We’ve compiled a list of our top In All Things book reviews from the past twelve months. Looking for a book club title? Considering further personal reading about a topic at the intersection of faith and culture? Check out some of the following popular book reviews from the past year.
Atlas of the Heart by Brene’ Brown
iAt book reviewer Angela Kroeze Visser writes, “Atlas of the Heart opens the possibility of knowing we’re not alone in our experiences and feelings because we have shared language. Whether or not one resonates with Brown’s approach or theory, she invites the reader into exploration.” Check out the rest of the iAt book review here.
Looking East in Winter by Rowan Williams
iAt book reviewer Myles Werntz states, “In some ways, this book represents the culmination of a longstanding interest Williams has had with the ways in which Orthodox theology offers a compelling and distinct vision to longsuffering issues within Western Christianity. . . . Williams addresses key questions of the Christian’s relationship to the world, and what Orthodoxy has to say to questions of being human, knowing God, receiving a tradition, and pursuing justice and holiness.” Check out the rest of the iAt book review here.
When Everything’s on Fire by Brian Zahnd
In his review of Zahnd’s book, Dave Mulder writes, “Zahnd begins chapter one by positing, ‘Once upon a time, we all believed in God’. Here he lays out his premise: in the developments of the modern world as we’ve shifted into a postmodern culture, Christianity’s cultural dominance has declined. He points out that the fastest-growing religious category in the United States to day is ‘none.’ Perhaps this is part of the cultural narrative that leads some to think that deconstruction is leading to people walking away from organized religion. But Zahnd is not so quick to make that jump, and instead invites us to wander through some historical and philosophical exploration that has led us to the present situation in the church.” Check out the rest of this review here.
Redeeming Expertise by Josh Reeves
Jeff Ploegstra writes, “In his book, Redeeming Expertise: Scientific Trust and the Future of the Church, Joshua Reeves has provided us with a clear and compelling diagnosis for the current dysfunctional relationship between much of conservative Christianity and science. He also makes several reasonable proposals to move Christians towards a position that takes scientific expertise seriously without blindly handing our loyalty and agency over to experts.” Check out the rest of Ploegstra’s review here. And you can listen to a podcast interview with Reeves here.
First Nations Version: an Indigenous Translation of the New Testament by Terry M. Wildman
iAt reviewer, Justin Bailey, states, “The First Nations Version is unique because it is a translation of the New Testament into English. And yet it is a translation done by representatives from the indigenous peoples of North America, for native peoples whose native languages have been all but replaced and forgotten. And so, the First Nations Version seeks to render the biblical text in the cultural logic and forms of meaning that resonate deeply with native peoples. The result, for both native and non-native readers—and I say this as a person who has tried to do my regular Bible reading out of this version for the last month—is illuminating, thought provoking, and moving.” Check out the rest of this review here.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
Reviewer Jason Lief writes, “The stories Dave shares are saturated with the spiritual. Not in a strictly Christian sense—though he did grow up with Christian influences—but a less structured, more open spirituality that gives him a sense of joy and wonder. Multiple times he talks about how he continues to see the world like the scrawny kid who got to tag along to a punk show, only to look in the mirror and be reminded he’s in his fifties. This may be why it was such a joy to read and listen to his autobiography. It wasn’t about theology, or the church; it was about life, what it means to be human, what it means to be alive in the world. For that, I’m grateful.” Continue reading his review here.
We hope you find this list helpful as you “expand your imagination for what the Christian life—and life of the mind—can accomplish.”
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