The Month in Reviews: March 2026

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Cover image of "The Glory of the Ascension" by W. Ross Hastings

The Month in Reviews: March 2026

Introduction

Twenty-one reviews in March. The reviews are blooming along with our tulips and daffodils. Among these are books on various parts of scripture: The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), John and the synoptics, Ephesians, and Revelation as well as a wonderful introduction to the Bible and an introduction to how the church fathers read scripture. Also, I read books on the Christian life, including the writings of Edith Stein and a data driven discussion of faith in the workplace.

I keep working through a couple series, reading another Terry Pratchett and William Kent Krueger book. I also enjoyed Jazz Trash, the second book by a talented local author as well as finished my second Jane Austen novel. Then, on the non-fiction front, I read a book on fact-checking. academic spies in WWII, the Gemini space program, and a history of religious activity at the University of Wisconsin, underscoring its nonsectarian vision. Finally, I delighted in the graphic interpretation of some well-loved nature poems.

The Reviews

Reading the Bible with Ten Church Father, Gerald Bray. Baker Books (ISBN: 9781540905147) 2026. How the generations after the apostles interpreted and preached the Bible. Review

Book and Dagger, Elyse Graham. Ecco Books (ISBN: 9780063280847) 2025. The contribution of scholars and librarians to undercover and intelligence operations during World War II. Review

The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, Second Edition, Brooke Borel. The University of Chicago Press (ISBN: 9780226817897) 2023. The why, what, and how of fact-checking, with guidance on sourcing and record-keeping. Review

Rereading Revelation, Greg Carey. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802878120) 2025. A thematic exploration of Revelation’s dangerous call and encouragement to resist idolatrous imperial Rome. Review

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen. Penguin Classics (ISBN: 9780141439808) 2003 (first published in 1814). Fanny Price moves from poverty to live with rich cousins in Mansfield Park, maturing amid their whirl of social relationships. Review

The Authority of the Septuagint, Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross, eds. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514009727) 2025. A multi-perspectival approach to the question of the authority of the Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint. Review

Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy, 1), Jeff Vandermeer. Farrar. Straus and Giroux Originals (ISBN: 9780374104092) 2014. A team of four women investigate a mysterious uninhabited coastal area from which some previous expeditions ended badly. Review

The Fourth Synoptic Gospel, Mark Goodacre. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802875136) 2025. Maintains that John knew of and used Matthew, Mark, and Luke in composing his gospel. Review

The Vision of Ephesians, N.T. Wright. Zondervan Academic (ISBN: 9780310172505) 2025. Ephesians as a vision of the church between creation and consummation as God’s small working model of new creation. Review

The Culture of Interpretation, Roger Lundin. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802806369) 1993. A study of contemporary American culture, how we’ve come to this point, and its implications for Christians. Review

Gather, Darkness!, Fritz Leiber. Open Road Integrated Media (ISBN: 9781497616622) 2014 (first published in 1943). Techno-priests of the Great God control a post-nuclear world, opposed by the Witchcraft, with Brother Jarles torn between. Review

Gemini, Jeffrey Kluger. St. Martin’s Press (ISBN: 9781250323019) 2025. A history of the Gemini program, that prepared the way for the Apollo program in which Americans first landed on the moon. Review

Jazz Trash, Michael S. Moore. Crumpled-paper.com (ISBN: 9798985928945) 2025. Andrew, who cannot play the guitar, is chosen to play guitar for a group that explores the boundaries between jazz and noise. Review

The Glory of the Ascension, W. Ross Hastings. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514010617) 2025. Sets forth this neglected doctrine that celebrates a completed atonement and the exalted glory of the Son. Review

Working for Better, Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514011263) 2025. A data-driven approach to understanding the challenges of fostering faith at work identifying five key tensions. Review

The Well That Washes What It Shows, Jonathan A. Linebaugh. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885487) 2025. An invitation introducing the Bible as both revealing human sin and God’s cleansing work in Christ. Review

Sulphur Springs (Cork O’Connor, 16), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781501147432) 2018. A garbled message from Rainy’s son Peter about trouble sends Cork and Rainy to Arizona to help, threatening their own lives. Review

Sourcery (Discworld, 5; Rincewind, 3), Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins (ISBN 9780063373709) 2024 (First published in 1988). A sourcerer takes over the Unseen University and wreaks havoc on Discworld, and only Rincewind will try to stop him. Review

The University of Wisconsin and The Ideal of Nonsectarianism, Daniel G. Hummel. Upper House (ISBN: 9798987660508) 2022. A history of organized religious activity at the University of Wisconsin. Review

Nature Poems to See By, Julian Peters. Plough Publishing (ISBN: 9781636081748) 2026. An anthology of great nature poems, organized by seasons and graphically interpreted. Review

A Sure Way (Plough Spiritual Guides), Edith Stein, edited by Carolyn Brand, Introduction by Zena Hitz. Plough Publishing (ISBN: 9781636081762) 2026. Essential writings on knowing God, the cross, the resurrection, women’s spirituality, and the way of the cross. Review

Best Book of the Month

The best theological writing does not only inform. It also transforms. So, this month’s best book exemplifies that quality. Ross Hastings The Glory of the Ascension not only sets forth an oft-neglected Christian doctrine. It also left me pausing to savor rich spiritual truth. Then I offered that up in worship.

Quote of the Month

But we not only need to worship. We also need a faith able to sustain us when the world seems to be going up in flames. Edith Stein, who was martyred at Auschwitz, brings worship and resilient faith together in this statement found in the new Plough Spiritual Guide tiutled A Sure Way:

“The world is in flames. The conflagration can also reach our house. But high above all flames towers the cross. They cannot consume it. It is the path from earth to heaven. It will lift the one who embraces it in faith, love, and hope into the bosom of the Trinity” (p. 123).

What I’m Reading

Another writer who challenges me to go deeper in Christ is Dallas Willard. For example, his Knowing Christ Today makes the case that the knowledge of Christ is real knowledge, corresponding to our reality. Then, Amanda Hope Haley’s Stones Still Speak is a delightful introduction to biblical archaeology. Rather than proving the Bible, she sees it as illuminating the context of scripture. While I’ve read spiritual writers on the practice of solitude, Robert J. Coplan explores the psychology of solitude. Specifically, he digs into what makes it good, and not so good.

George Saunders’ Vigil is a recent novel. In it, a woman who has died returns to comfort the dying in their last moments. However, her current charge, a dying oil tycoon, is different. Despite a host of deceased from his past confronting him, he refuses to face his complicity in promoting lies denying climate change. Not only is this encounter different, but it changes Jill Blaine as well. Finally, I am savoring another of Stuart Kaminsky’s Abe Lieberman mysteries. In Not Quite Kosher, he and his Irish partner not only try to solve two murder cases, one involving the death of a fellow officer. Abe also tries to be understanding grandfather for his grandson’s bar mitzvah while supporting his partner’s wedding plans.

So, what was your best read of March? I love to hear what others are enjoying as we take this reading journey together!

The Month in Reviews is my monthly review summary going back to 2014! It’s a great way to browse what I’ve reviewed. The search box on this blog also works well if you are looking for a review of a particular book. Thanks for stopping by. and feel free to share this with others!

Review: A Sure Way

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Cover image of "A Sure Way" by Edith Stein

A Sure Way

A Sure Way (Plough Spiritual Guides), Edith Stein, edited by Carolyn Brand, Introduction by Zena Hitz. Plough Publishing (ISBN: 9781636081762) 2026.

Summary: Essential writings on knowing God, the cross, the resurrection, women’s spirituality, and the way of the cross.

Edith Stein was born to an upper-middle-class Jewish family in Breslau, Prussia (now Wroclaw, Poland). An early feminist, Stein had a conversion experience while pursuing post-doctoral work with Edmund Husserl in 1916. After reading a biography of Saint Teresa of Avila, she sought baptism into the Catholic Church. Also, she sought to enter the monastic life but spiritual advisors encouraged her that she could best serve God in an academic career. However, the rise of Nazism led to the loss of her academic position. In 1935, she professed monastic vows at a Carmelite Monastery in Cologne. Later, as persecution against Jews intensified, she fled to the Netherlands. She was arrested on August 2, 1942, dying in the gas chambers of Auschwitz on August 9. Having adopted the name of Teresa Benedicta, She was beatified as a martyr in 1987 and canonized in 1998.

This Plough Spiritual Guide introduces a new generation to a collection of her essential writings, edited by Carolyn Brand. Zena Hitz introduces the collection, after a biography by Carolyn Brand. She contends that Stein addressed the sickness of her generation, affirming the “sure way” of following Christ on the way of the cross.

The rest of the book consists of Stein’s writings grouped under five headings. This is not a lightweight devotional but the substantive writing of a devote academic, a trained philosopher.

First, she addresses “Ways to Know God.” She allows for people to encounter God through nature, scripture, faith, and direct experience. Her passion is not for mere knowledge or faith but to encounter the living God, to see God. Yet often this involves the way of the cross, stillness and hiddenness. The final piece in this section offers her thoughts on the possibility of Christian philosophy.

The second subheading is “At the Foot of the Cross.” This includes a couple poetic reflections and her thoughts on the meaning of the cross. Specifically, she focuses on what it means for believers to take up the cross and die with Christ and to live by faith. Then the section concludes with two pieces on the dark night of the soul, paradoxically, an invitation for deeper communion with God.

“Light Breaks In” includes Stein’s writing on the two great holidays of Easter and Christmastide. “The Mystery of Sacrifice” traces the arc of Jesus Life from his Incarnation to the Sacrifice on the cross and ponders what it means to go the whole way with Jesus. She concludes with “The Summons of Christmas” which is to oneness with God, with others in God, and to extend that love to the world.

Stein did not cease to be a feminist upon conversion. However, “The Soul of Women” reveals relatively traditional distinctions between men whose essence is revealed in “action, work, and objective achievements. By contrast, women’s “deepest yearning is to achieve a loving union.” She argues in the final essay in this section that women will contribute most to the nation’s health in all areas of national life as they live into wholeness with God. I don’t think all women will agree with Stein’s gender distinctions and that these contribute to their flourishing.

Finally, “A World in Flames” reflects Stein’s response to the rise of Nazism. The first piece is noteworthy: her appeal to Pope Pius XI to advocate for the Jewish people. She wrote this when relieved from her academic position. The pope never responded. The title essay, “The World in Flames” once again expresses her confidence in the way of the cross. She writes:

“The world is in flames. The conflagration can also reach our house. But high above all flames towers the cross. They cannot consume it. It is the path from earth to heaven. It will lift the one who embraces it in faith, love, and hope into the bosom of the Trinity” (p. 123).

This was the faith Stein held onto when the flames indeed engulfed her house. Instead of fleeing Europe, she remained. These selections explained the mindset that met the horror of the holocaust, even Auschwitz by faith. This book is nothing more nor less than her call to discipleship, one worthy of standing alongside Bonhoeffer’s, The Call of Discipleship.

_______________________

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

Review: Nature Poems to See By

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Cover image of "Nature Poems to See By" by Julian Peters

Nature Poems to See By

Nature Poems to See By, Julian Peters. Plough Publishing (ISBN: 9781636081748) 2026.

Summary: An anthology of great nature poems, organized by seasons and graphically interpreted.

Graphic works have rendered original stories in striking fashion for a new generation. And they have brought to life old stories in fresh ways. But can this work in the world of poetry, with its rich, dense, and often metaphorical use of language? This work, by comic artist Julian Peters, answered this question for me with a resounding yes. This is his second foray into this territory, having published Poems to See By in 2020.

As is obvious from these titles, Peters believes poetry is a means by which we see the world. He also believes poetry is a means by which we see ourselves and even greater realities than those we see with only our eyes. And he employs graphic art to aid us in the seeing.

This anthology collects twenty-four poems, including many familiar ones around the theme of nature. It opens with Langston Hughes poem, “Daybreak in Alabama, evoking both the red clay landscape of Alabama, and “the dream” of races reconciled. It closes with Gerard Manley Hopkins “God’s Grandeur,” concluding with a striking image of the final lines: 

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
     World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

There are six poems for each of the seasons of the year.

“Summer” includes an imaginative rendering of the rich imagery in William Blake’s “And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time” and an apocalyptic rendering of Gwendolyn Brook’s haunting “Truth.”

“Autumn” opens in a portrayal of Sylvia Plath’s proliferating “Mushrooms” and includes Emily Dickinson’s “There Came a Wind Like a Bugle” which eerily evoked reminders of a recent windstorm. Peters vividly renders “The Voice of God” which eludes all human pretensions to come in the small and the ordinary.

“Winter” includes a striking black and white rendering of Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Then he follows by a monochrome rendering of Stevie Smith’s “Not Waving but Drowning,” with the concluding lines “I was much too far out all my life/And not waving but drowning.”

Finally, we come to “Spring,” opening with e. e. cummings “I Thank You God for Most This Amazing.” Also, this collection includes an op art portrayal of William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” I felt like I was back in the Sixties!

But some might object to the substitution of the artist’s imagination for one’s own engagement with the text. To address this, the text of each poem follows its graphic rendering. However, I personally found the graphic images encouraged me to pause and ponder the phrasing of each poem that a textual reading alone might gloss over. I found myself wondering why the artist chose particular ways of rendering. This both illuminated and highlighted the ways I was “seeing” the poem.

In conclusion, Julian Peters has created a wonderful doorway into poetry for those new to this world. Likewise, his renderings help us “see” old favorites in a new way. This was a delight to the eye and the eyes of my heart.

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

The Weekly Wrap: March 22-28

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The Weekly Wrap: March 22-28

The Latest AI Brouhaha

Last week, Hachette pulled Mia Ballard’s Shy Girl after The New York Times provided evidence that the book text relied heavily on AI. In an email to the Times, Ms. Ballard denied using AI in writing but conceded that a friend, who helped edit the self-published version of the book, used AI.

What is interesting about this, according to a story in Publisher’s Weekly, is that readers and reviewers in online discussion widely criticized the book for AI use, describing it as “flat.” Given that online chatter is one of the reasons publishers pick up self-published books, a PW editor in a blog post suggested it stretches credulity that no one at Hachette was aware of the criticism. (On a related note, the author’s explanation also stretches credulity and is a blatant denial of authorial responsibility.)

According to PW, the episode exposes the muddiness of major publishers on AI use. Only PRH requires “original work,” but even this is slippery. Hachette only pulled the book after public pressure. Did the book fool editors? Or did editors not look closely enough to notice?

I personally would like to see a “no AI generated text” policy on the part of publishers. Alternatively, if a work uses text generated by AI, disclose it publicly. I would handle deception on these matters as a version of plagiarism. Authors tempted to use AI as a shortcut without disclosure should realize that such a shortcut may be career-ending.

All of this reflects the conundrum of the rapid imposition of AI by high-tech companies. So several articles this week explore different aspects of AI use.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Geoff Shullenberger argues in “Critique of ‘Agentic’ Reason” that delegating agency to AI is a bad idea, particularly as this makes war on introspection.

Peter Wayne Moe was a deeply depressed English professor, due to the heavy reliance of his students on AI. Then he enrolled in a course to learn to play guitar, an experience leading him to ban screens in his classes, requiring students to read print books and PDFs, and write with pens in college-ruled notebooks. “Hollow Body” is a marvelous article describing his process.

Pope Leo XIV has urged priests not to use AI to write homilies. Jim Morin, in “A Disembodied Gospel,” extends this argument to the sacraments (no bots as confessors!) and other pastoral work. I’d love to see other Protestant church leaders address this!

Former kickboxer and social media influencer Andrew Tate says books are too slow. Joel Halldorf defends slow and deep reading, arguing “Andrew Tate Doesn’t Get the Point of Books.” I love what he says when he writes, “So I try to see reading not as a plate of vegetables, but as a glass of wine. Just as we don’t sip an earthy red in order to work our way through the stocks in a cellar, we shouldn’t read just to diminish the pile of books on our desk. There is pleasure in an attentive sip.”

I think I found my baseball book for this year after reading “Like Baseball? In This Book, You Can Play in Your Kitchen.” It is a review of Robert Coover’s 1968 classic, The Universal Baseball Association, once again in print. It was written before the rise of fantasy baseball leagues and eerily anticipates them.

Quote of the Week

Flannery O’Connor was born on March 25, 1925. Her bluntness is not limited to her stories. She commented:

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”

Miscellaneous Musings

Ever get a treasured book soaked in a rainstorm or drop it into a swimming pool? Open Culture posted a great video from Syracuse University Libraries on “How to Rescue a Wet, Damaged Book: A Handy Visual Primer.” The key thing is, don’t let the book dry out before following this process!

I’ve been reading The Joy of Solitude by Robert J. Coplan. It’s a fascinating exploration of the fine line between being alone and loneliness. One factoid: students preferred inflicting electric shocks on themselves to sitting alone with their thoughts for fifteen minutes.

I’ve had Richard Hays’ The Moral Vision of the New Testament on my shelves, unread, for years, nearly 30 as it turns out. Eerdmans just sent me New Testament Ethics, a collection of essays on Hays’ book on its 30th anniversary of publication. So. both books are now in my review queue! That’s one way to get me to read those unread books!

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Julian Peters, Nature Poems to See By

Tuesday: Edith Stein, A Sure Way

Wednesday: The Month in Reviews: March 2025

Thursday: Harold Ristau, Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance

Friday: Josiah Hesse, On Fire for God

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for March 22-28.

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

Review: The University of Wisconsin and The Ideal of Nonsectarianism

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The University of Wisconsin and The Ideal of Nonsectarianism

The University of Wisconsin and The Ideal of Nonsectarianism, Daniel G. Hummel. Upper House (ISBN: 9798987660508) 2022.

Summary: A history of organized religious activity at the University of Wisconsin.

I worked in collegiate ministry at a flagship public land grant university for over two decades. So it was with great interest that I received this essay that offers a concise history of organized religious activity through the years and how a public university like the University of Wisconsin (now University of Wisconsin-Madison) related to religion as a state-supported university.

Daniel G. Hummel observes that this was a point of concern from its beginnings in 1848. On one hand, churches in the state feared it would be a “godless, secular university.” However, others feared that religious ideas, or even a particular church would be privileged. Rather, the university intentionally described itself from its beginnings in 1848 as a “nonsectarian” university. While not favoring any church or religious faith, the exploration of religious ideas was welcomed both in the classroom as well as in the varied expressions of organized religion represented in the students, faculty, and administration. In the early year, the course of study for fourth year students included a course in “Christian evidences,” as was true at many colleges.

John Bascom, the sixth president of the university was theologically trained and wrote on religion, philosophy, and science. His baccalaureate addresses spoke often of the importance of religious faith. During his presidency the three prominent university buildings at the top of what would be known as Bascom Hill all had chapels for regular chapel services.

Hummel traces this nonsectarian ideal, and the changes it underwent, throughout the University’s history. He describes a shift under Bascom’s successor, Thomas C. Chamberlin, elevating the role of science, focusing on Common Sense nonsectarianism. Though not hostile to religion, religion was de-emphasized in the university curriculum. This was also during the period where the University expanded from its liberal arts core to embrace the land grant ideal of agricultural and mechanical arts.

However, the period from 1890 to 1940 witnessed a resurgence of Protestant Social Gospel nonsectarianism. Economist Richard T. Ely focused on labor, finance, and economic reforms as an outworking of his Episcopal faith. This period also marked the adoption of the university hymn, “Light for All” and annual Religious Emphasis Weeks, sponsored by the YMCA, bringing Social Gospel leaders like John R. Mott and Harry Emerson Fosdick to campus.

The period from 1940-1975 brought notable changes. The 1950’s would mark the highwater mark of religious identification and involvement of students. Increasingly, nonsectarian meant Jewish, protestant, and Catholic. Yet participation in historic protestant churches and organizations waned. In 1954, the YMCA closed its building. Civil rights and the Vietnam war brought an increasing focus on activism. Muslim students formed an association in 1960.

Hummel describes the period from 1970 to 2023 as “the decline of nonsectarianism. The explosion of parachurch ministries eclipsed denominational ministries. In more recent years, nonsectarianism gave way to diversity and inclusion efforts. Universities moved to an approach of viewpoint neutrality.

What stands out in this history is that the nonsectarian ideal provided the context for a vibrant and changing religious life through the university’s history, reflecting societal changes. Students, faculty, and university leaders saw their academic work and religious faith walking hand in hand throughout this period, whether it be John Bascom, Richard T. Ely, or John W. Alexander, a geography professor who organized a faculty prayer group, and later became the president of InterVarsity. The fact that the University of Wisconsin was a public university did not translate into a “godless, secular” university. Rather it fostered a lively context where students and faculty and religious ministers explored ultimate questions together.

Hummel’s essay makes for a great case study of religious history at public universities. Thus, it offers a good template for similar histories at other comparable campuses. In addition, Hummel’s account provides an account of different ministry models and the factors evident in their waxing and waning. In conclusion, this is a very useful resource for campus ministers as well as student life leaders who have a shared interest in flourishing of students. Free electronic copies are available at the Steve and Laurel Brown Foundation.

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

Review: Sourcery

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Cover image of "Sourcery" by Terry Pratchett

Sourcery

Sourcery (Discworld, 5; Rincewind, 3) Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins (ISBN 9780063373709) 2024 (First published in 1988).

Summary: A sourcerer takes over the Unseen University and wreaks havoc on Discworld, and only Rincewind will try to stop him.

Sourcery once nearly destroyed Discworld. Wizards are the eighth sons of eighth sons. Therefore, wizards cannot marry. Problem solved. But one wizard, Ipslore, defied the ban and was cast out of the Unseen University. Then his wife bore him eight sons. To further complicate things, as he is dying, he cheats Death by pouring all his power into his staff and giving it to Coin, his infant eighth son. Coin is a born sourcerer. He doesn’t learn magic, he is a source of it. And he is impelled through the staff by his vengeful father. Hence the great and deadly power of this sourcerer.

Fast forward eight years. The wizards are about to install a new Archchancellor. But something strange is happening. All the rats and vermin are fleeing the Unseen University. All the books of spells in the library are restless. Rincewind, never powerful but the consummate survivor, decides they know something. He and the Luggage go to his favorite watering hole. And its a good thing. Coin shows up in the Great Hall after murdering the Archchancellor-elect. Coin claims his office. And it is fatal to challenge him, as several who try find out. But the hat of the Archchancellor is nowhere to be found.

That’s because Conina, the daughter of Cohen the Barbarian has absconded with it. She finds Rincewind and convinces him that it is a good time to make himself scarce in Ankh-Morpork. And a good thing too. Coin’s power greatly amplifies that of all the wizards. They remake the city. Coin turns its ruler into a newt.

Conina leads them to Al-Khali, where she believes there is one fit to wear the hat. Meanwhile, bands of wizards have taken over and “remade” vast parts of Discworld. He burns down the library (although the librarian saves the books!). But this doesn’t satisfy Coin. The gods still hold sway. So Coin captures the gods in a sphere, not realizing the havoc the gods hold back.

When the wizards overthrow Al-Khali despite the hat, Rincewind realizes he may be the only one who can stop Coin. But how? He is the least powerful of wizards. Nevertheless, he returns to Ankh-Morpork on a borrowed magic carpet. But the only weapon he can muster is a sock with half a brick in it. Not promising, but as we know, Rincewind has cheated Death before. But this “David” is up against a huge “Goliath.”

The wizards are often a silly, ineffectual body. By contrast, the power of sourcery seems capable of great things. But, as Lord Acton observed, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Apparently, this applies in Discworld as well as our own.

Review: Sulphur Springs

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Cover image of "Sulphur Springs" by William Kent Krueger

Sulphur Springs

Sulphur Springs (Cork O’Connor, 16), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781501147432) 2018.

Summary: A garbled message from Rainy’s son Peter about trouble sends Cork and Rainy to Arizona to help, threatening their own lives.

The phone in Cork and Rainy’s bedroom went to voicemail before Rainy could answer it. It was her son, Peter. in a garbled message, Peter said he was in trouble and something about murdering someone named Rodriquez. It was clear that they needed to go to Arizona, where Peter was living. But this is hard for Rainy. Peter wasn’t the only Bisonette who’d killed a man.

Peter was Rainy’s son by her first marriage. After time in the military, he grew addicted to drugs. After a stay at a re-hab program, he was clean. Or so they believed. The last they’d heard, he was working with the program. But when they arrive, they learn he hasn’t worked there in a year. He’d also gone missing from his current work at a vineyard. A visit to Sulphur Springs, where Peter gets his mail turns up nothing. No one seems to know him. But they get the distinct impression people are lying.

Early on, someone warns them to trust no one. And the advice seems warranted. Even after the bit of poking around they did, the rented Jeep they were driving exploded when, on a cold morning, Corked used the remote ignition fob to warm it up. The only one who would help them was the Methodist minister whose church Peter attended. She loaned them her truck and the use of the parsonage.

As they try to piece together what is going on, they discover the Rodriquez name is tied to a ruthless drug cartel, that Peter has been part of a secretive group assisting border refugees called the Desert Angels, and there is another group, White Horse, opposed to any efforts to assist immigrants. In addition, there are people on the inside who are compromised. It could be anyone.

At one point someone kidnaps Rainy. Cork is captured and “sweated.” And a name out of the past turns up to rescue them. Mondragon. Rainy’s first husband. He’d bankrolled Peter’s treatment. Then the question of trust becomes more personal. Rainy stays hidden with Mondragon while Cork tracks Peter. And Cork wonders if he can trust Rainy’s love. Mondragon is rich and powerful. And Cork is learning Rainy has secrets.

Trust and betrayal. As in many cases, large sums of money play a part. As the young man risks his life to save immigrants on a kind of “Underground Railroad,” Cork is not the only one hunting him. Who will prevail? And will trust prevail over betrayal?

Review: The Well That Washes What It Shows

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Cover image of "The Well That Washes What It Shows" by Jonathan A. Linebaugh

The Well That Washes What It Shows

The Well That Washes What It Shows, Jonathan A. Linebaugh. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885487) 2025.

Summary: An invitation introducing the Bible as both revealing human sin and God’s cleansing work in Christ.

This was one book that had my attention from the very title. What an interesting image: the well that washes what it shows! I can see a well serving to wash something. But how does a well show? I found a clue in the George Herbert poem “The Holy Scriptures I,” from which this phrase is drawn. The preceding line says “That mends the lookers eyes: this is the well/That washes what it shows.”

What Herbert is saying and Linebaugh as well, is that scripture both opens our eyes to our sin but also offers the blessed assurance of God’s cleansing love, poured out in Christ. For Linebaugh, this is the story and shape that defines Holy Scripture. In this introduction to reading the scriptures, he will trace this idea from Genesis to Revelation

The book devotes three chapters each to the Old Testament and the New Testament. Then Linebaugh devotes a chapter to a study of Romans, bringing together theological, historical, exegetical, and devotional concerns. Finally, he explores the question of how scripture may be a comfort to one.

His approach to the Old Testament is to follow the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible: the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). He briefly highlights themes of each book, offers helpful charts, timelines, and maps. He features the shift in Genesis from the world to a single family, that of Abraham and the themes of obedience and blessing and disobedience and curse in Deuteronomy. Linebaugh then traces the failure of Israel in the Prophets and Writings. Also, he shows God’s promises to restore despite their sin.

Turning to the New Testament, the three chapters in this section treat the Gospels, Acts and the Pauline letters, and Hebrews to Revelation. Again, he offers brief summaries and helpful charts. For example, he charts the parallels between Israel’s history and the life of Jesus. Then he shows the distinctive focus of each gospel. With Acts and Paul’s letters, he draws out the apostolic and pastoral pattern of Paul’s work. The section on Hebrews to Revelation focuses on the two longest books that bookend this collection. Specifically, in Hebrews he focuses on the confession of Jesus Christ–>Warning and Judgement–>Confession of Jesus Christ pattern. Then in Revelation, he emphasizes the “unveiling” aspect of the book, specifically the unveiling of the Lamb and his victory. Linebaugh notes scripture’s wonderful bookends of garden, river, and tree of life in Genesis and Revelation!

His study of Romans underscores both the disclosure of human sin and the redemptive work of Christ, even through the pain of Israel’s current rejection, opening the way to the Gentiles but ultimately offering hope for all. He concludes with how those who have been renewed should live, shaped by the word, through faith expressed in love. Linebaugh’s final chapter explores how we may minister comfort through this word as we seek to understand:

  • Who we are ministering to
  • Which word they need, that of showing or washing
  • What we may say as we listen to the Word, the person, and our own lives.

What set this book apart from other biblical introductions for me was first of all the clear theme Linebaugh traces through scripture. In addition, I found his concise overviews helpful in not overwhelming new readers with a mass of detail. Finally, Linebaugh’s writing is accessible, yet literate, and filled with the grandeur of its subject. One senses that this is a man captivated with Holy Scripture who would be delighted if we shared that love.

Thus, this is a book filled with pastoral insight for those who care for God’s people. Equally, it is an inviting resource for those new to scripture. It’s clear that Linebaugh loves to tell the story of “the well that washes what it shows.”

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

Review: Working for Better

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Cover image of "Working for Better" by Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels

Working for Better

Working for Better, Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514011263) 2025.

Summary: A data-driven approach to understanding the challenges of fostering faith at work identifying five key tensions.

Christians have been writing about faith in the marketplace for at least fifty years. Much of that writing has been informed both by theological convictions about the nature of work and workplace experience. Much of the latter is either testimonial or drawn from anecdotal evidence. Traditionally, much of this has focused on vocation, service, witness, and righteousness.

Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels are social scientists (at Rice University and Wheaton College, respectively). They have engaged in an extensive research project on faith at work. They surveyed 15,000 workers, interviewed 300 individuals, and worked with several focus groups. Out of this research they identified five tensions in the faith-at-work movement. In paired chapters, they discuss each tension, considering both traditional approaches and newer ways of engagement, based on their research. The five are:

Understanding of Work: While the focus has always been on all work being done in service to God, this is not always widely shared on the ground. They identify four dimensions of calling along axes of intrinsic-extrinsic and within the workplace-beyond the workplace.

Religious Discrimination and Accommodation: They trace the experience of both Christians and those of other faiths in this regard, noting where discrimination and lack of accommodation have occurred. At the same time, they recognize the opportunity for engagement in focusing on the protection of others and not only one’s own rights.

Focus on personal and systemic responsibility: Many Christians have focused, and rightly so, on personal ethics and discussed ways they faced challenges with immorality and ethical compromise. They also explore the opportunities for systemic engagement to address organizational change for ethical behavior for the common good.

Men and Women in the Workplace: They looked at different ways men and women express their faith and the different levels at which each reported unfair treatment in the workplace, including religious workplaces. They consider ways the church can support flourishing for both men and women as well as the support women may be given in terms of harassment and models and mentors.

Expressing Faith in the Workplace: They identify the many ways Christians express faith in the workplace. Given the growing presence of other faiths, they advocate a principled pluralism approach. This means respect for all while not muting the distinctiveness of any.

As the authors conclude, they discuss the practice of rest. What was surprising was the silence of their research results on the subject. They explore healthy rhythms of work and rest on a daily weekly, monthly and longer term basis. And they offer challenges for churches, workplace leaders and all workers.

Summing up, the things I liked the most about this book were its data-driven nature, listening to non-Christian voices, and the expansive vision they cast in each of the five tensions. They focus on moving beyond personal godliness and self-protection to constructive organizational engagement. They offer an attractive and compelling vision for the next season of faith at work.

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

The Weekly Wrap: March 15-21

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The Weekly Wrap: March 15-21

Retiring a Saying

A saying that has become nearly a mantra among bibliophiles is “So many books; so little time.” For example, my family even bought me a t-shirt with this saying. Yet the longer I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve come to conclusion that it might be healthy to retire this slogan.

It’s not that both parts of the statement are not true. I just read that four million books were published this past year. And, if I live as long as my parents did, I have twenty years or less of reading left. But I think the statement can foster a kind of frenzied compulsiveness to try to read as many as one can. Don Quixote, move over!

That’s a temptation to which I am prone. But I think its time for a new saying. Maybe something like, “So little time; so savor your books.” Whether I’m enjoying the twists of a good mystery, the suspense of a thriller, the wonder of a life chronicled or an exposition seeking to unravel the majesty of God, I want to savor.

Somehow, I don’t think the One Who has written the greatest story will mind.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Those of a certain age will remember The Baby-Sitters Club novels, published by Scholastic. In all 213 were published and it led to a TV series and film. And apparently they are still popular. Jennifer Hubert Swan offers ten recommendations of other books like these in “My Kids Love the Baby-Sitters Club Books. What Should They Read Next?“

I learned a new word today–“looksmaxxing.” It is the practice of maximizing one’s physical attractiveness, one’s “sexual market value” on social media. Anna Louie Sussman, in a review of The Intimate Animal explores “The Basic Drive That Humans Might Be Losing.”

Needless to say, AI is one aspect of looksmaxxing, as well as many other emerging developments in our relationship with machines. However, that interaction is not new and Peter Wolfendale explores some of that history and the recurring question of machine souls in “Geist in the machine.”

Do you ever find yourself in a conversation grappling with so many global issues, all of which have moral implications, that you wrestle to find moral language to respond? Ann Frances Margolies suggests we might find help in the work of Simone Weil in “Speaking After the Noise.”

And lastly, it’s time for a little fun. With St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this week,  J. D. Biersdorfer asks “Do You Recognize These Lines From Great Irish Poets?” Just five questions. I got four out of five, but a couple were guesses!

Quote of the Week

I do think the breakdown of our collective sanity may be attributable to our loss of neighboring and other forms of community. John Updike, born March 18, 1932, thought so as well:

“We take our bearings, daily, from others. To be sane is, to a great extent, to be sociable.”

Miscellaneous Musings

Standard Ebooks describes itself as “a volunteer-driven effort to produce a collection of high quality, carefully formatted, accessible, open source, and free public domain ebooks that meet or exceed the quality of commercially produced ebooks. The text and cover art in our ebooks are already believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks dedicates its own work to the public domain, thus releasing the entirety of each ebook file into the public domain. All the ebooks we produce are distributed free of cost and free of U.S. copyright restrictions.” They have quite a library and their renderings surpass other versions of Public Domain works.

Yesterday was delivery day–five books from four different publishers. I’ll be highlighting them over the next weeks on my social media platforms (Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram). You might find it worthwhile to follow me on one or more of those platforms.

I’m about 80 pages into On Fire For God by Josiah Hesse. He explores the evangelicalism of the Seventies and Eighties that formed his parents, its influence on him, and how so much of it morphed into what we know as “The Religious Right.” It’s fascinating as I consider the different way my life went while being shaped by similar influences. I also find myself observing, as does Amy Grant in her recent “The Sixth of January (Yasgur’s Farm),” that “we’ve lost our way.” This is one of those instances of hoping to understand in retrospect to discern the way forward.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels, Working for Better

Tuesday: Jonathan A. Linebaugh, The Well That Washes What it Shows

Wednesday: William Kent Krueger, Sulfur Springs

Thursday: Terry Pratchett, Sourcery

Friday: Daniel G. Hummel, The University of Wisconsin and the Ideal of Nonsectarianism

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for March 15-21.

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