Religion in Review
-- Publishers Weekly, 10/17/2007
The Parables of Dr. Seuss
Robert L. Short. Westminster John Knox, $16.95 paper (128p) ISBN 978-0-664-230470
A generation ago, Short hit a nerve with The Gospel According to Peanuts, which sold more than 10 million copies and launched a series of “Gospel According to” books about religion and popular culture. Here, with more mixed results, Short offers the same treatment to the stories of Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, who is often dismissed as a children’s writer rather than the “first-class Christian thinker” Short feels he is. Short tackles eleven Seuss tales, from the famous and well-known (How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Green Eggs and Ham), to the little-read (I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew, which Short confesses is his personal favorite). Drawing on the Bible—especially Paul and the Gospels—and the plays of William Shakespeare, Short presents quick theological readings of these stories, with the highlight being the creative “cat-echism” he crafts as a creed from The Cat in the Hat. He points out some things Seuss fans may not have noticed, i.e., the Lorax may well be an acronym for “the Lord and Christ,” making it a parable about faith rather than merely a lesson on environmental responsibility. Despite these flashes of brilliance, the book feels thin and disjointed, with waiflike chapters existing best as individual micro-essays rather than part of a cohesive whole. (Feb.)
The Christian World: A Global History
Martin E. Marty. Random House, $25.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-679-64349-4
This is the sort of large-scale, global history that is not often pursued by academics anymore, for fear of over-simplifying narratives that fail to attend to local detail. This is a vitally important book: Christianity has never been a more global religion than it is today, and yet here we can see how global it has always been. Before Marty, dean of American church historians, even turns his attention to European Christianity he spends long chapters on Asian and African episodes. The book concludes with second African and Asian episodes as well, suggesting the faith’s future lies on those continents: “The European presence wanes and the promise of Christianity elsewhere rises,” he writes. Few scholars other than Marty would have dared write a book such as this, with details on figures as diverse as Bar-Daisan in ancient Syria and present-day Pentecostal evangelists in Africa. Historians and theologians will naturally quibble over points of detail, which may not always be up-to-date on current scholarship. Yet Marty writes with whimsical accessibility, the passion of a believer, and the critical eye of a hard-nosed skeptic. This is in a book that offers a tentative “yes” to the ancient question of Jesus, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Jan. 15)
You Don’t Have to Be Wrong for Me to Be Right: Finding Faith without Fanaticism
Brad Hirschfield. Harmony, 24.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-307-38297-9
In this compelling and engaging volume, Hirschfield urges people of all faiths to accept their differences while seeking commonality and reaching out to one another with love and forgiveness. As an Orthodox rabbi, Hirschfield bases his faith on Jewish tradition, yet he draws on his unusually varied upbringing in a secular home to implement his own strategies and theories for living a fulfilling life, and is not afraid to reference Jesus or Muhammad as great teachers. In his teens, Hirschfield joined a small group of fanatical Jewish settlers defending Hebron, but renounced that way of life after witnessing a scene of inexplicable and unrepentant violence. Now, he posits that there is room for more than one religious or moral viewpoint to be correct. Hirschfield integrates this thesis with many personal anecdotes to keep the text alive and interesting. He shares his memories of participating in the groundbreaking ceremony for a synagogue rebuilt near Auschwitz, and he remembers taking part in a meeting of the Islamic Society of North America. At times, the narrative reading feels a bit longwinded, but Hirschfield’s admirable objective of expanding ourselves to let others in comes across nicely, and should attract a wide interfaith audience. (Jan.)
What Can Be Found in Lost? Insights on God and the Meaning of Life from the Popular TV Series
John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs. Harvest House, $10.99 paper (176p) ISBN 978-0-7369-2121-3
Since it debuted in 2004, the ABC drama Lost has sparked intense discussions about its complex themes, some of which are deeply religious. Ankerberg and Burroughs, co-authors of The Da Vinci Code Controversy, write as ardent fans of the series who are intrigued by its mysteries and discussions of faith, miracles, dreams, prayer and God. This is not the book for fans seeking compelling speculation about what will happen in future seasons; section two, which briefly addresses some popular theories, does little more than scratch the surface of other people’s musings. And although Ankerberg and Burroughs state at the outset they’re “not saying that Lost is a Christian show,” their book is primarily concerned with how various plot lines and characters point to the Bible and to Jesus Christ. Sometimes this yields interesting fruit, as when they analyze each Bible verse listed on Eko’s Jesus stick, but mostly the effort to pigeonhole the drama for apologetic purposes feels forced. This book will be best enjoyed by evangelical youth groups, who will resonate with its explicitly Christian focus and the “Lost Talk” discussion questions at the end of each chapter. (Dec.)
Two Starred Reviews Coming in PW on Monday, October 29:
Crossing the Water: A Photographic Path to the Afro-Cuban Spirit World
Claire Garoutte and Anneke Wambaugh. Duke Univ., $24.95 paper (296p) ISBN 978-0-8223-4039-3
Photographers Garoutte and Wambaugh demystify and celebrate the Afro-Cuban religions of Santería, Palo Monte and Espiritismo. The three traditions are, they note, inextricable in Cuban practice, with supplicants calling on elements from all three as well as folk Catholicism to improve their lives, relationships, finances and health. Garoutte and Wambaugh focus their lenses on Santiago, a retired retailer who is a renowned practitioner of Afro-Cuban religions and godfather to many initiates. Driven by powerful, evocative descriptions and scene-setting, the book delves into the various rituals and spiritual practices that take place in the back rooms of Santiago’s Cuban home. Following a precedent set in 1991 by Karen McCarthy Brown in her innovative book Mama Lola, in which a scholarly observer of an Afro-Caribbean religion gradually becomes a participant in her own right, these authors do not attempt to maintain skepticism or distance from the subject they cover, and are gradually initiated into both Santería and Palo Monte. What results is a respectful, vibrant account of Afro-Cuban religions, enhanced by more than 150 vivid photographs. (Feb.)
Influencing Like Jesus: 15 Biblical Principles of Persuasion
Michael Zigarelli. B&H Publishing Group, $14.99 paper (176p) ISBN 978-0-8054-4710-1
Business professor Zigarelli (The Minister’s MBA) ably teaches others how to wield influence through biblically effective methodology. Zigarelli’s book is replete with examples from the Bible, where Jesus influenced and catalyzed remarkable inner change in those with whom he interacted. The author plainly tells fellow Christians that they are commanded by way of the Gospel of Matthew’s “Great Commission” to be influencers in their respective worlds. Zigarelli’s prose is lively and practical, and his scope is far more comprehensive and altruistic than a basic primer on getting others to serve one’s self-interest. Rather, every principle is presented expressly from a selfless position in which the goal is always to enrich another person’s life by honoring Christ’s servant-leader example. Readers will glean insight on such topics as making personal, prayerful preparation before attempting to persuade; understanding the wisdom of connecting through similarity and by asking for another’s opinion; learning to tell a compelling story using contrasts and metaphors; and valuing the weight of authoritative, experiential and social evidence. Readers will also discover concise planning worksheets and a complementary leader’s guide for applying each concept skillfully in any personal or professional position. (Jan.)
An Original RBL Faith Fiction Review
Chill Out, Josey!: Back to Russia, with Love
Susan May Warren. Steeple Hill Café, $6.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-0-373-78585-8
In her faith-based romantic sequel to Everything’s Coming Up Josey, Warren picks up with Josey Anderson, née Berglund, as a young newlywed. Josey longs to live an ordinary life in her hometown of Gull Lake, Minn., but her husband, Chase, loses his job and accepts a new one in Russia (unbelievably not telling her about the first or asking her about the second). Josey finds herself mostly alone and pregnant in Russia, listening to a friend lecture, “Did it ever occur to you, Josey, that God sent you here not because Chase needs you, but because you need God?” The secrets Josey and Chase keep from one another are appalling, and it’s a stretch to believe Josey keeps her pregnancy under wraps as long as she does. The numerous references to the “Proverbs 31 Woman,” even in jest, will fatigue even the most devoted Christian reader. A side theme of adoption and orphanages in Russia is intriguing, and might have merited more page space, and a peanut butter cottage industry provides humorous moments. Readers who like liberal doses of faith in their fiction, newlywed wranglings, and lots of details about clothes (even bad clothes that don’t fit) and food might enjoy Warren’s latest. (Dec.)
