A manual for millennials that functions mainly as an apologetics playbook.
A Christian cosmology focuses on millennials.
Shane (Millennial Economics, 2013) begins his wide-ranging new book by asking some of the oldest questions humans regularly pose: Why is there so much evil in the world? Why can’t we replace it with good? Aiming his discussion squarely at millennials, who will constitute almost a third of the globe’s population by 2020, he asks: “Do you millennials want to change the world?” The main obstacle to this goal, according to the author, is the “matrix,” a concept he adapts from the 1999 cult film. Shane’s idea of the matrix aligns closely with the Pythagorean concept of the cosmos—the totality of the universe as it connects organically with humans. The author draws comparisons between complex life and dust, linking “fallen” humanity to the “stability” of dust rather than the divine “instability” of life. He asserts that the matrix favors dust and draws human nature to violence and destruction. Shane emphasizes that millennials face a choice between being authentic and being counterfeit, with the former lining up with a faith in Jesus. Recognizing that evangelizing to millennials must involve science, the author then spends the bulk of the book attempting to find that discipline in Christian Scriptures, talking about the laws of thermodynamics and the allegedly anthropological predilection of the universe. Continually preaching that God is in a position to refresh the language of modern-day science, Shane ultimately urges millennials to humble themselves before their Creator. Encouraging millennials to embrace greater authenticity in their lives is a worthwhile pursuit, and the author takes an invitingly lively tone throughout. But he frequently misleads his readers by smuggling Christian presuppositions and standard straw-man apologetics into his attempts to link science and faith. “The probability of finding dust in the universe is orders of magnitude higher than the probability of finding complex life,” Shane writes, even though scientists cannot precisely calculate the probability of discovering complex alien life in the cosmos. “Who was it who input the cascades of quantum events that rearranged patterns of atoms into complex molecules?” he asks, presupposing that such a being exists. Solomon may have written the book of Ecclesiastes, Shane asserts without evidence, “but we know its true Author to be the Triune God.” Atheists, the author sweepingly argues, “have a jaundiced view of truth in general.” Are scientists really willing, he illogically asks, to continue “lending their support” to the idea that the universe has no God? Shane writes clearly and intelligently about the various classical treatises on these subjects by such writers as St. Augustine. But he also comes out with absurdities, including his observation that miracles do not violate natural laws. The result is a guide that millennials should recognize for what it is: straight-up fundamentalist preaching.
A manual for millennials that functions mainly as an apologetics playbook.Pub Date: March 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-7840-3
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
