By Herbert Brokering (Augsburg Books, 2003, 2004; 63 pages; $8.99, paper)

Animal lovers will enjoy adding these tiny prayer books to their meditations and devotions. Over the years Brokering, a pastor and writer from Bloomington, Minn., has come to understand his own relationship with God better by observing the many moods and actions of his cats and dogs. On one leaf of the book he presents a thoughtful meditation based on the pet's perspective of life. On the other leaf of the book, the author offers a prayer based on what the pet's perspective has taught him about human nature and about being a lovingly created creature of God.

Brokering's observations are so accessible they may inspire you to write a psalm from your own pet's point of view.

–Deborah L. Matthews, youth director
University Presbyterian Church, Tempe, Ariz.

The revolution will be spiritual
The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion Is Giving Way to Spirituality

By Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead, et al. (Blackwell Publishing, 2004; 224 pages; $24.95, paper)

Ever wondered why everyone is talking about spirituality while fewer people are talking about religious doctrine? The Lancaster University (UK) based authors of this sociological study of trends in religion did extensive interviewing, observing and studying both church attendance and traditional beliefs as well as attendance and adherence to a variety of spiritual practices such as yoga, Tai Chi, alternative healing, aromatherapy, energy work, spirituality circles and dream groups in the small town of Kendal, England, in 2000.

They discovered that churches teaching people to locate authority outside of themselves are generally losing members and attendance. And that groups—be they churches or spirituality gatherings—that are more "inner-directed" (they prefer the term "subjective") are growing. This could mean that churches focusing on inner work in spirituality have more longevity in a postmodern society than those focusing primarily on doctrine or religious tradition.

The authors manage to be pro-church without being in any way anti-New Age practices, even though those practices seem to be luring people away from churches. It is most interesting to note that they don't think this means liberal churches will grow while conservative ones will decline. They maintain that many conservative, evangelical churches have a strong emphasis on subjective, inner experience of God. And many liberal churches promote a kind of "one-way" mentality that says the proper way to be a Christian is to focus on righteous action in the world–not on any kind of inner experience of God.

This study gives denominations, seminaries and churches a valuable look at the spiritual landscape of the current times. It is no fad, this trend toward being "spiritual but not religious." Churches need to find a way to live with the reality of subjective spirituality.

—Teresa Blythe

by John Pungente SJ and Monty Williams SJ (Novalis, 2005; 306 pages; $26.95, paperback)

Here's a treat: Work your way through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises while watching 52 of the best movies ever made. Jesuit priests John Pungente, a media literacy advocate, and Monty Williams, a longtime retreat leader and spiritual director, have combined their vocational passions to create a book with a dual purpose:

• To walk readers through some of the profound, Biblically-based and traditional spiritual activities created by Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century.
• To ask readers to apply certain thematic principles from the exercises to films such as Lost in Translation, Mystic River, Big Fish, Harry Potter and The Insider (just to name a few).

This manual teaches basic and understandable Ignatian spirituality—which is catching on with Protestants these days because of its attention to how God moves and works in our ordinary daily lives. It also gives individuals or groups a nice long project to sink their teeth into—52 films and 50 spiritual exercises, enough for a once-a-week reflection for one year. It's perhaps one of the most enticing ways to approach spiritual disciplines to appear in a long time, especially for lovers of popular culture.

—Teresa Blythe