Card, a Dove Award–winning songwriter and author or co-author of more than 14 books (including Scribbling in the Sand, one of PW's Best Religion Books for 2002), here turns his attention to the Apostle Peter, who he says has been ignored by contemporary Protestants and Catholics alike. Card delves deep into the "emotional life" of Peter, the disciple Jesus called "the Rock." We are wrong when we assume that this title came because of Peter's strength or perfect stability, Card warns; Peter was a flawed man and an unlikely choice to be a foundation. He did, however, eventually become
this sure foundation: Card traces Peter's evolution through the Gospels and the Book of Acts to the mature expressions of leadership and care for the flock that we see in his two epistles. In those letters, Peter extends the call of discipleship to all who confess Christ, using the same title Jesus once conferred exclusively upon him to call others to be "living stones" of God's spiritual temple. As always, Card offers some stunning exegesis and biblical insights, pointing readers to connections they might not otherwise have made. (In the post-resurrection scene where Jesus asks Peter three times whether Peter loves him, for example, Card posits that Jesus is giving Peter the opportunity to make restitution for his three earlier denials. "Painful as the questions are, they are an expression of Jesus' creative forgiveness.") This book is original, compelling and full of joy. (Aug.)
