| On Living by Kerry EganAlthough hospice chaplain Kerry Egan works with people who are experiencing their last days and hours, this inspiring yet down-to-earth memoir focuses on life. Relating what she's heard from her patients, she portrays them as storytellers whose first interest is their families, who recall their earlier lives, and who sometimes express heartbreak and have regrets. Egan also confesses that what she hears from the dying has promoted her own healing from sorrow and pain. Filled with quotations from her conversations, On Living offers testimony to the power of life even at the point of death. Of the many patients she's listened to, she concludes, "Always, they taught me something." |
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American Prophets: Seven Religious Radicals and Their Struggle for Social and Political Justice
by Albert J Raboteau
Raboteau, a scholar of African-American religious history and professor emeritus of religion at Princeton University, presents seven biographical sketches from the 20th century that show the diversity and unity of the prophetic call. Included for consideration are theologian Abraham Heschel and philospher Howard Thurman; monk and mystic Thomas Merton; Dorothy Day, cofounder of the Catholic Worker Movement; clergyman and activist A.J. Muste; and civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer.
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A Radical Faith: The Assassination of Sister Maura
by Eileen Markey
An investigative journalist, drawing on interviews, letters and declassified government documents, provides an up-close account of what a faith that does justice looks like as she explores the full and complex life of Sister Maura Clarke, one of the four American women raped and murdered by the U.S.-trained military of El Salvador in 1980.
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The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason
by Ali A. Rizvi
In The Atheist Muslim, we follow Rizvi as he finds himself caught between two narrative voices he cannot relate to: extreme Islam and anti-Muslim bigotry in a post-9/11 world. The Atheist Muslim recounts the journey that allows Rizvi to criticize Islam--as one should be able to criticize any set of ideas--without demonizing his entire people. Emotionally and intellectually compelling, his personal story outlines the challenges of modern Islam and the factors that could help lead it toward a substantive, progressive reformation.
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| The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict, and the Quest for Meaning by Harry FreedmanThe Bible has been translated into more versions than any other book, and interpreting the scriptures for general readers has sometimes led to remarkable conflict and even bloody violence. In The Murderous History of Bible Translations, author and Aramaic scholar Harry Freedman traces this history, starting with the early translation of Hebrew scriptures into Greek (the Septuagint). He discusses how translation that was usually intended to make the scriptures widely accessible was often driven by sectarian agendas. This engaging and accessible survey opens a fascinating window onto the Bible's history. |
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| Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary by Joe JacksonThe best-known book about the Lakota Sioux healer named Black Elk is Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt, which adapts Black Elk's spiritual vision into English, but which isn't a biography. In Black Elk, author Joe Jackson presents the first comprehensive account of this Lakota holy man, who was present at many of the crucial events in Native American history: as a fighter at Little Big Horn, a leader in the traditionalist Ghost Dance movement, and -- perhaps ironically -- a performer in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. In this "major contribution" (Publishers Weekly) to the subject, Jackson brings Black Elk to life in the context of world history. |
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| Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis by Mark K. ShriverWhen author Mark Shriver was asked to write a book about the newly elected Pope, he embarked on a pilgrimage to trace the roots of the Jesuit priest Jorge Mario Bergoglio who became Pope Francis. In this engaging and thoughtful portrait, Shriver recounts interviews with Bergoglio's novice master, Argentinian friends and colleagues, political critics, and poor people with whom Bergoglio kept in touch once he became a cardinal. Confessing his own doubts about the church after his parents' deaths, Shriver also expresses hope for the church's renewal under the new pope. For another accessible biography of Francis, try Austen Ivereigh's The Great Reformer. |
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| Genghis Khan and the Quest for God: How the World's Greatest Conqueror Gave Us... by Jack WeatherfordThough Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan's conquering armies were merciless to those who resisted, Khan's techniques for uniting his conquests into the largest empire in history were based on tolerance. In addition to promoting justice and peace (after the bloodshed was over), he allowed his subjects to practice their religions without restriction. Drawing on recently discovered documents, anthropologist Jack Weatherford also finds that Khan became a student of religion in his later years, learning from the peoples he had conquered. Though Genghis Khan and the Quest for God doesn't minimize Khan's bloodthirstiness, it presents a more peaceable aspect than history usually acknowledges. |
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The Re-Enchantment: A Shamanic Path to a Life of Wonder
by Henry Barnard Wesselman
Explains how the modern world's search for objective knowledge has contributed to a disconnection from nature and spirituality, outlining a blueprint for a transformational spirituality that rejects superstition and integrates advances in scientific understanding. By the author of Visionseeker.
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Making Life Easy: A Simple Guide to a Divinely Inspired Life
by Christiane Northrup
A guide to living a fulfilling life that balances the arenas of personal health, emotions and spirituality cites the links between medical symptoms and non-physical triggers, counseling readers on such topics as overcoming guilt, using sexual energy and cultivating a healthy ego. By the author of Goddesses Never Age.
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Sacred Bliss: A Spiritual History of Cannabis
by Mark S Ferrara
Today, the growing utilization of medical cannabis to alleviate the pain and symptoms of physical illness raises the possibility of using cannabis to treat the mind along with the body. By engaging sacred and secular texts from around the world, Sacred Bliss demonstrates that throughout religious history, cannabis has offered access to increased imagination and creativity, heightened perspective and insight, and deeper levels of thought.
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The Power of Love: Connecting to the Oneness
by James Van Praagh
The spiritual medium and best-selling author of Talking to Heaven demonstrates how love is the force that holds the universe together and helps individuals activate their innate power of love to bring harmony and acceptance into their lives.
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| The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith by Matthew BowmanIn The Mormon People, religion professor Matthew Bowman provides an accessible and thorough history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Founded by Joseph Smith after he received visions of a new revelation of Christ appearing in ancient North America, the Mormon Church has survived brutal persecutions that drove its members continually westward, finding opposition wherever they tried to settle. Although its teachings consist of an especially American blend of Catholic liturgical formality and Protestant evangelical zeal, few outside the LDS community know much about the faith. If you're curious to learn more about the "distinctively American riddle of Mormonism" (Booklist, starred review), be sure to check out this book. |
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| The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad by Lesley HazletonThe Prophet Muhammad was orphaned as an infant and brought up in Bedouin society by his wet nurse. As a teenager he learned business dealings as an agent for his uncle's caravans. Biographer Lesley Hazleton attentively traces Muhammad's life from infancy to death, relating his marriage to Khadija, a much older widow, his mystical experiences in quiet meditation, and the great revelation that was transcribed as the Quran. Without glossing over the violence that marked the new religious movement, The First Muslim details Muhammad's political skills and the personality and character that impressed his followers. Library Journal calls this a "balanced, readable" introduction to the prophet's life. |
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| Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity by James J. O'DonnellReligion in the Roman Empire during the first four centuries A.D. assumed that there were many gods. People were devoted to their deities but also tolerant of different beliefs. The early followers of Jesus asserted a strange, novel idea when they claimed that their God was the only one. In Pagans, Georgetown University scholar James O'Donnell offers an easy to follow tour of ancient Roman religions preceding Christianity. He also explains how Christian doctrine began to drive out polytheism and eventually dominated Western religion. Though it's packed with historical scholarship, this book "employs the classical texts with irony and irreverence" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson... by Joseph TelushkinRabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson founded a Jewish community in Brooklyn that grew into a highly influential worldwide movement. Schneerson attracted devoted followers who promoted his teachings and created the Chabad-Lubavitch organization; he also advised world-renowned figures such as Ronald Reagan, Menachem Begin, Yitzchak Rabin, and Bob Dylan. In Rebbe, Rabbi and historian Joseph Telushkin offers an anecdotal and impressionistic portrait of the powerful teacher who some thought would be the Messiah. He also includes a chronological outline of Schneerson's life. Publishers Weekly calls this an "admiring but honest look" at the man and the organization he set in motion. |
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| Founding Faith: How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious... by Steven WaldmanIn Founding Faith, Steven Waldman, the co-founder and editor in chief of Beliefnet.com, clarifies the U.S. Founders' intentions in establishing religious liberty. He says that the Constitution was meant neither to favor a "Christian nation" nor to require a secular state. In this challenge to people on both sides of the American debate over the meaning of the Constitution's "establishment clause," Waldman explores in detail the history of its background and the religious beliefs of its authors. If you're interested in the "separation of church and state" question, don't miss this thoroughly documented, thoughtful, and thought-provoking book. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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