Books

Hope for Shalom

Lisa Graham McMinn’s The Contented Soul

“Too easily we live unexamined and disconnected lives, distracting ourselves in our quest for greater ease, comfort, or the acquisition of better stuff,” writes Lisa Graham McMinn. “But there is another way that leads toward a more certain contentment.”

Weaving sociological and theological insights into reflective personal anecdotes, McMinn invites the reader to discover this other way. Guided by the principle of hope for shalom, she identifies eight practices of contented souls and examines the cultural obstacles that often prevent us from considering lifestyle changes such as accepting limits, walking gently on the earth, and remembering the past. Yet she also discusses practical ways to savor the joys that are available to us as we cultivate lives that model contentment in obedience to Christ.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

The Contented Soul is available from ChristianBook.com and other book retailers.

InterVarsity Press has more on the book, including an excerpt and video clip.

The book received a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

The Des Moines Register published an article based on the book.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

Where We Are and How We Got Here

Mark A. Noll

What Married Women Want

The Church's Great Malfunctions

Miroslav Volf

Flea Market Believers

Arthur E. Farnsley II

A Bioethicist on Genesis

Reviewed by John Makujina

CT Classics

Compiled by Richard A. Kauffman

From Eternity to Here

A Greater Vision

Harold Myra

Grappling with God

A One-China (Church) Policy

'Jesus Never Left China', reviewed by Tony Carnes

Editorial

Save the E-Word

A Christianity Today Editorial

Editorial

Media in Motion

A Christianity Today Editorial

Genocide and Grace

Reviewed by Timothy C. Morgan

LBJ and JFK

Mark Noll

News

Q&A: Richard Stearns

What's Next: Relief and Development

Deann Alford

Review

IDing ID's Designer

Denyse O'Leary

What's Next: International Justice

What's Next: Higher Education

Ted Olsen and Jason Bailey

Legacy of a Global Leader

Tim Stafford

Evangelism Plus

Interview by Tim Stafford

Train Wreck Coming

What's Next: Evangelism

Timothy Morgan

What's Next: Culture

Rob Moll

Let Us Reason Together About Life

What's Next: Theology

Collin Hansen

News

To Russia with Fury

What's Next: Publishing & Broadcasting

Madison Trammel

The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals

What's Next: Politics

Tony Carnes

What's Next: Missions

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What's Next: Youth

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Quotation Marks

What's Next: Local Church

Tim Stafford

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One 'Major Step'

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James Jewell in Gulu, Uganda

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Passages

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News

Soaking in Blood—Again

Anto Akkara in Sri Lanka

Asylum vs. Assistance

Cool on Climate Change

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Braves Lose Focus

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Indonesia's Death Quota

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Disputed Dismissal

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The Price of Protest

Xu Mei, Compass Direct, with reporting by CT

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A Year After Assad, Evangelicals Help Syria Heal

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While uncertain about life under the new Islamist-led government, Christians are providing spiritual and material aid to their neighbors

Christ Welcomes Us So That We Might Welcome Him

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The Incarnation is an act of divine hospitality, and the church is the cohost.

The Russell Moore Show

What Makes a Song Good for Corporate Worship?

Russell takes a listener question about whether some songs are better than others for worshipping in a congregational setting.

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How can you maintain your Christmas sanity amid holiday stress?

News

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Emmaneul Nwachukwu

“I just wish someone can help me get my child back home soon.”

Lord Over LinkedIn

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CT reported on the assassination of a president, a Supreme Court ban on Bible-reading in schools, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

‘Saint Nicholas Is Our Guy’

A conversation with printmaker Ned Bustard on what traditions teach about the joy of generosity.

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