A challenging, yet respectful, spiritual guidebook to a more peaceful future.
Greenebaum, an interfaith minister, challenges humanity to embrace inclusivity in this nonfiction book.
“The future of the Earth is in question,” the author ominously writes in his introduction, noting a shared fear among many that “there are some dark times ahead.” Our survival, Greenebaum argues, hinges on “a positive, hopeful, action-based spiritual renewal.” The author reports that, more than two decades ago, he received a divine revelation after months of angrily demanding that God answer his pleas. The dictations he made of these revelations form the basis of his multiple books on interfaith spirituality, including his memoir, One Family: Indivisible (2020). The current book picks up where those left off, not only providing the first word-for-word transcription of the revelations, but also contextualizing their meaning upon further study and reflection. Geared toward personal application, the book’s spiritual commentary emphasizes the importance of community, noting that everyone is a “child of the universe,” regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, or level of education. “We are one family,” Greenebaum observes. “We must hang on to hope and each other.” The author is the founder of the Living Interfaith Church in Lynnwood, Washington, and has previously directed Jewish, Methodist, and other choirs; as such, he has a firm grasp on world religions, frequently citing holy texts from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, as well as Taoist and African proverbs. While highlighting shared traditions that unite religions, such as the ubiquity of the Golden Rule, Greenebaum pays careful attention to respecting differences. A discussion on prayer, for instance, highlights the “diversity of revelations,” citing the significance of yarmulkes to Jews, the sign of the cross to Catholics, or facing Mecca to Muslims. Thus, despite the author’s avowed agnosticism and esoteric “interaction with Cosmic Conscience,” the text never belittles the faith of others. Greenebaum may criticize the actions of religious fanatics, but he’s careful to note how their actions (such as in Europe’s religious wars between Catholics and Protestants) contradict the teachings of their faiths. At just under 150 pages, this is an accessible exploration of the values of interfaith cooperation.
A challenging, yet respectful, spiritual guidebook to a more peaceful future.Pub Date: June 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781957354248
Page Count: 162
Publisher: MSI Press
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular...
A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.
Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8840-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
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