Logos 10 Review Having been raised in a pietistic branch of the Lutheran Church, I can truthfully say I’ve been surrounded by Scripture my entire life. Sunday school was Bible stories, flannel boards, and verse memorization. I endured the Lutheran hazing of confirmation, which was filled with more memorizing and Bible study. During my high […]
Reviews
Review of books, articles, or other media
Jesus and the Empire of God
Seeing the Gospels Again for the Very First Time Jesus and the Empire of God: Reading the Gospels in the Roman Empire, Warren Carter (Cascade, Eugene, OR, 2021). Warren Carter boldly marches down a new path with his book, Jesus and the Empire of God. For centuries, Christians have understood the gospels to be like […]
An Unpromising Hope
An Unpromising Hope An Unpromising Hope: Finding Hope Outside of Promise for an Agnostic Church and for Those of Us who Find it Hard to Believe, Thomas R. Gaulke (Pickwick, Eugene, OR, 2021). Illusive Hope Before reading this book I took the feeling of hope for granted. It was similar to joy, peace and love. […]
The Light We Give
The Light We Give The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life, Simran Jeet Singh (Riverhead Books, New York, 2022). A Path Toward Becoming I picked up this book at the suggestion of Anne Lamott. In one of her Tweets she wrote that she really liked this book. After reading it, I […]
An Enlightening Journey
An Enlightening Journey Such a Mind as This: A Biblical-Theological Study of Thinking in the Old Testament, Richard L. Smith (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, 2021). This is a book for the serious student of the Bible. If you place yourself in that category, then this is a great book for you. Richard Smith, offers up […]
A Handbook and Study Guide
The Soul’s Slow Ripening Twelve Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred The Soul’s Slow Reopening: Twelve Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred, Christine Valters Paintner (Soren Books, Norte Dame, IN, 2018) A common desire of many 21st century Christians is a greater experience of the divine. A few moments spent in prayer, weekly worship attendance, […]
How to Fight Like Jesus
Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week, Jason Porterfield (Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 2020.) We live in a cracked and chipped world. At times, it seems like it is becoming more broken, rather than being glued back together. Hate crimes are increasing. Racism, though denied, is rampant. Gun violence is growing. Depression […]
Political Spirituality
Looking at the End or the Beginning? Political Spirituality in an Age of Eco-Apocalypse: Communication and Struggle across Species, Cultures and Religions, James W. Perkinson (Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2015). I have only read bits and pieces of the 1619 Project. I am amazed, however, at how it changed my perception and understanding of American […]
The Emptied Christ of Philippians
The Emptied Christ of Philippians A Refreshing Commentary The Emptied Christ of Philippians: Mahatana Meditations, John P. Keenan (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, 2015) As a student of the Bible, I always appreciate fresh insights on a well-worn topic or text. John P. Keenan has provided the reader many such insights on Paul’s letter to the […]
Making Sense of a Troubled Land
Making Sense of a Trouble Land Like Birds in a Cage: Christian Zionism’s Collusion in Israel’s Oppression of the Palestinian People, David M Crump (Eugene, Wipf and Stock, 2021). I was in a hotel’s men’s room in Jerusalem washing my hands, when a grizzled elderly man stepped up to the sink next to me. He […]