Books

Wilson’s Bookmarks

Brief reviews of ‘Turning Points,’ ‘Gauguin, Cezanne, Matisse,’ and ‘With the Night Mail’

Turning Points Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity Third Edition Mark A. Noll (Baker Academic)

We are routinely grabbed by the collar and told that what the church needs now—REALLY! ARE YOU LISTENING?—is x (or y, or z). Alas, x never equals deeply informed historical perspective + clarity of expression. But that is needful, now and always. We can be thankful for scholars such as Mark Noll who deliver the goods. This lightly revised and expanded version of his overview of church history combines superb scholarship, wise judgment, and deep humility (see especially page 326). Will we avail ourselves of its riches?

Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse Visions of Arcadia Edited by Joseph J. Rishel (Yale University Press)

This handsome catalogue accompanied an exhibition centering on paintings by three masters. But it also includes many others that evoke the earthly paradise imagined by the poet Virgil in his Eclogues (37 b.c.) and elaborated over the centuries. Essays by five scholars probe different aspects of the Arcadian tradition. If you want to reflect on the ways in which these works are related to images of Eden and to Christian conceptions more generally, you’ll have to do the work yourself.

With the Night Mail and as Easy AS A.B.C. Two Yarns about the Aerial Board of Control Rudyard Kipling (HiLo Books)

Whatever “modernity” was or is, we are still learning its contours. Illumination comes from many angles—just now, from the website HiLobrow and its offshoot, HiLo Books. This potent little volume is one of the first in the Radium Age Science Fiction Series, drawn from the period between 1904 and 1933. The tales imagine a global society governed by a technocratic élite whose rule is enforced from above, by airship.

Also in this issue

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.

Against the Stream

What Galileo's Telescope Can't See

Review

A Jerusalem Lost

Getting to Know Him

Taste the Soup

News

Teaching the Dragon

Excerpt

The Awakening of Hope

Caught Between the Spouse and the Spirit

A New Age of Miracles

News

Should Pastors Be Required to Sign a Code of Ethics?

Review

Will America Keep the Faith?

My Top 5 on Books on Motherhood

None Like Him

What's His Is Ours

Deep Impact

'God's Double Agent'

Asian American Religiosity

Editorial

The Evangelical Jesus Prayer

News

Church Graduations Ruled Unconstitutional, Pastor Accused of Diverting Funds to Wife, State Will Catalogue Secularized Icons, and More

Review

Review: Who Is Jesus?

News

Quotation Marks

News

Go Figure

Letters to the Editor

Review

Review: A Short History of Global Evangelism

Review

Review: Community Is Messy

News

Nigeria's Deadly Deployments

News

Food Fights: Homeless Ministries Respond to Restrictions

News

Supreme Court's Health-Care Ruling Could Weaken Charity Tax Breaks

Is There Anything Wrong With Voting for a Mormon for President?

News

Eastern Orthodox Lose Two Evangelical Bridges

Monitoring Controversy

The Second Coming Christ Controversy

Review

Lost in Transition

View issue

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Locals see the price of flour rise and fall as truce is strained and some borders remain closed.

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Federal Job Cuts Hit Home as Virginia Picks Its Next Governor

Meanwhile, the GOP candidate draws from Trump’s playbook to focus on transgender issues in schools. 

Religious OCD and Me

Scrupulosity latches onto the thing we hold most dear—our relationship with God.

Why ‘The Screwtape Letters’ Is Uncomfortable to Watch

The two-actor play uses C. S. Lewis’s classic work to warn people—especially Christians—about the dangers of lukewarm faith.

News

Fewer Hong Kong Youth Interested in Seminary

Many feel disillusioned about the church and its lack of engagement amid the turmoil of the past few years.

The Just Life with Benjamin Watson

Tiffany Loftin: How Everyday People Win Big Change

A conversation about the challenges of sustaining joy while fighting injustice.

Public Theology Project

A Real Revival Is Not Controllable 

It implies a movement of the Spirit, not just a boost in numbers.

From Our Community

For Vince Bacote, the Black Evangelical Story Has Something for Everyone

The theologian behind a recent documentary on what compelled him to tell a challenging and beautiful story.

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