Wilson Books

I recommend this book to all parents looking for guidance as to the foundation of hope upon which they parent their children. I believe that in our culture of blind humanistic optimism and individualistic Christian pessimism, this is an important topic. http://www.jeffreyclong.com

I have recommended this book to everyone I know who has children, and I highly recommend it to Amozon.com readers

R.L. Wilson, who wrote this book, also wrote one called 'Colt, an American Legend.' Both books are exquisite, coffee table size--eight and a half inches by eleven inches (landscape)--and each are over 400 pages, almost every page filled with extremely high quality color photographs.

R.L. Wilson, in addition to being a collector and well-known author in the firearms field, is a historical consultant to Colt's Firearms Division.

The subtitle on the first page says, "The official history of Winchester firearms and ammunition from 1849 to the present," which pretty much covers the entire history of the Winchester Firearms Company (now known as U.S. Repeating Arms, since a bankruptcy and change of ownership.)

If you are a Winchester aficionado, or just a Western history buff, with an interest in "The Gun That Won the West," this is a book you will want in your library.

It is one of my favorite books. It will probably be one of yours, also.

Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

Costen, in her book 'African American Christian Worship,' begins with a discussion of core theological beliefs that shape all of such worship. This core seeks to locate and connect the liturgy with the rest of life, such that the practice of worship has meaning that influences the rest of life, and vice versa. These core beliefs are rather interesting, and not at all out of line with what my own basic theology would contain. However, the liturgical practice in my own background does not always realise the larger connection between the shape of the worship liturgy and the larger universe.

There is a strong focus on personal experience as a primary spiritual element. Being interested in such spirituality, I was intrigued by her quote:

'Unlike the Western-oriented Christian, whose theology is rooted in Greco-Roman concepts and culture, African peoples tend to seek to know God personally rather than to know about God from doctrines and creeds.' (p. 20)

While I am a very creed-based Christian, I still seek those experiences and practices which help me to know God, as well as having respect for those practices and studies which talk about God. There has been a tension between these orientations in the more Euro-centric history as well as the African American history, with each side having a similar suspicion of the other. One of Costen's shortcomings in this book is that she ignores the whole of the Western contemplative tradition.

Costen elaborates on the historical aspects of African American worship, particularly as it continues to be informed by its origins as an expression of oppressed peoples. There is, however, no single pattern or form for African American worship; rather, the variety of African American worship that exists today across many denominational lines are all influenced to varying degrees by this background. For instance, 'all African American denominations (Protestant especially) can claim heritage in the Invisible Institution, regardless of when and where they enter denominational history.' (p. 87) However, this is shaped and influenced by a number of factors, including location, leadership, daily life of worshipers, and what Costen describes as the 'denominational ethos' of the worshipers. To think that there is one pattern of African American Christian worship is a mistake.

As someone coming out of the Anglican tradition, I was interested in the discussion of the role of the Church of England and British-based movements on the early African American experience. This is not a history of which I am very familiar, and it is not one emphasised in other historical texts I have studied.

Certainly, practices such as the Ring Shout are very removed from my experience and tradition. I wonder if the description and discussion in Costen's book does this practice justice, as I did not get a good sense of what exactly takes places and what feelings and connections to God are manifest in the practice. This is most likely another case of the necessary difference between reading about a practice and actually enacting and participating in the practice.

I was very interested in the idea of the Invisible Institution and the improvised architecture and accoutrements dedicated to worship. As one who often has to improvise meeting spaces, etc., I have had to deal with some of the difficulties discussed here, albeit none as difficult to deal with as official societal and legal suppression as was enacted against early African American self-directed worship experiences.

Perhaps the most important chapter for me was the concluding one, which discusses worship as empowerment. Costen states, 'In order for corporate worship to be authentic and empowering, it must be psychologically relevant to worshipers and commensurate with their lived experience.' (p. 123) Likewise, she writes, 'The most effective demonstration of true liturgy is what we do in obedience to God in Christ with our lives when we gather and when we scatter as a community in the world.' (p. 127) These quotes sum up for me the importance of worship in life, learning, and the hoped-for relevance of what takes place during our liturgical-worshipful times to our overall lives. This transcends the unique experience of any particular group such as African Americans, and becomes important for all people.

The appendix on Crioulo language in Irwin and Wilson's book is brief but good. Don't be put off by the nasty details on horrible diseases in the section on health!