The NEW RELIGIOUS HUMANISTS
Backlash against divisive, destructive "culture wars" in the U.S. has recently called forth cries for "civility" and politics based on "meaning." What civility and meaningmean, unfortunately, are often lost in advocates' efforts to emphasize their own pious abstention from the dirty world of politicized religion.The New Religious Humanists, by contrast, salvages the project from meaninglessness, by collecting the writings of believers who are as committed to truth as to honesty. In his smart introduction, editor Gregory Wolfe makes a convincing argument thatAnnie Dillard,Wendell Berry,Os Guinness,Richard Rodriguez, andRobert Colesare among the heirs apparent to early religious humanists such asAugustine,Aquinas, andErasmus. "At a time when the model of Enlightenment rationalism is crumbling under the weight of postmodern cynicism and nihilism," Wolfe writes, "the religious imagination can speak meaningfully into the void." These essays cover topics ranging from the authors' own experiences of worship to political issues such as environmentalism, euthanasia, and abortion. The writings are consistently provocative and precise. More importantly, for readers whose revelation comes largely from everyday life, these essays illuminate how religion can illuminate and guide believers' complete engagement with the world.--Michael Joseph Gross