Midweek Edition: Ultra-brief reviews.
Earlier this year, I was sent a review copy of ECOTHERAPY: HEALING WITH NATURE IN MIND (Sierra Club Books 2009), a book which I probably wouldn’t have picked up on my own and which after a quick readthrough, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend. However, this was one of those books that refused to be so easily dismissed. Bill McKibben for instance has an excellent, but brief, piece on “Human Nature, Community, and ‘Deep Economy’” which critiques the “hyperindividualism” of Western culture (which was excerpted from his wonderful book DEEP ECONOMY). Likewise, Elizabeth Messer Diehl’s essay on “Gardens that Heal” was very good and stirred my imagination. The book’s general theme that wellness and healing must emerge in contexts that are broader than that of an isolated individual is a crucial one, and one that dovetails nicely with the Church’s mission to seek the holistic shalom of God’s coming kingdom. Ultimately, though, I was left with the feeling that the primary narrative was that of the individual, which is the same ol’ sad story of modern Western ideology, now packaged up in a trendy green package.
Typically, I’m not a big fan of abridged versions of the Bible (the one exception would be Bibles for younger readers, and even then most are trimmed too short), but the new RADICAL BIBLE from Orbis Books is a little gem of a book. It does an excellent job of overviewing the scriptural story and summarizing it with brief passages from the text and quotes from significant theologians. Although its portrayal is pieced together and flows somewhat choppily, it does paint a picture of the scriptural story and does so in terms that will be sure to connect with social activists. This RADICAL BIBLE would be an excellent tool to introduce Christianity to people jaded by right-wing American versions of our faith. It concludes with lists of websites and books that serve to flesh out the Gospel story that it introduces.
ECOTHERAPY: HEALING WITH NATURE IN MIND.
Linda Buzzell and Craig Chalquist, editors.
Paperback: Sierra Club Books, 2009.
Buy now: [ Doulos Christou Books $14 ] [ Amazon ]
THE RADICAL BIBLE.
Kevin Ahern.
Paperback: Orbis Books, 2009.
Buy now: [ Doulos Christou Books $10 ] [ Amazon ]
