(REVIEW) “Vote of Faith” combines ethnographic storytelling with academic analysis. Readers might find the engaging stories and conversations captivating, like a great novel. However, some sections filled with jargon and less common vocabulary may slow down the reading pace. Overall, the book is well-researched and intriguing, providing valuable insights into the relationship between religion and politics.
Read More(REVIEW) Six months after the invasion of Ukraine, the Putin regime announced a document titled “State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values.” The document aimed to shape the worldview of Russians, including a “strong family.” Putin has utilized the rhetoric surrounding traditional values, which the Russian Orthodox Church has promoted, for his own purpose.
Read More(REVIEW) In “Immigration and Apocalypse: How the Book of Revelation Shaped American Immigration,” Yii Jan Lin narrates how some Americans have used the apocalyptic vision from the Book of Revelation to idealize the United States as a new holy land, while simultaneously marginalizing immigrants. The U.S. is portrayed as the New Jerusalem, with immigrants viewed as outsiders exhibiting unethical behaviors.
Read More(REVIEW) Many of us might be acquainted with conventional narratives that combine 19th century colonialism and Christianity with cultural suppression and forced conversion in Asian territories where local inhabitants fought back intruders and crushed evangelical missions. Thailand, however, has a different history.
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