In what may be the first-ever reference work of its kind, the 1,000-page Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music profiles Christian musicians, songwriters and producers, in addition to secular artists whose faith has influenced their music. Author Mark Allan Powell (who is actually a New Testament scholar of considerable repute) says he wandered into a Christian bookstore five years ago and discovered that more than a quarter of the shelf space was devoted to contemporary Christian music. There was not, however, a single book on the subject—a lacuna that will be amply corrected by this enormous, funny, informative tome. Powell is a man of considerable opinions, whether he is defending Amy Grant's album Behind the Eyes as possibly "the most painfully honest recording ever produced by any artist" or arguing about the impact of Rich Mullins's tragically short career. On a basic level, the book will be utilized as an encyclopedia by people who confuse Jars of Clay with Point of Grace. But in a more profound way, readers who appreciate Powell's assertion that contemporary Christian musicians are actually "amateur theologians" whose perspectives are helping to shape Christian history will marvel at this book's stunning combination of breadth and depth. (Hendrickson, $29.95 1,000p ISBN 1-56563-679-1; Aug.)
Cultivating Virtue
William Law, the 18th-century Anglican priest who heavily influenced the theology of John and Charles Wesley, lambastes pious hypocrisy and the corruption of the church in A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, the latest reissue in Vintage's Spiritual Classics series. Law's prose is fresh and vivid as he illustrates the holy Christian life as one lived wholly for God. His thoughts on prayer, personal holiness and service to the poor will resonate with many contemporary readers. ($13 paper 352p ISBN 0-375-72563-6; Aug. 13)
Motivational writer Ken Blanchard teams up with Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy for The Generosity Factor: The Power in Holding Things with Open Hands, a contemporary allegory about the importance of giving. While the characters in this little parable (the selfish broker, his contented but poor chauffeur and the generous CEO who teaches the broker to help others) are more stereotypical than archetypal, the values presented are first-rate. Through the story, the broker comes to learn about the "generosity factor," which includes a consecration of money but also—more significantly in our affluent but over-busy culture—the gift of one's time. (Zondervan, $19.99 128p ISBN 0-310-24660-1; Aug.)
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that speech is power, a concept explored in Lori Palatnik and Bob Burg's insightful little book Gossip: Ten Pathways to Eliminate It from Your Life and Transform Your Soul. The authors discuss the role of lashon hora (evil speech) in the Bible and in Jewish tradition, exploring the immediate—and even the eternal—consequences of negative gossip. The book is accessible and well-designed, with powerful pull-out quotes from sources as diverse as Maimonides and Henry Ward Beecher, all illustrating the destructive power of evil words. (Simcha, $9.95 paper 160p ISBN 0-7573-0055-3; Aug.)
More Spirituality in the Garden
We've seen a bumper crop—sorry for the pun—of books recently on spirituality in the garden, including Rabbi Balfour Brickner's Finding God in the Garden (reviewed above). Liturgically minded Christians who love to putter in the soil may enjoy God in the Garden: A Week-by-Week Journey Through the Christian Year, which—intriguingly enough—is arranged according to the liturgical calendar as well as the seasonal one. Author Maureen Gilmer is particularly sensitive to the spiritual import of various plants (lily of the valley symbolizes the Virgin Mary's purity, while wormwood is believed to be the gall offered to Christ just before his death on the cross). She teases out some of the religious history of plants, such as the connection between St. John the Baptist and the plant that bears his name—St. John's wort. The book is well written and attractively designed. (Loyola, $17.95 paper ISBN 0-8294-1688-9; Aug.)
