434. Title: Illuminating the Secret Revelation of John
Author: Paulson, Shirley
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13: 978-1-6667-2123-2
Date Finished: 2024-03-25
My Comments: Shirley goes through two different translations of SRJ, explaining gems worth looking at both in Jesus time and today. I read the Meyer translation from my Nag Hammadi library before starting this book. I found her "gems" interesting, but not nearly as convincing as she does. Her comparison with quantum mechanics is pretty far fetched. She could be on the right track, but there are too many other ways things could "really" be. As an introduction to gnostic writing, it's pretty good. A bit too woo-woo for me, but not bad otherwise.

Amazon Description: Buried for more than a thousand years in the sands of Egypt, the Secret Revelation of John has stayed a secret far longer than it should have. Even now, more than seventy-five years after its discovery in 1945, it eludes easy understanding even as it shines with the message of God’s loving presence amid suffering and violence. Illuminating the Secret Revelation of John is the first study written for the curious public, as well as for scholars who have not yet plumbed its depths. The ancient Secret Revelation of John unearths three gems of healing wisdom that have been encrusted in a millennium of doubt and theological limitation. This new work explores the many facets of these gems with a historical setting and background, a contemporary paraphrase, and a study section that invites pondering of and conversation about new questions to explore.

435. Title: A Brief History of the Female Body
Author: Emera, Deena
ISBN-10: 1728275156
ISBN-13:
Date Finished: 2024-03-27
My Comments: This is an evolutionary view of the female body that uses the idea of conflict to see how bodies develop over evolutionary (up to 500 Million years) time. Well written and readable, it includes occasional personal experiences that make it more interesting to read. Recommended.

Amazon Description: From breasts and orgasms to periods, pregnancies, and menopause - A Brief History of the Female Body is a fascinating science book explaining the mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens. Let's face it: The female body is an enigma. For teenagers first experiencing their periods, the monthly arrival of mood swings and cramps can be agonizing and inconvenient. With pregnancy - perhaps the most miraculous of bodily events - comes countless potential complications, including high blood pressure, diabetes, premature birth, and postpartum depression. And menopause is equally mystifying. Why do females lose their fertility over time and experience the notorious side effects - like hot flashes, weight gain, and hair loss - while males maintain their fertility forever? Evolutionary geneticist and educator Dr. Deena Emera has spent much of her career studying the evolution of female reproduction. A Brief History of the Female Body draws on her vast expertise as a biologist, her experience as a mother of four children, and her love of teaching to look far into our evolutionary past, illuminating how and, more importantly, why the female form has transformed over millions of years and its effects on women's health.

436. Title: Political Rumors: Why We Accept Misinformation and How to Fight It
Author: Berinsky, Adam
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13: 978-06-9124757-1
Date Finished: 2024-04-01
My Comments: This is a report of experiments done to determine how we might reduce political rumors and misinformation. It's about half research design information and half results and conclusions. Unfortunately the conclusions are pretty soft (as political science is a soft science). The best way to get better politicians is to have better politicians, but an well informed voting public doesn't hurt. Since it's written by a political scientist, the results are more favorable to Democrats than Republicans, but then Trump had a lot do do with misinformation. It's not bad, but not really worth the effort.

Amazon Description: Political rumors and misinformation pollute the political landscape. This is not a recent phenomenon; before the currently rampant and unfounded rumors about a stolen election and vote-rigging, there were other rumors that continued to spread even after they were thoroughly debunked, including doubts about 9/11 (an “inside job”) and the furor over President Obama’s birthplace and birth certificate. If misinformation crowds out the truth, how can Americans communicate with one another about important issues? In this book, Adam Berinsky examines why political rumors exist and persist despite their unsubstantiated and refuted claims, who is most likely to believe them, and how to combat them. Drawing on original survey and experimental data, Berinsky shows that a tendency toward conspiratorial thinking and vehement partisan attachment fuel belief in rumors. Yet the reach of rumors is wide, and Berinsky argues that in fighting misinformation, it is as important to target the undecided and the uncertain as it is the true believers. We’re all vulnerable to misinformation, and public skepticism about the veracity of political facts is damaging to democracy. Moreover, in a world where most people simply don’t pay attention to politics, political leaders are often guilty of disseminating false information - and failing to correct it when it is proven wrong. Berinsky suggests that we should focus on the messenger as much as the message of rumors. Just as important as how misinformation is debunked is who does the debunking.

437. Title: Methodism and American Empire
Author: Scott, David and Filipe Maia
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13: 9781791030650
Date Finished: 2024-04-04
My Comments: I'm amazed that Abingdon Press published this book, as it's not very complimenary toward Methodism. It is a collection of nine papers, 3 on history and 6 on current and (possible) future issues related to the colonialism of the Methodist Church. It does provide a good overview of the assorted problems of trying to build a world size church from a national size one. That's the colonialism. A lot of time is spent by non Americans (Phillipines and Africans) asking that General Conference would leave the American troubles alone and discuss world issues. A good point. It ends with a critique of the Global Methodist Church, which appears more American and colonial than ever. Recommended if you want a heavy does of Methodism.

Amazon Description: Methodism and American Empire investigates historical trajectories and theological developments that connect American imperialism since World War II to the Methodist tradition as a global movement. The volume asks: to what extent is United Methodists’ vision of the globe marred by American imperialism? Through historical analyses and theological reflections, this volume chronicles the formation of an understanding of The United Methodist Church since the mid-20th century that is both global and at the same time dominated by American interests and concerns. Methodism and American Empire provides a historical and theological perspective to understand the current context of The United Methodist Church while also raising ecclesiological questions about the impact of imperialism on how Methodists have understood the nature and mission of the church over the last century. Gathering voices and perspectives from around the world, this volume suggests that the project of global Methodism and the tensions one witnesses therein ought to be understood in the context of American imperialism and that such an understanding is critical to the task of continuing to be a global denomination. The volume tells a tale of complex negotiations happening between United Methodists across different national, cultural, and ecclesial contexts and sets up the historical backdrop for the imminent schism of The United Methodist Church.

438. Title: The Anxious Generation
Author: Haidt, Jonathan
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13: 978-0-593-65503-0
Date Finished: 2024-04-21
My Comments: Another excellent Haidt book, this one explaining why our youngsters are growing up anxious and depressed. Smart Phones. They're even worse than social media, because they provide 24/7 exposure to social media. The remedy is limited screen time and more free play time. Kids need to experience growing up with other people, which they don't get on the screen. Highly recommended for anyone with young children, and recommended for all others.

Amazon Description: After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why? In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies. Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood. Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes - communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children - and ourselves - from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.