Many believe that Christendom was a rigid and brutal order. In medieval times, we are told that tyranny ruled, and the Church and the nascent State were constant rivals in the pursuit of dominance. So many modern historians have cynically reduced this period when Christianity prevailed to a time of cultural darkness … Read more
A Review of the Book Why God?: Explaining Religious Phenomena by Rodney Stark (West Conshohocken, Penn.: Templeton Press, 2017). Having read, reviewed, and enjoyed Dr. Rodney Stark’s 2016 book, Bearing False Witness, it was a delight to be asked to review Why God?: Explaining Religious Phenomena. For those unfamiliar with … Read more
Book marketing consists of finding the target audience of those who are looking for the subjects discussed inside a given book. Often this involves narrowing down the field so that the maximum amount of effort and resources can be applied to the targeted group interested in the subject. It is all part … Read more
A bemused reader might scan the title of this book review and frown, “what in the world is a glow kid?!” But do not worry, the author of this review asked the same question when the book was recommended by a colleague. After reading the first few pages, however, confused readers will … Read more
A Review of The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream by Tyler Cowen. Rarely have I read a book with which I have so thoroughly disagreed as Tyler Cowen’s The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream. I had hoped for a perspective on what … Read more
Racketeer for Life: Fighting the Culture of Death from the Sidewalk to the Supreme Court by Joseph M. Scheidler with Peter M. Scheidler (Charlotte, N.C.: TAN Books, 2016). “There is properly no history, only biography.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson There is much in Emerson’s philosophy that is untrue and even harmful, but on … Read more
A true student of history learns from the lessons of the past, to understand the present and chart a course for the future. To grasp the present crisis inside the Church, a look at past episodes in history is essential. There are many lessons to be found in the timely appearance of … Read more
There are many books on Fatima that tell the story and comment on its historic context. There are others that seek to discern the meaning of Our Lady’s message to the three shepherd children in 1917. However, there are few that delve deeply into the core of the message which is the … Read more
A review of The Age of the Customer: Prepare for the Moment of Relevance by Jim Blasingame, (Florence, AL: SBN Books, 2014). A good book is one that provokes good questions in the mind of the reader. It need not provide all the answers. The important thing is to challenge the person to … Read more
A Review of the Book Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History by Rodney Stark (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2016). If you are known to be an observant Catholic, then you have had this conversation. Some question of doctrine comes up—abortion, same-sex “marriage,” divorce and remarriage, or what have you. … Read more