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Growing Old in Christ Growing Old in Christ Stanley Hauerwas, Carole Bailey Stone-king, Keith G. Meador, David Cloutier, Eds. Eerdmans, 310 pp., $24

As Woody Allen, quoted in one essay in this book, says, "Aging looks quite good when you consider the alternative."

In a culture obsessed with youth, how do Christians approach getting older? Does the purpose of life become clearer in old age? How are virtues nurtured? What does it mean to die well? What does it mean to live a full life?

"The answers to these questions are not charted out like a neat linear map to the end of our earthly lives; rather, they require a tolerance for ambiguity and incongruity," writes editor and contributor Carole Stoneking. "The answers spiritualize the mundane, 'hallow this life,' and bring us home."

In these Christian reflections on aging, the contributors (professors, deans, and graduate students) look at biblical, historical, and modern perspectives on aging. They also examine Christian community, worship, and other practices that confront modern views on aging and help provide meaning.

The work is academic but largely accessible, offering luminous insights on what it means to grow old in Christ.

Cindy Crosby is a regular contributor to Publishers Weekly

Growing Old in Christ is available from Amazon.com and other book retailers.

More information, including a list of contributors, is available from the publisher.

Other CT articles on aging include:

A Gerontologist Gets Older | David Petty, author of Aging Gracefully, has long taught about the process of aging. Now, he is personally learning that one of the most important aspects is the spiritual side. (July 29, 2003)

Dying in Peace | In Birmingham, an innovative program combines hospice care, traditional medicine, and faith to comfort the terminally ill. (Oct. 22, 2001)

Thanksgiving at Fair Acres | A meal with my mother and other nursing-home residents opened a small crack in their stony detachment, and gave a brief glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. (Nov. 17, 2000)

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January 2004, Vol. 48, No. 1