Here is a fascinating and comprehensive account of how Christianity over the centuries became embedded in different regions and in diverse cultures.

The period in Church history when seven Popes lived in Avignon rather than Rome is not remembered as especially glorious in the annals of the mediaeval church. It was a time of anarchy, fear, wars, avarice and religious agony – one of the most turbulent times in the history of Europe. Edwin Mullins’ new book The Popes of Avignon – A Century of Exile (BlueBridge, 9781933346151, $49.95) captures the mood of the period with contemporary descriptions of avarice and extravagance, setting the story of the Popes there against the larger Europe background of wars, tyranny, ambition and sheer human folly. This is an engrossing story of the seven Popes (and two antipopes) who ruled the Catholic Church during some of its darkest days.

Knowing Truth, Doing Good by Russell Pregeant (Fortress, 9780800638467, $49.95), subtitled ‘Engaging New Testament ethics’ asks fundamental questions about using the New Testament as a basis for moral behaviour. Does it provide a solid foundation for constructive values in a society that many consider corrupt to the core; or is it a bastion of reactionary thought, enshrining oppressive social patterns from a hopelessly outdated past? The author acknowledges the complexity of controversial ethical issues in our society and in the society of New Testament times. He explores the environment of each of the Jesus movements represented in the canonical texts, asking what “knowing the truth and doing the good” looks like in each case and suggests some ways of being faithful to the traditions while recognising our own responsibilities within the complex ethical task.

Diarmuid O’Murchu will be in Australia again next year. His latest book Ancestral Grace – Meeting God in our Human Story (Orbis, 9781570757945, $44.95) blends history, anthropology and spirituality to demonstrate that God has been and always will be with us – the story of the human race and God’s unfailing presence. This is a compelling book that reminds us that God has been with humanity over its seven million years of evolution, not merely during the last five thousand years of ‘revelation’. If this is true, what are its implications for our relationship with our world and with our God?

Some books demand your attention by the boldness of their titles. Jesus – The Complete Guide, edited by Leslie Houlden (Continuum, 9780826480118, $119.95) was first issued in hardback in 2003 then re-issued in paperback in 2005. It has a vast array of contents, listed alphabetically from Adoptionism to Wright (NT) and this gives us a clue to its contents: theological and biblical topics, issues from the history of the church and key writers across the centuries. For students (and academics) it’s an ideal way of finding basic information about important issues (Nicea, the death of Jesus, Irenaeus, Redemption…). It’s a book that will be invaluable in any personal and theological library.

 

 

Yet another title on Pius XII, this time from UK author Gerard Noel. Called Pius XII: The Hound of Hitler (Continuum, 9781847063557, $59.95), the book is neither an abolition job nor a piece of hagiography but offers us personal and professional insights into the exercise of papal power and the psychological mechanism behind that power.

SCM/Canterbury continue to publish volumes in their series called ‘Briefly’ – the idea being to introduce readers to key texts in philosophy. Recent titles include Nietze’s Beyond Good and Evil (9780334041238), Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (9780334041313), Humeâ’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (9780334041245) and Ayerâ’s Language, Truth and Logic (9780334041221). Each is priced currently at $28.95 and the entire series has been described by one reviewer as a “painless way to become well read” in the various classics of the discipline.

New from Paternoster in the UK, under their ‘Regnum Studies in Mission’ series comes Christology in Dialogue with Muslims by Mark Beaumont (Regnum Books, 9781870345460, $44.95). Concentrating on the most creative periods of Christian-Muslim dialogue – the ninth and the twentieth centuries – the study provides invaluable resources for addressing some of the crucial areas of contemporary Christian-Muslim conversations.

a “painless way to become
well-read”

In the same area of scholarship comes Theology of Religions by Eugene Gorski (Paulist, 9780809145331, $49.95). Although his primary audience is within his Catholic tradition, he asks what Christians of all denominations should think of other religions. Is the one God working in all these other religions or are they hindrances to God’s plan? The author’s intention is to establish some groundwork for a theology that considers what the Bible and the teaching of the Church have to say about the ultimate meaning and value of non-Christian religions.

Lawrence Boadt is known to many of us for books on the Old Testament. His new book – to mark the year of Paul in the Catholic tradition – is simply The Life of Saint Paul (Paulist, 9780809105199, $24.95). With illustrations by Linda Schapper, this is a biography of Paul, introducing us to his life and thought, as far as these can be gleaned from the Scriptures themselves and the earliest tradition of the church. It is an ideal introduction to the life and teaching of the apostle.

Finally from Sydney author Benjamin Edwards comes Wasps, Tykes and Ecumaniacs (Acorn, 9780908284740, $39.60). As the title suggests, this is a book about the sectarianism that was part of the Australian religious experience until fairly recent times. The account is often painful, embarrassing and bitter and traces the gradual improvement in relations between the churches and the factors (not all from within the churches) that enabled this to happen. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to understand the recent religious divisions in Australia.

Further details of the titles are on our website
www.mosaicresources.com.au.