What We’re Reading

Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita. Written during the height of Stalin’s Purges and only published long afterward, Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita is a brilliant satire and criticism of the hypocrisies of the Soviet Union, especially its intellectual and literary class. Another famous “deal with the devil” type story, the multiple storylines intersect with Woland (the devil) and his mischievous and comedic terror in Moscow. Blending spirituality with political mockery, Bulgakov’s work examines Good and Evil, love, and death in a blisteringly funny story that is as profound as it is entertaining.

~ Paul Krause

Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday. The Bible Belt is full of varying denominational churches that prey and cling to everyone’s soul in one way or another whether it is positive or negative. Evans’s experience was the latter. She felt that the Christian church, as a whole, used hell and damnation to scare believers into becoming Christians, yet this same church did not know how to maintain a relationship with Christ. She proclaims that many of their tactics instilled fear and manipulation, ultimately making the believer not think and discover truth for themselves. As a result, Christians who look for truth outside of the church are sinners and should be chastised for not taking their truth at face value. Searching for Sunday explains and portrays what many feel and have experienced growing up in a Church of God and/or Baptist home. Evans pushes those in every denomination, specifically these two, to search beyond what their immediate church environment teaches because it may or may not be tailored for a vulnerable and gullible audience. Her novel touches and simultaneously irks a lot of church goers as it proves and pushes these readers to acknowledge possible religious and spiritual hurt and trauma many do not know how to define or identify.

~ Sarah Tillard

VOEGELINVIEW is free to read but depends on the generosity of its readers to ensure the highest quality of cultural and intellectual commentary is given to the world. With readers and contributors across all continents, we value our ability to bring commentary, reviews, and poems on the enduring questions of the human condition. While free to read, the journal is not free to host and maintain. Therefore, the Eric Voegelin Society, which publishes VOEGELINVIEW, asks that you consider a tax-deductible donation to continue the support of the journal. Your generosity allows us to give back to you in the form of our articles, essays, reviews, and creative writings.

VOEGELINVIEW is supported by the Arizona State University Foundation. You can make a donation through the ASU Foundation VOEGELINVIEW Fund.

The Eric Voegelin Society is a 501(c)(3) organization (Tax ID 45-5508836). The Eric Voegelin Society, which publishes VOEGELINVIEW, can be supported through Nicholls State University. Make sure to write “Eric Voegelin Society” in the comments when providing a donation by credit card to support the Eric Voegelin Society and/or “VoegelinView” if you wish your donation to go to the support of the journal. Alternatively contact Dr. David Whitney at [email protected] for instructions of how to make a contribution by check.

Print