I Believe, Therefore I Doubt
Doubt is an ever-present companion to the religious life, a constant of varying degrees that can be instructive, devastating, or somewhere in between. In A Dark Wood: Journeys of Faith and Doubt, edited by Linda Jones and Sophie Stanes, is a welcome comfort. Psalmists join poets, writers, cardinals, pilgrims, and British parliamentarians trying to make peace, or cope, with terrifying uncertainty, as well as the joy of rediscovering faith. Fortress Press.
Daily Specials
What's most irrepressible on Betty's Diner: The Best of Carrie Newcomer is Newcomer's wonder at the threads that keep us in relationship. Her deep, throaty alto celebrates the joys, pains, and mysteries of ordinary life, as in the title track, where "here we are all in one place…/despair and hope sit face to face/when you come in from the cold/let her fill your cup with something kind/eggs and toast like bread and wine." Eighteen tracks - 15 previously released and three new. Rounder Records.
A People's Revolt
Questions about patriotism, government authority, and American politics are as timely as ever. The War at Home, made by Glenn Silber and Barry Alexander Brown in 1979, and now on DVD, is a classic film about the anti-war protest movement of the 1960s and '70s. Interviews, home movies, and TV news footage document the effect of the protests on Madison, Wisconsin. First Run Features.
I Am With You
A Celebration of Faith in His Name is a three-CD series of Gregorian chants that illuminates the life of Christ, from his birth and ministry to his passion, death, and resurrection. Dr. Mary Berry conducts the Gloriae Dei Cantores Schola, whose reverence and skill encourage stillness and contemplation; while you're listening, do nothing more strenuous than watch the leaves out your window. Paraclete Press.