Christianity | FrogenYozurt.Com - Online Literature Magazine

Why Priests?, A Stunning Critique of the Roman Catholic Priesthood by Garry Wills

On February 16, 2013, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Religious Studies, by Editor

In his most provocative book yet, Pulitzer Prize–winner Garry Wills asks the radical question: Why do we need priests? Wills concludes with a powerful statement of his own beliefs in a book that will appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike and stand for years to come as a towering achievement.

The Testament of Mary, A Novel by Colm Toibin

On November 10, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Novel, by Editor

PROVOCATIVE, HAUNTING AND INDELIBLE, Colm Tóibín’s portrait of Mary presents her as a solitary older woman still seeking to understand the events that become the narrative of the New Testament and the foundation of Christianity. Tóibín’s tour de force of imagination and language is a portrait so vivid and convincing that our image of Mary will be forever transformed.

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis – A Book About the Struggle to Keep Faith by Lauren Winner

On May 20, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Religious Studies, by Editor

Witty, relatable, and fiercely honest, Winner lays bare her experience of what she calls the “middle” of the spiritual life. In elegant and spare prose, she explores why—in the midst of the overwhelming anxiety, loneliness, and boredom of her deepest questioning about where (or if) God is—the Christian story still explains who she is better than any other story she’s ever known. Still is an absorbing meditation combining literary grace with spiritual wisdom. It is sure to resonate with anyone looking to sustain a spiritual life in the midst of real life.

Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation by Elaine Pagels

On March 9, 2012, in Book Reviews, History, Nonfiction, Religious Studies, by Editor

In this startling and timely book, Pagels returns The Book of Revelation to its historical origin, written as its author John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire after what is now known as “the Jewish War,” in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired with religious fervor, waged an all-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea and their defeat resulted in the desecration of Jerusalem and its Great Temple.

Habibi – A Contemporary And Timeless Love Story by Craig Thompson

On September 5, 2011, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

At once contemporary and timeless, Habibi gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.

The Hour that Matters Most: The Surprising Power of the Family Meal

On September 5, 2011, in Book Reviews, Cooking, Food & Wine, Health, Mind & Body, Nonfiction, by Editor

The facts are on the table. Dinnertime is truly the most important hour in a day that a family can spend together. Focusing on the family meal, this book will help strengthen families by showing them how to reclaim this important time in order to build relationships, draw closer to one another, and restore a sense of peace in their homes. Millions of parents in America can picture the kind of home life they want but don’t know how to make it a reality. The Hour That Matters Most will help readers strengthen and transform their own families—specifically around the dinner table.

The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn

On August 15, 2011, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, by Editor

The Lamb’s Supper reveals a long-lost secret of the Church: The early Christians’ key to understanding the mysteries of the Mass was the New Testament Book of Revelation. With its bizarre imagery, its mystic visions of heaven, and its end-of-time prophecies, Revelation mirrors the sacrifice and celebration of the Eucharist.

No Closure: Catholic Practice and Boston’s Parish Shutdowns by John C. Seitz

On July 27, 2011, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, by Editor

In 2004 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston announced plans to close or merge more than eighty parish churches. Scores of Catholics—28,000, by the archdiocese’s count—would be asked to leave their parishes. The closures came just two years after the first major revelations of clergy sexual abuse and its cover up. Wounds from this profound betrayal of trust had not healed.

Render Unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church by Jason Berry

On July 23, 2011, in Book Reviews, Business & Investing, Nonfiction, by Editor

The Sunday collection in every Catholic church throughout the world is as familiar a part of the Mass as the homily and even Communion. There is no doubt that historically the Catholic Church has been one of the great engines of charity in history. But once a dollar is dropped in that basket, where does it go? How are weekly cash contributions that can amount to tens of thousands of dollars accounted for? Where does the money go when a diocese sells a church property for tens of millions of dollars?

Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire at the Gates of Tassajara by Colleen Morton Busch

On July 19, 2011, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, by Editor

Fire Monks pivots on the kind of moment some seek and some run from, when life and death hang in simultaneous view. Novices in fire but experts in readiness, the Tassajara monks summoned both intuition and wisdom to face crisis with startling clarity. The result is a profound lesson in the art of living.