Book Review: Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace

Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace

While working as a homicide detective, the then-atheist J. Warner Wallace decided to investigate the claims that the New Testament tells a true and honest story of who Jesus is and the events of his life. He'd had plenty of experience gathering evidence and assessing it for reliability, especially for "cold cases" where the crime had been committed years before. Even with his personal bias against the supernatural, his research led him to believe that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, raised from the dead. 

In this book, he lays out a lot of classic Christian apologetical arguments using the framing device of a cold-case investigation. With the prevalence of television forensic crime dramas, his choice makes for a very accessible text. Comparing different kinds of evidence, different motivations for witnesses and suspects, and different perspectives, Wallace makes convincing arguments that the claims of Christianity are the most reliable and most likely. The book is both enjoyable and persuasive.

Recommended.

Book Review: Selections from the Writings of Kierkegaard

Selections from the Writings of Kierkegaard translated by Lee M. Hollander

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish theologian, philosopher, and pundit in the mid-1800s. He struggled through life with melancholy, often putting up a light-hearted exterior. He also struggled with his Christian faith. His father was a dour and difficult man and not much of a Christian. He did leave much of himself in his son. Higher education gave Soren a taste of the intellectual life and he spent a lot of time, especially later in life, reflecting on and arguing with others about faith. This book excerpts several passages to give a broad overview of his style and content.

Diapslamata (from Either--Or Part I)--Kierkegaard reflects on the nature of humor and sorrow. Poets are so focused on sorrow, as if their work is the product of their sorrow. Fans who want more poetry in a way want more suffering for the poet. Kierkegaard, being melancholic, has the tendency to wallow in melancholy as well but has sought out humorous aspect to help him cope with reality. 

The Banquet (From Stages on Life's Road Part I)--Kierkegaard imitates Plato's Symposium by having five male friends get together for a party where they discuss love, specifically love between a man and a woman. Each friend has a unique viewpoint on the issue, from the youngest member who speaks with passion about how comically misadventured lovers are, to John the Seducer who speaks cynically and happily from his abundance of experience. A lot of different ideas are present with no seeming solution though the writing ends when the revelers leave and happen upon an actually happy couple who deal with each other in heartfelt ways.

Fear and Trembling--This classic text takes a deep dive into Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac on Mount Moriah (see Genesis 22). Abraham is the Father in Faith for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, so his ultimate expression of faith in God deserves serious consideration. Kierkegaard looks at the story from Abraham's point of view, trying to understand his mind and heart. What is the core of faith that Abraham expresses in following God's order to kill his only son? The text is fascinating and brings up challenging questions.

Preparation for a Christian Life--"Come hither unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28) is the starting point for this reflection. Kierkegaard emphasizes the shocking choices of Jesus to help the sick, the lame, the outcast, and even the possessed. These aren't people who are going to give Jesus anything in return. The authorities (religious, intellectual, and secular) are jealous and befuddled by His actions. Why identify with the most miserable people? If Jesus is really God, as He claims, you'd think He'd have higher ambitions. Secular and Church historians have tried to fill the gap here. Kierkegaard rejects these interpretations as inauthentic understandings of Jesus, colored by time and consequences of His actions. Kierkegaard gives no clear substitute other than an extremely personal awareness of one's own sinfulness and how we are more like the wretches Jesus helped in His time.

The Present Time--Kierkegaard casts a sarcastic eye on the lackadaisical piety of his contemporary Christians. They behave more like club members who include all and require very little in the way of life commitment to Gospel teachings or ideals. He mocks Baptism and Confirmation as sacraments that are more of an excuse to have a family party than to follow the New Testament. Making the decision to follow in Christ's footsteps is not something that infants or teenagers are qualified to do according to Kierkegaard. It's more of a plan by "ordained ministers" to keep their ministry going and to obligate people in their childhood to vows that they might not take as adults. The text is shockingly cynical.

Kierkegaard is a bit difficult to read. In a way, he is like Nietzsche, his writing very artistic and has a deeper, often buried, meaning. Unlike Nietzsche, Kierkegaard is a theistic existentialist and takes the humble life of Jesus Christ (which should be imitated by Christians) as the highest life. Doing the will of God, not your own will, is what is important. Discerning God's will seems like it was tough for Kierkegaard, and that difficulty comes through in his writings.

Mildly recommended--this is not the easiest read, it requires patience and probably multiple readings. I have another book with Fear and Trembling in it which I will read sooner rather than later, probably in the next year. 

Book Review: What is the Point of Being a Christian? by Timothy Radcliffe OP

 What is the Point of Being a Christian? by Timothy Radcliffe OP

Father Radcliffe argues that belief in Christianity is based on truth, at least that is what attracted him to the Dominican order. The order's motto is Veritas, the Latin word for truth. When he tells people who asked the titular question, "What is the point of being Christian?", Radcliffe was a bit befuddled at their dissatisfaction with his answer. People expected some results or benefit from being a Christian. Radcliffe explores the idea of what benefit or positive impact Christian faith has.

The book wanders around, taking on different issues like hope, suffering, violence, corporeality, and other topics. Radcliffe has a wide breadth of experience to draw from, but often it seems like he's just showing off his international travels and openness to other spiritual traditions. He grapples with our contemporary idolatry of consumerism and convincingly argues for a temperate attitude toward money and private property. He does not really get to the purpose of wealth and how to use it in a Christian way.

The scandal of the division among Christians gets a lot of coverage. He talks about both the separation of denominations and the internal division within denominations. He dislikes the left/right, traditional/progressive, and conservative/liberal descriptions of an internal divide within the Catholic Church. While I agree these are not the most accurate descriptions, Radcliffe's substitutions "Kingdom Catholics" and "Communion Catholic" are unwieldy and unconvincing. He identifies the problem but does not have a coherent solution.

Radcliffe has a broad range of ideas. The reader gets plenty to think about. But the big picture, i.e. the point of being Christian, gets lost somewhere along the way. I found the book unsatisfying and won't be hanging on to it.

Not recommended.

Book Review: Signs and Mysteries by Mike Aquilina

Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols written by Mike Aquilina and illustrated by Lea Marie Ravotti

The earliest Christians used a wide variety of symbols in many different contexts. The most viewed nowadays are those on graves in catacombs. But Christians also used symbols in decorating where they worshiped (they didn't always have churches, so again some of those decorations are in catacombs where the superstitious Romans wouldn't go) and where the early Christians lived. Sacred vessels and vestments were adorned with images of fish, birds, vines, and wheat, among other symbols. Rings had an anchor or a Chi-Rho symbol on them; household items also had faith-inspired decorations. Aquilina goes through twenty-five different images that can be traced back to the earliest years of the church.

Each symbol has a meaning that is explained, though sometimes the intent of the artist can be ambiguous. When discussing depictions of the cross (which is now a central symbol of Christian Faith), Aquilina acknowledges that all sorts of intersecting lines could be interpreted as crosses. Some clearly are; others could be happenstance. The chapters end with references to ancient and modern authors who have discussed these symbols.

Each chapter includes five to ten images of ancient art and artifacts that have the symbol discussed. The images are black and white, giving a sense of their ancient and timeless character. The art is both distant and familiar. I am sure the black and white was also to save publishing costs, but it is effective nonetheless.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Mystery of the Magi by Dwight Longenecker

Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men by Dwight Longenecker

The story of three camel-riding kings from distant lands following a moving star into Bethlehem where they worship an infant in a stable is both popular to the general public and scoffed at by historians and biblical scholars. It sounds too fantastic and theatrical. Is it just a fun story to make Jesus look more divine, like Santa Claus lets us give presents to each other or the Easter bunny lets us eat lots of chocolate?

The original text in Matthew's Gospel is very spartan, with few details about who these men were and what motivated them. Longenecker's book is an investigation of the story of the Magi, trying to find the kernel of truth buried under layers of elaboration and fabrication. He describes how the story had details misconstrued or added. For example, the Magi are simply described as "from the East" which for Israel would mean Arabia. As the center of Christianity moved north, "The East" was more naturally Persia, which had a strong tradition of astrologers and sages. Of course, astrologers and sages could be found at virtually any court of any country at that time. Also, the Magi are never numbered in the Gospel, only that they brought three gifts. It might be natural to assume three gifts meant three gift-givers but the text doesn't say that. The text doesn't mention camels either though it does mention the Magi meeting the mother and Child in a house, not a stable.

After identifying the source of the many elaborations around the Magi story, Longenecker digs into the economic and political history of the time to search for a more plausible explanation of the Gospel text. Relatively recent archaeology (the last hundred years or so) has uncovered the Nabatean kingdom based out of Petra. The ruins of Petra are not very far from Jerusalem (100 miles in a straight line). The Nabatean trade routes ran through Judea, so they would be wise to have good relations with the neighboring kingdom. King Herod was a prickly fellow, who had played both sides of the Caesar vs. Antony and Cleopatra war and was certainly willing to betray anyone who had betrayed him. The king of Nabatea probably wouldn't go to celebrate a new king of the Jews (just to be safe) but surely he'd send envoys with gifts. When the Magi found out their mistake (i.e. the new king was not from Herod's line), they wisely went home by another route to avoid an awkward and possibly life-threatening encounter.

Longenecker goes into more detail that is fascinating and persuasive. The most persuasive part is how Longenecker acknowledges his work is speculative, i.e. it's based on both facts and logical guesses based on those facts, so new information could change things. He insists on the importance of getting facts because the gospels do record actual history (though that is not their intended aim) and the historicity of the New Testament is part of the truth of the Christian faith.

The book is a quick read (about 200 pages, including the notes, index, and bibliography) and is written for a non-academic audience. Reading this is well worth the time and especially good for the Christmas season.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Christianity and Extraterrestrials? A Catholic Perspective by Marie I. George

Christianity and Extraterrestrials? A Catholic Perspective by Marie I. George

Many people consider the likelihood of extra-terrestrial intelligence (ETI) as a sure sign that most religions on earth, especially Christianity, will become irrelevant. The Judeo-Christian tradition makes humans the central figures in history and special darlings of God. If other intelligent species exist on other planets, surely the centrality of humanity is farcical. But is that really the case?

Marie George argues from a Catholic point of view on ETI existence, but is fully open to various possibilities. She argues that Christian belief can include the existence of other intelligent, material beings in the universe. She looks at both Scriptures and Roman Catholic teaching to reach her conclusions. Certainly these sources say that mankind is special, but nothing inherently contradicts the possibility of other intelligent beings in the universe.

While she sees no dire consequences for Christianity, she does argue that ETI is unlikely given the Catholic understanding of reality. She considers various possible ETI scenarios, including both fallen and unfallen races from other worlds, and the possibility that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity could have incarnated more than once. She proceeds quite logically and thoroughly through many scenarios and gives highly plausible assessments.

She also examines the various scientific arguments in favor of ETI existence and their various weaknesses. The most striking for me was her argument against the idea that the universe is so huge that it seems impossible that there is not another inhabited planet with intelligent life somewhere. She compares it to a mushroom generating thousands of spores only to make one or two other mushrooms. Nothing about nature says it is superabundant in producing life. Also, the fragile process of evolving intelligent life makes it seem very unlikely that it could happen in other environments without just the right conditions. To argue from one instance and say that it could easily happen elsewhere is the worst form of induction.

She has a section speculating on what the Church might say on ETI existence. Much like the Church's dealing with evolution, teachings are more likely to point out what the faithful need to believe (e.g. God intervened especially in the creation of the first parents) and leaving the mechanics of how things happened to other fields of human investigation (so evolution is perfectly acceptable given certain key points).

The book is technical and uses extended arguments, which can be challenging in this day and age when people want McNuggets of televisual information. The issue is very complicated, though, so a more in-depth understand is surely needed.

Recommended.

Book Review: Exploring the New Testament World by Albert A. Bell, Jr.

Exploring the New Testament World by Albert A. Bell, Jr.

Inspired by Happy Catholic's upcoming trip to the Holy Land (there's probably still time to get in, find out here), I read this.

Albert Bell provides a comprehensive overview of the Roman world just before, during, and after the time that Jesus Christ lived on the earth. He covers the big picture elements, like the Roman government and how they exercised control (or mostly didn't) over provinces in their vast empire. He looks at the legal, moral, religious, and philosophical ideas (from the Greeks and Jews as well as the Romans) that dominated the overall culture of the time and how those ideas affected the lives of everyone in the empire. Some things are quite familiar to us living 2000 years later, such as people in big cities like Rome not going out at night for fear of robbers. Other things are completely unfamiliar, such as people being executed in barbaric ways during the games held at places like Rome's Colosseum. Bell also discusses minor, everyday things, like meals, social outings, dress, and the mingling of various classes together.

The point of this review is to give readers of the New Testament a better understanding of the context in which the gospels and epistles were written. Little details become more significant (like Paul's use of terminology from Greek philosophy and religious cults in order to speak more clearly to his listeners). Things which are not described because any first century AD reader would automatically understand are explained. For example, dates are not mentioned in the writings because many towns and kingdoms had their own numbering system based on when local rulers reigned. I found this book very helpful in laying out what the world was like back then.

The author is especially sensitive to the difficulty of his task, i.e. presenting the world as it was two thousand years ago. He gives fine overviews but also advises readers to use his bibliographies to find out more, especially in areas readers find interesting or  are uncertain about. He challenges us to learn more about the foundations of Christian faith so we can believe and understand more fully.

Sample quote on women's hair, which is too fun to pass up:

Jewish women wore such elaborate hairstyles, involving braids and hairpieces, that "it was forbidden to undo a woman's hairdo on the Sabbath because it involved transgressing the prohibitions of 'building' and 'demolishing'" (Encylcopedia Judaica 5:981). [p.246]