A Brief Review of Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet By Tracey Bianchi Paperback: Zondervan, 2010. Buy now: [ ChristianBook.com ] Reviewed by Jeni Newswanger-Smith.

It’s hardly a secret that evangelical Christians have arrived late to eco-awareness and environmental protection.   Thankfully, more and more of us have embraced care of creation as part of our God-given responsibility; a way to work, quite literally, for the Kingdom of God.  In her book Green Mama, Tracey Bianchi offers multiple ways to incorporate better care of the environment into our everyday lives.  She supports her information with solid research and softens the fear with compassion and understanding for those who might not be ready to make big steps, yet.

Bianchi, herself a mother of 3 young children, understands some of these facts and some of the research she writes about can become overwhelming.  She encourages the reader to avoid compassion fatigue, both in oneself and in thrusting it upon our children.

Bianchi addresses a wide range of topics, from teaching one’s children to simply love the earth by learning about local animals and habitats to ways in which less chemical-laden products can be used to clean our homes.  She isn’t naïve, she knows all these things may be super overwhelming for the newly convicted, and she repeated advises the reader to pick just one or two things to change at a time, in order to avoid giving up. At the end of each chapter, Bianchi suggests some ways to evaluate your current choices and then make minor changes (e.g., shorter showers, reusable water bottles, reading labels thoroughly, buying more organic produce).

Bianchi offers many way to further your own research, through other books as well as online resources.  Each chapter includes multiple additional resources (websites and books).  Her “Green Mama Guide” at the back of the book is an additional easy way to find out more information.

Overall, Green Mama is an invaluable resource for people beginning to explore how to take seriously God’s command to care for creation.  It would also work well as a check point for people who may have gotten bogged down on the journey.

A Brief Review of The Franciscan Tradition By Regis J. Armstrong, Ingrid J. Peterson & Phyllis Zagano. Paperback: Liturgical Press, 2010. Buy now: [ ChristianBook.com ] Reviewed by William Mills.

I always loved St. Francis. His strong determination to live a life of strict poverty amazes me. Francis set out to live the life of the gospel in a radical way; he never meant to start an entire religious order. Yet that is what happened, over time followers were attracted to Francis’ way of life, walking around the villages and towns of his native Umbria, begging for food and clothing while at the same time praying and preaching. The well-worn phrase “always preach the gospel, use words if you have to” has been attributed to Francis and offers us a concise depiction of his way of life.

This new volume published by Liturgical Press is a collection of seventeen short biographical sketches from famous Franciscans, both men and women. We need to remember that St. Claire was the female spiritual companion of Francis, and she was the one who started the women’s order that came to be known as the Poor Claires.  Each chapter in this book includes a short biographical sketch of the person followed by a short excerpt from their writings; a short series of journal entries, a few sermons, or excerpts from their theological writings. The book also includes a short bibliography as well as the Rule of the Franciscan Order.

As the sub-title states this book is one volume in a larger series on Spirituality in History. Other volumes consider the various religious orders in the Catholic Tradition. However, while reading I wondered “who is the main audience for this book?” Each chapter is very short with only a small sampling of material that did not promote diving too deeply into the life and writings of any person featured here, which was distracting. for me and would likely be so for other readers.  On the one hand it was interesting to read about the life of St. Anthony of Padua, for example, but at the same time I felt like I learned very little about him since the excerpt from his writings was so short. In a series like this, where one includes such a large volume of personalities, it would have been better to focus on fewer persons or include more writing samples and have a larger book. I could see this book being used in a college level course on Christian Spirituality, but the instructor would have to supplement the material for the course.

Overall I would recommend this book to readers interested specifically in the rich history of the Franciscan Tradition, but to those who want a book to sink your teeth into, a book that has both depth and breadth, this book is not for you.

We  have recently made a slight change to our format and the reviews, excerpts, poems, etc. of our Midweek update will be posted to “pages” on the ERB website, and announced via social media.  If you’re a “first-to-know” sort of person, you can get these updates when they first come out in one of two ways:

• Our Facebook Page.
• Our Twitter Feed.

Otherwise, in our regular issue each Friday, we will recap the content of our midweek update.  For instance, this week’s update included:

• [Multimedia Tuesday] Xavier Conversation with Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson and Gene Logsdon.
• [Multimedia Tuesday] Video Interview with Bill McKibben on his new book EAARTH.
• Poem: “Summer” – Amy Lowell.
• Brief Review: THE HAWK AND THE CUP by Mark Adderley.

UPCOMING INDIANAPOLIS AREA EVENT…

WILL SAMSON will be leading a seminar on his book JUSTICE IN THE BURBS, at Grace Community Church in Noblesville on Saturday July 24, from 9AM-12PM.

In the suburban world of nice homes, neat lawns, and new cars, it can be easy to forget the poor and disenfranchised of our world. But we can be a force for the least of these in our county, our city and our world. Join us on Saturday, July 24 from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the North Auditorium for this discussion as we move from apathy and ignorance to concern and awareness.

This is a FREE event, but registration is requested…

Go here for more info and to register:
http://gracecc.org/serve/local-outreach/justice-seminars/

This week’s bargain books on the theme
Evangelicalism, etc. (Click to learn more/purchase):

	Encyclopedia of EvangelicalismBy Randall Balmer / Westminster John Knox Press $4.99 / Save 88%!!! Evangelicalism has been one of the fastest-growing segments of Christianity in recent decades, so it’s hard to keep abreast of all the leaders, organizations, schools, and movements it has helped spawn. Thus, Balmer’s beautifully written reference is most welcome. This book is the most comprehensive resource about evangelicalism available. With nearly 3,000 separate entries, this book covers historical and contemporary theologians, preachers, laity, cultural figures, musicians, televangelists, movements, organizations, denominations, folkways, theological terms, events and more. Students, scholars, and libraries will all benefit from it.
	Dictionary of Evangelical Biography, 1730-1860By Edited by Donald M. Lewis / Hendrickson Publishers $19.99 – Save 80%!!! No other work so ambitiously paints the history of the English-speaking evangelical movement with as broad a brush! Lewis’s “who’s who” features 3,570 biographies of individuals from diverse denominational backgrounds—from Adventist to Wesleyan. Researched and written by 344 historians from around the globe, it’s a highly convenient resource. 1296 pages total, two hardcovers from Hendrickson.
	Is the Reformation Over? An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman CatholicismBy Mark A. Noll & Carolyn Nystrom / Baker $6.99 / Save 72%!!! Exemplifying what J.I. Packer calls “superb theological journalism,” Noll and Nystrom bring meticulous research, broad-minded historical perspective, and engaging prose to their analysis of the changing relationship between evangelicals and Catholics. Chapters include “Things Are Not the Way They Used to Be”; “Ecumenical Dialogues”; and “The Catholic Catechism.” 272 pages, hardcover from Baker.
	Renewed by the Word: The Bible and Christian Revival since the ReformationBy J.N. Morris / Hendrickson Publishers $2.99 / Save 82%!!! Sometimes it seems as if there are almost as many different Christian churches as there are Christians. But despite widely diverse forms of worship, organizational structures, and biblical interpretations, Christianity over the last several centuries has been shaped by a number of common experiences. Arguably the most powerful and vibrant has been revivalism. As a movement within Protestantism, revivalism is characterized by techniques of mass organization and leadership; an emphasis on repentance and conversion; and the transformation of lukewarm Christians into fervent disciples. But revival has occurred throughout Christian history and has affected all branches of the Christian Church. Complete with intriguing illustrations and helpful bibliography, Morris’s clear and stirring account captures the restless, continually self-regenerating character of Christianity, rooted in Scripture, but lived out in real human communities.
	Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st CenturyBy Craig Detweiler / Baker Academic $2.99 / Save 87%!!! In Into the Dark, screenwriter and producer Craig Detweiler, examines forty-five 21st century films with thematic theological undertones and offers groundbreaking insight into their scriptural connections and theological applications. Using the wildly popular Internet Movie Database, Detweiler deftly dissects up-to-date productions and opens up lively discussions on anthropology, the problem of evil, sin, interconnectivity, postmodern relationships, ethics, fantasy, and communities in crisis. Notable films include Memento, The Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, United 93, Million Dollar Baby, Little Miss Sunshine and Walk the Line. Into the Dark comes highly recommended for college and seminary students in film, theology, and communications courses as well as pastors, film fans, and others interested in Christianity and the cinema.
	GloboChrist: The Great Commission Takes a Postmodern TurnBy Carl Raschke / Baker Academic $2.99 / Save 86%!!! With the rise of the Internet and newer hi-tech innovations, digital technology has profoundly affected the world. But what role does the church play in this multi-media dominated globe? In GloboChrist: The Great Commission Takes a Postmodern Turn Carl Raschke tackles the subjects of globalization, postmodernism, and information technology and the underlying impact these elements have on missions and evangelism. In addition, Raschke addresses the role Christianity plays in our increasingly pluralistic world, while providing concrete strategies for confronting these challenges. In short, Raschke helps Christians understand and respond to the technological shifts of the twenty-first century. This third volume in the well-received Church and Postmodern Culture series, will appeal to scholars, students, pastors, and interested lay readers alike leaving a lasting impact on culture at large.

In his most recent book, A Path to Publishing, Ed Cyzewski provides simple, straight-forward advice from his own experiences in the world of publishing.  Cyzewski, the author of Coffeehouse Theology, serves as a guide to key facets of publishing including “developing your expertise,” “developing networks” and “working with an editor.”   From my own experiences in writing and publishing, the advice given in A Path to Publishing rings true.  Cyzewski’s broad approach, covering everything from the discipline of writing through the editing process to the marketing of one’s book is to be commended, as many authors who have tackled similar projects in the past have focused on much narrower sections of this path.  Although he does not go into great detail on any of the topics along the way, he does often mention resources to which writers can turn if they seek to explore a particular topic in more depth.  The largest section of the book addresses the topic of marketing your book, and particularly the online marketing of your book.  For people who have been longtime internet users and who are comfortable searching around for the information they need, most of the information in this marketing chapter can be found for free online, on such sites as John Kremer’s BookMarket.com.

Put simply, Ed Cyzewski’s A Path to Publishing is a clear and helpful guide for those who have an idea for a book (and particularly a non-fiction book), but who have no idea how to see that idea to fruition.  However, it is not the only book or resource of its kind, so I would highly recommend that writers get a diversity of opinions in conjunction with Cyzewski’s, from other books (e.g., Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, which – contrary to its title – has plenty of wisdom for any writer who seeks to be published) or websites.

My mom is a bird-lover and she taught me to love birds at a young age, and now living in the city, birds are one of the more pleasant wild creatures that I encounter on a daily basis. And not surprisingly, I have developed an affinity over the years for books about birds.  So, I was of course delighted when a review copy of the new book Winged Wonders: A Celebration of Birds in Human History arrived in my mailbox. This volume, authored by two birders, Peter Watkins and Jonathan Stockland, offers its readers a rich, folksy bird-focused miscellany, presented in brief, narrative snippets that could easily be read aloud in one sitting, even with the youngest of children.   Winged Wonders is nicely organized with almost all of its nineteen chapters focused on a specific type of bird (ordered alphabetically from “The Cock” through “The Wren.”  In addition, there are three general chapters that are tacked onto the end of the book, that explore the state birds of the United States, the history of illustrating birds and birdsongs.  There is much here that will be familiar to seasoned birders: poetry, anecdotes about behavior, even Scripture (It seems that every biblical passage related to the types of birds selected for this volume has been included from Peter denying Christ three times before the cock crows to Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 10 that God will take care of us just as God takes care of the sparrow).  However, there also were some more obscure portions that might pique the intrigue of the veteran birder.  For me, one such passage was the chapter on the history of bird illustration; some of the artists named there (e.g., John James Audubon) were familiar but the authors do a superb job of weaving a history that provides some context for understanding the work of some of these great nature artists and their methods – they explain, for instance, that before the dawn of photography, taxidermy was an essential practice in bird illustration.   I also enjoyed the book’s exploration of why certain birds, including the dove and the pelican, have become important symbols of the Christian faith through the history of the church.

Winged Wonders is a delightful little volume, full of wisdom and wonder, a perfect book to be enjoyed by oneself or with others.   Its narrative style and the brevity of its segments make it the perfect read aloud book for families interested in birding or naturalism.

Once while peering at the pitiful waves upon a Scottish coastline, I heard a voice from a Minnesota friend cry out, “These waves are huge!”  Huge?  These little ankle-biting waves couldn’t even push a turtle into shore, let alone a surfer.  But my friend did not have the luxury of growing up by the pounding waves of the Northern California Coast, where a bad day displays a series of four foot waves.  She instead marveled at the waves that “towered” over the ones that she had ever seen in the Great Lakes.

My experience with A 30 Day Retreat, by William Mills, reminded me of that coastal experience in Scotland.  I wanted to get a rush and ride the big waves of spirituality, but instead, I found myself wondering how anything could even get propelled.  Yet, despite my lack of enthusiasm for Mills’s book, perhaps one who’d never seen the giant waves of God’s spiritual life would take this book for something amazing.  Mills did, after all, write for a searching audience, not a twenty-something seminary grad.

One of the most exciting aspects of this book for me was that it is a daily devotional written by a priest of the Orthodox Church.  Other than the work of old eastern saints, I have barely dipped my left toe into the Orthodox sea, but how I want to.  I looked for the mystical perspective, letting God wash over me like a swell.  There I could float, riding the waves of life and let the swells of God carry me as they may. It seemed to be a low-surf day as I began to delve into the book, and I just couldn’t get any deeper, nor did God’s nature wash over me with a fury; not even a gentle swell could submerge me.  There I sat, as usual during my devotion time, shallow and on top of the flat ocean.

Aside from a few mentions of the Orthodox Church, I barely felt a hint of the richness of Orthodox devotion and mysticism that is so necessary to inform the Evangelical world.

I confess, I did not complete this book, A 30 Day Retreat, in thirty days.  I could not even quite finish the book.  My interest waned after week one, and I hung up the towel with a few days left.  I felt it better to stand on the shores than to float on shallow waters with no swell of spirituality to speak of.  The book lacked the “substance for the long haul” for which he had hoped.

Mills is not to blame for my inability to appreciate it.  I blame some seminary, which taught me how to analyze and how to do so critically.  Mills wrote this book to answer the “hard questions” that people were asking and pining for in their journey of faith.  As such, it is a decent introductory devotional.  His core purpose is to put the reader “in touch” with the scriptures, and despite the disjointed themes, the extensive scripture reading does a decent job in acquainting people with the Bible and how to use it to deepen their spiritual walk.

While the book could use better cohesion, I like that it does not take a flowery approach to spirituality.  The waves of the Orthodox faith went flat in this book, but for others it could be a good introduction to the ocean of the Christian life.

The effectiveness and power of daily devotionals are rather subjective.  Perhaps, like my Minnesota friend and me speaking of the Scottish waves, one’s experience and expectation with a devotional can truly hinder its perception.  Again, I never felt the rush of riding the spiritual wave, but perhaps for the one curious and searching for a deep spirituality, the little swells of Mills’s book would be the perfect and amazing introduction.

Roberto Bolaño was born in Chile in 1953.  He moved to Mexico City in 1968 but returned to Chile in 1973 one month before Pinochet’s coup.  He was arrested as a political dissident.  When he was released he moved first to Mexico and then to Barcelona.  His 10 novels and two short stories  were produced before his untimely death at the age of 50, in 2003.  The novels are just now beginning to appear in English.  2666, is a sweeping, majestic novel that is a result of the “big bang” that Antwerp, at only 78 pages, represented.  2666 is considered by many, including me, to be the first great piece of literature of the 21st century.  The back of the little book contains a quote from Bolaño, “The only novel that doesn’t embarrass me is Antwerp.”

Of the 54 chapters that occur in such a small package one is bumped hither and thither.  You will meet victims of crime, crooked cops, drifters, and misfits.  You will be confronted with poetry and visions of warped time and reality.  This novel will challenge the average reader but is a primer to the methods that Bolaño used in his later career and, whereas, 2666 requires a briefcase to move it from one place to the other, Antwerp will fit in your back pocket.

Antwerp represents a microcosm of not only what the author more fully developed later in his career, but, within its pages lies a microcosm of the human condition.  Crime, aesthetics, poetry, love, constant threats of violence, youth, the aged, in short, reality for the vast majority of humanity are gathered by Bolaño’s pen and we become guests at, literally, the event horizon of existence.

In a foreword added to the book 22 years after it first appeared, Bolaño writes, “I wrote this book for myself, and even that I can’t be sure of.”  This is the end product, it seems, of many days spent in a semi-delirium, convinced that an anarchic end was coming in the revolution of Salvador Allende.  Bolaño describes this novel in organic, living terms and despite the frantic nature of it’s layout and the intense requirement for concentration it demands of its readers, we can be thankful that regardless of for whom this book was written, we are able to read it today.

“We are full of life… and we are poisoning ourselves (8).”  This heartfelt plea is like a watermark on every page of Claiming Earth as Common Ground. Andrea Cohen-Kiener experienced an awakening that led her to pursue involvement in recycling plastics, and from that a greater realization that ecology was related to her spirituality.  The Earth, she says, is our ultimate common ground for disparate religion.  It provides not just the well-worn question, “Can religious people save the environment?”  But also a new question, “Can the environmental challenge save religion (2)?”  It is this question that drives her theological reflection (especially chapters 2-5).

Cohen-Kiener advocates a variety of specific practices, not the least of which is an appendix with an exhaustive list of “small steps” to reduce one’s ecological footprint (146-149).  One specific practice focused on gardening and seed conservation (chapter 6). This is imperative because homogenous seed genus is vulnerable to pests and climate changes (93).  The other main practice is the rediscovery of Sabbath.  Lessness is the object of Sabbath, where at least one day is given over to seeking to nourish the soul through slowing down and “greening a day” (chapter 8).  Cohen-Kiener argues that environmental abuse and the reactionary desire to “go green” is at its root a spiritual hunger (117).  Religion can help us “rename and reclaim the subtle spiritual hungers (119).”  As she says, “Environmentalism can save religion by giving us a living laboratory in which we can learn to live up to our religion’s aspirations (144).”

Part eco-manifesto, part storied testimonial, part theological reflection, Cohen-Kiener weaves together many different streams of thought, often entrusting large chunks to contributing essayists:

• Rev. Tom Carr, “The Big Context” (79-92)
• Elisheva Rogosa, “Wheat Sheaves and Matza Tales” (97-100)
• Andrea Ferich, “Communion Agriculture” (101-113)
• Rev. Donna Schaper, “Green Sabbath” (119-125)
• Rev. Margaret Bullit-Jonas, “Conversion to Eco-Justice” (130-137)

While this puts into practice Cohen-Kiener’s major thesis of many religions on common ground, it also contributes to the overall disarray of the book.  Though the themes are consistent, the structure is sometimes hard to follow.

Overall this book is a helpful first step to thinking theologically about ecology and other religions.  It is novel for the argument that ecology can be common ground between faiths.  Cohen-Kiener, however, does not offer a conceptual framework for Christians to embody the Kingdom while partnering with other religions.  Cohen-Kiener does not ignore religious difference (22-24); she does boil these down to our sectarian hubris (32-36).  While I am challenged to think cosmically about our “common ground,” I cannot shake the lingering question, “How can I do this while remaining true to the Triune God?”  Cohen-Kiener’s book is best for its reflection on the interconnectedness of ecology and pluralistic theology, but needs more reflection on how disciples can faithfully interact in that nexus.

Haiku has long been one of my favorite forms of poetry: short and simple enough to be written in one sitting, and yet spare; its brevity offering gentle discipline when I often am tempted to wax verbose.  So, I was delighted to find out about Margaret McGee’s recent book Haiku, the Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines, a superb exploration of this poetic form for both beginners and experts alike.  In the book’s introduction, McGee notes that haiku is intended to depict a single image, “a picture in the mind’s eye.”  She describes “the haiku moment” as “a moment when the mind stops and the heart moves.”  Thus, the practice of writing haiku is necessarily a practice of slowing down and of attentiveness, of focusing on a single object and the feelings that it stirs up inside of us.  McGee also emphasizes that haiku is more about the experience than about the final written product.  Drawing on these themes throughout, McGee explores how haiku can become a spiritual, contemplative practice.  Specifically, she focuses on how the experience of haiku captures “the heart of a moment,” how haiku can be a form of prayer, and the ways in which writing and sharing haiku with others can be a rich community-building experience.  The most engaging chapter in the book, however, was McGee’s reflection on combining the practices of haiku and Lectio Divina (a meditative way of reading and reflecting upon scripture; for those unfamiliar, I would highly recommend Tony Jones’s book, Divine Intervention)  Lectio Divina combined with haiku can help us to internalize passages of scripture that we might take them out into the world with us.   “When you carry the words of sacred texts out into the world with you,” she says, “and look with attention, you may see the words reflected back to you in the common events and objects of daily life” (92).  Practices of internalizing scripture have been well-known among monastics (and other faithful ones) for centuries – and especially in the era before the printing press made texts widely available – but McGee’s thought to combine haiku with reflection upon scripture is one that will undoubtedly be kicking around my head for a long while.  One of the book’s final chapters reflects the “presentation” aspect of how haiku are written, specifically how they can be incorporated with pictures or prose.

Haiku, the Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines is a rich little book, calling us into practices of attention and reflection that are lost arts in most corners of mainstream American culture.  I have no doubt that, if we would attend seriously to the ideas set forth here, we would be better prepared to hear that “still small voice” that seeks to transform us (and all creation) from the inside out.

We  have recently made a slight change to our format and the reviews, excerpts, poems, etc. of our Midweek update will be posted to “pages” on the ERB website, and announced via social media.  If you’re a “first-to-know” sort of person, you can get these updates when they first come out in one of two ways:

• Our Facebook Page.
• Our Twitter Feed.

Otherwise, in our regular issue each Friday, we will recap the content of our midweek update.  For instance, this week’s update included:

• [Multimedia Tuesday] Speaking of Faith – Ellen Davis and Wendell Berry.
• [Multimedia Tuesday] Wendell Berry Reading his poems – MP3’s!

This week’s bargain books on the theme
Poetry (Click to learn more/purchase):

	Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Prison Poems By Edited by Edwin Robertson / Zondervan $6.99 – Save 53%!!! From his prison cell where he awaited execution for conspiring to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Bonhoeffer wrote ten powerful poems, charged with the white-hot emotions and disarming candor of a man who lived and ultimately died by the truth.Here, laid bare with moving eloquence, is the soul of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, twentieth-century martyr. And here is a celebration of life, faith, and hope, and of a victory that even the final enemy, death, cannot quench.
	Sonnets By William Shakespeare / Penguin Classics $5.49 The general editors of the new series of forty volumes–the renowned Shakespeareans Stephen Orgel of Stanford University and A. R. Braunmuller of UCLA–have assembled a team of six eminent scholars who have, along with the general editors themselves, prepared new introductions and notes to all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Redesigned in an easy-to-read format that preserves the favorite features of the original, including an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare, an introduction to the individual play, and a note on the text used. This is an excellent resource for students, teachers, and theater professionals. 164 pages, softcover from Penguin Books.
	Resources for Preaching and Worship-Year A: Quotations, Meditations, Poetry, and Prayers By Westminster John Knox Press $2.99 – Save 90%!!! This is the third volume published in a three-volume set of lectionary resources, providing preachers and worship leaders of all denominations a host of written material for worship and reflection. Designed to complement the three volumes in WJK’s acclaimed Texts for Preaching, this book weaves together a rich tapestry of quotations, meditations, poems, and prayers. With material from both classic and contemporary spiritual writings, Resources for Preaching and Worship compliments the lectionary readings for Sundays and important festival days in the church’s year. Includes biblical and thematic texts.