Books to Note

Short reviews of recent books worth considering.

Clouds of Witnesses

Christian Voices from Africa and Asia Mark A. Noll and Carolyn Nystrom (InterVarsity Press)

Clouds of Witnesses puts a human face on the statistics that filled Mark Noll’s previous book The New Shape of World Christianity. The authors profile 17 key figures from recent church history in Africa and Asia, giving readers a compelling look at Christianity’s growth in a context quite different from our own. Noll and Carolyn Nystrom report these stories as fairly as possible and do not gloss over controversies in other parts of the world, including polygamy, miracles, syncretism, and Keswick-inspired “holiness” theology.—Trevin Wax

No Argument for God

Going Beyond Reason in Conversations About Faith John Wilkinson (InterVarsity Press)

John Wilkinson argues that Christians should stop defending themselves against critics and embrace the fact that some of our views are absurd. Christian faith is hope and trust in the unseen God, not a series of well-reasoned propositions that make Christianity the best explanation. In fact, its oddness, compared with other religious traditions, makes it more likely to be true. Interesting and loaded with anecdotes, No Argument for God will be a breath of fresh air for folks who, tired of arguing for faith, want to start talking about faith.—Michael McGowan

After Shock

Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken Kent Annan (InterVarsity Press)

In earthquake-ravaged Haiti, questions range from the pressingly practical (how to rebuild one’s home amidst the wreckage) to the wrenchingly existential (how a just and loving God can permit unspeakable suffering). Kent Annan, co-director of an education nonprofit ministering to the star-crossed island nation, broods over such questions in this mix of poetic meditation and gritty storytelling. With searing honesty, he wrestles with the spiritual doubts and anxieties dredged up by last year’s cataclysm.—Matt Reynolds

Related Elsewhere:

No Argument for God, Clouds of Witnesses, and After Shock are available from ChristianBook.com and other book retailers.

Christianity Today also has more book reviews.

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The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Christianity Today April, 2011

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