Summary: Feeling inspired by "The Best Spiritual Writing" series, John Wilson, an editor at "Christianity Today", has assembled this impressive collection of standout Christian writing. Considering that some sociologists claim that there are roughly 1.8 billion Christians in the world today, Wilson acknowledges that it would be impossible to represent every angle of Christian vision within one anthology. Instead he gathered a collection of North American voices that reads like a classroom full of the best and brightest seminary students. Each essay and story has a unique personal history and point of view and yet they all have a common purpose--that of exalting, living, and illuminating the Christian path.
The big-name writers in the collection include Jean Bethke Elshtain writing on "Abraham Lincoln and the Last Best Hope," Harvey Cox's essay "The Market As God" (originally published in "The Atlantic Monthly"), and Eugene Peterson on "Wise Teachers, Sound Teaching." Unfortunately, this anthology leans toward the theological, with only a few essays sustaining a hearty personal narrative. As a result, some readers may find the overall package a little dry. However, connoisseurs of Christian writing will recognize the merits of these well-crafted and provocative essays. In fact, the anthology's strength lies in a very satisfying and familiar formula--one that has always worked for successful sermon writing--linking biblical stories with a smattering of personal anecdotes and then applying them to our collective modern dilemmas. "--Gail Hudson"