A book for libraries; better to be consulted for research than read for general interest.
An account of half a century of American evangelicalism abroad.
“In the 1990s,” writes McAlister (American Studies and International Affairs/George Washington Univ.; Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and U.S. Interests in the Middle East Since 1945, 2005), “the map of the ‘10/40 Window’ was one of the most widely recognized images in the evangelical community. The map had various incarnations, but all of them illustrated the same basic concept: There was a region of the world that stretched from Africa to Asia, from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator—a belt that included India, Pakistan, China, and the Middle East—that desperately needed Jesus.” This is a meticulously researched survey full of fascinating historical information—perhaps no piece more relevant to this era than the “10/40 Window”—but its academic style will impede many readers. The author tends to begin chapters with compelling anecdotes and wrap them up with crisp summations (“young evangelicals wanted to go where God sent them, but they expected God to choose some place extraordinary”). Unfortunately, the bulk of what falls between is often bogged down in contextual details that, while thoroughly researched, hamper the flow of the narrative. One notable exception can be found in the chapter detailing a mission trip to Sudan undertaken by members of Elmbrook Church of Brookfield, Wisconsin. This chapter is reported and not merely researched, making for a much livelier feel. McAlister joined the mission, and she uses her firsthand experience to ground her scholarly work. Her impressions—e.g., “I thought it unlikely that we would be painting a church or building a useless wall”—give readers not only a welcome sense of the author as a person, but also an account of how she develops her expertise.
A book for libraries; better to be consulted for research than read for general interest.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-19-021342-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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