Reviews

Reviewed by Zachary Purvis, Divinity, University of Edinburgh In Kelly Joan Whitmer’s telling, the story of the Halle Orphanage is the story of the formation of a new “scientific community,” populated by kings, theologians, and cosmopolitan inventors determined to furnish new instruments with the ability to decode the mysteries of magnetism. Hers is a fascinating…

Reviewed by João Chaves, Religion, Baylor University and Baptist University of the Américas The accented Jesús presented by Miguel De La Torre is at odds with what De La Torre calls the Euroamerican Jesus. Jesús is not on board with versions of the white, middle-class, American dream that are usually dependent on capitalist commitments either…

Reviewed by James Halverson, History, Judson University In the preface to Medieval Christianity, Kevin Madigan apologizes for adding another book to the “groaning shelves” of medievalists and historians of Christianity. He is correct about the groaning. Many trees have fallen in the service of studying Christianity between 600 and 1500 in the four and a…

Reviewed by Matthew W. Manry, Biblical Studies, Belhaven University C. Stephen Evans is University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Baylor University. He has written books on various topics in philosophy of religion and in Christian apologetics. In his latest book, Why Christian Faith Still Makes Sense, Evans lays out a well-reasoned defense of the…

Reviewed by Chan Woong Shin, Social Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University Ani Sarkissian’s new book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on religion and politics in general and religious freedom and repression in particular. As Sarkissian argues, existing works have mostly focused on either the place of religion in democratic regimes or more severe…

Reviewed by Dale Goldsmith, Retired as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Oklahoma Panhandle State University Usually I see ethical issues such as abortion and war “discussed” on a crowded street by shouting, even pushing, placard-bearing advocates of “yes” or “no” with little accompanying detailed argument. The Ethics of Death offers a much quieter, sometimes casual—even…

Reviewed by Darren Patrick Guerra, Political Science, Biola University Can evangelicals model and sustain respectful political conversation? Harold Heie, Senior Fellow at the Center for Faith and Inquiry at Gordon College thinks they can, and he is committed not just to writing about it but to demonstrating it as well. This book grew out of…

Reviewed by Marion H. Larson, English, Bethel University Joy Davidman is best known today as the wife of C. S. Lewis, her untimely death poignantly portrayed in the play and subsequent film Shadowlands. Many also know of her through the touching reflections on death and the problem of pain that Lewis penned in A Grief…

Reviewed by P. C. Kemeny, Biblical and Religious Studies, Grove City College Christian Smith, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame, is a prolific scholar. His works span a wide range of topics, including liberation theology…

Reviewed by Garrett Trott, Librarian, Corban University Abraham Kuyper’s understanding of life was flavored by the sovereignty of God. A statement he made at the inaugural convocation of the Free University summarizes it well: “In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which Christ, who alone is sovereign,…

Reviewed by Andrew F. Bush, Missiology and Anthropology, Eastern University Can the global Christian community, divided by its thousands of denominations and regional trends while also challenged by the increased vigor of other religions, be a source of healing to a world wracked by war, poverty, disease, and injustice? This daunting question is the basis…

Reviewed by James R. Skillen, Geology, Geography, and Environmental Studies, Calvin College Over the last 20 years, evangelical Christians in the United States have become increasingly active in national debates over environmental protection. From action to protect the federal Endangered Species Act from revision in the mid-1990s to the statement “Climate Change: An Evangelical Call…

Reviewed by Roger Ward, Philosophy, Georgetown College At first glance this text seems eclectic. Fiddes places critical post-modern philosophy in conversation with Christian doctrine and uses both as a basis for a constructive theology that incorporates the wisdom literature in Ancient Israel. According to Fiddes, our contemporary setting, which he describes as the late-modern context,…

Reviewed by Tracy J. Trothen, Religion, Queen’s University In this very effective and much-needed book, religious studies scholar Rebecca Alpert convincingly argues that religion must be part of the interdisciplinary sports conversation. Through a case study exploration of what she calls “the interconnections” between sports and religion, Alpert aims to introduce students to the growing…

Reviewed by Ryan McIlhenny, History, Providence Christian College Within the last few decades Christian intellectuals have spent many a conference paper and journal article articulating the relationship between their faith and their professional work as scholars. While I enjoy the occasional rehearsal, I find myself, as a historian, more often bored with the question almost…

Reviewed by John W. Hawthorne, Sociology, Spring Arbor University As a sociology professor and administrator serving several Christian universities over the last three decades plus, I have been fascinated at how institutional ethos varies from school to school. A university may be celebrating a centennial, yet the hiring of people who “fit,” the priorities placed…

Reviewed by Kristina M. Kays, Psychology, George Fox University Paul Moes and Donald J. Tellinghuisen present the value of exploring psychology through five theological lenses. These respected Calvin College psychology faculty suggest that human nature is best understood through an analysis which combines theological underpinnings and psychological assumptions. Exploring Psychology and Christian Faith: An Introductory…

Reviewed by Debra Paxton-Buursma, Education, Calvin College Everyone loves stories of transformation, especially when recounting crisis-creating contingencies that line the fabric of life. Despite human capacity and faith-filled living, change and loss lodge in our lives threatening the stability of our core beliefs, logic, and practices. When crisis hits, we often find the doctrine of…

Reviewed by Cody R. Hawley, Communication, University of South Florida When George Gallup dubbed 1976 the year of the evangelical, he foreshadowed and promoted an increased evangelical involvement in politics. Jimmy Carter, with casual talk of his born-again faith, established its relevance in the public mind and reporters were often scrambling to understand this apparent…

Reviewed by Karen D. Youmans, University Honors Program, Oklahoma City University The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea) of Jacobus de Voragine, while not always revered for its artistry, stands unquestioned as one of the single most influential literary works of the late medieval period. Completed sometime between 1260 and 1298, the year of the Dominican friar’s…