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5 Works 112 Members 20 Reviews

About the Author

David S. New holds an M.A. from Princeton and a Ph.D. in religious studies from McMaster University. His previous two books with McFarland are Christian Fundamentalism in America: A Cultural History and Holy War: The Rise of Militant Christian, Jewish and Islamic Fundamentalism. He lives in show more Ontario, Canada. show less

Works by David S. New

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Common Knowledge

Gender
male
Nationality
USA
Place of death
Anderson, Indiana, USA
Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Occupations
Pastor

Members

Reviews

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Modern conservative Christians are likely not going to like the critique, or being connected with the dangers of Fundamentalism. However, New makes the case well and for the most part his criticism is valid. This is a useful book for examining this right-wing portion of American Christianity.
 
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jlhilljr | 8 other reviews | Jul 16, 2015 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I am egregiously late in submitting this review; I am so sorry for abusing the Early Reviewers protocol.
I admit that I really struggled to stay interested in this book, and I have a lifelong desire to learn about the making of the scriptures. I have studied the Bible, both in church and in academic settings, but this book left me struggling.
Although there is a huge bibliography, which would be such a help for students, the index is a little simple. Worse yet, there are no notes. Even if the audience for the book consists of non-academic types (and maybe, especially so), notes could be of great benefit. For example, a discussion of Arianism offers no other description of that "controversy."
I wonder if the writing of the book was rushed. There was at least one discrepancy of a chapter heading in disagreement with the page headings within that chapter (Chapter 21 carries page headings from the preceding Chapter 20.) I have worked as a proofreader and I've read a lot of books, and I know how easily errors crop up and how seemingly invisible they can be to the author.
I agree with the previous reviewer, that there is a lot of potential here. It would be great to see a rewrite.
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klobrien2 | 10 other reviews | Mar 3, 2015 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
LibraryThing in its predictions said I would WOULD NOT LIKE this book. I wonder what criteria they use to determine this. I bid to become an Early Reviewer of this book because I really thought I WOULD LIKE it since I have taught the Bible for many years.

Alas, LibraryThing was correct. I did not really like it very much. It pains me to say it, and I am so sorry that it took me a YEAR to the day to get through it. I am usually better about my "Early" Reviews, but this book was so laborious to read that I had to force myself to read it in small chunks. Finishing it made me dance a jig.

It had bright moments, and I did learn things here and there, especially about Martin Luther, but it just did not grab me. I have heard talks given on how the Bible came to be that were exciting and encouraging and did grab me.

Perhaps a rewrite is in order? It has potential!

Also, not one mention of the New American Standard Bible in the chapter on current translations into English. I have always understood this to be the best translation for scholars. I was surprised that it was omitted.
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Carolfoasia | 10 other reviews | Aug 14, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
The blurb on the back of the book includes the following statement: It is a story primarily about individuals, the drama of their lives woven into the tapestry of their times. That more or less sums up the approach the book takes to this topic. It consists largely of short (think 10 pages, give or take a couple) biographies of important individuals throughout Christian history until it ends with an inordinately long section foused on the discovery and translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. There's then a five-page chapter summarizing almost every significant English translation of the Bible in the last 150 years. Five pages is also about all the space given to the determination of the canon. Surprisingly little of the book is focused on the Bible itself; there is far more focus on important individuals. movements, and events with sometimes tenuous connections to the path of the Bible through history. In essence, the priorities in this book seemed misplaced to me. That said, it's a quick, easy read for someone interested in some of the highlights/important figures in Christian history, but if you're at all familiar with the subject, there's not much depth here into any particular topic (save the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls).… (more)
½
 
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CharlemangeOKeeffe | 10 other reviews | Oct 8, 2013 |

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Works
5
Members
112
Popularity
#174,306
Rating
2.8
Reviews
20
ISBNs
9

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