Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the BibleM. Daniel CarrollR. Brazos, $16.99 paper (160p) ISBN 978-0-8010-3566-1
This well-argued and carefully researched study draws on biblical precedent to construct a viable Christian ethic on contemporary immigration. Carroll, an Old Testament scholar who is half Guatemalan and who teaches at a Guatemalan seminary as well as one in Denver, focuses primarily on Hispanic immigration to the U.S. in his examples, though the theological discussions are applicable on a broad intercultural level. He explores biblical notions of the responsibility an ancient society had to assist sojourners and those in exile, attempting to move today's discourse about immigration away from political and racial ideology toward what he hopes is "a divine viewpoint." Though Carroll's approach is substantive, even scholarly, the book is surprisingly accessible in language and tone. (May)
Our Father's World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for CreationEdward R. Brown. IVP, $15 paper (184p) ISBN 978-0-8308-3484-6
A self-described "reluctant environmentalist," Brown offers fellow evangelical Christians a cogent, theologically nuanced argument for creation care. Why did God create this planet? What responsibility do Christians have to preserve it and ensure justice for a growing population? What sacrifices should they be prepared to make to carry out God's wishes? As someone who has lived in Pakistan and worked with international missionary agencies, Brown is also able to offer a valuable global perspective on this issue at a time when many American Christians are examining the environment only from a privileged or sheltered position. Well-written and persuasive, Brown's book takes a hard look at the current crisis, but also expresses optimism that Christians can and will change the world. (May)
The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern WorldDavid Wells. Eerdmans, $24 (262p) ISBN 978-0-8028-4007-3
Once upon a time, evangelicals knew what truth was and weren't afraid to proclaim it. Now, however, postmodern anxieties about exclusive truth claims, coupled with a market-driven mentality that threatens to remake the church in the image of its "customers," have diluted doctrinally serious old-school evangelicalism. So says Wells, a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, who comes out swinging in this jeremiad, replete with outraged exclamation points and rhetorical questions. Though he ridicules megachurches, celebrity pastors, therapy and the small-group movement, some of his harshest words are for those in the emerging church, which to him represents the worst kind of postmodern declension. Unfortunately, the book is far livelier when diagnosing the evangelical church's pervasive problems than in prescribing a solution, a lacuna that Wells acknowledges in a concluding chapter, but does little to correct. (Apr.)
It's Easy Being Green: One Student's Guide to Serving God and Saving the PlanetEmma Sleeth. Zondervan, $12.99 paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-310-27925-9
Sleeth, now an Asbury College student, is a precocious advocate for environmental issues. She wrote this book when she was just 15. (And, no, she wasn't homeschooled, if that's what you're wondering.) She shares her passion for Jesus and for saving the planet, in roughly that order. Although the book is clearly aimed at teen and young adult readers, Sleeth is skillful enough at sermon illustrations that her anecdotes about babysitting, high school cliques and Mom's homemade meals help illuminate her points for older readers as well. Pull-out boxes offer concrete suggestions for young Christians who want to go green, but aren't sure how to go about it. (Apr.)
Christians and Sexuality in the Time of AIDSTimothy Radcliffe, Lytta Basset et al. Continuum, $16.95 (136p) ISBN 978-0-826-49911-0
After a meandering, almost irrelevant foreword by James Alison, readers will be tempted to give up on this short volume whose title promises a timely, theologically appropriate response to the AIDS crisis. However, some provocative contributions lurk throughout this little collection, so more academic readers who are not put off by the book's awkward translation from the French will want to persevere. These essays originated at a Paris colloquium on AIDS in 2006, and though some are mired in jargon and are all but inaccessible to those who lack grounding in theorists such as Ricoeur and Lévi-Strauss, others are memorable, including a debate between Radcliffe and Basset and some personal accounts of various individuals who are struggling with AIDS. (Apr.)
