NEWS FEATURE: Gifts for mind and spirit: books, music for holidays and beyond

c. 1997 Religion News Service UNDATED _ At this time of the year, the old adage”it’s better to give than receive”comes into full force. Better still, to give something of value, something with meaning that will endure after the festivities have ended. So here’s a sample of this year’s best inspirational and thought provoking books […]

c. 1997 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ At this time of the year, the old adage”it’s better to give than receive”comes into full force. Better still, to give something of value, something with meaning that will endure after the festivities have ended.


So here’s a sample of this year’s best inspirational and thought provoking books and music compiled by the staff of Religion News Service:

CHRISTMAS BOOKS”The Life of Mary and the Birth of Jesus: The Ancient Infancy Gospel of James”by Ronald F. Hock. (Ulysses Press).

This seldom-read gospel, part of a variety of early Christian writings known as the Apocrypha, is packed with fascinating details about the life of Mary and sheds new light on the Christmas story. The extensive introduction by Hock, a professor of religion at the University of Southern California, lays an interesting historic background for the text.

“Sister Wendy’s Story of Christmas”by Sister Wendy Beckett. (Prestel)

A beautiful, yet simple volume that packages a Roman Catholic nun’s interest in the arts into a picture book explaining 20 renderings of the birth of Jesus by renowned artists such as Botticelli and Rembrandt. Aimed for all ages, Sister Wendy explores the meaning behind the colors, people and actions portrayed in the various works.”Touched By an Angel: A Christmas Miracle”by Sharon Y. Cobb. (Thomas Nelson).

This beautifully designed book novelizes two episodes of the popular TV series. Accented with color photos from the shows and a red and green border, the book centers on how characters in and around a small church are affected by its annual Christmas pageant after angels Monica and Tess get involved. It also includes a foreword by the show’s executive producer Martha Williamson.

CHRISTIAN NON-FICTION”Mother Teresa”by Kathyrn Spink. (HarperSanFrancisco)

This is the only authorized biography of the legendary Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder of the Missionaries of Charity and its easy to see why. Veteran British journalist Spink paints Mother Teresa as a saint, a status the diminutive nun has already achieved in many minds. Specifically held for publication until after her death, this book _ filled with interesting details about Mother Teresa’s family background and early work _ will not disappoint those who appreciated her work among the world’s poor and dying.

“Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism”by Joel Carpenter. (Oxford University Press).”Revive us Again”is a crucial contribution to understanding the roots of the contemporary evangelical movement and how conservative Protestant theology has come to have the widespread influence it wields in contemporary America. Carpenter, provost of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., looks in detail at the”lost years”of American fundamentalism _ after its defeat in mainline denominations by the theological modernists and in the court of public opinion by the Scopes trial. Included are detailed accounts of the tensions between the hardcore”separating”fundamentalists and the more moderate wing of the movement and how the latter’s efforts at fundamentalist cooperation resulted in such organizations as the National Association of Evangelicals, Fuller Theological Seminary, World Vision, Christianity Today and even the evangelical campaigns of Billy Graham.

“The Curse of Cain: The Violent Legacy of Monotheism”by Regina Schwartz. (University of Chicago Press)


Provocative. Disturbing. Challenging. Any of those words _ and all of them _ can be used to describe”The Curse of Cain.”While the story of Cain and Abel is well known, Schwartz offers a dark reading of the biblical story. In her view, it is God’s act of separating the brothers _ by accepting Abel’s sacrifice and rejecting Cain’s _ that leads Cain to kill. Further, Schwartz contends it is the very notion of monotheism and its absolute demand for exclusive allegiance _ emblematic in the Cain story _ that has shaped modern forms of collective and national identity setting”us”against”them,”whether the categories be ethnic, racial, gender or nationalistic.

“The Religion of Technology: The Divinity of Man and the Spirit of Intervention”by David F. Noble. (Knopf)

In”The Religion of Technology,”Noble, long an iconoclast of intellectual history, breaks with the conventional wisdom that generally sets religion and science, faith and technology in opposite, confrontational quarters. Indeed, it is Noble’s contention that the two are hand maidens and the driving force of science and technology is precisely the same as that of the Christian faith _ salvation, unity with God, and a restoration of the Edenic perfection promised in the Bible.

“The (Magic) Kingdom of God: Christianity and Global Culture Industries”by Michael Budde. (Westview Press)

The globalization of the world’s economies _ whether its the exporting of jobs from the United States or the worldwide impact of turmoil in Asian stock markets _ has become a commonplace of political analysis. Less attention has been paid _ at least in the popular press _ on the globalization of the so-called”culture industries,”the increasingly centralized corporate conglomerates in television, advertising, marketing, movies and the like. Budde, associate professor of political science at DePaul University, writing from a specifically Roman Catholic perspective, builds a case that the consumerist”cultural ecology”created by these industries undermines many of the primary processes and structures through which people become committed Christians. And, he argues, efforts by churches to use the global culture industries for Christian purposes won’t work.”Disarmed and Dangerous: The Radical Lives and Times of Daniel and Philip Berrigan”by Murray Polner and Jim O’Grady. (Basic Books)

For some, Jesuit priest and poet Daniel Berrigan and his brother Philip, a civil rights activist and former Josephite, are saints, carrying out Jesus’ ethical injunctions. For others, they are subversives _ and subversives of the worst kind, cloaking their more than three decades of radical anti-militarism in the garments of the gospel. Polner and O’Grady, in this sympathetic yet critical biography of the two brothers, plumb their transformation from rather conventional Roman Catholic priests to radical”holy outlaws.”The portrait that emerges is a significant contribution to the history of the era, one that will add much to the certain-to-be invoked commemorations of 1968 in the coming year.

GENERAL NON-FICTION”Bedside Prayers: Prayers & Poems for When You Rise and Go to Sleep”by June Cotne. (HarperSanFrancisco).


This compact collection of prayers, meditations and sayings offers nuggets of inspiration designed for reading at the start and end of each day. The readings represent an array of traditions _ including Christian, American Indian, and Buddhist _ and are divided into sections for inspiration, comfort, reflection.”Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World”by Lama Surya Das. (Broadway)

Buddhism _ particularly Tibetan-style Buddhism _ is experiencing an explosion of interest. This fresh, easy-to-understand and humorous guide to Tibetan Buddhism provides an excellent introduction to a religious philosophy vastly different from Western religious beliefs. Written by an American-born convert to the faith, Buddhism is presented here as a demystified,contemplative practice that is as much a psychological artform as a theological belief system.

“Stalking Elijah: Adventure’s with Today’s Jewish Mystical Masters”by Roger Kamenetz. (HarperSanFrancisco)

Kamenetz, a professor of English and Jewish studies at Louisiana State University, began adult life as a self-described”frankly heterodox, somewhat anarchic and self-educated Jew.”A spiritual awakening prompted him to seek out many of the master teachers of today’s”Jewish Renewal”movement, resulting in this finely written volume _ not to mention a transformed outlook. Kamenetz’ adventure is one attractive to a growing number of American Jews. His recounting of it is well worth reading.

“Gifts of the Spirit: Living the Wisdom of the Great Religious Traditions”by Philip Zaleski and Paul Kaufman. (HarperSanFranicisco)

This is a book for”post-denominational”America. Zaleski, senior editor of the esoteric magazine”Parabola,”and Kaufman, a writer and academic, have gathered advice from the wisdom traditions of the world’s major faiths and arranged them as guideposts for daily living life with a faith awareness. Their point is to replace religious competition with a sharing of the spirit.

“The Jewish Spirit: A Celebration in Stories & Art”edited by Ellen Frankel. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)


Here’s a coffee-table book that deserves more than just paging through. Frankel, the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society, has teamed an impressive array of traditional and non-traditional Jewish-themed artworks with an equally illustrious selection of Jewish religious and cultural writings. Included here are the writings of Martin Buber, Sholom Aleichem, I.B. Singer, Franz Kafka, Elie Wiesel and Hayyim Nachman Bialik, plus folktales from the Moroccan, Yemenite, Hasidic and other Jewish traditions.

“Concepts of the Quran: A Topical Reading”by Fathi Osman. (MVI Publications)

Islam is one of America’s fastest growing religions, and at the heart of the faith is the holy book known as the Koran. Understanding Islam is impossible without understanding the Koran, which holds the same theological position for Muslims as Jesus holds for Christians. Yet the Koran is a tough text to get into, particularly for linear-minded Westerners unschooled in Arabic poetry and culture. Osman, a respected American Muslim scholar who brings a”modernist”understanding to the text, has grouped koranic verses according to theme in an attempt to provide a context for what otherwise are likely to appear as disjointed and narrow concepts. He also provides commentary.

MUSIC”Ha Neshama shel Shlomo”by Shlomo and Neshama Carlebach. (SISU)

No contemporary Jewish musician has had an impact anywhere near that of the late Shlomo Carlebach, whose soulful, tradition-based melodies appealed to Jews across the theological spectrum. Before he died in 1994, Shlomo and his daughter, Neshama, now 23, recorded together for the first time. However, legal wrangling over ownership of the tapes prevented their release until now. For Shlomo fans, and they are legion, this is a last taste of a towering figure in contemporary Jewish religious music. It’s also a powerful introduction to Neshama, who has clearly inherited her father’s gift for moving audiences. “WOW 1998: The Year’s 30 Top Christian Artists and Songs,”featuring various contemporary Christian musicians. (Sparrow Communications Group)

The third annual CD continues in its tradition of providing listeners with a wide range of some of the most popular contemporary Christian music. Selections include Jaci Velasquez’ upbeat”We Can Make A Difference”and Amy Grant’s gentler”Carry You.”Some expound social messages, such as dc Talk’s song about diversity, entitled”Colored People.”Other featured groups include the Newsboys, Point of Grace and BeBe and CeCe Winans.

“WWJD,”featuring various contemporary Christian musicians. (ForeFront Communications Group)

Riding on the popularity of the trendy”WWJD”_ What Would Jesus Do? _ bracelets, ForeFront Communications Group has produced a CD featuring 14 rock groups from the contemporary Christian music scene. Big Tent Revival’s”What Would Jesus Do?”is the opening track. Most songs offer hard-edged rock that combines with a strong evangelistic message. Some tracks deal with social issues, such as Considering Lily’s”Consequences”and Audio Adrenaline’s”Bag Lady.”A multicolored”WWJD”bracelet is included.

“Hello Christmas,”featuring Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers. (Chordant Distribution Group)

This Christmas album offers hip-hop versions of well-known Christmas carols and original compositions, many written by Lawrence. In the title track. Lawrence treats the season as an old friend.”Soulful Noel”is just that, beginning with”shoo be doos”and ending with the repeated chorus of”Born is the King of Israel.”Lawrence’s deep voice and the enthusiasm of the choir offer a variety of energetic and worshipful selections.


INTERACTIVE MEDIA”On Common Ground: World Religions in America”by Diana L. Eck. (Columbia University Press)

There is just one required text for Harvard University professor Diana L. Eck’s”Religion in Multicultural America”course _ and this is it. The result of a three-year effort by the Pluralism Project, a Lilly Endowment-funded research project to map the many ways America’s growing religious diversity is changing the nation, this CD-ROM is a tour de force. Users can scan profiles of 15 religions practiced more or less widely in America, take a look at photographs and documents, and hear songs and audio commentaries tracing the nation’s journey from primarily Protestant to pluralistic.

MJP END RNS

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