Books
The (toxic) masculinity of Martin Luther
Some readers will find Lyndal Roper’s new book unsettling. That might be a good thing.
Shane McCrae reimagines the life of a wounded angel
Poetry that continues the rich literary tradition of angels and offers a new, illuminating perspective
Take & Read: Old Testament
Four new books about biblical texts and their reception
How a small group of activists took down the mining company destroying a Salvadoran watershed
This time, David beat Goliath.
Meritocracy’s trail of humiliation
Michael Sandel considers some alternatives.
The Kindest Lie is a story about race and much more
In Nancy Johnson’s debut novel, a family secret draws a successful Black woman home to small-town Indiana.
Why did ISIS film its destruction of ancient Assyrian artifacts in the Mosul Museum?
Aaron Tugendhaft says all acts of image-breaking are also acts of image-making.
Do we still need institutions?
Yes, says Yuval Levin. But only if they serve a formative function.
Why the death penalty came back
And why it might be abolished
Donna Haskins defeats the devil
Onaje X. O. Woodbine’s book about a Black woman’s life is a model of ethnographic work that centers the voice of its subject.
Lies about the Old Testament
Brent Strawn aims to debunk mistruths that come from biblical illiteracy and anti-Semitism.
How fighting for human rights can lead to idolatry
Rights are good, argues theological ethicist Nigel Biggar, but they are not the only good things.
Who was Henrietta Mears?
A new biography of the woman who shaped the men who shaped modern evangelicalism
A body in pain navigates the world
Poet Molly McCully Brown’s memoir of life with cerebral palsy
Can H. L. Hix improve on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
An odd, charming gospel account that draws from dozens of sources
The real Eugene Peterson
Many of my LGBTQ friends and clergy sisters have disavowed Peterson’s writings. Not I.
A Black scholar’s challenge to White evangelicals
Anthea Butler is clear about the disastrous legacy of racism at the heart of White evangelicalism.
Is privilege real or imagined?
Sociologist Matthew Clair explores race and class at work in the criminal court system.
Henry Louis Gates celebrates the Black church through history and stories
The companion book to the PBS series is accessible, comprehensive, and joyful.
What does the Mississippi Delta sound like in verse?
Philip Kolin’s poetry is about juke joints, bluesmen, mosquitoes, ladybugs, race, faith, and more.