The Heart of the World: An Introduction to Contemplative Christianity

By Thomas Keating Publisher: Crossroad Publishing Company
Details: 98 pages, paperback, c. 2008, $14.95

Description: The Christian heritage contains a rich contemplative wisdom, literature, and practice, and this volume is written for those who would like to find enrichment in spiritual practices grounded in non-Christian religions while retaining basic Christian commitments.  Traditional Christian subjects such as sacrifice, redemption, salvation, faith, and prayer are discussed to foster understanding of their contemplative aspects.  Explanations on how practices such as Lectio Divina clear the mind of the hectic nature of everyday life and help prepare the heart for profound listening to the divine within are also included.

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O Come Emmanuel: A Musical Tour of Daily Readings for Advent and Christmas

By Gordon Giles Publisher: Paraclete Press
Details: 165 pages, paperback, c. 2007, $15.95

Description: Make Christmas special this year by exploring the legends, message, and theology behind some of your favorite carols and hymns.  This book of daily devotions will take you from December 1 to January 6, from the first days of Advent, through Christmas, ending at Epiphany.  Each day, Gordon Giles invites you to draw closer to God through spiritual and historical explorations of beloved, familiar music.
As you read and reflect, you will be asked to consider the meaning of some of the famous Christmas carols that we sometimes sing without a passing thought.  You will be introduced to obscure saints as well as living poets and musicians of faith, and you will hear the timeless truths of love and forgiveness, pain and loss, darkness and light.

“If, like me, you have always been confused by the imagery of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas,’ you will find this book both compelling and illuminating.  Gordon Giles has selected a kaleidoscopic mixture of musical settings of scripture, hymns and carols, from Gibbons to Taizé, Plainchant to Kendrick, via Bach, Berlioz, Vaughan Williams, Menotti and many others.  He writes with engaging insight and perception, providing us with material for reflection, prayer and meditation.” —John Scott, Organist and Director of Music, St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York City

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Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton

Edited by Morgan C. Atkinson with Jonathan Montaldo Publisher: Liturgical Press
Details: 208 pages, paperback, c. 2008, $19.95

Description: A companion to award-winning producer Morgan Atkinson's documentary of the same title, this work draws us into the geographical landscape of Thomas Merton’s life in America, a landscape that was intrinsic to his spiritual journey.  Containing a considerable amount of rich material unused in the documentary, Soul Searching is alive with the narrative of those who either knew Merton well or passionately care about him: Father Daniel Berrigan, Rosemary Ruether, Martin Marty, Paul Elie, and many others.  Their insights are linked to the places—from the Abbey of Gethsemani to the Redwoods Monastery in California, from New York City to Christ in the Desert Monastery in New Mexico—that both nurtured and shaped Merton.  The picture that emerges, through both the narrative and vivid photography, is filled with provocative insights into the interior landscape of one of the spiritual giants of modern times.

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Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise

By Barack Obama Publisher: Random House, Inc..
Details: 288 pages, paperback, c. 2008, $13.95

Description: Change We Can Believe In outlines Barack Obama's vision for America.  In these pages you will find bold and specific ideas about how to fix our ailing economy and strengthen the middle class, make health care affordable for all, achieve energy independence, and keep America safe in a dangerous world.  Change We Can Believe In asks you not just to believe in Barack Obama’s ability to bring change to Washington, it asks you to believe in yours.

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Old Testament Theology: An Introduction

By Walter Brueggemann Publisher: Abingdon Press
Details: 433 pages, paperback, c. 2008, $32

Description: In this first volume in the Library of Biblical Theology series, Walter Brueggemann portrays the key components in Israel's encounter with God as recorded in the Hebrew Bible.  Creation, election, Torah, the divine hand in history; these and other theological high points appear both in their original historical context, and their ongoing relevance for contemporary Jewish and Christian self-understanding.

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