June Books

What constitutes theological literacy in the new millennium? Scholars such as Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and David Tracy discuss this weighty question in Theological Literacy for the Twenty-First Century, a heavy but thoughtful collection of essays. The book's most helpful aspect is its diversity of Christian traditions: there are discussions of evangelical, Orthodox, Catholic and mainline Protestant views here, and contributors also weigh in about Hispanic, African-American and feminist hermeneutics. The essayists' understanding of what is required for theological literacy may be a bit inflated (how many people in the pews spout five-gallon words such as "postcoloniality" or "grandiloquent"?), but academics will appreciate the collection's depth and currency. (Eerdmans, $30 paper 448p ISBN 0-8028-4964-4)

For You, Some Zany and Zen-y Judaism

On the lighter side is David Bader's Zen Judaism: For You, A Little Enlightenment, a pocket book of laughs. The chuckles begin with the introduction, where Bader claims that Siddartha Buddha (aka Sidney Arthur Buddha) announced early on to his family that he intended to become a great sage. "The idea thrilled his parents, as long as he went to law school first," Bader quips. What follows are short, pithy "koans" that elicit some groans but mostly good-natured smiles: "Do not kvetch. Be a kvetch. Become one with your whining," he advises. This little book will appeal to the growing "Bu-Jew" movement (Jews who seek to incorporate elements of Buddhist practice into their spirituality), but it will also find a wider audience among those who appreciate loving, perceptive humor about religion, the family and other sacred cows. (Harmony, $11.95 112p ISBN 0-609-61021-X; Aug.)

African-American Christianity

"The successful African American preacher is a singing poet," writes Maya Angelou in the introduction to James Haskins's notable collection Keeping the Faith: African American Sermons of Liberation. In it, Gardner Taylor muses on the constancy of change, Martin Luther King calls Christians to become "transformed nonconformists," and Katie Cannon draws on the Book of Numbers to persuade Christians that they are more than mere grasshoppers in a land of giants. The collection also includes a historic 1808 sermon by Methodist leader Absalom Jones, in which he compares the situation of chattel slavery in 19th-century America to the enslavement of the Hebrews in ancient Egypt. The anthology is accompanied by a CD of 10 sermons, several of which are not in the book, to give readers a flavor of the oral impact of African-American preaching. (Welcome Rain, $30 224p ISBN 1-56649-192-4; June)

With nearly 200 entries on the people, places and theological developments of the black church in America, Marvin McMickle's An Encyclopedia of African American Christian Heritage provides a valuable historical resource. Despite the title, the entries are not exclusively Christian; controversial prophets such as Father Divine, Charles "Daddy" Grace and the Noble Drew Ali join traditional church leaders like Howard Thurman and Adam Clayton Powell. One especially welcome feature that distinguishes this from other reference books on African-American Christianity is its up-to-date inclusion of current leaders such as Cornel West, T.D. Jakes and Katie Cannon. (Judson, $30 paper 304p ISBN 0-8170-1402-0; June)

In Counseling in African-American Communities: Biblical Perspectives on Tough Issues, Dr. Lee N. June and Sabrina Black take on problems such as mental illness, addiction, grief, divorce, gambling and domestic violence. It's less about race than it is about issue-driven pastoral counseling, but many psychologists, therapists and pastors, particularly those in urban situations, will applaud the book's straight talk, accessible writing style and strong evangelical point of view. (Zondervan, $14.99 paper 224p ISBN 0-310-24025-5; June)

Don't Eat the Animals

Norm Phelps offers some shrill advocacy of Judeo-Christian vegetarianism in The Dominion of Love: Animal Rights According to the Bible. While acknowledging that the Bible never openly condemns the eating of animals, and actually seems to condone it, Phelps argues that vegetarianism is the diet that most reflects the Bible's overall message of love and mercy. The book's directive is sometimes overly strident, as when Phelps claims that "anyone who believes that animal exploitation is ethically acceptable because the Bible approves of it should, if they are to be consistent in their use of the Bible, also believe that human slavery is ethically acceptable—not to mention ethnic cleansing, genocide and rape." (Lantern, $15 paper 224p ISBN 1-59056-009-4; June)