Dallas Morning News: Texas Faith

TEXAS FAITH Texas Faith is a weekly discussion that poses questions about religion, politics and culture to a panel of religious leaders. This week’s question: We asked our distinguished panelists for recommendations of good, religion-related books to read this summer. Here are excerpts from some of this week’s answers. Jonathan Tran, assistant professor of theological ethics, department of religion, Baylor University: My wife gave me Stanley Hauerwas’ new Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir for Father’s Day. I read it in two days. Hauerwas has once again created his own genre: the theological page-turner! Hauerwas, reputed “America’s Best Theologian” by Time magazine, is widely known for his strong views on war, medical ethics, the church and his peppery language. Much of that will be made sense of, and softened, by this poignant autobiography by one of Texas’ own — he grew up in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas. He may or may not be, finally, America’s best theologian, but he is certainly its most interesting. Cindy Rigby, W.C. Brown Professor of Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary: The spiritual memoir that has influenced me most, over the course of the last several years, is one that was written by a fictional character, the Rev. John Ames. The name of the book is Gilead, and the author is Marilynne Robinson. It won the Pulitzer in 2003. It is one of the books I read whenever I lose sight of the glory of God. Geoffrey Dennis, rabbi, Congregation Kol Ami in Flower Mound: I can think of three I would recommend. Each offers something different in regards to the Jewish journey. Leonard Fein’s Against the Dying of the Light: A Parent’s Story of Love, Loss, and Hope offers a fine, thoughtful meditation of a committed Jew coming to grips with unfathomable loss. Required reading for all interested in interfaith relations, Yossi Klein Halevi’s At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew’s Search for God With Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land is a worthy follow-up to his autobiography of his early adulthood, Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist. And without a doubt, the mature reflections of Elie Wiesel on his experiences, From the Kingdom of Memory, offers wisdom and hard-won spirituality from the most articulate of Holocaust survivors. William B. Lawrence, dean and professor of American church history, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University: It is difficult to imagine any more significant spiritual memoir than St. Augustine’s Confessions. It is profoundly revealing, it gives every reader access to the most significant theological mind in two millennia of Christian thought, and it explores some of the principal themes that remain vital to understanding the basics of Christian reflection. Ric Dexter: Men’s Division Chapter Leader, Nichiren Buddhist Soka Gakkai lay organization: The Living Buddha: An Interpretive Biography by Daisaku Ikeda asks you to see Siddhartha Gautama as a man. He was not a god. He did not spend his life only in contemplation of higher truths. Between his privileged birth and being recognized as a great teacher at his death, he walked among the people, experiencing their struggles and finding ways to relieve their sufferings. For anyone wanting to know what kind of man he was, and to learn something of the significance of his teachings, this book is an excellent introduction. Larry Bethune, pastor, University Baptist Church in Austin: As spiritual memoirs go, it’s hard to beat Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain, the account of the spiritual journey that led him to become one of the most influential spiritual writers of our time. To read more responses and to post your own comments, go to dallasnews.com/texasfaith