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Spirituality and Religion July 2019
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| Cosmological Koans: a Journey to the Heart of Physical Reality by Anthony AguirreWhat it is: an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of complex, foundational questions about life and the universe, using both physics and Zen Buddhism.
Topics meditated over: scientific knowledge of something versus individual experience with it; the existence of time; what separates one being or substance from another.
About the author: Anthony Aguirre is a professor of physics and cosmology at UC Santa Cruz and a co-founder of the Future of Life Institute. |
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| God's Favorites: Judaism, Christianity, and the Myth of Divine Chosenness by Michael CooganWhat it's about: the concept of a "chosen people" and the multitude of dangers of religious chauvinism.
Read it for: its persuasive use of biblical text analysis and the author's impartial tone.
About the author: Michael Coogan teaches at Harvard Divinity School and has written the other concise religious histories The Ten Commandments and God and Sex. |
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| The Role of the Scroll: An Illustrated Introduction to Scrolls in the Middle Ages by Thomas Forrest KellyWhat it is: an accessible history of the scroll as both an object and a medium for transmitting long-form texts (including holy books, which were previously passed down orally).
What makes it unique: Because of the time period in question, much of the discussion focuses on religious texts, but there is also information about secular scroll usage too.
Did you know? The modern word "enrollment" comes from the much older term that referred to adding new "pages" to an existing scroll. |
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| American Spirit: Profiles in Resilience, Courage, and Faith by Taya Kyle and Jim DeFeliceWhat it's about: the inspiring stories of a diverse group of people who managed to bounce back in the face of adversity; how difficult times can spur a person's personal and spiritual growth.
You might also like: Unbreakable by Thom Shea, or You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris.
About the author: Taya Kyle is best known as the widow of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, and previously published her own memoir called American Wife. |
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| Sacred Liberty: America's Long, Bloody, and Ongoing Struggle for Religious Freedom by Steven WaldmanWhat it is: a well-researched and accessible overview of the state of religious freedom in America, past and present.
Topics include: faith and the Founders; religion and slavery; the rise of Mormonism; and landmark Supreme Court cases.
Don't miss: the timely discussion of what challenges the separation between church and state continues to face today. |
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Books You Might Have Missed
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Future tense : Jews, Judaism, and Israel in the twenty-first century
by Jonathan Sacks
A respected Jewish intellectual and award-winning author of To Heal a Fractured World urges Jewish readers to reject popular notions that isolate Judaism with depictions of persecuting contrary faiths, explaining the importance of Jewish contributors in promoting a just world.
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Confessions of a born-again pagan
by Anthony T Kronman
Argues that the modern world requires a new view of God, away from Creator of the Abrahamic religions and towards an ancient conception of God that is an inexhaustible and everlasting presence in the world itself.
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To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism
by Ross Douthat
What it is: a thought-provoking account of Pope Francis' attempts to change the Catholic Church, focusing particularly on his decision to allow communion for the divorced and remarried. The future of Catholicism -- with a clear divide between conservative and liberal views -- is also discussed.
Reviewers say: While New York Times columnist Ross Douthat identifies as conservative when it comes to Catholicism, reviewers agree that To Change the Church is a balanced overview.
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Accidental saints : finding God in all the wrong people
by Nadia Bolz-Weber
A standup comic-turned-pastor describes her experiences with "accidental saints"--individuals with whom she has found the meaning of grace--including a drag queen, a felonious bishop, and a gun-toting member of the NRA.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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