MariaJan 30, 2023
hey #bookstodon! i need recommendations for #books about religion in the us: cults, flavours of christianity, why so many people believe in smth "divine", why religion is important in communities/politics etc.
generally good non-fiction about being a religious american, please (and thank you)
@bookstodon
Show threadCassandra LeeJan 30, 2023

@tishkova @bookstodon

Being something of an apologist, I have a few ideas:

Is Atheism Dead? Eric Metaxas
https://ericmetaxas.com/books/is-atheism-dead/

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus — Nabeel Qureshi
http://www.nabeelqureshi.com/seeking-allah-finding-jesus

As for cults, somehow I think of an old website with plenty of footnotes you can look up: http://crossroad.to

Is Atheism Dead? - Eric Metaxas

Eric Metaxas -
Show threadIan Morley

@yieng @tishkova Nabeel Qureshi is great, I’ve worked a few events with him.

I lost a lot of respect for Eric Metaxes over his trump children’s books, though they may be the perfect lens for looking at modern American evangelicals.

Jan 30, 2023 at 1:43pmWeb
Show threadCassandra LeeJan 30, 2023
@immorley @tishkova Yikes, if one has to agree with everything they read, one's in an awful place called an echo chamber. It's important to know what the "other side" thinks, or how could one be convinced of one's own position? Seriously, Metaxas is a great apologist in his own right.
Show threadIan MorleyJan 30, 2023
@yieng @tishkova this has nothing to do with what I just commented, quite the opposite actually. As a christian in the US, I would question how someone who glamorizes fencing out the least of these in a kids book could properly advocate for my religion. on the other hand, as popular as christian nationalism has become in evangelical circles, Metaxes may be a great example when looking into current religious beliefs in the US.
Show threadCassandra LeeJan 31, 2023

@immorley @tishkova I had a hunch the OP would be discouraged from exploring Metaxas (it's a Greek surname, for others reading this comment), which would be such a grave loss, if she wanted to distance herself from political disputes. It's easy to discourage people these days from going into certain places.

Also, I like it that you use the word "advocate" — "And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19:40)

Show threadIan MorleyJan 31, 2023
@yieng @tishkova could be, but I don’t think in 2023 you can research flavors of Christianity in the US while distancing yourself from political disputes. How trumpism permeated and continues to linger in evangelical circles is sadly a defining characteristic of that sect of Christianity now. How ultra-conservative bishops/cardinals in the US are fighting the tradition of papal supremacy because a Latin American pope has different political views. I don’t think it’s possible to separate the two.
Show threadCassandra LeeJan 31, 2023
@immorley @tishkova I don’t live in the US so I won’t comment on what you’ve raised. Why don’t you recommend a title or two that’s aligned with your ideas?