Three Reviews Coming in Publishers Weekly on October 30

-- Publishers Weekly, 10/18/2006

Shiva and the Primordial Tradition
Inner Traditions. Alain Daniélou, $14.95 paper (144p) ISBN 978-1-59477-141-5

Better known in Europe than in the U.S., the late French intellectual Daniélou (1907-1994) forged an eclectic career spanning several disciplines, though he is best known for his work on Indian music and culture. As a convert to the Hindu denomination known as Shaivism (which worships the god Shiva as the supreme being), Daniélou broke the rule of objectivity in his study of Hinduism, which has hurt his standing in academia. For the spiritual seeker, however, his work is immensely valuable in bridging the gap between polytheistic Hinduism and Western monotheism. One theme overarches: monotheism is the soul of error, both in the West, which has been “hardly interested in anything but philosophies infected by this germ,” and in the East, where keepers of the “primordial” traditions have sought to ward it off. According to Daniélou, the healing power of Shaivism lies in opening oneself up to the divine spark in all things. More specifically, he shows how the disciplines of yoga and tantric sex, familiar to many in the West, derive from this ancient tradition and are doorways into a deeper and more fulfilling life. As is clear from this slight volume, Daniélou’s Shaivic pluralism has much to say to our increasingly war-torn and materialistic culture and deserves a wide audience. (Jan.)

Facing Your Giants
Max Lucado. W Publishing Group, $22.99 (256p) ISBN 0-8499-0181-2

Mega-seller Lucado, with 40 million books in print, will draw more readers into his fold with this newest release that focuses on the life of the Old Testament hero David. David crashed onto the scene in ancient Israel when he used a slingshot and one stone to fell the giant Goliath. He went on to become Israel’s greatest king. Now Lucado has modern readers slaying their own giants using principles gleaned from David’s life. For example, David focused on God, not giants; David’s life was threatened by his nemesis King Saul, but David worshiped God; David stole the beautiful Bathsheba from her husband and then had him killed, but God forgave. Lucado goes beyond the storytelling to offer readers concrete action steps to help slay their giants using the metaphor of the five stones David chose in his Goliath quest: The stones represent the past, prayer, priority, passion and persistence. Lucado’s lively language (“Focus on giants—you stumble. Focus on God—your giants tumble.”) and casual style will appeal to the most reluctant readers, yet his spiritual depth will challenge and amaze. Added value comes with the study guide keyed to each chapter. Lucado has a giant winner here. (Nov. 21)

Letters to a Young Evangelical: The Art of Mentoring
Tony Campolo. Basic Books, $22.95 (224p) ISBN 0-465-00831-3

Campolo offers a strong enough addition to Basic’s Letters to a Young . . . series that even older readers will learn a thing or two. In letters to two fictional young evangelicals, Campolo endeavors to challenge and encourage young Christians in much the same way Paul did in his epistles. In keeping with this Pauline theme, Campolo addresses his letters to Timothy, but in keeping with his strong belief that women and men are equally fit for church leadership, also addresses them to Junia, a spiritual leader to whom Paul refers in the book of Romans. As Campolo covers such topics as the Religious Right, fundamentalism, dispensationalism, homosexuality, abortion, and Christian-Muslim relations, he admirably steers clear of telling his readers what to think. Rather, he explains his position on the issue at hand, explains the positions of his detractors, and leaves his readers to decide for themselves. Campolo calls himself a “Red Letter Christian,” which signifies identification with neither the Right nor the Left, but with Jesus, whose words are rendered in red letters in many editions of the Bible. For Campolo, Red Letter Christianity is about following the radical teachings of Jesus, particularly identification with the poor, compassion for the suffering and courage to stand against injustice. (Dec.)