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Richard A. Kauffman

The Century book review editor has been with the magazine since 2002. He is the author of An American in Persia (Cascadia, 2010).

Articles by Richard A. Kauffman

On Art

He Was Received Up Into Heaven, by Hanna Varghese

Apr 26, 2013 reviewed by Richard A. Kauffman

Hanna Varghese is a Malaysian artist who often works in batik, as she does with this image of the ascension. Varghese was born to Christian parents, and she remembers her mother taking her to a different worship service every week: “My parents encouraged me to attend different churches so that my siblings and I would appreciate the liturgy and traditions of the Christian believers of different denominations. Christians are a minority in Malaysia so we continue to struggle for our identity in a Muslim society.” The ascension reminds Christians everywhere of the coming of God’s Spirit and that the reign of God is a universal one not bounded by nation states.

Cover Story

Holy digital

The Bible on iPad

Apr 23, 2013 by Richard A. Kauffman

I switched to a digital Bible for ease and versatility. But I gave something up: a sense of the sweeping history of God's engagement with God's people.

Century Blogs

What about self-publishing?

Apr 11, 2013 by Richard A. Kauffman

I don't like un-vetted books, aka self-published books or books printed by so-called vanity presses. I’m aware that this is where much of the publishing world is headed in this digital age. There is a growth industry of firms that will be glad to publish your book, in print or in digital format. Amazon even has such a service.

I laud many aspects of the digital world. But this is one development I see as a big negative.

News

Syrian refugee crisis hits neighboring countries

Mar 29, 2013 by Richard A. Kauffman

After two years of civil war, the Syrian refugee crisis is reaching a boiling point. The United Nations estimates that 2.3 million Syrians are displaced within Syria and that another million have fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt according to Daryl Byler, a Middle Eastern representative of the Mennonite Central Committee.

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