Bookshelf

Contents

Bookshelf

Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile, by John Shelby Spong. HarperSanFrancisco, 1999. Pb. 260 pages. US$14.00. ISBN 0-06-067536-5.
A national bestseller in the U.S., this book demolishes the stifling dogma of traditional Christianity in search of the inner core of truth. This is Spong's manifesto, offering his vision for the institution he made his career serving. In this compelling and heartfelt book, he sounds a rousing call for a Christianity based on critical thought rather than blind faith, on love rather than judgment, and that focuses on life more than religion.

Stumbling Toward Justice: Stories of Place, by Lee Hoinacki. Pennsylvania State University Press. www.psu.edu/psupress. 1999. Hb 250 pages. ISBN 0-271-01940-9.
Hoinacki's stories of place upset the reader, because they make him/her ponder the wisdom of being 'a fool by choice' as a way of following Christ. The book is troubling to read, yet tenaciously powerful. Hoinacki has found a way to live - it is to set out on a quest, a search for truth, a teleological odyssey. The end not only illumines the journey, it also permits one to live with the shame of failure.

The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh. Beacon Press, Boston, revised edition 1987. Pb. 139 pages. ISBN 0-8070-1201-7.
A Zen master's method of meditation, concentration and relaxation. This book provides a method of learning the skills of mindfulnessof being awake and fully aware. No particular religious orientation is necessary to benefit from the wisdom of this manual. Thich Nhat Hanh's gentle anecdotes and practical exercises focus the reader's attention on breathing.

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine, by Sue Monk Kidd. HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. Hb 238 pages. ISBN 0-06-064588-1.
The author tells her story. She had been struggling to come to terms with life as a womanin her culture, her marriage, her faith, her church, and deep inside herself. She suddenly found herself 'struck pregnant with a new consciousness, with an unfolding new awareness of what it means to be a woman and what it means to be spiritual as a woman'.

Praying with the Celtic Saints, by Mary C. Earle and Sylvia Maddox. St Mary's Press, Winona, Minnesota. 2000. Pb. 106. Companions for the Journey Series. IR£8.50. ISBN 0-88489-616-1.
Earle and Maddox introduce us to the fascinating topic of Celtic spirituality through its embodiment in the particular lives of saintly men and women. In addition, they offer any reader practical assistance for a really down-to-earth way to pray. It is both an imaginative and instructive book.

Lough Derg: St Patrick'sPurgatory, by Joseph McGuinness. The Columba Press, Dublin. 2000. Pb 91pages. IR£4.99. ISBN 1-85607-295-9.
Lough Dergone of the most demanding pilgrimages in the world. Some aspects of the pilgrimagefasting, vigil, barefeetmake the fact that it is still popular in the twenty first century all the more surprising. This year, in excess of ten thousand pilgrims are expected to travel there, a site on a small lake in County Donegal. In times past, it was regarded as the gateway to the next world, and pilgrims came from all over Europe, many of whom experienced visions of purgatory. The chief purpose of the pilgrimage has always been 'atonement for sin'.

Contents

			Contents
			Bookshelf
Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile, by John Shelby Spong. HarperSanFrancisco, 1999. Pb. 260 pages. US$14.00. ISBN 0-06-067536-5. A national bestseller in the U.S., this book demolishes the stifling dogma of traditional Christianity in search of the inner core of truth. This is Spong's manifesto, offering his vision for the institution he made his career serving. In this compelling and heartfelt book, he sounds a rousing call for a Christianity based on critical thought rather than blind faith, on love rather than judgment, and that focuses on life more than religion.
Stumbling Toward Justice: Stories of Place, by Lee Hoinacki. Pennsylvania State University Press. www.psu.edu/psupress. 1999. Hb 250 pages. ISBN 0-271-01940-9. Hoinacki's stories of place upset the reader, because they make him/her ponder the wisdom of being 'a fool by choice' as a way of following Christ. The book is troubling to read, yet tenaciously powerful. Hoinacki has found a way to live - it is to set out on a quest, a search for truth, a teleological odyssey. The end not only illumines the journey, it also permits one to live with the shame of failure.
The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh. Beacon Press, Boston, revised edition 1987. Pb. 139 pages. ISBN 0-8070-1201-7. A Zen master's method of meditation, concentration and relaxation. This book provides a method of learning the skills of mindfulnessof being awake and fully aware. No particular religious orientation is necessary to benefit from the wisdom of this manual. Thich Nhat Hanh's gentle anecdotes and practical exercises focus the reader's attention on breathing.
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine, by Sue Monk Kidd. HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. Hb 238 pages. ISBN 0-06-064588-1. The author tells her story. She had been struggling to come to terms with life as a womanin her culture, her marriage, her faith, her church, and deep inside herself. She suddenly found herself 'struck pregnant with a new consciousness, with an unfolding new awareness of what it means to be a woman and what it means to be spiritual as a woman'.
Praying with the Celtic Saints, by Mary C. Earle and Sylvia Maddox. St Mary's Press, Winona, Minnesota. 2000. Pb. 106. Companions for the Journey Series. IR£8.50. ISBN 0-88489-616-1. Earle and Maddox introduce us to the fascinating topic of Celtic spirituality through its embodiment in the particular lives of saintly men and women. In addition, they offer any reader practical assistance for a really down-to-earth way to pray. It is both an imaginative and instructive book.
Lough Derg: St Patrick'sPurgatory, by Joseph McGuinness. The Columba Press, Dublin. 2000. Pb 91pages. IR£4.99. ISBN 1-85607-295-9. Lough Dergone of the most demanding pilgrimages in the world. Some aspects of the pilgrimagefasting, vigil, barefeetmake the fact that it is still popular in the twenty first century all the more surprising. This year, in excess of ten thousand pilgrims are expected to travel there, a site on a small lake in County Donegal. In times past, it was regarded as the gateway to the next world, and pilgrims came from all over Europe, many of whom experienced visions of purgatory. The chief purpose of the pilgrimage has always been 'atonement for sin'.