Religion in Review: March 2009
-- Publishers Weekly, 3/23/2009 10:40:00 AM
You Saw It Here First: Original RBL reviews
The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter
George Barna. Tyndale, $24.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-4143-2404-3
America is careening down a slippery slope of narcissism and materialism, argues Barna, a renowned Christian pollster and author of more than 40 books. Rising divorce rates, lukewarm religious faith, pervasive moral relativism, and “the substitution of alternative worldviews for the traditional Judeo-Christian version” have all contributed to the nation’s self-destruction. While the standard-issue declension narrative that occupies Barna’s rather dreadful opening chapters isn’t very promising, readers can find their own suggestive nuggets in the body of the book, where his research is on display. Drawing on a composite of his organization’s statistical surveys, he groups Americans into seven basic faith “tribes” to explore their role in the nation’s decline and possible renaissance. Scholars of religion will have many quibbles with the groupings into seven rough tribes (non-theistic Buddhists are bundled with the “pantheists,” for example, and Barna seems to conflate the Nation of Islam with mainstream Islam). Many readers will disagree with the sweeping final chapters on where America should go from here, but even critics will find that Barna’s research yields fascinating tidbits. As such, it is a useful snapshot of America’s religiosity—or lack thereof. (May)
The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity
Soong-Chan Rah. IVP Books, $15 paper (180p) ISBN 978-0-8308-3360-3
Professor and pastor Rah says the evangelical church has been in captivity to Western white power and must be released in the same way the early Christian church was released from Jewish cultural control. “Racism is America’s original and most deeply rooted sin,” he says bluntly. The church needs to recover a corporate confession of this original sin of building a culture and economy on the backs of Native Americans and black slaves, and a “conspicuous silence” remains on the issue of immigration from white evangelical church leaders. Stories of churches resisting ethnic change in communities, or learning from and embodying ethnic change, are a strong part of his analysis. He finds the term “emergent church” offensive, saying “the real emerging church is the church in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” which now makes up 60 percent of the world’s Christian population. The “next evangelicalism” should embrace a theology of suffering as well as celebration, intentionally give up power, and follow the lead of second-generation immigrants. Rah rocks the white evangelical citadel with this book. (May)
Sufi Rapper: The Spiritual Journey of Abd al Malik
Abd al Malik. Inner Traditions, $16.95 paper (176p) ISBN 978-1-59477-278-8
Successful French rap star al Malik pens this lyrically written and uplifting little memoir. Although his Congolese parents provided an idyllic early childhood for him in Africa, their moving to France subjected him to the merciless environment of the French banlieues (ghettoes). With honesty, al Malik describes his double life: he was a gifted student reading Camus and Sartre, and he made a small fortune picking pockets every weekend, and later dealing drugs. The contrasts of his life eventually led him to Islam and to the nascent African-American rap movement, both helping him to make sense of the debauched lifestyles he saw. As his fame as a rapper increased, he became more and more confused that music was not permissible in Islam. His agonizing dilemma finally led him to a Sufi spiritual leader who helped him realize that his love of music and art were not wrong but part of divine planning. His story is one of a unique individual, a rapper who quotes American novelist Jonathan Franzen, a Muslim man in awe of his wife’s courage as she gives birth to their son. (Apr.)
Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche with Eric Swanson. Harmony, $25 (304p) ISBN 978-0-307-40779-5
Introductions to Buddhist theory and practice proliferate, but Mingyur has written an unusually lucid and graceful addition to the modern canon. Author of The Joy of Living (also written with Eric Swanson), Mingyur is one of the younger generation of Tibetans born and raised in exile yet carefully trained since childhood to become Buddhist masters in their own tradition. Examples from Mingyur’s anxiety-ridden childhood and scientific observations about how the brain works lead into a cogent presentation of the Buddha’s four noble truths (which explain the causes and conditions of suffering). Well-organized instructions then take the reader step-by-step through three types of Buddhist meditation, carefully distinguishing between attention (shamatha) and insight (vipassana) practices and concluding with loving-kindness/compassion techniques. The final section suggests ways to apply each of these practices more skillfully. Practitioners only familiar with focusing on the breath in meditation will find welcome alternatives. Mingyur uses simple analogies, stories, and encounters with his students to illustrate the Buddhist path. The exceptionally clear descriptions combined with Mingyur’s compassion and gentle wisdom make this book a valuable guide to Buddhist practice. (Apr.)
The 7 Great Prayers: For a Lifetime of Hope and Blessings
Paul and Tracey McManus. Vanguard, $15.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-59315-549-0
A simple prayer of thanksgiving amid financial crisis turned the McManuses’ world around. They developed six more prayers and began sharing those prayers via a one-page website (the7greatprayers.com) and later through a self-published book that reached readers around the world. That prayer legacy now offers itself to audiences here with a promise that “when you connect with God, you will gain comfort and strength and achieve success in all areas of your life.” The McManuses dig into each prayer—“I Love You God,” “Thank You God,” “God, You Are within Me,” “God, Bless Me,” “God, I See You Everywhere,” “God Bless and I Love,” “God, Help Me Help You”—offering readers insight into the power of such prayers and offering promises such as “you’re a good person and deserve to receive blessings from God.” While the book smacks of the health-and-wealth gospel lambasted by many religious conservatives, it does offer positive insight into the power of prayer and positive thinking. Added benefits include a 21-day prayer challenge/journal, a list of affirmation prayers, and discussion questions. (Apr.)
Sneak Peeks: Two reviews coming in PW April 13
A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Netanel Miles-Yepez. Jewish Publication Society, $45 (384p) ISBN 978-0-8276-0884-9
Schachter-Shalomi, founder of the neo-Hasidic Jewish Renewal movement, and Miles-Yepez, his cofounder of the Sufi-Hasidic Inyati Maimuni Tariqat, a Jewish order of Sufis, have woven an engrossing and soulful reflection, rife with illustrative stories and accompanying explanations, on the Hasidic masters of 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century Europe. The flowing, almost conversational tone is intended for a larger, less traditional audience; the authors seek to engage the spectrum of Jews as well as non-Jews in discovery of the presence of God. To that end, they freely incorporate parallel Hindu, Buddhist and Sufi narratives and traditions. The authors bring to life anecdotes describing the lives and teachings of the various ba’alei shem (men of great name) and those closest to them, and especially that of the most famous, Yisra’el ben Eliezer, better known as the Ba’al Shem Tov, whose legacy inspires Hasidim to this day. This collaboration will delight readers of all backgrounds who are searching for a spirited and spiritual perspective on Hasidic evolution and lore. (June)
Don’t Miss Your Life!: An Uncommon Guide to Living with Freedom, Laughter, and Grace
Charlene Ann Baumbich. S&S/Howard, $14.99 paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-4165-6299-3
Baumbich, an award-winning journalist and author of the Dearest Dorothy fiction series, has set out to accomplish what few Christian humorists have succeeded in achieving: making her readers laugh deep from the belly while simultaneously trouncing on their faulty “religious” beliefs. Baumbich’s writing style is such that readers will feel as though she's conversing with herself and they are her most fortunate eavesdropping audience. The author’s comic rehashing of life’s more ironic and bizarre happenings will be valued by readers of both genders. Baumbich encourages her fans to create their own memory portfolios of treasured moments to see God’s bounty at every turn (or detour). Readers are also treated to poignant essays on the power of imagination, the importance of questioning assumptions, awakening every sense, living in a balanced way or falling with a splat. Baumbich’s text is just what the doctor ordered for a time such as this; laughter is good medicine indeed and there are plenty of guffaws to be found on every page. (June)
A First Look at the Stars: A Starred Review Coming in PW April 13
Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality
Barbara Bradley Hagerty. Riverhead, $26.95 (336p) ISBN 978-1-59448-877-1
In her first book, National Public Radio correspondent Hagerty acts as a tour guide through the rocky terrain of scientists who study religious experience. Is there a so-called “God gene”? Why do some people have mystical experiences while others never see the so-called light? Right up front, Hagerty reveals that this is not an entirely objective exercise. As a Christian, she wants to understand her own mystical encounter with the divine and why she believes when others do not. Yet to each interview, whether with a world-renowned neuroscientist or a back-road mystic, she brings a suitably skeptical eye. Along the way, she manages to explain some pretty cutting-edge science—psychoneuroimmunology, anyone?—and unravel some people’s pretty hard-to-comprehend religious experiences without sacrificing depth or complexity. Then, with equal aplomb, she dances off to peyote ceremonies, church services and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The real beauty of this book lies in watching Hagerty gracefully balance her own trust in faith and science and, in the end, come down with one foot planted firmly in both. (May)
