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August 20, 2008

In this Issue
Random House's Controversial Cancellation of book about Muhammad's Wife	Zondervan’s NASCAR support; CTI/Helmers join forces; Catholic August Bestseller List

BEHIND THE NEWS

• Random House's Controversial Cancellation of book about Muhammad's Wife
  Yesterday (August 12) was supposed to be the pub date of Sherry Jones's first novel, The Jewel of Medina, a work of historical fiction depicting the life of A'isha, the pre-pubescent seventh century wife of the prophet Muhammad. more » » » 

SHORT TAKES

• Zondervan’s NASCAR support; CTI/Helmers join forces; Catholic August Bestseller List
  Zondervan is an official sponsor of Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), a Christian organization serving the NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing Series. more » » » 

Q&A

• 'They Also Have a Message': Graphic Novelist Tells Apostle Paul's Story
  Author-illustrator Robert James Luedke started honing his graphic gifts in second grade, when he was asked to draw his teachers. It was the school's way of keeping him out of trouble, he says. more » » » 

RELIGION IN REVIEW - Three Reviews Coming in PW on Monday, Sept. 15

• Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds
  Joel L. Kraemer. Doubleday, $39.95 (848p) ISBN 978-0-385-51199-5
  In 1947, when he was 14, Kraemer started to study Maimonides. Now, the 75-year-old professor emeritus at the University of Chicago has produced his magnum opus, a definitive biography of medieval Judaism's chief intellectual sage. more » » » 
• Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession
  Anne Rice. Knopf, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-307-26827-3
  When Anne Rice stopped crafting stories about vampires and began writing about Jesus, many of her fans were shocked. more » » » 
• The Best Buddhist Writing 2008
  Edited by Melvin McLeod and the editors of the Shambhala Sun. Shambhala, $16.95 paper (336p) ISBN 978-1-59030-615-4
  In the last 50 years, Buddhism, the philosophy that complements all traditions and competes with none, has become an American cultural phenomenon that has earned its own annual anthology. more » » » 

BOOKS BRIEFLY

• Physics and religion: what would Newton do?
  While atheists have lately been busy loudly dismissing religion as irrational, perfectly rational scientists who are also believers have been steadily coming out of the religion closet to make scientific cases for God or to explore the physical basis of the religious experience.  more » » » 

Two Original RBL Reviews

• Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile
  Rob Bell and Don Golden. Zondervan, $19.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-310-27502-2
  The author of Velvet Elvis and Sex God teams up with fellow pastor Golden to write a manifesto that packs as much sociopolitical zing as rhetorical punch. If Americans today miss the central message of the Bible, say the authors, the reason is that the United States is an empire like those described in Scripture that build powerful armies and seek to protect what they accumulate rather than promote justice and mercy. Chapter titles such as "Swollen-bellied black babies, soccer moms on Prozac, and the mark of the beast" will provoke many readers. Likely to get a bigger rise is the suggestion that when the Bible says enemies will one day worship together, that includes today's enemies, the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The writing is frequently paragraphed into very short chunks of prose. This dramatic book is politically charged but not party-bent, bearing a message evangelicals need: that Jesus didn't come just to save people for heaven someday but to transform his followers and the physical world now. (Oct.) more » » » 
• Progressive & Religious: How Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist Leaders Are Moving Beyond the Culture Wars and Transforming American Public Life
  Robert P. Jones. Rowman & Littlefield, $24.95 (280p) ISBN 978-0-7425-6230-1
  Much attention has been paid to the role of the religious right in American politics, but this work offers an account of religious progressives who are seeking to make their own impact on public life. Jones, a scholar at the Center for American Progress, interviewed nearly 100 leaders from the four religious groups enumerated in the subtitle and discovered a diverse and vibrant community committed to issues like social justice, inclusion and economic fairness—a pluralistic hodgepodge Jones describes as "the other religious America." The author briefly depicts the long history of religious progressivism in America, but his book concentrates on contemporary activists, such as Jewish Funds for Justice or the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. Each faith has its own distinctive theological basis for its progressive politics, yet Jones also shows common characteristics, including a relational approach to truth and a belief in the unity of all humanity. This book will cheer religious progressives who believe their voices are underrepresented in the current conversation about faith and politics in America. (Oct.) more » » » 

BESTSELLER BYTES

• Bestseller Bytes
  Tyndale House's biggest recent successes have been with football books, including its latest, The Winners Manual by Jim Tressel, Ohio State's head coach. more » » » 

Hardcover

1. Become a Better You
   Joel Osteen. Free Press, $25
   ISBN 978-0-7432-9688-5
2. Mistaken Identity.
   Don & Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerak. Howard Books, $21.99
   ISBN 978-1-4165-6735-6
3. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect he Desperately Needs.
   Emerson Eggerichs. Thomas Nelson, $21.99
   ISBN 978-1-5914-5187-7
4. Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence.
   Sarah Young. Thomas Nelson, $13.99
   ISBN 978-1-5914-5188-4
5. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
   Timothy Keller. Dutton, $24.95
   ISBN 978-0-525-95049-3
6. Walking with God: Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really.
   John Eldredge. Thomas Nelson, $22.99
   ISBN 978-0-7852-0696-5
7. The Winner's Manual
   Jim Tressel with Chris Fabry. Tyndale House, $24.99
   ISBN 978-1-4143-2569-9
8. Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations
   Alex Harris and Brett Harris. Multnomah Books, $16.99
   ISBN 978-1-6014-2112-8
9. Have a New Kid by Friday.
   Kevin Leman. Revell, $17.99
   ISBN 978-0-8007-1902-9
10. The Secret of True Happiness
    Joyce Meyer. FaithWords, $23.99
    ISBN 978-0-446-53199-3

Paperback

1. The Shack.
   William P. Young. Windblown Media, $14.99
   ISBN 978-0-964729230
2. 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life
   Don Piper with Cecil Murphey. Baker/Revell, $24.99
   ISBN 0-8007-5949-4
3. A Sister's Hope
   Wanda E. Brunstetter. Barbour, $10.97
   ISBN 978-1-5978-9273-5
4. The Five Love Languages
   Gary Chapman. Moody/Northfield, $12.99
   ISBN 1-881273-15-6
5. The God Delusion.
   Richard Dawkins. Mariner Books, $15.95
   ISBN 978-0-618-91824-9
6. Allison's Journey.
   Wanda E. Brunstetter. Barbour, $9.97
   ISBN 0 978-5978-9612-2
7. The Purpose-Driven Life
   Rick Warren. Zondervan, $14.99
   ISBN 978-0-310-27699-9
8. Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul.
   John and Stasi Eldredge. . Thomas Nelson, $14.99
   ISBN 978-0-7852-8909-8
9. Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential.
   Joel Osteen. FaithWords, $13.99
   ISBN 978-0-446-69615-9
10. Mere Christianity
    C.S. Lewis.. HarperOne, $11.95
    ISBN 978-0-06-065292-0

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