Joshua Ryan Farris, Rev, Ph.D, 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.
Matthew Levering. Why I Am Roman Catholic. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2024. 176 pp. $18 (paper). Reviewing a book by a friend and mentor, especially one whose work aligns with many of your own theological sympathies, is a complex task. It requires threading the needle between admiration and constructive critique, especially when the book…
As recent egalitarian commitments find traction within traditionally orthodox Anglican circles, a vital question looms over us: what roles do gender and sexuality play in maintaining our theological integrity and liturgical coherence? This question is not a mere matter of policy (although it ought to inform it, as our recent political discussions reflect) or preference;…
Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters. By Carmen Joy Imes. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2023. 248 pp. $22.99 (paper). Carmen Joy Imes’s Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters is a timely exploration of the doctrine of the imago Dei. It reflects significant trends in contemporary evangelical theology, three of which stand out…
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…
