From The Catalyst Summer 2014
Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist
By BillMcKibben
Times Books, 2013
Reviewed by Mishka Lysack
First, a confession. I’ve re-read Bill McKibben’s Oil and Honey not twice but three times. Why? McKibben’s most recent book is a compelling and deeply engaging journey into environmental activism and creation advocacy. It’s also timely, as public discussions about the environment, pipelines and coal, and accelerating climate change are on the rise.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
Tax Is Not a Four-Letter Word: A Different Take on Taxes in Canada
Edited by Alex Himelfarb and Jordan Himelfarb
Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2013
Reviewed by Dennis Howlett
Who would have thought that a book about taxes would make for some very interesting summer reading? But Tax Is Not a Four-Letter Word, edited by father and son team of Alex and Jordan Himelfarb, is just that. This collection of essays covers a broad range of topics. It looks at how important our tax system is to the kind of society we create and how it can be used to reduce inequality and fight climate change.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them
By Susan Delacourt
Douglas and McIntyre, 2013
Reviewed Katherine Scott
Susan Delacourt has written an illuminating and evocative book about the drift of consumer culture into Canadian politics – where voters no longer think of themselves as citizens but as taxpayers who shop among politicians for those who target their individual needs at the lowest cost.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
Blue Future: Protecting Water for People and the Planet Forever
By Maude Barlow
House of Anansi Press, 2013
Reviewed by Sheila McKinley osu
​Maude Barlow’s Blue Future is global in scope, incisive in analysis, and challenging at every turn. The third book in her series on water (preceded by Blue Gold and Blue Covenant) stands well on its own. Barlow alerts us to the devastating effects of the bottled water industry, industrial farming, mining operations, power generation, and a water-intensive consumer lifestyle, all of which seriously threaten what we once thought of as a limitless resource.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
Jesus on Justice: Living Lives of Compassion and Conviction
By Don Posterski
World Vision Canada, 2013
Reviewed by Karri Munn-Venn
​Jesus on Justice offers a clear and compelling illustration of our Christian calling to seek justice and love mercy by modeling our lives on Jesus. Understanding that “Jesus was a cultural maverick, a social revolutionary and a religious innovator,” this “biblical action guide” addresses a range of issues through the lenses of exclusion, prejudice, power, and advocacy.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned about Serving the Common Good
By Jim Wallis
Brazos Press, 2013
Reviewed by Brad Wassink
In On God’s Side, Jim Wallis delivers a thorough reproach of religious leaders across the political spectrum.
Wallis uses the common good to show that in order to solve the crises of our time, we need people of faith to get more, not less, involved in the political process.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power
By Andy Crouch
IVPÂ Books, 2013
Reviewed by Janelle Vandergrift
In Playing God, Andy Crouch defines power as the ability to “make something of this world” and the deepest form is creation. He argues that power is not essentially coercive and violent, though it can often be misused for domination. We can “play God,” Crouch suggests, by using our power redemptively (through institutions, for example) but we can also “play God” through injustice (playing gods in the lives of others) and idolatry (making gods). It’s up to us to discipline our power towards true image bearing. Crouch unearths several assumptions we may hold about power that lead us to disengage, divest, and even underestimate our power instead of acknowledging it as a gift that is essential for image bearing.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
How the World’s Religions Are Responding to Climate Change
Edited by Robin Globus Veldman, Andrew Szasz, and Randolph Haluza- DeLay
Routledge, 2013
Reviewed by Ben Pasha
The issue of climate change has been a significant subject of alarm for many individuals. This has typically been a concern for those involved in the physical sciences. However, climate change has now grabbed the attention of different faith communities as well, due to the role ecological issues play in societal challenges like poverty and health care.
From The Catalyst Summer 2014
Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat
By James D. Bratt
Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2013
Reviewed by Joe Gunn
Would reading 450 pages of Dutch social, political, and theological debates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries help us further understand what CPJ means by “public justice?” Reading James Bratt’s book leads me to a resounding “yes!”
