Frank Dicken had this to say about Donaldson's work on anti-Judaistic interpretations of the New Testament: 

"The strength of the book is Donaldson's fairness in discussing the issues surrounding this complex matter. While he advocates a reading of the NT that is not anti-Judaistic, he lays out the crucial issues in a manner that allows readers to begin to grapple with these problems for themselves. Donaldson's thorough yet concise summaries of the matters that must be addressed when dealing with this topic provide an entry point to this complex matter."

The whole review can be found in the May 2012 edition of the Expository Times (Vol 123, No 8) on pages 410-411.

"I heartily recommend this book; it is a great discussion starter and might also inspire readers to improve  our world. I particularly recommend the book for use in classes, but any reader can benefit from and enjoy it, and my only suggestion for the lone reader is to find a conversation partner as s/he will want one."

Sid Brown, review of Engaging Voices, in Worldviews: Global Religion, Culture, Ecology, Vol. 16, #1, 2012

From the April 2012 edition of The Expository Times (2012, 123:7):

"This work reflects a disciplined approached that bears some useful fruit for the historian.... Inventing Authority is well-researched and thought-provoking, and will be of interest to the scholar, the student and the informed layperson."

For more about Inventing Authority: The Use of the Church Fathers in Reformation Debates over the Eucharist on its book page here.

"... with its focus on typology and histor, [The Historiographical Jesus] represents a fine critical adaptation of social memory theory. It proves to be a significant contribution to the field of historical Jesus research."

For more about The Historiographical Jesus: Memory, Typology, and the Son of David on its book page here.

Following up the stellar release of LDS in the USA, co-author Lynita Newswander interviewed with The Cultural Hall Podcast. That interview, in which Lynita talks about the life and culture of Mormons in Amreica, is now live and available for download at the Cultural Hall's website. Richie, the host, very kindly says "this is a great book" to his co-host about half-way through the interview.

You can listen to that interview here, or visit the Cultural Hall website. Visit the LDS in the USA book page for more information about Lynita and her co-author Lee Trepanier. Get your copy of LDS in the USA here or on your Kindle at Amazon.

Chris Evans's Liberalism Without Illusions was recently reviewed in The Journal of Religion.  Below is an excerpt explaining how his book helps readers to understand liberal theology for what it is:

Evans begins by clarifying his understanding of liberal theology as the form of Christian theology that is committed to developing a culturally engaged articulation of Christianity, that strives to interpret the Bible in ways consistent with contemporary scientific and socioscientific worldviews, and that seeks justice in history. In his first chapter, Evans describes the current situation of American liberal Christianity, including attention to the popular stereotypes of liberal theology and the declining membership in the mainstream Protestant denominations associated with the liberal theological project. He avoids an alarmist tone—liberal Christianity is not, in fact, dead or dying—while nevertheless persuasively suggesting that there are good reasons to be concerned about liberal Christianity’s future. Even while liberal theology flourishes in universities and seminaries, those who care about the future of either Christianity or the United States have reason to share Evans’s concern about what might happen if Christianity in this country largely rejects the tasks of coming to terms with science and working for greater justice.

To read the whole article, click here.

Jordan Cofer reviews Gardner's John in the Company of Poets: The Gospel in Literary Imagination with words like fascinating, unique, innovative, compelling, and thought provoking.  These all describe the careful, interpretive nature of Gardner's book, which takes readers through the Gopsel of John with a literary lens.

As Gardner explicates the gospel, readers are able to understand Jesus' ministry.  However, while some readers may pick up this study strictly for analysis of selected poems, Gardner argues that it is impossible to divorce these poems from their biblical counterpart.  Of course, this turns out to be a good thing, since Gardner's close-reading of the gospel is extremely enlightening.  As both a scholar and a poet, he provides unique insight into the Gospel of John.  As a scholar, he gives a very thorough and researched reading of the gospel.  Yet as a poet, Gardner demonstrates that "poets are our best readers," as he is able to breath life into the most tired passages of the gospel...

One of the biggest praises from Christianity and Literature is that John in the Company of Poets is a readable and engaging study, which ditches the "academicese." Find the full review in Christianity and Literature, Autumn 2011 61.1.

We're officially announcing three new books to be published this month, and without further adieu, here they are.

Evermore: Edgar Allan Poe and the Mystery of the Universe, by Harry Lee Poe (March 15)

"Poe's elegant and lucid book discredits many popular myths about life and work of his famous cousin. Edgar A. Poe, like his fictional "double" David Copperfield, was no tragic hero but a man with his ups and downs who highly valued love and friendship and had an acute sense of justice. Written at the crossroads of literary history and theology, Evermore is dazzling and absorbing."

—Alexandra Urakova, author of The Poetics of Body in the Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe

The popular Poe—The Raven, Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat—has inspired a generation of readers long disenchanted with the normative tradition of American literature. But is the popular Poe—incessantly drinking, drug-addicted, and entranced by the terror of death—the real Poe? Harry Lee Poe contends that, for more than two centuries, the great myth of Edgar Allan Poe has damaged both the popular reader's understanding of Poe's corpus and the historian's depiction of Poe's life. Through reviewing his poems and short stories, literary criticism and science fiction, Evermore reveals a Poe who is deeply confounded by the existence of evil, the truth of justice, and even the problems of love, beauty, and God. Here Poe aficionados and casual appreciators of literature alike are invited into a greater understanding of Poe’s most persistent questions and offered a novel approach to reading the American literary icon.

The Politics of Sacred Rhetoric: Absolutist Appeals and Political Persuasion, by Morgan Marietta (March 1)

"An extraordinary book. Marietta streams together careful empirical analysis with the paradoxes of democratic theory. To those worried about polarization and the future of civil political discourse, this book is essential reading."

—Bert A. Rockman, Professor of Political Science and Department Head, Department of Political Science, Purdue University

"Marietta investigates a strangely under-explored facet of public opinion—the power of sacred values to trump reasoning in shaping the course of political debates and elections. This book is deeply innovative."

—Philip Tetlock, Leonore Annenberg University Professor, Psychology Department, University of Pennsylvania

Revealing what lies behind much contemporary political rhetoric, Morgan Marietta shows that the language of America's most prominent leaders often relies on deep, even sacred, ideals. Comprehensively and in great detail surveying the rhetorical inventions employed in influential social movements and into the highest levels of government, The Politics of Sacred Rhetoric systematically analyzes the use of absolutist claims—and appeals to what a speaker deems to be universal truths—as essential elements of persuasion in the American political landscape. In exploring the sometimes subtle ways in which politicians employ this "sacred rhetoric," Marietta engagingly demonstrates its impact on citizens' reasoning, public discourse, and the very nature of American democracy.

The Constitution of Religious Freedom: God, Politics, and the First Amendment, by Dennis Goldford (March 1)

"A tightly reasoned but accessible volume. The Constitution of Religious Freedom should be required reading for the policymakers and policy activists who shape the role of religion in American political life."

—Richard A. Brisbin, Jr., Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

"This is an important book. In a time where political figures from Barack Obama to Mitt Romney to Nikki Haley have been openly attacked for their supposedly non-Christian religious beliefs, Goldford's timing is excellent."

—Evan Gerstmann, Professor of Political Science and Law, Loyola Marymount University

"Goldford fearlessly and thoughtfully examines one of the most controversial—often blithely assumed and curiously dismissed—propositions in American politics today—that the United States is a Christian nation. Indeed, Goldford's refutation of this idea is devastating, yet always respectful and erudite."

—Jessie Hill, Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law

"The Constitution of Religious Freedom takes a unique approach to interpreting the appropriate place and role of religious freedom in the United States. Goldford argues, in a clear and accessible manner, that the First Amendment's religion clauses protect religious freedom rather than religion writ large. Scholars and students alike will learn from the argument presented in this important new book."

—Laura R. Olson, Professor of Political Science, Clemson University

In a time when the question of American religious identity underlies much political conversation that fills the public square, Dennis Goldford directs his readers to consider the First Amendment. The founding fathers' words, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," are the constitutional means of ensuring, however imperfectly, the American freedom to stand for something sacred. In his analysis, Goldford ably demonstrates that the very nature of these religion clauses establishes protection not for religion but for religious freedom. The Constitution of Religious Freedom argues that religious identity inheres not in the nation, but in the individual citizen.

Congratulations are in order for one W. Scott Poole, who was recently announced as this year's recipient of the John G. Cawelti award for best textbook/primer from the Popular Culture and American Culture associations. Scott will be presented with the award at the PCA/ACA annual meeting in Boston this April.

Scott blogs and posts all recent news (and events) at monstersinamerica.com.

As political rhetoric begins to heat up with the presidential race in sight, Morgan Marietta questions the invetion and influence of absolutist appeals upon the voting public. Here is a short excerpt from the Introduction to Marietta's newly released The Politics of Sacred Rhetoric: Absolutist Appeals and Political Persuasion for your daily reading. Learn more by clicking here.

The rhetoric of nonnegotiable boundaries—the language of limits—is an important facet of American politics. The shift in contemporary political discourse from a politics of redistribution to a politics of identity has included the prominence of intense, unyielding, and nonnegotiable claims. A great deal of political psychology literature emphasizes that mainstream citizens are often ambivalent, especially when their core values come into conflict.⁵ But much of the political rhetoric that citizens encounter is the opposite. It is unconflicted, extreme, and strident, taking positions that ignore compromise or negotiation, upholding a favored set of values while dismissing others.

Clearly the more closely a value is tied to a religion, the more easily it is accorded sacred status. Secular norms often do not seem to hold the same authority as those backed by a divine connection. As Philip Tetlock phrases it, "Don't do x because I say so has less impact than don't do x because God says so."⁶ But it is important to note that while many sacred values are clearly religious, many are not. Sacred in the sense discussed here does not mean holy; it means absolute, which is often but not exclusively religious.⁷ Several values within American politics that would be categorized as secular by most observers nonetheless have sacred or absolute dimensions, what could be described as the secular sacred.

Absolutist language has been a facet of American politics from the Founding to abolition to civil rights, but it may have gained particular salience in recent decades. The contemporary importance of sacred rhetoric is connected to three shifts in American politics—the culture wars, the rise of new social movements, and the significance of new media. Although some scholars question the extent of cultural division among ordinary Americans, among political elites the evidence indicates a large and growing split between advocates of progressive versus traditional sources of cultural authority.⁸ This division reflects the increasing concentration of American politics on issues of morality and identity—the move from redistribution to recognition, from class to culture. Conservatives and liberals are increasingly characterized by a split between the religious and the secular, rural dwellers and urbanites, clashing on abortion, gay marriage, guns, and public religiosity.⁹ Sociologists have characterized this same shift as the rise of new social movements, which work outside of the normal channels of party politics and have cultural rather than economic goals (compared to the"old" social movement—i.e., the labor movement). Prime examples include the women's, peace, and environmental movements.¹⁰ Many of the political issues and actors associated with new social movements also espouse sacred values. As Claus Offe observes, these movements often take uncompromising public positions: "Movements are also unwilling to negotiate because they often consider their central concern of such high and universal priority that no part of it can be meaningfully sacrificed."¹¹

Political communication scholars add to this description of contemporary politics the rise of new media and the relative decline in the importance of mainstream sources of news. Beyond the expansion of television news channels such as CNN and Fox News, nontraditional sources of political information and opinion have taken root, especially talk radio and the Internet. The blogosphere is a particularly important source of citizen information and interaction outside of mainstream media, allowing citizens to be simultaneous producers and consumers of information.¹² But bloggers do not need to be measured or reasonable, and may face incentives to be neither. New media allow citizens to restrict their consideration of opposing ideas and increase the stridency and extremism of what they do hear. The combination of these phenomena—the culture wars, new social movements, and new media—has ensured the prominence of sacred rhetoric in American politics. But what does it mean for democracy if, as W. B. Yeats lamented, "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity?"¹³ Or could it be that only passionate intensity and its expression can overcome the lethargy of contemporary citizen engagement? To examine the political consequences of sacred rhetoric, I begin by addressing a series of questions: What is meant by the sacred? How do we conceptualize sacred values and rhetoric in American politics? And what are the possible political advantages of moving an argument into the sacred realm? This will allow later chapters to address two further questions: How do we explain the mechanics of these influences, or the psychology of sacred rhetoric? And finally, what are the ramifications of sacred rhetoric for the nature of American democracy and the prospects of the competing parties?

Marietta addresses these questions and more in his new book. Find out more online by clicking here.

Notes

⁵ Michael Alvarez and John Brehm, Hard Choices, Easy Answers (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003); Stanley Feldman and John Zaller, “The Political Culture of Ambivalence: Ideological Responses to the Welfare State,” American Journal of Political Science 36 (1992): 268–307; Jennifer Hochschild, What’s Fair? American Beliefs about Distributive Justice (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1981).
⁶ Philip Tetlock, “Thinking the Unthinkable: Sacred Values and Taboo Cognitions,” Trends in Cognitive Sciences 7, no. 7 (2003): 320, emphasis original.
⁷ “Sacred values are often ultimately religious in character, but they need not have divine sanction. Sacred values can range from fundamentalists’ faith in God to the liberal-social democratic dogma of racial equality to the radical libertarian commitment to the autonomy of the individual” (Philip Tetlock, Orie Kristel, Beth Elson, Melanie Green, and Jennifer Lerner, “The Psychology of the Unthinkable: Taboo Trade-Offs, Forbidden Base Rates, and Heretical Counterfactuals,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78, no. 5 [2000]: 853). Many seemingly secular values may have older religious foundations from which they have evolved to become ostensibly secular. The natural rights foundations of the Constitution are a prominent example (Locke held that the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property were granted by God; in contemporary politics many Americans insist on these rights while rejecting the original view of their source).
⁸ John Green, James Guth, Lyman Kellstedt, and Corwin Schmidt, Religion and the Culture Wars (Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1996); James Davison Hunter, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America (New York: Basic Books, 1991); Hunter, Before the Shooting Begins: Searching for Democracy in America’s Culture War (New York: Free Press, 1994); Geoffrey Layman, “Culture Wars in the American Party System,” American Politics Quarterly 27, no. 1 (1999): 89–121; John Kenneth White, The Values Divide (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2003); but see Morris Fiorina, Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America (New York: Pearson, Longman, 2005).
⁹ Even economic policy disputes are increasingly expressed in moral terms. One way to characterize the Tea Party movement is as an explicit attempt to recast issues of taxation and public debt as moral boundaries.
¹⁰ “Sometime after 1968, analysts and participants began to speak of ‘new social movements’ that worked outside of the formal institutional channels and emphasized lifestyle, ethical, or identity concerns rather than narrowly economic goals”; these movements are “concerned largely with values, norms, language, identities and collective understandings” (Craig Calhoun, “‘New Social Movements’ of the Nineteenth Century,” in Repertoires and Cycles of Collective Action, ed. Mark Traugott [Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1995], 173, 176). See also Alberto Melucci, “The Symbolic Challenge of Contemporary Movements,” Social Research 52, no. 4 (1985): 789–816.
¹¹ Claus Offe, “New Social Movements: Challenging the Boundaries of Institutional Politics,” Social Research 52, no. 4 (1985): 831.
¹² David Barker, Rushed to Judgment: Talk Radio, Persuasion, and American Political Behavior (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002); Robert Davis and Diana Owen, New Media and American Politics (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998); Robert Davis, Politics Online: Blogs, Chatrooms, and Discussion Groups in American Democracy (New York: Routledge, 2005).
¹³ William Butler Yeats, “The Second Coming” (ca. 1920).

Now that the nominations are official, Thomas Hibbs, author of the new book Shows about Nothing: Nihilism in Popular Culture, published last month, begins his reflection on the year's worth of Oscars. Writing for the National Review online, Hibbs comments on how "there are no movies making big social or political statements, nor are there the usual films with dark themes." Here is a short excerpt of the article:

What an unusual list of Oscar nominees for Best Picture—sentimental and populist. Among the nominated films, there are no movies making big social or political statements, nor are there the usual films with dark themes. There is nothing to rival Brokeback Mountain, The Kids Are All Right, Milk, or even Black Swan, Precious, or Winter's Bone. Oscar took a pass on the politically charged Iron Lady, even if Meryl Streep received an inevitable nod for Best Actress. Also overlooked was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the remake of a Swedish film, featuring grisly sexual violence, a decent murder-mystery investigation, and an all-too-predictable discovery as to the source of the evil.

What's striking about so many of the nominees is that they feature ordinary folks dealing with the ordinary dilemmas of work, race relations, familial loss, or the effects of war with ingenuity, humor, hope, and courage. Even the quirky George Clooney vehicle The Descendants, directed by Alexander Payne in his long-awaited follow-up to the critically acclaimed Sideways, to some extent fits this description.

You can read the full review online by clicking here. Find out more about Thomas Hibbs and Shows about Nothing here.