Books

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Chasing after Wind: A Pastor's Life by Douglas J. Brouwer. This book serves as a post-retirement memoir from a longtime Presbyterian (PCUSA) pastor that contains insights for clergy and non-clergy alike.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity by Daniel Bowman, Jr. The book was recently chosen by the Academy of Parish Clergy as its 2022 Book of the Year.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews the book The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr. Part memoir and part history, the book serves as a strong rebuttal to patriarchalism and complementarianism.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Tradition and Apocalypse: An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief by David Bentley Hart. He argues that the book challenges our certainties and pushes our buttons, but with the war in Ukraine raising the profile of Orthodoxy it is helpful to get a sense of the diversity of perspectives within the tradition.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Living Under Water: Baptism as a Way of Life by Kevin J. Adams. Cornwall makes the case that this book can help us gain a better sense of what baptism means so that we can live into its imaginative promise – regardless of our specific theology.

Over the course of the past two years, the preachers of the Washington National Cathedral have addressed the grief, loneliness, and other trials of the COVID-19 pandemic through sermons each Sunday. 

Andrew Young is marking his birthday with a four-day celebration from March 9–12, starting with a livestreamed “Global Prayer for Peace” worship service at the Atlanta church, followed by a peace walk, debut of the book The Many Lives of Andrew Young, and a sold-out gala.

Voices Editor Jeremy Fuzy reviews a new book by Rodney Kennedy, The Immaculate Mistake: How Evangelicals Gave Birth to Donald Trump. Kennedy utilizes his identity as a scholar of rhetoric and a Baptist preacher to draw out new understandings of the relationship between evangelicals and Trump.

In this issue of A Public Witness. Here’s the table of contents: 1. Five books featured on Dangerous Dogma, 2. Five books recommended by Brian (that haven’t yet led to podcast episodes), 3. Five books recommended by Beau, and 4. A heartwarming conclusion.

Parents are calling attention to whitewashed illustrations, almost exclusively male characters and an emphasis on memorizing morals over engaging with the divine in many existing children's story Bibles.