Jonathan Werthmuller

One Thing Remains

Revisado: 06-07-24

Isker’s perspective, which demands a paradigmatic shift in how we perceive, reject, and reshape our “trash-world” is timely, honest, and is likely to put a fire in your belly. I have no criticism of this aspect of his work.

The argument, however, stumbles ever so slightly when the author suggests indirectly that evangelical Christianity (or Protestantism of any kind) is capable of denying its own shortcomings. The masculine Christianity of St Boniface, the Christianity which built her churches on the ruins of the pagan world it conquered, is Catholicism.

The missing final point in Isker’s case (which he virtually makes without realizing it, to his credit) is that the west must do more than reject the demonic secular religion it currently practices. Especially in nations like the United States, we must wholesale reject the false sectarian Protestant religions from which the “fake and gay” world we inhabit naturally sprung. The Christianity of the Apostles, which teaches the whole Christ, is the only way to chop down the sacred groves of the “bug-men.”

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Fear No Evil

Revisado: 05-21-24

A key strength to Ibrahim’s work is his quotation at length of primary sources. At some moments he remarks when an account is disputed - a useful and honest approach when dealing with these kinds of texts.

To me, the vibrancy of this work of Plutarch-esque Lives which Ibrahim weaves together, is this full use of sources for quotation and effect. The narrator (a great choice for this book) has a masculine voice and paces himself well, pausing ever so slightly for effect at exactly the right moments.

Defenders of The West does not shy away from telling the (very) ugly truth. The western sources’ disdain for “the wretched heresy of Mohammedism” and “the accursed apostate Mahomet, the originator of that pernicious superstition” is an integral component of the lives of these illustrious men. I heartily recommend it for another perspective which is conveniently ignored in public discourse today.

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A Mind That Thinks Like a Christian

Revisado: 01-20-20

My experience with Mark Noll’s clever argument began with hope, slid briefly into skepticism, then rose to agreement. Initially, I expected a set of true witticisms floating in a sea of supporting facts, which was an entertaining prospect. As Noll’s case rolled out in the opening chapters, I worried that this promising work was destined to turn into a call to “make evangelicalism great again” - but I was reassured by several aspects of what I have concluded is a sober and fair assessment of the state of evangelical intellectualism, if indeed such a thing truly exists.

The first is that for Noll, the call to evangelical intellectualism is also the call to participate in the global and historical church, not as a persuasive voice to turn the masses to the current habits of what he cleverly terms “populist” evangelical habits of the mind, but as a mutually educative presence: to be transformed by the careful conclusions of legitimate research and contemplation, as well as to flavor new discoveries with core historic Christian convictions. I am a fan of this nuanced hope.

The second is that he rightly points out what many have failed to effectively articulate, namely the features of belief and practice which have become central to evangelicalism (and consequently are harmful to the life of the mind and participation in the world) but are not central to historic Christian belief, and have their roots in social phenomena of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in America. As an evangelical tempted to leave this tradition by the very points he raises, it was refreshing to hear Noll state that they have to go for the movement to continue in a healthy way.

In the end, I appreciate Noll’s perspective, regardless of specific details I myself or others may differ on concerning his argument. My hope now is that others will find the value in what he is saying.

As for the performance, Trevor Thompson spoke clearly and at a good pace, which is all I ask for in a reader.

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