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

News

Facing Arrest, Cuban Christian Influencers Continue Call for Freedom

Hannah Herrera

Young people are using social media to spread the gospel and denounce the Communist regime.

Public Theology Project

Against the Casinofication of the Church

The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins told me about problems that feel eerily similar to what I see in the church.

Wire Story

The Religion Gender Gap Among the Young Is Disappearing

Bob Smietana - Religion News Service

Women still dominate church pews, but studies find that devotion among Gen Z women has cooled to levels on par with Gen Z men.

Attempts at Cultural Crossover

From Pat Robertson’s soap opera to creation science, CT reported evangelical efforts to go mainstream in 1982.

Just War Theory Is Supposed to Be Frustrating

The venerable theological tradition makes war slower, riskier, costlier, and less efficient—and that’s the point.

The Russell Moore Show

Karen Swallow Prior on Birds, Bees, and Babies

How should the church address infertility and childlessness?

Will the Church Enter the Guys’ Group Chat?

Luke Simon

Young men are looking for online presence. The church needs to offer more than weekly breakfasts.

Wire Story

Young, Educated, and Urban Pastors Are Most Likely to Use AI

Aaron Earls - Lifeway Research

A survey found denominational differences in pastors’ use of the technology, as well as widespread skepticism about its reliability.

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