This month we inaugurate Book Notes—a new Bearings Online series that highlights books we think our readers may enjoy, written by authors affiliated with the Collegeville Institute.
The Listener: a Novel
Pegasus Books, 2015
by Rachel Basch, Summer 2009 writing workshop participant
The Listener delves deep into a relationship between a young man named Noah, struggling with issues of sexuality and identity, and his middle-aged psychologist, Malcolm. As their lives begin to overlap in the small Maine town where they live, they help each other begin a journey of understanding and healing. Basch’s novel provides fresh insight into the dynamics of relationship itself, the transgender experience, and is a powerful story about the ability to listen and the need to be heard.
Master of Ceremonies: A Novel
ACTA Publications, 2014
by Donald Cozzens, Resident Scholar, 2001/02
In his first novel, priest and author Donald Cozzens tells a story of intrigue, suspense, cover-up, and revenge within the Catholic Church. From clergy sex abuse to clericalism, Vatican intrigue, and corrupt bishops, Master of Ceremonies delivers an unflinching critique of church structures, practices, and polity. You’ll find it difficult to put this fast-moving mystery/thriller down, and the plot twists will keep you guessing.
Sex, Moral Teaching, & the Unity of the Church: A Study of the Episcopal Church
Morehouse Publishing, 2014
by Timothy F. Sedgwick, Resident Scholar, Spring 2014
According to Timothy Sedgwick, the question the church should be asking is not, “What do we do about same sex marriage,” but rather, “How do we teach morals and order our life accordingly?” As a professor of Christian ethics in the Episcopal Church, Sedgwick has focused much of his work on how the church can pass on the Christian faith, even in the midst of sharp differences. This book is an important touchstone for those seeking to work through divisive social issues in the context of Christian community.
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