Friday, September 07, 2007

On the reading list: God's Harvard

I have been waiting for this book since I first heard about it a few months back. Hanna Rosin spent a year and a half looking into the workings of Patrick Henry University, this is bound to be a fundie gold. Nina Easton pans Rosin's book in her NY Times book review. Like most books, I prefer to make up my own mind.

“God’s Harvard” opens with a promising flourish of Rosin’s wit. “Although they are unfailingly gracious, evangelicals are not so good at respecting professional boundaries,” she writes. “The first time someone tried to share the Gospel with me, I naïvely explained that I was Jewish and born in Israel, thank you. ... This was a big mistake. In certain parts of Christian America, admitting I was an Israeli-born Jew turned me into walking catnip.” Over breakfast once, an associate of the Christian activist James Dobson blurted, “When I look at you, I see the blood of our Savior coursing through your veins.” “Thank you,” I gulped. “More maple syrup?”

Hell, I'll buy the book for that quote alone.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I can understand why that Christian dude thought so. I also think Israel and its people are Biblically significant, but you don't go around telling strangers that. It makes you look unnatural.

Wisdom people, wisdom. Us Christians need to cultivate more of it.

Taz