Tuesday Tome - The American Soul

The political climate and polarizing rhetoric is sure to be inescapable as we approach the November 6 election. Wouldn't it be good to take a step back and consider the values, ideas, and virtues that gave birth to our nation? How did those early Americans work for unity and democracy despite their profound differences of belief, religion, and national origin?

You're invited to join me and my upcoming Pastor's Book Club at Valley Christian Church as we read and discuss philosopher Jacob Needleman's book, The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders. Read the book description below.

Our discussion schedule will be:
September 25 - Ideas & Beginnings (pp. 1-188)
October 9 - Crimes & Failings (pp. 189-268)
October 23 - Democracy & Hope (pp. 269-356)

If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Dave. Books will be available at the Valley resource center and at Amazon.

From Publisher's Weekly--
San Francisco State philosophy professor and author Needleman invites readers to contemplate the deeper spiritual meaning of the American legacy of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Finding a deep resonance between the founding principles of this country and the ancient spiritual quest for an inner liberation, Needleman proceeds to examine and "remythologize" the founders and some of their great deeds.

The reader is asked to consider Franklin's courageous experimentation ("...the man played and worked with lightening!"), Washington's restraint retiring from the army and later from the presidency rather than exploiting his matchless popularity and political power, Jefferson's brilliant articulation of the value of community, and the sheer gravity and awareness in Lincoln's face.
....
While Needleman clearly finds much to love about America, he balances our light with our darkness, our genuine good will and spirituality with our great crimes of slavery and the genocidal abuse of the American Indian. Decidedly not for strict materialists or historical literalists, Needleman's latest work gives open-minded readers a new set of spiritual role models and much valuable food for thought at a crucial moment.