Category Archives: Non-Fiction

The Death of Adam, “Darwinism”

Posted on March 11, 2010 by jordan

The first essay in the book is a polemic against what Robinson terms “Darwinism,” or, in common parlance, “survival of the fittest.”1 This doesn’t refer to evolution, but to an “interpretation of this phenomenon which claims to refute religion and … Continue reading →

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The Death of Adam

Posted on January 23, 2010 by jordan

I’ve seen Marilynne Robinson’s novels in bookstores before, but the covers never stood out to me (unfair? yes.) But I came across an excerpt from one of her essays — having no idea she wrote such things — and was … Continue reading →

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Tokens of Trust

Posted on January 20, 2010 by jordan

Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief sounds pretty straightforward, and, by Rowan Williams’ standards, it is. He basically explains the meanings of the Nicene and Apostle’s creeds. This gives the book a tight overall structure, which balances the … Continue reading →

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The Age of Wonder

Posted on January 14, 2010 by jordan

I’ve been sucked in by Richard Holmes’ The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science. The stories in this book are intoxicating. It’s similar in effect to Romantic poetry, especially Keats. Herschel’s cosmological … Continue reading →

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Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Posted on August 6, 2009 by jordan

Let me begin with the book’s eponymous essay. The strangest thing about reading this is the image it gives of hippies. Growing up in California, I’ve met plenty of people one might call hippies. In my experience a typical hippie … Continue reading →

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Inventing the Middle Ages

Posted on May 8, 2009 by jordan

Just finished Norman F. Cantor’s  Inventing the Middle Ages, about the great medievalists of the 20th century. It’s uneven, but considering the range of figures he deals with it’s understandable. He can’t be an expert on the life and work … Continue reading →

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John Stuart Mill

Posted on June 28, 2008 by jordan

But in history, as in traveling, men usually see only what they already had in thier own minds; and few learn much from history, who do not bring much with them to it’s study. John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of … Continue reading →

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The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus

Posted on June 9, 2008 by jordan

I just got The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus for my birthday (thanks Mom). Gomes reminds me a lot of C.S. Lewis in that he addresses a popular audience from a scholarly background, and does so eloquently and with literary skill. … Continue reading →

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