Unserious approach to a serious subject.
How to argue with Christian nationalists.
Actor and comedian Fugelsang presents a grating screed against the Christian right. He attempts to provide liberal, modern Christians and non-Christians with biblical background that can be used in debating fundamentalist arguments, but his distinctly informal and fully subjective approach leaves the reader wincing. Most chapters of the book list various examples of scripture that can be used to counter what the author identifies as right-wing views of Christianity, usually at its most extreme. For instance, a chapter titled “Thou Shalt Not Hate Feminists” discusses various women of the Bible, how they have been negatively portrayed over time, and how they actually exemplify Jesus’s teachings on equality. However, Fugelsang’s antagonist is always vague. Aside from naming a smattering of Republican politicians, the author fails to identify who the target of his jeremiad really is. He uses terms like “fundamentalists,” “evangelicals,” “authoritarian Christians,” and “Christian nationalists” interchangeably, while explaining in his introduction that, “nice conservative Christians…this book is not about you.” Fugelsang apparently writes about a straw-man “uncle” whom everyone supposedly knows and encounters now and then. Indeed, the vile and ogreish right-wing Christianity that he presents is largely a caricature that few would readily recognize. The author quotes insights from several liberal theologians but fails to pursue the same input from conservative theologians, who might at least add an air of objectivity to this work. Additionally, Fugelsang’s unrelenting irreverence, flat-falling witticisms, and peppering of profanity defeat his purpose by coloring him as an unserious author. Readers looking for a measured and sober look inside Christian nationalism would be better served by The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta (2023) or The False White Gospel by Jim Wallis (2024).
Unserious approach to a serious subject.Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9781668066898
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Avid Reader Press
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
A hopeful civic sermon favoring inspiration over concrete prescriptions.
A New Jersey senator’s moral manifesto.
Booker situates his narrative in the wake of his 2025 record-breaking 25-hour stand on the Senate floor, an act of physical endurance and moral insistence that serves as its animating example. Though not framed as memoir, the episode implicitly positions Booker himself as a model of the virtues he argues are essential to democratic life. Organized around 10 qualities, including agency, vulnerability, truth, perseverance, and grace, the book advances a clear thesis. “In this book, I argue that many Americans who came before us, and many among us today, have consistently proven that virtues are practical: They expand our power, deepen our sense of belonging, and equip us to endure and ultimately prevail.” Booker illustrates this claim through figures such as the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, whose willingness to endure sacrifice for principle anchors the book’s moral lineage, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose composure under public scrutiny is presented as an example of dignity as civic strength. These portraits reinforce Booker’s belief that character, sustained over time, can shape public life, even when political outcomes remain uncertain or incomplete. He supplements these examples with personal stories drawn from family, faith, and community, delivered with emotional conviction and a tone that remains affirming and carefully calibrated. Much of the narrative reads like an expansive commencement address, earnest and reassuring, offering moral affirmation at moments when readers might reasonably expect sharper confrontation. That rhetorical choice ultimately defines the book’s limits. Booker acknowledges political conflict and compromise, but rarely examines them in depth, and while urging leaders to take moral risks, he avoids sustained reflection on how some of his own political decisions have tested the virtues he promotes. The result is a principled but self-conscious work that affirms shared values while offering little guidance for navigating power and accountability.
A hopeful civic sermon favoring inspiration over concrete prescriptions.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250436733
Page Count: 272
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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