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Unforgivable? Exploring the Limits of Forgiveness

Stephen Cherry. Bloomsbury Continuum, $26 (240p) ISBN 978-1-3994-0132-6

Cherry (The Dark Side of the Soul), the dean of King’s College Cambridge, probes in this discerning study the “mistakes in the way Christianity has approached and promoted forgiveness.” Starting roughly in the 1980s, a “therapeutic forgiveness” industry emerged that promoted interventions for those more “debilitated” by their own emotional response (anger, desire for vengeance) to an offense than to the offense itself. Cherry traces the roots of this approach to Christianity’s uncritical view of forgiveness as a way for humans to emulate God’s mercy. Yet, he writes, that understanding rests partly on a misinterpretation of Jesus’s final pardon of his executioners, which Cherry argues was not an act of forgiveness but a prayer. Contending that when forgiveness is “simplified and over-promoted,” the “abused, the harmed and the exploited... pay the price,” Cherry cites such examples as the South African Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s attempts to “heal” the country from apartheid, which often involved soliciting “poor black women” to officially forgive their white transgressors. Cherry’s call for a contextual understanding of forgiveness and defense of such alternatives as principled, “non-vengeful unforgiveness” (in which the wronged neither seeks retaliation nor gives the transgressor a “free pass” for their actions) are reasonable and thought-provoking. It’s a worthy complement to Myisha Cherry’s Failures of Forgiveness. (May)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Spinoza

Ian Buruma. Yale Univ, $26 (216p) ISBN 978-0-300-24892-0

The life and thought of Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) can prove instructive for “our own censorious time of dangerous political polarization,” according to this admiring biography from bestseller Buruma (The Collaborators). Born into a Portuguese Jewish merchant family in Amsterdam, Spinoza developed a sense of “personal caution”; he was “cagey” about sharing ideas with those he didn’t trust and halted translations of some of his potentially inflammatory works from Latin into Dutch. His provocative notions, including his belief that god and nature were inseparable and his dismissal of “religious superstitions that worked on people’s hopes and fears,” threatened the religious and secular authorities of his time, and contributed to his formal expulsion from the city’s Spanish-Portuguese Jewish community in 1656. Though Spinoza “was no revolutionary,” Buruma contends that he was committed to a revolutionary mode of “reason and freedom of thought” to which all, regardless of religion or culture, were entitled. Overviewing the political and religious landscape of Spinoza’s lifetime, Buruma convincingly frames the philosopher’s dedication to reason as an exemplar for an America constricted by a “disregard for... discernible reality” and by “secular ideologies which insist... on ideological conformity” in the same way as the church did in Spinoza’s. It’s an inspiring reassessment of the enduring relevance of a trailblazing thinker. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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I Could Be Wrong, but I Doubt It: Why Jesus Is Your Greatest Hope on Earth and in Eternity

Phil Robertson, with Gordon Dasher. Thomas Nelson, $28.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-4002-3018-1

Duck Dynasty star Robertson (Uncanceled) issues a zealous call for readers to embrace Jesus in exchange for “eternal life.” Recalling how his own salvation at age 28 helped him “enjoy a new life rooted in an eternal future,” the author relays similar promises to readers (“What if you knew that this star-breathing, death-defeating God also promises you immortality in exchange for you simply believing in him?”). He also contemplates what an eternal life might look like (“an intimate future in the presence of the Father we love and the Son who died for us”), and dispenses advice for how to fortify one’s faith, including by confessing sins, renouncing “superficial substitutes” for God’s love, and avoiding self-righteousness (“You may be a respectable church member, but so were the Pharisees”). Unfortunately, Robertson’s message is often obscured by the somewhat meandering and repetitive structure, apocalyptic commentary on sex (“The growing number of people with STDs” is evidence of “spiritual darkness... creeping across our nation”), and retrograde depictions of what he claims are Satan’s effects on Earth, including “broken marriages” and “young men and women confused about their gender and sexuality.” Only the author’s most devoted fans need apply. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Empowered to Repair: Becoming People Who Mend Broken Systems and Heal Our Communities

Brenda Salter McNeil. Brazos, $19.99 trade paper (160p) ISBN 978-1-58743-448-8

McNeil (Becoming Brave), an associate professor of reconciliation at Seattle Pacific University, issues an impassioned call for Christians to bridge racial and social divides by drawing on principles from the biblical book of Nehemiah, an account of a high-ranking Persian official who rebuilds Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. To mend “broken relationships and systems” with “forgiveness [and] justice,” readers are encouraged to ask questions to uncover “core issues,” following the example of Nehemiah, who inquired about the conditions of the Jews in Jerusalem. Elsewhere, McNeil draws lessons on how to form diverse coalitions and empathize with others as they suffer injustice (Nehemiah “lamented” for the plight of those who survived the captivity). The biblical narrative serves as a solid organizing framework but doesn’t always add much to Salter’s analysis. For example, readers are reminded that Nehemiah’s project was met with resistance and that they too should anticipate “external and internal challenges” in their repair work. Though discussions of reparations and police and education reform are strewn throughout, some readers may wish for more organized action items. Still, McNeil’s uplifting message is enriched by her poignant personal musings, including how her recollection of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination highlights the links between faith and social activism. The result is an inspiring starting point for Christians looking to put their beliefs into action. (May)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Land Healing: Physical, Metaphysical, and Ritual Practices for Healing the Earth

Dana O’Driscoll. Redfeather, $19.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-7643-6770-0

Druids Garden blogger O’Driscoll (Sacred Actions) presents a creative guide to healing the Earth from pollution, habitat loss, and other man-made harms. Taking a holistic approach that mixes “physical, metaphysical, and personal healing,” the author recommends making herbal offerings to promote abundance; performing a “tree blessing ceremony” to dispel negative energy; and composting to remedy nutrient deficiencies in the soil. Elsewhere, “self-healing” practices range from the expected (meditating, journaling) to the innovative (herbal baths and vision boards for what a “healed world” might look like). Though a chapter on replanting the landscape for ecological diversity gets short shrift, O’Driscoll provides a balanced mix of spiritual and pragmatic tools to mitigate environmental harm and rebuild a connection to the land amid what she characterizes as an unprecedented “division” between humans and nature fueled by “exploitative” Western attitudes. It’s an ideal resource for spiritually inclined environmentalists. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 03/08/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Do It Anyway: Don’t Give Up Before It Gets Good

Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Waterbrook, $26 (208p) ISBN SBN 978-0-593-60087-0

Grammy-winning gospel singer Leonard debuts with a rousing call to “follow God when the way seems impossible” or unclear. Crediting her pastor father with teaching her perseverance and reminding her to “stay at the feet of Jesus,” Leonard cites examples from her own life, including when she heeded God’s “instructions” to move to Atlanta without a job or place to live, and eventually joined the church that kick-started her singing career. Elsewhere, she urges readers to trust friends and family to “help us see the gifts that... we have inside us,” noting that friends encouraged her to record her debut album, and to keep one’s head above water in periods of crisis, guidance she illustrates by describing how, about a week after her father’s death, she steeled herself to go to the 2014 Grammy awards ceremony, where she won for best gospel/contemporary Christian music performance. While Leonard’s advice can feel somewhat trite (“Even if the direction you’re headed seems crazy, do it anyway!”), her passion for “taking risks through faith” is infectious, and the inspiring account of her rise to gospel stardom is full of serendipitous breaks, hard-won successes, and spiritual breakthroughs. “It felt like God had just opened a door and I walked right through it,” she recalls of her first time singing solo to a congregation. For gospel music fans, this hits all the right notes. (May)

Reviewed on 03/08/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Nine Lives and Counting

Duane Chapman. Thomas Nelson, $28.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-4002-3927-6

Chapman (Where Mercy Is Shown, Mercy Is Given), who’s better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, offers a plainspoken testimony to the faith that helped him transform from hard-living biker to TV celebrity. Raised by a Sunday school teacher mother and a physically abusive father, Chapman dropped out of school in the seventh grade and later joined a motorcycle gang. A debaucherous life of drinking, smoking, fighting, and petty theft followed, culminating in a five-year prison sentence for accessory to murder when his friend killed a man during a botched drug deal. Along the way, Chapman never lost his faith in God—he even spread the gospel to his fellow inmates. After being paroled, he found his life’s purpose as a bounty hunter who caught high-profile criminals and promised them a better life through Jesus. Eventually, he parlayed that success into the 2004–2012 reality TV show Dog the Bounty Hunter. Chapman speaks with welcome candor about the death of his fifth wife, Beth, from cancer, the strains of life in front of the camera, and his fraught relationships with several of his 12 adult children. Unfortunately, a final chapter that invites readers to accept Jesus forsakes the introspection that gives the rest of the book its appeal for the language of a sales pitch: “If I’m right and God is who He says He is, then you could lose everything by not believing. Why not give this a shot?” Still, Chapman’s Christian fans will be inspired by his impassioned ode to faith and redemption. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 03/08/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Manifest Anything You Want: Six Magical Steps to Create an Extraordinary Life

Shantini Rajah. Llewellyn, $19.99 trade paper (264p) ISBN 978-0-7387-7504-3

In this approachable debut guide to personal transformation, ghostwriter Rajah advocates for moving beyond “affirmations, visualizations, and other mainstream” methods of manifestation and toward a process of releasing fear and embracing self-acceptance to build a life that “reflects what you believe in.” Rajah helps readers to identify their core desires and get out of the universe’s way so those wishes can come to fruition, a process that is achieved partly by accepting one’s circumstances and signaling “to the Universe [that] you are ready for the bigger, better, more beautiful reality.” In addition to familiar yogic and meditation practices, Rajah provides novel exercises for crafting a “Manifesting Avatar,” a composite of desired “traits, virtues, and skills” that captures the “essence of your Future Self” and can facilitate self-transformation in the present. Quizzes and question prompts give the proceedings a fun, interactive flair, and Rajah wisely keeps things grounded throughout—there’s talk of the universe and its energy, but her exercises are rooted in improving self-knowledge and self-acceptance in order to live more intentionally and with greater openness. Those new to the concept of manifestation would do well to start here. (June)

Reviewed on 03/01/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Seiðr Magic: The Norse Tradition of Divination and Trance

Dean Kirkland. Destiny, $19.99 trade paper (256p) ISBN 978-1-64411-944-0

Kirkland debuts with a balanced, top-to-bottom overview of seiđr, a medieval Scandinavian form of shamanism in which practitioners use rhythmic drum beats to enter a state of ecstatic trance. Drawing on Norse legend as well as personal gnosis (here, a collective source of “experiential” shamanic knowledge), the author outlines tools necessary for the practice (including a wooden staff and “armor” imbued by the power of visiting spirits). Suggested exercises include singing varđlokur (ward songs) to attract spirits, contacting lesser norns (“supernatural figures” associated with birth and life) to probe the intricacies of one’s fate, and requesting advice from powerful spirits through útiseta, or sitting outside “from dusk until dawn” in physical discomfort to incite their pity. Writing that Christianity’s spread had already begun to extinguish seiđr by the late Middle Ages, Kirkland wisely eschews strict “reconstructionist” approaches and instead encourages readers to adapt seiđr to their lives as a “living, growing tradition.” Accompanied by a useful glossary and pronunciation guide, this will be welcomed by those wishing to expand their knowledge of Heathenry and its traditions. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 03/01/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Say Good: Speaking Across Hot Topics, Complex Relationships, and Tense Situations

Ashlee Eiland. NavPress, $16.99 trade paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-64158-700-6

Bible teacher Eiland (Human(Kind)) urges readers in this sensitive guidebook to “speak up” for their beliefs while honoring God, themselves, and others. Contending that one’s voice is an “instrument of truth,” Eiland encourages believers to advocate for what they “love... enough to suffer greatly for” and use a “central truth” as a grounding principle to remain focused on the topic at hand in moments of tension, instead of growing angry or losing the courage to speak. As an example, Eiland explains how she drew on her trust in God’s steadfast love to speak out about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to her mostly-white church community in 2020. She provides advice for humanizing online interactions (before responding to an inflammatory post, readers might consider whether they’d be willing to say to the writer of the post “the very words you plan to... type”), discusses how to receive and deliver “hard truths,” and digs into the challenges of knowing when to advocate for someone else or let them speak for themselves. Eiland’s down-to-earth prose conveys valuable insights into speaking out in ways that are relational and judicious (not every person needs to speak out about every injustice, she clarifies), though some of the more superfluous anecdotes fall flat, as when she recounts an episode of vertigo to introduce a discussion of striking the correct “balance” between speaking and listening in tense conversations. Still, this is a useful resource for the faithful looking to build bridges while staying true to themselves. (May)

Reviewed on 03/01/2024 | Details & Permalink

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