EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Warren Smith’s Quarterly List of Books Worth Noting
Books about theology, philanthropy, and ministry leadership
Editor’s Note: Most Saturdays we feature this “Editor’s Notebook” column. MinistryWatch President Warren Smith will offer his opinion on stories in the week’s news or, sometimes, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how and why we do what we do. However, once a quarter (or so), we use the ‘Notebook” for Warren Smith’s list of books either released in the past quarter, or those he just got around to reading this quarter. To read last quarter’s list, published in November, click here.
Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America by Christian Smith. Christian Smith is the sociologist who gave us the expression “moralistic therapeutic deism,” a phrase that at first sounds clunky but which, upon reflection, perfectly describes the American evangelical experience. Some readers might also stumble over Smith’s new assertion that religion is obsolete. But hang with him. He says that “obsolete” does not mean that “traditional faith” has disappeared, but that it no longer seems (emphasis mine) relevant or useful to millions of Americans. If such subtlety, nuance, and distinctions make sense to you (as they do to me), this book is well worth a read.
Stewards Not Owners: The Joy of Aligning Your Money with Your Faith by Dana and Bill Wichterman. The mission of MinistryWatch is “to help Christians become more faithful stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them.” I cannot think of a better tool to aid us (and you) on that journey than this new book by the husband-and-wife team of Dana and Bill Wichterman. They weave their personal story into a well-researched and thoughtful analysis of both scripture and the current cultural moment. The book also challenges ministries to be transparent in their financial dealings. All in all, this book hits the center of the bullseye for me. The appendices, which include an excellent list of books for additional reading on the topic, are worth the price of this fine book. Highly recommended.
Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from Puritans to Donald Trump by Molly Worthen. This highly readable book could not come along at a better time. Both the Christian church and the American culture have wrestled with celebrities for centuries. But the need to understand charisma, charm, celebrity, and related concepts have become essential skills for faithful churchmanship and citizenship. Molly Worthen’s book Apostles of Reason elevated her to the top shelf of academics writing about religion more than a decade ago. This book belongs on the same top shelf. Her profiles of Anne Hutchinson, Tecumseh, Andrew Jackson, and many others bring her analysis to life, and make the book a pleasure to read.
To Invent is Divine: Creativity and Ownership by James R. Edwards Jr. Jim Edwards says the first thing we learn about God is that he is a creator. If we are made in God’s image, then we should be creators, too. Edwards also makes the case that creativity includes ideas, innovations, and inventions. He says that a robust system to protect intellectual property is one of the under-appreciated causes of America’s 250 years of prosperity. He traces intellectual property rights to the U.S. Constitution, and – before that – to a biblical understanding of the world. This topic might seem arcane based on my description here, but Edwards enlivens his case with examples of some of the great innovators in history, from Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers to Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.
Norman Maclean: A Life of Letters and Rivers by Rebecca McCarthy. I discovered Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It long before it became a great movie. In the world of my youth (I was a backpacking guide through college and ran a fishing lodge in Alaska as a young adult), that book was required reading and had already developed a cult following before Robert Redford’s (excellent) film treatment. That book begins with one of the great opening lines in all of literature: “In my family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.” This new biography of Maclean, by a woman who knew him well and for most of her life, is spellbinding and often as poetic as its subject. Especially fascinating (and, for me, sad) was Maclean’s love-hate relationship with the church and the devout Presbyterian faith of his father.
Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America by James and Deborah Fallows. This book reminds me of John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, except that the Fallows travel in an airplane, not a camper. The book is broken into chapters, each devoted to a medium-sized or smaller city they visit. The book is an attempt to identify what makes some towns flourish and some towns decline. The book concludes with ten-and-a-half characteristics of those towns that are successful. One disappointment of the book was its meager treatment of religion in the revitalization of such cities as Greenville, S.C., and Holland, Mich. Jonathan Rauch (who is both gay and an atheist, so no particular friend of religion), had the intellectual honesty to write that “Christianity is the load-bearing wall of American cultural life.” The Fallows seemed to miss or downplay that reality.
Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age edited by Brett McCracken and Ivan Mesa. A collection of essays that celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death. I like a lot about this book, but one of the things I like most is that the essays can be read out of order, or you can read just the ones in which you are interested. Taken together, they make a compelling argument for the lasting impact of Postman’s book, but the individual essays are often tours-de-force themselves. To watch or listen to my interview with McCracken and Mesa, click here.
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