The following titles are listed in the Cokesbury Good Books catalog for Fall/Winter, 2002-2003. Commentaries are either quoted directly or paraphrased.

McMickle, Marvin A.; forwards by Cain Hope Felder and J. Alfred Smith Jr., An

Encyclopedia of African American Christian Heritage. Judson Press. $30.00

McMickle’s Encyclopedia blends story, biography and commentary on a host of prominent and lesser known people in African American religious history, as well as the events, movements and organizations that have contributed to the formation and development of African American Christianity. With close to two hundred detailed entries, this authoritative, indispensable volume will guide young readers and experienced scholars alike through such comprehensive, wide-ranging topics as Kwanzaa, the civil rights movement, the Nation of Islam, and the growth and development of the major historically black denominations.

Cahn, Steven M. and David Shatz, editors. Questions About God: Today’s Philosophers Ponder the Divine. Oxford University Press. $15.95

From young children, with their guileless searching questions, to the recently bereaved, trying to make sense of tragic loss, humans wrestle with our relationship with God--and with God’s essence, motivations, and power--throughout our lives. Why does God permit catastrophe and senseless tragedy again and again? Is God’s power limited in any way? Why does God not provide stronger evidence of God’s presence? What can we make of the conflicting diversity within world religions, of the many gods of different religious traditions? Such questions engage, confront and perplex us on a daily basis. In this rich, concise volume, leading philosophers who have long pondered God’s nature and ways take on these core problems and present their findings in a manner likely to engage believer and non-believer, general reader and specialist alike.

Capps, Donald. Men and Their Religion: Honor, Hope, and Humor. Trinity Press. $17.00

The author asserts that the religion of men is rooted in a deep sense of melancholy, a sense originating when they are small boys separating emotionally from their mothers. Fathers also play a part in the religious development of men. The Judeo-Christian tradition, Capps argues, requires the sacrifice of father-son love because the Father God is a jealous God, allowing no rivals. So for boys, the hoped-for attachment to their fathers never happens. As a result of this loss, the religion of men takes three forms: the religion of honor, the religion of hope, and the religion of humor. Capps uses two case studies to show the ways in which men with religious melancholia may develop a compensating religion of honor on one hand and a religion of hope on the other. Finally, religious melancholy can be countered through humor, and Capps concludes that if men had their way there would be more humor in religion and humor would be recognized as religious.

Griffith, Lee. The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God. Eerdmans. $29.00

In a discussion that will no doubt be controversial, Lee Griffith argues that terrorism and counter-terrorism are identical phenomena when viewed at the spiritual level. To oppose terrorism with violence acknowledges the terrorist assumption that meaningful change is only possible through suffering and fear. Likewise, terrorism and counter-terrorism both employ similar God language to justify horrendous acts of violence. This is true not only of “rogue states” but also of Western leaders who use religious language on the eve of battle. In response to today’s culture of terror, Griffith points the way to a theology of peace. Griffith first looks at specific current events that contribute to terrorism. Next, he mines the history of the church to see how the tradition has responded to violence in the past. Finally, he probes the biblical texts for meaningful answers. The result is a stirring message for our day. Rather than serving as an incitement to violence, the biblical concept of “the terror of God” stands as a renunciation of all violence--and of death itself.