Moving Toward Divinization: A Review of ‘Broken Gods’

July 9, 2015 By Guest Contributor

By Wendi Matusic Broken Gods, a new book by Gregory Popcak, an internationally recognized expert in Catholic pastoral counseling, begins by posing the potentially uncomfortable “what if” scenario: what if you woke up as a god? No, not THE God, but “a being who is perfect, whole, healed, and, yes, even immortal.” Some might find that offensive or even blasphemous. Others might consider it laughable and close the book. I found myself intrigued and read on. The notion of God wishing us all... Read more

Dissecting Patriachy and Biblical Manhood: A Review of ‘Maelstrom’

July 9, 2015 By David Swartz

To appreciate quality, we must slow down. In fact, quality insists that we slow down. Anyone can snarf down a bag of White Castles; they seem designed to be eaten quickly. But we cannot just wolf down marinated chicken kabobs with rice and tabbouleh, hummus on the side and a square of baklava to finish. Anyone can hit a Beach Boys or Jimmy Buffett concert sitting outside belting out the old tunes while wearing fake parrots of various kinds. But... Read more

Jane Eyre’s Sisters: A Q&A with author Jody Bower

June 17, 2015 By Deborah Arca

“We’re still living in a male-oriented world, although it’s changing, and one thing that’s helping to change that orientation is exposure to women’s voices. Just as exposure to the voices of other cultures, other races, other religions, other forms of art, and other gender orientations is helping to broaden all our minds and enrich our cultures. We have to get past the resistance to reading works by people who aren’t exactly like us—either because we don’t relate to them, or... Read more

Boundless: What Global Expressions of Faith Teach Us About Following Jesus

June 16, 2015 By Guest Contributor

“We benefit so much from the unique perspectives of people from other cultures. I’ve thought of this process of learning from others as similar to the process of trying a new ethnic cuisine. It probably will taste strange at first. But if you are open to learn new flavors, you might find it enriches your life.” — Bryan Bishop, author, Boundless This month at the Patheos Book Club, we’re featuring the new book Boundless: What Global Expressions of Faith Teach Us About... Read more

Mothers and Daughters, and Faith

June 12, 2015 By Guest Contributor

By Sarahbeth Caplin Now Featured in the Patheos Book Club Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian, Mother, Their Path to Peace I’ve read plenty of books about individual paths of spiritual discovery, but it is rare for me to come across a story like that of Patricia and Alana Raybon: a mother and daughter struggling to come to terms with their new interfaith relationship. Patricia, a Christian, is emotionally distraught upon learning that her youngest child has converted to Islam. Each... Read more

Undivided: A Story of Love, Not Agreement

June 5, 2015 By Guest Contributor

By Holly Baer Patricia and Alana Raybon found themselves enraptured in the new American story: an interfaith family. Patricia, a devout Christian, struggles to accept her daughter’s chosen faith, Islam. Alana, a ten-year revert, wants her mother to accept her and her faith and respect her choices. Painfully honest and unafraid to address harsh subjects, Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace tells a story that has become more and more common in the United States.... Read more

Design Your Own Pilgrimage: A Review of ‘The Soul of a Pilgrim’

June 3, 2015 By Guest Contributor

Book Review of The Soul of a Pilgrim Now Featured at the Patheos Book Club by Lisa Burgess Because I read a lot of books, I’m picky. My favorite kind? Books that inspire me to go and live, not just sit and read. The Soul of a Pilgrim is such a book. This latest by Christine Valters Paintner (an online abbess and pilgrim residing in Ireland) encourages us to each explore our own path with God. Paintner lays out the tools to do it through eight practices,... Read more

All Good Stories Begin with Questions: Why I Wrote The Master Yeshua

June 1, 2015 By Guest Contributor

“All good stories begin with questions.” — Joyce Luck, author, The Master Yeshua Many people have asked me why I chose to write The Master Yeshua. The life of Jesus has been told and retold so many times that there’s hardly anything new to say. Another friend, a Roman Catholic, even worries that the book’s unorthodox elements will get me in trouble, or at the very least, loads of hate mail. But you see, it isn’t so much the life... Read more

On Biblical Manhood: A Q&A with Author Carolyn Custis James

June 1, 2015 By Deborah Arca

“For me, writing this book has left me as disturbed about what is happening to men and boys today as I have ever been about women and girls. I hope anyone who reads this book will end up deeply concerned about the message the church is offering men and boys.” — Carolyn Custis James, author, Malestrom Carolyn Custis James is a popular speaker for women’s conferences, churches, colleges, seminaries, and other Christian organizations. She’s the founder of Whitby Forum and... Read more

A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace: A Q&A with Patricia and Alana Raybon

May 26, 2015 By Deborah Arca

“After throwing Bible scriptures and Qur’an hadiths at each other, we finally both saw that debating and arguing wasn’t settling anything—instead, it was drawing us deeper into conflict.” — Patricia Raybon, mother “It took me a while to reach a place where I could stop being offended by her opposition to my faith, and try to understand her feelings. It was humbling, but refreshing, because it helped me look inward and find ways that I could be a more caring... Read more