God is not a Christian : and other provocations

 by Desmond Tutu. Drawing mostly from public utterances by Tutu, South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, his biographer (Rabble-Rouser for Peace, 2006) creates an ideal calling card for this magnificent apostle of peace and fellowship. The selections span four decades of Tutu's advocacy for tolerance, justice, and forgiveness, and Allen presents them in sections concerned with, respectively, inclusiveness in religion and society, freedom from political oppression, economic and racial injustice, and the exercise of power. Specific topics include interfaith respect, gay and lesbian religious and social equality, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the necessity of black theology, Christian involvement in politics, and the successes and failures of South Africa after apartheid. No matter the topic, Tutu speaks throughout in the voice of the Christian prophet, decrying cruelty and meanness, defending the poor and the powerless, delighting in the beauty of creation, assuring us that each and every person has God's love, as we hope, pray, and work for the kingdom of God. A little book that perfectly answers the question, who is Desmond Tutu? Ed: cap not in the title. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Max on life : answers and insights to your most important questions

 by Max Lucado. Sure to be another bestseller for renowned pastor Lucado, Max on Life brings together 25 years of answers to questions posed by readers, all in the reassuring voice fans have come to value as uniquely his. Lucado divides the sometimes tough-to-tackle subjects into palatable sections on hope, hurt, home, him and her, and the hereafter. Presented in a topical, Q&A format, this book is a departure from his usual narrative mode of operation, making it more accessible for some readers in comparison to his other books that could be touted as superior in literary merit. The union of practical advice and scriptural reference elevates Max on Life from just another self-help book to the status of a Christian quick-reference addressing a host of hot topics, from the trials of everyday life to major, life-altering decisions. Recommended where there is an established following for Lucado and demand for quick, Scripture-based answers to life questions. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

2012 and the end of the world : the Western roots of the Maya apocalypse

 by Matthew Restall and Amara Solari. Well, here's a much-needed breath of fresh, rational air. A welcome counterpoint to the seemingly endless end-of-the-world tomes, this well-documented, well-presented book (written by a pair of history professors) explores the origins of the alleged Mayan prediction that the world will end on December 21, 2012. For conspiracy buffs, the authors' conclusions will prove decidedly disheartening. For example: they show that there is no hard evidence that the Mayan calendar has any predictive function; the Long Count calendar (which is key to the 2012 date) has a purely arbitrary start date, rendering the 2012 date meaningless; and (despite common misperception) the Mayans were not especially apocalyptic in outlook. The authors have a simple mission, to explain what the 2012 fuss is all about, and they do it admirably. They don't go as far as saying the world won't end in December 2012, but they do say this: there is no evidence, either historical or textual, that the Mayans were predicting the end of the world in 2012 or any other year. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

From Bible belt to sunbelt : plain-folk religion, grassroots politics, and the rise of evangelical conservatism

 by Darren Dochuk. This well-written intellectual and political history traces the emergence of the evangelical wing of the Republican Party from the early 1930s to the national ascent of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Dochuk (Purdue) follows migration patterns from the southern and southwestern edges of the Dust Bowl in search of opportunity in southern California, where migrants prospered under the New Deal and wartime economy. But their religious fundamentalism prompted a suspicion of the very government that enabled their successes; their faith consoled "the heart without troubling the mind." Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, and Pepperdine College (now University) embodied the shift from the New Deal to the Cold War and from regional to national prominence. Together, these three reinforced the vision of evangelical claims that the New Deal/Great Society represented an assault on American values and Christian liberty through incipient socialism. Learning from the debacle of Goldwater's defeat in 1964, the religious and political Right of Southern California strengthened ties to the South; these played out successfully in Nixon's 1968 victory via his "southern strategy." Dochuk reminds readers that the rise of evangelical-based politics accompanied the rise of Southern California after the Great Depression and, as California's influence grew, so did the clout of evangelicals. --Choice (Check Catalog)

Seeking the sacred : transforming our view of ourselves and one another

 by Stephanie Dowrick. At age eight, New Zealand-born Dowrick lost her mother to cancer. Her father, wh. regarded religion as irrational. promptly became a Roman Catholic, which sent the little girl reeling into the mysteries and miseries of devout faith. The rituals and rapture of nuns and priests fascinated and comforted her. Yet adults who insisted Jesus Christ was forced to suffer for her sins caused her to experience levels of guilt she had never before known. Decades later, the author of Choosing Happiness (2005) and other best-sellers still experiences nostalgia and dismay about her father's chosen faith, but it is her questioning of what all religions attempt to bring followers that has produced a wonderfully inspirational book. This is not just about connecting with God or even fully understanding what God may be. It's about witnessing the sublime in the ordinary, seeking what is sacred in everyday experiences, and accepting life's challenges as important lessons. First steps in the journey involve achieving self-acceptance, self-love, and forgiveness. This is a genuine road-to-happiness read. --Booklist (Check Catalog)