Religious Books > W Religious Books

Advantages: an intriguing and scholarly detective story
Disadvantages: a lot of information to be dealt with

...it. But do we know who wrote it? No matter how strongly you believe the Old Testament to be the word of God, there is no denying that the hand of man wrote it. In this book Richard Elliot Friedman sets out to see if he can identify specifically which hand. Now this may seem futile and even sacrilegious depending on your viewpoint but on closer examination of the nature of the books creation shows that it may not be such an impossible task. As for ...
...well respected writer, a writer who also happens to be a Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Religion. If anyone is best armed to undertake such a quest to find the Old Testament author, a task that needs to combine sensitivity with superior scholarship, it is Richard Elliot Friedman. There are certain traditions in place regarding various authors, Moses, Jeremiah and David are all supposed to have had a hand in the penning of certain parts, but ... Read review

Advantages: Great insights
Disadvantages: For a narrow audience

...a full partner in the worship process. People recite creeds and follow models without great (or sometimes without any) reflection upon what they're saying or doing. To what extent does the above statement serve to undermine theological thinking and reflection as a worshipful practice? I am building more of a case around this than perhaps the statement deserves. Certainly Saliers is not saying that theological reflection is unimportant (in fact, just ...
...theology as more important than worship and liturgy. While theological thinking and reflection can be a worshipful practice, perhaps what is at the heart of this statement is the argument that such cannot be the only practice. How many theologians (and indeed seminary students) stop going to church? I must confess during my first year of seminary I too was without a church, and while I was looking, I was tempted by the notion that my academic pursuits ... Read review

Advantages: A good overview of the first 1000 years
Disadvantages: -

...volume in a series on women in Christianity; the first volume covers the first thousand years of Christendom, and the second from the year 1000 to the Reformation. This volume covers the period from the beginning of Christianity to about the year 1000 (actually, most historians make the break at the year 1054, when the split between East and West was formalized), and as Malone states in the first chapter, 'The history of Christianity shows great ...
...and emphasise the voices of women in history, as well as critically reflect on the way in which women and their issues are portrayed. Her stated goal for this book 'is not write a history of women, but to redirect our historical attention.' She states (as is important with the idea of feminist history) what her biases are, and that she does not claim objectivity or neutrality. The first section looks at women in the biblical texts and first centuries ... Read review

Advantages: Honest, easy-to-understand, responsible
Disadvantages: Very basic - you will need to read further if interested

...Wiccan religion. Please don't criticize Wicca in your comments: I'd never go to reviews of the Bible and insult Christianity, so I ask for the same respect. Thank you. Wicca for Beginners is subtitled 'Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice', which immediately differentiates it from the plethora of books claiming to teach beginners who want to learn about Wicca, but tend to be little more than a collection of spells, designed to appeal to teenaged ...
...involved. I've been studying Wicca for eight or nine years now, so I'm not the audience the author had in mind for this book, but picked it up because it is the only book on Wicca that I've seen in my local (small town) library! However, it's easy to see that this is the ideal starting-point for anyone wishing to learn more. The tone is casual and all terms are explained, so you won't feel out of your depth, but it is aimed mainly at teenagers and ... Read review

Advantages: Prayerful, hope-full
Disadvantages: none

...and that is of Jesus writing in the dust as the crowd gathered to stone the prostitute. In the gospel of John, many different interpretations have been given to explain Jesus' curious actions in that story. Why did he write in the dust? What did he write? Of course, dust was all around in New York City that day, the dust and grit of debris from the once proud towers and planes that became a symbol of terror and mortality. But writing in the dust, ...
...ignored for now. But this writing is certainly not merely in the dust. Its hope will survive. Rowan Williams was the Anglican Archbishop of Wales, recently appointed to succeed as the next Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwide Anglican communion. Williams was also the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford University. Williams has been a prolific writer, including such theological and academic works as 'Arius: Heresy and Tradition'; ... Read review