Reading Jesus : a writer's encounter with the Gospels

by Mary Gordon. Gordon, O. Henry Award winner and best-selling author of novels (e.g., Pearl) and memoirs (e.g., Circling My Mother), has taken on what she deems an impossible project-finding the "real" Jesus as a character of the Gospels read as narratives. Gordon, a skilled writer and thinker, wants to add her voice to the many already spoken, in a tone that neither shouts nor threatens. She is not interested in converting anyone with this book. Gordon, dually influenced by her relationship with Catholicism and the feminist movement, writes well, with passion and candor, exploring those Gospel stories that are part of the fabric of many religious people's psyches. She finds fault with those who read, rewrite, and retell the Gospel words to suit their own agendas. Gordon is a believing skeptic writing of her journey-not a Jefferson trying to clean up the Gospels but a writer mining the rich depths of these sacred texts. Verdict Valuable to the thoughtful scholarly reader, Christian and non-Christian. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

A theory of justice

by John Rawls. Rawls's Theory of Justice is widely and justly regarded as this century's most important work of political philosophy. Originally published in 1971, it quickly became the subject of extensive commentary and criticism, which led Rawls to revise some of the arguments he had originally put forward in this work. These revisions were incorporated into the German translation of the work, which first appeared in 1975, and in all subsequent translations (numbering 23 to date). Unfortunately, English speaking readers have not had have access to the revised version until now. This edition will certainly become the definitive one; all scholars will use it, and it will be an essential text for any academic library. It contains a new preface that helpfully outlines the major revisions, and a "conversion table" that correlates the pagination of this edition with the original, which will be useful to students and scholars working with this edition and the extensive secondary literature on Rawls's work. (Check catalog)

Good without God : what a billion nonreligious people do believe

by Greg M. Epstein. The humanist chaplain at Harvard University offers an updated defense of humanism in response to the belligerent attacks on religion put forward by such new atheists as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. Epstein's approach to religion is respectful, and for the most part, friendly. He sees liberal Christians, Unitarian Universalists, Jews and spiritual self-help gurus, such as Oprah Winfrey, as natural allies of humanists though at times he seems impatient for them to admit they no longer believe in a transcendent God. A student of Sherwin Wine, the late rabbi and founder of Humanistic Judaism, Epstein's humanism is rooted in his mentor's essentially Jewish formulations. His most impassioned argument is with megachurch pastor Rick Warren and other evangelicals who believe secularism is the enemy and a moral society impossible without a belief in God. While such an argument may be needed, Epstein's book is marred by redundancies and a lack of organization that suggests it was hastily put together. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

One simple act

by Debbie Macomber. Macomber, one of today's leading fiction writers with more than 100 million books in print, walks a new path with this nonfiction title. "I've just got to share the news," she says of her book on generosity. "Intentional acts of generosity can open our lives to the very best God has to offer." Macomber builds her book on the biblical story of Jesus' multiplication of five loaves and two fishes, a miracle recorded in all four gospels, using her storytelling prowess to retell the tale. She then takes readers on a journey through the true meaning of generosity (and it's not about cash): encouragement, good deeds, forgiveness and believing the best. She also delves into giving, listening and hospitality, and dips into what generosity means when it comes to Christmas, caregiving and prayer. The theme, Macomber says, is, simply, to offer what you have. She fills out her chapters with real-life stories, suggestions for "Simple Acts" and brief "Discovery" sections. This is a useful, inspiring study of an underpracticed art, written by one who has received, given and witnessed generosity. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Have a little faith : a true story

by Mitch Albom. In his thirties, Albom's rabbi, after hearing him deliver a speech, asked Albom to deliver the eulogy at his funeral. Not big on faith and married to a Christian woman of Lebanese background, Albom was taken aback. He'd known Rabbi Albert Lewis since he was a child, seeing him as the tall and distant figure somewhere between God and the congregants of the synagogue in a New Jersey suburb. He consented and asked to spend time with Reb to get to know him as a man. In eight years, what began as a reluctant assignment grew into a treasured friendship with a man of unbounded joy, singing everything from show tunes to greetings to his visitors. In his new hometown of Detroit, where he developed a charitable foundation, Albom met Henry Covington, pastor of a dilapidated inner-city church and a humbled former drug dealer and ex-con. Covington's church, with a huge hole in the roof and very few and very poor congregants, obviously needed help. But Albom wasn't sure how much to invest until he began to witness the faith of Covington and his congregation, struggling to overcome poverty, addictions, and hopelessness. Albom parallels time spent with Rabbi Lewis, Pastor Covington, and his own personal spiritual journey as he learned the incredible complexities of faith, finding it, holding on to it, and seeing and appreciating it at work in others. Albom, author of the acclaimed Tuesdays with Morrie (1997), offers another inspirational and heartwarming story about the strength of friendship and power of faith. --Booklist (Check catalog)

Lectures on the history of political philosophy

by John Rawls. After the publication of A Theory of Justice in 1971, Rawls (1921-2002) became the most influential moral and political philosopher in the Western world. As such, the issuing of this posthumous volume, carefully edited by Freeman (philosophy & law, Univ. of Pennsylvania), a former student and teaching assistant from Rawls's courses at Harvard University, is a major event. Rawls discusses Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, J.S. Mill, and Karl Marx (appendixes treat Henry Sidgwick and Joseph Butler as well). He is especially concerned with how each thinker views the fair terms of social cooperation. He distinguishes between being rational (i.e., efficient in pursuit of one's ends) and being reasonable (i.e., willing to cooperate on fair terms with others)-Hobbes did not make this distinction, but it is useful in explaining Locke and Rousseau. Rawls finds in Rousseau the notion of public reason, the key concept of his Political Liberalism. He devotes much attention to the utilitarian tradition, the principal rival of his own approach. An unexpected feature is a sympathetic discussion of Marx. Highly recommended for all philosophy collections. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Logics of worlds : being and event, 2

by Alain Badiou. When people today are not making an effort to believe something else, says Badiou (École Normale Supérieure and Collége International de Philosophie, Paris), they believe that there are only bodies and languages, a conviction he names democratic materialism. He examines it from the perspectives of the formal metaphysical theory; the greater logics of the transcendental, the object, and relation; the four forms of change; the theory of points; and what a body is. His conclusion asks what it is to live. Logiques des mondes was published by Editions du Seuil in 2006, and is translated here by Alberto Roscano (sociology, U. of London). To some extent, it is a response to criticism of his 1988 Being and Event. --Publisher (Check Catalog)

The secrets of Mary : gifts from the Blessed Mother

by Janice C. Connell. Connell, the author of many prior books about Mary, here offers one that, but for the dates of the events and apparitions described, might have been written 100 years ago. A capable and persuasive writer, she takes the conservative and literalist Catholic line, moving swiftly away from the Mary of the Scriptures to the post-Scriptural Mother and comforter. Connell fervently embraces not only medieval and post-medieval Marian mysticism but 19th- through 21st-century apparitions. Verdict While she may well disappoint readers of China Galland's Longing for Darkness: Black Madonna or Marina Warner's Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary, she will please a now somewhat neglected constituency of traditional Catholic readers. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

After the prophet : the epic story of the Shia-Sunni split in Islam

by Leslie Hazelton. In June 632, the founder of Islam died without having clearly designated a successor. It seemed obvious to some that Muhammad's first cousin, Ali, who occupied the place of a son in the prophet's circle, would assume leadership. But Aisha, Muhammad's favorite, youngest, and most forceful wife, favored her father, and others backed Muhammad's greatest warrior. Ali would succeed, but not until 25 years later. Thus began the turmoil that eventuated in the bisection of Muslims into Sunni and Shia and that Hazleton describes in a new masterpiece of a kind of history seldom seen these days, in which the telling of a complicated, eventful story takes precedence over constant quotation of documents and squabbling with other historians. Hazleton closely relies on the great texts of early Islam and vivifies the main players by following what common sense would deduce about their temperaments and personalities from their actions and statements. She brings in parallel modern events only to emphasize the depth of the trauma the conflict she recounts inflicted on Islam. Best, she doesn't pontificate or argue religion. She just thrillingly and intelligently distills one of the most consequential trains of events in all history.-- (Check Catalog)

Eternal life : a new vision : beyond religion, beyond theism, beyond heaven and hell

by John Shelby Spong. Spong, the controversial retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark, NJ, may rightly be considered the bellwether of the most advanced opinions in theology that still cling to a nominal Christian identity. With subtlety and complexity, Spong promotes an idea of an ongoing existence beyond our physicality, one that entirely supercedes "religious" notions of Heaven or Hell and even conventional notions of God. For conservative Christians, Spong's views are heretical; for many other readers, Christian and non-Christian, Spong's writing here as elsewhere is intelligent, engaged, comforting, and uplifting. VERDICT Spong's thought and theology are crucial stimulants for every thinking Christian; an important book. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Rescue Ink : how ten guys saved countless dogs and cats, twelve horses, five pigs, one duck, and a few turtles

by Denise Flaim. Anybody encountering these tattooed, motorcycle-riding, expletive-using, pit bull-loving men—with names like Big Ant, G., and Batso and checkered pasts that include gang membership and reform school—might be tempted to run the other way. But underneath the hard-boiled exteriors beat tender hearts moved to champion neglected and abused animals. Flaim (The Holistic Dog Book) allows the members of Rescue Ink (www.rescueink.org), a Long Island, NY-based group, to introduce themselves and recount their exploits. Their stories include rescuing hundreds of cats living in putrid conditions in the home of a hoarder, saving starving dogs housed in filthy enclosures, rehoming sweet-natured pit bulls that had been used as bait to train other fighting dogs, and preventing animal cruelty through their "Abusers are losers" educational program. VERDICT This gripping book will appeal to fans of Dewey and Marley & Me as well as readers interested in animal welfare or addicted to Animal Planet's Animal Cops TV show. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/09; the group will be featured in a new fall series on the National Geographic Channel.—

Justice : what's the right thing to do?

by Michael J. Sandel. Harvard government professor Sandel (Public Philosophy) dazzles in this sweeping survey of hot topics—the recent government bailouts, the draft, surrogate pregnancies, same-sex marriage, immigration reform and reparations for slavery—that situates various sides in the debates in the context of timeless philosophical questions and movements. Sandel takes utilitarianism, Kant's categorical imperative and Rawls's theory of justice out of the classroom, dusts them off and reveals how crucial these theories have been in the construction of Western societies—and how they inform almost every issue at the center of our modern-day polis. The content is dense but elegantly presented, and Sandel has a rare gift for making complex issues comprehensible, even entertaining (see his sections entitled Shakespeare versus the Simpsons and What Ethics Can Learn from Jack Benny and Miss Manners), without compromising their gravity. With exegeses of Winnie the Pooh, transcripts of Bill Clinton's impeachment hearing and the works of almost every major political philosopher, Sandel reveals how even our most knee-jerk responses bespeak our personal conceptions of the rights and obligations of the individual and society at large. Erudite, conversational and deeply humane, this is truly transformative reading. --Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

Fearless

by Max Lucado. Prolific Christian inspirational writer Lucado (Give It All to Him) offers advice on replacing fear with faith. In each chapter, he addresses a common fear, relates it to an incident from the life and teachings of Jesus, and illustrates it with a story or personal anecdote (many of which are well worn or parochial). Fears discussed include disappointing God, failure to protect children, violence, financial troubles, death, and global calamity. Overall, Lucado's advice is positive: stay calm, be courageous, don't be defined by fear, learn from others, focus on the present. Like his previous works, this has its origins in sermons preached at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX. VERDICT This book will appeal to Lucada's fans and Christian readers looking for encouragement and inspiration in hard times. —Library Journal (Check Catalog)

The case for God

by Karen Armstrong. The new book by the premier contemporary historian of religion is a history of God, from the implications of the cave paintings of Lascaux, through pagan and Eastern religions (with and without gods), through the pre-modern understandings of the great monotheisms, to the God and the reactive atheism of modernity. Armstrong stresses that the most common response to questions about God has been silence. This is the apophatic perspective, which holds that God is beyond words, a reality that eludes measurement, specification, even conception. This reality was apprehended by means of rituals such as those practiced by the mystery cult at Eleusis, 20 miles from ancient Athens, and is expressed by the famous "I am what I am" in Moses' encounter with the burning bush, which, Armstrong explains, was equivalent to "Never mind who I am"-because the nature of God was beyond discussion. Indeed, until the modern period, she reveals, belief in the religious sense didn't mean assent to a creed or doctrine but trust in, commitment to, and active engagement with truth that cannot be spoken. The definite God of modernity-especially the hyperdefined God of fundamentalism-and its complement, atheism, are nineteenth- and twentieth-century developments reflecting the materialist rationality of science and technology. Perhaps post-modernism's corrosive effect on all certainties can help revitalize religion in the twenty-first century. Presenting difficult ideas with utter lucidity, this registers at once as a classic of religious and world history. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

John Calvin : a pilgrim's life

by H. J. Selderhuis. The year 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. Fittingly, a number of new biographies of Calvin are now appearing. Selderhuis (Theological University of Apeldoorn, the Netherlands) has written a beautiful biography. One of the major contemporary interpreters of Calvin's life and thought, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this refreshingly readable, entertaining, informative biography. The author has chosen Calvin's own letters and papers as the sources for his view of Calvin. What this gives the reader is a view of Calvin as a fallible but earnest man attempting to be faithful to his calling as a pastor, teacher, friend, husband, stepfather, and leader. Selderhuis has arranged the book chronologically but has chosen to mark each era with a theme. Although this reviewer would have made some different choices for these time frames, this approach gives coherence to the chapters and the book, and it inspired this reviewer to think about his reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with a particular choice. Too often, portraits of Calvin are painted in colors without hue or shade. Selderhuis is quick to admit Calvin's faults but also to recognize the greater aspects of his nature as well. --Choice (Check catalog)

The sisters of Sinai : how two lady adventurers discovered the Hidden Gospels

by Janet Martin Soskice. In this delightful, true-life adventure tale, an intrepid pair of middle-aged twins challenge gender limitations imposed by genteel Victorian society by successfully undertaking a hands-on quest to uncover lost biblical manuscripts. Instead of observing a lengthy period of mourning, recently widowed Scottish twins Agnes and Margaret Smith channeled their joint grief into action, setting out on the journey of a lifetime. Fueled by their strict Presbyterian faith, a passion for the Near East that extended to a self-taught mastery of Greek, Arabic, and Syriac, and armed with an intriguing rumor passed on by a sympathetic scholar, they sallied forth in 1892 to St. Catherine's monastery, located on a remote and inhospitable corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Overcoming the harsh and unforgiving terrain, and the reservations of the resident monks, Agnes and Margaret eventually unearthed the earliest known versions of the gospels. Soskice's pitch-perfect chronicle not only captures the spirit, the faith, and the determination of the remarkable Smith sisters but also exposes a significant scriptural controversy that continues to ignite scholarly debate. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

The evolution of God

by Robert Wright. While the diatribes of the "new atheists"-Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and company-have made headlines in recent years, Wright (The Moral Animal, Nonzero) takes a decidedly more friendly approach to human religiousness. Although he shares their materialist, naturalist assumptions, he argues that over time human notions of God have "gotten closer to moral and spiritual truth..Religion hasn't just evolved, it has matured." Making the best recent scholarship accessible to the general reader, Wright follows the historical trajectory from polytheism through monolatry (worship of one god among many) to monotheism, focusing primarily on the evolving vision of God in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an, and ending with a discussion of religion's place in human evolution. In his focus on scriptures, Wright avoids the philosophical terrain covered more intently in Karen Armstrong's The History of God and The Great Transformation. Verdict Wright's approach will appeal to a broad range of readers turned off by the "either/or" choice between dogmatic atheism and religious traditionalism. Recommended for all readers engaged in consideration of our notions of God.-Library journal (Check Catalog)

The family : the secret fundamentalism at the heart of American power

by Jeff Sharlett. They insist they are just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics, but congressmen of both parties describe them as the most influential religious organization in Washington. They say they are not Christians, but simply believers.Behind the scenes at every National Prayer Breakfast since 1953 has been the Family, an elite network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful. Their goal is "Jesus plus nothing." Their method is backroom diplomacy. The Family is the startling story of how their faith-part free-market fundamentalism, part imperial ambition-has come to be interwoven with the affairs of nations around the world. (Check Catalog)

The heart and science of yoga : a blueprint for peace, happiness and freedom from fear

by Leonard T Perlmutter.
This book is both the record of a personal journey and a transformational teaching. Readers will find meditations, prayers, teaching stories, breathing practices, a user's guide for the mind, an introduction to ancient Ayurvedic health principles, and more.
Terms of Use (Check Catalog)

The family : the secret fundamentalism at the heart of American power

by Jeff Sharlet. Checking in on a friend's brother at Ivenwald, a Washington-based fundamentalist group living communally in Arlington, Va., religion and journalism scholar Sharlet finds a sect whose members refer to Manhattan's Ground Zero as "the ruins of secularism"; intrigued, Sharlet accepts on a whim an invitation to stay at Ivenwald. He's shocked to find himself in the stronghold of a widespread "invisible" network, organized into cells much like Ivenwald, and populated by elite, politically ambitious fundamentalists; Sharlet is present when a leader tells a dozen men living there, "You guys are here to learn how to rule the world." As it turns out, the Family was established in 1935 to oppose FDR's New Deal and the spread of trade unions; since then, it has organized well-attended weekly prayer meetings for members of Congress and annual National Prayer Breakfasts attended by every president since Eisenhower. Further, the Family's international reach ("almost impossible to overstate") has "forged relationships between the U.S. government and some of the most oppressive regimes in the world." In the years since his first encounter, Sharlet has done extensive research, and his thorough account of the Family's life and times is a chilling expose. (Check catalog)

Moments with you : 365 all-new devotions for couples

by Dennis Rainey.
Each devotion provides a discussion point, prayer, and Scripture reference on topics that address a range of issues including parenting, marriage, friendship, finances, and the empty nest.
(Check Catalog)

When God writes your love story : the ultimate approach to guy/girl relationships

by Eric Ludy. Using the "four secrets to an amazing love story," the Ludys present a Christ-centered approach to building a relationship that will stand the test of time. (Check catalog)

The evolution of God

by Robert Wright. While the diatribes of the "new atheists"—Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and company—have made headlines in recent years, Wright (The Moral Animal, Nonzero) takes a decidedly more friendly approach to human religiousness. Although he shares their materialist, naturalist assumptions, he argues that over time human notions of God have "gotten closer to moral and spiritual truth….Religion hasn't just evolved, it has matured." Making the best recent scholarship accessible to the general reader, Wright follows the historical trajectory from polytheism through monolatry (worship of one god among many) to monotheism, focusing primarily on the evolving vision of God in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an, and ending with a discussion of religion's place in human evolution. In his focus on scriptures, Wright avoids the philosophical terrain covered more intently in Karen Armstrong's The History of God and The Great Transformation. VERDICT Wright's approach will appeal to a broad range of readers turned off by the "either/or" choice between dogmatic atheism and religious traditionalism. Recommended for all readers engaged in consideration of our notions of God. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

The rising of Bread for the World : an outcry of citizens against hunger

by Arthur R. Simon. In this autobiography, author and retired pastor Simon traces the path of his life to show how he began and developed Bread for the World, the influential religious lobby on hunger. Simon's past experience with the civil rights movement laid the groundwork for a life championing rights for the oppressed and underprivileged. While taking leave from pastoral duties to study hunger, Simon saw Christianity as the social force that could push government to change hunger policy, thereby aiding the impoverished. He forged a lobbying organization that gained congressional approval for two grain reserves; amassed more than 58,000 members; attracted leaders like Bono and Bob Dole; and obtained $15.5 billion in funding for poverty-stricken countries in 2008 alone. As he takes readers through a crash course on hunger policy and the workings of a Christian nonprofit, Simon applauds all those who helped leave their fingerprints on the struggle to overcome world hunger. If readers can have patience through the chapters on Simon's early years, they will find themselves cheering on a humble, mission-driven organization—and perhaps be persuaded to join the movement. --Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

The Bible and the people

by Lori Anne Ferrell. This energetically written, wonderfully illustrated book seeks to demonstrate how generations of people have sought, through a seemingly endless array of methods (some quite strange), to make the Bible their own in their personal and religious lives. Ferrell (Claremont Graduate Univ.) admirably succeeds in her goals, once the reader understands that her focus is the "Christian Bible" and adherents of Christianity. As a professor of early modern literature and history, Ferrell is on firmer ground when she writes about the period and the people she knows best. But she is absolutely superb whenever she concentrates on a particular document (almost all housed at The Huntington Library, San Marino): she has a rare talent for bringing a wide variety of biblical texts to life, often starting with a stray note or short inscription and imaginatively building to construct a lively account of how and by whom such materials were constructed and subsequently used. Because of Ferrell's engaging style, her volume is accessible to everyone and holds surprises and delights for anyone with an interest in the Bible as it is, and has been, experienced by actual people in real-life circumstances for hundreds of years. Most libraries should acquire this volume. --Choice (Check Catalog)

Amazing tales for making men out of boys

by Neil Oliver. Tales of brave and selfless deeds used to be part of every boy's education. We grew up sharing stories with our fathers, uncles and grandfathers of how other men had lived their lives, met their challenges, reached their goals and faced their deaths. Becoming a man was about comradeship and standing by your friends whatever the circumstances. And it meant that sometimes it was more important to die a hero than live a coward's life. Through Neil Oliver's vivid, stirring accounts we can rediscover the stories that inspire men to perform acts greater than themselves. These are the epics that we should all know by heart; the tales of courage, endurance and sacrifice that made men out of boys (Check catalog)

by Brent W. Jeffs. In this moving debut memoir, the nephew of a Mormon sect leader chronicles life in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and what came after. Among a 10,000-member Mormon community, Jeffs grew up with three mothers, more than a dozen siblings, and a deep fear of the world outside of the church. Within the secretive community, Jeffs was taught that purity came from special attention to dress, hard work, generosity and, most importantly, obedience to one's elders (especially his uncle, the prophet Warren Jeffs). The focus of this fast-paced memoir is the sexual abuse Jeffs and his brothers endured at the hands of their relatives during church and school functions, for which he would file a class-action lawsuit in 2004. Jeffs's descent into depression proves the beginning of the end for his relationship with the church and, consequently, with much of his family. Jeffs outlines the core beliefs of the Church, along with the oppressive ends to which they were used, and the heartbreaking fate of those church members expelled into a society they were raised to see as evil and corrupt. This hard-to-put-down, tightly woven account pulls back the curtain on what's become a perennial news story, while illustrating the impiety of absolute power and the delicacy of innocence. --Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

Championship fathering : how to win at being a dad

by Carey Casey. Here's your ticket to the Hall of Fame.In a world of deadbeat dads and drifting kids, simply being there can make you seem like a standout. But that won't get your children to adulthood in one piece physically, socially, spiritually, and emotionally. That takes a special father-one exactly like you. Championship fathers aren't perfect. They just keep practicing the three fundamentals of being an effective dad: loving, coaching, and modeling. That takes a game plan, and Carey Casey's got it. Using a lifetime of heart-touching personal stories and revealing research from the National Center for Fathering, he'll "school you up" on the most important-and rewarding-position you'll ever play. Whether you're a fatherhood rookie or a field-battered veteran, this practical, inspiring guide will turn the business of being a dad into one of your greatest pleasures. Joining the Championship Fathering team will change your whole family-and maybe even generations to come. (Check catalog)

The third Jesus : the Christ we cannot ignore

by Deepak Chopra. Who is Jesus? In "The Third Jesus," Deepak Chopra provides an answer that is both uplifting and challenging to current beliefs. There is not one Jesus, Chopra writes, but three. The first is the historical Jesus, the man of flesh and blood who lived more than two thousand years ago. The second Jesus is a person who never lived but is a figure created by the Church to represent thousands of years of theology and Church teaching. Behind these two images stands a third Jesus, the radical, mystical teacher who taught his followers how to change the world. In "The Third Jesus," Chopra explores Jesus' original message, revealing a spiritual guide of profound depth and inspiration that speaks to anyone who believes in the importance of peace and love. By turning fresh eyes on the New Testament and returning to the essentials of Jesus' message, Chopra shows how the third Jesus can truly transform our lives--and humanity. (Check catalog)

Why Socrates died : dispelling the myths

by Robin Waterfield. Classicist Waterfield examines the trial and conviction of Socrates (c.470–399 B.C.E.) in the context of the fifth-century B.C.E. political upheavals in Athens that led to humiliating defeat by Sparta in 404 B.C.E. Waterfield sets the stage for Socrates' trial with a thorough and fascinating account of the democratic process of lawmaking and justice in Athens. In Waterfield's view, citizens of the Greek city-state blamed the catastrophe of defeat on the displeasure of the gods. Who could be more responsible than Socrates, who taught the young to doubt their fathers and question ancient values? His belief in governance by expert seemed to favor oligarchy over traditional democracy. Socrates was also closely associated with leaders of the short and bloody oligarchic coup (404–403 B.C.E.) following defeat. Waterfield argues that citizens of the restored democracy blamed the philosopher for his heretical education of the generation that came to maturity during the upheavals, most prominently the adventurer Alcibiades, who represented for many the corruption of values that led to defeat. Waterfield brings to life the ideas and emotions teeming in ancient Athens and makes Socrates' sentence of death seem inevitable. This learned book in clear, concise prose belongs in all libraries.—Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Fingerprints of God : the search for the science of spirituality

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty. Articles about research on spirituality and the brain are usually written from the point of view that religious experience can be understood from a purely scientific perspective. Hagerty's (religion correspondent, NPR) book does not have this naturalistic or materialistic tendency. Rather, as both a reporter and a religious person, she seeks insight on spirituality and science while being open to the possibility that spirituality may still have a transcendent component. The book is interesting to read because the author has interviewed many scientists as well as many people who attest to having mystical or near-death experiences. In a way, the reader feels like a participant in Hagerty's own encounter with the various pieces of information and evidence, struggling with her to make sense of it all. Highly recommended.—Library Journal (Check Catalog)

An introduction to medieval philosophy : basic concepts

by Joseph W. Koterski. By exploring the philosophical character of some of the greatest medieval thinkers, An Introduction to Medieval Philosophy provides a rich overview of philosophy in the world of Latin Christianity. Explores the deeply philosophical character of such medieval thinkers as Augustine, Boethius, Eriugena, Anselm, Aquinas, Bonaventure, Scotus, and OckhamReviews the central features of the epistemological and metaphysical problem of universalsShows how medieval authors adapted philosophical ideas from antiquity to apply to their religious commitmentsTakes a broad philosophical approach of the medieval era by, taking account of classical metaphysics, general culture, and religious themes. (Check Catalog)

The last divine office : Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries

by Geoffrey Moorehouse. In the 1530s, England and Wales boasted 650-plus religious houses, few of which were more prosperous or better run than the Benedictine chapter of the house and cathedral of Durham. But on New Year's Eve 1539, the monks celebrated their last mass in Durham Cathedral because their order was dissolved by royal decree as part of Henry VIII's attack on the Church. Across England, monks and nuns left their houses, chapters were stripped of their wealth, and their land sold: "the biggest transfer of wealth…the country had ever known" took place, enriching the monarch and many others. This admirable study looks at the transformation of England's religious life during those upheavals of the 1530s, with Durham as its focus. (Check catalog)

Judas : a biography

by Susan Gubar. Gubar (English, Indiana Univ.), whose The Madwoman in the Attic, coauthored with Sandra M. Gilbert, changed the landscape of literary and feminist studies when published in 1979, applies her considerable powers to the embattled figure of the apostle who betrayed Jesus. Gubar's approach sidesteps questions of religious truth to focus on the figure of Judas as a mirror for the ever-shifting cultures that used him as a symbol of everything from evil to love to heroism. She brings her penetrating analysis to the dozens of poets, writers, artists, theologians, mystics, and filmmakers who have expressed our ambivalent fascination with Judas. As Gubar reminds us, Judas, as an unredeemed and guilty Jew, gave strength to ancient and modern anti-Semitism, up to and including the nightmare of the Holocaust, while the storm of excited controversy that erupted first around Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and then the rediscovery of the "lost" Gospel of Judas demonstrates our continuing hunger for new ideas about one of our oldest shared stories. An exhaustive, beautifully written cultural history of our favorite wrongdoer, Gubar's work is an immensely rewarding and crucially important book. Highly recommended. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Red, white, and Muslim : my story of belief

by Asma Gull Hasan. Americans looking for a strong, moderate Muslim voice that publicly condemns terrorism and the second-class status of women should consider it done—not once and for all, but nonetheless consistently and fiercely. Hasan, an American Muslim woman whose efforts to inform others about the Islam that she practices and to correct narrow-minded extremists have earned her regular appearances on Fox News and MSNBC, has revised Why I Am a Muslim (2004), adding fresh material. Its arguments, based in Hasan's personal experience and religious knowledge, are as relevant now as they were five years ago. The book is directed primarily at non-Muslim Americans to show them Qur'anic texts and Islamic beliefs and practices that challenge unfavorable stereotypes. But Hasan also takes on her fellow Muslims, urging them to distinguish cultural mores from religious orthodoxy, especially concerning the treatment of women. (Check catalog)

The last divine office : Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries

by Geoffrey Moorehouse. In the 1530s, England and Wales boasted 650-plus religious houses, few of which were more prosperous or better run than the Benedictine chapter of the house and cathedral of Durham. But on New Year's Eve 1539, the monks celebrated their last mass in Durham Cathedral because their order was dissolved by royal decree as part of Henry VIII's attack on the Church. Across England, monks and nuns left their houses, chapters were stripped of their wealth, and their land sold: "the biggest transfer of wealth…the country had ever known" took place, enriching the monarch and many others. (Check Catalog)

Reclaiming virtue : how we can develop the moral intelligence to do the right thing at the right time for the right reason

by John Bradshaw Bestselling recovery expert and motivational speaker Bradshaw (Family Secrets), presents an in-depth survey of human behavior from many angles in a probing exploration of our inner guidance system. Beginning with magnificent moral moments (a black girl integrating a school smiles at a woman who spat at her), he interweaves his own tangled life experiences: he obtained advanced degrees in theology and philosophy, yet lost jobs after alcoholic binges even after a 12-step recovery program; he still felt like he was on the outside of life looking in and set out to change the direction of his life. --Publisher's Weekly (Check catalog)

Writing in the sand : Jesus and the soul of the Gospels

by Thomas Moore. Drawing on his background in theology, world religions, art history, psychology and mythology, author and psychotherapist Moore (Care of the Soul) proposes a fresh way of looking at the Christian gospels for those who once loved the texts, but no longer find them challenging. Moore believes the Jesus of the gospels was calling people to be open to life rather than attach themselves to a fixed teaching. He reframes the wedding feast at Cana-said to be the scene of Christ's first miracle-as "the first lesson in Jesus spirituality: Be human, understand the importance of play and simple sensual pleasures and listen to your family. Then go deeper." In Moore's reading of the gospels, Jesus himself is earthy and spiritual-a man clearly on the side of moderate sensual delight. Fans of Moore's previous books and readers who share his view that Jesus was not concerned with creating a religion or a plan for self-improvement, but was instead interested in a restructuring of the human imagination, will find plenty to ponder.--Publisher's Weekly  (Check catalog)

The 7 great prayers : for a lifetime of hope and blessings

by Paul McManus. Presents seven prayers designed to help people of any religion overcome challenges, develop a closer relationship with God, and achieve blessings in their lives. (Check catalog)

Never give up! : relentless determination to overcome life's challenges

by Joyce Meyer. "I believe God has a great purpose for you, and I urge you not to settle for anything less. He wants to bless you and give you a life that will thrill you, fulfill you, and bring you deep joy and sweet satisfaction, but also challenge you, stretch you, frustrate you at times, and even lead you to moments when you are tempted to give up." --Book jacket. (Check Catalog)

Argumentation schemes

by Douglas N. Walton. Very useful for those engaged in computational applications that use forms of argument that capture stereotypical patterns of human reasoning, this systematic analysis includes a compendium of 96 schemes. The authors begin by describing basic tools in understanding how and why argumentation schemes work, then address schemes for argument from analogy, classification and precedent; knowledge-based, practical and related schemes; arguments from generally accepted opinions, commitment and character; casual argumentation schemes; schemes and enthymemes; attack, rebuttal and refutation; refinement of the classification of schemes; formalizing schemes; and, specifically, schemes for computer systems. (Check Catalog)

American Babylon : notes of a Christian exile

by Richard John Neuhaus. In this posthumous volume, Neuhaus (Death on a Friday Afternoon: Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus on the Cross) offers some well-wrought reflections on what it means to be an American who is aware that he or she is "in exile," on pilgrimage to a heavenly homeland. We are all, he argues, in between. We must care for our place of exile and care for one another but not settle down. He makes an eloquent case for the role of religion in this care for the community and considers the issue of bioethics, the role of Jews in salvation history, whether atheists can be moral, and the need for hope. (Check Catalog)

If that ever happens to me : making life and death decisions after Terri Schiavo

by Lois L. Shepherd. As illustrated so heartbreakingly in the Terri Schiavo case, it is extremely difficult to determine a patient's wishes in end-of-life decisions because all the idiosyncrasies of individual situations cannot be predicted in advance. Admitting that decisions relating to permanent vegetative states are different from those surrounding terminally ill or minimally conscious patients, Shepherd (law & public health sciences, Univ. of Virginia) considers some of the tough ethical and emotional considerations involved and how existing laws may be strengthened. Pointing out weaknesses related to living wills and offering suggestions on alternative ways to ensure that a patient's rights and wishes are respected, she also expresses concern for the need to respect patients' privacy and gives careful consideration to whether nutrition and hydration should be considered "basic care." For extensive background reading on Schiavo's case and how it relates to end-of-life concerns, The Case of Terri Schiavo, edited by Arthur L. Caplan and others, remains the definitive work. Shepherd's book nicely updates and complements William Colby's Unplugged. (Check catalog)

Philosophy and social hope

by Richard Rorty. One of the most provocative figures in recent philosophical and wider literary and cultural debate, Richard Rorty brings together in this collection a wide range of philosophical, political and cultural writings, many published in book form for the first time. He explains how he began to move away from Plato towards James and Dewey, culminating in his own version of pragmatism. What matters, he suggests, is not whether our ideas correspond to some fundamental reality but whether they help us carry out practical tasks and create a fairer and more democratic society. (Check Catalog)

Eternal chalice : the enduring legend of the Holy Grail

by Juliette Wood. "'What is the secret of the Grail?' So intoned a heavenly voice to Sir Percival in John Boorman's stylish and influential film Excalibur (1981). The sacred allure of the Holy Grail has fascinated writers and ensnared knights for over a thousand years. From Malory to Monty Python, the eternal chalice - said to be the very cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper - has the richest associations of any icon in British myth. Many different meanings have been devised for the Grail, which has been linked to the Celts and King Arthur, the eucharistic rites of Eastern Christianity, ancient mystery religions, Jungian archetypes, dualist heresies, Templar treasure and even the alleged descendants of Christ himself and Mary Magdalene. The common thread running through all these stories is the assumption that the Grail legend has a single source with a meaning that - if only we could decode it - is concealed in the romances themselves. (Check Catalog)

The philosophers' quarrel : Rousseau, Hume, and the limits of human understanding

by Robert Zaretsky. Imagine a world where philosophers are celebrities, their works are greeted with stone throwing and literary correspondences are the stuff of tabloid-style publication. This was the world of 18th-century Europe, where David Hume and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's friendship, which lasted but six months, created a public stir and has a remarkable enough trajectory to be the centerpiece of this study of Enlightenment mores.--Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

The music of Pythagoras : how an ancient brotherhood cracked the code of the universe and lit the path from antiquity to outer space

by Kitty Ferguson. Through the insightful eyes of popular science writer Ferguson (Tycho & Kepler; Measuring the Universe), readers glimpse the enormous impact of the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras and his followers and the ideas gathered around them. She describes the mythology that surrounded Pythagoras, as well as the facts behind the man, and how those myths changed over time but continued to influence natural inquiry. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

Practicing Catholic : a personal history of belief

by James Carroll. Carroll, a former Catholic priest who wrote of his conflict with his father over the Vietnam War in An American Requiem, revisits and expands on that tension in this spiritual memoir infused with church history. Here, Carroll traces his life as a son of the Catholic Church, showing how he and the church changed as he moved from boyhood into adulthood. (Check Catalog)

Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam : searching for oneness

by Ori Z. Soltes. Throughout the ages and across religious traditions, people have yearned to personally experience God and deeply connect with the Creator. In Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ori Z. Soltes traces the sweep of mysticism-the search for oneness with God-throughout the three Abrahamic traditions.This unique comparative overview begins with a definition of mysticism and a discussion of its place within religion as a whole. (Check catalog)

Jesus, interrupted : revealing the hidden contradictions in the Bible (and why we don't know about them

by Bart D. Ehrman. Picking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman's New York Times bestseller Misquoting Jesus left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches—and it's not what most people think. Here Ehrman reveals what scholars have unearthed: The authors of the New Testament have diverging views about who Jesus was and how salvation works. The New Testament contains books that were forged in the names of the apostles by Christian writers who lived decades later. Jesus, Paul, Matthew, and John all represented fundamentally different religions. Established Christian doctrines—such as the suffering messiah, the divinity of Jesus, and the trinity—were the inventions of still later theologians (Check Catalog)