|
|
Spirituality and Religion April 2025 |
|
|
|
|
| Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life by Agnes CallardModern society often overlooks life's crucial questions, focusing instead on social conformity and day-to-day concerns (such as where to eat dinner or what to buy next). Agnes Callard urges readers to consider the Socratic method, where inquiry and questioning are vital to authentic understanding. She views truth-seeking as a uniquely human and social activity, encouraging dialogue with one another to explore life's mysteries together. |
|
| Reading Arendt in the Waiting Room: A Philosophy Primer for an Anxious Age by Jonathan FoilesAs personal and communal dread become increasingly common and anxiety seems to define the modern era, psychotherapist Jonathan Foiles identifies "apocalyptic" anxiety as the fear of the world's end. He finds philosophy more effective than therapy in mitigating this angst, penning a thoughtful primer that will to individuals troubled by societal issues. |
|
| I Want You to Be Happy: Finding Peace and Abundance in Everyday Life by FrancisCatholic readers especially will take comfort in Pope Francis’s grounded and humble suggestions for finding happiness in life. The short chapters distill his message into bite-sized readings, making this book perfect for daily reflection while reminding readers to keep God and serving others as the focus of their lives. |
|
| Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico IyerExtolling the virtues of silence and meditation, author and traveler Pico Iyer shares insights from his regular visits -- spanning three decades -- to a Benedictine monastery in California. Part personal reflection, part philosophical musing, his observations reveal how a contemplative life can better equip us to deal with the modern age. |
|
| Religion Is Not Done With You: Or, The Hidden Power of Religion on Race, Maps, Bodies ... by Megan Goodwin and Ilyse Morgenstein FuerstReligion shapes our daily lives, whether we realize it or not. This guide challenges readers to rethink their assumptions about religion, highlighting its impact on everything from personal autonomy and social norms to government policies. The authors -- hosts of the Keeping It 101 podcast -- provide a candid and engaging introduction to the pervasiveness of religious ideology in modern American life. |
|
|
|
Miracles and Wonder : The Historical Mystery of Jesus by Elaine H. PagelsA renowned National Book Award–winning scholar presents an extraordinary new account of the life of Jesus that explores the mystery of how a poor young man inspired a religion that reshaped the world.
|
|
|
|
Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza : A Reckoning by Peter Beinart"In Peter Beinart's view, one story has long dominated Jewish communal life: that of persecution and victimhood. It is a story that erases much of the nuance of sacred Jewish tradition and history, and also warps our understanding of modern history. After Gaza, where Jewish texts, history, and language have been deployed to justify mass slaughter and starvation, he argues, Jews must tell a new story. After this war, whose horror will echo for generations, they must do nothing less than offer a new answer to the question: What does it mean to be a Jew? Beinart imagines an alternate story that would draw on other nations' efforts at moral reconstruction and a different reading of Jewish history. A story in which Jews have the right to equality, not supremacy, and in which Jewish and Palestinian safety are not mutually exclusive but intertwined. One in which we inhabit a world that recognizes the infinite value of all human life, beginning in the Gaza Strip."
|
|
| Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church by Philip ShenonWhen Pope John XXIII was elected in 1958, he launched the Second Vatican Council to modernize the Church. Former New York Times reporter Philip Shenon explores issues such as celibacy, birth control, and women's roles, most notably diving deep into the church’s sex abuse scandals, offering a vivid and highly critical history of the modern Church and its leaders.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|