A book of Christian apologetics whose arguments won’t convince skeptics.
Adams, an attorney, presents a treatise that attempts to use rules of evidence to compare and contrast different belief systems.
The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard famously used the biblical story of the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 6) to emphasize faith over rationalism, suggesting a leap is necessary to escape from an atrophied faith that calculates, equivocates, and negotiates. Adams doesn’t address this notion in his inquiry into world religions, which asserts that it’s possible to use a legal baseline to approach questions of faith: “Using the rules of courtroom evidence, we can test religious claims to determine which ones can be trusted,” he writes in a preface. “The religion that survives legal scrutiny can rightfully claim to know our purpose on earth and the pathway to our ultimate destination.” Readers may immediately note that empiricism, which is based on the concept that all knowledge is sensory experience, may not enter into any spiritual discussion as a first principle; religion and the courtroom are two separate and very different spheres of discourse and human experience, and readers may question why criteria would be applied from one to the other. As such, the author provides an apologia disguised as analysis. Adams states that Judaism and Christianity offer more at-hand evidence for their claims in the Bible, and, as a lawyer, he believes they would best hold up in a courtroom setting. He finds many faults with Islam, in particular, as well as other faiths, but he uses claims that will convince all readers of the book’s impartiality. For example, he espouses familiar intelligent-design arguments that he says provide incontrovertible proof of God’s existence and asserts that any faith that doesn’t have a Creator God must therefore have beliefs that are based on speculation.
A book of Christian apologetics whose arguments won’t convince skeptics.Pub Date: May 30, 2024
ISBN: 9798385023103
Page Count: 188
Publisher: WestBowPress
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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