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Debra Rienstra has put together a very helpful primer on the Christian faith. Rienstra writes in lay terms and offers less an argument in defense of Christianity than a meditation on what it means to believe in Christ and live in the way he taught us. We understand here how it feels to be a Christian and what it means to live out our lives as if the teachings of the church are indeed true. The author explains the basic dimensions of Creation, Fall, and redemption, and offers several ways by which to understand the Atonement. Rienstra also compares and contrasts (fairly and irenically) different denominational practices and traditions. She is at her best when talking about community and worship.

SO MUCH MORE: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality by Debra Rienstra Jossey-Bass 288 pp.; $22.95

However, Rienstra misleadingly suggests that her overly egalitarian view of the Trinity is somehow the standard and traditional view. Still, her book is well worth reading by Christians of various stripes tired of apologetics books that are relentlessly logical. There is an appealing humility, gentleness, and intimacy here. While you may not agree with everything in this volume, So Much More is successful precisely because of the specifically (and refreshingly) feminine voice and approach of its author.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

So Much More is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

More information, including a chapter excerpt, are available from Jossey-Bass.

More about Debra Rienstra is available from her page at Calvin College.

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July 2006, Vol. 50, No. 7