A commendable study geared toward specialists.
Ikenna presents an erudite and orderly study of Catholic environmental teachings, with an emphasis on how these teachings can be applied to the nation of Nigeria.
The author opens with a discussion of the papal encyclicals, which he repeatedly refers to throughout the work, in addition to Synod documents, Episcopal letters, and other official church teachings. Ikenna introduces both the primacy of creation and a call for respect for human life as foundational for approaching environmentalism. In fact, at its heart, Ikenna notes that the environment is an ethical issue and should be seen as such by the church, society, and individuals. With this background, he points out the four most pressing types of pollution in Nigeria: soil, water, air, and, somewhat surprisingly, noise. He thoroughly documents the causes of these issues (ranging from industrial waste to poor agricultural practices) and looks closely at the ways the challenges to Nigeria’s environment also cause spiritual, economic, political, cultural, and health problems. Ikenna describes potential pastoral responses to these environmental crises, including the fostering of individual commitments to the environment, better education, and an integration of science and faith. Interestingly, he uses Asia as a case study in how the church can best aid people in curbing various types of pollution. Throughout this work, the author takes an academic approach, incorporating a wide range of studies, facts and figures, and citations from various authors. His level of intellectualism, however, does push the book toward the realm of specialists. It’s hard to imagine the average reader handling such sentences as, “The Christian view continues to hold that the human person is ontologically and axiologically different from other creatures in a biotic unity of differentiated value.” Despite the book’s less-than-approachable characteristics, it will prove thought-provoking for Catholic theologians and activists.
A commendable study geared toward specialists.Pub Date: July 17, 2015
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 227
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
For Howard Zinn, long-time civil rights and anti-war activist, history and ideology have a lot in common. Since he thinks that everything is in someone's interest, the historian—Zinn posits—has to figure out whose interests he or she is defining/defending/reconstructing (hence one of his previous books, The Politics of History). Zinn has no doubts about where he stands in this "people's history": "it is a history disrespectful of governments and respectful of people's movements of resistance." So what we get here, instead of the usual survey of wars, presidents, and institutions, is a survey of the usual rebellions, strikes, and protest movements. Zinn starts out by depicting the arrival of Columbus in North America from the standpoint of the Indians (which amounts to their standpoint as constructed from the observations of the Europeans); and, after easily establishing the cultural disharmony that ensued, he goes on to the importation of slaves into the colonies. Add the laborers and indentured servants that followed, plus women and later immigrants, and you have Zinn's amorphous constituency. To hear Zinn tell it, all anyone did in America at any time was to oppress or be oppressed; and so he obscures as much as his hated mainstream historical foes do—only in Zinn's case there is that absurd presumption that virtually everything that came to pass was the work of ruling-class planning: this amounts to one great indictment for conspiracy. Despite surface similarities, this is not a social history, since we get no sense of the fabric of life. Instead of negating the one-sided histories he detests, Zinn has merely reversed the image; the distortion remains.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1979
ISBN: 0061965588
Page Count: 772
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1979
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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