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Dave Bland and David Fleer (eds.). Performing the Psalms, St. Louis, Mo.: Chalice Press, 2005. ISBN 08272-29836; 195 pages; $15.99; (800) 366-3383 or www.chalicepress.com.

This collection of 13 essays and sermons on the Psalms was originally delivered at the 2004 Rochester College Sermon Seminar. Preachers will be challenged and inspired by articles that show how they can use the Psalms to speak to their congregations about the transcendence of God and how psalms compel us to realign our desires and agenda under God's authority. Noted Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann writes two of the articles.

Bland is professor of homiletics at Harding University Graduate School of Religion, Memphis, Tenn. Fleer is professor of religion and communication and vice president of church relations at Rochester College, Rochester Hills, Mich.

CHRISTIAN FAITH

Brian Simmons. Falling Away: Why Christians Lose Their Faith and What Can Be Done About It, Abilene, Texas: Hillcrest Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0-89112-496-9; 139 pages; $12.95; (800) 816-4455 or www.hillcrestpublishing.com.
 
Simmons focuses attention on a vital topic widely overlooked in the plethora of literature about Christian living. Previous studies have shown that somewhere between 15 and 40 percent of adult American Christians have abandoned their faith. Current trends suggest that those statistics are increasing.

This book integrates personal stories, statistical studies and biblical exegesis to discuss the causes of apostasy and what strategies could be employed to help apostates return to faith.

Simmons is a professor of communications and teaches theater at Cascade College, Portland, Ore.

Christian Spirituality

Philip Sheldrake (ed.). The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005. ISBN 0-664-23003-2; 680 pages; $49.95; (800) 227-2872 or www.wikbooks.com.  

For those who desire a survey of the latest interests in spirituality, the Westminster dictionary is an important resource.

Entries come from a wide range of international scholars who appreciate the complexity of spirituality as something that takes in the entirety of human existence.

Sheldrake is professor of Applied Theology at the University of Durham, England.

PARENTING

Ross Campbell. How to Really Parent Your Child: Anticipating What a Child Needs Instead of Reacting to What a Child Does, Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publisher, 2005. ISBN 0-8499-4541-0; 240 pages; $14.99; (800) 251-4000 or www.thomasnelson.com.

The basic thesis of Campbell's book is that parents have to meet certain specific needs of their child rather than merely respond in limited ways to the child's behavior.

Campbell discusses a child's need for emotional and ethical security, loving training, anger management and spiritual hunger to know God.

By focusing on a few essentials, wise parents can assist their child to resist the dangerous influences that threaten to erode their faith in God and their emotional well-being.

Campbell writes and lectures on parental topics and was formerly an associate clinical professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, Tenn.

This list includes information provided by publishers. For more information, contact Reviews Editor John Harrison at john.harrison@oc.edu.