Books
Written by the oppressor, sung by the oppressed
James Walvin traces a beloved American hymn on its winding journey across racial divisions through the centuries.
Finding ourselves in a Nigerian war novel
Chigozie Obioma offers a narrative that transcends bullets and politics.
A novel about (not) writing an essay
Rosalind Brown’s debut novel could be understood as a midrash on Montaigne’s metaphor of the mind as runaway horse.
The strengths and limitations of Saul Alinsky’s approach
Mark Santow’s intellectual biography of the influential organizer explores how his Chicago coalitions wrestled with the challenges of race.
Debating the nature of Jesus
A thoughtful book that includes a lively conversation between New Testament scholars Bart Ehrman and Michael Bird
The puzzle at the heart of Mormonism
Historian Richard Lyman Bushman investigates his own tradition’s most mysterious miracle.
The gender phantasm
Judith Butler seeks to understand how and why the word gender has taken on such apocalyptic proportions, including among Christians.
The humanity of human smugglers
Anthropologist Jason De León charts the desperation, grief, and friendships of the Central American guías who bring migrants across borders.
A harrowing novel about Christian boarding schools
In Margaret Verble’s Stealing, a Cherokee girl finds what she needs to survive an evil system.
In an age of isolation, what does it mean to belong?
Educator and activist Kim Samuel calls readers to recognize the gift (and necessity) of one another.
Another reason Rome fell
When the Antonine Plague hit in 165, says historian Colin Elliott, the Roman Empire was already well on its way to failure.
Everything from nothing
Theologian Brian Robinette argues that the beleaguered doctrine of creatio ex nihilo is both important and practical.
A permanent foreigner
Grace Loh Prasad’s memoir shows how the death of parents, for a child of immigrants, represents the vanishing of entire worlds.
The shared root of antisemitism and White supremacy
Historian Magda Teter identifies an endemic rot at the center of Christianity.
Deep insights for Christians—from Leviticus
Gary Anderson thinks that the answer to what ails contemporary Christian theology lies tucked away in the Torah’s tabernacle narrative.
Dress and redress
In a blend of memoir and scholarly inquiry, Megan Sweeney challenges readers to take clothing seriously.