I Don't Want to Be a Hoo-Er

Scalia, Elizabeth

Religion & Spirituality

Patheos Press

After experiencing an apparition in a cactus, a quirky teenager named Joshua T. Stoneburner goes on a quest to visit every religious community he can find. Each leaves him with fresh clues to the meaning of his vision, enchants him with new relationships, and bewilders him with more questions. Hop in Josh's pickup truck for a wild souljourn through the spiritual landscape of the most religiously diverse country in the world-America.

Souljourn

Literature & Fiction

Burklo, Jim

Genre Fiction

In a globalized world full of uncertainty and injustice, Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series has captured the imaginations of readers looking for glimmers of hope. The tale of Katniss Everdeen's journey of survival in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem, where bread and circuses distract the privileged and allow a totalitarian regime to oppress the masses, parallels situations in our world today. At the same time, the series' themes of resistance to oppression and hope for a better world, portrayed honestly as messy and difficult endeavors, echo the transformative way of life Jesus offered his followers.   The Hunger Games and the Gospel explores these themes in The Hunger Games series that have resonated so deeply with readers by examining their similarity to the good news found in Jesus' message about living in the ways of God's Kingdom. Taking the rich statements of the Beatitudes, which serve as mini-pictures of God's dreams realized on earth as in heaven, each chapter reflects on how those pictures are exhibited both in the narrative of The Hunger Games, and in Jesus' time, and then explores their significance for our own world. Thought-provoking questions provide direction for personal reflection and group discussion. Readers are invited to allow the inspiration of The Hunger Games help them live in the ways of the Kingdom of God by discovering how they too can work toward the possibility of a better world.   ***** PRAISE FOR "THE HUNGER GAMES AND THE GOSPEL":   My favorite analysis of "The Hunger Games"... Clawson does a fantastic job of reminding readers that Collins’ world of occupation, oppression, excess, and poverty is not so far removed from our own, and that it is exactly the kind of world in which Jesus himself lived. -- Rachel Held Evans, author of "A Year of Biblical Womanhood"   It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Julie Clawson finds everyday justice in the Hunger Games trilogy, but what may surprise and delight is that she reads the story so well and writes so beautifully about the lessons she finds there. Everyone who loves The Hunger Games should read this book. -- Greg Garrett, author of "Faithful Citizenship," "One Fine Potion: The Literary Magic of Harry Potter," and "The Other Jesus"   Are we living in the United States of Panem? The Hunger Games trilogy’s depiction of a wealthy, totalitarian regime that exploits its conquered neighbors is more than fiction. The series brings to life the Roman Empire of Jesus’ day and suggests a searing indictment of contemporary American imperialism. Using a framing structure of the Beatitudes, Julie Clawson powerfully explores Katniss’s suffering as a lens for understanding Jesus’ passion for loving our neighbors and building a better world. -- Jana Riess, author of "Flunking Sainthood" and "What Would Buffy Do?"   Julie Clawson writes with intelligence, thoughtfulness, and nuance. This is a collection of fascinating and insightful reflections, a set of mirrors that we as Christians must confront, even though they come to us from the unlikeliest of places: a story we've all read "for fun." -- Shauna Niequist, Author of "Cold Tangerines" & "Bittersweet"   There is no question that the Hunger Games triology has touched something deep in the psyche of its millions of readers, stirring up questions and uncertainties that we all foster about our future. With sharp clarity and stunning insight, Julie Clawson helps us understand our visceral response to the series by interweaving the narrative with Jesus' Beatitudes. The result points to a realistic hope for today and tomorrow. -- Jamie Arpin-Ricci, author of "The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom"

The Hunger Games and the Gospel

Clawson, Julie

Given the fever-pitched controversies about evolution, Adam and Eve, and scientific evidence for the Flood, the average person might feel intimidated by the book of Genesis. But behind the heady debates is a terrific story-one that anyone can understand, and one that has gripped people for ages. If you are not a Bible scholar but want to be able to read Genesis and understand its big picture, this brief, witty book is the guide you've been waiting for. Clear summaries and thought-provoking questions provide direction for personal reflection and group discussion. Peter Enns, a Biblical Studies professor, and Jared Byas, an Old Testament professor, summarize the book's key themes and help us see Genesis as an ancient story, one with continued relevance for human experience today. Genesis for Normal People illuminates the characters that fill the book of Genesis, causing us to resonate with their choices and struggles even as we marvel at their distant world. And that's what you'll find here-not scientific proof texts or simple moral tales, but a distant world made available, and a story that is often strange, sometimes dangerous, and always filled with rich possibilities.

Genesis for Normal People: A Guide to the Most Controversial, Misunderstood, and Abused Book of the Bible

Enns, Peter

Byas, Jared

Nearly a third of Americans under the age of thirty have no religious affiliation, the highest in any recorded generation. In this growing segment of "nones" are many young Atheists who have faced prejudice in their high schools and communities for standing up for their constitutional right of freedom from religion. You'll hear some of their stories in this book, whether they're protesting their school's public prayers at football games and graduations or sitting out the "under God" portion of the Pledge of Allegiance. These atheist students know their rights and have fought for them, sometimes at tremendous personal cost. Their examples serve as inspiration for all the young atheists out there who live in communities where school often feels no different from church and teachers are no different from preachers. This handbook is a resource for parents, teachers, friends, and young atheists themselves. Hemant Mehta, "The Friendly Atheist" blogger at patheos.com, discusses how to deal with teachers and administrators who promote faith in public schools, handle the peer pressure and ostracism that may come with being an outspoken atheist, and create successful student groups that encourage conversation over conversion.

The Young Atheist's Survival Guide: Helping Secular Students Thrive

Mehta, Hemant

Agnosticism

These daily reflections for Lent offer tranquility and simplicity by finding God through nature. Readers who love gardens and woods and find solace in experiencing the Creator through these environments will enjoy these prayerful reflections, which allow us to regain the balance that Pope Benedict XVI so urgently promotes in order that we may share the faith more fully in a world of new media. The seven chapters represent each week of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday and concluding with Holy Saturday. Each week has a theme based on the following Sunday's gospel message, a theme found running within the combined gospels of Cycles A, B or C, making this a timeless book.

Cultivating God's Garden Through Lent

Realy, Margaret Rose

Contemporary Paganism focuses on practice, often neglecting theology. Yet belief and practice are intertwined. As the religious movement continues to grow, so does the need for intellectual frameworks for practice and ways of approaching the controversial question of belief. In this book, Christine Hoff Kraemer asks central questions about the varieties of Pagan belief: Why is multiplicity so important to contemporary Pagan understanding of deities? How do Pagans experience divinity in nature? In what way can the human body be a sacred site? And what are "virtue ethics" for Pagans? With an estimated 1.2 million Pagans in the United States and significant numbers elsewhere, Seeking the Mystery is important for Pagan self-understanding and also for non-Pagans who want to understand what their Pagan neighbors believe. This short introduction to Pagan theology--or better, theologies--is a valuable primer for students and practitioners alike. Includes chapter summaries, discussion questions, and activities for individual and group study.

Seeking the Mystery: An Introduction to Pagan Theologies

Kraemer, Christine Hoff

New Age & Spirituality

Have you ever wandered outside and wished you could find a place to just sit and pray, a garden space to find solace in the demands of today's world? Do you desire to create a garden space that will help meet your spiritual needs? Have you wanted to create a memorial garden and not known how to begin? A Garden of Visible Prayer shows you how to develop a contemplative outdoor spacein a creative and systematic manner. Whether you are a new gardener or an old hand, wanting to create a public or a private retreat area, this book will guide you in a step-by-step approach to discern what leads you, personally, to a deeper sense of spirituality and then how to take that information to create your own outdoor space for prayer.

A Garden of Visible Prayer: Creating a Personal Sacred Space One Step at a Time, 2nd Edition

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