Original RBL Reviews
Julian of Norwich: A Contemplative Biography
Amy Frykholm. Paraclete, $19.99 (210p) ISBN 978-1-55725-626-3
Though she is one of the most influential figures in the history of medieval spirituality, remarkably little is known about mystic and writer Julian of Norwich—even her very name and whether she was a laywoman or a nun are uncertain. The author (Rapture Culture: Left Behind in Evangelical America) attempts to supplement the reader's knowledge of the solitary Julian by placing the mystic's writing in the context of the vibrant, disease-ridden, and often violent life of 14th-century England. Each chapter is opened by a sentence from Julian's Revelations of Divine Love, the first book to be written in the English language by a woman. That seminal book becomes a focal point to narrate Julian's apparently evolving understanding of her inner life, her place in the broader social and religious movements of the time, and her relationship with those who sought her advice as a spiritual counselor. While the writer does a nice job of imagining a life for Julian, this book may be difficult for readers who prefer their facts footnoted, rather than implied between the lines. (June)
Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels
Tullian Tchividjian. Crossway, $18.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-4335-0775-5
A man stuck inside the belly of a fish may sound improbable, even ridiculous. But in this retelling of the biblical story of Jonah, pastor-author Tchividjian (Do I Know God?) means serious business. Tchividjian, grandson of Billy Graham, creates a play-by-play version of this ancient tale to put today's audience at the scene. Drawn from a sermon series, the book employs typical sermon fodder—Scripture, descriptions of artistic representations of Jonah, and extended quotes from authors like Herman Melville (Moby-Dick) who have written on the subject. Through these interpretations, the reader discovers Jonah's characteristics—he is self-righteous, prideful, a work in progress—contrasted with the attributes of God, who is unwavering, all-powerful, and merciful. One can almost hear the author's voice rising and falling as he compares Jonah's reticence to contemporary human attitudes. The abrupt ending of the biblical tale may leave the impression that this well-loved character is no hero at all. Yet Tchividjian's animated, heartfelt homily will boost readers with the message that God's heroic grace is perfect. (May)
The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race
Willie James Jennings. Yale, $35 (384p) ISBN 978-0-300-15211-1
In one of the first books of its kind, Duke theologian Jennings attempts to put theology in conversation with contemporary discussions of cosmopolitanism and globalization. He contends that the Christian theological imagination was historically woven into the processes of colonial dominance, thus requiring other peoples and ways of life to adapt and even morph into the colonial order of things. Drawing on narratives as diverse as Bishop John William Colenso's in South Africa and the former slave writer Olaudah Equiano's, Jennings seeks to provide both a historical account of where Christian theology faltered in its imagination of society, as well as a theological account of the way in which Christians can better tell and understand the story of the life of Jesus, who took on a human life of joining, belonging, connecting, and knowing others fully. Regrettably, Jennings's important argument gets lost in jargon ("but the analyses of this condition often don't get to the heart of the constellation of generative forces that have rendered people's social performances of the Christian life collectively anemic") and tortured prose; the book too often reads like a dissertation that would have benefited from a wiser editorial hand. (May)
Live Long, Finish Strong: The Divine Secret to Living Healthy, Happy, and Healed
Gloria Copeland. FaithWords, $21.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-446-55928-7
Charismatic Christian minister and author Copeland (God's Master Plan for Your Life) writes another easy-to-read book that logically extends her interest in healing into the area of health and wellness. Copeland and her husband, Kenneth, are best known to the charismatic subset of the Christian market. Yet the topic of aging well appeals to millions of aging adults, enlarging the potential audience, as long as readers are open to her extensive use of the Bible, which has a lot to say on the subject of living to a ripe old age. Copeland creatively adapts the vocabulary of health and wellness: while good-for-you antioxidants come from fruits, the "fruit of the spirit"--love, joy, peace--provides "spiritual antioxidants." Some people just don't like televangelists and prosperity gospel preachers, and this book is unlikely to change their minds. But Copeland's followers and people who fear old age as a time of infirmity will be receptive to the idea that one can live long and prosper. (May)
Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: Sex and Intimacy
Edited by Elliot Dorff and Danya Ruttenberg. JPS, $16 paper (160p) ISBN 978-0-8276-0905-1
In this academic volume, notable Jewish names in sexuality, religion, and medicine tackle, with remarkable frankness but without novelty, questions of morality and propriety surrounding dating, sexual behavior, and pornography. Four case studies present couples struggling with sexual issues of ambiguous morality. The relevant biblical, rabbinic, and contemporary sources follow, including conservative and reform outlooks and the opinions of such pop culture Jewish figures as Shmuley Boteach and Ruth K. Westheimer. Offering the full gamut of perspectives, from adult entertainment mogul Ron Jeremy to orthodox rabbi Mark Dratch—and covering a broad spectrum of subjects (sex work, ménage à trois, etc.)—the compilation provides many useful recommendations. But some of them seem self-evident: AIDS doctor Jeffrey Burack pleads for full and early disclosure of STDs to prospective partners, and Hanne Blank cautions against prostitution. Despite the fascination often associated with sex, this volume is somewhat dry and predictable. Nevertheless, the contributors do offer meaningful suggestions for honesty and emotional involvement on a subject matter that they believe contemporary society regards as taboo and impersonal. (May)
Sneak Peek: Religion Book Reviews Coming in PW May 17
The Outsider Interviews: A New Generation Speaks Out on Christianity
Jim Henderson, Todd Hunter, and Craig Spinks. Baker Books, $24.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-8010-1345-4
Inspired by and supported with a foreword by David Kinnaman, author of the bestselling unChristian, this tandem book/DVD puts faces on Kinnaman's findings on Christianity's image problem. In four cities, the authors interviewed Christians but also agnostics, atheists, Muslims, gays, and other groups Christians are believed to reject. At the heart of the problem, they've discovered, is a Christian "swagger" that repels would-be Christians. They advocate the persuasive power of listening and truly liking people, choosing to use the word "like" rather than the overused "love." In their words: "Jesus is the God who likes people." Each chapter includes tie-ins to the DVD interviews and a reader's guide for discussion. The book's narrative, which recreates the road trip the authors took to do their interviews, seems self-indulgent and boring. But the combined impact of the book and DVD is stunning: the authors have heard and noted important ways Christians can improve their outreach by being more like Jesus, who meets people where they are. (July)
Holy Rollers
ReShonda Tate Billingsley. Gallery, $15 (288p) ISBN 978-1-4165-7805-5
Billingsley (Can I Get a Witness?) succeeds in offering her loyal fan base yet another soap-operatic novel that reads a little too close to many women's realities. But her comic presentation of her characters' poor decision making is undercut by the serious consequences of those bad decisions. Billingsley centers her story on three friends who have been looking for love in all the wrong places. So Coco, Nita, and Audra decide to up their chances of meeting good men by attending a Baptist convention, and things get decidedly unholy from that point on. Trying to move past abusive relationships, the trio consistently stand strong for each other even as they continue to falter and fall back into unhealthy relationship patterns. Billingsley's work is a gritty reminder that life and love are indeed serious stuff with lasting lifelong implications, and her Christian themes are at best tenuous. (July)
The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman. Princeton Univ., $29.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-691-13888-6
Eminent Jewish scholars Heilman, of City University of New York, and Friedman, of Bar Ilan University in Israel, have teamed up to produce an outstanding biography of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitcher rebbe. Their well-grounded contribution carefully avoids hagiography, but their restraint leads them to avoid critiquing some of the more outlandish claims made by the rebbe and his adherents. The issue of whether the rebbe is the Messiah, as contended by some of his disciples, is also treated with respect. More significant is the thorough analysis offered by Heilman and Friedman of the rebbe's great organizational success in sending emissaries throughout the world to persuade Jews to become pious. In addition, the history and influence of the Lubavitcher movement is carefully and candidly traced, including a complete account of Schneerson's experiences before and after he became the rebbe. The disputes that followed his death are methodically depicted. This well-written presentation, based on exhaustive scholarship, will stand as the definitive statement about the life and times of a highly influential religious leader. (June)
A First Look at the Stars: Starred Reviews Coming in PW May 17
★ The Divine Life of Animals: One Man's Quest to Discover Whether the Souls of Animals Live On
Ptolemy Tompkins. Crown, $22.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-307-45132-3
Guideposts writer Tompkins (The Beaten Path) tackles the puzzling question of animal afterlife in this delightfully insightful and well-researched narrative. As a 12-year-old boy, Tompkins found a scraggly, malnourished dog on the Yucatan peninsula and fed him despite his adult chaperones' advice against it; for years, he pondered the fate of the affectionate creature. As an adult, Tompkins loses his beloved rabbit Angus yet continues to feel his presence around his home. With this loss, he indulges his curiosities about the animal soul and discovers that people of all faiths and across history have had different insights about the same perplexing questions of the animal spirit world. Tompkins's book is incredibly entertaining while it also raises deep ethical questions about our human understanding of the animal soul. From animal ghosts to reincarnation to visions, the book uses a pan-religious and historical methodology to challenge the reader to disbelieve the divine transcendence of our furry, scaly, and even slimy friends in nature. Compellingly, he makes the cogent argument that the enriching bond between man and beast suggests more than an earthly existence for both. (June)
★ Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
William Dalrymple. Knopf, $26.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-307-27282-9
Historian-travel writer Dalrymple (The Last Mughal) knows his Asian subcontinent, having moved to New Delhi in 1989. The engine of Indian economic development is bringing rapid change, and Dalrymple spotlights the resulting changes and constants in India's dizzyingly diverse religious practices. The titular nine lives are those of a variety of religious adherents: a Jain nun, a sacred dancer, a Sufi mystic, and a Tantric practitioner, among others. His subjects, for the most part, do their own show-and-tell in explaining their religious paths, which differ but share the passionate devotion (bhakti) that characterizes popular religion in India. Dalrymple has a good eye, a better ear, and the humility to get out of the way of his subjects. It helps to know a bit about the subject coming in, as it saves endless flipping to the helpful appended glossary. The author also notes in his introduction that he has made a special effort to avoid characterizing "mystic India" as exotic, yet he has picked some extremes to exemplify different kinds of religious beliefs and practices. Still, those are minor quibbles about this ambitious and affectionate book that respects popular religion. (June)
★ Spiritual Parenting: An Awakening for Today's Families
Michelle Anthony. David C. Cook, $14.99 paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-4347-6447-8
Parenting books can be preachy—readers often feel like the children of the erstwhile parent turned author. This one is different. The Ph.D. mother-author's conversational style is more narrative than didactic as she describes her "Aha!" moments, when she moved from attempting to control her children's behavior to putting them into environments where they can know God and be changed by him. This is not a how-to parenting manual but a guide for developing as a spiritually minded parent who asks, "Who did God create my child to be?" The author's mix of competence and vulnerability will be attractive to many readers: "It frustrated me that some punk kid down the street had more credibility than I did." Her writing is vivid, terse, and revealing—a story of a boy who grew up without a father to become a great father himself is the heart of a chapter on love and respect. The book speaks to the journey that all parents must learn to accept: to hear God's voice and change along with their children. (June)
On the Virtual Shelves:
Web Exclusive Religion Book Reviews
Between a Church and a Hard Place: One Faith-Free Dad's Struggle to Understand What It Means to Be Religious (or Not)
Andrew Park (Avery, Mar.)
The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life
James Martin (HarperOne, Mar.)
Science and Spirituality: Making Room for Faith in the Age of Science
Michael Ruse (Cambridge Univ., Mar.)
First Invite Love In: 40 Time-Tested Tools for Creating a More Compassionate Life
Tana Pesso with Penor Rinpoche, foreword by the Dalai Lama (Wisdom, Mar.)
