Skip to main content

Articles

Article

Popular Cultural “Worlds” as Alternative Religions

To what extent can popular culture be understood as a collection of religions? Using a biblically informed appropriation of Paul Ricoeur’s theory of narrative as a threefold mimesis as his conceptual grid, Theodore A. Turnau explores how popular cultural texts can function as alternative religions. He focuses on two case studies: a group of romance…
April 15, 2008
Reviews

Faith and Secularisation in Religious Colleges and University

While a plethora of books about religious higher education have hit the market recently, the vast majority of this scholarship focuses on Christian institutions in America. James Arthur’s new book, however, provides a fresh angle not used in previous works. Arthur, who is Professor of Education and Director of the National Institute for Christian Education…
April 15, 2008
Reviews

Deep Comedy

Peter Leithart’s Deep Comedy is an excellent example of interdisciplinary skill at work, calling upon history, theology, philosophy, and literature to paint a panoramic picture depicting a distinctly Christian worldview of history. This worldview stands in sharp contrast to other non-Christian worldviews, both ancient and (post)modern, that ultimately cave into tragic conclusions. Following the advent…
April 15, 2008
Reviews

After Rorty: The Possibilities for Ethics and Religious Belief

More than once, Rorty observed that he was distrusted on both the right and the left. Conservatives thought him too relativistic, he sighed, and progressives thought him too complacent. When accompanied by his famous shrug, not only did this self-portrayal invite sympathy for his being so beleaguered, but also suggest quietly the striking possibility that…
April 15, 2008
Reviews

God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe’s Religious Crisis

Jenkins’ book attempts to place both Christianity and Islam in the context of secular Europe. Though Jenkins works with the definition of “secular” noted in the previous review by Todd Ream, Jenkins does not believe that by itself it offers a sufficient explanation for the problems Christianity is experiencing in Europe. He contrasts similar conditions…
April 15, 2008
Reflection

Dialogue Discourse: Christian Scholars Engaging the Larger Academy

While commending the current primary means for Christian scholars to engage members of the larger academy through publications and conference presentations, Harold Heie proposes the increased use of dialogic discourse that starts with Christian scholars seeking to develop personal relationships of mutual trust with other scholars. He provides a number of examples where this interpersonal…
April 15, 2008