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Spring 2019 | Volume 37, Issue 1
The Books Issue
Books. They fill our bookcases and threaten to overtake our nightstands. They pair just as well with a lazy weekend as they do a rush-hour commute. They bring us to new worlds and introduce us to new voices. The bookish life is a celebration of curiosity and a humble proclamation that there is always more to learn. So we have dedicated this issue to Comment's love affair with books. The pieces in this issue, in departure from the usual practice, won't be connected by a single theme, expect perhaps their common tribute to the appeal of miscellany. So settle into your favourite reading chair and join us, and guest editor John Wilson, in the noble pursuit of a literary life.
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Editorial: In Praise of Miscellany
Because life has its odds and ends.
- 06
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World View
An annotated reading of your world.
- 11
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Headquarters: The 2019 Ross and Davis Mitchell Prize
Updates from Cardus on the renewal of social architecture.
- 12
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Prophet of the Human-Built World: An Introduction to John Ruskin
Linking our prayers and our purchases, our art and our labour.
- 22
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Can Churches Come in from the Cold War?
The way North American churches reacted to the pressures of power decades ago still haunts them.
- 29
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A Migrant Invasion?
Beyond platitudes and towards policy on immigration.
- 35
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The Armenian Option
What might a North American Christianity inspired by Armenia look like?
- 42
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"Surplus Population"
History tells of the past, how we write it tells of the present.
- 48
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The Age of Anti-Biography
Widening our view of life stories.
- 54
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The Future of Church-Race Relations
Why looking back might be the best way for the church to look ahead.
- 54
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The Elusive Common Good
A flawed but useful case for modest consensus.
- 71
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Twelve Rules for the Bookish Life
(Of course, the bookish life needs no rules.)
Contributors to this Issue
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Alan Jacobs Alan Jacobs is Distinguished Professor of the Humanities in the Honors Program at Baylor University. Bio -
Doug Sikkema Doug Sikkema teaches at King's Christian Collegiate in Oakville, Ontario. He also serves as managing editor for Comment Magazine, and is working toward a Ph.D. in American literature. Bio -
Elesha Coffman Elesha Coffman is assistant professor of history at Baylor University and author of The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline (Oxford, 2013). Bio -
Jemar Tisby Jemar Tisby is the President of The Witness and Co-Host of Pass The Mic. Jemar is a PhD student in History at the University of Mississippi studying race, religion, and social movements in the twentieth century. His most recent book is The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism (Zondervan, 2019). Bio -
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Judith Dean Dr. Judith M. Dean is Professor of International Economics in the International Business School at Brandeis University. Bio -
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Matthew Milliner Matthew Milliner is Assistant Professor of art history at Wheaton College (IL). Bio -
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Sarah Ruden Sarah Ruden is a poet, author, and translator. Her latest books are The Face of Water: A Translator on Beauty and Meaning in the Bible (Pantheon, 2017) and a new translation of Augustine’s Confessions (Modern Library, 2017). She is currently retranslating the Gospels for The Modern Library. Bio -
Stephen Lazarus Stephen Lazarus manages Cardus' multiple research initiatives and coordinates the Faith Alliance Network as part of Faith in Canada 150. Bio -
Susan Wise Bauer Susan Wise Bauer is the author of The Story of Western Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory. Bio -
Wesley Hill Wesley Hill is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Bio
