William Palmer: The Oxford Movement and a Quest for Orthodoxy By Robin Wheeler Holy Trinity Seminary Press, pp. 324, $47.95 Review by Richard Mammana Jr. Among the most eccentric figures to come out of the Oxford Movement was the Anglican deacon William Palmer (1811-79), who devoted his career to a personal testing of the Branch Theory: the idea that the one … [Read more...] about A Personal Testing of the Branch Theory
Essays & Reviews
An Adventurous Archdeacon
A Window to Heaven: The Daring First Ascent of Denali, America’s Wildest Peak By Patrick Dean Pegasus Books, pp. 336, $27.95 Review by Rob Price From the hills of the Lake District in his native England, to the post-Civil War cattle ranches of West Texas, to the Gold Rush settlements along the Yukon River, and finally to the peak of Denali, Hudson Stuck was an … [Read more...] about An Adventurous Archdeacon
The Holy Land’s Last Christians?
The Vanishing Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets By Janine di Giovanni PublicAffairs, pp. 272, $30 Review by Paul Feheley Books written about the Middle East are often either political explorations of various regimes and factions, or stories of faith. The award-winning author Janine de Giovanni has managed to combine both, and … [Read more...] about The Holy Land’s Last Christians?
Passing On the Story
The Bible in the Early Church By Justo L. González Eerdmans, pp. 204, $19.99 Review by Frank Logue The woman sitting two seats over on the subway sits transfixed, clearly intent on whatever she is listening to with her earbuds. Author Justo Gonazález observes that she may be “listening to the prophet Isaiah — the same prophet whom the Ethiopian traveler was reading” … [Read more...] about Passing On the Story
Abundance and Hope in della Robbia’s Resurrection
. The Resurrection of Christ The Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, New York Long-term installation Review by Pamela A. Lewis Composed of 46 glazed terra cotta pieces, The Resurrection of Christ by Renaissance artist Giovanni della Robbia (1469-1529/30), is a mighty and gorgeous relief sculpture depicting Christ’s triumphant rising from the dead. A … [Read more...] about Abundance and Hope in della Robbia’s Resurrection
Finding God in Strange Places
Review by Anthony Baker All’s Well That Ends Well From Dust to Resurrection: 40 Days with Shakespeare By Peter Graystone Canterbury Press Norwich, pp. 192, $20.99 How might literature inform theology? More to the point, how can it do so well? Most basically, there are two ways. Good literature can send us toward theological questions; theological questions, … [Read more...] about Finding God in Strange Places
Medieval England’s Daily Round
Review by Richard J. Mammana Jr. Going to Church in Medieval England By Nicholas Orme Yale University Press, pp. 483, $35 Lay Canon Nicholas Orme of Truro Cathedral is one of the most prolific historians of religion in England, with more than 30 extraordinary titles to his name. Perhaps the most delightful was Medieval Children (2001), but his areas of … [Read more...] about Medieval England’s Daily Round
A ‘Radical Contemplative’
Review by Peter Doll Edward King: Teacher, Pastor, Bishop, Saint By Michael Marshall Gracewing, pp. xxi + 565, $40 When in 1885 Edward King (1829-1910) was appointed Bishop of Lincoln, the eminent church historian and Bishop of Chester William Stubbs told Prime Minister William Gladstone that he had made “the best appointment … since St. Anselm.” The … [Read more...] about A ‘Radical Contemplative’