Looking for some new songs for worship? Would you like songs that are contemporary and singable? Are you interested in worship songs that at times challenge and at other times reassure? How about songs that reflect an inclusive and justice-loving theology? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I highly recommend that you take a listen to Bryan Sirchio’s latest CD, “Something Beautiful for God: 24 Songs for Worship and Group Singing”.

The songs on this CD are the same songs in the previously available “Something Beautiful for God” piano songbook. For the CD Bryan has produced the songs as he would do them with a worship band in church. Therefore, listening to the CD will give you an idea of what each song sounds like and which ones you might use for worship. Of course, if you are not in charge of worship music, you can simply listen to the CD, as I do!

If asked to recommend some good books about Paul for laypersons and church professionals, there are several candidates that would come to mind. Two, though, would receive my top recommendation. Borg and Crossan's The First Paul would be tops on my list for its lucid and important description of the de-radicalization of Paul's message by the early church. (Read my review here.) Next, I'd recommend a forthcoming novel, A Wretched Man: A Novel of Paul the Apostle by RW Holmen, a compelling exploration of the Jewish (Nazarenes) and Gentile (Pauline) movements in the first century. If you've ever struggled to understand Paul's form of faith, Holmen's work of historical fiction will help you to imagine your way into Paul's life and times.

A Wretched Man takes its title from Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" and refers more specifically within the novel to Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7) which has been the focus of scholarly speculation for hundreds of years. Many theories about just what that "thorn" was, including earaches, headaches, sciatica, rheumatism, demonic possession, epilepsy, bad eyesight, lust, depression, a literally embedded thorn, and many other off-beat possibilities. In recent years, some scholars have suggested Paul's thorn was repressed homosexuality. John Shelby Spong, for example, takes this view, writing in his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism that, "A rigidly controlled gay male, I believe, taught the Christian church what the love of God means." (p. 125). 

Rev. Dawn B. Young, Ed.D. is the Director of Christian Education for the Louisiana Conference. She also reviews books for Different Voice. This month, Dawn reviewed women’s study books or studies on Women in the Bible.

Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You by John MacArthur

I am continually asked about Bible study resources for women. For women in mainline or progressive churches there is a lack of strong study materials. While there is a plethora of works that are either watered down or steeped in denominational dogma, little is available for hardcore Biblical exploration that focuses upon women. Personally, I don’t like to categorize Biblical studies, but I do understand the need and more importantly the desire. So let me take a look at a few mainline Bible studies that focus upon women.

Imagine if you will a unique kind of 2000-piece puzzle. Each puzzle box contains just a few pieces, and those pieces have multiple possible places where they may fit. In fact, some pieces can look like they belong, when in reality they just don't fit at all, since the puzzle box doesn't come with a photo of the completed puzzle on the cover. The person who wants to try to put together the whole puzzle has to assemble a whole lot of chaos and ultimately try make some sense of it all. And the likelihood is, even if someone puts together a mostly complete picture, there's a darn good chance someone else will later determine there's an even better way to assemble the pieces. To further complicate matters, millions of people sit on the outside, arguing about this or that placement of a puzzle piece and making daily proclamations about the ultimate meaning of the puzzle for people's lives.

By now, you've probably realized that my illustration is a pretty good description of what it's like to be a biblical scholar. Each individual specializes in some particular niche—epigraphy, cultural customs, textual variants, political systems, and many others—then adds his or her knowledge to the mix. Every so often, a revolutionary theory will pop up that changes the way people understand a large chunk of the biblical text, such as the Q theory of the synoptic gospels' formation, or the Documentary Hypothesis of the formation of the Pentateuch. For many Christians, learning about these theories can inspire anger, frustration, confusion, doubt, or denial, while others find ways of integrating the new information into their belief system, even if that requires a pretty radical personal shift. If you're inclined to be an "integrator," then click to read more. But don't say I didn't warn you...

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...