What did you read this summer? T
Darryl Brown
hat’s what we asked George Fox professors, and to no surprise, the response was almost unanimous: “I can only choose one book?” What we didn’t expect was the depth of answers, ranging from books that delved into the usual topics of religion, politics and history to a novel that follows the story of an ambassador from Earth as he treks across an alien world. And more than one professor cracked open The Hunger Games trilogy to better connect with their students. Curious what your favorite professor is reading? Here are a few of their responses. For the rest, visit georgefox.edu/books.
Michael MacLeod, Politics Faithful Citizenship: Christianity and Politics for the 21st Century by Greg Garrett I chose this book, in part, because I am contemplating assigning it for a class next year. I highly recommend it. American politics has become highly polarized, and most Christians are increasingly caught up in this polarization or avoid politics altogether. This trend is addressed head on, focusing on the causes and building a case for a helpful dialogue between religion and politics. Laura Simmons, Seminary Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (audiobook) I am a huge fan of Apple, and I wanted to know more about this complex man. I found it evenhanded and well-researched. Isaacson does not pull punches about Jobs’ volatility and demanding nature as an employer, but overall I found it a sympathetic portrayal.
Roston doesn’t treat biblical drama as a dramatized sermon or a crude forerunner to the Renaissance, but as a nuanced reflection of the “spiritual struggle of men committed to an ideal yet torn from it by their human weaknesses and strengths.”
Mark Eaton, Theatre Biblical Drama in England: From the Middle Ages to the Present Day by Murray Roston I would recommend this book to anyone interested in how God’s Word may inspire believing artists, particularly playwrights.
Mark Hall, Politics American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us by Robert Putnam and David Campbell The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the relationship between religion and public life in America.
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Bill Jolliff, English Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy I hadn’t touched this book since graduate school. I picked it up again with the idea in mind that it might be a useful text for a new course I’m teaching next spring that focuses on 19th century American writers who spoke truth to their culture. Oddly enough, I’m finding it even a better read than I remembered. It speaks in weirdly prophetic ways to the economic turmoil facing the United States today. It’s almost hard to believe that it was written in 1887.