“We must fight Christian nationalism. It’s what fueled Jan. 6 and the pews in our churches, every Sunday, are filled with them.” That isn’t the only time I’ve heard that ominous warning offered up by an earnest, well-weaning pastor, non-profit leader or Christian influencer. It’s shaped by a narrative repeated often by the press, echoed in a seemingly unlimited new genre of books and accepted as gospel even by many people of faith.
Read More(REVIEW) Carrie Sheffield is an accomplished Harvard-trained journalist and political commentator, but even though she’s written elsewhere about being raised by an abusive self-proclaimed Mormon prophet, I doubt that most of her fans and followers are aware of just how brutal her story really is. This remarkable memoir illuminates some of our most pressing social challenges with forthrightness, grace, and hope that can be missing in other memoirs often fueled by resentment and anger.
Read More(REVIEW) It’s a shame that “Solo Planet” has such a ho-hum subtitle: “How Singles Help the Church Recover Our Calling.” It should be: “An Intrepid Reporter Surveys Christian Singles on Six Continents during a Whirlwind 17-month Tour.” Which is what Anna Broadway did. Having already written one book on singles, this 40-something single evangelical woman noticed that most literature on the topic came from an English-speaking, American perspective.
Read More“Towards Jihad? Muslims and Politics in Postcolonial Mozambique” says that although Muslims in Mozambique have become more active in politics in the post-independence period, they have not moved towards jihad, but that only a small group has done so.
Read More(REVIEW) The book establishes a sober and compelling framework for living in a changing world for American Christians that deserves to be read and wrestled with for anyone who wants to understand the age we live in.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory,” a new book written by journalist Tim Alberta, provides an extremely detailed recounting of the past four years in American evangelicalism and how large societal events highlighted the increasing blend of religion and far-right politics.
Read MoreFrom 1992 to 2021, my book reviews appeared in the magazine I edited, World. Probably about half came from Christian publishers. During the past two years, Discovery Institute has published a monthly OlaskyBooks column that emphasizes secular books. That column will continue, but I still read many religion-based books, and Religion Unplugged has an audience that cares about them, so I’ll report about those here.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Great Dechurching” is a groundbreaking new book that should redefine how we talk about the reasons behind the decline in American church attendance, even if its proposed solutions miss the forest for the trees.
Read More(REVIEW) In his new book, “Heartbeat: An American Cardiologist in Kenya,” Dr. David Silverstein, who is Jewish, recounts the highs and lows of being Moi’s personal physician. It meant that he was privy to some of the biggest secrets and decisions ever made in Kenya.
Read More(REVIEW) In less than 40 pages, Margaret Sayers outlines a few helpful remedies for a host of challenges that come with old age, frailty and conditions such as dementia. The recommendations are meant primarily for caregivers or those who often interact with a family member in such conditions, for instance.
Read More(REVIEW) How have we become like gods? Tracing the story from the Middle Ages, with its philosophical culmination in Nietzsche and modern manifestation in the transhumanist movement and the Kardashians, author Tara Isabella Burton explains how humanity has come to seek flourishing apart from God in her book “Self-Made.”
Read More(REVIEW) This book is a valiant attempt to create an ethic of deep listening, empathy and guidelines for spiritual mentorship for those who find themselves marginalized by the religious community. At the same time, the Staffords’ lack of clarity exposes the groundwork to logical fallacies, self-refuting statements and logical circles.
Read MoreThe season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts about six weeks, culminating with Easter Sunday. It is the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. Ahead of the Lenten season, here are five books about this prayerful season that will prepare Christians for Easter.
Read More(REVIEW) American novelist Cormac McCarthy often writes about people on the fringes of society who are isolated from true connection with others. His newest novel in a two-book set, “The Passenger,” is no different, but in it the protagonist still has plenty of conversations. In almost every conversation, one character asks, “Do you believe in God?”
Read More(REVIEW) Tell-all books have become a staple of our political conversation. They give readers a chance to see what took place in private during some of history’s most trying times. That’s the case of former Vice President Mike Pence’s new memoir about his life and time in the White House with former President Donald Trump.
Read More(REVIEW) Historian John McGreevy’s new book “Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis,” covering a period of 230 years, can only be defined as ambitious. Extremely well researched and skillfully put together, McGreevy’s book is a must-read for anyone interested in the planet’s largest Christian denomination.
Read More(REVIEW) A new book by historian Randall Balmer called “Passion Plays: How Religion Shaped Sports in North America” explores the relationship between sports and religion. Specifically, he writes that the book “examines how the history of religion across North America connects in fascinating ways to the emergence of modern team sports.”
Read More(REVIEW) Emerging from a small sect within Judaism, early Christianity absorbed much of the religious, cultural and philosophical traditions of the Greco-Roman world at the time. A new book looks at the centuries that followed the crucifixion of Jesus, which were ones of intense persecution. Christianity would eventually flourish and become the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Read More(REVIEW) Since many Catholics — ones in America in particular — are so carnivorous throughout much of the year, a new cookbook out just in time for Lent focuses on the very dilemma of what to eat on Fridays this month. Scott Hahn’s book “The Lenten Cookbook” from Sophia Institute Press serves up easy-to-make meals this spring.
Read More(REVIEW) One of the most misunderstood biblical figures has to be Mary Magdalene. A new book tries to finally set the record straight with a full examination of her life. In fact, centuries of distortions and myths is what theologian and author Adriana Valero tries to uncover in order to paint a fuller, and truthful, representation of one of the most important women from the New Testament.
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