Joshua Ryan Farris, Rev, Ph.D, He is Humboldt Experienced Researcher Fellow at the University of Bochum, Germany, 2022-2023; Mundelein Seminary Chester and Margaret Paluch Professor, 2020-2021, March 2020 Center of Theological Inquiry; Director of Trinity School of Theology; International Advisor, Perichoresis, The Theological Journal of Emanuel University; Associate Editor, Philosophical and Theological Studies for the Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies; Associate Editor, European Journal of Philosophy of Religion.
Mad about Belief: Religion in the Life and Thought of Bertrand Russell. By Larry D. Harwood. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2024. 362 pp. $66 (hardback), $46 (paper). Bertrand Russell is often analyzed in terms of his philosophical ideas, logic, and critiques of religion. In fact, he is often taken to be a despiser of religion…
A friend has wisely stated at various times: “All churches and denominations have their warts, the question is which ones are you willing to live with?” This quote has stayed with me for many years as an evangelical and an Anglican. It has stayed with me because I have found it to be true and…
Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself). By David Zahl. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2022. 208 pp. $16.38 (cloth), $20.99 (paper). We all have an anthropology (i.e., the study of what it means to be human). But do we have an anthropology that keeps us exhausted, overworked, anxious, and…
We are a people groping to find our way and not very clearly being successful. There is a mechanism called “cancel culture” that is relatively new in some ways yet not so new in others. Certainly, there is a relevant sense in which Jesus Christ was canceled by his own people, and unjustly so. He…
We have all had that unwelcome guest who didn’t quite fit in. On the surface, he or she comes off as awkward, bombastic, or just a little larger than life. We have also had those cases where, at times, the unwelcome guest positively surprises us. In many ways, the soul is that unwelcome guest. The…
With all the chat about AI and chatbots, you might think there really isn’t anything distinctive about consciousness or, God forbid, we bring up the soul let alone the afterlife. This is certainly the impression some scientists are feeding the rest of us. But, is this really the case? And, should we buy it? In…
In his “Word from the Bird,” Michael Bird provocatively, and mistakenly, claims that “certain theologies enable sexual abuse”—all this shortly after the SBC independent report revealing sexual abuse cases amongst ‘complementarian’ leaders. While the argument by Bird is unclear, he is clear that complementarianism (e.g., the view that there is some functional difference between man…
Being Human in a Technological Age: Rethinking Theological Anthropology. Edited by Steven C. Van Den Heuvel. Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2020. 274 pp. $70 (paper). What does it mean to be a technologically advanced human? Building on an ancient question: “what does it mean to be human?” the authors of Being Human in a Technological…
Orthodox Anglican Identity: The Quest for Unity in a Diverse Religious Tradition. By Charles Erlandson. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2020. 224 pp. $47.00 (cloth), $27.00 (paper). This book is a useful exploration of ecclesial identity through the lens of the Anglican tradition. As the title makes clear, Erlandson explores both the diversity of Anglicanism and…
As Covid-19 vaccines are being rolled out to service Americans, along comes a hefty dose of shame, mockery, and manipulation. Just take for example a sampling of recent attempts to shame those ‘white evangelicals’ who are endangering the rest of us—at least that is the implication. All of these arguments intend to portray the opposition…
