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February 2024 MBR The Christian Studies Shelf
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Midwest Book Review
Feb 18, 2024, 9:38:58 AMFeb 18
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The Christian Studies Shelf
One Sunday at a Time
Mark Hart
Ave Maria Press
www.avemariapress.com
9781646802654, $24.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Sunday-Time-Cycle-Preparing/dp/1646802659
Synopsis: With the publication of "One Sunday at a Time (Cycle B): Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass", Mark Hart has created the essential companion to the Sunday readings and an ideal resource for busy Catholics who want to get more out of Mass.
After almost thirty years in ministry, Hart hears two questions most often: "How do I get more out of Mass?" and "Where do I start?"
His response? Begin with what you're already doing - going to Mass. You'll understand the Bible better, receive God's grace, and the liturgy will come to life for you in a whole new way.
The extra features of each Sunday are designed to help you initiate faith-based conversations with your family and friends, form the habit of scripture study, and carve out time for God every week.
In "One Sunday at a Time" features: Color-coded sections that correspond to the liturgical seasons; Brief summaries of the Mass readings for Sundays, major feasts, and solemnities in liturgical year Cycle B; Engaging reflections that draw your attention to a primary theme and common threads among the readings each week; Explanation of key Greek and Hebrew words in the biblical text; Fun facts and cultural context of the biblical world.
"One Sunday at a Time" also includes prayers and a weekly challenge to help put into practice the message of each week's readings in your daily life. Wide margins are ideal for notetaking. Readers have identified this book as the perfect companion to Every Sacred Sunday.
Critique: A beautiful, full-color book that is ideal for individuals, families, RCIA classes, and small groups, "One Sunday at a Time" is inspired and inspiring as it fulfills its implied promise to its readers that with just ten minutes a week it can help them experience Sunday Mass more fully and deepen their love of the Word of God. While also readily available for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and all members of the Catholic community, "One Sunday at a Time" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Mark Hart serves as Executive Vice President for Life Teen International. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a twenty-year veteran of youth ministry, Mark Hart is one of the most sought-after speakers serving in the Catholic Church, today. His latest DVD resources - "Altaration" and "The 99" - are receiving praise across the globe as a revolutionary and vital work for the young Catholic Church.
The author (or co-author) of over two dozen books, including best-sellers "Blessed are the Bored in Spirit", "Behold the Mystery", "Ask the Bible Geek", "100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know" and "The 99 Handbook". Mark's writing style is humorous yet deep, accessible to and enjoyed by readers of all ages.
Mark is also a co-host of the wildly popular "The Catholic Guy Show" on Sirius XM 129 and is a Research Fellow for the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Mark's sense of humor and his passion for Scripture - as experienced in his DVD Bible Study Series, "T3" and "Encounter" - are helping hundreds of thousands of young Catholics, begin to read and study the Bible in engaging and relevant ways.
Pope Francis as Moral Leader
Thomas Massaro SJ
Paulist Press
www.paulistpress.com
9780809156634, $29.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pope-Francis-Moral-Leader-Communicator/dp/0809156636
Synopsis: With the publication of "Pope Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate for Social Justice", Thomas Massaro, SJ deftly describes and analyzes the contribution of Pope Francis makes as an ethicist, a practitioner of discernment, a skilled communicator, and a strong advocate for social justice on the global stage.
"Pope Francis as Moral Leader" also brilliantly highlights Francis's leadership qualities and the ethical achievements of his papacy as he appeals to ethical values and proposes teachings and practices that embody mercy and justice for the church and world.
Critique: As informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "Pope Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate for Social Justice" must be considered essential reading for all members of the Roman Catholic community including clergy and seminary students. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Pope Francis as Moral Leader is unreservedly recommended as a key and core addition to personal, community, seminary, and college/university library Papal Biography/History collections.
Editorial Note: Thomas Massaro, S.J., is Professor of Moral Theology at Fordham University. A Jesuit priest of the Northeast Province, he served as professor of moral theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Boston College, and at Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, where he also served as Dean.
Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family
T. C. Moore
Broadleaf Books
www.broadleafbooks.com
9781506486864, $18.99, PB, 181pp
https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Following-Jesus-into-Family/dp/150648686X
Synopsis: The Jesus Way calls us into community with others to form a new kind of family -- a forged family. In an era when our relationships with our families of origin are more complicated than ever, with the publication of "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family" pastor T. C. Moore shows us how following the way of Jesus can lead us to forged families that are authentic and life-giving.
Our forged families are the ones who love us for who we are and show up for us when we're in desperate need. Our forged families are the ones with whom we've worked through conflict. Our forged families make us who we are, strengthen our faith, and sustain us through life's many challenges.
"Forged" also weaves together stories from the author's over twenty years of experience with having an urban, multiethnic ministry all over the US, with principles from Scripture, and his own experience as an ex-gang member turned church planter and pastor to propose a way of approaching faith in community that rejects hierarchical, bureaucratic structures in favor of formative, inclusive friendships that last.
Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family" is a fascinating, informative, and potentially life changing, life enhancing read from start to finish. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49), "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family" is especially and unreservedly recommended for church, community, seminary, and college/university library Christian Studies/Social Issues, and Christian Spiritual Growth collections.
Editorial Note: Rev. T. C. Moore (https://tcmoore.net) is a pastor, graffiti artist, writer, and theology nerd. He serves as lead pastor of Roots, a Moravian community in St. Paul, Minnesota, and works with court-involved youth and young adults, applying restorative-justice practices. Since Jesus liberated him from gang life as a teenager, he has developed mentoring programs, planted churches, and served in community-based nonprofits for over two decades. He is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Center for Urban Ministerial Education in Boston. He lives in St. Paul with his wife, Osheta, and their three teenage children.
The Prayers of Saint Sarapion
The Bishop of Thmuis
Maxwell E. Johnson, translator
SVS Press
www.svspress.com
9780881417524, $26.00, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Prayers-Saint-Sarapion-Bishop-Thmuis/dp/0881417521
Synopsis: St Sarapion was a friend of St Anthony the Great and St Athanasius, who first lived as a monk and abbot in the Egyptian desert before becoming bishop of Thmuis. "The Prayers of Saint Sarapion" is a translation of the Euchologion (or prayer book) of St Sarapion by Maxwell E. Johnson, and is comprised of thirty prayers for Baptism, the Liturgy, and several other needs and situations. This edition from SVS Press includes the original Greek along with the translation.
Critique: A part of the outstanding Popular Patristics Series from SVS Press and unreservedly recommended to the attention of the Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities, it should be noted that "The Prayers of Saint Sarapion" is also available for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: There is an informative biography hand history of Saint Sarapion online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serapion_the_Sindonite
Knights and Ladies, Women and Men
C.J.S. Hayward
CJS Hayward Publications
https://cjshayward.com/klwm
9781731239594, $20.00 Hardcover/$15.00 Paperback/$5.00 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Knights-Ladies-Women-Men-Hayward/dp/B09L52B43C
Knights and Ladies, Women and Men comes from the pen and promising enlightenment of C.J.S. Hayward, joining others in his 'Best Works' series that synthesizes his thoughts and Orthodoxy approach to life and spirituality into digestible contemporary subjects that ordinary readers can easily absorb.
"Vive la difference!" -- C.J.S. Hayward outlines this sentiment in his introduction to the survey, then celebrates and supports it in chapters that juxtapose seemingly disparate subjects, from archaeology and the works of C.S. Lewis to linguistic and moral discourses on inclusive and exclusive language, reading romance books, and devising fantasies about what life should be. Orthodoxy thought connects these seemingly disparate dots into a unified theory of spiritual reflection that will especially serve readers who seek religious, philosophical, and moral examinations in writings about everyday life events and experiences: "The idea of making plans for your life, and then trying to make life conform to your dreams, is inside and outside of romance a recipe for not enjoying circumstances where you can be truly happy. Part of the Orthodox understanding of Providence is that God gives his children situations of happiness that we would never even have dreamed of."
From theological reflections on the subject of contraception to women's perceptions, rights, and treatment, Hayward creates a wide-ranging inspection filled with thoughts both provocative and perhaps, among some circles, even controversial. This, in turn, provides opportunities for not just personal enlightenment, but group discussion and debate that also sheds important light on the connections between Orthodox thinking and daily living in general, and women and men in particular.
The result complements and elevates Hayward's writings as a whole, and is highly recommended for libraries seeing prior interest in Orthodoxy works in general and Hayward's discourses in particular.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.
The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com
Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
One Sunday at a Time
Mark Hart
Ave Maria Press
www.avemariapress.com
9781646802654, $24.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Sunday-Time-Cycle-Preparing/dp/1646802659
Synopsis: With the publication of "One Sunday at a Time (Cycle B): Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass", Mark Hart has created the essential companion to the Sunday readings and an ideal resource for busy Catholics who want to get more out of Mass.
After almost thirty years in ministry, Hart hears two questions most often: "How do I get more out of Mass?" and "Where do I start?"
His response? Begin with what you're already doing - going to Mass. You'll understand the Bible better, receive God's grace, and the liturgy will come to life for you in a whole new way.
The extra features of each Sunday are designed to help you initiate faith-based conversations with your family and friends, form the habit of scripture study, and carve out time for God every week.
In "One Sunday at a Time" features: Color-coded sections that correspond to the liturgical seasons; Brief summaries of the Mass readings for Sundays, major feasts, and solemnities in liturgical year Cycle B; Engaging reflections that draw your attention to a primary theme and common threads among the readings each week; Explanation of key Greek and Hebrew words in the biblical text; Fun facts and cultural context of the biblical world.
"One Sunday at a Time" also includes prayers and a weekly challenge to help put into practice the message of each week's readings in your daily life. Wide margins are ideal for notetaking. Readers have identified this book as the perfect companion to Every Sacred Sunday.
Critique: A beautiful, full-color book that is ideal for individuals, families, RCIA classes, and small groups, "One Sunday at a Time" is inspired and inspiring as it fulfills its implied promise to its readers that with just ten minutes a week it can help them experience Sunday Mass more fully and deepen their love of the Word of God. While also readily available for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and all members of the Catholic community, "One Sunday at a Time" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Mark Hart serves as Executive Vice President for Life Teen International. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a twenty-year veteran of youth ministry, Mark Hart is one of the most sought-after speakers serving in the Catholic Church, today. His latest DVD resources - "Altaration" and "The 99" - are receiving praise across the globe as a revolutionary and vital work for the young Catholic Church.
The author (or co-author) of over two dozen books, including best-sellers "Blessed are the Bored in Spirit", "Behold the Mystery", "Ask the Bible Geek", "100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know" and "The 99 Handbook". Mark's writing style is humorous yet deep, accessible to and enjoyed by readers of all ages.
Mark is also a co-host of the wildly popular "The Catholic Guy Show" on Sirius XM 129 and is a Research Fellow for the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Mark's sense of humor and his passion for Scripture - as experienced in his DVD Bible Study Series, "T3" and "Encounter" - are helping hundreds of thousands of young Catholics, begin to read and study the Bible in engaging and relevant ways.
Pope Francis as Moral Leader
Thomas Massaro SJ
Paulist Press
www.paulistpress.com
9780809156634, $29.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pope-Francis-Moral-Leader-Communicator/dp/0809156636
Synopsis: With the publication of "Pope Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate for Social Justice", Thomas Massaro, SJ deftly describes and analyzes the contribution of Pope Francis makes as an ethicist, a practitioner of discernment, a skilled communicator, and a strong advocate for social justice on the global stage.
"Pope Francis as Moral Leader" also brilliantly highlights Francis's leadership qualities and the ethical achievements of his papacy as he appeals to ethical values and proposes teachings and practices that embody mercy and justice for the church and world.
Critique: As informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "Pope Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate for Social Justice" must be considered essential reading for all members of the Roman Catholic community including clergy and seminary students. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Pope Francis as Moral Leader is unreservedly recommended as a key and core addition to personal, community, seminary, and college/university library Papal Biography/History collections.
Editorial Note: Thomas Massaro, S.J., is Professor of Moral Theology at Fordham University. A Jesuit priest of the Northeast Province, he served as professor of moral theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Boston College, and at Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, where he also served as Dean.
Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family
T. C. Moore
Broadleaf Books
www.broadleafbooks.com
9781506486864, $18.99, PB, 181pp
https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Following-Jesus-into-Family/dp/150648686X
Synopsis: The Jesus Way calls us into community with others to form a new kind of family -- a forged family. In an era when our relationships with our families of origin are more complicated than ever, with the publication of "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family" pastor T. C. Moore shows us how following the way of Jesus can lead us to forged families that are authentic and life-giving.
Our forged families are the ones who love us for who we are and show up for us when we're in desperate need. Our forged families are the ones with whom we've worked through conflict. Our forged families make us who we are, strengthen our faith, and sustain us through life's many challenges.
"Forged" also weaves together stories from the author's over twenty years of experience with having an urban, multiethnic ministry all over the US, with principles from Scripture, and his own experience as an ex-gang member turned church planter and pastor to propose a way of approaching faith in community that rejects hierarchical, bureaucratic structures in favor of formative, inclusive friendships that last.
Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family" is a fascinating, informative, and potentially life changing, life enhancing read from start to finish. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49), "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family" is especially and unreservedly recommended for church, community, seminary, and college/university library Christian Studies/Social Issues, and Christian Spiritual Growth collections.
Editorial Note: Rev. T. C. Moore (https://tcmoore.net) is a pastor, graffiti artist, writer, and theology nerd. He serves as lead pastor of Roots, a Moravian community in St. Paul, Minnesota, and works with court-involved youth and young adults, applying restorative-justice practices. Since Jesus liberated him from gang life as a teenager, he has developed mentoring programs, planted churches, and served in community-based nonprofits for over two decades. He is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Center for Urban Ministerial Education in Boston. He lives in St. Paul with his wife, Osheta, and their three teenage children.
The Prayers of Saint Sarapion
The Bishop of Thmuis
Maxwell E. Johnson, translator
SVS Press
www.svspress.com
9780881417524, $26.00, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Prayers-Saint-Sarapion-Bishop-Thmuis/dp/0881417521
Synopsis: St Sarapion was a friend of St Anthony the Great and St Athanasius, who first lived as a monk and abbot in the Egyptian desert before becoming bishop of Thmuis. "The Prayers of Saint Sarapion" is a translation of the Euchologion (or prayer book) of St Sarapion by Maxwell E. Johnson, and is comprised of thirty prayers for Baptism, the Liturgy, and several other needs and situations. This edition from SVS Press includes the original Greek along with the translation.
Critique: A part of the outstanding Popular Patristics Series from SVS Press and unreservedly recommended to the attention of the Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities, it should be noted that "The Prayers of Saint Sarapion" is also available for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: There is an informative biography hand history of Saint Sarapion online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serapion_the_Sindonite
Knights and Ladies, Women and Men
C.J.S. Hayward
CJS Hayward Publications
https://cjshayward.com/klwm
9781731239594, $20.00 Hardcover/$15.00 Paperback/$5.00 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Knights-Ladies-Women-Men-Hayward/dp/B09L52B43C
Knights and Ladies, Women and Men comes from the pen and promising enlightenment of C.J.S. Hayward, joining others in his 'Best Works' series that synthesizes his thoughts and Orthodoxy approach to life and spirituality into digestible contemporary subjects that ordinary readers can easily absorb.
"Vive la difference!" -- C.J.S. Hayward outlines this sentiment in his introduction to the survey, then celebrates and supports it in chapters that juxtapose seemingly disparate subjects, from archaeology and the works of C.S. Lewis to linguistic and moral discourses on inclusive and exclusive language, reading romance books, and devising fantasies about what life should be. Orthodoxy thought connects these seemingly disparate dots into a unified theory of spiritual reflection that will especially serve readers who seek religious, philosophical, and moral examinations in writings about everyday life events and experiences: "The idea of making plans for your life, and then trying to make life conform to your dreams, is inside and outside of romance a recipe for not enjoying circumstances where you can be truly happy. Part of the Orthodox understanding of Providence is that God gives his children situations of happiness that we would never even have dreamed of."
From theological reflections on the subject of contraception to women's perceptions, rights, and treatment, Hayward creates a wide-ranging inspection filled with thoughts both provocative and perhaps, among some circles, even controversial. This, in turn, provides opportunities for not just personal enlightenment, but group discussion and debate that also sheds important light on the connections between Orthodox thinking and daily living in general, and women and men in particular.
The result complements and elevates Hayward's writings as a whole, and is highly recommended for libraries seeing prior interest in Orthodoxy works in general and Hayward's discourses in particular.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.
The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com
Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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