Imagine a party where the guests in attendance include Buddha, Mohammed, Abraham and Jesus. The occasion: a birthday party for Jesus. Now imagine a song about such a party. If your imagination is feeling stretched, there is no need to tax it any longer. Get yourself a copy of the CD, Behold by The River’s Voice, and listen to “The Birthday Party”. This song is just one of the fifteen musical gems you will find on the Christmas CD, Behold.

Like most individuals who were religion majors in college and/or went to seminary, I've had to study other religions, differences in denominational theology and polity, and philosophical debates about God. Yet my awareness of Humanism, one of the largest "lifestances" in the world, was sketchy at best before reading this exceptional book by Greg Epstein, the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University. What is Humanism, and why should you care?

Here's my review of Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe (2009, William Morrow, 250 pp.)

Hooray, it’s Advent! In spite of society’s efforts to commercialize Christmas, I really do enjoy this time of year. The world today longs for the messages of hope and joy and peace and love that the story of Jesus’ birth brings to the forefront, just as it did over 2,000 years ago. One of my favorite ways to connect with the Christmas message is to reacquaint myself with my collection of Christmas children’s books. (They are not just for children, you know!) There are a plethora of children’s books written about and for Christmas, some of them better than others. It was impossible for me to choose just one book to review this week, so instead, I offer my list of seven seasonal children’s books that I highly recommend for every church library’s shelves.

When I first noticed Letter to My Daughter at the bookstore, there were three things that tempted me to purchase it. First of all, I was attracted to the cover; it is quite colorful. (I realize this may sound shallow, but after all, that’s the purpose of cover art, to get us to take a closer look. In this particular case, it worked!) Secondly, the title intrigued me. I have a daughter. I am a daughter. Thirdly, the author of Letter to My Daughter is Maya Angelou, a woman I admire and respect.

As you’ve probably surmised, I did in fact buy Letter to My Daughter. Since I had high expectations, I was almost afraid to read it, for fear of being disappointed. It was in my “to be read” pile for quite awhile, but I finally gave in. I was not disappointed.

To illustrate a biblical text in any kind of graphic medium is to be an interpreter. Each stroke of the pen made by an artist who is creating an image of Jesus for a Sunday school handout, for example, is an attempt to make a statement about what a scene may have looked like. Examples abound of truly dreadful attempts to translate the Bible into visual forms; the Spire Christian Comics series (look at the one simply titled "Jesus") and The Passion of the Christ are two examples that would likely make most progressive Christians cringe.

My comic book collecting days are over now (and yes, I'm afraid I did have several of those Spire comics at one point), but I still read the occasional graphic (i.e. illustrated) novel. So when a Daily Voice reader alerted me to the news that R. Crumb had put out an illustrated version of Genesis, I ran down to my local comic store that day, as well as to my local Borders Books, to see a copy. R. Crumb is likely unfamiliar to most readers of The Daily Voice, though odds are good you've seen some of his images at some point. He is considered the founder of the underground comics movement (i.e. think "adult"), with a unique style that is instantly recognizable. He's definitely not the first illustrator that would come to mind if one was thinking about a Bible-related project (in fact, he claims to be essentially Gnostic in his religious beliefs), and indeed the sales guys at both stores (who both happened to be very acquainted with his work, but not this particular book) were utterly shocked when I told them about his project.

Why review a resource that has been around for many (30!) years? First, because there are always persons for whom a "standard" resource is an undiscovered gem. Second, because even those of us who have been in faith formation ministries for years tend to forget about resources that are devoted to just one part of the church year. Third, Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? is a publication that changes its content each year. And finally, this review will hopefully serve as a reminder to those who have put off placing their order that it's time to act...now!

Produced by Alternatives for Simple Living, one of my all-time favorite sources for terrific, progressive resources, Whose Birthday is it, Anyway? is a 48-page Advent publication for individuals, families, and churches that wish to celebrate a Christ-centered, justice-oriented, ecologically-responsible season. Formerly produced in both ecumenical and denominational-specific versions, this year's edition only comes in one flavor, the ecumenical version. (Technically, there is a version specifically for Canadians, but you won't find that using the link.) The cost starts at $3.50 per copy, but rapidly decreases the more copies you purchase. Additionally, it's even possible to buy a reprint license to copy and reproduce portions of the content.

The highlights of this year's edition include...

At some time, each one of us has encountered someone that is a bit scary. We may not have used the word scary, but for one reason or another, we are reluctant to interact with this person. Doing so would require stepping outside of our comfort zone. Emily Jenkins has written a children’s book that addresses this topic.

the little bit SCARY people is a reminder not to judge people based on their looks, or on the brief glimpse of themselves that you may see. A young girl describes the “little bit SCARY people” that she encounters. Following a description of each person, she imagines another side of his or her personality.

Twenty-one years ago, I picked up a little book at my local Christian bookstore that was selling like crazy. It was called, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988. When that didn't happen, the author came out with a revision called The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989, promising - you guessed it - a really big event that year. As I recall (yes, sadly I bought that one too), he had made a calculation error that had something to do with the year zero. Even though I was pretty firmly planted in the world of liberal theology and biblical interpretation by that point, I have to admit I was just a bit shaken by these two books. Call it the "What if" factor. What if he's right? What if I've been misled by all of my study of the New Testament? And, of course, What if he's just a crackpot milking the fundamentalist faithful for money?

Those books come to mind whenever I teach Bible studies on Revelation, as well as when I read books about contemporary apocalyptic movements. One of the latest of these books to catch my attention is by Michael Baigent, a historian known for some pretty radical religious theories, called Racing Toward Armageddon: The Three Great Religions and the Plot to End the World (HarperOne, 2009, 304 pp.) I was expecting something a little wild and sensational, given the title; instead, I found myself engaged by a well-researched account of the apocalyptic movements within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well by his very good summary of the historical themes of the book of Revelation.

We live in a world where wars and acts of violence seem to be ever present in the news. The discovery of the children’s book, Peaceful Heroes by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Sean Addy is a breath of fresh air in such a world. The heroes whose stories are told here provide hope that there are peaceful alternatives; violence does not have to be the way to change the world.

Peaceful Heroes introduces fourteen individuals who have changed the world. Each tale is unique. The lives of these persons have impacted the world in different ways. The common denominator among these people is their commitment to helping others through peace and not violence.

The arrival of a new book by Bishop John Shelby Spong brings about rejoicing in certain circles, and no doubt dismay in others. This time, there may be at least some rejoicing even by those who are not at all his fans, as he has declared this will be his final book. Of course, he has written that in previous books, but both his age and the fact that he sees this as his culminating work make that a believable statement.

I tend to be in the "love him" category, though I definitely have found some books to be far better than others. His book The Sins of Scripture, for example, would likely make my list of 25 books every progressive educator should read (were I to have such a compiled list!) In Eternal LIfe: A New Vision of Eternity: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell (Harper One, 2009, 268 pp.), Spong turns his attention to all things ultimate. The result is a book which -- while mildly disappointing -- is still a worthwhile addition to a topic many of us just don't know how to talk about very well.