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To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, James Hunter (Oxford)
In the early 1990s, James Hunter, a sociologist at the University of Virginia, coined the phrase “culture wars” to describe the turmoil we were (and are) experiencing. In this volume, Hunter asks a poignant question: “Why have [the church’s] efforts to change the world so often failed or gone tragically awry?” Hunter critiques the left, the right — and Christian thinkers as diverse as Chuck Colson and Stanley Hauerwas, offering what he believes to be a more compelling model for Christian civic engagement. There’s much in these pages to debate, but the church will be better for the conversation.
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The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family, Andrew Himes (Chiara Press)
If you want an insider’s look in the unique strands of Southern fundamentalism, this book will give it to you. Andrew Himes is the grandson of John R. Rice, one of the stalwart fundamentalist voices of the last century. Himes left his religious roots in high school (for real — for a while, he became a Marxist who “tried to overthrow the imperialist bourgeoisie”), but now in his 60s, Himes wanted to discover his family’s history and understand the world that has indelibly marked him. The narrative roams from colonial history up to the fundamentalist battles of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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Christianity: How a Tiny Sect from a Despised Religion Came to Dominate the Roman Empire, Jonathan Hill (Fortress Press)
To some, Christian history seems boring. To others, it might seem inaccessible. For both, Hill’s newest release may change your mind. Hill traces the roots of Christian faith: the various strands of belief, the competing ideas and the bedrock convictions. Hill’s research follows two fundamental questions: How did Christians live and what did they believe? and Why did Christians believe these things? Interlaced through the text are artful photographs and illustrations. It’s a wonderful introduction to the origins of our faith.
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Winn Collier is pastor of All Souls, a Baptist congregation in Charlottesville, Va., the author of three books and a columnist. (www.winncollier.com)