David W. Congdon Book Recommendations & Book Mentions

David W. Congdon

New open access article by Jeremy Best (author of the excellent 2021 book Heavenly Fatherland) on the way German missionary fundraising was connected to German nationalism in 1913. https://t.co/I27cjtwXeZ

David W. Congdon

@alex_blondeau @JazzRobertson @AUSpur @nc_clair @DavidDark @AnnaCaudill4 @danscott77 Just chiming in to say I endorse the above, including the Rumi and Tillich quotes. That’s basically what I’m arguing. In my book I propose a version of polydoxy, derived from the Reform Jewish theologian Alvin Reines.

David W. Congdon

Finished Richard Powers's latest novel this week, which is a gut-wrenching, astrobiological follow up to The Overstory. Powers further explores the relation between ecojustice and neurodiversity that his previous novel began, but here it's set against a Trumpian dystopia. https://t.co/pZvT8b2Vr7

David W. Congdon

@Historian_Steve @DwilloCa @devoretext I can't speak to other religions, but in Christianity this is due to a combination of Platonic thought and an emphasis on eschatological salvation. But this same Platonism meant that it rarely translated into an idea of bodily equality (see Katharine Gerbner's Christian Slavery).

David W. Congdon

I remember hearing about Eugene Rogers all the time in the late aughts but rarely come across his name today. So I was quite surprised to see his recent book Blood Theology, which I haven't heard anyone mention. I've been poking around and it's quite interesting. https://t.co/TVxDwf9N8k

David W. Congdon

Lastly, I have to mention Marlon James's MOON WITCH, SPIDER KING, which is the second book in his Dark Star trilogy following BLACK LEOPARD, RED WOLF. This one impressed me even more than the first, and I am excited to read the conclusion. https://t.co/xdpUHu0fpE

David W. Congdon

Again, not expecting much here, but Suzanne Collins has really leaned into her anarcho-libertarianism with this awful, awful prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy. There's nothing enjoyable about this book. It rips off the best parts of the first book but with terrible characters. https://t.co/jgui5VuXhs

David W. Congdon

One of the book recs that I got from @maklelan was Whitehouse's THE RITUAL ANIMAL and now I'm working on a lecture about it for my class. It should be required reading. Among other things, it explains the militancy of white Christian nationalism better than anything else. https://t.co/8SYPncqYqH

David W. Congdon

The @synd_network panel on Lauren Winner's The Dangers of Christian Practice has been good so far. I especially like the exchange between Lerone Martin and Winner. Highly relevant to the descriptive/normative debate over reprehensible Christian activity. https://t.co/AUTHfkiY3O

David W. Congdon

I finished Anthony Doerr's new novel CLOUD CUCKOO LAND last week and *highly* recommend it to all bibliophiles, but especially for classicists and those who have even a passing interest in ancient manuscripts and the way texts travel through time and cultures. https://t.co/4mtsef1Z0f