‘Values that Shape the World’ is a good read

Review of ‘Values That Shape the World’ by Faye Lincoln

Faye Lincoln’s ‘Values That Shape the World’ is not only well written and informative, but it also reaches a nearly prophetic tone in offering the tried and true Judeo-Christian ethic as a remedy to our modern quandaries. By reading carefully, I gained a broader appreciation for Scripture and how it has guided the people of God for millennia.

With inspirational prose, Lincoln traces the commonality of the Hebrew Bible with the Christian Gospels in the revelation of how our public and personal lives should be guided by a transcendent God and a transcendent truth.

The book is also gilded by wise words from Rabbi Elie Abadi and Rabbi Yotav Eliach, who respectively wrote a prefaced and afterword.

Perfectly suited to those who are seeking to understand our current times, the book challenges readers to assess the triumphs and failures as our ancestors in faith wrestled with questions of identity, how to treat the stranger, and what it is be expected from our rulers. It is suited for discussion groups, even outside synagogues and churches, because the non-religious might obtain a better understanding of the religious point of view.

Oh, that mutual understanding might lead to comity and peace!

‘Values That Shape the World’ also challenges readers to consider what values are necessary to advance what some call ‘social justice’ in a world so riven by profit motives and power plays. Readers can examine the many Biblical characters surveyed by Lincoln and how their example can inform our discourse with others, and our goals.

This is an extraordinary, memorable, and touching book that offers a journey of personal faith and discovery that would make a fine gift for friend but, perhaps more importantly, for our enemies. May we be so wise as Faye Lincoln.