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The Bishops and the Middle East

The U.S. Catholic Bishops' Statement on the Middle East, adopted unanimously during the bishops' fall 1989 bicentennial meeting in Baltimore, is a surprisingly straightforward document. When the U.S. government deals with the Arab-Israeli conflict, its language is often more ambiguous. President . . . . Continue Reading »

The Feminist Faith

Elizabeth Achtemeier, professor of Bible at Union Theological Seminary, Virginia, has flatly asserted that radical feminist theology is “another religion.” Some may think that judgment excessive. After all, there are many women who think of themselves as feminists and are also determined to be . . . . Continue Reading »

Discerning . . . to a Point

The Giving and Taking of Life: Essays Ethicalby james turnstead burchtaelluniversity of notre dame press, 324 pages, $29.95 A powerful truth, pressed too far, may finally mislead. That, or something like it, seems to me the right way to describe this book. The essays gathered in this volume are . . . . Continue Reading »

Where's the Glory?

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subcultureby randall balmeroxford university press, 246 pages, $19.95 While familiarity and education both breed contempt for things like traditional religion, they also, especially in combination, can spawn interesting insights into . . . . Continue Reading »

Asking the Wrong Question

Prophetic Visions and Economic Realities: Protestants, Jews, & Catholics Confront the Bishops’ Letter on the Economyedited by charles straineerdmans, 257 pages, $13.95  Based upon its subtitle, one could imagine any of several different tacks this book might have taken. Editor Charles R. . . . . Continue Reading »

Briefly Noted

Defenders of God: The Fundamentalist Revolt against the Modern Ageby bruce b. lawrence harper & row, 306 pages, $24.95 The subtitle says it all. Lawrence, who teaches the history of religion at Duke, attempts with modest success to analyze similarities between American fundamentalism and militant . . . . Continue Reading »

April Letters

Jewish-Christian Dialogue I have read with a great deal of interest Russell Hittinger’s thoughtful review of David Novak’s new hook, Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Justification (March). At the very outset of the hook, as Hittinger notes, Novak examines three objections to dialogue made by . . . . Continue Reading »

The Bad Old Days

Destructive Generation: Second Thoughts about the Sixtiesby peter collier and david horowitzsummit books, 352 pages, $19.95 The retroactive glorification of the 1960s has been gathering momentum over the last decade. It reflects and in turn re-enforces what has become the conventional wisdom of a . . . . Continue Reading »

Fixing America

Straight Shooting: What's Wrong with America and How to Fix Itby john silberharper and row, 336 pages, $22.50 This book's seemingly presumptuous subtitle prepared me not to like it. That predisposition was quickly set aside, as was the presumption of presumption. This is a very good book, well worth . . . . Continue Reading »

Wisteria

Here it comes again, after shimmering dead all winter, stretching, flexing, limbering, unleashing hordes of feather-cut leaves that look like dragon tongues, a silty river bronze, before they flatten to assume their summer-long, grass-emulating green. Gone in a few . . . . Continue Reading »

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