Westminster John Knox (WJK)
Press books by William Sloane Coffin and Walter Brueggemann won the two
top awards of the Association of Theological Booksellers at an awards
ceremony Nov. 20 in San Antonio, TX.
Coffin's book Credo was named Book
of the Year and Brueggemann's An Introduction to the Old Testament:
The Canon and Christian Imagination was honored as the Best Academic
Book of 2004. The ceremony was held during the annual meetings of the
American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature.
[12-28-04]
Half a century after the publication in 1954
of the first volume of the History of the Ecumenical Movement, a
new volume brings the story of the movement for church unity up to the end
of 2000. It covers what have been seen as some of the most turbulent years
in the history of the World Council of Churches.
[12-28-04]
For a chilling look at America's march toward Empire, you may want to look
at Chalmers Johnson's new book, The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and
the End of the Republic.
Presbyterian minister and Witherspooner Bill Hopper gives us a short
review. [10-18-04]
Does the Bible Justify
Violence?
A book announcement from
Fortress Press [9-6-04]
In a new release from Fortress Press,
renowned biblical scholar John J. Collins asks tough questions about the
relationship between the portrayals of violence in the Bible and how they
have been used throughout history. This work, Does the Bible Justify
Violence, is based on his Presidential Address to the Society of
Biblical Literature.
In this clarifying essay, Collins reveals
how the Crusaders, Puritans, and abolitionists all used the Bible to
justify their use of violence-and this process continues.
Does the Bible Justify Violence
asks the questions
In light of today's religious and
political rhetoric, how shall we interpret these ancient documents?
How can we understand the biblical
stories, prophecies, and songs in their historical contexts and avoid
making self-serving and even violent use of them?
John J. Collins is Holmes Professor of
Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale University and the author of numerous works, including Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
with CD-ROM (Fortress Press, 2004).
Does the Bible Justify Violence
is part of the Facets series-Brief, brilliant treatments of vital aspects
of faith and life.
To order Does the Bible Justify
Violence please call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the
web site at www.fortresspress.com
Princeton prof warns against
hijacking of theological language for political purposes
[6-19-04]
In a newly published book, Patrick Miller
offers biblical and theological material for dealing with today's uses of
religion and God for narrow nationalistic and political ends. Its
title: The God You Have:
Politics and the First Commandment. Click
here for the publisher's announcement, and a link to buy the book.
A serious look at big-time diversity
[posted
4/19/00, re-posted 9-3-04]
With the PC(USA) Multicultural Church
Conference coming up on April 27-30, Gene TeSelle provides a thoughtful
look at an urban anthropologist's analysis of a very racially diverse
neighborhood in New York City.
From this ten-year study he draws a
realistic picture of the difficulties in building a multicultural
community in the face of political and other pressures. But he also
shows that it can be done.
Click here for the review of Roger
Sanjek's The Future of Us All: Race and Neighborhood Politics in
New York City.
Eco-Justice - The Unfinished Journey,
a new book edited by William Gibson, gathers essays by 23 people to look
at "the eco-justice perspective" on the world, then at some specific
issues, and finally at prospects for the future.
John (Jack) C. Twombly,
Professor of Electrical Engineering Emeritus at the University of Colorado, and
a Restoring Creation Enabler, provides a review. [6-10-04]
The human side of Israeli
occupation of Bethlehem - through the eyes of a
Palestinian Christian pastor [6-1-04]
The "Little Town of Bethlehem" was put
under siege by Israeli forces in 2002, and is still under occupation. Mitri
Raheb, a Palestinian Arab and Christian pastor who ministers to his people
in Bethlehem, tells the personal stories of Palestinians and their families
as they struggle to survive the violence and to act with integrity in
extreme circumstances - occupation, the wall, and suicide bombers.
Last October we posted a publisher's notice of a new book
by Paul Capetz, God: A Brief History. Your WebWeaver now
provides a more complete review of the book -- one which could provide
stimulating material for a study group, or for personal reflection.
Nancy L. Woolworth has sent a note suggesting Marcus Borg's
book, The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion To A More
Authentic Contemporary Faith (San Francisco: Harper-Collier, 1997) as
another presentation that makes theological debates accessible and
relevant for lay readers. [5-7-04]
A shameless and enthusiastic plug for a
terrific book by a great man: Bill Coffin's Credo [3-11-04]
Our Star Correspondent in New Jersey, the Rev. Bruce
Gillette, has forwarded a note (apparently from the Church Relations Manager
of the publisher) encouraging people to buy William Sloane Coffin's book,
Credo, which was featured on "NOW with Bill Moyers" this past week.
It's selling so well that a few extra purchases might well
get on the New York Times Bestseller list.
The note forwarded by Bruce Gillette sums it up:
Credo is a wonderful book; one that you will
turn to time and time again. It is full of quotations, lifted from the
public words of an amazingly compassionate, gifted, and inspiring man, who
is now nearing the end of his life. Please help us make this happen for
Rev. Coffin!
So - we encourage you to take a look at Gene TeSelle's
review of the book, and then if you're so moved, you can buy it by clicking
on the Amazon.com link right on the review page. We're making it as easy as
we can for you! Just try to do your shopping by Saturday, March 14.
Out of last summer's Ghost Ranch seminar on "A
Biblical Vision for the Future," Jane Hanna suggests
three helpful books.
Check out her ideas -- and order any of them direct from Amazon.com
Not so very long ago a thoughtful,
provocative report was drafted to give guidance to the Presbyterian Church
on a wide range of questions dealing with sexuality. It was sent to the 1991
General Assembly, where a few groups on the right wing of the church focused
the debate on questions of homosexuality, and created enough alarm that the
report was rejected.
But the document is still as good and relevant as it
was then -- and is still ordered and used by many Presbyterians and
others.
Now Marvin M. Ellison and Sylvia Thorson-Smith, two
members of the original drafting committee, have gathered an excellent
set of essays that take another look at many of the issues in the
report, drawing on its wisdom for our own time.
We have been warned often
enough lately that pointing to the lies by our President and his
administration is tantamount to treason. Well, one recent letter to the
editor in the St. Cloud (MN) Times, said that those who
claim that the President has lied to us "are bordering on treason." But
Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle, undeterred by the threats of the
Patriot Acts present and yet to come, offers a glimpse of five recent
books that explore what they all view as the lies propagated and
perpetuated by our current administration. To quote no less a patriot than
Patrick Henry,
"If this be
treason, make the most of it."
Presbyterian scholar publishes God: A Brief History [10-21-03]
Paul E. Capetz has authored a brief history
of Christian understandings of God, recently published by Fortress Press.
The publisher's press release elaborates:
This brief tour through three thousand
years of religious history shows how the Christian doctrine of God evolved
in response to tensions within the insights of monotheism. Capetz
skillfully traces the sweeping insights and tumultuous tensions that
underlay the Christian doctrine and remain with us still.
He shows clearly how the personal,
changeable, involved God of the Hebrew Bible transformed decisively in its
encounter with Greek metaphysical concepts and with the emerging early
Christian understanding of the Trinity. And he shows how, since the
Reformation and Enlightenment and into the contemporary world, Christians
have continued their quest to understand the elusive divine.
Contents
- Preface
- Judaism and the Development of Monotheism
- Hellenism and the Emergence of Christianity
- The Presuppositions of the Classical Christian Tradition
- Christology and the Doctrine of the Trinity
- The Middle Ages
- The Protestant Reformation
- The Enlightenment and the Modern Era
- The Twentieth Century
- Conclusion
- Notes
- For Further Reading
Paul E. Capetz is Associate Professor of
Historical Theology, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. He is
author of Christian Faith as Religion: A Study in the Theologies of
Calvin and Schleiermacher (1998).
100 pp, $6.00. ISBN: 0-8006-3630-9
To order call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the web site at
www.fortresspress.com
Witherspooner Don
Beisswenger reviews a new book offering some 90 short articles reflecting
the remarkable mission of The Open Door community in Atlanta - a
pioneering venture in hospitality and solidarity with the homeless and the
imprisoned.
New book outlines conservative
strategy for gaining control of United Methodist Church
from Gene TeSelle
[6-30-03]
In 2000, a book entitled A Moment to Decide: The Crisis in
Mainstream Presbyterianism, was written by Lew Daly of the
Institute for Democracy Studies, published by the Presbyterian Information
Project, and distributed by the Witherspoon Society.
Our partner organization in Protestant Justice Action,
the Methodist Federation for Social Action, was already thinking about a
similar publication. A 192-page book has now appeared under the title
United Methodism @ Risk: A Wake-Up Call, by Leon Howell, who is the
former editor of Christianity and Crisis.
This book outlines the conservative strategy very well,
and comes with a "study guide" that will make this even more helpful to
congregations.
It's published by the Information Project for United
Methodists, and it can be ordered for $12.50 (postage and handling
included) from The Genesis III Group, P.O. box 36, Deerfield, NH 03037,
e-mail
genthree@genesisthree.com.
or write to him at 2007 Linden Avenue, Nashville, TN
37212,
or call him at (615) 297-2629.
Cost: $5.00 each.
Do you read novels?
Here's your chance to help a prisoner for peace!
[3-17-03]
Marilyn White, long-time peace activist and a leader in
the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, will begin serving a six-month sentence
in federal prison for her act of non-violent civil disobedience in last
November's demonstration against the School
of the Americas.
As she prepares for her prison time, she has asked friends
to suggest good novels that she might read, to make her time "personally
productive."
(Isn't it nice to see that the ol' Calvinist work ethics
lives on?)
Since she has not had much time for reading novels for the
past few years, she wants "to spend some time catching up on some really
good fiction. So, what have you all read in the last 10 years or so that you
would recommend?
"I do not like John Grisham or Larry King or the other
long formula-genre stuff, but would like to explore some real literature.
(Although I certainly enjoyed "Skipping Christmas.") My Sue Grafton and
other mystery novel phase is also part of the past. The last novel I really
enjoyed was "The Corrections." A lot of you have asked how to be supportive,
and this is it -- please send me your ideas. I understand I will have access
to a good library with interlibrary loan services, so getting most books
should not be too difficult."
Your WebWeaver has asked Marilyn's permission to share her
request here. Her response:
What a great project for the web site! By all means.
Somehow, the help makes it seems as if I am not doing this sentence alone.
Marilyn
Among early suggestions have been: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
So ... what can you suggest for Marilyn's
enforced reading time?
Just send a note, which will go directly to her and to your WebWeaver,
who will then share the ideas here.
Nancy Crowe, writing out of her own experience as a
Presbyterian and a lesbian, tells the story of Ruth and Naomi in a
contemporary setting of San Francisco and small-town Indiana.
Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen, by India
Edghill, is reviewed by Barbara Kellam-Scott. This new novel about
Michal, daughter of Saul, wife of David, is seen by Kellam-Scott as a distortion of the
biblical narrative, and a demeaning portrayal of a woman of Israel.
[2-19-02]
Jesse Jackson's son, now serving in the House of
Representatives, has written a big book offering a progressive program for
the Democratic Party. Gene TeSelle, in reviewing the book, say this means,
first, "a progressive agenda that unites working people around
economic issues and gives them motivation to turn out to vote." And
second, it involves a "new federalism" that affirms the good
that can be accomplished with the use of federal power to improve the
social and economic life of the nation. [2-1-02]
An exciting novel about Adam
Smith? Peter Sawtell recommends Saving Adam Smith as
offering insight into a neglected side of the famed economist.
Byron Bangert reviews a new book tracing the history of
Vanderbilt Divinity School. It's a story that might provide insight and
inspiration for many who are seeking to be faithful witnesses to the
prophetic dimension of the Christian faith, often in difficult settings.
Sample passages from Bangert's review:
"Vanderbilt Divinity School has come to understand
its role self-consciously as one of engaging and critiquing the culture,
providing leadership in race relations, women's rights, and social
justice, as well as moving toward greater inclusivity with respect to
religious and sexual identity."
"Pastors and other church leaders will find in it
valuable lessons, and perhaps some inspiration, regarding the tasks of
bearing faithful and articulate witness to the Christian Gospel in often
inhospitable times and places."
War's Dirty Secret:
Rape, Prostitution, and Other Crimes Against Women, edited
by Anne Llewellyn Barstow, presents true accounts of women's sufferings at
the hands of men in war: the "comfort women" of the Japanese
army; the rape of Nanking; "rape camps" in the Balkans;
"living casualties" in Rwanda ... and more. Says reviewer
Barbara Battin, "She fulfills her intent 'to change the way (we)
think about war.' " [11-7-01]
Don Beisswenger offers a list (with
comments!) of books that can help us maintain spiritual grounding while
engaged in costly ventures for peace and justice in a very messy
world. [11-7-01]
An evangelical scholar traces how the very human process
of translating the Bible into English slowly led to its veneration as
"as the Word of God straight from heaven." Gene TeSelle reviews Alister
McGrath's In the Beginning: The Story of the
King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture.
[8-13-01]
For those who want to do a little investigation of the 'roots' of some
theological differences within our denomination, but who - like me -
haven't done it yet, take a look at Don McKim and Jack Rogers' The
Authority and Interpretation of the Bible, Wipf & Stock Pub.
1999.
It can get pretty technical, but has all the information
you'll ever want, especially about the Old Princeton school of theology.
It was a real eye-opener for me, very helpful.
The Rev. Dr. Tom Blair
Trinity PC(USA)
Hendersonville, NC
Warning: The author of this book comment also sent
this:
A Basque General and his troops were trapped in a mountain pass and
killed.
The moral of the story is
"Don't put all your Basques in one exit."
(got it from F O R magazine)
Now, whether you trust his judgment on books is up to
you.
Gene
TeSelle reviews Cultural
Dilemmas of Progressive Politics: Styles of Engagement Among
Grassroots Activists, by Stephen
Hart, which suggests that progressives can learn from community
organizers and from conservative groups to make clear appeals to shared
cultural and religious values, instead of merely offering rational,
pragmatic arguments for their causes. [5-17-01]
Gene
TeSelle presents thoughts on a new biography of
Henry
A. Wallace, Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice president in the
1940s. TeSelle finds lessons and cautions for liberals in a new
century.
A new
version of Bowling Alonechallenges
us to a new and social "Great Awakening"
A new book edited
by John Cobb presents essays dealing with many "hot topics"
in religion and politics, from a progressive viewpoint. It looks
like a good study book for churches.
Lynne Reade,
on the basis of lots of experience with Presbyterian polity and social
justice issues, highlights the urgency of the issues raised by A
Moment to Decide.
Homosexuality
and Christian Faith:
Questions of Conscience for the Churches.
Edited by Walter Wink. Fortress, 140 pp., $14.00,
paperback.
Gene Huff has recently published a review in The
Christian Century (March 8, 2000, p. 280) calling attention to this
new book, in which Walter Wink has collected 16 essays by progressive,
moderate and evangelical "straights," including John Cobb,
William Sloane Coffin, Peggy Campolo and James Forbes. The aim of the book
is to bring clarity and understanding to the overheated debates in our
churches, and to help straights deal more openly with our assumptions and
fears.
The book includes Wink's own excellent essay on
"Homosexuality and the Bible," which has been widely distributed
as a pamphlet.
Ross and Gloria Kinsler will be leading an exciting workshop at Ghost
Ranch this summer, July 3-10. Jane Hanna of
Santa Fe shares a review of their recent book,
The Biblical Jubilee and the Struggle for Life: An Invitation to Personal,
Ecclesial, and Social Transformation, which will provide the
focus of their conversations.
Here's the first response to your webspinner's request for suggestions and
opinions. Will you be next??
A recently published book, Disposable People:
New Slavery in the Global Economy, by Kevin Bales (Univ. of
CA Press; 1999), is a must read for anyone who is involved with
matters of global economic justice (or who would like to know
more).
Bales, according to the book jacket, is "the world's leading
expert on contemporary slavery."
We may not realize that slavery still exists, in its modern form
far worse than the old kind, but Kevin Bales gives us indelible
descriptions of bonded laborers. The approximate number of slaves
today is 27 million, but an exact census is difficult to provide
because of the duplicity of governments and those who benefit from
slave labor. Bales takes us to Thailand, Mauritania, Brazil,
Pakistan, and India, with vivid first-hand accounts of different
kinds of slavery present today. We learn about prostitution,
brick-making, mining, and other forms of labor that bring profits
to the owners and other dealers in the trade, and misery to those
who are its victims.
This book is the definitive report for our time of the evil that
goes under many disguises, but is in reality slavery. Don't plan
on this for bedtime reading, however, unless you enjoy nightmares.
Read it, and be sure to pay close attention to his chapter on how
we can work against this terrible practice. Then share your new
understanding with everyone you see!
Jean Rodenbough
If you like what
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Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you.
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community.
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY.
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up.
