Books & Culture

I must refer anyone reading this blog to Christianity Today's excellent book review publication Books & Culture: A Christian Review. Although unweildy in size (it's big, not thick), the range of topics covered and the quality of the reviews are excellent. The highest praise I can give B&C is that it is a genuine book review publication, not simply a bunch of Christian reviewers saying nice things about Christian books. The thoughtful reviews are writtten mostly by scholars and writers (including a review in the latest issue by an Economics professor at my institution, George Mason University) who bring depth and breadth of expertise and disposition to their critiques. I particularly like the inclusion of evangelical and Catholic reviewers and books, and every theological variant in between. A broad spectrum of topics are covered, both Christian and secular, though the emphasis is on Christian-oriented books. For example, the July/August 2006 issue has reviews of books on how container ships "changed the world", on lying and Augustinian theology, and most importantly, on Why we no longer believe in sports but should. I have discovered several books through this publication that I might not have otherwise found. I cannot commend B&C to you strongly enough--go subscribe now.