[1] Esteemed readers of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, this “Summer Books Issue” contains four reviews and recommendation of readings on the issue of Christian Nationalism. We include book reviews from a broad range of topics including travel, philosophy, ethics, and spirituality. It is our hope that these diverse reviews resonate and influence a decision to seek these books out, as well as to delve deeper in these matters.
[2] As a literary genre, travelogues originated in ancient Greece, encountered a resurgence in the Middle Ages, and became popularized in the 18th century. The value of travelogues lies in the cultural and historical insights gained, the facilitation of personal reflection and growth, and in fostering intercultural connections. Our own Jennifer Hockenbery reviewed Aziz Abu Sarah’s Crossing Boundaries: A Traveler’s Guide to World Peace, an inspirational travel memoir that encourages peacemaking via travel and exploration. According to Hockenbery the book not only motivates on to travel and explore, but it also promotes valuable self-reflection.
[3] The literary genre of spiritual memoirs is also explored by William Russell’s review of Richard Lischer’s Our Hearts Are Restless: The Art of Spiritual Memoir. Beginning with Augustine’s Confessions, Lischer chronicles the spiritual journeys of centuries of theologians, philosophers, saints, and poets. Not only is this an exploration of an inspirational religious literary device, but it is also an inspirational crafting of an archetype that all people of good faith aspire to.
[4] Bruce Wollenberg examines Angela Franks’ Body and Identity: A History of the Empty Self, a comprehensive academic exploration of the relationship between identity and the human body. Franks presents a crisis, what she refers to as “the empty self”—”the crisis of the subject that resists being fixed.” Franks argues that this “liquid body” is the result of a long intellectual trajectory that has severed identity from the body, and from the Christian understanding of the relational person as constituted by God and affirmed by theology.
[5] William Rodriguez reviews Warren Throckmorton’s book on seven myths used by proponents of Christian Nationalism to support their ideas and agenda. The piece examines the psychology and social influence of the movement in order to clarify and illuminate the important role these myths play in the debate on matters of government such as established religion and the separation of church and state.
[7] We present a short list of recommended readings on the contentious issue of Christian Nationalism. A comprehensive bibliography is available upon request. Please contact William Rodriguez here to request it.
[8] We are currently seeking new reviews. Please feel free to contact us with unsolicited reviews, or please peruse the list of available books for review. These books can be mailed to interested parties. We are also seeking reviewers for Fortress Press Series ReEngaging ELCA Social Teaching, and a special series on immigration and refugees.
William Rodríguez is Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Florida. He serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Lutheran Ethics.