Evenhandedly critiquing left/right political extremes and writing clearly and with unimpeachable good sense, Guinness never...
A prolific author and Christian intellectual calls for a cease-fire in the destructive culture wars.
In 1963, JFK observed that, “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” Today, with pluralism more than ever a fact of American life, Guinness argues, new strategies are required to help us to live together with our deepest differences. Moreover, because the United States has yet to develop the levels of extremism found elsewhere, it retains the best chance for restoring civility and can act as a model for the rest of the world. In this extended essay, Guinness (Unspeakable: Facing Up to Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror, 2005, etc.) points to the Williamsburg Charter—which he co-authored in 1988 and immodestly dubs “the leading statement of American religious liberty in the twentieth century”—as an appropriate guide for erecting a modern framework within which important disagreements can be negotiated and settled peacefully. Focusing on the First Amendment’s clause regarding the free practice of religion, he cautions against the resolution of cultural differences by resorting to law (“a cudgel rather than scalpel”) and calls for reasoned political debate and a robust popular civility that relies on the forgotten art of persuasion. In the space between the free exercise and the anti-establishment clauses, he argues, the Founders created a society that fosters both strong religious convictions and strong political civility. This principle of separation of church and state, properly understood, holds the key to our uncivil dilemma. It’s folly, Guinness insists, for atheists or progressive universalists to call for a “naked” public square where religion must go begging for recognition, for there is no evidence to believe increasing modernization automatically means secularization. At the same time, believers cannot demand a “sacred” public square, where any one faith assumes preference or privilege. The rights and responsibilities must be the same for all.
Evenhandedly critiquing left/right political extremes and writing clearly and with unimpeachable good sense, Guinness never quite demonstrates how his worthy proposal will play out as it confronts divisive cultural issues like same-sex marriage or abortion.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-06-135343-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: HarperOne
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
