Written by the oppressor, sung by the oppressed
James Walvin traces a beloved American hymn on its winding journey across racial divisions through the centuries.
Stories of the unhoused faithful
Listening to the poorest and most dislocated, Susan J. Dunlap hears the music of faith.
Can H. L. Hix improve on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
An odd, charming gospel account that draws from dozens of sources
An invitation to walk with poetry
Two books offer entrance points for the intimidated.
The silence of focused attention
Erling Kagge fears that the practice of stillness is endangered.
Cradled by God
What's the biblical God's essential characteristic? According to Cobb, it's the loving care a mother or father gives an infant.
Splitting an Order, by Ted Kooser
Simple, measured, and settled, the poems in Ted Kooser's new collection were composed by an artist with nothing further to prove.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, by Nina Sankovitch
Nina Sankovitch explores the meaning and value of letters in our post-postal age.
Uncollected Poems, by R. S. Thomas; edited by Jason Walford Davies and Tony Brown
Welsh poet and priest R. S. Thomas had a creative energy that spanned the second half of the 20th century.
Benediction, by Kent Haruf
All three of Kent Haruf’s novels set in the fictional farming town of Holt, Colorado, bear liturgical-sounding titles: Plainsong (1999), Eventide (2004) and now Benediction...