[This post by Catholic blogger Sarah Reinhard is part of a roundtable conversation at the Patheos Book Club on the new book At the Heart of the Gospel by Christopher West.] In the fall of 2002, I was pregnant with my first child and a fairly new parish employee. I was tapped to drive a couple of teenagers to a neighboring town to hear Jason Evert speak. The talk was designed for teens, and though I cringe to call it a... Read more

Reading Adam Hamilton’s Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity is a good way to start 2012.  Hamilton challenges the pervasive realities of consumerism, instant gratification, and materialism that despite their lure ultimately enslave us and diminish our quality of life.  He reminds us that “it is a gift to be simple.”  Joy comes from our spiritual lives and relationships, including our relationship with God, and seldom from ownership.  His work is countercultural in a society whose prosperity and quality... Read more

[As part of the blogger roundtable on Christopher West’s new book At the Heart of the Gospel: Reclaiming the Body for the New Evangelization, Patheos’ Managing Editor Patton Dodd offers this reflection on sexuality and religion.  Visit the Patheos Book Club for more conversation here.] A few years ago, a dear Catholic friend of mine gave me a rosary and told me that it would soon come in handy, for I was on an inevitable journey to Rome. He knew... Read more

I am a big fan of Paula Huston’s work.  Her book The Holy Way: Practices for a Simple Life is one of my favorites and I attended a writing workshop with her a few years ago through the Image Journal in Santa Fe.  She is a generous teacher and writer and when I received her newest book for the season of Lent for the Patheos book club, my heart felt like singing.  Paula is gifted at bringing together rich resources from the tradition,... Read more

This month in the Patheos Book Club, we’re featuring God Theories, by Ken Ungerecht.  We invited Ken to respond to a few questions about his inspiration for tackling such a daunting subject and what he hopes readers gain from engaging the conversation. What motivated you to write God Theories, and what conversations do you hope it inspires? The direct inspiration for the creation of God Theories came from reading an on-line survey that asked the question – Do you believe... Read more

[Editor’s Note:  This post is part of a blogger roundtable on the new book Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit by Paula Huston, now featured at the Patheos Book Club.] I have been a professional multi-tasker for many years.  Throughout most of my career, I have balanced pastoral ministry, teaching, writing, administrative leadership, and lecturing throughout North America.  Beyond that, I have sought to be an attentive and loving husband, father and grandfather, and faithful friend.  I... Read more

Whether or not we are aware of it, all of us think theologically whenever we try to discern the meaning of our lives, fathom the reality of suffering and tragedy, and discover our place in the universe.  Despite the universality of theological reflection, the technical language and conceptuality employed by most theologians is often perplexing to educated laypersons and pastors, who are tempted to ask what difference theology makes in the living of our days.  This critique is often leveled... Read more

Popular emergent church leader, blogger and theologian Tony Jones visited eight emerging churches to discover the most significant practices of these congregations. He shares his findings in his latest book The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement (read an excerpt here).  We caught up with Tony for a quick Q&A about the book and the future of the Emerging Church Movement. Why do you decide to write this book, at this particular time? Well, honestly, it... Read more

Our Between Heaven and Mirth Twitter Book Club continues today with a new excerpt, below. Join the conversation by reading the excerpt and tweeting a response, or a question for author Father Jim Martin – and don’t forget to include the#patheosmirth hashtag!  You can follow the whole Twitter conversation here: https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23patheosmirth Between Heaven and Mirth, by James Martin, SJ Excerpt 8:  Does being joyful mean that I’m supposed to be happy all the time? (pp. 171-172) No. This is something I would... Read more

Our Between Heaven and Mirth Twitter Book Club continues today with our next excerpt, below. Join the conversation by reading the excerpt and tweeting a response, or a question for author Father Jim Martin – and don’t forget to include the#patheosmirth hashtag!  You can follow the whole Twitter conversation here: https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23patheosmirth Between Heaven and Mirth, by James Martin, SJ Excerpt 7: Laughing in Church (pp. 142-144) Despite the seriousness of the call to preach the gospel; despite the ancient traditions of Christianity;... Read more