Philosophy & Religion
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by Anne Lamott (Get the Book)
Lamott lovers get an extra treat this year even though the popular writer has already birthed a memoir about grandparenting (Some Assembly Required). Her newest will be a stocking stuffer for fans. It's small and very focused on God, who is clearly brought forward from his (or her) usual background presence in Lamott's writings. Equal parts 12 Step meeting in the church basement and walks on the beach, it's a prayer manual for people who wouldn't be caught dead reading prayer manuals. As such it may surprise, a bit, some of Lamott's most secular readers. But it takes a very familiar voice in a newish direction, and may attract younger readers whose religious preference is more offbeat than orthodox. It reads like it needed longer gestation or one more rewrite to go from casual-casual to casual-polished, but anybody who gets it as a holiday gift will likely just say, "Thanks. Wow." --Publishers weekly
by James D. Tabor (Get the Book)
In this compulsively readable exploration of the tangled world of Christian origins, Tabor (The Jesus Dynasty) vividly recreates the frenetic and fraught attempts by the earliest followers of Jesus to maintain his teachings and keep his memory alive. The followers of James, who was the brother of Jesus and likely the author of the New Testament letter that bears his name, continued to live as Jews, observing Torah and worshipping in the Jerusalem Temple while honoring Jesus as their martyred Teacher and Messiah. This group was quickly displaced by Paul, whose theological teachings on the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ; the gift of eternal life guaranteed by faith in Jesus' resurrection from the dead; and a glorified heavenly reign with Christ when he returns reached a larger, non-Jewish audience because of the more philosophical language and nature. Although Paul has long been acknowledged as the founder of Christianity, Tabor weaves a fascinating story out of close readings of Paul's letters and the book of Acts, which contains an idealized history of the early movement as well as Paul's earliest activities on behalf of his teachings, and compellingly illustrates the ways that Christianity is Paul and Paul is Christianity. --Publishers Weekly
by Barbara Frale (Get the Book)
For a certain period in history, the Knights Templar are the most powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. Secretly guarded, the Shroud of Turin, worshipped in a relentlessly secret manner, and known in its intimate nature by only a handful of the order's officials, the swathe of fabric was kept in the central treasury of the Knights Templar, who were known for their expertise in the field of relics. The precious cloth's history and whereabouts were known only to the highest dignitaries of the secretive order. In an era of widespread doctrinal confusion in much of the Church, the Templars considered the Shroud to be a powerful antidote against the proliferation of heresies. Easy to read and thoroughly researched, this book tracks the Templars from their inception as warrior-monks protecting religious pilgrims, to the later fascination with their secret rituals and incredible wealth, which ultimately led to their dissolution and the seizing of their assets. Following the Shroud's pathway through the Middle Ages, Vatican historian Barbara Frale has gone back in time, to the dawn of the Christian era, to provide a new perspective on the controversial relic. The author also includes several photos of the Shroud itself that reveal in startling detail a human face, mysterious writing, and marks of a crucifixion that many have claimed identify it as the true burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth. (Publisher)
by Max Lucado (Get the Book)
A woman critically injured and permanently disfigured by a frozen turkey hurled at the windshield of her car manages to forgive the youth who threw it. A physician stricken with a reaction to an AIDS vaccine is helped by a planeload of doctors. A dress-shop owner lets a nonpaying customer wear a wedding dress to the hospital room of her dying father. These are just a few examples of God's grace working through people, according to best-selling author Lucado. Grace, he insists, is available in quantities greater than we imagine and more than we deserve, if we only open our hearts. Often it is extended to us whether or not we deserve it. Lucado's latest provides comforting and inspirational revelations about grace and the phenomena of getting and giving amazing second chances through true stories, Bible passages, and quotes from famous writers and spiritual leaders. True grace, Lucado rightly insists, is grand both to give and receive. --Booklist
