Making our history one step at a time
Christians cannot give into the temptation to explain suffering away-- as a growth experience, or as punishment for sin, or otherwise. Wolterstorff writes this book while grieving the loss of his son in a tragic climbing accident. His faith in God and his loss-- "I cannot fit these pieces together. I am at a loss." Yet faith remains.
Imagine a dystopian society where corporations run the world. Ah, crap. Wu gets his trustbusting on with this exceptional take on how the economic becomes the political. Competition, not non-intervention should be the supreme value of markets. Concentrated power of any form, including economic, is a threat to democracy.
Coming from a Latter-Day Saint perspective, some aspects of Paul may not fit into our cookie-cutter Sunday School version of the gospel, but his vision of a unified church across cultural boundaries is more relevant than ever.
Increasing political polarization, politicians that don't listen, and violence in the streets? Described as "devastatingly relevant", Berlin is a fantastic piece, and there are more than a few elements that seem eerily familiar to the present. Cliche comparisons aside, this fantastic piece in the genre of the graphic novel captures not just the events but the feel of living in 1920s Germany.
OK, so I originally read this book out of a feeling of self-importance (we engineers virtually made the modern world as you know it, y'know), but it actually leaves you feeling humbled with an appreciation for the imperfect as well as the ultra-precise.
Lewis and Chesterton were both authors that helped me realize that my own religious tradition doesn't have a monopoly on truth. Abraham Heschel (and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks) has helped me expand that sphere a little further into the Jewish tradition as well (if you have any recommendations from other faith traditions, please let me know).... Continue Reading →
My proposed alternate titles: When Mormons Got Their Horns What Religion Are You So I Can Hate On You Correctly Before Fake News: The Penny Press and Portrayals of Mormonism
Does every English teacher always pass on the myth that Dickens was paid by the word? Rather, more people should know that Dickens' novels targeted injustices, like debtor's prisons and workhouses-- and it worked.
The Taylor Swift of Victorian era poetry, Robert Browning. OK, jk, not really, but I did quote a T-Swift song in my review 😉
