have never read a book like this. Her creatively-written meditations, laments, questions, and prayers reveal a deep longing for God and candor about the hard stuff of life and ministry which will invite you to own up to your own struggles that, when named, will lead to healing and hope. Vital for pastors and truly useful for all.”

I could say more. I think I’ll just invite you to read this (no matter who you are or what your relationship is to church leadership.) It’s that interesting, human, real. And if you are, in fact, a Christian leader, and certainly if you are a pastor with any complications or difficulties at all, you need this book.  I hope we get some orders!

Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself–And to God–When You’re Wounded, Weary, and Wandering Chuck Degroat (Tyndale) $18.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19   DUE OCTOBER 8

This has truly been one of the most anticipated books of this season for many of our friends. Degroat is a very fine counselor, an excellent writer, and an astute observer of the human condition, even in congregations (see his stellar When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.) We came to admire him greatly when we discovered his very first book, nicely done by Faith Alive, called Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places. When it came out more than a decade ago there were less honest, readable, Biblically-informed books that honored our “wilderness” experiences of fear and lack of clarity. That one invites us to a faithful sort of freedom, and it has influenced his other mature books (like Wholeheartedness which was on being too busy, being exhausted, and coping with what he called “the divided self.”)

In any case we haven’t seen this one yet and we look forward to getting our hands on it soon, We may get it a bit early, and if so we’re eager to send out our pre-orders. Want to add your name to this list?

Your Jesus Is Too American: Calling the Church to Reclaim Kingdom Values Over the American Dream Steve Bezner (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99   DUE OCTOBER 8

My goodness, there are a lot of good books these on this question of Christian nationalism, civil religion, and the idols of American greatness and power. I’ve recommended several. Bezner is a well-respected pastor, a southern Baptist, and is said to be able to speak clarity about these things without causing too much offense; he wants to reach conservative Christians, especially, and I suspect this will not be an off-putting screed full of “prophetic” fervor. As BookNote readers know I don’t mind those sorts of hard-hitting studies of the far right and we need to expose those who would drag Christ into the gutter of Q-Anon nonsense, KKK racism, the vile and violent Proud Boys, and other sorts of ungodly extremism. But, for most, we are not into all that (although we may be considering aligning ourselves with those who have given the nod to that stuff) and we just need to focus a bit on who Christ is, the Kingdom values that should guide our patriotism, and how to sort out the worldly ways of the American Dream from authentic Biblical values. My hunch is that this is nothing too new, but spoken in an accessible and fresh way. My hunch is it will ruffle some feathers, but not needlessly. My hope id that it will be read widely and used wisely.

A Whole Life in Twelve Movies: A Cinematic Journey to a Deeper Spirituality  Kathleen Norris & Gareth Higgins (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99  DUE OCTOBER 15

Wanted to highlight this, quickly, to let you know about it if you haven’t heard. This might win our award for the most unexpected book of the year! You hopefully know our admiration for the wonderful spiritual writer and memoirist Kathleen Norris. She wrote in the mid 1990s the hauntingly beautiful Dakota: A Spiritual Geography and then became even more famous for her best-seller The Cloister Walk. She did a thoughtful memoir about her college years (the Virgin of Bennington) and another about her seasons of depression (Acedia and Me.) Some adore her playful, Buechner-esque theological dictionary, Amazing Grace. And I love her very small book (one of my personal all-time favorites which I’ve read numerous times) called The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and Women’s Work.

But movies? Who knew?

Gareth Higgins, on the other hand, is a genius from Northern Ireland , a real film maven and an informal contemporary theologian. He did a book on film on the old Relevant publishing venture decades ago, which I loved, and we are one of the few bookstores who still carry his spectacularly interesting (and wonderfully named) Cinematic States: Stories We Tell, the American Dreamlife, and How to Understand Everything which looks at movie by or about or set in each of the 50 states. His social justice activism and his care for the arts — especially film — is legendary. His most recent book was the exquisite How Not to Be Afraid: Seven Ways to Live When Everything Seems Terrifying (to which, I’m now recalling, Katherine Norris wrote a good foreword.)

The respected (and often funny) Jesuit priest, James Martin, writes the foreword and says, among other things:

“Reading this beautiful book is like having an endlessly fascinating conversation with two friends about film, when those two friends are always wise, thoughtful, and funny and have inspiring things to say about the movies they love.”

Everything Could Be a Prayer: One Hundred Portraits of Saints and Mystics Kreg Yingst (Broadleaf) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99   DUE OCTOBER 15

I really hope we get some pre-orders on this — what a blast to get to recommend and sell it. Yingst is an amazing writer, a profound thinker, and a quirky folk artist, doing colorized woodcuts and lithographs, block prints that are full of earthiness and joy and pathos. This book has already gotten a lot of buzz and I’ve been curious how many seem to know him from different circles and movements. Hoooray.

I first discovered the visual art of Kreg Yingst because he did some stunning album cover work for Bill Mallonee. Those who know me know how I adore his 1990s Athens-based band Vigilantes of Love, and how I loved even more his prolific solo work. Bill’s Neil Young-like blend of Americana country and folk and some blazing guitar work and heart-felt, gritty vocals and brilliant lyrics combine to create some of my all time favorite records. Yingst had small cartoon-like illustrations capturing something about every song on one of Bill’s fairly recent CDs (2019’s Lead on Kindly Light) and not long ago, Bill re-issued an older CD from the VOL days, Welcome to Struggleville, in high quality vinyl and got Yingst to do the stunning album cover art design. I don’t play vinyl anymore but I almost bought it for the artwork.

And then I realized he enhanced the beautiful little Lenten book called A Different Kind of Fast by Christine Valters Painter. Wow.

And now we realize he is a great writer as well, doing these extraordinary devotional essays on various saints and mystics, here accompanied by his unusual, folk-style portrait art. I want to say it’s part Robert Crumb / part Ned Bustard, but that’s not quite right. It’s breathtaking, provocative, endlessly curious. And the writing shows his wide sense of God’s presence amidst lots of different kinds of saints. Rave reviews are from Ruth Haley Barton (who recommends it for visio divina) and Karen Wright Marsh (who has written her own books on how such a cloud of witnesses can inspire us) and mystic Carmen Acevedo Butcher and poet Drew Jackson. Everything Could Be a Prayer is unique and powerful. Highly recommended.

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