March Madness

You know March Madness is happening when your brother gives you updates on basketball scores during Easter dinner. The second Crux staff pick theme for the month is March Madness, variously interpreted.

Cindy chose When God Interrupts by M. Craig Barnes because the chaos around unwanted and uninvited change seems like madness.

Ed picked The Mad Farmer Poems by Wendell Berry because of the title.

Heather thought that since the prophets in the Bible were often thought to be mad, she’d pick The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary by J. Alec Motyer.

Carolyn is reading Darkness is My Only Companion by Kathryn Greene-McCreight on the recommendation of several people, and appreciates the insights of a trained theologian with personal experience of mental illness.

Sheila recommends The World’s Last Night by C.S. Lewis because it is helping her navigate the madness of the current political landscape.

Connor chose Fools, Frauds, and Firebrands by Roger Scruton because of the title.

Andrew picked Should We Live Forever? by Gilbert Meilaender, because maybe that is a mad idea, that living forever thing.

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Ethically Minded: March Staff Picks Part 1

This month our staff picks are books that remind us to be ethical in some way.

Ed picked Being Consumed by William Cavanaugh. Ed picked this because it reminds him not to be consumed by consuming stuff.

Cindy chose God, Medicine, and Suffering by Stanley Hauerwas because “This is one of those rare books that leaves the reader changed, that touches both the heart and mind.”

Heather decided on After You Believe by N.T. Wright because “it is a book that reminds readers that changes in behaviour are intentional and take time — we learn to act differently.”

Carolyn chose Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard because Kierkegaard. In a longer reason, Carolyn wrote: “What would you do if God asked you to kill your son? It’s an intriguing ethical question. OR IS IT?!! The distinction between universalized ethics and religious faith may have never been so powerfully parsed as in this classic work penned by Kierkegaard’s pseudonym Johannes di Silentio.”

Sheila picked Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider. Sheila says “I am reading this to be challenged in my practice of generosity and to increase my awareness of hunger locally and globally.”

Connor chose Confessions by St. Augustine because confession is what you do when you haven’t lived ethically.

Andrew chose Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It’s all about the title in this case.