Book Review

Revising or Applying the Just War Tradition? Review of Dubik’s Just War Reconsidered
Revising or Applying the Just War Tradition? Review of Dubik’s Just War Reconsidered

James M. Dubik’s argument in Just War Reconsidered is straightforward: current just war theorizing is insufficient insofar as it “omits a major part of the conduct of war.” A “new addition” to jus in bello theory is urgently needed.

Good Books of 2017

Here are some books I enjoyed over the past year: American Lady: The Life of Susan Mary Alsop By Caroline…

A Theology of Anti-Nationalism: Review of Cavanaugh’s Migrations of the Holy
A Theology of Anti-Nationalism: Review of Cavanaugh’s Migrations of the Holy

Despite his errors and overstatements, Cavanaugh is helpful for thinking through the perils of nations and nationalism in an era when both seem to be enjoying a renaissance. He is best read as a theologian, not a historian, and a polemical theologian whose strident claims are best met with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Sources and Solutions: Review of Van Dam’s Destroying a Nation: The Civil War in Syria

Destroying a Nation: The Civil War in Syria by Nikolaos van Dam does not give a blow-by-blow account of the war. Instead, it explains underpinning factors which shaped the course of the Syrian Civil War and offers potential solutions to the ongoing conflict.

Grim Harvest Book Review Way of the Reaper: My Greatest Untold Missions and the Art of Being a Sniper Nicholas Irving Gary Brozek
Grim Harvest: Review of Irving and Brozek’s Way of the Reaper

On the surface, Nicholas Irving’s Way of the Reaper seems to be a typical shoot-‘em-up memoir designed for men vicariously seeking adventure. But by the end of the book, Irving has turned reflective.

Forgotten Christian History in Turkey: Review of Byzantium’s Other Empire: Trebizond
Forgotten Christian History in Turkey: Review of Byzantium’s Other Empire: Trebizond

While Turkey’s government turns former churches like Hagia Sophia Trebizond into mosques, Byzantium’s Other Empire: Trebizond helps preserve the past rather than obliterate it.

An Exceptional Crisis: Book Review of John D. Wilsey’s American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea
An Exceptional Crisis: Review of Wilsey’s American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion

John D. Wilsey’s American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion is a genuinely excellent book, but our national problems may be deeper and more profound—more exceptional—than he realizes.

Vibrant Religion Remains in China: Review of Johnson’s The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao
Vibrant Religion Remains in China: Review of Johnson’s The Souls of China

Ian Johnson’s The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao provides a picture of the vibrant and varied religious faith in China, demonstrating that even after Mao Zedong’s campaign against religion and the devastation of the Cultural Revolution, religion has not only reemerged in some parts of China but is thriving.

Defeating Jihad Book Cover Sebastian Gorka Book Review
Muhammad en marche? Review of Gorka’s Defeating Jihad

Largely absent from the mainstream media’s barrage against Sebastian Gorka is genuine scholarly discussion of his high-grossing Defeating Jihad.