Book Reviews

From the Catalyst, Summer 2015

Fighting Over God: A Legal and Political History of Religious Freedom in Canada
By Janet Epp Buckingham

McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2014

Reviewed by Kathryn Teeluck

​In Fighting Over God, Janet Epp Buckingham offers a fascinating exploration of the historical role of religion in Canadian political life.

She begins her analysis by examining the status of religion before Confederation when religion, particularly Christianity, held a prominent role in every aspect of society.

From The Catalyst, Summer 2015

Live Justly
By Jason Fileta, Ronald J. Sider, Eugene Cho, Kimberly McOwen Yim, Shayne Moore, Rene Padilla, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Sunia Gibbs

Micah Challenge USA, 2014

Reviewed by Monique Verhoef

I grew up on a steady diet of the phrase “where the rubber hits the road.” I recall it being used to say “let’s get real” or “now we are talking about what really matters.”

Micah Challenge’s book Live Justly is a “rubber hits the road” kind of book for those seeking to find traction in how to live out biblical justice as an integrated part of their daily lives. It is deeply rooted in scripture and the core beliefs that God is sovereign over all and that God loves justice. This book engages diverse learning styles to move the reader to consider living justly as an integrated act and expression of the love of God.

From The Catalyst, Summer 2015

The Comeback: How Aboriginals Are Reclaiming Power and Influence
By John Ralston Saul

Penguin Books, 2014

Reviewed by Michelle Nieviadomy

​The Comeback is a timely book that captures an uncensored narrative of the current status of our nation. It depicts the relationship between Indigenous people and Canada. Saul brings to light numerous historical accounts framing the current reality of Indigenous people. While this reality is one of injustice and struggle, he sheds equal light on the remarkable stories of countless Indigenous people who characterize the strength, resiliency, courage, and gifts they bring to this nation.

From The Catalyst, Summer 2015

Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-Economic Vocation
By Cynthia Moe-Lobeda

Fortress Press, 2013

Reviewed by Joe Gunn

In May last year, I co-taught a week-long course from the CPJ offices in Ottawa on “public theology” (offered by Waterloo Lutheran Seminary). We took students to visit theAssembly of First Nations and environmental groups, organized panels of Parliamentarians, interviewed Senators, and brought in speakers on topics from ethical issues in healthcare to tax policies. Resisting Structural Evil would have been the perfect textbook from which to base all our sessions.

From the Catalyst, Summer 2015

Canadian Medicare: We Need It and We Can Keep It
By Stephen Duckett and Adrian Peetoom

McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2013

Reviewed by Adrian Helleman

In this book, Stephen Duckett, an expert in public health, and Adrian Peetoom, an author and publisher who is well-known to some CPJ members, describe the current medicare system in Canada and also prescribe some much-needed improvements.

From The Catalyst, Summer 2015

Blessed are the Consumers: Climate Change and the Practice of Restraint
By Sallie McFague

Fortress Press, 2013

Reviewed by Sheila McKinley osu

Sallie McFague, Distinguished Theologian in Residence at Vancouver School of Theology, takes an uncompromising stand in Blessed are the Consumers as she challenges us to live simply. She attributes this time of ecological devastation and financial chaos to our “insatiable appetites that are literally consuming the world.” What she proposes is restraint so that abundant life might be possible for all. She approaches this idea from three perspectives.

From the Catalyst, Summer 2015

The News: A User’s Manual
By Alain de Botton

Signal, 2014

Reviewed by Brad Wassink

Given the profound impact the news has on our lives – how we use our time, spend our money, and cast our votes – the media deserves much more focus in our public justice discussions. In 1984, CPJ produced the “Charter of Social Rights and Responsibilities,” a framework for how people of faith and various organizations, including the media, should engage in public life.

From The Catalyst, Summer 2015

Tragedy in the Commons: Former Members of Parliament Speak Out About Canada’s Failing Democracy 
By Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan
Vintage Canada, 2015

Reviewed by Dennis Gruending

Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan run a think tank called Samara, dedicated to increasing the level of political participation in Canada. That’s a steep hill to climb. Turnout for the federal election in 2011 was 61 per cent. Prior to 1993, turnout usually varied between 70 and 80 per cent. Canada is free and democratic when compared to many other countries, but opinion polls exhibit a deep dissatisfaction with our politics and politicians.

From The Catalyst Winter 2014

Advent is cheapened by the secular sentimentality of Christmas. The Advent of Justice is a book of meditations that leads readers into a costly time of waiting and longing.

From The Catalyst Summer 2014

Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now

By Walter Brueggemann

Westminster John Knox Press, 2014

Reviewed by Genevieve Gallant

In Sabbath as Resistance, Walter Brueggemann continues his extensive scholarship on the Old Testament and the prophets in order to share a prophetic message about the life-giving role the Sabbath can play in our society of 24/7 consumption.