Mediaculture

One of the marks of Anabaptist Christians is the emphasis on following Jesus—not just in word but in deed. Many books help us do just that as disciples of our Lord.

“Follow Me”: A History of Christian Intentionality by Ivan J. Kauffman (Cascade Books, 2009, $30) presents an overview of Christian history through the rubric of monastic and lay evangelical intentionality. Kauffman concentrates on individuals and movements that have focused on Jesus’ call to follow him and that have influenced the development of Western civilization. This is a helpful, accessible book.

Solitude and Compassion: The Path to the Heart of the Gospel by Gus Gordon (Orbis Books, 2009, $18) seeks to bring together vertical (solitude) and horizontal (solidarity) in Christian spirituality. Gordon writes that “we are incredibly sophisticated in our society when it comes to finances, new technologies, smart bombs, sports, cars, entertainment, but all of a sudden revert to infancy when it comes to religion or spirituality.” He helps rectify that in this incisive, challenging book.

Eugene H. Peterson adopts poet Emily Dickinson’s phrase in Tell It Slant: A Conversation on the Language of Jesus in His Stories and Prayers (Eerdmans, 2008, $24) and looks at Jesus’ indirect way of communicating God’s way. Peterson writes, “Parables release the adrenaline of urgency into our bloodstream.” Pastors will find much grist for sermons in this book.

The Economics of Honor: Biblical Reflections on Money and Property by Roelf Haan (Eerdmans, 2009, $15) also has much of use for sermons and deals with a key element in following Jesus: money and how we relate to it.

Many books do more than talk about following Jesus; they illustrate it. One important one is In Harm’s Way: A History of Christian Peacemaker Teams by Kathleen Kern (Cascade Books, 2009, $49). Kern offers an insider’s detailed history of CPT, noting that CPT’s central purpose “is to glorify the Prince of Peace.”

Central to Jesus’ teaching is the Beatitudes. In Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation (The Alban Institute, 2009, $17), Anne Sutherland Howard tells how nine different students live out different Beatitudes, then reflects on their experiences.

N. Gerald Shenk tells more stories from around the world in Hope Indeed! Remarkable Stories of Peacemakers (Good Books, 2008, $9.95). This small but powerful book is both challenging and inspiring.

Jimi Calhoun tackles an insidious sin in A Story of Rhythm and Grace: What the Church Can Learn from Rock and Roll About Healing the Racial Divide (Brazos Press, 2009, $15.99). Calhoun, who played bass alongside many world-famous musicians and later became a pastor, offers his experiences of racism and shows what religion might learn from rock and roll.

In Reasoning Together: A Conversation on Homosexuality (Herald Press, 2009, $17.99), Mennonite theologians Ted Grimsrud and Mark Thiessen Nation model how to deal peacefully with differences in their arguments about what the Scriptures teach about homosexuality and what empirical evidence tells us about God’s homosexual children.