I did not know that half-Jewish Catholic nuns existed. Turns out they do, and one of them (at least) has some profound things to say, as well. Walking us through her amazing life experiences, Ann Temkin takes a look at the life of Jesus through the incredible lens of a woman whose faith-journey sprang out of a mixture of Judeo-Protestantism that then led her to Catholicism. While some of Temkin’s takes on Jesus’ disciples were certainly conjecture, her insights into their thoughts as well as those of Jesus Himself spurred me to really think about some of my own preconceived notions regarding the Gospel narratives. This book is a gem, not in a theological sense, but in a spiritual one. A very fun, provocative read that I hope you’ll check out!
Acclaim for Sight in the Sandstorm:
Jesus was not a Christian. Ann J. Temkin’s wonderful book presents us with a deeply compassionate Jewish Jesus, a man fully imbued with the spirit of God, whose call for love, inclusion, and compassion for all, especially the down and out. Temkin gives us a Jesus that all spiritual aspirants should be able to embrace, whatever their background, because the love and justice of the God he calls ‘Abba’ comprehends and includes us all. As both a Jew and a student of world religions, I highly recommend this book.
– Richard Oxenberg, Lecturer in Ethics and Religion, Endicott College, Beverly, Massachusetts
God is not with us by being behind us, nor is God with us by watching over us from above, but God is with us by our side. In this stunning book, Ann J. Temkin shows us that we find God by looking sideways, by recognizing God in the crooked and intimate vulnerabilities of our lives. Like her Hebrew ancestors, Temkin has wandered through life and the world seeking God, and like them, has found God by her side in both the extraordinary and the everyday. In Sight in the Sandstorm, she takes us on this journey, interweaving and relating biblical stories with stories of her own wanderings, and discovering that the God present in Jesus is also present to us today. With the perspective of both Jew and Christian, she retells these stories from the inside out, giving us a glimpse of how God must have been perceived in first century Palestine and recognized in the Jew named Jesus. Read this and open the eyes of your heart.
– Sharon Tan, McVay Professor of Christian Ethics, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, New Brighton, Minnesota
In Sight in the Sandstorm, the intertwining of personal narrative with an imaginative telling of the story of Jesus displays the much neglected fact that Jesus and his followers were Jews while simultaneously making Jesus and his liberating message present to modern readers. Expect to be moved by both narratives.”
– J. Denny Weaver, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Editor, the C. Henry Smith Series, Bluffton University, Bluffton, Ohio
About the Author:
Ann Temkin was born to a Jewish father and Gentile mother but raised in no faith tradition. She is an ex-nun and a protestant minister whose path has been long and winding and includes contemplative practice, graduate degrees in theology and counseling, years as a psychotherapist, minister, and work in inter-faith realms. She has a passion to share a “sideways” look at Jesus with the hope that it brings some small bit of healing.
Link-Love:
Ann Temkin‘s website
Sight in the Sandstorm’s website
Sight in the Sandstorm on Amazon
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.
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