A Brief Review of

Dom Helder Camara:
Essential Writings.
Edited by Francis McDonagh.
Paperback: Orbis Books, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

Reviewed by Chris Smith.

Equal parts prophet, priest and poet, Dom Helder Camara was one of the twentieth century’s most striking voices in the cry against the excesses of Western culture.  Unfortunately, today as the crises brought on by our excessive lifestyles in the West only continue to escalate, the life and work of this Brazilian priest is not known well enough.  Thankfully, however, Orbis Books — who has long been the primary publisher of Camara’s works in English translation — has released a wonderful introduction, one of the newest volumes in their “Modern Spiritual Masters” Series.  Dom Helder Camara: Essential Writings was edited by Francis McDonagh, who also wrote a useful introduction to the book, which offers a brief biography and begins to frame a context in which Camara can be understood.  After McDonagh’s introduction, the remainder of the book consists of excerpts from Camara’s works, organized thematically.  The four dimensions of Camara’s writings into which the excerpts here are organized are “A Church of Service and Poverty, “From Paternalism to Liberation,” “Walking with God” and “The Unity of Creation.”  Even those readers who are familiar with the social justice dimensions of Camara’s prose works, might be not be familiar with Camara’s poetic works, many of which embrace themes of unity and peace with creation.  McDonagh provides an excellent introduction to these poetic works in the fourth and final chapter of the book.  Consider this excerpt, for instance, from the poem “Brother Birds”:

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A Brief Review of

Just Do Something:
How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces…
Kevin DeYoung.
Audiobook, ChristianAudio, 2010.
Narrated by Adam Verner.
Buy now:  [ ChristianAudio ]

Review by Chris Smith.

In naming, and denouncing the common paralysis brought on in Western culture by an overabundance of choices, Kevin DeYoung offered in his recent book Just Do Something a fresh – and to use his word, “liberating” – take on the ubiquitous questions in Christian circles about the will of God.  Just Do Something, newly released as an audiobook by ChristianAudio, challenges its readers to quit worrying and beginning make commitments.  An audiobook is perhaps ideally suited for this book’s target audience, who could listen to it as they flit from one thing to the next, keeping their options open.  Although a bit on the monotonic side throughout, narrator Adam Verner does seem to loosen up a bit as the book moves along.  Although DeYoung hits squarely on the mark in calling out the prevailing culture’s aversion to commitment, this book’s biggest disappointment is that the Church is relegated to at best a peripheral role in the decision-making process.  His take on decision-making is indeed generally liberating, but unfortunately he seems unwilling to consider God’s desire that we be liberated from the greatest tyranny of modern Western culture, that of the self as an isolated decision-maker.

This title was reviewed as part of the ChristianAudio Reviewers Program.

Michael Silverblatt of KCRW’s Bookworm talks with Barbara Kingsolver about her recent novel The Lacuna (Harper, Nov. 2009).

THE HAPPY MAN
G.K. Chesterton

To teach the grey earth like a child,
To bid the heavens repent,
I only ask from Fate the gift
Of one man well content.

Him will I find: though when in vain
I search the feast and mart,
The fading flowers of liberty,
The painted masks of art.

I only find him at the last,
On one old hill where nod
Golgotha’s ghastly trinity–
Three persons and one god.