Articles

The intersection of science and faith can lead to tension among Christian believers and confusion between the faithful and their secular colleagues. In A Little Book for New Scientists, Josh Reeves and Steve Donaldson provide a useful map of this intersection without rehashing old arguments or taking polarizing positions on potentially controversial topics. Instead, this…

For Robin Lane Fox, the timelessness of Augustine’s Confessions demands a reading that attends to the particular time and place that gave rise to this classic work. Accordingly, Lane Fox introduces Augustine: Conversions to Confessions as a “‘biography’ of the Confessions” (7), not as a biography of Augustine. Although such an approach cannot ignore Augustine’s…

Reviewed by Carol Sue Humphrey, History, Oklahoma Baptist University In The First American Evangelical, Rick Kennedy presents an excellent brief biography of Cotton Mather. He discusses Mather’s life, ideas, and impact on colonial America, emphasizing the role that Mather played in laying the groundwork for the Great Awakening in the eighteenth century. The book is…

Reviewed by Glenn E. Sanders, Anthropology, History, Political Science, Oklahoma Baptist University Gary Burge’s short book ably traces the contours of the traditional American professor’s career, from initial appointment to retirement. Drawing on insights from adult developmental psychology, he describes “the ... stages that follow the professorial career and provide practical advice on how to…

Reviewed by Markus Rathey, Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University The title of Michael Marissen’s new book, Bach & God, seems to be redundant. No other composer in music history has been defined as much by the religious import of his music as the “fifth evangelist,” Johann Sebastian Bach. And yet, readers familiar with Marissen’s…

Reviewed by Jack R. Baker, English, Spring Arbor University Chris R. Armstrong’s book welcomes us into the wisdom of the ancients by articulating their value to a modern audience that may be suspicious of, misinformed about, or apathetic toward what those who have gone before us have to teach us. As Armstrong notes in his…