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Book Stirs Controversy—Four Years After Publication
A book about understanding God contains “misrepresentations, ambiguities, and errors that bear upon the faith of the Catholic Church,” according to a statement released March 30 by the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Committee on Doctrine. The 21-page document stated that Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God (Continuum, 2007) by Sister Elizabeth Johnson “does not take the faith of the Church as its starting point.” Johnson is a distinguished professor of theology at Fordham University.
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Bart Ehrman: Was the Bible Forged?
New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman, author of Misquoting Jesus, is once again raising questions about the Bible’s trustworthiness in his new book, Forged: Writing in the Name of God--Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are (HarperOne, April). Ehrman argues the authors of at least 10 books of the New Testament likely tried to deceive readers by signing someone else’s name to them. RBL contributor G. Jeffrey MacDonald reached him at his University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill office.
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Religion in Review
Deepak Chopra on being a superhero; a minister’s memoir of defending gays in the church; thoughts on navigating the Digital Reformation; the Bible as the soul of Western civilization; Dion on his “ferocious Catholicism”; unmasking Scientology; Irshad Manji”s latest on Islam; plus Web Exclusive reviews.
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Runaround Catholic: Dion Writes Spiritual Memoir
“He always had the name that said it all--Dion.” That’s from Bruce Springsteen, who knows a little bit about music. Dion DiMucci--yes, he has a last name--is a multi-platinum musician, member of the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, and a “ferocious Catholic,” he writes in Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth (St. Anthony Messenger/Servant, Apr.; reviewed in this issue). “It was a long time in coming,” said DiMucci, who will be 72 in July and still tours.
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Spring Books on Islam Get Personal
It can probably be said that the number of books on Islam published in the decade since 9/11 is double that published in the decade before. While initially larger publishers mostly engaged in an “Islam 101” frenzy, that page seems to have turned, with more specialized and personal titles coming from smaller, niche houses. Today titles vary from personal narrative to scholarly analysis of a particular sub-genre within Islam.
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A Crop of New Books Explores Homosexuality and the Church
Religious movements often build on a variety of texts: key scriptures, treatises, tales of pioneers and heroes. For gay Christians, the time has come to fill in a few gaps, and publishers are eager to contribute. Recent and forthcoming releases help develop what have been seen, at least in gay circles, as categories needing further exploration. The trend equips readers to wrestle anew with questions of scriptural interpretation, biblical authority, and what it means to love one’s neighbor. And some of the season’s biggest authors in this subject area aren’t gay.
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Short Takes
Revell signs Spangler for Names of God Bible; Christian Writers Guild acquires Christian Writers Market Guide; Tyndale licenses Son of Hamas in Arabic and repackages Left Behind books; David C. Cook wins two Outreach awards and 17 ADDYs; Regal author Metaxis wins Outreach award too; Standard’s Happy Day children’s line tops 4 million in sales; Retailers Choice Awards voting opens; World Harvest Mission partners with New Growth Press.
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Editor’s Note
That many American Catholics are devoted to the Church and engaged with its mission isn’t news, but if it needed proving there was lots of evidence at the L.A. Religious Education Congress earlier this month. I attended for the first time after hearing from publishers of Catholic books about how helpful the meeting has become for them. As several said, “This is the one place we get to interact with the public and find out what they are interested in.” Publishers also get to meet with teachers, parish DREs (directors of religious education), members of religious orders, and others who use their books both professionally and personally. I was impressed by the scale and level of enthusiasm at the event, and by the robustness of the business of publishing books for Catholics.
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Religion in Review
Another in his Jesus of Nazareth series from Pope Benedict XVI; Rob Bell on heaven and hell; C.K. Robertson introduces twelve “blessed troublemakers”; David Platt tells how to be Radical Together; Noll and Nystrom on Christianity in Asia and Africa; as 2012 nears, A Clarion Call; a sneak peek at religion reviews in the April 4 PW; a starred review for April 11; and links to Web Exclusive reviews.
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Cokie and Steven Roberts: Our Haggadah: Uniting Traditions for Interfaith Families
Political commentators Cokie and Steven Roberts have written about their interfaith marriage before, but their latest book gives a concrete example of how it works. Our Haggadah: Uniting Traditions for Interfaith Families (Harper, Mar.) is a practical, plainly written guide to the Passover seder, the ritual meal at the heart of Judaism’s spring holiday. For Steven, who is Jewish, and Cokie, who is Roman Catholic, the annual feast is an occasion to celebrate the shared values of both religions. Reporter Yonat Shimron caught up with them between book tours.
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Call for Information: Religion/Spirituality Publishers at BEA 2011
Publishers Weekly's BookExpo Show Daily will be distributed on May 24, May 25, and May 26. On each of those days, the Daily will be available to conventioneers before the exhibits open, with early-morning distribution at shuttle bus stops, selected hotels, and at the exhibition hall. The Show Daily will cover major publishing and bookselling issues of interest and significance to convention-goers and will highlight many of the events scheduled for BookExpo. We will also cover the pre-BEA events held on Monday, May 23.
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April 2011 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers
Sarah Young hangs on to the top spot; Rob Bell’s controversial book debuts at number 2; new fiction from Blackstock and Kingsbury makes the paperback list.
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Foundational Books the Focus for Two Publishers
If it’s true that a book takes on a life of its own, then each has a life story waiting to be told. So let the telling begin--starting with books that have sought the divine and rocked history, one soul at a time. That’s the ambitious idea behind the new Lives of Great Religious Books series, which debuted March 24 from Princeton University Press. A similar concept is helping grow religion books in the Penguin Classics series from the Penguin Group (USA).
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Passover and Easter: New Books Foster Peace between Jews and Christians
If there’s one theme that unites this year’s crop of Passover and Easter releases it’s the spirit of goodwill. From Our Haggadah: Uniting Traditions for Interfaith Families by Cokie Roberts and Steven V. Roberts (Harper, Mar.; Q&A in this issue) to Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection by Pope Benedict XVI (Ignatius Press, Mar.; reviewed in this issue), these books transcend the centuries-old acrimony over the death of Jesus that has often made this a fraught season.
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Rob Bell Controversy Spawns First Response Book
The first book responding to Rob Bell’s controversial Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived is due out April 21. Christ Alone: An Evangelical Response to Rob Bell’s Love Wins will be published by Grand Rapids-based Edenridge Press. The author is Grand Rapids Theological Seminary professor Michael E. Wittmer, who has written Heaven is a Place on Earth (Zondervan, 2004) and Don’t Stop Believing (Zondervan, 2008).
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'Unofficial Chaplain of The Colbert Report' a Big Hit at L.A. Congress
James Martin, a Jesuit priest who has become a bestselling author and the new face of Catholicism in the media (he has made so many appearances on The Colbert Report he’s been called its “the unofficial chaplain”) drew a capacity crowd to the Anaheim Convention Center’s arena on Saturday (Mar. 19) at the L.A. Religious Education Congress.
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L.A. Congress Highlights 'Big Books' for Catholics
The biggest book-related stories for Catholics these days are the release of the revised edition of the New American Bible—the officially approved translation--and the update of the Roman Missal, the ritual text used for Mass by Catholics worldwide.
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Catholic Congress Draws 40,000 in Anaheim
The L.A. Religious Education Congress--an annual gathering of Roman Catholic educators, lay ministers, members of religious orders, Catholic youth, and laity—met March 18-20 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The gathering, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, drew more than 40,000 attendees to an extensive slate of workshops, performances, and special events, as well as a growing book exhibit.
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Understanding Necessary Suffering: Richard Rohr
As a Franciscan priest, inspirational speaker, spiritual director, and author of more than 20 books, Richard Rohr guides thousands of people in their quest to lead more balanced lives. But he acknowledges he hasn't quite perfected the art himself.
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Spring 2011 Religion Announcements
Upcoming religion books for Spring 2011
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