Balmer (Religion/Barnard Coll.) compares the state of American Protestantism today with its boom in the '50s and suggests that a return to its antiestablishment and evangelical roots is needed. In 1950, Christian Century magazine ran a nationwide survey that resulted in 12 congregations being designated ``great churches'' and becoming the focus of a remarkable series of articles. Balmer offers us an account of his recent visits to these communities, devoting a chapter to each. He takes us to First Community Church, Columbus, Ohio, where he finds ``a kind of Jesus-helps-me-feel-good-about myself'' ethic and an easy alliance between middle-class life and mainline Protestantism. We visit First United Methodist, Orlando, Fla., where there has been both a decline in membership and an increase in staff. At Bellevue Baptist, Cordova, Tenn., the author is shown a video of the church's annual Celebrate America extravaganza, during which lines from the Declaration of Independence were interspersed with readings from the Bible; ``at the finale, red, white, and blue balloons descended from the rafters, the `worship center' looked for all the world like the National Republican Convention.'' In many cases, Balmer notices that ``diversity'' really means a lack of any clear beliefs, whereas a much-lauded sense of community turns out to signify ethnic homogeneity and a shared conservative outlook. Although he finds plenty to praise in these congregations, which have soldiered on through the vicissitudes of the post-'50s decades, Balmer (who is himself an evangelical) believes that a reversal of the general decline requires the mainline Protestants to learn from the evangelicals, distance themselves from the centers of power, and decide what they stand for. From the author of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory (1989) and host of the PBS series of the same title, another incisive critique of the US religious scene.
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-19-510086-7
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1995
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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