Orbis Books
Family violence; reclaiming a theology of nonviolence.
Albrecht, a family life educator and associate Mennonite chaplain, addresses the subject of family violence and how Christian churches possess the tools to reduce its harmful effects on our society. By using the analogy of a tree, the author explains how leaves are the physical signs of this violence, and branches are the factors that connect causes for these incidents. By introducing a theological basis to her solution, the author explains how to treat the "root" causes of violence by addressing the social factors that create these environments. This book, while written from a feminine perspective in regards to violence, will be useful for anyone who deals with family violence on a professional basis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Gandhi and Jesus; the saving power of nonviolence.
Rynne (peace studies, Marquette U.) finds in the life of Gandhi inspiration and understanding about the life and teachings of Jesus. He shares his insights with others, in the context of contemporary biblical scholarship. His themes include Gandhian satyagraha, the multiple versions of salvation theologies, and rethinking Christian salvation in the light of Gandhi's satyagraha. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
JFK and the unspeakable; why he died and why it matters.
Douglass (a longtime peace activist with the Catholic Workers) borrows the term "the Unspeakable" from Catholic philosopher Thomas Merton in order to point towards a form of systemic evil that he believes resulted in the death of John F. Kennedy. He argues that Kennedy was slowly, and in contradictory manner, turning away from the Cold War hawkishness of his younger years towards peace. He lays out the evidence for this turn, including secret dialogues with Soviet leader Kruschev, and argues that it caused the US military- intelligence establishment to have Kennedy killed. After examining the assassination in some detail, he concludes that the Central Intelligence Agency was the coordinating instrument for the assassination but that responsibility was far more systemic and, well, "Unspeakable." (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The other game; lessons from how life is played in Mexican villages.
Dahl-Bredine is a lay minister with the Maryknoll Lay Missioner Association; he and his wife currently live in the village of San Isidro, Tilantongo, in the Mixteca Alta of Oaxaca. Hicken has worked for 25 years in the U.S. and Latin America in the field addressing poverty, strengthening human rights, and building international solidarity. They offer an inside look at the lifestyle and worldview of the Mixtec indigenous compesino communities of southern Mexico. Their text explores current indigenous and popular movements in Latin America to see if they may offer alternative approaches for creating a sustainable future which should be considered by the U.S. and other northern hemisphere countries. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Praying with icons, rev. ed.
Forest has written biographies of Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, both of whom were very fond of icons, and is himself a convert to the Russian Orthodox Church, where they are used extensively. He begins by explaining what icons are, their history, how they are made, and other features. Then he discusses prayer. The core of his work are sections on the types of icons, the biblical and other stories behind them, symbolic elements, and some account of how he and others have used them. A final section suggests prayers to be used with icons on various occasions. There is no index. The first edition was published in 1997. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Simone Weil; a brief introduction, 2d ed.
A Methodist minister at Wesley House, Cambridge, Plant profiles French philosopher, mystic, and activist Weil (1909-43) for a series on thinkers who have made a significant contribution to Christian thought. His account was first published in 1996 by Fount, London, an imprint of HarperCollins; in the second edition, he incorporates his considerable reading and thinking about her and her writing over the intervening decade. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
