This year, Garrett-Evangelical is asking entering and current students to read two books before the beginning of the fall semester: How to Think Theologically and Cutting for Stone. So, as our students dive into these books, we decided to check in with our staff and faculty members and ask, “What are you reading?”
Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring some of the responses from our beloved faculty and staff members. This week, Dr. David Hogue, Professor of Pastoral Theology and Counseling at Garrett-Evangelical, shares his reading list which includes books for work and fun:
American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us by Robert Putnam and David Campbell
An extended discussion of two large sociological studies that explore how religion has participated in the increasing political polarization in the U.S., how devotion has remained high despite declining denominational commitments, and how the move toward tolerance of diversity may ultimately save us.
Fingerprints of God: A Search for the Science of Spirituality by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Raised in a Christian Science family, this NPR correspondent reviews significant neurobiological science in an attempt to understand more fully her own spiritual experiences and how faith contributes to health. Though most of the science she describes is available from other sources, this volume introduces a popular audience to contemporary thought about the biological processes that may be involved.
The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement by David Brooks
Prolific author David Brooks has summarized important trends in contemporary biological sources for our most intimate relationships and accomplishments in an accessible format.
Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness by Alva Noe
As a philosopher and cognitive scientist, Noe challenges the current trend in neuroscience toward explaining consciousness only from inside the brain. While many will disagree with him, as Daniel Dennett says, those of us who do "have our work cut out for us."
The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God by David Linden.
A witty, engaging overview of contemporary thought by David Linden, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins.
In the Garden of Beats: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larsen
Written by the author of Devil in the White City, this fascinating history tells the story of former University of Chicago history professor William Dodd's appointment by FDR as the first U.S. Ambassador to Hitler's Germany. Provides important insight into the ways human beings avoid acknowledging the unfolding evil before them, and what happens when it becomes clear.
The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tail of an American Adventurer And His Mysterious Disappearance by David Herlihy
A fascinating history of Frank Lenz's ill-fated attempt at a solo, around-the-world bicycle trip in the 1880s.
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
The title says it all.
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King
Offers a new angle on the artist's quandaries, conflicts, and achievements in painting the Sistine Chapel.
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