Paperback -- 160 pages -- 5" x 7.5" -- ACTA Publications -- September 15, 2010
Most of us have seen A Christmas Carol dozens of times on stage and film. But when was the last time we actually read the book? Here is a wonderful new edition, complete with Dickens' original text, wonderful four-color drawings, and an insightful Introduction by storyteller and theologian John Shea.
"A Christmas Carol is a classic precisely because it cannot be confined to a wintry Christmas Eve and Morn in nineteenth century England," Shea writes, "and it cannot be completely tamed by familiarity. The story may be old and often told, but it is not toothless. 'Beware' should be stamped in red letters on the cover of this book.... Scrooge awakens in us a vague uneasiness, a need to scrutinize our choices to see where they have led us. We might have cut ourselves off from something essential. We may be missing the fullness of what is available."
This book is printed on high-quality matte paper with a linen-finish soft cover. It is the perfect birthday or holiday book for family, friends, colleagues, and staff members.
John Shea
John (Jack) Shea is a theologian and storyteller who lectures nationally and internationally on storytelling in world religions, faith-based health care, contemporary spirituality, and the spirit at work movement. Formerly, he was a professor of systematic theology and the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, a research professor at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University of Chicago, and the Advocate Healthcare Senior Scholar in Residence at the Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics. He has also taught at the University of Notre Dame and Boston College.
He has published thirteen books of theology and spirituality and two books of poetry. His latest three books are Gospel Light: Jesus Stories for Spiritual Consciousness (Crossroad, 1997), Elijah at the Wedding Feast and Other Tales (Acta, 1999), and Spirituality and Health Care: Reaching Toward a Holistic Future (Park Ridge Center, 2000). He is presently at work on a four volume series that will provide literary/spiritual interpretations of the Sunday gospels. These interpretations — The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers — will be a resource for lectionary based preaching and teaching.