Organizations and Institutions Books

Allen is remarkably clear and easy to read, yet he does not sacrifice scholarship or content to be so. This volume packs an amazing amount of material in its 280 pages, containing every big name in the history of philosophy. Yet this book is not simply a historical overview of the major tenets of the discipline; it is focused at every turn on showing how philosophy has impacted Christian thought. While Allen covers all one would expect from Plato and Artistotle to Hegel and Kant, he makes a deliberate effort to show how such leading Christian thinkers as Augustine and Aquinas interpreted and applied philosophy to their theology. This text is a superior introduction to the relationship between philosophy and theology. Highly recommended.

Not only does Diogenes Allen deliver what he promised (i.e., an explanation of those philosophic systems pertinent to theology) but he delivers a history of philosophy (albeit restricted) from the pre-socratics to the present that is easily understood and enjoyable!

this is a good book for diving into the crux of philosophical issues in relation to christian theology through the centuries. A very good overview and in some detail. This book is not for beginners though, despite it's medium size. One needs to have some philosophical and theological familiarity in order to plow through this work. Another good one, and a bit more manageable, is: Consequences of Ideas by R.C. Sproul.

"Philosophy asks unanswerable questions; theology gives unquestionable answers." Quoted in John Caputo, Philosophy and Theology,



Prologue:
Before starting this book review, I acknowledge with Sir James Jeans, "I need hardly add that my acquaintance with philosophy is simply that of an intruder, and nothing could be further from my intentions than to pose as an authority on questions of pure philosophy." Preface, Physics and Philosophy. It is also in order to share with Professor Sidney Griffith, Catholic University of America his declaration in a book review, "One does not mean to complain immoderately, nor to appear ungrateful for what is on its own term a good study of a timely and an important topic; nor does one want to review a book the author never intended to write."

Theology's Philosophic Languages:
In recent decades, members of the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches have met, coming together to a clear conviction that both branches have always maintained loyalty to the same Orthodox Christological faith, with an unbroken continuity of the apostolic tradition, though they may have used differing terminologies in different ways (of differing philosophical traditions). The 'Joint Commission of the Theological Dialogue' between the Eastern and the Oriental Orthodox Churches', for the first time since the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when division started within the Orthodox Church due to differing Christological expressions (on confessions of the nature of the Christ), has stated after fifteen centuries that, "On the essence of the Christological dogma, we found ourselves in full agreement! Through the different terminologies used by each side, we saw the same truth expressed!"
This is a very good example why Professor Diogene Allen was to write his book, to explain "How Philosophy Shapes Theology,'" as written by Frederick Sontag fifteen years earlier. But did the eminent Princeton philosophy professor provide what he promised, in the title, to clarify Christian dogma with the tools of them prevailing philosophic systems?

Faith & Understanding:
Faith in search of understanding, therefore, writes Jaroslav Pelikan, had the duty of clarifying these various senses in which words were used. he quotes Maximos Confessor, "To say something without first distinguishing the meanings of what is said is nothing less than to confuse everything" and to obscure instead of clarifying. ... but one had to be careful to note the distinctive meaning acquired by such philosophical terms when they were employed for Christian doctrine." The Christian Tradition II
"Philosophy and theology enjoy a peculiarly intimate relationship because they have been traditionally concerned with many common issues: the existence and nature of God, the postmortem survival, free will and human responsibility, and a host of questions about ethics of life and ways of living. Such familiarity breeds territorial disputes and theologians have sometimes been annoyed with us for messing with their stuff." Harriet Baber, Professor of Philosophy, U. of San Diego

Foundation of Theology:
Many contemporary theologians regard North African Tertullian as the first Western Christian to write theology, defending Christians against the hostility of the Roman Empire, while he argued against Marcion, Praxeas and theosophical fantasy. But the first great systematic theologian, is reckoned by most as Origen of Alexandria, (ca. 185-214), who invented the word 'theologia', he constructs on the foundations laid by Clement, in late second century Alexandria, who wrote a substantial trilogy of which Paedagogus an ethical guide, and Stromateis which he written to provide biblical themes in the language of Greek philosophers. Origen, no doubt, is the father of Theology, the language of Christian faith; he is par excellence, the founder of both speculative and Patristic theology brought to perfection three centuries later, by his Alexandrine school while retaining the seal of his genius. Most distinguished and influential of all the theologians of the early church, were his pupils, including Athanasius, Basil, the Gregories, Dedymus the blind, Cyril of Alexandria, Augustine, and Pseudo Denis Areopagite. Origen was the first to establish church doctrines laying the foundations of the science of Biblical criticism, of the Old and New Testaments. He built on earlier generations of Alexandrine philosophers, Philo, Athenagoras, Pantaenus, and Clement, who struggled with the problem of defining a philosophic basis for an intellectual expression of Christianity. Together with Amon Saccha, his pupils Plotinus, Longinus and Origen contributed to develop Neo Platonism, the vehicle of Alexandrine theological expression, and Orthodoxy until Thomas Aquinas retrograded to Aristotelian philosophy. Eusebius of Caesarea, Church historian and Origen's admiring biographer, who lived a generation after, devotes nearly all of Book VI of his Ecclesiastical History to the life of Origen.

Issues for Clarification:
The book failed to underline that Christianity, a Hebrew Messianic hope expressed in Greek ideas by the Oriental Church fathers, led by clement who were keen to defend orthodoxy contra Gnosticism and mystery religions. Christian Theology was established by the great Alexandrine Church teacher Origen, whom the author ignored, although his theology was propagated by his disciples allover the Mid Orient. They debated the basic Christian Doctrines of formidable Alexandria who utilized its own Neoplatonic terms to establish and defend Christian Orthodoxy against the Antiochine school in Aristotelian language. Neoplatonism (reformed Middle Platonism) was in fact an Egyptian reformation of the archaic Greek philosophy launched by Amon Saccha and his school in second century Christian Alexandria.
Augustine is a good example, against the book exposition, converted from Manichaenism to NeoPlatonism on reading Victorinus, Origen's student, before becoming a Christian Augustine's views on Free Will and Predestination were not biblically anchored or philosophically defended, and never considered Orthodox by the Eastern Churches. As for Thomas Aquinas, Allen may have raised him from Chesterston dumb Ox to the holy Ibis of Theology and Philosophy. He tried to defend him as the rescuer of Aristotle from Averroes, and failed to mention what is common knowledge, that Aquinas used John Philoponus own commentaries on Aristotle, to achieve his goals.
These are few examples of his reluctance to tell the full story, as W. Kaufmann warned three decades earlier, "It is easy to underestimate the originality of St. Thomas because he seems to synthesize Scripture and Aristotle, making ample use of all the labors of his predecessors. Butas Gilson says..., St. Thomas made "Aristotle say so many things he never said." Critique of Religion & Philosophy, pp.144

Philoponus' Philosophy Revolution:
"To treat the nominalism of the fourteenth century in a chapter ... may seem strange," is what the crafty author wrote, pp.151, and he is right. He quotes the eminent historian H. Butterfield for an assessment of the scientific revolution. Butterfield who though started logically with the historical importance of Philoponus' Impetus Theory, as the breakthrough point in the obsolescence of the body of Aristotelian physics, he failed to identify Philoponus, who effectively deconstructed it into rubble in sixth century Alexandria. In 'The Copernican Revolution', Kuhn wrote on page 119 that, "John Philoponus, the Christian commentator who records the earliest extant rejection of Aristotle's theory, ..."
It was known when this book was written, that John Philoponus (490-570), was not only a millennia ahead in his scientific genius, but was equally so in articulating Orthodox doctrines, of 'Creation ex Nihilo,' and the 'Resurrection.' His 'Diaetetes', was adopted later, by John of Damascus in his 'Doctrina Patrum.' In the 'Tmemata,' his polemic against Chalcedon, written at the time of the second Council of Constantinople (553), he implied a condemnation to the Chalcedonian pseudo-Nestorian expression, by citing Cyril's twelve anathema. He condemned the Chaledonian canons and criticized Leo's Tome exposing its philosophical inconsistency, and theological weaknesses.

Theology & Postmodern Philosophy:
The second part of his book, which is well written, is too condensed to be of real help to the ordinary reader who looks for modern philosophy to understand the Postmodern theological currents of the day. Recent strides in physics and developments in philosophy have superseded some of the scientific and philosophical concepts that were foundational for the modern world view. So, Whitehead, in a most explicit statement on the end of the modern era, in a critical evaluation of William James' essay on 'Existence of Consciousness, 1904', Whitehead infers as the denial of any difference in its essence from the core and milieu of the physical, suggesting that, with his formulation of a dualism between matter and mind, can be considered the thinker who pioneered the modern epoch, with his challenge to Cartesian dualism, starting a new chapter in philosophy. Having categorized the thought of that period as distinctively modern, scientific philosophy, Whitehead own philosophy, that united the philosophical implications of relativity and quantum physics wrapped into James' rejection of dualism, implied as distinctively postmodern, without using the term.
We are suspicious of religious authority since the 'Age of Reason', but we despair of the rescue of reason. Kant foretold us, the present legacy of postmodern skepticism, that theology must be confined within the limits of reason alone. Yet, Nietzsche has demonstrated that a boundary guard reason has failed to deliver on its promises, for its claims are but disguised power plays. Accordingly, it would seem that neither philosophy nor theology can avail, and we are left merely with a heap of unanswerable questions striving to shout out unquestionable answers.

Epilogue to a review:
This good introduction to philosophy falls short, according to the book intended scope, of justifying any of the basic Christian Doctrines. While the first part took many pages in explaining irrelevant concepts, the second part of the book, though well crafted, is too concise, and not as thorough as Colin Brown's 'Philosophy & The Christian Faith,' or could hardly be recommended to serve as introduction to Malcolm Diamond's Contemporary Philosophy and Religious Thought. A pitfall of the suggested reading list, of which a majority is overlapping, was to ignore Walter Kaufmann's Critique of Religion and Philosophy, and the indispensable reference work of Yale's Jarslav Pelican, 'The Christian Tradition', in 5 volumes.

On Christian Theology (Challenges in Contemporary Theology)
20th-Century Theology: God and the World in a Transitional Age

Allen, of Princeton Theological Seminary, writes here of the interrelatedness of philosophy and theology within the history of Christian thought and ideas. He covers the important influence of philosophical thinking on theology from the early years with Plato and Aristotle up to today. A must read for all serious about maturing in their theology. A very helpful book for those wanting to begin the process of being theologians themselves. We are in Allen's debt for writing such an informative and readable book.

It's no secret that Judaism got a massive makeover in the wake of the Babylon Beat-down of 586 BCE. This book tracks that shift, offering a comparative overview of how different groups within the religion responded to past and then-present situations, sharing equal focus on theological and physical innovations within ritual, practice, and thought.

APG manages to maintain a non-biased tone throughout, so readers of any Judeo-Christian faith will learn about their own heritage plus the "other side."

A central premise of APG is that post Babylonian Judaism and Christianity are not so much father/child religions but more on the line of a sibling relationship. I found this to be a novel take, and the evidence presented for their case was fairly compelling.

Although I knew much that was in this book, I had forgotten a chunk of it in the past few decades, and it was nice to get a refresher. Probably the part that intrigued me most was an exploration into the term "Jew" in its historical use - I was surprised to find this is a very late term and one which is apparently the frequent subject of subjective translation. I also enjoyed the time spent on Talmudic Judaism, a subject I know next to nothing about.

All in all, a good job. Personally, I found the book best "sipped": read a chapter, mentally digest the contents for a few days, then crack the spine for the next section. I plan to reread it again, and don't doubt I will get nuances out of it that escaped me the first time.

A Portable God should attract a wide readership. Whichever tradition one claims, misperceptions and half-truths are a part of much religious education. With persuasive clarity and good humor, Moore and Kohn cut through some of these misperceptions. They show how Judaism and Christianity evolved together out of an ancient Israelite tradition. This readable book is a refreshing combination of strong scholarship and engaging, careful thought. It is a pleasure to read.

This book is a scholarly, yet readable, look at both Judaism and Christianity. I found it interesting, enlightening, and accessible. Having studied many of the world's religions, I appreciated the authors' fresh perspectives.

Professor of Hebrew Bible and Judaism Risa Levitt Kohn and associate professor Rebecca Moore present A Portable God: The Origin of Judaism and Christianity, an exploration of Christianity and Judaism as sister religions tracing their lineage back to the common parent of ancient Israelite religion. Written to be accessible to readers of all backgrounds, A Portable God discusses the legacy of the Israelite religion, divine presence as recognized in the absence of the temple, the question of the messiah, and much more. "...successors of ancient Israel use the Torah, the Prophets, and some Writings, such as the Psalms, as their guide to understanding what it means to be Israel. in order for these texts to remain meaningful, communities read them in light of their current experiences and, by doing so, interpret or reinterpret these writings anew. This process is further complicated when a number of different communities share the same texts but have different experiences and different interpretive views. Each community interprets scripture uniquely." A glossary and index round out this welcome and astutely thought-out contribution to modern Judeo-Christian studies and dialogues.

Extremely well-written and interesting topic about the common origins of Judaism anc Christianity. Uniquely put together by two female professors who write jointly, not in series, of their expertise, Risa Levitt Kohn and Rebecca Moore are writing essentially a curriculum for their course teachings. They explore the presence of God in the absence of a temple and the question of a Messiah. A good read with a different and fresh perspective.

This book is a quick and easy read, filled with countless useful suggestions and tips. I would recommend it to all those who preach, you can always learn new things. As useful as this book was I must remember that some of the tips are only the author's opinion and suggestions.

This book encapsulates the thought of the late Bishop Ken. He uses his common sense approach to life to help any homilist improve their preaching. This is a great reference and introduction.

If you belong to a tradition where a ten minute homily is more appreciated than a two hour one, you should buy this book. It belongs on the desk of every preacher And if you don't preach yourself consider sending it to your pastor, anonymously if need be. When Untener was assigned to teach homiletics at Saint John's Seminary near Detroit, he began to ask people what they liked and disliked about the homilies they heard. He collected thousands of comments and boiled these down to the 25 that are the heart of this book. Later, as bishop of Saginaw, he began the Saginaw Program: a series of very small groups where his priests and deacons could critique each other's homilies. All of his clergy eventually took part in one or another group, and he took part in them all. Such are the sources for this book. It is clear, concise, practical, impressive. It is short enough to be read at a sitting and important enough to be reread at least every year.. It is to preaching what Strunk's Elements of Style is to writing.

A friend of mine recently shared a quote with me which I believe was said by Jimmy Breslin. According to Breslin, the reason Catholic priests cannot preach is because they have never rebelled. Priests are trained to respect authority, not rebel. Breslin, on the other hand has been somewhat of a rebel, as his writings sometimes show, so he may have a point, but it is also a gross overstatement since there are many wonderful Catholic homilists. That being said, there are also many people who are dissatisfied with the preaching in Catholic churches and it is not due to disagreeing with Catholic teaching. It is due to poor preparation. It would be wonderful if all Catholic homilists read at least some of Kenneth Untener's PREACHING BETTER, a solid book about preaching by a beloved and experienced Catholic leader. If rebelliousness makes for a good writer and preacher, then the person of Kenneth Untener would also prove his point.

The late Bishop Kenneth Untener was loved by many because of his less than predictable approach to ministry. While he was criticized by some as being too liberal, his life was that of an effective follower of Christ. Everything he did was geared toward the people he served. He did not live in a bishop's house, preferring instead to live in rectories throughout his diocese. This enabled him to be part of the communities he shepherded and listen to the priests of his diocese. From what we know about Jesus Christ, he also traveled from place to place to be part of the community and always knew the needs of his leaders. Not a bad example to follow.

If there is one work that could become part of Bishop Untener's legacy, it is PREACHING BETTER. The book is geared toward the Catholic homilist, whether the homilist is a priest, deacon, catechist, or lay preacher, but I am certain that people of other denominations can appreciate his tips and wisdom. The reason I say it is geared toward Catholic preaching is due to the fact that Untener stresses the importance of the homily to the entire liturgy, and acknowledges that some of the sloppy practices that have developed in some Catholic churches stem from a belief that a good homily is nice, but not essential since many Catholics would attend Mass for the Eucharist anyway. He sees a clear connection between Eucharist and preaching the Word. He also believes that preaching is a means by which the scriptures can still be living and vital today. He gives suggestions for self review but also encourages preachers to have people who will critique homilies. He acknowledges that many people in Catholic ministry can have hectic preaching schedules between Sunday Masses, daily Mass, weddings, funeral, and other occasions that require a homily, but does not believe that so many demands are an excuse for poor preaching.

There are a number of wonderful homiletic books available, and many have been penned by experts in preaching and public speaking. For me, Untener's book does not have the expertise of some of the books that are available, but this is not a criticism since this volume has what many of these books lack. Untener's observations and hints seem to be based on his own ministry, his successes and his failures, and his desire to be an effective preacher.

Bishop Untener goes straight to the heart of what a preacher should be doing. He makes his readers take account of genuine feedback from 'folk in the pew' and offers practical solutions which respond to their comments but which also encourage the preacher to grow, develop and improve.

The material is set out in short punchy chapters which are easy to read but difficult to forget. Above all, the reader will come away sharing the author's deep admiration for the flow of God's Word through a well-prepared preacher in full control of a well-prepared homily.

This short book can upturn the bad habits of even the most experienced preacher and can teach the novice preacher some early profound principles. I cannot commend it too highly.

This is an excellent book, and a real ground-breaker when it was first released as "The Problem with Wineskins." What's got me so puzzled is why it's $26 bucks! At that price, only these reviews will be read.

If I were you, I'd find a used copy of it to read. BTW, the used copies sold by others here are probably not the 2nd edition, but the first edition published by TOUCH Publications in Houston, Texas (out of print and no longer available). However, I don't think there is much difference between the outrageously priced one and the first edition, which was really a revision of another version of the book released in the UK.

An excellent book, Rev. Snyder is right on time with his analysis. Also, another great book which is most revealing for today in the spiritual realm is that of "Community of the King." Both of these books are must haves for your library and study! BRAVO to this man of God! God's words printed for today!

I got in trouble for reading this book, and for passing it on to others. This book is a revision of Snyder's 1975 The Problem of Wineskins. I read the original one. It was radical then and it's radical now. I handed them out back then. In fact, a church board member of one of the first churches I belonged to in the 80's carried one into a board meeting only to be greeted by the Pastor, "You've been hanging around Chip again, haven't you?" Worth reading again-whether the older version or the new. It will help you think "out of the box" with regard to your faith, church-life, and community.

Snyder distinguishes between the "wine" of the gospel and the "wineskins" (church structures devised by humans for a particular time and place), as well as between the church, the people of God, and the organizations and structures it uses. He suggests that the institutional church has let structures become hindrances rather than aids to the Gospel, and that Christians need to gather in both small and large groups. This will result, he says, in more personal, less institutional interaction, as well as a more Spirit-led, first century-quality dynamic corporate life. He tackles the do-everything role of the pastor, the wastefulness and rigidity of the church building, the importance of preaching the gospel to the poor, and the role of spiritual gifts in creating an organic, Body-of-Christ type of church. This book is a revision of Snyder's 1975 "The Problem of Wineskins," from which a bit of technophobic, doomsday, 70's dystopian paranoia is preserved in the last chapter. Even so, this book does a great job of outlining the way the church should biblically seek to function. I highly recommend it if you are suspicious of non-traditional means of church organization and operation, or, on the other hand, if you are looking for something outside the imposing brick walls of traditional church structure.

In Radical Renewal Howard Snyder endeavors to examine the church from a biblical viewpoint within the context of modern culture. Based on Luke 5:37-39, Snyder sees the wine as the message of the gospel, which is essential and primary. He sees the wine skins as the way in which the church touches the culture with the gospel, which is secondary though necessary and useful. The problem comes when we take the ever-new gospel and try to contain it within the old wineskins of "outmoded traditions, obsolete philosophies, creaking institutions, and old habits." When we do, the powerful and life-changing gospel is constricted and must burst free. Snyder believes it is time for the church to update her wineskins. To remedy the problem, Dr. Snyder recommends a cataclysm that explodes the current church structures and creates new wineskins.

Some of the concepts investigated by "Radical Renewal" include the significance of ministry to the poor, the de-emphasizing of church buildings, the dynamic of Christian community, a Biblical church model, and small groups as the church's basic unit. His chapter devoted to "The Gospel to the Poor" was my favorite and was the most compelling portion of the book. Some of his concepts are presented in a radical and even an absurd way and then they are brought back to a practical and applicable balance. Other "radical" concepts (such as the acknowledging and releasing of spiritual gifts) have become accepted practice in many churches since the original release of the work. The year of its release, "Radical Renewal" would have been ahead of its time. It still contains insights and concepts that are of significant value to today's church.

I throughly enjoyed this book. As a Catholic girl I have considered becoming a nun at various stages of my life. Reading this book helped me to get a better perspective of what nunhood might be like. Mother Mary Francis discusses the ups and downs, and the beauties and the horrors of being a nun. I reccomend this for any one who wants to understand the beauty of religious life.

This book was actually published first in 1961; I discovered it in the early 70's and have enjoyed it time and again since then. For anyone who wants to know what life was like in every Poor Clare monastery before Vatican II and the decimation of the religious life, this is undoubtedly the book to read. The lifestyle still persists in a few monasteries and you might want to visit their websites. If you enjoy this book, Sr. Mary Francis has written others as well (though none is quite as good as this one!).

I loved this book so much, that I marked passages of it to share with other women I know who are discerning religious life. Mother Mary Francis tells us about a group of Poor Clare nuns beginning a new foundation in New Mexico. But that is just the superficial framework of the book. What she really gives us is a superb view of the theology of life as a Poor Clare nun.

In her writings on Saints Francis and Clare, her pen paints pictures that make these wonderful saints come alive for us. Mother Mary Francis shares with us their teachings to their nuns, and what impact those teachings have on their lives. So many consider the cloisered religious life to be a dark, solitary, very solemn life, but that is far from the truth. A monastery is a place of love, and light, and laughter, and no one tells us that so well as Mother Mary Francis.

I highly recommend this book to any and all, but especially to those discerning religious life and to those with a devotion to St. Clare. This book may be old, but it is far from outdated.

What a fabulous book this is! The author is a paragon of wisdom and a gifted writer to boot. Her joyful love for God, for Saint Clare, for the life she has chosen (or been chosen for), and really, for all of frail humanity, practically bound off the page. I didn't expect to laugh out loud while reading a book of this nature, but I certainly did! Mother Mary Francis has such a wonderfully whimsical way of looking at the most ordinary things and events; the reader is enfolded in her charm and warmth. At other times I found myself reading through a film of tears; the whole book is a subtle torch that melts the heart.

Though this book is about life in an enclosed order of nuns, it's not just for Catholics. I'm not a Catholic myself, but I feel like I gained about as much from it as anyone could, and I don't feel any separation or strangeness between myself and the sisters. I strongly recommend this book to seekers of God from whatever path or religion, because don't we all share the same human nature and face the same struggles? And this author kindly shares one way of gracefully navigating the difficult waters. Since the Poor Clares have been following the same path for over 750 years now, without dying out or changing their ways, we know that it is one road, no matter how unusual, that does work, and we can all take something from it.

Finally, I appreciated the prefaces that Mother Mary Francis added to this 2001 edition of her book. Since the book was written in the 1950's, don't you want to know what has happened in the Roswell monastery since then? I did! So the additonal material from the years 1973 and 2000 was most welcome. I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone, but I'm happy to report that the monastery is thriving. Lucky them: Mother Mary Francis is apparently still the Abbess, God bless her beautiful, wise heart.

Note: Feb. 2006 addition to this review from February 2005: I have just learned that Mother Mary Francis passed away this month. May she rest in eternal peace.

Mother Mary Francis wrote a wonderful little book about her life as a Poor Clare nun. Her life in the convent was a happy one. She and her sisters laughed, danced and sang. This is a lovely peep into the cloistered life given to us by an eminently sensible and jolly woman.

This book is at once fascinating and heartbreaking. As a non-Catholic, I was amazed at the accomplishments of Sisters in the US. I used to see them when I was a child, knew they existed but they were mysterious and hidden to me. Reading this book, I feel we have lost something so precious and powerful. As Christianity declines, it is not so much the religion itself I miss, but some - like these - of it's powerful institutions to help others.

By the time I entered a Catholic elementary school in 1980, only one elderly sister was rumored to be residing in the church's convent. Two years later, the building was used for storage and our music room. Today, daily obituaries show how accomplished many of these women were - receiving an education that would have been unheard of for most women in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. It was not until I read this book that I really understood just how important these brave women -- and in many cases, young girls -- were in the development of this country, the nursing of its sick, and the education of its youth. This book skillfully explained the complex reasons for the sudden demise and division in the sisterhood today. Even the non-Catholic will be moved to feel concern for aging nuns and gratitude for their efforts. This book also offered a glimmer of hope as it investigated the growth of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this book as much as I enjoyed learning what it had to tell me.

Boy, if this isn't an eye-opener! Not a particularly scholarly treatise (thank God), the book nonetheless chronicles well the incredible story of the impact on our American history and way of life "the Sisters" have had. Living in the "heyday" of the 50's - early 60's, and having had the blessings of a parochial education, I was not only mesmerized by Fialka's exploration of the scope and breadth and depth of the impact nuns in America have had, but deeply saddened to get a fuller sense of the decline of this influence in our society. I'm no feminist, but if any women in our history deserve greater recognition and honor for what they contributed to our lives it's these women. Fialka's narrative bounces around a little, but he keeps you focused on the mostly selfless dedication many of these Sisters lived by. The stereotypical nun whacking your knuckles with a ruler obscures the realities Fialka chronicles in case after case of the love and devotion so many of these Sisters lavished on their students (or patients). His discussion of the causes of the decline of the Sisters as a force in our society cites numerous influences, not least of which were the upheavals in all corners of our social fabric in the mid-late-sixties, nor the disruption (my word) of the "Catholic eco-system" resulting from so much misguided interpretations of Vatican II doctrine. Good book. Read it, revel in your memories, and weep for its demise -- America's great loss.

The old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" is certainly appropriate with this one. I assumed that it would chronicle the history of all the major orders of nuns but it doesn't. This is a great book sharing with the readers the history of the Religious Sisters of Mercy from its founding to the present. To be honest, the author does include a few anecdotes concerning sisters from other religious orders that make this book even a better read. Being a Traditionalist in the Catholic Church, I didn't spend too much time on the chapters concerning the Vatican II and post Vatican II periods except the parts dealing with the Orders self-demolition. The RSMs liberation from the yoke of the Roman Church cost them dearly and it was the very elderly nuns who paid the price! It probably won't be too many more years until they die out. That is too bad for the wonderful group of nuns that I remember from St. Peters School in Omaha, NE.

"Sisters" is a comprehensive look at how Catholic sistes contributed to the development and growth of the United States of America. From hospitals, to schools to homes of refuge for prostitutes, one can see that Catholic sisters are a fearless cadre of determined women who work long hours, sacrifice much and give without counting the cost. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learning about the Sisters of Mercy in particular, and what it means to be a religious in general. Even the famous Mayo Clinic had its beginning with a Catholic nun, Sr. Roberta, who encouraged Dr. Mayo to create a world-class clinic in the middle of nowhere. He was skeptical, but she was sure she had a mandate from God. Thank you Sr. Roberta for encouraging the Mayo family in this regard.

I felt thankful to all of the sisters who had worked diligently in the Catholic schools I attended as a child and I am glad that Mr. Fialka wrote this book to give nuns recognition which they neither desire or expect, but certainly deserve.

It should be a part of our American history curriculum.

This book is a must read for those who are looking for a motivational reminder of our mission as a church. Whitsett gets to the point, with practical wisdom and insight. If you're looking for novel marketing techniques this isn't the book, but it you're wanting to know where our priorities need to be as the body of Christ, then you've come to the right place.

"I have read The Urgent Revolution over very carefully and learned a great deal from it. Your suggestions of how to approach people with the gospel are very helpful. "Being in a smaller congregation, where other books are too departmentalized, this book has so many practical applications for us both as individuals and as a congregation. "I find your book true to the Word, and an encouragement to us to adhere to God's truth. Truly any congregation and individual could profit from the study and application of The Urgent Revolution." --Trudy Barnes South Burnaby Congregation Vancouver, B. C., Canada

Dwight Whitsett doesn't use a magnifying glass to pick out the apathy and inertia present in the church today, but he does lay it on the line to any thinking Christian who is not afraid of an honest look at our situation. In An Urgent Revolution, Dwight gives a wake-up call to everyone who is truly concerned about the unsaved state of most of the human race now living on our planet. His observations and remedies for change are presented in such a readable and humorous way that it should offend no one, with the possible exception of "God's frozen people who will always give a cold reception to suggestions of change".

His call for "Radical Christians" to bring about a "radical change that reaches down to the very roots" (dictionary definition) to rid the church of "superficial, cosmetic worship" is based on the comments of people like Moshe Rosen, Executive Director of "Jews for Jesus", who says "The problem in the American church is a great deal of inreach and not much outreach"......"people who have retreated into sanctuaries to be entertained." Dwight points out with undeniable clarity the poor state of health in which the church finds itself today--a "Worship Society" in stark contrast to the early community of Christians whose practice of service was so different from the "services" we participate in today.

You will find this book hard to put down if you are immersed in the conviction that Christians everywhere are anxious to be able to give Jesus an affirmative answer to "the most searching question he ever asked: 'When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?'"

This book clearly portrays the necessity of becoming the church that we should be, without getting sidetracked on non-essential matters. It powerfully sets forth a path for the church of God to take. I recommend this book immensely.

Whitsett is right on target. The message of this book is so strong and pertinent and truly urgent. Hopefully, some of us are listening.

This book has a chapter about Goddard College, where I am a graduate student. This college (Goddard)is definately "Utopian" and progressive. These colleges have made higher education both interesting and challenging for individualized education. This book is helpful in focusing on this unique type of education.

As a young student in the late 70's, I attended what was then called an "alternative education" school for two years of my elementary education. The knowledge I learned in this progressive school is a valuable part of who I am and what I have become. My fondest learning experiences came from these two crucial years. I am a strong advocate for progressive education and feel that new methods need to be examined and implemented in order to give students a proper education; reading Constance Cappel's Utopian Colleges gave me a glimpse into some educational institutions that are doing just that. I found it to be both interesting and intriguing in showing how some colleges are trying to change how we educate young adults in our country. An easy yet informative read, Utopian Colleges will introduce students and educators to some alternative teaching methods and educational philosophies; more publications such as this should be offered so students can be aware of the different choices they have for selecting a college for their higher education experience.

Dr. Cappel's book addresses both the history of utopian education and its present incarnation in Utopian Colleges. Speaking from personal experience, I know many of the stresses that provide for both compromise and solidarity within a utopian educational community do exist and have been greatly affected by their manifestations. The underlying work ethic the author shows to be true in the diverse selection of educational institutions featured in Utopian Colleges is a very important aspect of education that is generally ignored in mainstream education. Utopian Colleges shows that the utopian ideal in American post-secondary education was not a counter-culture product of the 1960's, but a long-held tenet which has sought to nurture the creative and intuitive genius to be found within each willing student. The extensive background information provided as a prelude to the present-day and historical outlines of several utopian colleges, along with the discussion of the nature of "utopia" itself are of great enough value alone to offset the cost of this book. This is a great text with which to begin a critique of the American educational system.

At this time when large universities such as Harvard accept money from bin Laden, the need for smaller "Utopian Colleges" becomes evident. Not only are the missions of these colleges more ethical, but their history of progressive education and its values give hope to American higher education. This book examines these colleges that create independant thinkers rather than the corporate robots of the major U.S. universities.

Dr. Cappel's book provides a comprehensive glimpse into the higher education system at work in America today. She clearly explains what her criteria for a "utopian" environment are, and then goes on to describe how each of the chosen colleges reflects these. Her mode of investigation is fascinating, and it is apparent that she made the most of her experiences at all of the institutions she visited. This book proves that, even among the widespread mediocrity that has become evident in American colleges and universities today, there are a few schools out there that still insist on following a dream and a vision, and creating the perfect learning environment that provides students with the finest education possible.

This book would be valuable for most Pastors to read because of its wisdom on the subject of worship. So often, the focus of the Pastor is on preparing and preaching the sermon. While this is a critical part of the worship service and should not be neglected, all of the essayists point to the need for well-planned services from start to finish. God-exalting, Christ-centered, Bible-based services are a worthy goal. This book should challenge Pastors, especially those from a free church background, to plan worship services in a more thoughtful way. The book is practical, with sample worship service outlines from different traditions. Highly recommended for all who want to honor God in corporate worship.

Introduction

What is worship? If worship in our daily lives means a consecrated lifestyle that aims to glorify God, how then should our corporate gatherings look like? And further, what makes our corporate gatherings any more worship than glorifying God in the other six days of the week? Worship by the Book is a compilation of essays that seeks to respond to such issues that concern today's church. By looking back into the past to see how previous generations have done corporate worship aright, the authors look forward into the future to what biblical corporate worship should look like.

Edited by D. A. Carson (research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), this book incorporates a biblical theology of worship in the opening chapter by the editor, which is then followed by three application chapters written by pastors from differing denominational backgrounds who set out to show how they have applied the principles of such a theology of worship in the practices of their local church. In unveiling the varying practices of different church traditions, what arises from the pages is a portrait of what worship by the Book looks like.

Summary

Chapter 1, "Worship Under The Word," D. A. Carson attempts to provide a theology of worship, despite the fact that there are many challenges in doing so. The author admits that worship has caused much heated debate in the contemporary church (11), that there are many diverse theologies of worship available (13), and that even though the word worship itself is found in Scripture (14), it is still hard to construct a theology of worship when biblical theology and systematic theology may give us different definitions. Be that as it may, Carson endeavors to examine the English word worship (18), as well as the underlying Greek and Hebrew words (19) and then follows with a brief examination of recent scholarship that show the challenges of writing a theology of worship (19). He gives respect to the work of Andrew E. Hill, and most adamantly confesses that the work of David Peterson's Engaging with God is the "volume that most urgently calls for thoughtful evaluation" (23).

Sympathetic to and borrowing from much of Peterson's biblical theology of worship, Carson then goes on to finally defining worship, and the rest of the chapter is a full explanation his definition. His attempt at a definition is a long paragraph whose opening sentence is the precursor for its expansion: "Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so" (26). Carson's citing of Edmund Clowney's list of corporate worship elements from the New Testament shows that he advocates for certain distinctive elements in corporate worship, though there is no biblical mandate for any particular ordering of these elements (48-52). The author concludes his chapter with some practical implications(58-63): the importance of avoiding misconceptions and hindrances of worship, authenticity for the sake of evangelism, the fact that we cannot incorporate all worship elements into one corporate gathering, and the danger of denominational hindrances to faithful worship.

Chapter 2, "Following in Cranmer's Footsteps," Mark Ashton (vicar of the Round Church at St. Andrew the Great in England) provides an overview of the Church of England's effort to remain biblical in all of its corporate worship gatherings, and yet faithful to the tradition that has been handed down through Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer. While this central liturgy book of the Anglicanism has kept the church biblical since the mid-sixteenth century, Ashton confesses that there is no longer just one common Prayer Book in the Anglican Church. "There is an abundance of new liturgy, but no doctrinal consensus at its heart. This has created an identity crisis for Anglicanism" (66). In showing that Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer achieved a rare combination of being biblical, accessible and balanced (70-75), the author consequently calls for a renewal of such legacy and for the church to take responsibility to bring the Bible back to the center of corporate worship. Employing the standard that flowed from Cranmer's work, Ashton exhorts readers to examine if their worship services to see if it they are biblical, accessible, and balanced (80-88). He follows this analysis by looking at various aspects of Anglican worship services (88-103): variety of services, service structure, music, prayers, drama and testimony, leading the service, notices, size of congregation, length of service, and church building, furnishings, clothing, movement, as well as the church year. Ashton then concludes with a brief overview of particular services in Anglicanism, and the need to retain faithful worship in all of them (104-107).

Chapter 3, "Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom," R. Kent Hughes (Senior Pastor Emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois) shows the reader how he came to his Reformed convictions without any denominational ties. He argues for worship that is more than just Sunday - "day-in-day-out living for Christ, the knees and heart perpetually bent in devotion and service" (140) - and how a life of worship enables Christians to worship freely and authentically in the gathered setting. After providing a brief look at the seven distinctives of worship in the Free Church tradition (preaching, Scripture, prayer, singing, sacraments, simplicity, and vestments; 142-46), Ashton then argues for six distinctive aspects of Christian worship that would foster mutual edification: worship is God-centered, Christ-centered, Word-centered, is consecration, is wholehearted, and is reverent (149-166). The author concludes his chapter with a brief how-to about corporate worship music, advocating six important factors: music serves preaching, develops maturity, is everyone's responsibility, that musical selection is important, that musicians must be prepared, and that the congregation is the chief instrument (166-172).

Chapter 4, "Reformed Worship in the Global City," by Timothy J. Keller (Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City) takes a detailed look at the worship wars that are plaguing much of evangelicalism today. Keller provides definitions of the two main sides at war, "Contemporary Worship" (194) and "Historic Worship" (195), and then posits that "we forge our corporate best when we consult all three--the Bible, the cultural context of our community, and the historic tradition of our church" (197). This three-pronged approach to worship provides the foundation for Keller's overview of worship in the Reformed tradition, favoring John Calvin's theology and liturgy of worship over and against the large variety of Reformed worship perspectives (199-208). The further author traces Reformed worship to its historical roots: simplicity as its voice, transcendence as its goal, and gospel reenactment as its order (208-217). Keller's three tests of Reformed corporate worship (doxological evangelism, community building, and character of service; 217-221) aim at determining if a corporate worship gathering is well-balanced in being both contemporary and Reformed (221). He also deals with the attitude and heart of those leading corporate worship (223), weekly preparation and planning that is involved (226), and the significance of having a guideline for choosing music for worship services (236).

Critical Evaluation

Engaging With God is a unique book on Christian worship in that it presents a well-organized analysis of how three different church traditions have sought to put the principles of a biblical worship theology into practice. Each of the three extensive chapters that follows Carson's chapter on worship theology include appendices that give the reader a behind-the-scenes look at how the author's church has planned their corporate worship services, as well as additional articles that are incorporated within the corporate worship gathering. This allows the reader to not only see theology in practice, but it gives worship leaders and music ministers examples of biblically faithful worship liturgies to incorporate into their own church setting.

For example, Keller includes liturgies within his chapter that his church has used in the past, ones for classical and contemporary worship services, ones that are more Calvinian in manner and ones that are less; his appendices include a full worship service outline (240-248) and prayers his church has used for leading those not taking the Lord's Supper (249). Hughes' appendices should also be very helpful to readers, as they not only include his Free Church's liturgy and worship service outlines from morning and evening services, but also detailed commentary for each, and three helpful articles on the wonders of worship (189), reading the Word (190-191), and the danger of equating music to worship (192). Mark Ashton's appendices similarly provide extensive commentary to the worship service outlines that he includes (109-135), but from the Anglican church he oversees.

While these appendices are the muscles that allow this book to stand out from amongst the plethora of books on worship available today, it would have been more helpful to see a wider range of church traditions represented, like churches from the Baptist tradition, the flourishing Reformed Charismatic family of churches from Sovereign Grace Ministries, or the third-wave Pentecostal Hillsong Church from Australia. Such may extend the length of the book to be too long for one volume, but it would be greatly beneficial to see Carson's theology of worship at work in other diverse church traditions.

Of a minor note, Mark Ashton's chapter employed some archaic vocabulary that may be unknown to non-Anglican or lay readers, and British idioms that would be unfamiliar to an American audience. For example: hobby-horses (84), interlopers (86), emendation (91), vetted (94), vestry (96). It would have been beneficial to see those terms edited out or explained, especially Anglican Church terms like "collects" and "notices" which are termed differently in North America.

Conclusion

In spite of these minor faux pas, Worship by the Book is both convicting and uplifting. It is a book that will convict senior pastors, music ministers, and worship leaders alike to evaluate and re-examine their corporate worship services for their biblical faithfulness, evangelistic effectiveness and mutually edifying abilities. By providing a theological framework of worship and practical examples of churches that worship by the Book, it uplifts the reader to find hope in and through corporate worship gatherings that center around the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ. Churches in need of worship recovery, as well as those simply looking to refresh their service liturgies, will find plenty of biblical insight here to sustain them into the twenty-first century.

I appreciate the comparison and contrast found within this book of the various worhip styles and the philosophy behind each one. Such exposure only makes it obvious where our commonalities lie, and what is at the heart of true worship. Each contributor does a fine job in this regard, but such an approach has its drawbacks. The temptation to become syncretic is always here with us as we search for a way to worship- we might succomb to pick and choose what appeals to us, rather than what would please God. We often do this without any realization of the "why" of what is being done, and thus lose our way, so to speak. These authors are deeply steeped in their traditions, and are less likely to fall into such a trap, but those who are reading such brief, though well written overviews, suffer from a lack of background that is important for such wanderings.

Too often, when Christians discuss worship, they go little further than arguments about styles of music. The "worship wars" that have plagued the modern church are a prime example of this. Many churches have fallen apart and many Christians have been deeply hurt over styles of music. Churches that have sought to be progressive and contemporary have often done away with hymns, throwing away hundreds of years of Christian tradition in the process. Other churches have refused to sing any song written in modern times, indicating an irrational bias towards days gone by. In the process worship has come to be nearly synonymous with music. Church services are often structured around a time of worship, led by a worship pastor, and this is followed by a time of apparently non-worshipful teaching led by a teaching pastor.

These worship wars are a terrible distraction, for as believers who have access to the New Testament we know that worship extends far beyond music. Worship is to encompass all of life rather than only select parts. Worship by the Book is an attempt by four men, D.A Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes and Timothy Keller, to unravel the meaning of worship as well as to suggest ways that corporate worship, done as the church gathers together, can be most meaningful and most faithful to Scripture.

The book begins with an essay by Carson entitled "Worship Under the Word" in which he builds a framework around which each of the other authors will write. The heart of the essay is a lengthy definition of worship and a twelve-point examination of this definition. It is an unusually long and detailed definition of worship, yet one that for precisely those reasons is exceedingly useful.

Following Carson's introduction, each of the three co-authors is given one chapter to provide insight about worship within their tradition. The first of these is Mark Ashton, who is vicar of the Round Church at St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge, England. His essay is entitled "Following in Cramner's Footsteps" and he proposes that the Anglican Church recover the principles Cramner used to draft the Book of Common Prayer. He suggests each aspect of a worship service needs to meet three criteria: is it biblical, is it accessible and is it balanced? Despite coming from a tradition that seems far removed from mainline evangelicalism, I suspect the bulk of believers with agree with most of what he writes, at least until the final paragraphs where he writes about infant baptism and presumptive regeneration. I was a little bit concerned about a vague, underlying spirit of pragmatism that seemed to lie under the surface of some of what he wrote. Within the sample services, for example, is an outline of a guest service in which they have dumbed-down their Bible translation, opting for the Good News Bible in place of the New International Version. Despite this, there was much within his essay that was of practical value.

The second essay was written by Kent Hughes, pastor of the College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. At the heart of Hughes' essay, "Free Church Worship," were his six distinctives of Christian worship: it is God-centered, Christ-centered, Word-centered, consecration, whole-hearted and reverent. I especially appreciated his emphasis on reverence, as this is sorely-lacking in many contemporary churches. He closed with some useful thoughts on music in corporate worship.

The final essay was written by Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York City. Keller is seen as a trend-setter within the Presbyterian Church of America, so I looked forward to his essay which was entitled "Reformed Worship in the Global City." Keller contrasted and compared contemporary worship and historical worship and proposed a middle-ground, but not one as simple as an even distribution of elements from each. His essay was built around an examination and defense of the Reformed worship tradition. He examined its variety, sources, balance, core, traits and tests. I particularly enjoyed his explanation of the service structure at their church and the cycles of praise, renewal and commitment.

While it was generally a strong essay, it seemed to come apart a little at the end. The author wrote about the importance of including unbelieving musicians in the worship team as a way to evangelize them, arguing that God's common grace given to musicians brings as much glory to Him as do believers using their talents in His service. I much preferred Kent Hughes' take on this same issue. In the previous chapter he wrote "Musicians must see themselves as fellow laborers in the Word and must lead with understanding and an engaged heart. Those who minister in worship services must be healthy Christians who have confessed their sins and by God's grace are living their lives consistently with the music they lead. The sobering fact is that over time the congregation tends to become like those who lead." I was also a bit disappointed by the content of the bulletin inserts of Redeemer Church that were included within this essay as they seemed to favorably quote Mother Teresa, writing that the most important need of the poor is to be wanted.

Despite a few small missteps, I found this book fascinating and convicting. I would encourage any pastor or worship leader to buy this book and to read it through at least a couple of times. It will provide valuable insight into planning worship services that will lead believers into a time of worship that goes far beyond the music. Worship like these men describe is becoming increasingly rare. I hope this volume can help many churches recover worship that is done by the Book.

This book is worth buying for the insightful introductory article by Don Carson. He argues that there is a place for corporate worship and that church is more than sitting in a holy building and having my own little quiet time with God, or only meeting for teaching or encouraging others. In his theology of worship, he guards against some of the extremes we find in evangelical churches today. The reflection on David Peterson's "Engaging with God" is stimulating. Some have used Peterson's book to argue that in the New Testament meetings were not for the purpose of worshipping God. Carson points out that though the book shows that worship in the New Testament is meant to be a whole of life thing, and not just something Christians do on Sundays, Peterson still "wants to talk about ... corporate worship in the regular 'services' of the church."
The main sections of the book are written from a variety of perspectives, from formal to fairly free, from liturgical to extemporary.

Interestingly, the article by the minister from the more liturgical background, Mark Ashton, argues from his knowledge of Cranmer [the creator of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer] that churches should have more flexibility and freedom. And the articles by those from a less structured eccesiology argue for the use of some liturgy!

And Carson suggests we should be using the best of the ways of worship from our brothers and sisters around the world, without becoming self-consciously Multicultural for the sake of it.

Highly recommended.

I was assigned Glick's book by my Medieval History professor Dr. Paul Halsall. I opened the book thinking I knew a lot about the experiences of Jews in France and Germany in Medieval Europe; and what I found was that I was wrong.

This book is an excellent book about the cultures of the Jews and the Christians, how these two cultures interacted with each other and how Medieval Jewish culture effects the culture of American Jews, who predominately come from these Ashkenazic Jews.

The book is divided chronologically and this division works. It shows the downward spiral pattern of Christian and Jewish interaction that finally hit rock bottom with the expulsion of Jews from France and in England.

I especially enjoyed reading about the devistating effects of the Crusades on the Jewish communitites of the Rhine river region. I was amazed to read that many of the higher Church officials tried to protect their neighbor Jews from the angry and violent mobs. Bishops tried hiding Jews, tried baptizing Jews, and showed real sorrow and guilt when Jews in their communities were harmed.

I also found the history of the evolution of Christian thought about the Jews very fascinating. The early Christians, who didn't even know they were Christians, clearly saw themselves as religiously Jewish. By the time of the writing of the Gospel of John, this has changed. The Gospel of John is somewhat anti-Jewish. When the Christians began using "rational thinking," especially with the creation of Universities, they became even more hostile toward the Jews.

This book is a definate "must-buy" for any graduate student of European history or any serious undergraduate.

This is not the kind of book I normally would have read (regrettably), but it came to me highly recommended. Having grown up in a Jewish environment but feeling some loss of identity and lack of knowledge of my ancestral history, I took the initiative to try to learn more.

Abraham' Heirs unexpectedly had a profound influence upon how I view my cultural heritage in a way I never anticipated. In a chronological and clear -- yet fair -- manner, the text depicts life and cross-cultural relationships and attitudes between Jews and Christians as central Europe developed. Through the progression of events depicted, the book demonstrates marked patterns which evolved across both time and location, which is crucial towards understanding how and why history regrettably progressed as it did.

Many events are quite disturbing, sometimes difficult to grasp in magnitude, but can't be forgotten nor simply glossed over. Importantly, Glick tells it the way things were, which also made it hard to put the book down. His content is exceptionally well-written, easy to follow, and highly informative, making it appropriate and essential for all readers.

I had been brought up to believe that when a culture mistreats the Jews, that culture inevitably deteriorates (as exemplified, for example, by the decay of the Spanish and Ottoman Empires after the 16th century). But Glick's book discusses a terrifying counterexample: the rise of France and Germany in the late Middle Ages.

The so-called Dark Ages were actually quite pleasant for Jews: in the centuries after the end of the Roman Empire, Jews circulated through western Europe, specializing in international trade. Charlemagne and his successors were quite friendly towards Jews in the 700s and 800s, even using them as diplomats now and then.

But in the 1000s, European agriculture became more productive, thus generating surplus products that could be sold elsewhere. Christians became merchants to sell these products, and formed connections with other Christian merchants. These merchants saw the Jews as competitors, and formed guilds that excluded Jews from commerce. Jews were squeezed into the moneylending industry, thus enabling Christians to use Jewish money without having to compete with Jews.

The ghettoization of Jews into moneylending was a disaster for Jews. Because Jews were allowed to hold money but not large amounts of land, Christian kings soon realized that they could squeeze Jews unmercifully, extorting money in return for protection. Jews tried to pass on the costs to debtors by charging higher interest rates, thus causing Christian borrowers to hate Jews even more than they did before. Borrowers decided that they could avoid debts by the simple expedient of robbing and/or killing their Jewish creditors. (And this easy repayment option ensured that borrowers used Jewish rather than Christian lenders; anyone who borrowed from the latter would actually have to repay the loan rather than killing the banker!) Eventually, Jews were left without assets and were thus useless to Christian kings, who forced them to leave France and most of Germany.

The intellectual revival of Christianity also posed problems for Jews. As Christians became less ignorant, they learned that Judaism had evolved beyond the written Torah, creating a massive corpus of rabbinic law through the Talmud and other works. But in the Christian world, Jews' legitimacy was based on their connection to the Old Testament. So Jewish scholarship other than the Old Testatement was perceived as something akin to heresy, and made the Jews even more hated.

I teach religious high school, and I thought I knew something about the history of Jews in medieval Europe. "Abraham's Heirs" has broadened my knowledge and understanding to a degree that is simply astonishing. Like all really good histories, this one combines compelling primary sources with a clear overall structure. A great read.

The author weaves an incredible tapestry of historical social commentary. Throughly researched, well written, and definitely well worth the read. You will find yourself unable to put this book down!