Book Review

Resurrection and the Christian Hope: Review of Timothy Keller’s Hope in Times of Fear

In “Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter,” Timothy Keller reflects on how and why the secular hope of progress has failed, and he instead offers the Christian reason for hope.

Reappraising American Goodness: A Review of McKenzie’s We the Fallen People
Reappraising American Goodness: A Review of McKenzie’s We the Fallen People

In We the Fallen People, Tracy McKenzie takes on the conviction that the moral intuition of the American electorate is the basis for our democratic flourishing. This belief is summarized in the phrase, “America is great because she is good.”

Pelagianism in Nelson’s The Theology of Liberalism
Pelagianism in Nelson’s The Theology of Liberalism

Yet what does Nelson mean by Pelagianism? A close reading of the book’s early pages shows that he offers three distinct formulations of the concept. Should we accept them? I argue that we should not.

America’s Afghanistan Deception: A Review of Craig Whitlock’s Afghanistan Papers
America’s Afghanistan Deception: A Review of Craig Whitlock’s Afghanistan Papers

“The Afghanistan Papers” by Craig Whitlock is modeled on the Pentagon Papers, which charged that the Johnson administration systematically lied to Congress and the public about the Vietnam War. This book makes the same charge against the Bush and Obama administrations.

Cities of Men and Architecture of God: A Review of Philip Bess’ Till We Have Built Jerusalem
Cities of Men and Architecture of God: A Review of Philip Bess’ Till We Have Built Jerusalem

Till We Have Built Jerusalem is a challenging book for daring to discuss the connection between ethics and aesthetic theories of architecture and urban design, what Bess calls our “built environment.”

Christianity’s Meritocratic Dilemma: Reflections on Sandel’s The Tyranny of Merit
Christianity’s Meritocratic Dilemma: Reflections on Sandel’s The Tyranny of Merit

Michael Sandel’s “The Tyranny of Merit” is an invitation to rethink a seemingly self-evident thought, that our social and economic position should be dictated solely by whether we deserve to have that position.

The Civil War Offers Public Diplomacy Lessons: A Review of Doyle’s The Cause of All Nations
The Civil War Offers Public Diplomacy Lessons: A Review of Doyle’s The Cause of All Nations

While most histories of the Civil War naturally focus on the drama in America, Don H. Doyle’s “The Cause of All Nations” explains how the conflict fits into broader world history and how events abroad affected the war.

From Hell to Humanity, and American Attitudes Toward War: A Review of Samuel Moyn’s Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War
From Hell to Humanity, and American Attitudes Toward War: A Review of Samuel Moyn’s Humane

In “Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War,” Samuel Moyn forces readers to ask whether America’s shift toward “humane” war has a dark side.

The Religion of John Foster Dulles: A Review of Wilsey’s God’s Cold Warrior
The Religion of John Foster Dulles: A Review of Wilsey’s God’s Cold Warrior

John Wilsey’s new book “God’s Cold Warrior” is the only full-life biography of John Foster Dulles that thoroughly investigates his religious life and the ways his faith influenced his professional and personal lives.

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Christianity & National Security 2023

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