Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/05/2012
ISBN-13: 9780670023059
ISBN-10: 0670023051

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was run by men who had started out as religious dissenters, but that didn't stop them from throwing out Roger Williams for his views on freedom of religion. In Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul, historian John Barry "brings to urgent life" (Booklist) the history of Williams' notion that rulers should not meddle in religious matters, which led to the dispute between Williams and John Winthrop of Massachusetts. This concept of the separation of church and state became a basic element of American rights -- and also influenced the development of English views on religious toleration.

Publisher: Pantheon Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/06/2012
ISBN-13: 9780307379108
ISBN-10: 0307379108

Though he's a committed atheist, writer and philosopher Alain de Botton sees a number of benefits in religion itself. In this engaging and witty discussion, de Botton explains the uses and advantages of religion, some of which may not be obvious even to those who adhere to a particular faith. He identifies two basic needs that religion can fill: community and consolation. De Botton goes on to offer substitutes for the classic religious practices to which many object, as well as discussing various other aspects of religion understood in post-modern terms. Sometimes controversial and sometimes enlightening, Religion for Atheists is above all thought-provoking.

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Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/06/2012
ISBN-13: 9780670023349
ISBN-10: 0670023345

Biblical scholar Elaine Pagels, author of Beyond Belief, specializes in literature that comes from the same milieu as the Christian Bible but did not make it into the official list (or canon) of books accepted as Holy Scripture. Now she turns her attention to a book that almost didn't make it. Because the Book of Revelation is filled with fantastic images and obscure pronouncements, and its theology conflicts with that of St. Paul, Church authorities almost ruled it out, but then found a reason to include it. In this scholarly and very accessible study, Pagels explains the book's background and the reasons why it made it into the New Testament.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/13/2012
ISBN-13: 9780374298784
ISBN-10: 0374298785

Marilynne Robinson, a theologian by training, is a reader and writer by nature. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead, and she has published several volumes of essays. In When I Was a Child I Read Books, she discusses the role of faith in public and personal life as well as the importance of Christian resources for liberal political and social theory. Among her inspirations she includes Moses, Jesus, and contemporary Bishop John Shelby Spong; she argues strongly against the positions of prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens. Kirkus Reviews says she offers "articulate and learned descriptions and defenses" of the Christian faith.

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Publisher: Celebra
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/04/2011
ISBN-13: 9780451232014
ISBN-10: 0451232011

The Rev. Albert Cutié, then a well-known Roman Catholic priest and TV personality, made headlines in 2009 when a Spanish language tabloid in Florida published photos of him kissing and fondling a woman. Eventually, Cutié left the Catholic priesthood, married, and was received as a priest into the Episcopal Church. In Dilemma, he explains the challenges that faced him, given his sincere call to the priesthood and the Catholic church's absolute stand on priestly celibacy. Cutié's memoir offers a clear and rational discussion in which he avoids "self-promotion or self-justification" (Library Journal).

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Publisher: Harmony Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/02/2010
ISBN-13: 9780385521345
ISBN-10: 0385521340

Meditation, yoga, and other practices inspired by Asian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, have become almost commonplace in the West, especially since the 1960s. Author Philip Goldberg explores the history of Hinduism's influence on Western philosophy and religion, starting with Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists of the early 19th century and continuing to the end of the 20th century. In this "worthy and vigorous introduction" (Kirkus Reviews), Goldberg explains the various approaches to Veda (or teaching) in Hinduism and shows how Vedantic practices have become embedded in Western culture, from philosophy to literature to popular music -- and even fitness routines.

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Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/12/2011
ISBN-13: 9781400067152
ISBN-10: 1400067154

Author John Norwich, well known for his television documentaries on historical subjects, presents a history of the Papacy starting with St. Peter. Though he avoids theological discussions, Norwich does offer political assessments, bringing to life the personalities of the most significant Popes, events during their reigns, and controversies as well as positive achievements. A concise history of Western Christianity, Absolute Monarchs packs nearly 2,000 years of history into a lively and informative presentation.

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Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9781414339368
ISBN-10: 1414339364

To outsiders, the Amish way of life appears narrow and confining, and some Amish do find it so. In his positive, engaging memoir, author Ira Wagler relates his strong curiosity as a youth about what it would be like to live in the wider non-Amish culture. Beginning as a teenager, he left the community several times to try other ways of life, always returning after a few months. Finally he found "reassurance that Christianity is a religion, not an institution" (Booklist), and was able to leave the Amish without abandoning his faith. For an outsider's sympathetic view of the Amish way of life, read Almost Amish by Natalie Sleeth.

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