Renewal

This is a very good book and Dr. Anderson's 40+ years of ministry experience make the book extremely helpful on a practical level. My favorite section is the chapter entitled "A Church that Connects." All ministers should read this book.

This is one of the very few works on the subject of the Tamil Siddha teachings and poetry. Prof. Zvelebil was (before his retirement) Europe's top researcher and author on this subject. He, by his own admission, does not have the knowledge of medicine (thousands of pages were devoted to medicines and diagnosis - many of the chief Siddha sages were physicians of legendary status) to interpret the poems from that angle. There is a tremendous amount of Yoga teaching in the poetry of the siddhas, but this text did not delve deeply into the Yoga and Alchemy methods of Boghar and certain other sages, preferring to stick closer to the more common Kundalini system. This is probably due to the lineage of his "informant", with whom he credits much of his knowledge of the subject. He mentions that there is not much alchemy at all in the poems of the Siddhas, but nothing could be further than the truth. This may also be due to not having proper guidance from someone learned in the "Twilight Language" that encodes the medical, yogic and alchemical systems in order to protect them from the uninitiated.

The author concentrates on the political and social aspects of the poets, which is a very good thing, because the professor makes sure to let readers know that the Siddha literature has been destroyed, supressed or ignored by the orthodox Hindus of past ages. Many of the Siddhas of the past put down the practices of the orthodoxy, taking a more direct and experiential view of metaphysics, cosmology and theology - and much in the way of early Zen practitioners, were considered heretics because of the way they used "colorful metaphors" in the attempt to engage the reader (or listner) in direct experience of the teaching. Many of the poems he presents in this small work have a flavor of the poetry of an oppressed minority clothed in the language of oriental mysticism. This is a book that could be very entertaining on a long flight, and is a good beginning for anyone interested in getting a start with the Tamil Siddha poets.

Although the name of Francis Graham Wilson has faded into obscurity, Wilson was among the first to define a coherent American conservatism, having preceded the major publications of Russell Kirk, Richard Weaver, and Peter Viereck.

As M. Susan Power states in her useful introduction, Wilson's main interests were Catholicism, conservatism, public opinion, and Spanish political philosophy. Born in Texas, he pursued a quiet life as a professor of political philosophy at the University of Illinois and the University of Washington.

The editors have compiled this collection of essays, written during the 1930s and 40s, into three parts: one, human nature and modern ideology; two, the definition of conservatism and its various aspects; three, "sources of renewal," including analysis of democratic theory, Jefferson, Cicero, and The Federalist.

Power asserts that Wilson offered an original interpretation of American political philosophy based on the classical quest for self-knowledge. This quest for ultimate meaning revealed both a shared human experience and a divine basis for history. In our time Christian conservatism has received a good deal of skepticism, with good reason, but I found Wilson's approach to be among the least intrusive, the most reasoned and flexible. Important to Wilson's view, for example, was the Catholic notion of subsidiarity, or localism, which dispersed political power and authority and which relied for its sustenance on the moral sense of the people. Localism of this sort was very much in the American tradition.

In this context I might also mention Wilson's belief, partly influenced by papal encyclicals, that the captains of industry in his day failed to take their moral leadership seriously, a remark that could be torn from today's newspapers. I am reminded of an observation by Russell Kirk that human beings, not being objects, naturally resist being treated like objects. Wilson was not the first conservative to draw attention to the limitations of industrialism or the mentality it fostered (Carlyle, Coleridge, and Henry Adams also had their doubts) but true to his nature he refused to settle for dividing the issue into legal absolutes or false dichotomies (e.g. Luddite pastoral versus Orwellian skyscrapers). Wilson could see that life divided itself into primary and secondary changes (essential and nonessential elements). That approach was fundamentally conservative in its recognition that the preservation of a moral order occurred among the tension between opposites: past and future, stability and progress, order and liberty, community and the person. Every generation must work to apply first principles to the particular circumstances in which it lives.

While Wilson's prose is free from the academic jargon that would later infect universities, it does proceed in a plodding style which might try the patience of the modern reader. This is not to say it is unreadable, only that it lacks, for example, the literary sense of Kirk or the plain speaking of Nisbet. Yet it covers enough of the foundations in a sufficiently nuanced way to encourage serious reflection about conservatism.

I highly recommend this comprehensive collection of essays on space. The essays vary with regard to subject, which is perhaps the book's greatest strength. Its authors present spatial analyses which can be applied by anyone interested in the study of space and the examination of place.

This book is an edited volume of some of the latest writings in Realist thought. Included in the introduction by Frankel is a quick review of Realist assumptions which many may find useful. The articles include Robert Gilpin's defense of the Realist paradigm, as well as Dale Copeland's Dynamic theory of state behavior. Also included are Randall Schweller's Neo-Classical Realism, Charles Glaser's defensive realism and Glenn Snyder's introduction of Process Variables. Joseph Grieco builds on his earlier work on Binding in explaining the EMU through a realist lens. A must for all political Realists as well as those seeking to critique the dominant paradigm of our time.

A good review of urban planning in Detroit since the end of the Second World War. Although I don't always agree with the author's conclusions (and I admit a bias here, as my father was an urban planner for the City of Detroit during the period covered by the book), she has done an excellent job explaining a complicated and, perhaps, ultimately unmanagable process. Her documentation is excellent. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that, although the book is profusely illustrated with sketch maps showing the effects of different programs, it lacks an overall reference map of Detroit and Southeastern Michigan, which puts a reader not familiar with Detroit and it's geography at a distinct disadvantage at times in following the text.

Edward H. Hammett, in his book "Reframing Spiritual Formation," presents a thoughtful view of the effects of postmodernism and the growing percentage of "unchurched" people on the modern church. He speculates that it will not be possible through current, or traditional means to reach unchurched peoples in our society. He theorizes that there must be substantial changes to our understanding of what church is if we are to grow into the 21st century.
The structure of the book is excellent. The author makes good use of subheadings and bullet points to place emphasis on his major points. He also makes good use of charts, which were generally placed well, so as not to be distractive while reading. The book is laid out in a logical manner, with small, easy to digest chunks. This is not to say, however, that the content is shallow. The author makes some very profound arguments for what the future of discipleship, and church in general, should look like.
My only major complaint about the book is the grammar. It really should have been edited better, some of the grammatical flaws are serious enough to be distracting, because they force you to stop and figure out exactly what the author was meaning. For such a well written book otherwise, with obvious thought and insight into the subject matter, it was disappointing to see it have so many easily fixable flaws.
Overall, I gave this book a 4 because of the serious and distracting editing flaws. Otherwise, judged strictly on content, it is a 5.

The book is a little disjointed - I almost wish John Michael would revisit it and update it as I know he still stands for the "gentle revolution." The beginning of the book details the woes of the modern world (of the 1980's) and so is a little dated - which either distracts from or emphasises the point - we are living in desparate times. He then goes on to paint the picture of hope that the Gospel can be lived out right where you are - in spite of your church affiliation - and to the betterment of your church affiliation. He describes it as a "gentle revolution:" a call to love and unity. I think most Christians (and all non-Christians!) feel the need for such a life to emerge from the church of Jesus Christ- but how? After describing this Call, he lays out some simple approaches to laying hold of the power of the Holy Spirit (the 'Regathering Power')- the only means by which the Gospel can be realized personally and corporately. All in all - a very helpful, encouraging little book. Like an Appetizer, you'll have a mind to be ready to know and study more when you're done.

Mallat's excellent, pathbreaking study reveals the story of the most important intellectual development of our era in Shi'i Islam, what he calls the Islamic Renewal (or, more grandly, the Islamic Renaissance) which took place in the city of Najaf in southern Iraq during the 1960s and 1970s. The renewal focused on two areas of Islam's Sacred Law, constitutional law and economic issues (labor law, banking, etc.). How, the jurisprudents asked, from an Islamic viewpoint does one form state institutions and produce and distribute wealth?

Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr (1935-80) provided key answers to these questions in his dozens of books. Two stand out. According to Mallat, Sadr's brief study Sources of Power in the Islamic State provided "the blueprint of Iranian fundamental law" after the Islamic Revolution. In a massive and now-renowned study, Our Economics, Sadr almost single-handedly developed the notion of Islamic economics. All of this had direct political consequences, for ideas developed in Najaf spread through a "Shi'i International." Ruhollah Khomeini was there in Najaf (though, Mallat adds he was only "one scholar among many") as were Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah and Muhammad Mahdi Shams ad-Din (today, leaders of Lebanon's Shi'is) and Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim (head of the Iraqi Shi'i opposition movement). In brief, the violent and aggressive politics coming out of Tehran has deeper intellectual roots-and so probably greater staying power-than many of us would like to see.

Middle East Quarterly, June 1994

A great dissertation of Christian value, Christian history, the Spirit of Revival, and personal soul searching. The book is written by a dynamic minister in simple terms and is an eye opener for pastors and for all followers of the truth of Jesus Christ.