248: Silence by Diarmid MacCulloch

248.46: MacCulloch, Diarmid. Silence: A Christian History. London: Allen Lane, 2013. 239 pp. ISBN 978-1-846-14426-4.

Dewey Breakdown:

• 200: Religion
• 240: Christian practices and observances
• 248: Christian experience, practice, and life
• 248.4: Christian life and practice
• 248.46: Individual observances

One of the most powerful social forces is silence. A silent man before a crowd speaks volumes without opening his mouth. Silence is powerful in that it forces the listener to be still within themselves, to not desperately fill the moment with words. In an age where media of all sorts constantly surrounds us, it is nice to gain a little perspective and be silent. Diarmid MacCulloch’s Silence is a look at the use of silence in the history of Christianity.

242: Majestic and Wild by Murray Pura

242: Pura, Murray. Majestic and Wild: True Stories of Faith and Adventure in the Great Outdoors. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013. 235 pp. ISBN 978-0-8010-1512-0.

Dewey Breakdown:

• 200: Religion
• 240: Christian moral and devotional theology
• 242: Devotional literature

Murray Pura’s Majestic and Wild is quite possibly the most peaceful book I’ve read in a long while. This collection of religious nature essays details the daily work and spiritual life for him and his family while living in Canada over the last three decades. While originally an author of religious paperback novels, his affinity for the natural world could perhaps be his second calling. Each essay is centered around a Bible verse that helps him better understand an experience he has while out in nature. To Pura, the grandeur of the natural world is the closest way to approach the grandeur of God. Each vignette, whether it be a close encounter with an enraged bear or moose or a simple jaunt into the countryside with his dogs, offers the ability for reflection not only on the wonder of the wild but also the awesomeness of the Creator. While I may not readily agree with his theology, there is no escaping the sense of how genuinely calming and calamitous nature can be. Like a few books I’ve read before, this one is written simply and reads quick but, like many other things, resists simplicity. A quiet and pleasant book.

241: The Decalogue through the Centuries edited by Joseph Greenman and Timothy Larsen

241.5209: Greenman, Jeffrey P & Timothy Larsen, eds. The Decalogue through the Centuries: From the Hebrew Scriptures to Benedict XVI. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012. 227 pp. ISBN 978-0-664-23490-4.

Dewey Breakdown

• 200: Religion
• 240: Christian moral and devotional theology
• 241: Christian ethics
• 241.5: Codes of conduct
• 241.52: The Ten Commandments
• +09: History

In every religion, there is a set of rules for everyone to follow in order to maintain good standing among the followers. Known formally as the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments (or Statements) spell out a basic code of conduct for both Jewish and Christian worshipers. They dictate that the followers should worship only one God and to do so without idols and with reverence. They hold that followers should not steal, murder, lie, cheat. They should also love and respect each other faithfully. Throughout history, the Decalogue has been seen in different lights by different religious scholars. Jeffrey P. Greenman and Timothy Larsen, in The Decalogue through the Centuries, help to gather each of these viewpoints into one resource for students of the Bible.

249: The Praying Family by Kim Butts

249: Butts, Kim. The Praying Family: Creative Ways to Pray Together. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2003. 237 pp. ISBN 0-8024-3086-4.

Dewey Construction:

• 200: Religion
• 240: Christian moral and devotional theology
• 249: Christian observances in family life

There are times when you go to pray—maybe alone and maybe with your family—and you need a little guidance. Maybe the old methods seem boring. Maybe your words feel hollow. Kim Butts’s The Praying Family is book designed to help you and your family use prayer to incorporate the Biblical life into your own (if you so wish).