New book!

Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline by Lauren F. Winner is going to be the next book we are reading in the weekly Wisdom Class book study at my church. It is an easy and enjoyable book to read, which will probably be a relief to the class members after the studious book by Crossan and Borg that we are just finishing up: The First Christmas.

The author was brought up as an Orthodox Jew and converted to Christianity while she was in college. In this book she writes about practices she misses from Judaism and how she could possibly fit them into her Christian life. It raises good questions for all of us, but in a surprisingly deep way. I am pleased that questions for a book study be found here.

In the introduction, Winner writes:

"It (this book) is, to be blunt, about spiritual practices that Jews do better. It is, to be blunter, about Christian practices that would be enriched, that would be thicker and more vibrant, if we took a few lessons from Judaism. It is ultimately about places where Christians have some things to learn.


"Jews do these things with more attention and wisdom not because they are more righteous nor become God likes them better, but rather because doing, because action, sits at the center of Judaism. Practice is to Judaism what belief is to Christianity. That is not to say that Judaism doesn't have dogma or doctrine. It is rather to say that for Jews, the essence of the thing is a doing, an action. Your faith might come and go, but your practice ought not waver. (Indeed, Judaism suggests that the repeating of the practice is the best way to ensure that doubter's faith will return.)" (ix)