"'Oh,' said the shepherd, the glow of the fire lighting his eyes, 'I didn't know before that the Bible was a sheep book.'" ~ from Robert J. Morgan's The Lord Is My Shepherd
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| For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr by Duncan HamiltonBest remembered now from the film Chariots of Fire, which portrayed his triumph in the 1924 Olympic Games, Eric Liddell went on to serve as a Christian missionary in China. He taught there for nearly 20 years, until the Japanese invasion and his incarceration in their concentration camp. While a prisoner of war, he strove to improve the conditions of fellow internees until his death in 1945. In For the Glory, author Duncan Hamilton compellingly weaves together information from documentary sources with other historical records to create a vivid and inspiring portrait of this man, whose devotion to God led him to excel in whatever he attempted. |
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| Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto by Lesley HazletonWhile many people who profess a religious faith adhere to just one belief system, author Lesley Hazelton speaks up for the freedom to stay uncommitted. A member of a Jewish family who was educated in a Catholic convent school, she has written several well-researched and balanced books on Islam and biblical women. In Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto, Hazleton observes that agnosticism permits wide exploration into the concept of "God" while accepting the existence of mystery (or unexplainable phenomena) and other religious concepts. Rather than deny everything religion offers (as an atheist might), she celebrates spiritual possibilities. For an atheist's similarly engaging approach to the spiritual life, try Barbara Ehrenreich's Living with a Wild God. |
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| Siddhārtha's Brain: Unlocking the Ancient Science of Enlightenment by James KingslandModern neuroscience meets the Buddha's discovery of enlightenment in this "compelling treatise on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness" (Kirkus Reviews). James Kingsland, the Guardian's science editor, presents a brief spiritual biography of Siddhārtha Gautama, who made mindfulness meditation the foundation of Buddhism. With the Buddha's experiences as a framework, he provides an extensive and accessible review of clinical studies of meditation's neurological effects and mindfulness-based therapies. Siddhārtha's Brain includes references to meditation practice in other religious traditions and adds guided exercises to illustrate its effects for readers. |
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| The Lost Book of Moses: The Hunt for the World's Oldest Bible by Chanan TigayIn this combination of biography, memoir, travelogue, and scriptural history, author Chanan Tigay explores the life of a 19th-century antiquities dealer who claimed to have discovered the oldest manuscript of Deuteronomy. The dealer, Moses Shapira, was denounced as a fraud, and the scroll disappeared, but 64 years later the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, transforming the field of biblical archaeology. Could Shapira's find have been genuine? In The Lost Book of Moses, Tigay traces his efforts to find the lost manuscript while chronicling Shapira's life. Fans of archaeology and scriptural history won't want to miss this thrilling account. |
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| The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book by Timothy BealReligious studies scholar Timothy Beal grew up in an evangelical Christian household where people diligently and enthusiastically read and studied the Bible, from his grandmother's floppy, well-worn book to his mother's Greek New Testament. In The Rise and Fall of the Bible, Beal portrays the Bible's status as an American cultural icon while exploring its textual history. Through chapters that include "Biblical Values," "What Would Jesus Read?", "The Story of the Good Book," and "Library of Questions," he urges Christian readers to grapple with the provocative challenges of the scriptures. Publishers Weekly calls this engaging book "engrossing and excellent." |
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| The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ by Daniel BoyarinIn this concise and accessible book, author Daniel Boyarin, professor of Talmudic studies at UC Berkeley, reviews precedents in Hebrew scriptures to the stories about Jesus in the Gospels. While some teachers of Christianity and biblical scholars have argued that Jesus represented a radical departure from Jewish doctrine, Boyarin shows how earlier Jewish writings describe the actions and qualities that Jesus' followers recognized when they met him. For more on the topic of the Jesus movement's roots in traditional Judaism, read Amy-Jill Levine's The Misunderstood Jew. |
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| If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart... by Carla PowerFriends for years, secular American journalist Carla Power and Islamic scholar Mohammad Akram Nadwi had become frustrated by the increased amount of name-calling within and between their communities. Hoping to improve her ability to discuss Islam with other non-Muslims, Power undertook extensive study of the Qur'an with Akram. For a year, she met with him weekly for private lessons and observed his Oxford University lectures. They explored and debated Islamic doctrine, and each found new understanding of their own cultures as well as an even deeper friendship. Power's engaging memoir of this experience offers compelling insight into difficult religious topics. |
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