Saturday, September 13, 1997

Religion in the media: a look at recent books and music

The Dallas Morning News

BOOKS

"Spiritual Simplicity: Simplify Your Life and Enrich Your Soul," by David Yount (Simon & Schuster, $22). It is a sign of the times when suggestions about simplifying our lives include one extolling e-mail and another touting the virtues of letting "your answering machine take your phone calls." However good the suggestions may be, that brand of mundane practicality doesn't take up much space in Yount's sprightly instruction manual for simplification, a process he sees as a do-it-yourself project to nourish the soul. Yount concentrates mainly on cutting clutter and focusing on essentials in matters of lifestyle and spirituality. Many people, he says, seek greater simplicity "to find sanity and contentment. In the process we can also satisfy our souls and grow spiritually." His guide includes chapters on work, love, faith and prayer. -Terry Kelly

X X X

"Vitamins for Your Soul: 200 Ways to Nurture Your Spiritual Life," by Traci Mullins and Ann Spangler (Doubleday, $15.95). Feeling a little spiritually under the weather? It may be time to take some of the "vitamins" offered up in this slender but nourishing volume of exercises, quotations and reflections. The authors have served up a nondenominational serving of bon mots that offer the reader a moment to pause. The premise is one of helping reduce the daily noise of life while turning up the volume of the voice of God within. Simple exercises, such as eating a meal by yourself, establishing a box for prayers, and learning to become more thoughtful of passing time are all ways the authors believe will encourage us to grow spiritually. Of course, anyone who has the discretionary time to follow all of these suggestions probably doesn't need them, but, much like selectively supplementing your diet, it can help to shore up a depressed immune system. -Olivia Casey

X X X

MUSIC

"Angels," by The Messengers (Malaco, 49 minutes). This pleasant album of original, traditional-style gospel was born out of mourning. The group lost its leader, Willie Banks, before the album was recorded. But the remaining Messengers rallied around producer/songwriter Haran Griffin, producing a number of inspiring songs, including "A Home Waiting," "Old Landmark" and "You Jesus." Close harmonies and relaxed performances mark Angels, which should please many gospel fans. -Christopher Ave

X X X

"Behind the Eyes," by Amy Grant (Myrrh, 49 minutes) Grant's first album in three years has the ring of authenticity. Grand orchestration, trendy arrangements and vacuous lyrics won't be found here; instead, Grant expresses real emotion, accompanied by guitar, harmonica, a Hammond B-3 organ and scant touches of synthesizer and background vocals. The result is a quiet triumph. "Takes a Little Time," the first single, is a mid-tempo rocker of simple, heartfelt encouragement. But Grant really shines on the more introspective numbers, including the lilting "Like I Love You" and "The Feeling I Had With Us," which deals with disappointment and longing. Behind the Eyes should reinforce Grant's position as contemporary Christian music's leading lady. -Christopher Ave

X X X

"Much Afraid," by Jars of Clay (Essential, 43 minutes) Jars of Clay burst onto the scene just over two years ago with a debut album of hard-driving, melodic, acoustic rock that blended Christian messages with an alternative, unplugged sound. Much Afraid finds the quartet plugging in and turning up both the volume and the lyrical drama. As presaged in a spring concert in Arlington, Jars of Clay has acquired a slightly harder edge, working in electric guitars. The song's lyrics are typically spare but unsparing. "Weighed Down" challenges churches that have too many restrictions, while "Frail" and "Crazy Times" discuss personal failings and the need for salvation. -Christopher Ave

X X X

REVIEWER'S CHOICE

"Willing to Believe: The Controversy over Free Will," by R.C. Sproul (Baker Books, $15.99). The subtitle of Sproul's sequel to "Faith Alone" makes it appear that there has been a recent brouhaha between two sets of rival theorists about free will and its place in the theological equation.

As Sproul shows in another of his compact, but excellent, examinations of major theological issues, the contention is an ancient one that has brought the faith's greatest thinkers to loggerheads.

The great theological tussle is over a simple question: What part, if any, does man have in his regeneration or rebirth into salvation - can a depraved person outside a relationship with God act toward reconciliation, or does God do all the work by extending irresistible grace to the depraved?

The questions may be simple, but the answers are not and go to the very heart of our understanding of God.

One side - Calvinist or Reformed - holds that original sin has left the utterly depraved human being unable to use his will to turn to the Lord; therefore God, acting alone, extends his irresistible grace to the sinner. Only then can man begin to build a relationship. Those weighing in at this corner include St. Augustine, Luther, Calvin and the American Jonathan Edwards.

They have sometimes stood toe-to-toe with opponents from the other side - Pelagians, semi-Pelagians and Arminians. There are major theological differences among these groups, but they share the belief that reconciliation is a cooperative effort between man and God. Human beings are not so far gone that they cannot initiate the move toward salvation by accepting God's grace.

Sproul, a Reformed believer, does not look kindly upon the Arminianism of some modern-day evangelicals. -Terry Kelly

(Writers are staff members of The Dallas Morning News. Write to them in care of: the Religion Section, Dallas Morning News, Communications Center, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265.)

(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.

Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/

Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.