Books

Books Uncommon and Offbeat

Short reviews by John Wilson.

The Bible, Rocks and Time: Geological Evidence for the Age of the Earth Davis A. Young and Ralph F. Stearley | IVP Academic

How old is the earth, anyway? That’s a question that continues to haunt evangelicals, even in the 21st century. Suggestion: an adult Sunday school class at your church, using this book as a text. Invite professors from local colleges for some of the sessions. Yes, you will be asking people to read 500 pages. About geology. And at the end, they will agree it was time exceedingly well spent.

Samuel Johnson: A Biography Peter Martin | Belknap Press

Put aside unChristian and Reveal and all those other up-to-the-minute reports on the state of the church and What Must Be Done and travel with me to the 18th century, unpolled and undeodorized, to acquaint or reacquaint yourself with a Christian writer whose life was at once magnificently idiosyncratic and of a piece with your own—in its quotidian frustrations and delights, its grief and consolation, its resurrection hope.

Alphabet Juice: The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Combinations Thereof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts; With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory Roy Blount Jr. | Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

That subtitle is a hard act to follow; if you don’t find it irresistible—if you aren’t already saying to yourself, I want this book!—I might as well close up shop right now. Christians are rightly said to be people of the Book. We are also people of the Word, and of words, and here Roy Blount reminds us of our great inheritance. This may well be the Bedside Book of the Year. Set it next to your Bible and your prayer book and an unabridged edition of Boswell’s Life of Johnson, and you will be set.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Other Bookmarks and reviews are in our books section.

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.

Our Latest

Our Desires Need Discipline, Not the Ease of AI

Jay Stringer

In a world fleeing the body, Christianity teaches us how to form our desires.

Excerpt

Forgiveness Can Help Us Recover from Trauma

Amy Orr-Ewing

An excerpt from Forgiveness: Reclaiming its Power in a Culture of Fear.

The Bulletin

Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire; Trump’s Big, Beautiful Ballroom; and the Strait of Hormuz

Israel and Lebanon agree to ceasefire, court approves Trump’s $400 million ballroom, and the Strait of Hormuz affects the world.

From Our Community

‘I Want to Give Where the Voice of Truth Is Loud’

Anne Kerhoulas

Sandra Anderson trusts Christianity Today to navigate cultural challenges—and invests to ensure its voice continues.

An Arthurian Epic for the Dark Age of the Bright Screen

Haley Byrd Wilt

Galahad and the Grail “is about a light that wasn’t extinguished,” says author Malcolm Guite. “And we kind of need it again.”

Being Human

Beyond Offense: Unpacking Forgiveness, Conflict, and Identity with Yana Jenay Conner

When boundaries meet grace: balancing self-care and Jesus’ call to forgive

The 18-Hour Road Trip to Bring a Detained Refugee Home

After an ICE arrest in Minnesota, churchgoers scoured a city for their friend’s abandoned car and mobilized a mission to bring him home.

addApple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseellipseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squarefolderGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastprintremoveRSSRSSSaveSavesaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube