Books
Conversations reviews a few books directly related to Jesuit higher education. These include the histories of the institutions, explorations of Ignatian spirituality, Jesuit mission, and inclusive excellence, as well as trends of higher education. The site also hosts profiles of authors, often featuring recent books by faculty from Jesuit colleges and universities.
NEWLY Reviewed Books
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PREVIOuSLY Reviewed Books
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Noted Books of interest
Living Against the Grain: How to Make Decisions that Lead to an Authentic Life, by Tim Muldoon
Timothy P. Muldoon, Assistant to the Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Boston College, is a pastoral theologian and frequent author. His Living Against the Grain: How to Make Decisions that Lead to an Authentic Life is a new release from Loyola Press. The back cover explains the book’s purpose: “Today’s popular culture thrives on telling us what we should do and who we should be. We need to have the prestigious job, the perfect relationship, the jam-packed social life, and we need to show it all off on social media.” And it goes on to ask: “Can achieving those things provide the fulfillment that we all long for? Is there something bigger and better out there waiting for us?”
Faith and Resistance in the Age of Trump, edited by Miguel A. De La Torres.
This book notes that for many people of faith the election of Donald J. Trump as president represents a confessional crisis that calls into question the deepest meaning of our religious claims and values. A number of scholars address topics of gender, race, disability, LGTB justice, immigration, the environment, and others. These scholars include Miguel H. Díaz of Loyola Chicago, Amir Hussain of Loyola Marymount, and Christiana Zenner of Fordham.
The Tenderness of God: Reclaiming Our Humanity, by Gillian T. W. Ahlgren.
Gillian T. W. Ahlgren is a professor of theology at Xavier University. She has published earlier on St. Teresa of Avila and other subjects. And she is the founding director of the Institute for Spirituality and Social Justice at Xavier U. Drawing on the story of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare, “The Tenderness of God invites readers into a rich conversation across time and space about how to recapture our humanity and nurture our God-given capacity to live meaningfully and joyfully in communion with others.”
The Source of All Love: Catholicity and the Trinity, by Heidi Russell.
This book presents a “fresh approach to Christian doctrine” by bringing together “insights from science and theology to provide a twenty-fist century understanding of the nature ofGod.” The author, the director of the Masters of Divinity program at Loyola University Chicago uses Scripture, Church Fathers, and Karl Rahner as well as quantum physics.
With God in America: The Spiritual Legacy of an Unlikely Jesuit, by Walter J. Ciszek, S.J
Walter Ciszek made headline news in 1963 when he returned to the United States after 23 years of imprisonment in the Soviet Union. He was assigned to Fordham University as a spiritual guide and retreat director; he also served as a lecturer at the John XXIII Center there until his death in 1984. His first volume, With God in Russia, was published in 1964. He also published He Leadeth Me in 1973.
Always Discerning: An Ignatian Spirituality for the New Millennium, by Joseph Tetlow, SJ
Discernment is a big word in Ignatian spirituality. It is a core experience of the Spiritual Exercises and moves from there into everyday life. But what exactly is it? Why and when do we do discernment? And how should we do it? Always Discerning works to answer these questions. In it Father Tetlow “provides a powerful and highly practical way for the ‘people of God’ to pray in the new millennium, while teaching us how to recognize God’s will in every area of our lives and respond to it in joy and love.” He has been a prolific writer and valued spiritual guide. He also served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University New Orleans, as a theology professor at St. Louis University, and as president of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
The Discerning Parent: An Ignatian Guide to Raising Your Teen, by Tim and Sue Muldoon
The subtitle explains the purpose of this book: An Ignatian Guide to Raising Your Teen. Author Tim Muldoon and his wife Sue collaborate on this volume from Ave Maria Press to bring the insights and dynamics of Ignatian spirituality to the task of raising teenagers. It hopes to help a parent relate to a son or daughter “in a way that reflects the tenacious love of God.” And it explains: “This thoughtful approach shows you how to talk with your children openly about friendships, freedom vs. limits, family time, sexuality, the use and abuse of technology, faith and Catholic practice, recognizing the needs of others, and getting through hard times together.”
Public Theology and the Global Common Good, edited by Kevin Ahern, Meghan J. Clark, Kristin E. Heyer, and Laurie Johnston
The subtitle of the book reads “The Contribution of David Hollenbach, S.J.” The book brings together colleagues and former students of David Hollenbach, who for the past half-century has done significant work on the common good, human rights, and justice. He has served at Boston College and at Georgetown University and at other schools of higher education. Here the contributors honor their colleague and add their own voices to the discussion.
Migrants and Citizens: Justice and Responsibility in the Ethics of Immigration, by Tisha M. Rajendra.
This book addresses a question that is rarely raised in debates about immigration issues: What ethical responsibilities do immigrants and citizens have to each other? Here Tisha M. Rajendra, an associate professor of theological ethics at Loyola University Chicago, proposes a new definition of justice based on responsibility to relationships and develops a Christian ethic to address this social problem.
The New Cosmic Story: Inside Our Awakening Universe, by John F. Haught
Where other scholars have studied life and the universe, John Haught considers another development in the history of the universe, namely the emergence of interiority and religious awareness. Where others have told the outside story of the universe, Dr. Haught fills that out with the inside story. John F. Haught, distinguished research professor at Georgetown University, is the author of over 20 books, many dealing with the relationship of religion to natural science.
Alpha Sigma Nu
Alpha Sigma Nu is the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities with chapters in Canada, Peru, South Korea, Spain, and the United States.