New and Noteworthy
Heartland Heroes
Best-selling author Miriam Horn of the Environmental Defense Fund brings her timely book Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman to life in a new documentary. Narrated by award-winning journalist Tom Brokaw, the film highlights five surprising “conservation heroes” working to protect the land they love. rancherfarmerfisherman.com
A Daily Gift
In Gift and Task: A Year of Daily Readings and Reflections, renowned Old Testament scholar and theologian Walter Brueggemann provides daily reflection on scripture. Beginning with Advent, Brueggemann invites readers to critically consider the “cost and joy of discipleship.” Westminster John Knox Press
Our Streets
Filmmakers Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis use their backgrounds as activists and artists to create Whose Streets?, a gripping documentary about the Ferguson uprising. Through scenes of hope and resistance, Whose Streets? reclaims Mike Brown’s story and shows Ferguson through the eyes of those who experienced it. whosestreetsfilm.com
At the Core
Director Josh Fox traveled to 12 countries on six continents to explore what humanity holds close in the face of climate change. The result is the sobering and inspiring documentary How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change. howtoletgomovie.com
Do Justice
Soong-Chan Rah and Gary VanderPol explore post-World War II motivators to social concern in Return to Justice: Six Movements That Reignited Our Contemporary Evangelical Conscience. From John Perkins’ life story to the power of globalized Christianity, history that empowers. Brazos Press
José Anzaldo in East of Salinas
Holding on to Hope
The documentary film East of Salinas follows José Anzaldo, a smart child with an encouraging teacher, as he both dreams of the future and becomes more aware of the implications of being an undocumented child of migrant farm laborers. Produced and directed by Laura Pacheco and Jackie Mow. www.bullfrogcommunities.com
Answering the Call
Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis provides the biblical, technical, and contextual information and personal stories to help Christians new to refugee issues offer compassionate care. Written by Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens, and Issam Smeir from the humanitarian organization World Relief. Moody Publishers
Smooth Truths
Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Gregory Porter sings love, faith, and even a grooving tribute to nonviolent protest on Take Me to the Alley. The title track is a parable of a visiting king who spurns “shiny things” prepared for him and asks to be taken to “the afflicted ones.” Blue Note
Brothers, in Christ
The Berrigan Letters contains copious personal correspondence between Father Daniel Berrigan and his brother Philip across seven decades of activism. The collection is a glimpse into the hopes, dreams, and daily lives of two of the greatest peacemakers of the 20th century. Orbis
Author Shusaku Endo
When God Seems Hidden
Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel Silence tells of the persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan. Japanese-American artist Makoto Fujimura uses this novel as a springboard for an exploration of faith, art, trauma, and cultural heritage in the book Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering. IVP Books
Cambridge Chorale
The undergraduate choir of Trinity College Cambridge, directed by Stephen Layton, released a new live recording of Herbert Howells’ Collegium Regale. Recorded in Coventry Cathedral, it is a beautifully dynamic and spiritual rendition of an Anglican masterpiece. Hyperion
Beating the Green Blues
For Inspired Sustainability: Planting Seeds for Action, theologian and former Earth Institute Fellow Erin Lothes Biviano spoke with members of diverse faith communities to uncover the moral, spiritual, and practical motivations (and barriers) to transforming ecological concern into inspired, sustained action. Orbis
Hélène Grimaud
Elemental
Classical pianist Hélène Grimaud’s live album Water is a musical and spiritual reflection on the life-sustaining, yet too-often limited, resource. It is a beautiful compilation of compositions that celebrate the power, beauty, and rhythm of water, with a hope that it encourages ecological awareness. Deutsche Grammophon
For All Ages
Ronald J. Sider and Ben Lowe dialogue in The Future of Our Faith: An Intergenerational Conversation on Critical Issues Facing the Church. Each chapter has sidebar reflections from other leaders, including Christena Cleveland, Gabriel Salguero, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Jenny Yang. Brazos Press
Kishi Bashi
Strings with Wings
Performing as Kishi Bashi, violinist Kaoru Ishibashi’s pop songs swirl together indie, classical, and prog rock. It’s not religious music (though lyrics sometimes hint at a church upbringing) but can transcend through pure exuberance. On String Quartet Live! he performs backed by a chamber ensemble. Joyful Noise
People Power
If Your Back’s Not Bent: The Role of the Citizenship Education Program in the Civil Rights Movement is civil rights leader Dorothy F. Cotton’s story of a key, but unsung, grassroots advocacy training program for disenfranchised people throughout South. Insights for then and now, newly released in paperback. Atria Books
Garment District
Take an informative and engaging trip in the documentary film The Secret Life of Your Clothes. Presenter Ade Adepitan follows the trail of garments donated to charity to the biggest importer of secondhand clothes, Ghana, revealing the intersections of consumption culture, Ghanaian fashion, and globalization. www.bullfrogfilms.com
The People’s Work
How can intercultural music and liturgy prepare us for the work of reconciliation and justice? Experienced worship leader and trainer Sandra Maria Van Opstal explores the pragmatic and profound challenges and blessings of multiethnic worship in her book The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World. IVP Books
What We Need
My Little Book of Big Freedoms: The Human Rights Act in Pictures , illustrated by British writer-illustrator Chris Riddell, is a pocket-sized booklet with winsome illustrations of 16 freedoms and protections we might take for granted, including life, freedom, justice, belief, thought, togetherness, love, and mercy. Amnesty International U.K.
Life Together
How can families of all shapes and sizes nurture human dignity, service, and the common good in the home and society? In Schools of Solidarity: Families and Catholic Social Teaching, Mary M. Doyle Roche offers practical, joyful guidance, with questions and activities for discussion and reflection. Liturgical Press
Being Between
The documentary film Am I: Too African to be American or Too American to be African? focuses on young African women who live in the U.S. and West Africa but identify with both cultures. How do they work out unique twists in the issues of race, complexion, gender, and family heritage?
Revealing the Word
Nyasha Junior, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible at Temple University, has written An Introduction to Womanist Biblical Interpretation, an accessible and forward-looking guide to African-American women’s contributions to biblical scholarship. WJK Press
Liz Vice / rhapsody.com
Soul for the Soul
Liz Vice sings contemporary music of praise and devotion in classic R&B, soul, and gospel styles. Her album There’s a Light, propelled by her powerful and blues-tinged voice, will lift you up and carry you back. Ramseur Records
No Bargains
What is The True Cost of affordable fashion? In this documentary, director Andrew Morgan invites us to think deeply about the consequences of cheaper clothes (and who suffers them) and consider the role we play in a globalized world. truecostmovie.com
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Radical History
Through recent testimonials and historical footage, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, a film by documentarian Stanley Nelson, brings fresh insight on the cultural and political influence of the young men and women who proclaimed 50 years ago that black lives matter. Firelight Films
Hear Their Cries
God of Justice: The IJM Institute Global Church Curriculum , by Abraham George and Nikki A. Toyama-Szeto, is a 12-session Bible study on the centrality of God’s concern for the poor and the oppressed. It is rooted in the human rights work of the International Justice Mission. IVP Connect
Raising Themselves
The film Know How, a musical written and acted by foster-care youth, tells interwoven stories of coming of age within a dysfunctional system, the losses and dangers these young people face, and their against-the-odds struggle to persevere. First Run Features
Beyond the Food Drive
In Charity Detox: What Charity Would Look Like If We Cared About Results, Robert D. Lupton asserts that poverty must be addressed “through development, not through one-way giving.” With anecdotes and examples, he explains development strategies such as fund reallocation, reciprocal exchange models, and neighborhood reconciliation. Harper One
Old New Soul
Leon Bridges is a 25-year-old gospel and soul singer from Texas with a vintage sound and sheepish stage presence. In six months, Bridges went from washing dishes full-time to selling out multiple SXSW shows. His new album, Coming Home, features smooth love songs, both romantic and religious. Columbia
Contemporary History
The duo Ibeyi are Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz, 19-year-old French-Cuban twins with Yoruba roots—a West African culture transplanted to Cuba during slavery. Ibeyi’s self-titled album begins and ends in prayer; in between is a fusion of English and Yoruba, minimalist piano and percussion, jazz and hip hop. XL Recordings
A Good Neighbor
Children’s television host (and Presbyterian minister) Fred Rogers was known for his gentle, soft-spoken manner. Michael G. Long argues in Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers that Rogers was also a radical, imbuing his show with nonviolence and care for creation. Westminster John Knox Press
Going it Alone
Soulful Protest
R&B singer D’Angelo ends a 14-year hiatus with the album Black Messiah, on which he sings of prayer, love lost, climate change, race, and violence. He asks, “In a world where we all circle the fiery sun / with a need for love / what have we become?” RCA
Living God's Reign
In Witnessing: Prophecy, Politics, and Wisdom, edited by Maria Clara Bingemer and Peter Casarella, international scholars write on many aspects of Christian witness, including martyrdom (especially Catholic martyrs in El Salvador), personal narrative, the interlocking realities of God’s beauty and justice, and intercultural dialogue. Orbis