A quietly powerful reminder of the gentle, loving heart of Christianity.
A call for Christians to return to the ideological roots of their faith.
In this book, author and activist Cates makes the familiar observation that Christianity in practice often varies enormously from the principles reflected in the words of Jesus Christ. “Jesus,” the author argues, “would want to know why many people who say they love him cause pain to others—often in the name of God.” Cates, who is gay and a survivor of sexual abuse, here addresses the difficult conversations she posits Jesus wants his followers to have, including discussions about social justice and gender equality. “The church can lead the way in teaching what it means to be emotionally healthy men and women alike,” she writes. “But the church has to be willing to live like Jesus first.” This theme runs throughout the work: the fact that Jesus is the essence of Christianity, and many people who profess Christianity have lost sight of that essence. In the author’s view, the essential truth of Christianity is love. “I believe we are all crying out for healing in one way or another,” Cates writes, adding that “we recognize healing is a radical lifestyle change.” This is wonderfully bracing stuff, a strong reaffirmation of a stance that Christian humanists have taken since the first Christians betrayed the tenets of the faith while professing their devotion to Christ’s teachings. The author is refreshingly tough on herself when sharing her own shortcomings while elaborating on the dangers of selfishness. “Jesus lived as love,” she writes. “To love him, we must do the same.” It’s a courageous message, particularly in a political moment when fundamentalist Christianity seems more partisan than it’s been in decades—Cates delivers that message with persuasive understatement.
A quietly powerful reminder of the gentle, loving heart of Christianity.Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780802884107
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.
A noted actor turns to verse: “Poems are a Saturday in the middle of the week.”
McConaughey, author of the gracefully written memoir Greenlights, has been writing poems since his teens, closing with one “written in an Australian bathtub” that reads just as a poem by an 18-year-old (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all-we-can-eat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental; only when he writes of life-changing events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job.
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781984862105
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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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