The book Spiritual Traditions for the Contemporary Church by Robin Maas and Gabriel O'Donnell, OP, is one of my favourite academic texts for use in the study of Christianity. It was one of the very first books I encountered when starting seminary several years ago, and it continues to be used for the SPAM class (SPAM being the student-devised short-hand for Spirituality, Autobiography & Ministry class that most incoming seminarians take). The course is a survey of both the history of and current embodiment of Christian practices across denominations and communities. Many people come to seminary with little experience of Christianity beyond their own particular denominations; some come with little experience outside their own parishes or particular congregations. Those who know more often know it in an academic sense; they have rarely been to other services or engaged in other practices. Some are not even well-versed in their own histories. One point of the course is to help people understand and recognise practices in their own lives.

This goal is well-served in part by this book by Maas and O'Donnell. The book is a combination of practicum and academic exposition. Each chapter includes a practical exercise the reader/student can engage and use to gain greater understanding from the vantage point of the 'doer', as well as a section on history and explanation of denominational particularities.

Robin Maas and Garbriel O'Donnell are both editors and contributors to the text, but there is a long list of contributors who include theologians, pastors, priests, lay persons, Christian educators, and other 'spirituality experts' who are familiar with practices and histories.

The goal of this book is perhaps best derived in response to a question from the first page.

'Can one spend an adult lifetime reading, teaching, thinking and writing about God and have no vital experience of God, no sense of God's presence? Indeed it is, as anyone who has spent much time in a seminary can attest.'

Many students come into seminary as seekers, and sometimes what they are seeking cannot be found in the academics of seminary teaching; sometimes what they seek is in practice, communal and private, that too often graduate school and seminary training has overlooked.

The purpose of this book is to introduce to Christians of all stripes and creeds the greater history and practice of the Church, large 'C', that greater community toward whom we all imperfectly strive. Protestants, Catholics and Orthodoxers (as the three primary strands, but not, of course, the only ones) often look with wonder and suspicion upon the teachings and traditions of their fellow-travelers in the Christian community. All denominations share a common history up to a certain point; even those groups who strive to get back to a 'pure Church' - problematic in formulation is ways too numerous to consider here - or a primitive, pre-divided Church, do so today only through the lens of 2000 years of history. Many people when studying Christianity give cursory thought to major thinkers and ideas prior to the foundation of their own denomination, and then begin in earnest to study the kind of Christian they happen to be, often with little appreciation for other, and often with only passing fair knowledge of the issues that caused their particular denominations to form, for such knowledge requires more in-depth study of the greater history of Christianity.

Overall Reflections
The book can sometimes be dense reading, because much history is compressed into chapters of 30-50 pages each. The practicum exercises add an interesting and unique element to this text, but really come alive if one actually engages them, rather than simply reading about them, which is a real danger for one reading this text alone. There are individual practices and group practices.

Because this book is primary intended for students in contemporary Western seminaries, not a lot of attention is given to Orthodox practice beyond the earliest times, and that is a shame. A chapter or two on contemporary Orthodox experience would be most welcome.

Ultimately, this is a book to which I refer frequently. I purchased the paperback version when I first took the class; when it became apparent to me during my first term the next year of teaching in the class that I would be using this book throughout the rest of my career as a seminarian and as a minister, I invested in the hardback edition. In fact, I now keep a copy at my office and at home. It is that valuable to me.

Robin Maas is a professor of Christian education at Wesley Theological Seminary, and Gabriel O'Donnell is a Dominican (hence, the OP after his name, which stands for Order of Preachers) professor of spiritual theology and liturgics at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. Together they form a good pair for considering the needs of Catholics and Protestants (my concern for Orthodox inclusion is noted above).

I recommend this text for anyone who seeks greater knowledge of the culture of Christianity and the diversity of Christian practice past and present.

Gloria Clark is the most amazing literary critic. She must have had a really good and supportive family while writing this book.

"While Silex explores the historic and contemporary damage inflicted on Native American peoples, his poems shine with hope and regeneration as he comes to terms with his past, affirming the history and value of Native American culture. His poems are infused with honesty, passion, and humor." --The Latin American Writers Institute

"...Silex's poetry is forceful and effective." --Publishers Weekly

"[Silex] is a man who understands the responsibility of an artist to utilize all of the resources at his disposal. Reaching for excellence in the structure of the poem, in the structure of the story, substance and integrity become even more powerful when they have form and structure. Utilizing these two elements the poet/storyteller weaves a tapestry of many colors resulting in a cloth beautiful with meaning." --The Circle

This book argues that the permeation of business and civilian standards into the military services of the United States, have and will severely compromise its capabilities. Beliefs such as, that the lack of a promotion to a supervisory position should be equated with incompetence and failure, that physically comfortable administrative positions are more prestigious and require more competence than field positions, and the so-called "team spirit" entailing that everything, including ethics, be subordinate to the achievement of the goal, are thoroughly analyzed and criticized as incompatible with the fundamental purposes and responsibilities of a military serving a Western democracy, and the honor demanded for these responsibilities. All involved with, and interested in the capabilities of, the U.S. military will find this book both highly readable and uniquely thought provoking.

I got this assuming it was a cookbook. I wanted its recipe for its chimichurri. The chimichurri was great, but it turned out to be a wonderfully humorous, lighthearted book about cooking and eating, Argentine style.

Argentines dedicate their lives to the asado, a ritual that involves steak, chicken, sausages and animal parts that Americans would not eat even if they were in sausages. They are purists, true to their gaucho heritage: build the BBQ out of rock or brick, fuel it with wood and use iron as necessary to hold the meat. Sagel's disparaging comments on American techniques like briquettes, starter fluid and gas grills are riotous.

It is about five years since I read this. I'm ordering more copies to give to my middle school Spanish class. They'll love it.

I got this assuming it was a cookbook. I wanted its recipe for its chimichurri. The chimichurri was great, but it turned out to be a wonderfully humorous, lighthearted book about cooking and eating, Argentine style.

Argentines dedicate their lives to the asado, a ritual that involves steak, chicken, sausages and animal parts that Americans would not eat even if they were in sausages. They are purists, true to their gaucho heritage: build the BBQ out of rock or brick, fuel it with wood and use iron as necessary to hold the meat. Sagel's disparaging comments on American techniques like briquettes, starter fluid and gas grills are riotous.

It is about five years since I read this. I'm ordering more copies to give to my middle school Spanish class. They'll love it.

Here we find a collection of essays from French Philosopher and Dramatist Gabriel Marcel. Simultaneously profound and original, Marcel delves deeply into such concepts as Evil and Ontology, offering forth opinions that are neither prejudiced nor tanted. It was Marcel's method of exploration that led me to him, if it could be called exploration. The late Philosopher would have preferred the term exegesis, for he saw vaguely spiritual things in everyday life and human interaction.

This is an excellent book to understand the latest three decades of rock & pop music en Argentina, written by young people. It's not the result of research but of memory; they were teen-agers at the era that they're talking about. This books contains the following articles: De Napoli, Cristian Gabriel. "La Maga en coma. Fragmentos sobre rock y literatura en la Argentina, hoy" Aguilar, Gonzalo. "Treinta anos de musica. Historia personal" Paramos, Ricardo Ernesto. "Asi es el rock nacional. Claves para ingresar en el imaginario del rock y en la identidad de los jovenes" Aira, Silvia Marcela. "La musica para los jovenes en los ultimos treinta anos" Cicalese, Gabriela Rosa and Nogueira, Silvia Veronica."La musica argentina en los periodos 1982/85 y 1993/97. Una misma geografia, dos visiones del mundo" Diaz, Fernando Javier. "Esteticonomia popular de mercado y libre expresion" Ogando, Monica Andrea. "El rock nacional en la identidad juvenil. Cruces, permanencias y reciclajes en la formacion de una cultura" Otero, Hector Horacio. "De las botas al rimmel. Contrastes entre la escena musical argentina y la inglesa en la primera mitad de la decada del 80" Pinnola, Fabian Marcelo. "Retoques. El tango y el folklore en el rock nacional argentino" Rubial, Ricardo. "La musica y los jovenes"

This is a definite must read. Jasmine Cresswell and Kristine Gabriel weaves great stories the way that spiders weave a web. Go out and get it.

Grisez is the absolute best when it comes to determing what the Roman Catholic Church teaches concerning morals. His thought is clear, readable, and will lead you to live a holier life.