Faithsongs: Ancient Psalms for Today

Faithsongs: Ancient Psalms for Today offers faith-challenged readers of all persuasions an up-close look at the spirituality of the Psalms and how it can enrich our lives. By turns inspiring and challenging, Faithsongs examines 40 individual psalms, as comforting as the 23rd and as disturbing as the 137th. For each psalm it offers a fresh paraphrase along with a practical, down-to-earth, how-does-this-relate-me commentary. Asking what it means for us today to embrace the faith the psalmists lived by, Faithsongs covers topics as varied as atheism, the growing environmental crisis, the persecution of gays, religious hypocrisy, our Western drug culture, the joy of knowing God, the law of attraction, spiritual depression, why Qur’an-burning is not on our agenda, the New Age, God’s passion for the poor, the importance of praise and the blessedness of peacemaking. Without pretending to answer every question, Faithsongs offers valuable insights into reading the Psalms in context. Decrying the “egofaith” promoted in many religious circles, it shows how the Psalms call us to be honest with God, with ourselves and with each other—and to become truly human in the process.