A book with a simple premise, but potentially controversial: Not all of the early apostles and gospel writers viewed Christ the same way. *Gasp!* Don't tell me there were differences of opinion! Say it isn't so!
Book review: “Paul: A Biography” by N. T. Wright
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.
Book review: “If Truth were a Child” by George Handley
If I took anything away from this book, it is that turning paradoxes into an either/or is an over-simplification that can have dire spiritual consequences. Trying to retain the mystery of paradox isn't to be lukewarm (neither hot nor cold, as the book of Revelation says), as some may accuse. On the contrary, picking a side is the easy way out, and is morally lazy.
Book review: “Night” by Elie Wiesel
What do you say to someone who has gone through hell itself? Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes. You witness. And you mourn.
Book review: Peter Enns’ “How the Bible Actually Works”
Peter Enn's new book is simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking. Herein, I reflect on how Enn's book informs a Latter-Day Saint perspective. #harperonepartner #wisebible #howthebibleactuallyworks
Book review: Justin Martyr’s Apologies
When I'm not an engineer, I want to be a theologian-philosopher-writer. I delved into my collection of ante-Nicene Church fathers this week.
Hell is a library: Book review of Stephen Peck’s “A Short Stay in Hell”
I first encountered Stephen Peck on an LDS Perspectives podcast entitled A Religion of Both Prayers and Pterodactyls. The interview conducted by Laura Harris Hales dealt with the intersection of science and religion and how Peck, a scientist himself, reconciles the two. I added several of his books to my reading list, including A Short... Continue Reading →
“The good will have to answer for having created hell”: Nikolai Berdyaev’s Destiny of Man
I discovered Nikolai Berdyaev as a regularly cited source in the works of Terryl Givens (others I have found include Elie Wiesel and Julian of Norwich. Givens has given me a whole bibliography of spiritual writers I have yet to get to!). Berdyaev was officially a Russian Orthodox Christian who wrote both before and after... Continue Reading →
“The fish will be the last to discover water”: Book review of Fowler’s Stages of Faith
Rating: 5/5 stars I originally found Stages of Faith on a Tumblr post a few months ago, and the systematic approach to faith development immediately sparked my interest. When I additionally found that a speaker at the annual Northstar conference (a venue for Latter-Day Saint LGBT individuals to interact and reflect on the intersection of... Continue Reading →