The Weekly Wrap: March 8-14

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The Weekly Wrap: March 8-14

Becoming a Reader

As a toddler I often observed my mother reading. She was always quite attractive, and never more so than when she was reading. There was something magical about reading and I couldn’t wait to get in on the magic! So, when we began reading in the first grade, we learned to decode the sounds words made, and as we sounded out words and put them into simple sentences (See Dick Run), it was amazing. I was eager to learn more words and move from simple sentences to short stories.

It wasn’t long before regular trips to the library were a must. How wonderful to discover the children’s section and graduate from short stories to chapter books. Eventually, mom shared some of her books she thought suitable. Often, I read with a dictionary to understand words I hadn’t seen before. Some days, I just read interesting articles in our encyclopedia and if all else failed, the cereal box!

I know there are reasons this magic doesn’t happen for every child from family influences to temperament to learning disabilities that just make reading hard. But I hope it is a magic to which every child has access. In my case, role models, good teachers, access to books at home, and library trips were all part of it. Personally, I think a commitment to wanting every child to have access to the magic of reading is a mark of a great society.

Five Articles Worth Reading

It is often argued that religion has been the great enemy of the advance of science. In “Reformation of science,” Peter Harrison argues that Protestantism actually played a vital role in the emergence of the modern scientific enterprise.

Reason didn’t convince author Christopher Beha to go back to church. Falling in love did. In “What Atheism Could Not Explain,” Luis Parrales explores the stories of other atheists who turned to religious faith.

George Scialabba proposes that “perhaps the greatest repository of moral beauty in English literature, [is] the voice of the narrator in George Eliot’s Middlemarch.” He makes an argument for the beauty of a hidden life in “The Moral Beauty of Middlemarch.”

Ivan Keneally explores the moral contradictions of American life in “Mark Twain’s Absurd, Noble America.”

Finally, it seems that encouraging children to continue to read in the middle grades is a crucial link to forming a lifelong reading habit. In “Without Her, These Beloved Classics Might Never Have Been Published,” Mac Barnett profiles Ursula Nordstrom and her career of editing books for middle grade readers.

Quote of the Week

Part of what inspired my thoughts on the magic of reading was this quote from Alberto Manguel in The History of Reading:

“At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a book—that string of confused, alien ciphers—shivered into meaning. Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened. You became, irrevocably, a reader.”

Miscellaneous Musings

We had widespread power outages due to wind yesterday. Fortunately, we were not among them. I’m struck by how much we depend on electricity for so much of what we do including reading books at night. At one time, we would have been confined to reading by candlelight. But now at least, smartphone book apps and some e-readers are backlit–for as long as their charge holds out!

Kathleen Schmidt, in her Publisher’s Confidential Substack called out USA Today for adding books that were just announced to their bestseller list. Sarah J. Maas announced two new books to be published in late 2026 and early 2027 that were already on the list. I suspect this is based on pre-orders. The galling thing is that this is not indicated. I personally don’t tend to look at them but rather reviews. Sometimes, I’ll browse bestsellers in my bookstore, but they almost never are what interests me.

Plough Publishing has published a number of graphic art works on everything from a biography of Arvo Part to Anabaptist history. They just sent me a book that accompanies nature poetry with graphic art. For some reason, I find this enhances my reading versus just reading lines of text.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Roger Lundin, The Culture of Interpretation

Tuesday: Fritz Leiber, Gather, Darkness!

Wednesday: Jeffrey Kluger, Gemini

Thursday: Michael S. Moore, Jazz Trash

Friday: W. Ross Hastings, The Glory of the Ascension

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for March 8-14.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: The Vision of Ephesians

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Cover image of "The Vision of Ephesians" by N.T. Wright

The Vision of Ephesians

The Vision of Ephesians, N.T.] Wright. Zondervan Academic (ISBN: 9780310172505) 2025.

Summary: Ephesians as a vision of the church between creation and consummation as God’s small working model of new creation.

In recent years, N.T. Wright has been revisiting books of scripture on which he has written previously. He has written new, and briefer texts on Acts and a portion of Romans. Here, Wright turns to Ephesians, and as he has returned to it, has been struck with its visionary character. It reaches back to creation and before, and forward to the consummation of all things in Christ. And in the midst of all this are both the glory of Christ and of his body on earth, the church.

In particular, he centers on the vocation of the church. In chapters 1-3 of Ephesians he sees God’s purpose as displaying his glory through the church’s life. And then, chapters 4-6 focus on the mission of the church, accomplished through its unity and holiness. Rather than focus on specific problems, Paul offers an expansive vision both of Christ and the church. This may reflect the letter’s likely circular nature.

Wright covers the book in nine chapters. His approach is not verse by verse but by sections and paragraphs. Often, Wright will set the passage under discussion in the context of biblical history, the cultural backgrounds of second temple Judaism, and Greco-Roman culture. This background will often take up nearly half a chapter.

Wright offers some interesting insights. For example, discussing Ephesians 2 under the theme of the new temple, he observes how the new temple theme is what unites the “old” perspective of justification of verses 1-10 and the “new” perspective of covenant inclusion in one new man. He eloquently captures the wonder of the doxology of 3:20-21 that speaks of glory in the church and Christ Jesus, where we are “being thrust on stage to link arms with Jesus and take a bow before the whole redeemed creation.”

His treatment of unity portrays well a spirit-enabled unity amidst diversity. He gets more challenging as he moves into the realm of sexual ethics. While not explicitly mentioning LGBTQ+ persons, he writes of “a desire to be a different kind of human from the one you were born as. That is a form of Gnosticism, rejecting the goodness of creation itself. It is (as we all know) widespread in the Western world today, as distorted desires twist themselves into ever more bizarre shapes” (p. 105). No matter one’s stance on sexual ethics, many would regard this characterization as both pastorally insensitive and as a polemical caricature. In a brief commentary, dealing with a biblical text that does not address explicitly LGBTQ+ sexuality, it might be asked why this was included.

This contrasts with a much more thoughtful discussion of mutual submission in the household code material, recognizing how Paul, while not overtly challenging role distinctions, subverts them with the ethic of the one new people. Finally, in discussing the spiritual battle in 6:10-20, Wright helpfully observes that sharing Christ’s royal status in the heavenly places does not exempt us from battle. Also, how we fight is important, not with flesh and blood or earthly weapons.

There is much of value in anything Wright writes. Yet, I wish he would have gone into greater depth at many points in unpacking the text. Still, I believe Wright succeeds in casting an elevated vision of the church in the grand purposes of God. Many churches seem to think they can only be significant if linked to a political agenda. Wright reminds us of the glory we share with Christ. He points to our incredible privilege to demonstrate the grace of God and the new creation. What could be better than this?

Review: The Fourth Synoptic Gospel

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Cover image of "The Fourth Synoptic Gospel" by Mark Goodacre

The Fourth Synoptic Gospel

The Fourth Synoptic Gospel, Mark Goodacre. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802875136) 2025.

Summary: Maintains that John knew of and used Matthew, Mark, and Luke in composing his gospel.

Two things a first time reader of the New Testament will notice: the similarities of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and how different John’s gospel is from these. As it turns out, biblical scholars also noticed this and most over the last hundred years have concluded that John’s account is independent of the other three, commonly known as the Synoptic Gospels. It is generally believed that Matthew and Luke drew much of their material from Mark as well as using sharing a common source known as “Q.” Today, more are questioning the “Q” hypothesis since no “Q” document has ever been found.

Mark Goodacre, as his title suggests, believes John knew of the other three gospels and used them in his composition of John. First, he begins his case by noting the numerous instances of verbal agreement between John and the Synoptics. He sets passages side by side showing agreement in both Greek and English texts. Then he observes the parallel ordering of a number of events between John and the Synoptics.. From this, he argues, based on linguistic analysis, that John’s drew from Mark as mediated through Matthew and Luke.

In addition, John’s selectivity actually presupposes that not only he, but his readers, were familiar with the other gospels. He doesn’t include material that his readers were already familiar with. At other times, John recounts the same incidents but uses direct speech, putting Synoptic narrative on the characters lips.

Another question scholars raise is whether the Beloved Disciple of the gospel is John the son of Zebedee, as traditionally believed. Goodacre considers the various arguments for who the Beloved Disciple might be if not John the son of Zebedee. Goodacre agrees with the textual pointers to John, yet also that he is “an idealized witness to the key events of the earliest Christian tradition.”

Finally, Goodacre argues that while expressed in distinct language, John’s Christology is consistent with Synoptic Christology. He uses fourteen terms for Jesus in common with the Synoptics. The “I am’s” find precedence in Jesus statement in walking on water (Matthew 14:27//Mark 6:50). The seven “I am sayings all use imagery found in the Synoptics.

I found the evidence of verbal agreement most persuasive for his argument. A shared oral tradition alone would likely have been marked by less agreement. I also found the argument of John’s presupposition of the other gospels credible for explaining the differences. Lastly, I appreciated the discussion of Christology and how John’s is consistent with the others. However, I would like more discussion of the differences, particularly in discourses, that we find in John. Perhaps that’s another book!

_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Annihilation

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Cover image of "Annihilation" by Jeff Vandermeer

Annihilation

Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy, 1), Jeff Vandermeer. Farrar. Straus and Giroux Originals (ISBN: 9780374104092) 2014.

Summary: A team of four women investigate a mysterious uninhabited coastal area from which some previous expeditions ended badly.

The team of four women had to hike into Area X to their base camp, crossing a mysterious border. They are led by a psychologist. The other three are a biologist, an anthropologist, and a surveyor. They remain anonymous to one another. They’ve been told there had been eleven previous expeditions, some of which ended badly. The second ended in a mass suicide, the third in members killing each other. The previous expedition concluded when members returned drained of personality and memory, all dying from cancer.

Each of the members keeps her own journal. The story is told from the journal of the biologist. Although directed to a lighthouse, they are drawn to a structure not documented located near the base camp. Three call it a tunnel because of its underground character. But the biologist insists in calling it a Tower. As they descend into the structure, they note strange writing consisting of a script written in fungus. The first words read: “Where lies the strangling fruit that came from the hand of the sinner I shall bring forth the seeds of the dead….” When the biologist gets close to study the organism, it sprays her with spores.

The visit marks a point at which their expedition begins to unravel. The biologist begins to notice changes. Notably, she is no longer susceptible to post-hypnotic suggestions from the psychologist, although she plays along. The anthropologist disappears. The surveyor and the biologist find her dead while the psychologist stands guard aboveground. They believe the entity, dubbed “The Crawler,” which is writing on the walls mauled her. Then the psychologist, who they come to discover had been with the anthropologist, is missing

The biologist, who continues to change, becoming luminous, goes to search for the psychologist at the lighthouse. Most significantly, she finds among a pile of journals, that of her husband. Later she finds the dying psychologist. Surviving subsequent attacks from a swamp beast and the surveyor, who she kills, she must figure out what to do next.

What is apparent is that much of the truth about Area X has been concealed, including what really happened to her husband. We learn Area X is expanding. The book, the first of a trilogy, ends without concluding. It left me with a lot of questions. What do the authorities know about Area X? What is the significance of the Tower, its scrawled message, and the Crawler? Why is the lighthouse so important? Why the pile of journals? How many expeditions have there actually been? Why did so many go bad? And what will the biologist do and what will she find?

I guess we must read on in the trilogy. While I am curious to understand what is going on, I’m not sure I like either this world or those who people it. The mystery intrigues me, but I’m not sure I care that much. Actually, I’ll take that back. I do care about the biologist. I want to know if she survives and if she finds the answers she seeks about her husband. As for the rest, I could take it or leave it.

Review: The Authority of the Septuagint

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Cover image of "The Authority of the Septuagint," Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross, eds.

The Authority of the Septuagint

The Authority of the Septuagint, Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross, eds. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514009727) 2025.

Summary: A multi-perspectival approach to the question of the authority of the Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint.

Alexander the Great ruled between 335 and 323 BC. During this time he brought the eastern Mediterranean, the Near East, Egypt and former Persian territories all the way to India. Greece supplanted Persia as the great power. After his death, several rulers divided this kingdom. However, the lingua franca of this empire was Greek. Alexandrian Jews, responding to this reality, translated into Greek the Hebrews scriptures, beginning with the Pentateuch, and eventually the rest of what we would call the Old Testament. Legend has it that a team of seventy (or seventy-two) were responsible for this translation, hence its name, Septuagint.

Today, biblical translations of the Old Testament are based, on the Hebrew Masoretic text, a tradition that traces back to Jerome. Yet, the question remains of the authority of the Greek Old Testament. Why so? First of all, the New Testament writers, who wrote in Greek, often but not always quote from the Septuagint. This, along with the growing collection of documents that would form the New Testament, were the scriptures of Greek-speaking churches. Likewise, the early church fathers often quoted these scriptures. They functioned as a source of authority for early churches. And for the Eastern Orthodox churches, they still do.

One of the problems that arise is that there are differences between some of the Greek texts used in the New Testament and the Hebrew text. Contemporary translators often note in footnotes these differences and other places where alternate readings of the Septuagint may shed light on the meaning of a text. Finally, the authority of this translation raises questions about the authority of all our translations. As we quote those translations, in what sense may we say, “thus saith the Lord”?

This volume brings together the contributions of a variety of scholars in different fields to address the contemporary relevance and authority of the Septuagint in both academy and church. To begin, Greg Lanier addresses the question of canon, arguing that the Septuagint originally did not include apocryphal books but only the three current divisions of Hebrew scripture: the law, prophets, and writings. Then William A. Ross traces the somewhat complex history of Jewish scriptures, how they were passed down and translated.

Thomas Keane studies the citations of scripture in the New Testament and the variations and concludes that the sources they had available, and their rhetorical purposes shaped their usage. While not furnishing a conclusive basis for the authority of the Septuagint, it revealed that they considered the Hebrew scriptures in whatever form they had access to them as authoritative in practice. Following this, patristic scholar Edmon L. Gallagher surveys the debates about the status of the Septuagint between Augustine, Origen, and Jerome. He the gist of this discussion was that the Septuagint provided a generally reliable though imperfect rendering of the Hebrew, reflecting the conviction that God communicates through translations.

The discussion then turns to how Reformation and post-Reformation scholars treated the Septuagint. Early on, the Septuagint was set aside for the supremacy of the Masoretic Text. Subsequent scholars recognized that there were places where the Septuagint might correct the Hebrew text. A couple of excurses explore the importance of an Old Testament “kept pure in all ages” as a confessional position.

Then Daniel J. Trier and Joshua McQuaid take a systematic theology approach. They begin by acknowledging the lack of attention by systematic theologians to the authority of the Septuagint. They note that divine authority typically involves creaturely mediation. In addition, they note how our finitude and fallenness helps explain our lack of direct access to original autographs of the text. Finally, they explore how textual traditions and Spirit illuminated interpretations minister the magisterial authority of scripture through translations. James Prothro considers a Catholic perspective through history, noting the significant common ground that exists.

Myrto Theocharous’ concluding chapter offers a synthesis of the book. He notes a general consensus (though not shared by the Eastern Church) that the Septuagint has a derivative authority, along with other translation efforts. However, in its origins as a Greek translation by Jews, it is useful in textual criticism, and may occasionally offer superior renderings to the Masoretic Text. Some scholars offer alternate wording, describing the authority as ministerial or functional.

I thought the book a thorough exploration of a question I’d not previously considered. Essentially, the argument seemed to be that the authority of the Septuagint is on a par with our modern translations. The Trier and McQuaid essay reminded me of God’s gracious providence. He ministers his saving gospel through translations. Even though we lack original autographs, God works through the critical editions of the Hebrew and Greek text we have. God spoke through whatever sources New Testament writers had available. God ministered to countless numbers through the Septuagint. And it continues to be a gift for Old Testament scholars.

_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Mansfield Park

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Cover image of "Mansfield Park" by Jane Austen.

Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen. Penguin Classics (ISBN: 9780141439808) 2003 (first published in 1814).

Summary: Fanny Price moves from poverty to live with rich cousins in Mansfield Park, maturing amid their whirl of social relationships.

This is my second Jane Austen novel in my year-long Jane Austen reading goal. It struck me as a version of the ugly duckling who becomes the beautiful swan–that ugly duckling being Fanny Price. Fanny grew up in Portsmouth in a large and impoverished family. At ten her mother arranged for her to go to live with her sister’s family at Mansfield Park. She’s escorted by Aunt Norris, the imperious wife of a clergyman, who makes it a point to emphasize how indebted Fanny is to her and the family for their good offices.

And so begins an uncomfortable and socially awkward existence at Mansfield Park. Her uncle, Sir Bertram is distant. Lady Bertram is a pampered and self-absorbed woman who, seemingly can do nothing for herself. Fanny becomes her sewing companion, and an extra maid. Tom, her oldest cousin, is a spendthrift who barely notices. Maria and Julia, the two daughters, are caught up in their own social life. Only Edmund, the second son, destined for the clergy even notices her and becomes her confidante, and eventually she, his.

Marrying well, to financial advantage is everything. Aunt Norris, now bereaved and removed from her husband’s living, arranges a match between Maria and James Rushworth. While he has an extensive estate, he’s personally unimpressive. Then enter Henry and Mary Crawford. They are related to the new incumbents to the living, the Grants, and come for a visit. Henry has wealth and is a ladies man. On a visit to the Rushworth’s estate, he flirts with both Maria and Julie, favoring the elder. Fanny quietly looks on.

Then, while Sir Thomas is away attending to business in Antiqua, Mansfield Park brings all these remaining young people together in a play at the behest of an actor friend of Henry’s. Edmund, despite his opposition, ends up playing opposite Mary. While Rushworth struggles to learn lines, Henry pursues a dalliance with Maria. Julie, jealous of Maria, eventually elopes with the actor. And Fanny? She quietly supports the effort behind the scenes, her thoughtful demeanor and growing beauty gaining notice. Yet it all comes to naught when Sir Thomas returns. But this futile effort sows the seeds of so much of what unfolds.

Despite the dalliance with Henry, Maria marries Rushworth. Edmund and Mary are drawn to each other but Edmund’s calling poses a problem. He actually takes it seriously rather than as just a source of income–not the life Mary envisioned. And Henry finally notices Fanny and sets out to win her affections. He arranges the promotion of her brother William. But all his good offices and attentions, and the pressures of others, refuse to convince Fanny. She’s seen his flirtatious character and cannot bring herself to trust him. Again, she and Edmund confide in each other.

As it turns out, character matters as both Edmund and Fanny learn. The more puzzling thing is why it took two such perceptive young people so long to realize that they were the ones they were seeking? Perhaps it was the first cousin relationship. Marriage between first cousins, while not common, was permitted. All I can figure is that it made for good story, though Austen spends precious little of it telling us how they awakened to their love for each other. But I suspect most readers saw this coming from early on in the story.

The story is a fascinating commentary on the conventions of love and the considerations of wealth. Edmund upsets the convention of the convenient living in which a clergyman did little. Maria’s loveless, and ultimately failed marriage to Rushworth portrays the folly of marrying only for money. (I wonder if the relationship of the Bertrams is another version of this). By contrast, Fanny rises in stature through her character, which also becomes a measure of the character of others. One thing is for sure, Austen creates in her a figure for which we all root and wish the best.

The Weekly Wrap: March 1-7

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The Weekly Wrap: March 1-7

Reading as Work

I saw a comment on the “Book Threads” part of Threads in which someone was lamenting reading having become work. On reflection, it seemed that this was being said as a bad thing. Now, for many, reading is a leisure activity and if one is working at their leisure, that could be bad. I think this can particularly become the case if one is preoccupied with reading goals and metrics.

However, I’m one who does not think of work as inherently bad. And reading often is a part of many forms of work. Scholars read for research. Many leaders consider reading critical to their effectiveness. And for book reviewers, reading is essential to the work of writing a review. If reading is part of purposeful activity that is meaningful, then often the work and pleasure of reading go together.

There are also also books that are worth reading that involve something approaching work to read. They demand our full attention. We may even need to read them more than once, look at footnotes, or even check other references.

But I can see how reading like many other things can get out of hand. Two of this week’s articles concern our penchants for optimization and gamification. My sense is that these are destructive to flourishing as a reader. And flourishing is what I think matters.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Nicholas Clairmont explores our societal obsession with optimization in “The Enemy of the Good.”

On a related note, gamification may be a form of efforts to optimize our lives. We have apps to monitor and optimize our finances, to track our steps, and our exercise and our weight loss. We even have apps to track our reading. Many of us started gamifying reading in those library summer reading programs we did as kids. Marissa Levien explores “What We Lose When We Gamify Reading.”

Remember in The Graduate when Mr. McGuire advised Benjamin Braddock that the key to success could be summarized in one word: “Plastic”? As it turns out, plastics have turned out hugely successful for the petrochemical industry. But now, plastic is so ubiquitous that we average seven grams (the weight of a plastic spoon) of plastic in our brains. “Life in Plastic: It’s Not Fantastic” is a review of a new book by Beth Gardiner.

More fathers are staying at home to raise families. Eric Magnuson, a stay-at-home dad, surveyed the portrayal of stay-at-home dads in recent literature and contends “Literature Has a Stay-at-Home-Dad Problem.”

Finally, in “The Chronicler of Decline,” Ed Simon both profiles Edward Gibbon and explores the relevance of his signature work on the decline of the Roman empire to the United States on its 250th birthday.

Quote of the Week

Novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6, 1927. He observed:


“The heart’s memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good.”

Miscellaneous Musings

At least some of my love of history, especially in my seventies, is recalling the events that occurred during my life. Gemini by Jeffrey Kluger recounts the history of the transition between the Mercury and Apollo programs. I was an avid follower of the space program and I even built a model of the Gemini capsule. I’m enjoying revisiting this history.

I’ve noticed that many great writers keep writing, even when their best work is in the past. I wonder if there is a time when writers, like aging baseball players, need to retire. Yet I also think of the unique perspective that may come with age. Though the writing wasn’t perhaps his best, I think of Wendell Berry’s Marce Catlett, which strikes me as an eloquent valedictory work, written when he was past 90.

I just began a wonderful new book on the Ascension of Christ. I found that I was delighting in the first forty pages with the sheer wonder of what Ross Hastings was setting forth as the significance of this often overlooked Christian belief. This is one I look forward to reviewing!

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Tuesday: Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross, The Authority of the Septuagint

Wednesday: Jeff Vandermeer, Annihilation

Thursday: Mark Goodacre, The Fourth Synoptic

Friday: N. T. Wright, The Vision of Ephesians

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for March 1-7.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Rereading Revelation

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Cover image of "Rereading Revelation" by Greg Carey

Rereading Revelation

Rereading Revelation, Greg Carey. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802878120) 2025.

Summary: A thematic exploration of Revelation’s dangerous call and encouragement to resist idolatrous imperial Rome.

We usually consider Revelation as the perplexing book with which we are both fascinated and yet unable to understand. In this work, Greg Carey, a scholar of the New Testament and of eschatological literature, makes a different assertion. He argues that Revelation was, and is, a dangerous book. In its setting, it was a call to the seven churches to resist the idolatrous power of imperial Rome. As he will elaborate, this had to do not merely with worship, but had social, economic, and political implications. He also finds it can be a dangerous book in its use of authoritarian and misogynistic language, as well as in the violence it portrays. While Revelation’s readers are never called to violence, its violent imagery may be used to legitimate violence.

Carey’s approach is not to offer a commentary on the book, nor propose a “system.” Rather, he thematically addresses a number of questions related to Revelation and its call for this dangerous resistance. The first chapter begins with what kind of book this is, apocalyptic, prophetic, or a letter. He contends that it is all three, basically a letter that unveils (apocalypse) the warfare between the Lamb and the beastly power of empire, calling believers to unequivocal loyalty to the Lamb.

That call to loyalty is one of authority, and in Chapter 2, Carey explores how a message that “carries absolute authority and brooks no dissent” cannot help but be seen as authoritarian. On one hand, he notes how John balances authoritarian and egalitarian statement, speaking as a brother. On the other hand, Carey also calls us to recognize those times where moral clarity and humble but unequivocal calling things for what they are is necessary.

Then Chapter 3 takes a step back and explores the Christology and Trinitarian relationships in Revelation. Remember that this preceded the conciliar statements on these matters. Regarding the Trinity, Carey explores references to the three persons yet notes a certain “blurring” in John’s references. However, with regard to Christ, he notes the focus on the Lion Lamb in the text and argues that the bloodied Lamb reflects not his enemies blood but conquest through his own death. Then Carey asks whether Revelation has an eschatology. He contends that it does not in any systematic sense. However, that does not exclude the portrayal of God’s victorious intervention in history nor the realities or resurrection, judgement, and the New Jerusalem.

Chapter 5 returns to the challenging call to the churches to total allegiance. Carey studies John’s use of pathos, of an appeal to emotion to move believers to resolved resistance. He uses direct address, anticipation and surprise, crisis rhetoric, aversion, and emulation in his appeal. In the midst of authoritarianism in our culture and the church, he weighs the ethics of the use of such rhetoric. Then in Chapter 6, he wrestles with the implications of that call given the extremes of wealth and poverty in the Roman empire. Faithfulness could be costly, certainly for the poor, and perhaps even more for the affluent enmeshed in economic relationships. Who had more to lose when absenting oneself from honoring idols of the emperor?

Chapter 7 explores gender and sexuality. One aspect of this chapter was to explore portrayals of women: Jezebel, the Woman clothed with the Sun, the prostitute, and the Bride. He wrestles with readings that find these idealized extremes misogynistic when real women are viewed in light of these. He also dips his toe into “queer” readings, noting some figures be interpreted beyond gender binaries. I found this aspect the least supported by the text.

Chapter 8 goes more deeply into the theme of violence. Again, without sanctioning violence on the part of readers, Carey acknowledges the violent language that many may shy away from and others use to justify violence. He observes the setting of the book amid a violent empire. And he would have us be aware of our longings for vindication against evil. Who of us is free of violence? Finally, Chapter 9 explores what resistance looks like. Beyond eschewing idolatry and violence, resistance on an everyday basis may likely have been faithful endurance and overcoming through faithful testimony, even in death.

Throughout, Carey is cognizant of both the horizon of the text and of contemporary readers, particularly in the United States and the West. He recognizes the misinterpretation of Revelation that endorses authoritarianism, violence, misogyny, and even idolatrous nationalism. He doesn’t dodge or gloss over the elements in John’s text that contribute to such misinterpretation.

At the same time, he draws out the unequivocal call of Revelation to total allegiance to Jesus and that believers overcome through faithful testimony and endurance, even martyrdom. They never overcome through violence. Nor do they overcome through political alliances with imperial power. In all this, Carey helps us wrestle deeply with the text and its implications for our own time.

_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, Second Edition

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Cover image of "The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, Second Edition" by Brooke Borel

The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, Second Edition

The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, Second Edition, Brooke Borel. The University of Chicago Press (ISBN: 9780226817897) 2023.

Summary: The why, what, and how of fact-checking, with guidance on sourcing and record-keeping.

Any non-fiction work builds a story out of facts, whether a news piece, an opinion piece, a magazine article or blog post, a podcast, or a biography, or work of history. While a story reflects the narrative art of the writer, the integrity or truthfulness of the story depends on how solid is the foundation of facts. Fact-checking is essential, whether done by a writer, editor, or professional fact-checker, if indeed the integrity of the piece matters. Our “post truth” era makes this work all the more vital.

The Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing are key reference works for the publishing industry. In this work, Brooke Borel breaks down the why, what, and how of fact-checking. Borel’s experience is in the area of fact-checking for scientific publishing but she also is an award winning journalist and has been articles editor at Undark. The first edition of this work was released in 2016. Since then, the media landscape has drastically changed with new audio and video media, social media and the rise of AI. All these pose new challenges for identifying false information.

She begins with the question of why it matters. In addition to the importance of accurate information to our society, the reputations of writers and publishers depend on good fact-checking. In addition, when stories negatively affect the reputation of a person or organization, there are significant legal liabilities. Accurate facts backed by good sources and documentation mean the difference between huge damage settlements and vindication.

So, what facts ought one check? The short answer is everything. This includes the spelling of names and places, numbers and statistics, quotes, and even what one thinks one knows is true. The author includes a lengthy list. In other words, everything. Later, the author provides a sample story to fact check. The exercise is to identify everything to be fact-checked in a roughly 400 word article. Her answer key included 129 items!

Then, how does one go about this? She goes into the greatest depth with magazine articles, where dedicated fact-checkers are most often employed. The process includes reading, identifying sources, marking facts, triaging facts, tracking and documenting, reporting, and checking each version. She discusses how this varies with different media and how one works with books, where fact-checking is usually the author’s responsibility. She offers helpful ideas for navigating relationships with writers and publishers. While she doesn’t endorse being one’s own fact-checker, she recognizes that on many budgets, this is necessary and gives tips for doing it well.

Chapter four is a deep dive into the kinds of facts one may check and how one goes about it. She includes information on polling data, product claims, images, and sensitive subjects like trauma and abuse. She also offers counsel on litigious material and handling plagiarism. Chapter five builds on this, discussing primary and secondary sourcing, and evaluating the quality of sources. Finally, Borel discusses record-keeping, vitally important if someone subsequently challenges a fact.

Two other features add to the usefulness of this book. One is the “pro tips” interspersed through the text. The other is the “Think like a fact-checker” exercises throughout the text. This culminates with two exercises: identifying all the facts in a story (mentioned earlier) and going through a list of sources to classify them as primary or secondary and high or low quality.

I am one who both recognizes that discerning the truth in a set of facts is not always easy and that truth-seeking takes us on a asymptotic curve toward the truth. But this is only as good as the facts, the data we are working with. More than that, if being a truthful person, who lives with integrity matters, then facts matter.

What is humbling about this book is its honesty. What counts as a fact? Just about everything. Anything I assert or re-post on social media, anything I write on this blog, anything I teach in my church or advocate in the public square. And what about the things I read and watch? Will I always get it right? Probably not. But if I care about that, this book shows me the disciplined, rigorous work of learning to think like a fact-checker. It all comes down to neither believing nor being a party to promoting lies. It all comes down to wanting to live truthfully.

Review: Book and Dagger

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Cover image of "Book and Dagger" by Elyse Graham

Book and Dagger

Book and Dagger, Elyse Graham. Ecco Books (ISBN: 9780063280847) 2025.

Summary: The contribution of scholars and librarians to undercover and intelligence operations during World War II.

James Bond they were not. They were Ivy League academics. Among them were literature professors, historians, librarians, and archivists. But they played a critical role for a nation desperately in need of an intelligence service.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States found itself in a global conflict, government leaders recognized our profound lack of good intelligence. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was formed, the predecessor to today’s CIA. One of the decisions they made was that academics were people good at ferreting out information. They knew how to spend time in archives and make sense out of disparate and sometimes apparently insignificant sources like a phone book or a newspaper ad or even trash. As researchers, their vocation also allowed them to go undercover to find that information.

Elyse Graham focuses her story around three of these academics. Joseph Curtiss was a literature professor who was able to recruit a network of German double agents in Turkey. Adele Kibre was a single archivist who went to Stockholm to acquire critical information about German plans, using charm when needed to dupe those who didn’t think a woman librarian could be a spy. Meanwhile, Sherman Kent, a historian, pioneered and led research and analysis efforts, sifting through mountains of information to create actionable intelligence.

Graham describes the training agents underwent. The goal was to survive capture for 48 hours. However, this wasn’t the time until rescue, but rather the time for other agents to evacuate to safety. Of course, there was the cyanide capsule. Along the way, Graham describes a number of operations, including a raid on a Norwegian heavy water plant. She also describes all the intelligence disinformation efforts surrounding D-Day. Consequently, a number of German resources were elsewhere.

Here is an example of what academics could accomplish. A group from Yale went to the library and from publicly available information reconstructed over 90 percent of the U.S. military’s order of battle and strategic plans. All of this was supposed to be classified. Other analysts studied returning bombers to recommend where to put extra shielding from anti-aircraft fire. They noticed that engines didn’t suffer a lot of hits. Counter-intuitively, that’s where they recommended shielding. Bombers with engine hits didn’t return.

My one criticism of the book is that the author included so many stories that didn’t involve Curtiss, Kibre, and Kent, that one lost the thread of the narrative of their experiences. Not that the stories weren’t interesting. It’s just that after a while, it felt like one story after another that proved the author’s thesis rather than developing the narrative.

However, the thesis itself is worth noting. The scholars turned spies were so successful because of the disciplines they developed as scholars. Graham lists these:

“How to sift through paper evidence like newspapers, leaflets, and novels. How to gather clues from unlikely sources like advertisements and society columns. How to read a lot in just a little time. How to look at a pile of cracked and curling pages and see a treasure hunt. How to evaluate claims. How to tell stories. How to come up with audacious methods of solving problems using unlikely data: figuring out military secrets, say, by tracking ball bearings, or railroad rates, or the serial numbers of tank components. How to make arguments that aren’t merely summaries of what has been said, but that say something new. How to understand another country–because the past, too, is another country–on its own terms” (p. 297).

Graham doesn’t pass up the current relevance of this lesson from history. Scholars, especially from the humanities, are routinely disparaged. Yet doesn’t this story demonstrate that there is a kind of intelligence that we ignore at our peril? Thankfully, there were leaders during World War II who recognized the importance of such intelligence and people who had cultivated the intellectual discipline it required.