Culture

Directed by Alejandro Monteverde 91 mins Rated PG Staring Mexican soap opera actor Eduardo Verástegui and highly acclaimed television actor Tammy Blanchard, Bella is an appealing film with a decidedly family-friendly and pro-life focus. Surprising winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, this is a spiritually literate film exploring two troubled people’s responses to an unplanned ...

Allen & Unwin – “Books That Shook the World” RRP $24.95 (Soft cover) Described as “one of the provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world” and as “arguably the most lucid, wide-ranging and consistently interesting religion writer”, Karen Armstrong in On the Bible first tells the story of the writing and coming together of the ...

Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd London 2007 RRP $34.95 Theology can be described as the rational and systematic study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious faith. But to the ordinary person in the pews this is too complex. In 50 Key Concepts in Theology, Hugh Rayment-Pickard has in concrete, straight-forward terms written clear and stylish ...

Jossey-Bass 2007 RRP $32 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. As a lily among the brambles, so is my love among maidens   (Song of Solomon 2: 1 – 2 ) In A Lily Among the Thorns the author Miguel De La Torre, a well-respected ethicist and professor known for his innovative readings of Christian doctrine, gives ...

Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint, San Francisco, 2007RRP: $32.95 In the preface to Soul Graffiti, Scandrette indicates “there is a need for public discourse grounded in both thought and practice about how we connect the details of our daily lives with the present availability of the kingdom of God”. He talks about the integration of our faith into the fabric of ...

Darton Longman and Todd 2007 RRP: $32.95 In the foreword, Ann Pettifor writes ‘This book inspires, leads and instructs. Above all it is a practical route map for those serious about applying their principles to worldly affairs. It will help many rise to the challenges facing us all.’ Bradstock’s background is that he was Secretary for Church and Society in ...

Strand Publishing, Sydney 2007 RRP: $14.95. Paul O’Rourke has compiled this collection of stories of the work of Compassion.  The stories, contributed by 29 writers, will inspire, challenge, change your mind and re-order your priorities. Those who support the work of Compassion in releasing children from poverty will know the names of many of the writers and will enjoy the ...

Templeton Foundation Press RRP: $34.95 Unexpected Grace is one of the most unusual books I have read and certainly unexpected. Bill Kramer seeks to blur the boundaries between faith and science and does so in a somewhat surprising manner. I would encourage readers to begin this one at the beginning, rather than jumping in at another section as I did, ...

Lion 2007 edition $24.95 Parker’s biography of John Calvin originally published in 1975 has been brought into print again in 2007 as a soft cover volume. This new edition contains no major changes from the original carrying Parker’s excellent survey of the events surrounding Calvin’s life. John Calvin: A Biography reveals many insights into the life of this French scholar, ...

Polebridge Press RRP $31.95 The Once and Future Jesus is a collection of nine keynote addresses from a gathering of the Jesus Seminar in 1999.  These essays surprised me because with the range of theological and philosophical views expressed highlighting that the Seminar is not a unified voice. Whilst there is not space to go over each chapter there are a ...