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If you are looking for a thoughtful, practical, biblically informed resource for reading or group study, consider Signs of Belonging: Luther's Marks of the Church and the Christian Life by Mary E. Hinkle (Augsburg Fortress, 2003, $9.99). This is part of the excellent Augsburg Lutheran Voices Series.

Author Hinkle answers the question "Why go to church?" as she shows how "Those who regularly connect with a community of Christians come to be defined and deepened by a congregation and its common life" (p. 89).

In the same series, also consider Who Do You Say That I Am? 21st Century Preaching by Susan K. Hedahl (Augsburg Fortress, 2003, $9.99). This resource provides an excellent opportunity to bring a group together to discuss preaching for these times.

To benefit from listening to another respected Lutheran voice, read Ordinary Saints: An Introduction to the Christian Life by Robert Benne (Fortress, 2003, $17). This thoroughly revised and updated edition seeks to answer a basic question: What difference does it make to live out the Christian faith in the world?

This is a "college course" with good lectures and stimulating discussion questions. While everyone will not agree with some of his positions, his book will provoke useful conversation about living out the Christian faith in our times.

Speaking of Lutheran voices, how about considering Theology of the Heart: The Role of Mysticism in the Theology of Martin Luther by Bengt R. Hoffman, edited by Pearl Willemsen Hoffman (Kirk House, 1998, $26).

Hoffman was perhaps ahead of his times in understanding the significance of spirituality in Luther's theology. He reveals the "interior and spiritual nature of Luther's faith," and how his "experience" of the Divine was a great influence on his understanding of the gospel.

A quote: "Luther's use of the word 'mystical' — with him, as far as I can see, it is used exclusively as an adjective — grows out of his contemplation about the treasure hidden in the Lord Christ. Wisdom and love are hidden in the suffering and dying Christ, he thought. Hidden? Yes, for these treasures become visible only to mystical and spiritual eyes."

There are a number of recent books that help us look at the past in order to better understand the present. One is Ancient Israel and Ancient Greece: Religion, Politics and Culture by John Pairman Brown (Fortress, 2003, $22).

The author argues that there are times when we should "study how we got where we are." For example, we should understand and appreciate the significance of the reality that "the Israelites and the Greeks formed the first free societies, cultivating rain-watered fields around a fortified citadel, recording their words about the human situation in a widely accessible alphabetic script."

For additional serious study of how the past has shaped the present, consider The Religious Context of Early Christianity: A Guide to Graeco-Roman Religions by Hans Josef Klauck (Fortress, 2003, $30). This resource is important for anyone who wishes to be a student of early Christianity and the influences of the religious context of the times.

For a different look at the past, read For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformation, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery by Rodney Stark (Princeton University Press, 2003, $35). It is the author's contention "that religion has played a leading role in directing the course of history" (p. 2). He also explains, "The overall purpose of this book is to show how ideas about God have shaped the history and culture of the West, and therefore the world — including both 'good' and 'bad' consequences." (p. 2)

Among Stark's interesting conclusions: "The effects of religiousness on individual morality are contingent on images of Gods as conscious, morally concerned beings; religiousness based on impersonal or amoral Gods will not influence moral choices" (p. 374). [Italics are author's own markings.]

This is a fascinating sociological history of the roles of monotheism in the shaping of cultural life.

For a history of more recent times, read Catholicism and American Freedom: A History by John T. McGreevy (W.W. Norton & Company, 2003, $26.95). This is a religious history that shows how in the past in the United States the Catholic understanding of freedom differed from a Protestant, non-Catholic understanding. McGreevy, a Notre Dame professor of history, helps us understand why there was so much anti-Catholic reaction in the past.

For a different kind of history, look at The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Significance for Understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity by James VanderKam and Peter Flint (HarperSanFrancisco, 2002, $36.95). This is a comprehensive, 467-page, readable introduction to the fully translated Dead Sea Scrolls. The authors explore the discovery and dating and their relationship to the Hebrew Bible, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament. They discuss the scrolls' messianic and apocalyptic message as well as the identity, nature, and theology of the Qumran community — and the controversies surrounding the scrolls.

And lastly, for some historical surprises, read 1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Mengies (William Morrow, 2002, $27.95). This book is based on 15 years of research and travel and concludes that in the years 1421-23, China sent out sizeable fleets of large treasure ships that explored and charted many areas of the world. They created surprisingly accurate maps of their journeys — maps later used by European explorers.

This book may cause the reader to rethink who discovered America and who first established colonies on both the West and East Coasts.

Carl E. Linder is Lutheran Partners' interim book review editor. He was the magazine's editor from 1987-2002.