Pastor – Coach – Reader – Cook
Who Should Read This Book - Readers who desire to deepen their understanding of how the identify of modern people formed through the shifts in philosophy over the last few centuries. What is the Big Takeaway - The ancient world bequeathed to the West the idea of the good as objectively out there beyond us.…
Continue reading ➞ Sources of the Self: The Making of Modern Identity by Charles Taylor (Review)
Who Should Read This Book - Anyone who wants to better understand why our contemporary culture has come to so highly value authenticity (be true to yourself). The Big Takeaway - The modern age of authenticity is not merely to be unequivocally celebrated (“boosters”) nor unflinchingly opposed (“knockers”) but instead to be critically examined so…
Continue reading ➞ The Ethics of Authenticity by Charles Taylor (Review)
Taylor's enormous book begins with a question: Why was belief in God taken for granted in the West in 1500 but highly questioned, if not even non-belief taken for granted, in 2000? What changed? In answering this question, Taylor argues that the common story does not provide a sufficient explanation. Usually, so it goes, as…
Continue reading ➞ #15 – A Secular Age by Charles Taylor (My 100 Favorite Books)
After passing two relatively aimless years at Penn State I finally got serious about my studies as well as choosing a major. I had always enjoyed studying religion and history so I decided to major in religion. This led me to some philosophy of religion classes which gave me an appetite to learn more philosophy.…
Continue reading ➞ Its That Time of Year When I Get Delusions of Being a Philosopher
A few years ago I worked my way through Charles Taylor's magnificent A Secular Age. That book was one of the most challenging and rewarding books I've ever read. It is definitely in my top five of all time, that despite me knowing I need to re-read it sometime to fully get what Taylor is…
Continue reading ➞ How (Not) To Be Secular by James K.A. Smith (Review)
Whether when I was in seminary or now in campus ministry, there is a lot of talk among Christians in such circles about worldview. The way it goes is that the university, for example, has a view of the world which is being taught to students in the classroom. Our responsibility as Christians is to…
Continue reading ➞ Desiring and Imagining the Kingdom by James Smith (Two [no, Three!] Book Reviews)
I read a good many books this year, not as many as in previous years but I suppose that comes with parenting. Here is a list of my favorite reads in 2012. Note, these are not all new books that came out in 2012, they are books I read in 2012. War and Peace by…
