Christian life and literature: eight books

History

The Monastic World

Andrew Jotischky
Yale University Press, 432 pages

We no longer live in a world where one regularly runs across monks and nuns, so dipping into Andrew Jotischky’s 1,200-year history of Christian monas­ticism feels like a trip to a foreign country. Jotischky begins the story with Christians in the early centuries divesting themselves of property in the pursuit of a holier form of living and finishes with the changes brought on by the Protestant Reformation. The book isn’t necessarily a page-turner, but it contains plenty of insights that will challenge typical preconceptions about monastic life. For example, monasticism in the Middle Ages was motivated by popular lay piety, and the thousands of monks and nuns who took vows of poverty were primarily drawn from the landed families of Europe, not the poor. Christians believed a monastic community had the power to effect penance on behalf of others, so sending both funds and family members to monasteries made sense for those who could afford it. Most Protestant readers won’t agree with monastic piety, but this book helps explain why the practice dominated the Christian tradition for so long. —Collin Garbarino

Literary Criticism

The Last Romantic

Jeffrey W. Barbeau
IVP Academic, 176 pages

This book began as a series of lectures at Wheaton College in 2023 about the influence of English Romanticism on C.S. Lewis’ imagination and theology. Barbeau argues that Lewis’ claims not to be a theologian are too self-effacing and that the marginalia in Lewis’ books reveal an engagement with Romantic thinkers and modern theology. In three chapters, each followed by a brief response by another scholar, Barbeau shows Lewis’ method of moving from personal experience to objective reality, his appreciation of the power of feelings and narrative, and his love of God’s book of nature. Readers are also treated to a previously unpublished poem by Lewis found written in the back of a book of Wordsworth’s poetry. English Romanticism—especially that of the later Romantics such as Percy Shelley—has earned its negative reputation for subjectivizing aesthetics and reducing the self to sexual urges. Barbeau shows through an examination of Lewis’ notes and published works that even Romanticism can be redeemed. —Jeremy Larson

Read WORLD’s full review of this book here.

Christian Romance

Welcome to the Honey B&B

Melody Carlson
Baker Publishing Group, 304 pages

This novel might be billed as contemporary romance, but I would describe it as a charming generational story. The protagonist Jewel moves from California to her childhood home in Oregon with her surly teenager. She hopes to convert her parents’ farmhouse into a bed-and-breakfast, but her parents, Honey and C.T., are dealing with their own issues. C.T. has dementia, and Honey spends her days trying to keep up with him. He has a habit of wandering off or causing some sort of mischief. The story moves from slapstick comedy featuring C.T.’s antics to Honey’s wistful musings—and sometimes frank frustration—at their upended retirement plans. Jewel might experience a blooming romance, but the true love is shown in the “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health” relationship between Honey and C.T. In her author’s note, Melody Carlson reveals that her own husband suffers from dementia. This personal connection adds poignant authenticity to the story as much of it mirrors her own life. —Sandy Barwick

Apologetics

Happy Lies

Melissa Dougherty
Zondervan, 272 pages

This book offers a clear-eyed crash course in New Thought, an insidious version of recycled gnosticism lurking behind much of America’s shiny-happy “TikTok theology.” With surgical precision, Dougherty peels back the historical and philosophical layers to expose how New Thought masquerades behind Christian terms to lure unsuspecting pilgrims from the Way. Dougherty doesn’t pull any punches or sugarcoat her message. She unapologetically confronts readers with the stumbling block of a historical Jesus who presents Himself as the only way to God. But she doesn’t shout from a moralistic high horse, either. Dougherty speaks from her own experience moving from New Thought into Biblical Christianity and steers clear of rhetorical straw men—quoting straight from her own interviews with New Thought reverends and speakers. Although some readers may roll their eyes at Dougherty’s punny sense of humor and frequent Disney references, the author’s conversational style keeps the book from feeling heavy. It’s an ideal read for teens navigating our choose-your-own-adventure cultural moment or adults seeking a readable explanation of America’s gospel of self. —Grace Snell

Ethics

The Moral Circle

Jeff Sebo
W.W. Norton, 192 pages

Only a philosopher could claim seriously that humans owe significant duties to microbes. But that is precisely NYU bioethicist Jeff Sebo’s thesis in his new book. Sebo claims that the “moral circle” is divided into two categories: First, “moral agents”—us—who owe duties to others. Virtually everything else—including AI programs he ludicrously labels “silicon-based beings”—are “moral patients” to which duties are owed because “they have the capacity to be benefited or harmed.” Since human actions result in tremendous suffering to “billions, trillions, quadrillions, quintillions, or even sextillions of morally ­significant [present and future] beings,” Sebo argues, we “might have a duty to live primarily in service to others”—meaning virtually everything beyond ourselves. Sebo’s overarching purpose is the destruction of human exceptionalism, which he believes will result in a more benign world. But that’s very wrong. Human unexceptionalism is a prescription for more suffering, not less, because it would mark the end of our moral agency. Once we self-identify as merely another animal, that is precisely how we will act. —Wesley J. Smith

Read WORLD’s full review of this book here.

Christian Science Fiction

Above the Circle of Earth

E. Stephen Burnett
Enclave Publishing, 416 pages

In 2125, on an Earth devastated by religious wars, a humanist one-world government confines faith to religious preserves. Brock Rivers grows up in a Christian preserve, but youthful (and illegal) attempts to evangelize outside its walls lead to exile on Mars with his wife and children. After years in the Martian desert without the protection—or restrictions—of Christian community, a call from home offers hope of revitalizing missions on Earth. The couple must convince apathetic, fearful Christians to fulfill the Great Commission, even in the face of hostile governments and mysterious enemies. They can become real missionaries in space, but only if they survive explosions and elder boards. This novel might feel like a cross between a Star Trek adventure and a missionary biography, but it works. The struggles of mission work and interdenominational disputes take on new intensity in this dystopian setting, while jovial prose focuses the reader on family and gospel truth. The novel imagines a bright future where faithfulness means powering up spaceships and stepping through quantum vaults to reach the nations, even to the uttermost parts of the galaxy. —L.G. McCary

Church History

Stockholm Syndrome Christianity

John G. West
Discovery Institute, 358 pages

Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response in which victims develop feelings of loyalty or sympathy toward their captors as a means of surviving a threatening situation. This bond can make it challenging for them to escape even the most harmful circumstances. The attachment isn’t born of sound reasoning but of deeply flawed thinking, emerging from overwhelming fear and a desperate need for safety. John G. West’s new book uses this idea to explain a troubling trend among some Christian leaders. Instead of holding tightly to their faith, West argues, many leaders are adopting the values of the wider culture. This shift isn’t about being more open-minded; it’s more like falling into a trap where fear of criticism or loss of status leads to compromising core values. West’s analysis reveals that this trend resembles a kind of madness—a loss of genuine identity and conviction as believers adopt the views of their “captors.” The book urges Christians to recognize this trap and return to a more authentic, brave practice of their faith. —John Mac Ghlionn

Read WORLD’s full review of this book here.

Christian Fantasy

Darkfell

Amanda Wright
Quill & Flame, 402 pages

In this novel, Amanda Wright employs some of the fantasy genre’s most beloved tropes in an entirely new and refreshing way. When Thom Darkfell is drafted into a failing army, he’s convinced death is only one battle away. Through unexpected circumstances, the mild Thom is forced to take on unexpected powers that allow him to step between realms. With the help of his best friend and the daughter of a star, Thom must quickly learn to use his powers to seal the barrier to the dark realm before his country falls into enemy hands. Darkfell uses the familiar fantasy concept of interdimensional travel, layering it with the Scriptural language of realms (think of our earthly realm, Sheol, and Paul’s “third heaven”). The world-building is deeply Biblical with heavy reliance on the Creator El’Ohim to provide and guide. Wright’s story examines themes of courage, found family, and spiritual warfare. —Marian Jacobs