Faith & Doubt Anthology - Foreward by Rev. David Rommereim

Bibliotekos is a local publishing company founded by Good Shepherd's own Fredericka A. Jacks and Gregory F. Tague, Ph.D.  Early this year saw the publication of Puzzles of Faith and Patterns of Doubt anthology, with a foreward written by Pastor David Rommereim. We include a sample of this foreward included in the book summary below.  You can read the full version here.   





FAITH AND DOUBT anthology

We are excited and proud to announce the publication of Puzzles of Faith and Patterns of Doubt – our fifth, themed anthology (and the last in the series). As with our other books, this has been a labor of love. We do virtually all of the work ourselves, but we are grateful to Pastor David Rommereim for writing a beautiful Foreword and to our student interns Evan Czmola, Tyler Perkins, and Kimberly Resnick. We are especially grateful to our dear friend Mary Kenefick Keating for giving us a striking cover image.

The contributors to the volume include: Larry Lefkowitz, Patty Somlo, Arthur Powers, Frank Russo, Rivka Keren, Michele Merens, Julie J. Nichols, Atar Hadari, Gary Guinn, W.C. Bamberger, Andrea Vojtko, Bill Scalia, Edie Cottrell, Joey Dean Hale, and Roberta Allen. Each one of these wonderful and inspiring people is either an accomplished fiction writer or poet (or both). You won’t be disappointed with their work.
Here is what one accomplished writer (and a Bibliotekos contributor) says about Puzzles of Faith: The poems and short stories in Puzzles of Faith and Patterns of Doubt probe their subjects with a delicate and sensitive scalpel. “Access Closed” by Joey Dean Hale offers a poignant portrait of a man “without an original idea” who, in his estrangement from his family and his faith, retains a stubborn nobility. “Padre Raimundo’s Army” by Arthur Powers is a shining parable about the triumph of faith and goodness over inhumanity. In Patty Somlo’s “Since Letitia Williams Saw Jesus,” a woman sees a vision, passes it on, and in so doing, loses it. But perhaps her deepest faith resides in what she pretends to see in the hopes that it will appear. This is a thought-provoking and eclectic collection that memorably explores contradictory truths, lies, and enigmas. – Anne Whitehouse (poet and novelist, The Refrain, Blessings and Curses, Fall Love, among other books).

And here is part of the Foreword: "In this volume, you will notice those who have risked observing their living with the delicate venture into what is other. You will wander in the wilderness of the pain caused by misinformed choices. You will see those who turn hallucination into healing. You will enjoy the turning of death from empty religion into the raw gift of grief. You will pay attention to the packages offered in the stories that announce the timely gift of reconciliation and forgiveness; hope from the places of deep pain re-imagined and healed through the telling. Each describes what is beyond the ordinary, as well as what is deeper in the vicissitudes of a faith moving well beyond religion and into the heart songs which religion hopes to honor, but has become limited by its penchant to be above doubt and beyond mystery." – Rev. David Rommereim.

Finally, a few of our words from the Preface: Much of the work in this volume is not religious – the doubts that strain one’s faith are questions of character, difficulties in personal relationships, or problems in the family. The puzzle of faith is not really about God, it’s about the human predicament: our sins, our mistakes, our failures (and at times our glories) with ourselves and others. We trust you will support the press and pick up a copy of the book – don’t forget that we do offer discounts – and tell all of your friends, family, and colleagues about us and what we are doing. Not all features are yet live on the Amazon page (e.g. *Look Inside* - give that a few days), and it takes a little longer for the title information to appear in other distribution streams (other online sellers and bookstore databases).

Thank you for your support.

Click here to purchase the book.
(It is also an E book best viewed on Kindle Fire.)

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