A passionate but often scientifically questionable study of the book of Genesis.
A Christian daily devotional centers on the first book of the Bible.
In this 365-day devotional, Snider concentrates on the first 11 chapters of Genesis. He breaks them down into one small bit for each day of the year, with readings also grouped six at a time to be perused over the course of a week. The author includes with these passages his own readings and glosses worked out over the decades he’s been studying and writing about the famous Bible stories, which include the tale of Adam and Eve and the Serpent, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the account of Cain and Abel, Noah’s Flood, and so on. Snider examines each of these chapters line by line and verse by verse in minute detail, exploring single words, obscure terms, and broader narrative themes. Although each day’s reflection begins with its own quote and uncredited artwork, the fact that some of those larger themes develop from one week to the next means that the book should be read in chronological sequence, not by days picked at random. Throughout his calendar, the author is a happy, energetic guide, often pausing to give his Christian readers affirming thoughts about “the manifold wisdom of the Creator God.” Unfortunately, Snider’s enthusiasm often leads him into standard creationist fundamentalism and science that some of his readers may find disconcerting. Putting aside the author’s belief that “sheep with human hearts” are some kind of “human-animal chimera” or that God has ordained that husbands “rule over” their wives, his various pronouncements on science are debatable. “The fossil evidence alone,” he writes, “demonstrates that life exploded into existence on earth, instead of slowly evolving.” “There is no evidence whatsoever,” he asserts, “either from paleontology or genetics that whales or great sea monsters could have developed from land animals.” These creationist beliefs will dilute the book’s heartfelt message for some readers.
A passionate but often scientifically questionable study of the book of Genesis.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 492
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.
An examination of how the U.S. can revitalize its commitment to freedom.
In this ambitious study, Snyder, author of On Tyranny, The Road to Unfreedom, and other books, explores how American freedom might be reconceived not simply in negative terms—as freedom from coercion, especially by the state—but positive ones: the freedom to develop our human potential within sustaining communal structures. The author blends extensive personal reflections on his own evolving understanding of liberty with definitions of the concept by a range of philosophers, historians, politicians, and social activists. Americans, he explains, often wrongly assume that freedom simply means the removal of some barrier: “An individual is free, we think, when the government is out of the way. Negative freedom is our common sense.” In his careful and impassioned description of the profound implications of this conceptual limitation, Snyder provides a compelling account of the circumstances necessary for the realization of positive freedom, along with a set of detailed recommendations for specific sociopolitical reforms and policy initiatives. “We have to see freedom as positive, as beginning from virtues, as shared among people, and as built into institutions,” he writes. The author argues that it’s absurd to think of government as the enemy of freedom; instead, we ought to reimagine how a strong government might focus on creating the appropriate conditions for human flourishing and genuine liberty. Another essential and overlooked element of freedom is the fostering of a culture of solidarity, in which an awareness of and concern for the disadvantaged becomes a guiding virtue. Particularly striking and persuasive are the sections devoted to eviscerating the false promises of libertarianism, exposing the brutal injustices of the nation’s penitentiaries, and documenting the wide-ranging pathologies that flow from a tax system favoring the ultrawealthy.
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9780593728727
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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
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