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Spirituality and ReligionMarch 2016
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"It would take me twenty years to come to understand that the biggest beneficiary of my attempt to make a difference for others would be me." ~ from Timothy Shriver's Fully Alive
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| The Good Book: Writers Reflect on Favorite Bible Passages by Andrew Blauner, editorIn The Good Book, editor Andrew Blauner assembles essays about the Bible's influence from a wide range of contributors, including literary fiction authors, nonfiction writers, social activists, and acclaimed commentators. In their varied responses, the writers discuss what specific passages mean to them, relate situations in which they have encountered the texts, and even reimagine some of the stories. Believers who appreciate different takes on the Bible, people interested in the intersection between writers and a particular classic work, and those who admire good writing will want to look into this anthology. |
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| The Big Question: Why We Can't Stop Talking about Science, Faith, and God by Alister McGrathAuthor Alister McGrath, who is the Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University, has written several books about the philosophical conflict between science and religion. In The Big Question, McGrath discusses the debate over scientific atheism vs. faith-based theology. Asserting that science and religion aren't mutually exclusive, he discusses the sources of religious faith, the nature of scientific inquiry, and how belief in God relates to both. While he approaches the questions from a Christian perspective, this book appeals broadly to those interested in the apparent religion/science dichotomy. For another accessible discussion of the subject, try Jonathan Sacks' The Great Partnership. |
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| Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American... by Phillip Luke SinitiereJoel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church (a Houston, Texas megachurch) is well known to television audiences far beyond the Houston area. In Salvation with a Smile, religious historian Phillip Luke Sinitiere offers a thorough exploration of the roots of Lakewood Church in the Pentecostal movement, Osteen's life, and the significance of televangelism in American Christianity. While the book focuses specifically on Osteen and his church, it also provides insight into the megachurch movement and its style of evangelical Christianity in America. Readers interested in either aspect of the Lakewood Church phenomenon will find an engaging account offered by a thoughtful observer. |
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Strange gods : a secular history of conversion
by Susan Jacoby
A provocative social history of the secular forces driving conversion in the Western world refutes beliefs about personal reinvention and divine grace to explore such factors as the unifications between church and state, interreligious marriage, faith change in adulthood and the forced conversions of slaves.
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The Pursuit : 14 Ways in 14 Days to Passionately Seek God's Purpose for Your Life
by T. C. Stallings
T. C. Stallings, who starred as Tony Jordan in the hit faith-based film War Room, shares an amazing and inspirational story of courageously pursuing his God-given purpose. Then in 14 days he will equip and encourage you to do the same!
The only thing that can stop the plan of God for your life from succeeding is you. This is not because you have the “power” to stop God. It’s because He does not force His divine will on anyone, and instead, graciously allows us to choose what we do with it. Stopping the plan of God for your life from succeeding only happens one way—by not choosing to accept and pursue it. Why would anyone notwant God’s plan for their lives? Maybe doubt, fear, uncertainty? Some people do not even know that God has a specific purpose and plan for their time on earth. The Pursuit contains 14 days of 14 Scriptures with 14 inspirational devotions, combined with real-life examples of how to apply each pursuit principle. Knowing that the one and only all-powerful God of the universe has designed an unstoppable plan for your life should cause you to chase after this plan with everything you have! You are God’s creation. You have your own God-given purpose that is waiting to be pursued. Will you pursue it? Get ready. 14 days could change everything.
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Apostle : travels among the tombs of the twelve
by Tom Bissell
A profound and moving journey into the heart of Christianity that explores the mysterious and often paradoxical lives and legacies of the Twelve Apostles—a book both for those of the faith and for others who seek to understand Christianity from the outside in. Peter, Matthew, Thomas, John: Who were these men? What was their relationship to Jesus? Tom Bissell provides rich and surprising answers to these ancient, elusive questions. He examines not just who these men were (and weren’t), but also how their identities have taken shape over the course of two millennia. Ultimately, Bissell finds that the story of the apostles is the story of early Christianity: its competing versions of Jesus’s ministry, its countless schisms, and its ultimate evolution from an obscure Jewish sect to the global faith we know today in all its forms and permutations. In his quest to understand the underpinnings of the world’s largest religion, Bissell embarks on a years-long pilgrimage to the supposed tombs of the Twelve Apostles. He travels from Jerusalem and Rome to Turkey, Greece, Spain, France, India, and Kyrgyzstan, vividly capturing the rich diversity of Christianity’s worldwide reach. Along the way, he engages with a host of characters—priests, paupers, a Vatican archaeologist, a Palestinian taxi driver, a Russian monk—posing sharp questions that range from the religious to the philosophical to the political. Written with warmth, empathy, and rare acumen, Apostle is a brilliant synthesis of travel writing, biblical history, and a deep, lifelong relationship with Christianity. The result is an unusual, erudite, and at times hilarious book—a religious, intellectual, and personal adventure fit for believers, scholars, and wanderers alike.
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Great Books You Might Have Missed
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| The God Problem: How a Godless Cosmos Creates by Howard BloomAuthor Howard Bloom has been interested in science since childhood and is particularly fascinated by evolutionary psychology and cosmology. In The God Problem, he considers how the universe could have come into being without the intervention of a creator; he also challenges the Big Bang theory. Bloom's "intellectual tour de force and heady expedition" (Library Journal) explores the history of philosophy and science, offering both believers and non-believers new ways to think about cosmology. |
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| The Radical King by Martin Luther King, Jr.; edited by Cornel WestMartin Luther King, Jr., is remembered for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, especially during the 1960s. However, his speeches and writing address a wider range of social and political issues as well as nonviolent movements and interfaith relations. In The Radical King, scholar Cornel West assembles King's short works -- some familiar, some less so -- into thematic groups that reflect West's perceptions of King's philosophy. His own commentary emphasizes more radical aspects of King's thought. Those who know King mainly from his "I Have a Dream" speech or from the 2014 film Selma will find this collection informative and thought-provoking. |
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| One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin M. KruseIn One Nation Under God, historian Kevin Kruse argues that the concept of the United States as a Christian nation originated quite recently. Tying the 20th-century Evangelical Christian movement to business leaders' opposition to the New Deal, he depicts the effort to link "American" closely to "Christian" as a marketing campaign designed to support the political agenda of certain capitalist interests. If you're intrigued by Kruse's well-researched discussion, try Peter Manseau's similarly thought-provoking One Nation, Under Gods. |
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| Do Your Om Thing: Bending Yoga Tradition to Fit Your Modern Life by Rebecca PachecoWhile many people enjoy doing yoga purely as an aid to physical fitness, the discipline has its roots in spiritual practices and ethical principles. In Do Your Om Thing, yoga teacher Rebecca Pacheco makes the wisdom of ancient Hindu and Buddhist teachings accessible to modern Westerners. Relating such concepts as ahisma (non-harming) and aparigraha (abstaining from greed) to the distractions and temptations of life, she suggests incorporating them in daily practice to improve spiritual fitness. Whether you're experienced in yoga or a beginner, you'll find supportive guidance and inspiration in these pages. |
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| Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most by Timothy ShriverAuthor Timothy Shriver (son of Sargent and Eunice Shriver and nephew of John F. Kennedy) has devoted much of his life to the Special Olympics. In this thoughtful memoir, Shriver recounts how his relationship to his Aunt Rosemary inspired him to join his mother in working for the needs of the intellectually disabled. Before he was able to do this work effectively, however, Shriver had to learn to see himself as God's beloved. Fully Alive offers Shriver's moving spiritual memoir in addition to the sobering story of Rosemary's life, Shriver's observations about social isolation of the disabled, and the inspiration he's received from Special Olympians. Kirkus Reviews calls the book "sincere, profound and deeply satisfying." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 6532 Adelphi Rd. Hyattsville, Maryland 20782 301-699-3500http://www.pgcmls.info/ |
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