Category: Book Review
“The Libyan Revelation: Why Recent Events in Libya Should Revolutionize America’s Approach to the Muslim World” by Christopher C. Smith
On September 11, 2012, some fifty masked and heavily armed Islamists attacked an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The compound’s staff was evacuated to another facility, but that fac... Read More
Virtue is its Own Reward: Why Michael Pollan’s “Cooked” is a Religious Text
After perhaps my 20th snide comment about something in "Cooked" that annoyed me, my fiancee asked me if I would please shut up and allow her to enjoy her food porn. This is an entirely reasonable req... Read More
Keith Ward on Interfaith Dialogue and Disagreement
Wm. Curtis Holtzen and Roberto Sirvent have done a great service for those searching for a succinct compilation of theologian-philosopher Keith Ward’s voluminous work. In By Faith and Reason: ... Read More
Does Religion Cause War ?
Does Religion Cause War ? If so, How ? The sociologist David Martin, in his book Does Christianity Cause War? (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997), investigates the empirical evidence from “Europe as a... Read More
Project Conversion: Rebuilding the Shattered Mirror
A few months ago when the request came on the State of Formation email group for reviewers for a book called ‘Project Conversion’, my literary greed took the better of me as I rushed to get hold o... Read More
Pacem in Terris and Mercy Mild
With almost daily reminders that War is Coming, it gets hard to imagine an alternative. Over the last month our media has been banging the drums of war suggesting that Kim Jong-un is borderline psycho... Read More
After Auschwitz, What?
After Auschwitz, no theology: From the chimneys of the Vatican, white smoke rises — a sign the cardinals have chosen themselves a Pope. From the crematoria of Auschwitz, black smoke rises —... Read More
Beyond our life of Pi: Encountering multiple religious belonging and comparative theology with Francis Xavier Clooney, S.J.
I remember reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel several years ago and how my heart would resonate with each experience of the sacred by the story’s brave protagonist, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, thr... Read More