Summer Reading

Today, I received several books that I intend to read this summer: David Ceri Jones, Boyd Stanley Schlenther, and Eryn Mant White (eds.), The Elect Methodists: Calvinistic Methodists in England and Wales, 1735-1811 (University of Wales, 2012), John B. Radner's Johnson and Boswell: A Biography of Friendship (Yale, 2012), Larry Eskridge's God's Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America (Oxford, 2013), Alister McGrath's C.S. Lewis: A Life (Tyndale, 2013), and Kate Bowler's Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel (Oxford, 2013).

Congratulations to all these authors. I can't wait to read these books this summer!

     
 

Oliver Crisp Scheduled to Speak at Chattanooga

I am delighted to announce that Oliver Crisp will be coming to Chattanooga to lecture on Jonathan Edwards's theology on Tuesday, October 29 at 7pm.

Crisp teaches theology at Fuller Seminary in California, and has written an impressive number of first-rate monographs in the course of his young career. He has edited or co-edited four books and is the author of seven other volumes, including God Incarnate: Explorations in Christology (2009), Divinity and Humanity: The Incarnation Reconsidered (2007), Revisioning Christology: Theology in theReformed Tradition (2011), and Retrieving Doctrine: Essays in Reformed Theology (2011). 

Since I am teaching a class this Fall on "Jonathan Edwards's Life, Thought, and Legacy in American Religious Culture," I wanted to invite Crisp to Chattanooga to give an overview of Edwards's theology so that my class and the community could benefit from his expertise. Crisp has written or edited some excellent books on Edwards, namely Jonathan Edwards: Philosophical Theologian (co-edited with Paul Helm) (2003), Jonathan Edwards and the Metaphysics of Sin (2005), JonathanEdwards on God and Creation (2012), and After Jonathan Edwards: The Courses of the New England Theology (co-edited with Doug Sweeney) (2012). 

Crisp's talk is part of UTC's LeRoy Martin Distinguished Lecture Series, but this time I will be partnering with Cole Hamilton, who organizes the Theology on Tap lecture series at the Camp House on the Southside of downtown Chattanooga. During most of the week, the Camp House functions as a coffee house and music venue, but on Sundays it holds worship services for the Mission Chattanooga, an Anglican congregation that I am proud to call my home church. The plan is for Cole and I to combine our marketing skills and offer the opportunity for a hundred or so twenty and thirty-year-olds to come and hear a stimulating talk while enjoying a pint with friends.

I look forward to hearing Crisp and, hopefully, pique the interest of my students to learn more about Edwards.
 

Beer

Are you looking for a Father's Day gift for an academic (or for yourself)? Consider Charles Bamforth's Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing, published by Oxford University Press. I have been enthralled with my copy that I received for my birthday.

The book, written by the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at the University of California, Davis, is intended for educated laypeople interested in the history and process of beer production. Bamforth intentionally writes his book in readable prose, yet is sophisticated enough in its details to appeal to academics.

The book has a number of interesting tables on the consumption of beer per capita as well as worldwide output. As one might expect, German residents are among the highest consumers of beer, but what is interesting is that the country does not have any major brewing brands. The largest brewer, InBev, is headquartered in Belgium, which ironically has a low consumption rate per capita. Perhaps you might guess that Nevada has the highest consumption of beer per capita in America, but did you know that New Hampshire is a close second?

As he explains the fascinating history of beer, from its origin in the Fertile Crescent to the modern day, Bamforth weaves into his narrative various modern success stories, such as the founding of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Anheuser-Busch, and Coors.

In sum, this is a very entertaining book that I believe would be a hit as a Father's Day gift for academics.