A solid defense of modern, progressive Christianity from a unique perspective.
A memoir and argument for a more inclusive version of Christianity.
Thomas explores her experiences as the daughter of Indian immigrants, growing up as an evangelical Christian in a community largely separate from the broader American culture. She also delves into her own faith journey from evangelicalism to progressive, mainline Christianity. The author’s family belongs to an ancient Christian tradition that can be traced to the first century C.E. and to the missionary efforts of the Apostle Thomas. However, her family’s own particular brand of Christianity was also influenced by 20th-century evangelicals. Thomas spent her youth immersed in a faith life that exacerbated her senses of shame and low self-worth. Growing up a cultural Indian in the U.S. also made her youth difficult to navigate, as she felt like an outsider in her own land. As Thomas matured, her views became more progressive and she found herself at odds with the faith of her family and childhood. However, she notes that she found room in the Christian tradition for her own, burgeoning faith direction. It was not an easy transition. “When I left evangelicalism,” she notes, “I felt like I was entering a wilderness in the darkest hours of the night.…The terror was ominous and total; all I felt was dread.” In time, however, she found faith in a Christianity less defined by belief systems than by a generous view of both sin (incorporating social issues more than mere rule following) and salvation (a possible healing for humanity as a whole). “A roomier understanding of sin requires an equally roomy vision of salvation,” she writes. Through a Christianity rooted in unrestrained readings of scripture and open to moral and ethical paradoxes, Thomas discovered a way to retain her faith and reaffirm her identity.
A solid defense of modern, progressive Christianity from a unique perspective.Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781506481456
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Broadleaf Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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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