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GHOST SOLDIERS
The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission
by Hampton Sides

I made Hampton Sides’ newest book, In the Kingdom of Ice, my #2 pick for favorite reads of the year. So, after taking my comprehensive exams a few weeks ago, I thought I’d put down my theology books and pick up another historical story from Sides.

Ghost Soldiers is the inspiring tale of the liberation of a POW camp in the Philippines. The experiences of these soldiers are harrowing; they rival anything that the Jews in concentration camps experienced.

Sides’ expertise as a storyteller is on full display here. He shifts back and forth from the Rangers who will rescue the troops to the personal histories of the soldiers who are living in a never-ending nightmare. I’ve only read two of Sides’ books at this point, and I would still rate In the Kingdom of Ice higher, but this one comes close.

dividedbyfaith

DIVIDED BY FAITH
Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America

by Michael Emerson & Christian Smith

It’s become clear in recent weeks and months that evangelicals are divided on how best to pursue racial reconciliation as well as the causes and effects of our country’s ongoing strife.

Smith and Emerson are sociologists who have studied evangelicalism and race relations at length. They’ve interviewed large numbers of black and white evangelicals, as well as a cross section of Americans in general. What they discovered was a genuine desire among evangelicals to end racial division and inequality, but also a theological worldview that hinders our ability to perceive systemic injustice, or offer solutions that go beyond cross-cultural friendships.

This book dates back to 2001, but the insights are still valid and directly related to today’s debates. If you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about regarding race relations in the U.S. and the church today, I’d recommend this book for a sociological analysis and The Warmth of Other Suns for an empathetic look at the African-American migration during the Jim Crow era.

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THE GREAT AND HOLY WAR
How World War I Became a Religious Crusade

by Philip Jenkins

There’s a common theme in how people talk about World War I and its effects: It was a needless war in which soldiers didn’t really know what they were fighting for, and which left the religious optimism of the 19th century in tatters. According to Philip Jenkins’ new book, Everything about that last sentence is wrong.

Jenkins explodes the myths of World War I by analyzing the tragedy from a religious perspective. His thesis? “The First World War was a thoroughly religious event, in the sense that overwhelmingly Christian nations fought each other in what many viewed as a holy war, a spiritual conflict. Religion is essential to understanding the war, to understanding why people went to war, what they hoped to achieve through war, and why they stayed at war. Not in medieval or Reformation times but in the age of aircraft and machine guns, the majority of the world’s Christians were indeed engaged in a holy war that claimed more than ten million lives.”

World War I had a massive impact on the rest of the 20th century, and it shuffled nations and religious groups around in ways that still affect us today. Jenkins’ book is a fascinating look at the events that engulfed the world a century ago.

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