Culture

Wiley-Blackwell, 2011 RRP $39.95 By Karyl Davison. This book reminds us that the contours of Christianity around the world are complex and enormously diverse. Christians are members of thousands of different churches, speak hundreds if not thousands of different languages and are present in almost every country across the globe. Douglas Jacobsen, Professor of Church History and Theology at Messiah ...

The Righteous Mind Penguin 2012 RRP $19.99 Reviewed by Rob Sandilands Anti-abortion or pro-choice? For or against the ordination of homosexual people? Infant baptism or believer's baptism? These are some of the political and religious divisions that can occur in society and the church. There are times when you can have a mix of all of them within the same ...

Hope in Hell: Inside the world of Doctors without Borders Firefly Books 2010 RRP $24.95 Reviewed by Marian Zaunbrecher. As a mother of a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) member, I am aware of the difficulties faced by these organisations. Disease and injustice co-exist within political, cultural and social parameters about which the NGO must remain neutral in order to retain effectiveness. ...

Cuttle Fish, Clones & Cluster Bombs: preaching, politics & ecology Darton, Longman & Todd, 2010 RRP $34.95 Reviewed by Peter Harvey Rural Ministry Associate, Presbytery of WA. Michael Northcott is Professor of Ethics at the University of Edinburgh. He has written extensively on economic ethics, biotechnology, and apocalyptic religion and violence. He is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed ...

Living without Enemies: Being present in the midst of violence IVP Books 2011 RRP $17.95 Reviewed by Peter Harvey, Rural Ministry Associate, Presbytery of WA. In Living without Enemies, theologian Samuel Wells (dean of Duke University Chapel and professor of Christian ethics at Duke Divinity School) and community activist Marcia Owen (executive director of the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent ...

Polebridge Press, 2013 RRP $25.00 Reviewed by Rev Bryan Gilmour Past Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland As a conservative evangelical Christian of the latter decades of the twentieth century, I always felt ill at ease with the narrow confines of the dogmatic creeds and the "straightjacket" formulas of belief that Christians were expected to adhere to within the ...

Mosaic Press, 2012 RRP $44.95 Reviewed by Marian Zaunbrecher. As a result of radical innovation at one of our theological colleges, Ministerial Education Commission meetings over the past few years have seen heated discussions as to what constitutes "formation". This book is not only a valuable addition to this debate but a resource for those concerned with theological education. Transforming ...

Zondervan 2007 RRP $20.99 Reviewed by Wendy Scott. The authors are both lecturers in youth ministry at Fuller Theological College in the US, and experienced in practical youth ministry. Deep Justice in a Broken World advances the view that most youth and church outreach work is superficial, making the worker feel righteous while further oppressing those on the receiving end. ...

URO Media 2012 RRP $90 Retired architect James W (Jim) Gibson, a member of Indooroopilly Uniting Church, is passionate about Australia's modest timber church buildings. This work by Brisbane heritage conservation architect, Robert Riddel, is important in publicly acknowledging and detailing the life and accomplishments of one of Australia's more influential and talented early twentieth-century architects. Robin Dods – Selected ...

Namaste Publishing 2012 RRP $22.99 Reviewed by Bob Warrick. The name Hildegard probably does not come up very often in our conversations, however Fox brings this 12th century "mover and shaker" fresh into our times, showing how her voice speaks to the issues of today, and offering us the opportunity of getting to know this remarkable woman. Fox uses five ...