Staying power a fundamental need
July 28, 2010
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove believes a spiritual need for stability is part of our human nature and that we have largely ignored this in our hyper-mobile culture. "As participants in a mobile culture, our default is to move," he writes in The Wisdom of Stability. "But I am convinced that we lose something essential to our existence as creatures if we do not recognize our fundamental need for stability."
Never waste the pain
July 28, 2010
Books on suffering are plenty, from the intimate journals of those who have loved and lost, to scholarly, detached essays on the purpose and meaning of universal affliction. In Scott Cairns' The End of Suffering, we are given a work that encompasses both modes of exploration, delving into the emotional, philosophical and practical meanings and outcomes of pain.
Spying on the neighbours
June 29, 2010
I don't have a Facebook account. I'm an honest guy but something about sharing so much about myself makes me feel uncomfortable. Hal Niedzviecki's The Peep Diaries takes a look at the phenomenon of "over-sharing" including Facebook, reality television, the "blogosphere," amateur pornography, YouTube, cellphones, celebrity culture, CCTV cameras and other peep collateral.
Evil feeds upon the good
June 29, 2010
If you enjoyed last year's Reason, Faith and Revolution by the Marxist literary critic Terry Eagleton, you'll be pleased to know that he's still got theology on his mind. While his last book was a witty, biting, sermon-like contribution to the "God debate," his new book, On Evil, is a work of literary criticism. But his interest in theological issues is still evident.
Making the case for faith
June 29, 2010
Apologetics just ain't what it used to be. Some decades ago, in my high school and university days, we evangelicals latched onto books with authoritative sounding titles, like Know Why You Believe and Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Being a debater myself, I easily mastered the arguments and wielded them with passion. Trouble is, I never seemed to convince anyone—in my classes, at parties or in late night bull sessions.
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