You Saw It Here First: Two Original RBL Reviews

-- Publishers Weekly, 12/10/2008

The Will of God: Answering the Hard Questions
James C. Howell. Westminster John Knox, $14.95 paper (120p) ISBN 978-0-664-23290-0

In this sometimes engaging, and often preachy, little book, Howell, pastor at Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., takes up where Leslie Weatherhead's classic The Will of God (1944) leaves off. Acknowledging that the will of God is both mysterious and capable of being understood, he ponders two distinct, but related, questions: What is God's will for me? and "Why do bad things happen?" As inscrutable as God's will seems to be, Howell advises that the Bible provides our training school and that regular worship is our rehearsal for understanding and doing God's will. Bad things often happen not because our souls are the battleground for the forces of good and evil or because it is God's plan for humans to suffer; bad things happen because we sin as we do and cause bad things to happen. In this world, Howell reminds us, we always fall short of doing God's will, no matter how hard we try to discern it and perform it, and evil and good grow up together. The best we can do in this life is to be open with love and faith to the will of God as we seek to be more like God. (Jan.)

The God I Don't Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith
Christopher J. H. Wright. Zondervan, $19.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-310-27546-6

Why do people suffer? Why is the God of the Hebrew Bible so capricious? How can we make sense of Jesus Christ's suffering on the cross and the meaning of a redemption won through such a violent act? Does the end of the world represent the end of time, space, and history? Wright, an internationally known theologian, author and educator, attempts to answer these questions as he honestly grapples with his lack of understanding of much of God's activity in this rather workmanlike book. He observes that the Bible is chock full of examples of individuals struggling to understand God's role in their lives, from Sarah's attempt to come to terms with her barrenness to the Psalmist's anguished cry of long-suffering, "How long, O Lord?" Regrettably, Wright's sometimes forceful questions lose their strength as he takes refuge in the simplistic conclusion that God is always big enough to absorb our doubts. In the end, Wright is not confident enough to step out of his comfort zone and to examine a broader range of perspectives on these questions. (Jan.)

Sneak Peeks: Two Reviews Coming in PW on Monday, Jan. 12 

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University
Kevin Roose. Grand Central, $24.99 (280p) ISBN 978-0-446-17842-6

In what could be described as religious gonzo journalism, Roose documents his experiences as a student for a semester at Liberty University, the largest Christian fundamentalist university in the United States. Coming from progressive Brown University, the author admits that the transition to Liberty, with its iron-clad attempts at controlling student behavior, came with much anxiety. He trains himself to control his foul language and even begins to pray and study the bible regularly, much to the bewilderment of his liberal Quaker parents. He suffers his way through a course debunking evolution, but surprisingly finds enjoyment in a scripture class. Roose may be young—he's a 19-year-old college sophomore—but he writes like a seasoned veteran and obviously enjoys his work. He quickly makes friends at Liberty, but is naively stunned and not a little disgusted by their anti-gay rhetoric. School founder Rev. Jerry Falwell grants Roose an interview for the student newspaper shortly before the famous evangelical's death in May 2007. "Complicated" is how he describes Falwell, which is a good descriptor for his undercover student experience. (March) 

Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment
Mark Osler. Abingdon, $16 paper (168p) ISBN 978-0-687-64756-9

Baylor University law professor and former prosecutor Osler challenges Christian support for the death penalty by fitting the story of Jesus' trial and death into the modern criminal justice process in the United States. His chapters follow the arc of Christ's last days and examine their symmetry with aspects of modern criminal trials, noting the use of a paid informant, denial of habeas corpus, and humiliation of the convicted. The chapter on last meals offers compelling ligatures between the public's fascination with death row inmates' last requests—foods like chicken-fried steak and chili cheese dogs—and the celebration of the Eucharist, which commemorates "the last meal of a man who knew he would be killed by the state the next day." At times Osler's thesis—that God's "creation of an earthly Christ subjected to capital punishment seems to reveal his intent that we care not only about that man, but that process"—gets lost in the details of the extended parallel. Yet the book makes an effective, and surprisingly gentle, case against the death penalty, an argument aimed at the majority of American Christians who see no irony in supporting capital punishment while following one who was a defendant and victim of it. (Feb.) 

A First Look at the Stars: Starred Reviews Coming in PW on Monday, Jan. 12

Judas: A Biography
Susan Gubar. W.W. Norton & Company, $27.95 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-393-06483-4

How does one go about writing a biography of a man about whom we know virtually nothing? Yes, we have the gospel accounts about the 12th disciple. And yes, we have some evidence from church tradition about the man who betrayed Jesus and handed him over to the Roman authorities. Gubar (Poetry After Auschwitz), Distinguished Professor of English at Indiana University, has done a magnificent job of collecting and analyzing the scriptural accounts of Judas' life and lore, combining them with two thousands years of the church's constant reimagining of the Judas story. This book is full of surprises. Readers will be amazed at how often the disciple is depicted in art, music and literature. And even more surprising will be the role he would later play in virtually shaping history, growing "into a revered savior" in the minds of 20th century Nazi propagandists. Gubar is relentless in her documenting of "changing conceptualizations of a figure with multiple personalities during the trajectory of a convoluted career." The evolution of the Judas myth is an important story, one not to be missed. (March)

Red, White, and Muslim: My Story of Belief
Asma Gull Hasan. HarperOne, $14.95 paper (208p) ISBN 978-0-06-167375-7

Americans looking for a strong, moderate Muslim voice that publicly condemns terrorism and the second-class status of women should consider it done—not once and for all, but nonetheless consistently and fiercely. Hasan, an American Muslim woman whose efforts to inform others about the Islam that she practices and to correct narrow-minded extremists have earned her regular appearances on FOX News and MSNBC, has revised Why I Am a Muslim (2004), adding fresh material. Its arguments, based in Hasan's personal experience and religious knowledge, are as relevant now as they were five years ago. The book is directed primarily at non-Muslim Americans to show them Quranic texts and Islamic beliefs and practices that challenge unfavorable stereotypes. But Hasan also takes on her fellow Muslims, urging them to distinguish cultural mores from religious orthodoxy, especially concerning the treatment of women. That she continues to face such oppressive interpretations of Islam by other Muslims undermines her arguments that Islam is "not like that." But readers will wish that she and others continue with such courageous correctives. (March 1)