Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Book Reviews

January 24, 2024

Truth, Conscience, and the (New) American Way

We live in a culture where many believe that the claims of their emotional lives trump all other considerations. This sentimental understanding of the self is driven by our culture’s obsession with identity, which is often grounded in our “sense of self.” Continue Reading...
January 17, 2024

Inhumane Letters and the Joy of Violence

Babel: Or The Necessity of Violence, An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators Revolution is a pernicious novel showcasing the ability of literature to make evil appear good. Evaluating Babel requires considering the purpose of literature; how can a novel be technically excellent, yet fail to achieve literature’s high calling? Continue Reading...
January 09, 2024

A Future Fit for Conservatives

If you wanted to capture the current conservative mood—a surefire way to sell books—you would write a despairing jeremiad that extrapolates from every worrying trend. James Pethokoukis deserves praise for daring to do just the opposite. Continue Reading...
January 05, 2024

Thinking and Drinking with Plato

My favorite back-to-school reading this year has been Alex Priou’s Musings on Plato’s Symposium. I hurry to add that I’ve long been out of school, but I did pick up the habit of reading there, and what’s more American than lifelong learning? Continue Reading...
January 03, 2024

Stop Pulling Punches Against Anti-Racism

One of the most telling quotes I’ve heard regarding the conservative movement on racial issues comes from political commentator Candace Owens’ Twitter bio: “Black people don’t have to be Democrats—still.” It epitomizes the modern conservative disconnect: we are very, very good at criticizing existing political visions and are conversely very, very bad at creating alternate ones that appeal to people not on our side. Continue Reading...
December 28, 2023

An Inferno for Our Times

Dante’s purpose in writing the Divine Comedy is placed in the mouth of Virgil a mere 76 lines into Canto I of the Inferno. The poet questions his charge’s malaise at his seemingly hopeless state: “But you, why are you turning back to misery? Continue Reading...
December 21, 2023

Machiavelli and the Invention of Modernity

Harvey Mansfield recently retired from his position at Harvard University after a long and storied career. He’s almost an institution himself, well-known for hard grading, demanding teaching, a book on manliness long after such things were permissible, and superb translations of Tocqueville and Machiavelli. Continue Reading...
December 20, 2023

Cultural Christians and the Work of Remembering

Let me begin where I’ll also end: Nadya Williams’ latest book, Cultural Christians in the Early Church (Zondervan), is a masterful exercise in historical research, a compelling portrait of early Christians who professed Jesus with their words but not with their actions. Continue Reading...
Exit mobile version