Description: A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, by John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church, is hard to describe. The book is a history of the denomination, with lively passages depicting the lives and ministries of important Unitarian-Universalist leaders such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Ellery Channing. Yet it is also a collection of testimonies by contemporary laypeople and ministers, who describe their churches' responses to questions ranging from "How do I know when to get married?" to "How should the government treat single mothers?" The funny and wise introduction was written by Robert Fulghum, who indulges the often invoked criticism that Unitarian Universalism's ideals are interchangeable with those of PBS. And, finally, it contains some straightforward explications of the denomination's core principles. The Church's aversion to creeds will be off-putting to some readers--at times, it seems Unitarian Universalists believe in nothing so much as not committing to any one belief. But there's something universally refreshing about this protean faith: most religious people, at one time or another, find that God leads them to reject some tenets of their religion. Unitarian Universalists have a true genius for accepting God's most surprising Words, which makes A Chosen Faith a valuable resource for all of us. --Michael Joseph Gross
Description: "An introductory survey of biblical scholarship, [Understanding the Bible] says that you don"t have to believe in the supernatural to appreciate the wisdom of the Bible." — Rich Barlow, Boston Globe
This warm, straightforward guide invites readers to rediscover our culture"s central religious and spiritual text and makes accessible some of the best contemporary historical, literary, political, and feminist readings of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.
"[Buehrens] demonstrates that it is both intellectually respectable and politically savvy to know your Bible well." —Joyce Smothers, Library Journal
"Forsaking the Bible means forsaking the best-selling book of all time . . . It is difficult to understand much of Western literature and culture without knowing Scripture . . . [Buehrens"s] book is a readable, salient introduction to biblical study and history." —Religion News Service
