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Allah: A Christian Response, Miroslav Volf (HarperOne)
Theologian Miroslav Volf grew up in war-ravaged Croatia, a nation wrecked by ethnic and religious violence between Christians and Muslims. As a result, this question of how Christians interact with Muslims comes from a deeply personal place. Volf’s assertion, controversial to some, is that Christians must extend the same theological olive branch to Muslims as we do to Jews. All three Abrahamic monotheistic religions do, Volf asserts, worship the same God. This is not to say that we are the same religions or that we all believe the same truths. It is not relativism. However, it is to say that our starting point in conversation is a shared image of the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Whether you agree or no, anyone desiring to seriously engage Muslim friends or an Islamic worldview really should explore Volf’s argument.
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The Last Empty Places: A Past and Present Journey Through the Blank Spots on the American Map, Peter Stark (Ballantine Books)
This is a splendid read to close out the summer. In his regular pieces for Outside magazine (which have earned him a nomination for the National Magazine Award), Stark has told the tales of numerous remote and rugged landscapes. These travels prodded Stark to wonder where these “blank spots” are, right here in over-developed America, tucked away just out of the reaches of city, farm or village. Stark visited the wild lands of Pennsylvania, the lost country of Oregon, the vanished Acadians of Maine and the haunted desert of New Mexico. With each, he tells their history and recounts how these places have again become forgotten wilderness.
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Of Gods and Men, directed by Xavier Beauvois
Based on the true story of seven Trappist monks who lived at the Tibhirine monastery in Algeria, Of Gods and Men narrates the tragically hopeful story of men who surrendered their life in order to live a life of sacrifice and love. As terrorists threatened the monastery, the monks decided they would not leave or receive military protection. Believing love called them to another way, they stayed with the village and five of the monks were ultimately kidnapped and murdered. This critically acclaimed film (won Canne’s Grand Prix prize) provokes questions of call and fidelity to Jesus Christ, above all personal cost.
Winn Collier (www.winncollier.com) is pastor of All Souls, a Baptist congregation in Charlottesville, Va., the author of three books and a columnist.