The Month in Reviews: April 2026

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Cover image of "The Divine Profile" by David J. Claassen

The Month in Reviews: April 2026

Introduction

One of the treats of this month was to read two excellent self-published works, one a memoir and the other a very substantive devotional work. I revisited a couple of the works of Dallas Willard and a book from 2001 on practicing theology. Sometimes, the backlist books are well worthwhile. I opened the month reviewing a book on demons, and a few days later a book on the Holy Spirit and the arts. The “w’s” were well represented with books on welcome, wayfinding, and work. I finally tackled and completed Tom Holland’s Dominion as well as a lengthy commentary on Matthew.

Then there are the mysteries. In this case an Abe Lieberman mystery and the third installment of the Thursday Murder Club. George Saunders Vigil was one of those books I was thing about when I wasn’t reading it. That was also the case with Josiah Hesse’s memoir of growing up in a conservative evangelical/pentecostal environment in a small Midwest town. We both were influenced by the Jesus Movement, but in very different ways. I think the AI/tech revolution is one of the major changes sweeping our society, so I read a book on the high tech firms behind it and how they have sought political and cultural dominance. Finally, it’s baseball season again and I read Frank Deford’s classic The Old Ball Game and how a great pitcher and a great manager changed baseball.

The Reviews

Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance, Harold Ristau. Baker Books (ISBN: 9781540904393) 2025. A biblical and pastoral account of how demons oppress and possess and how ministers may exorcise them. Review

On Fire for God, Josiah Hesse. Pantheon (ISBN: 9780553387292) 2026. A memoir of growing up in a troubled family amidst a toxic mix of conservative Christianity, and escaping it. Review

Matthew (Kerux Commentaries), Darrell L. Bock and Timothy D. Sprankle. Kregel Ministry (ISBN: 9780825458255) 2025. A Kerux Commentary combining exegesis of Matthew with communication insights for teaching and preaching. Review

Naming the Spirit, W. David O. Taylor and Daniel Train, eds. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514013489) 2025. An essay collection considering the different names for the Holy Spirit, using works of art to deepen our understanding. Review

Not Quite Kosher (Abe Lieberman, 7), Stuart M. Kaminsky. Forge Books (ISBN: 9781429912631) 2002. Lieberman juggles two murder cases, one with multiple deaths including a cop, a bar mitzvah, a partner’s wedding and more. Review

Vigil, George Saunders. Random House (ISBN: 9780525509622) 2026. Jill Blaine is a spirit who consoles the dying but her current charge needs no consoling, leading her to reexamine her short life. Review

Stones Still Speak, Amanda Hope Hailey. Revell (ISBN: 9780800746483) 2025. Shows how biblical archaeology helps us understand the context of scripture, sometimes correcting misunderstandings. Review

Knowing Christ Today, Dallas Willard. Harper Collins (ISBN: 9780062311795) 2014 (first published in 2009). Why the knowledge of Christ is real knowledge of true things on which one may base one’s life and confidently speak. Review

The Joy of Solitude, Robert J. Coplan. Simon & Schuster (ISBN: 9781668053423) 2025. A study of the complexities of solitude and how it can enrich our lives and relationships. Review

Enabling Grace, Susan Mathew. Langham Global Library (ISBN: 9781839732782) 2025. A disability reading of Paul’s letters focusing on 2 Corinthians 12:7b–10, asserting the grace of God amidst human weakness. Review

The Tech Coup, Marietje Schaake. Princeton University Press (ISBN: 9780691241197) 2025. An expose’ of how tech companies have seized power from government and the danger this poses to the public interest. Review

The Old Ball Game, Frank Deford. Grove Press (ISBN: 9780802142474) 2006. A dual biography of John McGraw and Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants and their partnership in elevating the game. Review

Worth Doing, W. David Buschart and Ryan Tafilowski. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514009482) 2025. Addresses unrealistic theologies and ideas of work that do not reckon with our finitude and fallenness. Review

The Divine Profile, David J. Claassen. Self-published (ASIN: B0FKZQ14Y4) 2025. Thirty-one short reflections on the attributes of God, distilling deep theology into a succinct and accessible form. Review

Spiritual Wayfinding, Deborah Gregory. InterVarsity Press | Formatio (ISBN: 9781514011966) 2026. Thirty-three creative, walking meditations integrating mind, body, and spirit to discern God’s direction in our lives. Review

The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, 3) Richard Osman. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780593299418) 2022. The Thursday Murder Club investigates the murder of a TV journalist while Elizabeth must kill an old spy friend. Review

Dominion, Tom Holland. Basic Books (ISBN: 9781541675599) 2021. A history of Christianity describing its cultural and moral impact over two millenia from its shocking beginnings in a crucifixion. Review

She Teaches Me Still, Andrew T. Le Peau. Fill Us Publishing (ISBN: 9798993671819) 2026. A memoir, by her husband of 47 years, of Phyllis Strong Le Peau, a nurse, campus minister, writer, and church leader. Review

Becoming a Person of Welcome, Laura Baghdassarian Murray, foreword by Tod Bolsinger. IVP | Formatio (ISBN: 781514011942) 2025. Hospitality as embodying a posture that we carry with us rather than just an activity at our “place.” Review

Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard. NavPress (ISBN: 9781641584425) 2021 (cover image and review are of the 2002 edition). How Christ is formed in us as our hearts are transformed and six aspects of human life are integrated under God. Review

Practicing Theology, Miroslav Volf and Dorothy C. Bass, editors. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802849311) 2001. Essays answering the question of what theology has to do with real life, how our beliefs translate into practice. Review

Best Book of the Month

It is not often that I can remember choosing a self-published book as best of the month. However, The Divine Profile by David J. Claassen is an exception. He writes on the attributes of God and knowing God, arguably the most important of all knowledge. In thirty-one short reflections he distills thousands of pages of theology into a few readable pages without sacrificing substance or orthodoxy. Written by a pastor of fifty years, this book reflects the “simplicity on the other side of complexity” that comes of knowing and walking with God for decades.

Quote of the Month

Another wonderfully profound and succinct statement about God comes at the end of Becoming a Person of Welcome by Laura Baghdassarian Murray. Murray grounds our hospitality with that of God when she writes:

“We can always find our home in God. And our world needs reminders that we can always come home. God constantly welcomes us home, whether he walks toward us or we walk toward him. May we become people who carry welcome wherever we go and help others find their home in God” (p. 125).

What I’m Reading

Leslie Baynes has a scholarly new book on C.S. Lewis and the Bible titled Between Interpretation and Imagination. While we find Lewis’s imaginative portrayals of biblical truth in his fiction gripping, many will find his views on the Bible weren’t quite what theirs are. Baynes also points out that Lewis’s memory of texts, often celebrated, was not without gaps and he made errors in citing others. Then Louis Markos in From Aristotle to Christ shows the ways Aristotelian ideas helped clarify Christian belief among the church’s foremost early thinkers. However, I need a break from heady discussions. Sabino Chialà’s Silence and Speaking Freely is a series of meditations, from the monastic tradition on the relation of silence and speech.

Then, on the fiction side, I’m currently on my third Jane Austen novel, Emma, on my way to reading the novels of Jane Austen this year. There seems to be quite a bit Emma has to learn about the world of love. In my reckoning, she is also oblivious to her own vanity. Lastly, The Prodigal of Leningrad by Daniel Taylor is a fictional account of the siege of Leningrad, lasting 900 days during the Second World War. We glimpse the conditions through the account of a museum docent from the Hermitage, where Rembrandt’s Prodigal hangs. In addition, the story helps us understand the invidious nature of a totalitarian government that restricts even freedom of conscience.

I’ll leave you with this thought of Annie Dillard, whose birthday was yesterday:

“I worked so hard all my life, and all I want to do now is read.”

If that’s you, I hope you’ve found some good suggestions for future books.

The Month in Reviews is my monthly review summary going back to 2014! It’s a great way to browse what I’ve reviewed. The search box on this blog also works well if you are looking for a review of a particular book. Thanks for stopping by. and feel free to share this with others!

Review: Practicing Theology

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Cover image for "Practicing Theology" edited by Miroslav Volf and Dorothy C. Bass

Practicing Theology

Practicing Theology, Miroslav Volf and Dorothy C. Bass, editors. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802849311) 2001.

Summary: Essays answering the question of what theology has to do with real life, how our beliefs translate into practice.

“But what does that have to do with real life?”

Miroslav Volf confesses that this is a question he is asked by students in his theology classes. I’d suggest that its also a question people out in “real life” wonder about. For example, consider those listening to sermons on Sunday and wondering what this has to do with Monday through Saturday.

The authors of the essays in this book are theologians who believe that the doctrine they teach do translate into “practices.” They define this as “patterns of cooperative human activity in and through which life together takes shape over time in response to and in the light of God as known in Jesus Christ” (p. 3). They unpack this in four sections.

First, in “Practicing Theology, Embracing a Way of Life”, the first two essays lay the groundwork for what follows. Craig Dyksta and Dorothy C. Bass articulate a theological basis for the idea of “Christian practices.” Their focus is to elaborate “how a way of life that is deeply responsive to God’s grace takes actual shape among human beings.” Then Amy Plantinga Pauw gives attention to the gap between beliefs and practices using the story of Jonah as a case study.

Second, “Practicing Theology, Engaging in Ministry” elaborates these ideas in specific practices. What is notable here are the diverse voices. Serene Jones describes translating theology into renewed vision for a United Church of Christ congregation. Sarah Coakley explores mystical and ascetic practices in the contemporary church context. Meanwhile, Tammy R. Williams surveys differences in healing practices within idifferent African-American church groups. Christine D. Pohl, who wrote extensively on hospitality, offers a reflection on the hospitality of the Open Door Community. Gilbert I. Bond studies the intersection of liturgical practice and ministry practice in Anabaptist and Afro-baptist churches. Finally, Nancy E. Bedford studies the practice of discernment in a Latin American congregation in Argentina.

But prior to ministry practice is the training of these pastor-theologians. Part Three focuses on this in three essays, the most significant of which is “Beliefs, Desires, Practices, and the Ends of Theological Education” by L. Gregory Jones. Specifically, Jones notes the disconnect between church and seminary. Often seminarians come from churches where they learned Christian practices but were fuzzy on belief. Jones argues for rigorous baptismal catechesis to address this. Then Reinhard Hutter connects God’s hospitality revealed in worship and doctrine to our practice of hospitality. Kathryn Tanner also explores issues of theology and the practice of hospitality in the concluding essay of the section.

Finally, Part Four consists of just one essay by Miroslav Volf on theology as a way of life. The essay draws heavily on a story of how his parents translated hospitality at the Lord’s table to hospitality at their own table.

I appreciated the diversity of voices, less common twenty-five years ago. I also was struck by how often the writers came back to the practice of hospitality and the profound gospel truth behind it of God’s hospitality. At the same time, for a book on practices, the reading at times was still somewhat abstract and theoretical–theologians writing for others in the theological academy. That said, the examples of translating theology into practice, and even the notion of practices which anticipates James K.A. Smith’s cultural liturgies is important work. Lastly, L. Gregory Jones challenge for us to grow in passing the baton from church to seminary to church in the formation of ministers is one still desperately needed.

Review: Renovation of the Heart

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Cover image of "The Renovation of the Heart" by Dallas Willard.

Renovation of the Heart

Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard. NavPress (ISBN: 9781641584425) 2021 (cover image and review are of the 2002 edition).

Summary: How Christ is formed in us as our hearts are transformed and six aspects of human life are integrated under God.

When I was growing up, so much of the emphasis of my church’s preaching was on becoming a Christian. As a young believer, I wanted to know what it meant to be a Christian. I wanted my life to look more like Jesus but had no clue of how that transformation takes place. By trial and error, I developed habits of scripture reading and prayer, sharing in community and worship, witness and service. Only much later did I encounter Dallas Willard, both in his works and personally. Here was someone who thought and lived deeply into the practices through which Christ forms our lives.

Fast forward thirty years. Once again, the deep need of our churches is to see people formed in Christ. The questions raised are one’s Dallas Willard addresses in his books. That has led me to revisiting some of the books I read many years ago. I need a brush up!

One of those is Renovation of the Heart. In it, Willard focuses on our hearts, the center from which we live our lives. If our whole beings are to be changed, then change begins here. For Willard, this means opening our lives to the grace of God in an ordered way as apprentices of Jesus. In the case of humans, this has to do with six aspects that make us human–thought, feeling, choice, body, social context, and soul. When each of these “are effectively organized around God” we become increasingly like Christ. Willard addresses these one by one in chapters six to eleven.

But first he lays some essential groundwork. He begins by showing how the heart (or choice or spirit) is central in our lives and how it relates to the other five aspects. Willard then describes how deeply sin corrupts “the ruined soul” and how the kingdom of God radically restores “sin-sick souls.” He then sets forth the process of spiritual change in each of the six aspects using the acronym VIM. This stands for Vision, Intention, and Means.

After applying this process to the six aspects of human beings, Willard discusses how we live this out in the world in two chapters. The final chapter, on “Spiritual Formation in the Local Congregation” should be essential reading for church leaders. The focus is Matthew 28:18-20. Firstly, make disciples or apprentices to Jesus. Being a Christian is nothing other than being a disciple. Secondly, immerse apprentices at all levels of growth in the presence of the triune God. Finally, transform disciples inwardly, so that the words and deeds of Jesus are the natural outcome.

This is a book in which to soak deeply. The questions at the end of each chapter help with that. This book is chock-full of insights into human nature and spiritual transformation that are substantive and enduring. Just as wise investment counselors teach people to get rich slowly, in a disciplined fashion, so Willard instructs us. Transformation doesn’t happen in a healthy and abiding way unless one engages all six aspects. The vision is for transformation of every aspect of who we are. Furthermore, this is so crucial for churches that center only on buildings, butts, and budgets. Then we wonder why people are so easily to co-opt. True apprentices to Jesus are not. They recognize how conflicting loyalties are dis-integrating. This book will challenge the spiritual diet of your church, if not your own life.

Review: Becoming a Person of Welcome

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Cover image of "Becoming a Person of Welcome" by Laura Baghdassarian Murray

Becoming a Person of Welcome

Becoming a Person of Welcome, Laura Baghdassarian Murray, foreword by Tod Bolsinger. IVP | Formatio (ISBN: 9781514011942) 2025.

Summary: Hospitality as embodying a posture that we carry with us rather than just an activity at our “place.”

Behind the Christian talk of “hospitality,” I think there is a lot of resistance. We think of hosting gatherings with exquisite food in homes that look like something out of the pages of Architectural Digest. And many of us just don’t have homes, apartments, or culinary skills to measure up. (We won’t even talk about cleaning!). Furthermore, often hospitality is treated as “women’s work,” an effort in which women bear all the burden. Martha, do I hear an “Amen!”

Laura Baghdassarian Murray grew up in a hospitable Armenian family who experienced generous welcome when they emigrated to the United States. In this book, she writes out of family, community, and church leadership to describe a vision of hospitality as a posture. Instead of something we do at a place, as much to impress as to host, she explores how we may become persons of welcome wherever we go.

She begins by exploring how our preconceptions of hospitality limit us from becoming a welcoming presence in all the places of our lives. Then she turns to consider God as first host, a theme to which she will recur. We welcome because God has welcomed us in creation and salvation.

She explores the difference between counterfeit hospitality, often a veiled form of hostility, and authentic welcome. Then at times, hospitality is a tit-for-tat exchange of gifts rather than uncalculating generosity. But sometimes hospitality is hard because of past hurts. Murray describes some of her own experiences of wounds and healing. Murray deals realistically with setting boundaries and creating guidelines

Behind all this is the inner work of hospitality. In addition to a discussion of our vision and inner preparation, each chapter concludes with spiritual practices that help us cultivate a welcoming presence.

The final chapter discusses how “closing the loop” helps lay the basis for new beginnings. And befitting closure, she concludes the books with these words:

“We can always find our home in God. And our world needs reminders that we can always come home. God constantly welcomes us home, whether he walks toward us or we walk toward him. May we become people who carry welcome wherever we go and help others find their home in God” (p. 125).

I most love the idea in this book that our hospitality is rooted in God’s hospitality. And Murray offers us spiritual practices to help us make that connection. The study guide makes this a great resource for groups. For this reason, I’d love to see leadership teams in churches read this. Wouldn’t it be great if we became known as the places of welcome in our lonely and disconnected society?

_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: She Teaches Me Still

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Cover image of "She Teaches Me Still" by Andrew T. Le Peau

She Teaches Me Still

She Teaches Me Still, Andrew T. Le Peau. Fill Us Publishing (ISBN: 9798993671819) 2026.

Summary: A memoir, by her husband of 47 years, of Phyllis Strong Le Peau, a nurse, campus minister, writer, and church leader.

Reading this memoir made me wish I’d known Phyllis Strong Le Peau better during her life. Although we were colleagues in the same collegiate ministry, we worked in different areas on different teams and only occasionally crossed paths. But two things I can say about her that come up over and over in this biography was that she lit up any room she entered. And while joyous and fun, she was a person of great depth evident in her probing Bible studies and care for people.

In some ways, her generous and welcoming spirit belies her roots. She grew up in a separatist fundamentalist church in a suburb of East St. Louis. But her life was rooted in an intact family with parents who loved her, and while steeped in the Bible. she was able to recognize the central focus on God’s redemptive grace. Thus, she extended that grace in welcome to all she met.

Le Peau traces her educational journey after high school through nursing school, her work as an ER and pediatric nurse, and her work with Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF). She always engaged with ministry with peers and patients. Working in an interdenominational ministry, she began to question the separatism of her youth. That work also brought her into contact with her future husband. NCF was a division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. As it turned out, Andy worked with InterVarsity on the same team as she. He traces their courtship from a 1974 “not-a-date” lunch to a September 1975 wedding.

Marrying Andy meant another big change for Phyllis. During their engagement, Andy accepted an editorial position and InterVarsity Press in the Chicago area. Phyllis returned to nursing. Following chapters chronicle the growth of their family (she was several years older than Andy and so they did not wait long), successive moves to three houses on the same street, and Phyllis’s first study guide–one on Habakkuk I used with a number of groups!

An invitation to spend a summer vacation in Michigan with friends led to the next adventure of their lives. They quickly fell in love with their cottage on the lake in Fremont. This included Phyllis’s struggle to water ski! Then they learned that the owners were selling. They wondered about buying it. Phyllis’s “Andy let’s do it” settled matters. It meant a lot of work, but created a place of welcome for family, friends and other renters.

Opening themselves to hospitality was just something Phyllis did. Andy was an opposite in many ways but he joined her in turning homes and cottages into welcoming places. This part of the book included stories of the ways she was “crazy fun.” All of this was a manifestation of an infectious love for people–family, students, coworkers, people in their church. In her later years, Phyllis returned to InterVarsity as a staff director and then as an evangelism influencer, working with many younger colleagues.

Retirement led to a new season of influence, working with a national ethnic reconciliation effort in her denomination, until a slow growing lung cancer suddenly exploded in 2021. One of the most moving moments in the book was her passing, when Andy told her “it’s okay for you to go be with Jesus.” The final chapter, “Remembering” looks back over their years and all the ways “she teaches me still.”

Andy Le Peau is a gifted writer, but I can’t imagine writing the memoir of one’s wife. Yet I think he succeeds in a way that offers an honest tribute to a remarkable woman. He doesn’t pass over foibles but handles them lightly. The person he portrays is one in the grip of God’s grace, extending his care to all she met. I mentioned at the beginning that I wish I’d known Phyllis better in life. Thanks to this memoir, I think I do now and she also teaches me.

The Weekly Wrap: April 19-25

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The Weekly Wrap: April 19-25

Something Different

Dropped by the local Barnes & Noble yesterday. On one of the front tables featuring fiction, I noticed Leif Enger‘s I Cheerfully Refuse. First it was the artful cover and then this description on the back cover that caught my attention:

“Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. Rainy, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs and remote islands of the inland sea.”

I bought the book. But I don’t usually buy books this way. Often I buy something I’ve heard of, seen reviewed, or has been recommended. Or I buy books by an author I like or a topic I find interesting. However, this book checked none of those boxes.

So what’s going on? The cover did stand out as something of a departure from other contemporary fiction, so I noticed it. Also, I love quests. And I’ve had good luck with Minnesota authors. William Kent Krueger is a favorite. Enger is also a former journalist, a plus in my book as someone who may know how to write with economy.

I like the serendipity of shopping in a bookstore. You never know what you’ll find. And now, I’ll probably hear of Leif Enger wherever I turn! Look for my review to see if I like him!

Five Articles Worth Reading

This week’s articles all deal in some way with the upcoming 250th birthday of the United States. Three focus on the yet-to-be healed wounds of slavery and race that are an important part of our history.

Firstly, “Mother Emanuel’s Long Struggle” reviews a book on one of the oldest Black congregations, in Charleston, SC, the site of Dylann Roof’s ruthless gunning down of nine Bible study participants, and the forgiveness that followed. However the book traces a far more complex history of this congregation over 200 years.

Thomas S. Kidd, a historian, invites us to take a hard look at American slave trade in “Three History Books on the US Slave Trade.” One of these is even available for free.

Sometimes, historical fiction offers a unique lens for historical insight. In “The Barbarism of Yesteryear,” Jonathan Russell Clark reviews Max Watman’s Tomorrow, the War, an account of the antebellum slave experience in the lead up to the Civil War.


Beverly Gage recently published This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History. In “13 Books on American History That Mapped Out Beverly Gage’s Travelogue,” Gage recommends thirteen books, one for each chapter of her book, taking the reader on a journey from George Washington to Walt Disney.

Finally, part of our history is the unique canon of American literature from the past 250 years and more. The Library of America set out a number of years ago to publish quality editions of some of the best that Americans have thought and written. In “How Library of America Helped Shape the Modern American Literary Canon,” Max Rudin, current president and publisher of the Library of America discusses its mission. I’m proud to say I have a bookcase full of these editions!

Quote of the Week

Philosopher Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724. He formulated an ethical maxim simple and yet profound in its implications, often referred to as “The Categorical Imperative”:

“Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law.”

Miscellaneous Musings

There has been a lot of concern about the literacy of our youth, particularly at the fourth grade level. “Another Way to Boost Fourth Grade Reading Scores? Preschool” argues for the effectiveness of Pre-K education to boost these score. Currently, however, we are shifting the burden of funding these programs in the U.S. to the states. It remains to be seen how this will work out across the country. It seems, though, that citizen involvement at the local level could make a huge difference.

Reading Jane Austen’s Emma, I wonder if Emma will have an epiphany of how condescending she is. It is a good study in how we fail to see ourselves as we are seen by others, in this case, Austen’s readers.

A City on Mars portrays the challenges of life on other planets. Mars is the only realistic possibility, with our Moon as a training ground. But the challenges are substantial to keep them from quickly or more slowly killing us. Let’s put it simply: for the next few centuries, except for very few, there is no Planet B. So, we better take care of this one.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Andrew T. LePeau, She Teaches Me Still

Tuesday: Laura Baghdassarian Murray, Becoming A Person of Welcome

Wednesday: Dallas Willard, The Renovation of the Heart

Thursday: Miroslav Volf and Dorothy C. Bass eds., Practicing Theology

Friday: The Month in Review: April 2026

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for April 19-25.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Dominion

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Cover image of "Dominion" by Tom Holland

Dominion

Dominion, Tom Holland. Basic Books (ISBN: 9781541675599) 2021.

Summary: A history of Christianity describing its cultural and moral impact over two millenia from its shocking beginnings in a crucifixion.

Perhaps one of the most staggering observations Tom Holland makes in this massive book comes near the beginning:

“That a man who had himself been crucified might be hailed as a god could not help but be seen by people everywhere across the Roman world as scandalous, obscene, grotesque. The ultimate offensiveness, though, was to one particular people: Jesus’ own” (p. 6).

Whatever one thinks of Christianity, accounting for its rise, spread, and cultural impact is not easy to explain. The “scandal of the cross,” that its central figure, who died one of the most ignominious deaths, is revered and worshipped as “Lord” by nearly a third of the world’s population, is difficult to account for.

Tom Holland moves from these beginnings to explore the milieu within which Christianity arose and how one might account for its spread. He notes the radical inclusiveness of Paul’s message, cutting across ethnic and class distinctions and challenging the claims of empire. From here, he traces a sprawling history, from the early doctrinal controversies and councils all the way to the Beatles’ assertion that “all we need is love.”

The book does far more than chronicle the rise and spread of Christianity. It argues for the moral and cultural influence of Christian faith, a heritage he claims we continue to live off of in our secular age. However the history is not merely one of compelling ideas and exemplary moral figures, though we encounter much of this. We also encounter ruthless political and church leaders who extend the church’s influence by human might or detract from it by their corruption.

For example, consider the history of slavery and the church’s equivocal witness. Opposition to slavery can be traced back to Gregory of Nyssa:

“Gregory was moved by the existence of slavery not just to condemn the extremes of wealth and poverty but to define the institution itself as an unpardonable offence against God. Human nature, so he preached, had been constituted by its Creator as something free. As such, it was literally priceless. ‘Not all the universe would constitute an adequate payment for the soul o£ a mortal,’?” (p. 142).

Yet for centuries, the church assented and even offered theological defenses of slavery. But leaders of the same church, from Wilberforce in England to the abolitionists in the U.S. appealed to both creation and the gospel as a basis for eliminating slavery. Often, when the church failed to act, its sharpest critics, such as Nietzsche, use the church’s teaching to call out its failures.

The parade of figures to which he introduces us is breathtaking. One of those whose story I’d not known was Elizabeth of Hungary, a princess who dressed as a beggar and served under a tyrannical abbot. She alternated time between a kitchen and a hospital, caring for the poor. She died at twenty-four. Because of the reports of miracles, the church elevated her to sainthood. Her name was on the hospital where I was born.

Holland makes a compelling case for the impact of Christianity on cultures, from hospitals and universities, to the end of apartheid in South Africa. But I wonder if he stretches the case at times, such as in his discussion of Marxism. Yes, some have argued it a Christian heresy. However, its vile destructiveness in so many places makes me question that.

I also wrestled to keep the thread of his argument in the rapid succession of so many people and events. Despite the book’s size, this is actually not a large book considering the expanse of history Holland tries to cover. And in the modern period, he jumps from 1916 and Tolkien’s work to the Sixties, and then to the present. Inevitably, he must be selective. For example, he says nothing of Karl Barth or Reinhold Niebuhr. The latter deeply influenced George Kennan, the architect of the West’s policy of containment that brought the eventual fall of communism.

I think part of the problem is that the narrative proceeded by a series of vignettes, breaking up narrative continuity. Holland gets away with this by writing so well. However, based on what I’d heard, I expected a more compelling argument. Instead, I got one vignette after another. Each was engaging, and on reflection, they make a cumulative the case for Christian influence to this day. But what this pointed up to me was how hard it is to do what Holland attempts.

At the same time, his narrative and its implications do raise important questions in an era we call “post Christian.” Particularly, I wonder how long can we live off a Christian “legacy” before we exhaust it? And what then?

Review: The Bullet That Missed

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Cover image of "The Bullet that Missed" by Richard Osman

The Bullet That Missed

The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, 3) Richard Osman. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780593299418) 2022.

Summary: The Thursday Murder Club investigates the murder of a TV journalist while Elizabeth must kill an old spy friend.

Once again, the Thursday Murder Club are in deeper than they expected, and loving every minute of it. The four have decided to investigate the unsolved murder of Bethany Waites. Waite was a TV journalist investigating a VAT avoidance scheme and was about to break the story. The same night she had called Mike Waghorn, the news host, her car was found at the bottom of a cliff, with bloodstains that matched hers. Investigators find clothes but no body. It was assumed she had washed out to sea. The one woman who went to prison for the scheme said nothing.

Meanwhile, a man who calls himself the Viking abducts Stephen and Elizabeth. He gives Elizabeth a stark choice. Either kill an old KGB spy, Viktor Illyich, or the Viking will kill Joyce. As it turns out, Elizabeth and Viktor had gone from rivals to lovers, long before Stephen. Yet she takes Joyce along to Viktor’s suite to kill him, not having told Joyce about the Viking’s threat. But in reality, they feign his death and he joins the Club, both to catch the Viking and to work on the other murder.

The question is, why does the Viking want Viktor Illych dead? And who is he? It turns out Stephen supplies a key clue, in a moment of mental awareness, even as he gently and sadly declines into dementia, a decline that will hit Bogdan as hard as anyone.

Meanwhile, the Club is meeting all the people associated with Bethany Waites from Mike Waghorn, who wants her killer found, to Pauline, the make-up person, who falls in love with Ron, to a rival, Fiona Clemence, now a famous TV personality. They work with Chief Constable, Andrew Everton, and even enlist Connie, the drug dealer’s help, despite the fact that she intends to kill Ron and Bogdan.

Before they wrap things up, two more murders take place while Joyce faces a murderous Viking. And I will leave things there so you can have the same fun I did reading to the end!

Review: Spiritual Wayfinding

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Cover image of "Spiritual Wayfinding" by Deborah Gregory

Spiritual Wayfinding

Spiritual Wayfinding, Deborah Gregory. InterVarsity Press | Formatio (ISBN: 9781514011966) 2026.

Summary: Thirty-three creative, walking meditations integrating mind, body, and spirit to discern God’s direction in our lives.

Life includes many seasons of trying to find our way. Choosing colleges or other vocational training. Finding a life partner. Discerning our calling and how that might shape career and job choices. Raising children. Understanding spiritual gifts and how we may best serve in a community. Deciding on a career change or move. Facing loss and aging. Life never stops posing the two questions Deborah Gregory asks in this book: Who am I? Where am I going?

Spanish poet Antonio Machado said, “We make the way by walking.” In other words, life is a pilgrimage, and we discover the trail blazes or way markers of God as we walk. Deborah Gregory is a spiritual director who meditated on the Ignatian Exercises as she took long walks. That is, until she fractured her ankle on an uneven sidewalk. However, the time of healing also became the time of discovery out of which she wrote these meditations. For example, it led to a deeper realization of how embodied discernment can help one find their way. Not only that, she took a deep dive into the science of walking, discovering its benefits for our whole person.

Another shaping influence upon this book is her neurodivergent daughter Alina. Neurodivergent people often differently experience the world sensorily and cognitively and have a unique form of “embodied wisdom.” That phrase, embodied wisdom, reflects a key theme of this book–that God often encounters us, helps us understand ourselves, and our direction in life through our bodies.

After introducing these ideas, the remainder of the book consists of thirty-three “walking meditations” organized in six parts. The first three parts focus on the “Who am I?” question, developing our awareness of our senses, emotions, and thoughts. Then the second three parts focus on “where am I going?,” under headings of “spiritual orienteering,” exercising discernment,” and “the pilgrim’s way.”

Each walking meditation consist of a short reading explaining the idea behind the walk. Then, on a single page, Gregory offers a scripture on which to meditate, walking meditation directions for before and as you walk, and then a rest and reflection question.

But what makes this guide both fun and stretching are the variety of creative ways of walking it incorporates. For example, under sensory awareness, it includes a “forest bathing walk.” To encourage exploring our emotions it includes a “stomp walk” followed by a “yuck walking” experience. Then “pattern spotting” invites us to note the fractal-like patterns in nature and discern the patterns of God’s working. And she even invites us, as we are able, to walk barefoot. And so much more!

She also offers suggestions for using this book. Some will “thru-hike” working through all thirty-three walks. Others will use them on retreats or focus on specific exercises. Then they can also be used by spiritual directors or others as a resource for individuals or groups.

I loved several things about this guide. One is that I walk daily and this gave me some new things to try. In addition, I delighted in the fun and creative ideas, some inspired by her neurodivergent daughter. Also, I appreciated the deep grounding of the meditations in the Ignatian Exercises. Finally, I appreciated the scientific insights into the benefits of walking.

In the interest of full disclosure, I know the author from the time she lived in the same city as I do. She was in a book group I hosted and also offered great advice on using social media. But one of the unexpected surprises of the book was to discover in the acknowledgements that she also knew my son, who shared with her his lifelong love of and knowledge of fractals! What fun!

Often, we consider spiritual disciplines as something practiced in a closet or quiet room, or at a desk. Gregory helps those of us who tend to live in our heads connect our embodied experience in the world with discerning God’s leading. Because of that, this book makes a unique contribution in spiritual formation literature.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Divine Profile

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Cover image of "The Divine Profile" by David J. Claassen

The Divine Profile

The Divine Profile, David J. Claassen. Self-published (ASIN: B0FKZQ14Y4) 2025.

Summary: Thirty-one short reflections on the attributes of God, distilling deep theology into a succinct and accessible form.

“If I could preach or write on only one scriptural or theological topic it would be the attributes of God.”

With these words, David J. Claassen introduces this short book of thirty-one reflections on the attributes of God, that can be read over a month. The introduction of the first day is followed by reflections on twenty-nine attributes, one per day. Finally, the concluding day invites us to continue a journey that “will continue for all eternity.”

Over the twenty-nine days, Claassen reflects upon:

“God is self-existing, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, wise, truthful, sovereign, transcendent, immanent, personal, holy, just, delightful, gracious, spirit, triune, wrathful, patient, good, loving, jealous, merciful, faithful, infinite, and glorious.”

Each reflection is only a few pages in length, easily readable in ten minutes or less, concluding with a relevant verse of scripture. What Claassen seeks to do is distill heavy tomes of theology into a pithy, readable reflection. And he succeeds. Consider how much he captures in this brief paragraph on God’s self-sufficiency:

“One of the wonderful attributes of God is that He needs nothing from anyone. God is self-sufficient. He needs nothing found on earth, in the cosmos, or from us. God was complete in and off Himself before He made anything. He didn’t create all that he created out of some kind of personal need.”

It is obvious from those he cites that he has read those heavier works. As a skilled teacher, he articulates complex ideas in simple, but not simplistic terms. And he is theologically sound.

However, his aim is not to make us into nerdy theologians but to enlarge our minds and hearts with God’s awesomeness. At the conclusion of the first reflection, he offers six guidelines that are well worth following;

  1. Read God’s attribute for the day.
  2. Think and meditate on what you’ve read.
  3. Pray, talking to God about this attribute of His.
  4. Contemplate why this attribute of God is so amazing.
  5. Consider how this attribute should impact your life.
  6. Develop the holy habit of reminding yourself of this attribute throughout the day, or the next day if you’re reading The Divine Profile in the evening.

To sum up, the strength of this devotional is that Claassen centers on the knowledge that is important above all, the knowledge of God. Not only does he focus on the divine attributes in brief, daily reflections. He also achieves the “simplicity on the other side of complexity” in his reflections without ever dumbing down the content.

Furthermore, as a self-published work, it was available for a period for free on e-book and currently for $1.00 ($7.00 for paper). I consider it worth far more.