A nuanced, if not comprehensive, call for revitalization of Christianity’s core messages.
The founder of 180 Church in New York City calls for a reevaluation of his faith’s core principles in this debut book.
“At the heart of God,” writes Christian minister Kim, “there are no liberals or conservatives….There aren’t even Christians or atheists. He sees only Lost and Found.” When Christians divide the world into an us-versus-them dichotomy, he cautions, “we have fundamentally misunderstood the Christian faith.” Echoing C.S. Lewis, who’s referenced in this brief book more than a dozen times, Kim seeks a return to the core fundamentals of the faith, which he says have been neglected by Christians preoccupied with wars against secularism, political rivals, and science. Like Lewis, Kim embraces a distinctly mainline Protestant brand of Christianity that’s ecumenical in nature, and he cited Christians from diverse perspectives, including fundamentalist evangelicals and Catholics. Divided into three parts, the book begins with the doctrinal foundations of Christianity (“Faith in Theory”) and a scientific examination of the “evolutionary longing to make meaning of human existence.” The book’s second part (“Faith in Process”) explores the “messy and tumultuous” aspects of religion, particularly in a postmodern society that values deconstruction of traditional ideals. The book concludes with a focus on “Faith in Practice” that addresses common critiques of religious skeptics, such as the historicity of Jesus and the reliability of the Bible. As a Harvard University-trained ethicist and regular contributor to Christianity Today, Kim approaches Christianity with well-reasoned, empathetic ideas that seek meaningful conversations, not heavy-handed conversions. The book revels in the nuances of religion, carefully balancing traditional theological interpretations with a willingness to reconsider entrenched positions, such as a literal six-day Creation. Written in an accessible style that includes many pop-culture references, the work is ideal for book clubs and group discussion, with each chapter concluding with questions for reflection. Its deliberate avoidance of politics, however, also means that it fails to engage with the intersection of faith and LGBTQ concerns, reproductive rights, racism, and other key social issues.
A nuanced, if not comprehensive, call for revitalization of Christianity’s core messages.Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781631959905
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Morgan James Faith
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A somber, sage book about art-making that deserves a readership beyond Cave’s fan base.
The Australian alt-rock icon talks at length about the relationship between faith, death, and art.
Like many touring musicians stalled during the pandemic, Cave pursued an autobiographical book project while in quarantine. But rather than write a standard memoir, he instead consented to a book of extensive interviews with U.K. arts journalist O’Hagan, photography critic for the Guardian and a feature writer for the Observer. Cave chose this approach in order to avoid standard rock-star patter and to address grittier, more essential matters. On that front, he has plenty of material to work with. Much of the book focuses on his 15-year-old son Arthur, who died from an accidental fall off a cliff in 2015. The loss fueled Cave’s 2019 album, Ghosteen, but Cave sees the connection between life and art as indirect, involving improvisation, uncertainty, and no small amount of thinking about religion. “The loss of my son is a condition; not a theme,” he tells O’Hagan. Loss is a constant in these conversations—during the period when they were recorded, Cave’s mother also died, as did his former band mate Anita Lane. Yet despite that, this is a lively, engrossing book energized by Cave’s relentless candor—and sometimes counterintuitive thinking—about his work and his demons. His well-documented past heroin addiction, he says, “fed into my need for a conservative and well-ordered life.” Grief, he suggests, is surprisingly clarifying: “We become different. We become better.” Throughout, he talks about the challenges and joys of songwriting and improvisation (mostly around Carnage, the 2021 album he recorded with band mate Warren Ellis during this period) and about the comfort he gets answering questions from fans and strangers on his website. O’Hagan knows Cave’s work well, but he avoids fussy discographical queries and instead pushes Cave toward philosophical elaborations, which he’s generally game for.
A somber, sage book about art-making that deserves a readership beyond Cave’s fan base.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-374-60737-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
An important dialogue at a fraught time, emphasizing mutual candor, curiosity, and respect.
Two bestselling authors engage in an enlightening back-and-forth about Jewishness and antisemitism.
Acho, author of Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, and Tishby, author of Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, discuss many of the searing issues for Jews today, delving into whether Jewishness is a religion, culture, ethnicity, or community—or all of the above. As Tishby points out, unlike in Christianity, one can be comfortably atheist and still be considered a Jew. She defines Judaism as a “big tent” religion with four main elements: religion, peoplehood, nationhood, and the idea of tikkun olam (“repairing the world through our actions”). She addresses candidly the hurtful stereotypes about Jews (that they are rich and powerful) that Acho grew up with in Dallas and how Jews internalize these antisemitic judgments. Moreover, Tishby notes, “it is literally impossible to be Jewish and not have any connection with Israel, and I’m not talking about borders or a dot on the map. Judaism…is an indigenous religion.” Acho wonders if one can legitimately criticize “Jewish people and their ideologies” without being antisemitic, and Tishby offers ways to check whether one’s criticism of Jews or Zionism is antisemitic or factually straightforward. The authors also touch on the deteriorating relationship between Black and Jewish Americans, despite their historically close alliance during the civil rights era. “As long as Jewish people get to benefit from appearing white while Black people have to suffer for being Black, there will always be resentment,” notes Acho. “Because the same thing that grants you all access—your skin color—is what grants us pain and punishment in perpetuity.” Finally, the authors underscore the importance of being mutual allies, and they conclude with helpful indexes on vernacular terms and customs.
An important dialogue at a fraught time, emphasizing mutual candor, curiosity, and respect.Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: 9781668057858
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon Element
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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