Writing in the sand Jesus and the soul of the Gospels

Drawing on his background in theology, world religions, art history, psychology and mythology, author and psychotherapist Moore (Care of the Soul) proposes a fresh way of looking at the Christian gospels for those who once loved the texts, but no longer find them challenging. Moore believes the Jesus of the gospels was calling people to be open to life rather than attach themselves to a fixed teaching. He reframes the wedding feast at Cana-said to be the scene of Christ's first miracle-as "the first lesson in Jesus spirituality: Be human, understand the importance of play and simple sensual pleasures and listen to your family. Then go deeper." In Moore's reading of the gospels, Jesus himself is earthy and spiritual-a man clearly on the side of moderate sensual delight. Fans of Moore's previous books and readers who share his view that Jesus was not concerned with creating a religion or a plan for self-improvement, but was instead interested in a restructuring of the human imagination, will find plenty to ponder. (May 1) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Hogan, a priest of the Diocese of Dublin and teacher in the Mater Dei Institute of Education, offers an accessible series of informal reflections on the Gospel of Mark (Year B). Neither full homilies nor prayers, they are guides and inspirations for Christian readers and are notable for their direct approach and application to parish and family life. This work should appeal to most Catholic readers. Moore, the celebrated author of the best-selling Care of the Soul, has written a book that professes to show a human Jesus who lived a good life. Slight and slender, it thins out the material and message of the Gospels to a kind of free-form do-it-yourself poetry, in which the reader will "evoke the kingdom in [his or her] own style." Surely this, while comfortable to modern agnostics, is not the radical message of Jesus. Moore has a following, and those readers will be interested in his latest book, but his breezy conclusions may frustrate the acute reader. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.