Confessions of a Non-Evangelical

Book reviewed:
The Lost Soul of American Protestantism , D.G. Hart, Rowman & Littlefield 2002 (0-7425-0768-8), pp. xxxiv + 197, Hb $37.50/Pb $22.95
That Old-Time Religion in Modern America: Evangelical Protestantism in the Twentieth Century , D.G. Hart, Ivan R. Dee 2002 (1-56663-460-1), pp. 246, Hb $24.95
Deconstructing Evangelicalism: Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham , D.G. Hart, Baker Academic 2004 (0-8010-2728-4), pp. 224, Hb $21.99     

Confessions of a Whistle-Blower: Lessons Learned

In 1988 I began a report on the accuracy of expert testimony in child sexual abuse cases utilizing Ralph Underwager and Hollida Wakefield as a case study (Wakefield & Underwager, 1988). In response, Underwager and Wakefield began a campaign of harassment and intimidation, which included multiple lawsuits; an ethics charge; phony (and secretly taped) phone calls; and ad hominem attacks, including one that I was laundering federal grant monies. The harassment and intimidation failed as the author refused demands to retract. In addition, the lawsuits and ethics charges were dismissed. Lessons learned from the experience are discussed.     

Confessions of a bedside rationer: commentary on Hurst and Danis

Samia Hurst and Marion Danis provide a thoughtful framework for how to judge the morality of bedside rationing decisions. In this commentary, I applaud Hurst and Danis for advancing the level of debate about bedside rationing. But when I attempt to apply the framework to my own clinical practice, I conclude that the framework comes up short.     

I wish it were true: Confessions of a secret deductivist

The criticisms by S. V. Paunonen and D. N. Jackson (1985, Journal of Research in Personality, 19, 331–342) are examined in detail. Despite the best of intentions, the author remains unconvinced.     

The Lutheran Confessions in Korea

Abstract: Although Christianity has been active in Korea for two centuries, the church of the Lutheran confessions was planted only a half century ago, in 1958, by the Lutheran Church‐Missouri Synod. With an ecumenical face, Korean Lutherans provide a dynamic leaven in wider society and the church is growing. Even though other Korean church bodies have engaged in writing new confessional statements, Lutherans are finding the richness of the Lutheran Confessions in the Book of Concord sufficient for self‐understanding and expansion.     

Spinning My Silent Reverie: Confessions of a Compulsive Hair Twister

In this confessional essay of her compulsive hair knotting habit, the author considers the DSM-5's recent classification of body-focused repetitive behaviors as forms of obsessive–compulsive disorder and also Freud's analysis of this kind of tactile, repetitive motion as a symbolic substitute for masturbation. Yet although both Freud and the DSM-5 take seriously the etiology of habits that are otherwise generally overlooked and dismissed, Daum argues that neither explanation addresses the particularity of the specific compulsion. After all, hair twisting, nail biting, nose picking, skin picking, and beard stroking all involve different movements performed on different parts of the body, and as a result, conjure up different symbolic implications. Daum follows the historical thread of her own compulsion back to the archetypal tangles between women, hair, sexuality, spinning, weaving, and storytelling. As she explores these motifs in art, mythology, and folklore, Daum invites the reader to linger on the possibility that dismissing a “fussy habit” may be throwing away the key to one's intimate inner landscape.     

The Lutheran Confessions and Popular Religiosity in Latin America

Abstract: The early history of European missions in Latin America led to a close identity between Confessional Lutheranism and German culture. Following World War II that connection has been all but broken, and Lutherans now swim in the sea of Latin American pluralism, including popular religiosity or the people's religion. Constitutive of the latter is devotion to the saints; and the emphasis on “remembering the saints” in Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon may become valuable resources in contextualization.     

The Lutheran Confessions in Western Europe: Past and Future

Abstract: The idea of a church uniting confession began with the Lutherans in the late 1520s; and with translations of the Augsburg Confession (AC) it spread throughout Europe with the advance of the Reformation. As European culture slips further toward postmodern relativism, the absolute nature of divine claims reflected in confessions will seem odd and unwelcome. Christians must take up the challenge of developing a hermeneutic for interpreting the confessions so that the Truth of God can be respected.     

Confessions from the Classroom Teaching with Augustinian Eyes

Through an analysis of Augustine's Confessions, this essay aims to identify the sources, tenets, and implications of the theological anthropology that grounds the author's pedagogy. The author describes classroom dynamics and teaching strategies in terms of the concepts of creation, sin, and redemption found in the Confessions. In relation to Augustine's doctrine of creation, the author argues that a theological anthropology that posits an ineradicable relationship of the human person to God justifies optimism about student response to the study of theology. It also supports a sacramental understanding of the effectiveness of the teacher. In relation to Augustine's theology of sin, the author reflects on the effects of pride on both teacher and student. The section on redemption acknowledges that although the teacher cannot eradicate sin in the classroom, he or she can counter such effects through the responsible and sensitive exercise of authority. Throughout the essay, the virtues of humility and gratitude in the classroom are highlighted, and concrete pedagogical issues are examined in a theological light.