Summary: A linguistic, philosophical and cultural commentary on the backlash to minorities talking about racism. Backlash that was written in response to the writing a 2015 editorial on racism at the NYT. The book opens, after a forward by Cornell West and an introduction by Yancy with that original editorial. Backlash is the type of book … Read more
Summary: A Church that is asleep to injustice and racism is blind to the heart of God. Honestly, I do not understand the current movement today within the church that suggests that justice is peripheral and actually against the gospel. The Dallas Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel has united many against it, from Al … Read more
Takeaway: Lots of classic Lewis here. I went through a period when I was reading a ton of CS Lewis (either by or about). I looked today and if I counted correctly I have finished 19 of Lewis’ books, many of them multiple times and started but did not finish another 4. But it has … Read more
Summary: A mix of “˜read this instead of that’ guide to Great Books, with half of the time devoted to great book outside of the cannon. I am a fan of the concept of Great Courses, lectures from good lecturers about interesting subjects. These are similar to repackaged college lectures, not TEDTalks. Most of the … Read more
Summary: 16 Letters to his Godson about virtues. Maybe I am just getting old. But as I spend more time studying spiritual formation, both for my own benefit and to assist others in their own spiritual development, the more that I think the church as a whole has lost the thread of the development of character … Read more
Summary: Neuroscience and psychology can be helpful to understanding our spiritual life. After having read The Body Keeps Score on the science and psychology of Trauma, I wanted to read something similar from an explicitly Christian perspective and Anatomy of the Soul was recommended to me. (I also picked up This is Your Brain on Joy … Read more
Summary: A Reformed exploration of the Apostles Creed, designed for small group discussion. I have an appreciation of the work that JI Packer did throughout his life. I have read a couple of his books, but in many ways I appreciate the influence that he had on people more than his writing directly. Most of … Read more
I am ambivalent about posting a best of 2017 list. My books are not, for the most part books that were published in 2017. And what is best, or most important for me, is unlikely to be the best for anyone else. So this is a recounting of what is important, but not really what … Read more
Summary: If you are looking for how to approach Barth, this is your book. The more you read, the more you realize what you do not know. And one of those things that I do not know enough about is Barth. I started reading Saving Karl Barth: Hans Urs von Bathasar’s Preoccupation by Stephen Long … Read more
Summary: Life is horrible, then it gets a bit better. I have spent a lot of the past year or so reading history and other non-fiction about racism, slavery, Jim Crow and the broader African American experience in the US. I have not read a lot of fiction in part because non-fiction I can distance … Read more