In defense of religious moderation /

Egginton (Johns Hopkins) provides a clear argument defining and defending religious moderation against fundamentalisms that claim to have knowledge of the "code of codes," or use of a language capable of interpreting reality. This definition allows Egginton to illustrate the commonalities that unite extreme religious movements with "new atheist sympathies"--this latter move, acknowledged as superficially counterintuitive, emerges through a close reading of Sam Harris on religion. Beyond demonstrating ways to present a fair, well-reasoned argument based on theology, Egginton's book would be useful in an undergraduate classroom through his selection of examples. The author balances his accounts of theology and philosophy with examples from popular culture, from history and current events, and from his personal life. These examples allow him to extend the basic argument made about faith and fundamentalism in his introduction and first chapter through the domains of everyday fundamentalism, theological language, and science. Because the argument frequently proceeds through responsible paraphrase, the bibliography is not extensive; accordingly, it will be accessible to more undergraduates than David Klemm and William Schweiker's Religion and the Human Future: An Essay on Theological Humanism (2008). Egginton's book is a very useful resource for survey or elective undergraduate courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. D. R. Boscaljon independent scholar

A literary rally to restore sanity in religion.From the Crusades to the terrorist attacks of recent decades, the stories of religious beliefs gone awry that populate the history books are proof enough to "new atheist" authors like Christopher Hitchens that religion is the root of all evil. Egginton (The Theater of Truth, 2010, etc.), on the other hand, argues that fundamentalism, not religion, is to blame for acts of violence and political unrest, putting atheists and religious zealots on the opposite sides of the same extreme coin. The author deftly weaves history's greatest dialogues, like Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," with examples from contemporary popular culture, like Dan Brown'sThe Da Vinci Code,to show how fundamentalism is a threat to world peace. He argues that once people accept that there is a "code of codes," or an underlying truth that negates opposing beliefs, they lose the heart of science, politics and even religion, which is skepticism.Digging deeper, Egginton citesthe works ofChristian philosophers like St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine to suggest thatscientific method and faith are not mutually exclusive. Citing statistics that prove just how many modern-day Christians believe in the Second Coming of Christ without condemning other religions and the vast numbers of Muslims who read the Koran without resorting to violence, the author brings to light a very different America than the one seen on television. He calls on saints and scientists alike to fight dogmawhether religious or scientificwith reason.Scholarly readers who thought Hitchens'God Is Not Great (2007) went too far will appreciate this temperate and thoughtfully researched look at religion.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.