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By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat


How to read the Bible Many mainline Protestant congregations have been split apart by biblical literalists


who say there is only one way to read the Bible. Harvey Cox, who has taught at Har- vard Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass., since 1965, can be counted on to help read and study the Bible with an open heart and mind. He suggests three primary ways of doing this:


• Narrative—delving into the dramatic stories of flawed human beings like ourselves as they struggle to make sense of our ways and our days on the earth.


• Historical—striving to practice biblical literacy as we study the various books of Scripture with help from scholars and theologians.


• Spiritual/activist—putting ourselves in the stories and learning spiritual meanings from the experiences described. We then try to put these insights into practice in our daily lives. The reader will glean much from Cox’s clear and accessible interpretations of Jew- ish and Christian scriptures (HarperOne, harperone.hc.com).


Roger is Reading a Book


It’s hard these


days to find a quiet place to read a book. TV screens blare the news in airport waiting rooms. Trains got so noisy with people talking on their cellphones that special “silent cars” had to be desig- nated for those who want peace and quiet. Public parks have become concert venues. In this whimsical children’s picture book written


by Koen Van Biesen, Roger is at home reading. But his concentration is shattered by his neighbor, Emily, whose hobbies include playing games, singing, pound- ing on a drum and slugging a punching bag. What can Roger do but knock on her door and ask her to be quiet? He finally comes up with a solution that is both creative and kind. All book readers—young and old alike—will appre-


ciate this tale and its universal messages about the lack of silence, noise and handling conflict with spiritual insight (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, www. eerdmans.com/youngreaders).


44 www.thelutheran.org


Hear My Prayer: The Complete


Audio Book of Psalms


On this audio-


book, an impres- sive group of Chris- tians—poets, theolo- gians, novelists, scholars, priests, pastors and spiritual writers—recite Psalms 1-150 using the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Among the readers are James Martin Sr., Joan Chittister, Cathleen Falsani, Paula Hus- ton, Carl McColman and many others. Listening closely to the five hours of readings on


Author bio:


The Brussats publish the website www.SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.


four CDs, we were able to hear in the Hebrew Psalter three major perspectives: the wisdom psalms with a hope in the divine order of things; the lament psalms as human beings struggle in a sea of troubles; and the hymns of praise where God is revered for creativity and grace (Paraclete Press, www. paracletepress.com).


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