A thoughtful consideration of the way modern philosophy has influenced Christian theology.
A philosophical reflection on the author’s engagement with modern theological scholarship.
Debut author Farris, a retired professor of philosophy and religion, describes this slim volume as autobiographical, but the bulk of the treatment is scholarly or, as he says, “textual.” In other words, it’s autobiographical in the way Friedrich Nietzsche’s Ecce Homo is: a life told from the purview of its philosophical experiences. The book focuses on the author’s encounter with 19th- and 20th-century thinkers who radically changed the landscape of Christian theology. There are searching examinations of Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Ricoeur, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Soren Kierkegaard, and many others who contributed to the way Scripture is read and faith is conceived. A concern with the meanings of words and text and, by extension, religiously canonical literature forms the theoretical heart of the author’s disquisition. Contemporary understanding of a reader’s connection to both written material and the author’s intention has dramatically changed the way many interpret Christian doctrine. In some cases, that means a less than conservative reading that makes a hermeneutic concession to modernity; Farris provides a fascinating account of the Bible’s discussion of homosexuality along these lines. He also confronts iterations of textual literalism that dismissively reject science, like creationism. In other cases, he defends religious teaching as a tonic to the limitations of science to comprehend the full nuance of human life: “Methodologies of science have been fruitful in uncovering patterns of regularity in nature that empower human experiment and enterprise, but their recognition of uniqueness in natural happenings and human experience has been far less impressive.” One of the book’s most impressive features is a marvelously accessible introduction to Martin Heidegger’s challenging thought on language. At times, the study moves too quickly from one philosophical figure to another. More often than not, though, Farris’ effort is deep and clear—two virtues notoriously difficult to pair.
A thoughtful consideration of the way modern philosophy has influenced Christian theology.Pub Date: July 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9947721-0-7
Page Count: 154
Publisher: Mosa Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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BOOK TO SCREEN
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Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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