Revelations : visions, prophecy, and politics in the book of Revelation

 by Elaine H. Pagels. The preeminent scholar of the early-Christian-period sacred writings found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 uses them as well as the Bible to illuminate the New Testament's last book, which almost wasn't added to the canon because, Pagels explains, it conflicted with the Pauline epistles. For it revived the argument over how Judaistic the Gentiles in the Jesus movement had to be, which Paul had answered conclusively in Galatians. The visionary tract squeaked into the NT only when fourth-century bishops saw that, if the aim of its wrath was shifted from Gentiles and their advocates to those who fit in the new category of heretics, it could help with consolidating the institutional church. But how Revelation made the cut is only one of Pagels' revelations about it. She also discloses the extent to which it extrapolates from the prophetic tradition of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel; its status as one of many similarly visionary texts, typically also called Revelation and more Gnostic, found at Nag Hammadi; its primary purpose as anti-Roman propaganda intended to rally continuing Jewish resistance after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem; and its modern role in fostering hope in the face of seemingly ultimate cataclysm. A lot for so little a book to do, but, thanks to Pagels' sublimely fluent exposition, not too much. --Booklist (Check catalog)

Married for real : building a loving, powerful life together

 by Eddie George.  Eddie and Tamara George are living the American dream together. From humble backgrounds, they have each risen to national prominence. In "Married for Real," Eddie and Tamara draw on their personal stories to guide readers to a more successful marriage. --Summary (Check Catalog)

Let it go : forgive so you can be forgiven

 by T.D. Jakes.  “Forgiveness is a big idea and it works best when it is invested into people who have the courage to grasp the seven-foot-high idea of what’s best for their future rather than the four-foot-high idea of recompense for what has happened in their past,” Jakes writes in Let It Go. This book explores forgiveness as an idea and at the same time offers specific and clear actions for readers who seek to apply the idea in their daily lives. Offenses are a part of life, he says. But conflicts can be resolved and relationships do have a future, if we learn how to forgive. No matter how great or small the injustice, Jakes shows how the matter can be put behind you for the sake of a better tomorrow if you can Let It Go. --Summary (Check Catalog)

God's jury : the Inquisition and the making of the modern world

 by Cullen Murphy.  In 1998, the Vatican opened the Archivio della Congregazione per Dottrina della Fede, the Inquisition archive, thereby unveiling to the world the secrets of censorship and persecution that the Catholic Church had hidden since the Middle Ages. Journalist Murphy (The Word According to Eve) visits the archives several times and in his typically compelling style leads readers on a journey through the many inquisitions conducted by the Church over time, from the Spanish Inquisition to the Roman Inquisition of the 16th century. Murphy convincingly demonstrates that while the inquisitions most often are associated with the Church, they arise anytime an organization, state, or institution possesses and uses tools-such as censorship and torture-to stoke and manage suspicion, intolerance, and hatred of the other. Inquisitions require a system of law that can be administered with uniformity, the power to conduct interrogations and extract information, a bureaucracy with a large staff of individuals to administer it, a capacity to restrict the communications of others, and a source of power to ensure enforcement. Murphy powerfully shows that the impulse to inquisition can quietly take root in any system-civil or religious-that orders our lives. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

The sacred art of forgiveness : forgiving ourselves and others through God's grace

 by Marcia Ford.  Forgiveness-a simple concept that is complex and difficult to live out-is basic to most all spiritual paths. Ford (Memoir of a Misfit) helps iron out the complexities by sharing personal and historical stories of real people who forgive, giving scriptural encouragement for forgiveness and providing questions and practice exercises at the end of each chapter. What's more, she does all this with an inviting, witty tone reminiscent of a chat with a friend over coffee. Her stated purpose is to provide a book on forgiveness that stresses the spiritual connection we foster with God when we forgive. In doing so, she puts the Divine in the forefront. We forgive because God shows us how: "God wrote the book on the sacred act of forgiveness." Although our call is always to forgive, Ford recognizes the thorniness of forgiving someone who is persistently abusive. "Anyone who tries to make you believe that forgiveness always requires reunion is someone who neither understands forgiveness nor has your best interests at heart," she explains. This primer belongs in the hands of anyone who needs to give or receive forgiveness. --Publishers Weekly (Check Catalog)