Growing in Faith: A Guide for the Reluctant Christian

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 12, 1996 by William C. Graham

Evangelism is demanding, difficult and essential. In Once More from Emmaus (Liturgical Press, 109 pages, $8.95 paperback), Milan's Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini addresses the missionary dimension of the church, stressing that pastoral programs must further this outreach. Those who accept the gift of the gospel must then communicate that message both to those not baptized and also to those who wander away.

This seems to be an inviting book, one I intend to squirrel away in order to spend quiet Triduum moments in its good company.

The Crucifixion of Jesus: History, Myth, Faith, by Fr. Gerard S. Sloyan (Fortress, 228 pages, $16 paperback), is another one I'll revisit during quiet Triduum moments, delighting in Sloyan's intriguing insights. He writes that "It is not likely that the Christian masses will soon desert a God who has experienced their pain." His attention to history and response in faith is scholarly, impressive and edifying.

The Mystic Vision: Daily Encounters with the Divine, compiled by Andrew Harvey and Anne Baring (Harper-Collins, 192 pages, $18 hardbound), is an interesting assortment of readings and images selected from the religious traditions of the world. A passage or meditation is provided for each day of the year.

Those seeking to broaden their sense of the holy, new ways to pray or new guides for meditation will be happy with this handsome and nicely illustrated volume.

Pope Paul VI said that when Christians encounter holiness, there is an obligation to announce it. He would have approved then of In the Midst of His People: The Authorized Biography of Bishop Maurice J. Dingman, by Sister for Christian Community Shirley Crisler and Blessed Virgin Mary Sr. Mira Mosle (San Francisco: Rudi Publishing, 283 pages, $14.95 paperback). Iowans have apparently been anticipating this volume: The first press run sold out in three weeks.

This story of this Des Moines bishop who died in 1992 is a celebration of grace-filled relationships and an important chapter in the history of the developing church.

In Growing in Faith: A Guide for the Reluctant Christian (Penguin, 356 pages, $8.95 paperback), author David Yount asserts that unless there is resistance, religion is in one's pores. He suggests that religion is like marriage after the honeymoon: something to cherish and preserve and act on, "but not obsessively." In fact, he sees God-seeking as "neither a passion nor a compulsion."

Yount may not be a mystic, but his utilitarian view of faith and religion and his thoughtful questions for discussion and self-study may provoke church-going Christians of every denomination to consider and reconsider what it is they are about and why.

Martin E. Marty characterizes his Short History of American Catholicism (Thomas More, 231 pages, $9.95 paperback) as a story about the past inspired by contemporary curiosities. He outlines and profiles five centuries of American Catholicism in brief, suggesting that the curious can go on to pursue details and other interpretations else where.