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Flourishing Beyond Faith: A Review of Daryl Van Tongeren’s Done

  Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion Book Summary Daryl R. Van Tongeren’s Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion (2024) explores the psychological, social, and existential challenges faced by individuals who no longer identify with a religious tradition. Written for those in the midst of religious deconstruction, deidentification, or reconstruction, the book blends empirical research, personal narrative, and practical guidance to illuminate the complexities of leaving faith behind. Introduction: The Great Disillusionment Van Tongeren begins by situating the book within the broader cultural trend of declining religious affiliation, citing Pew Research Center data on the rise of “religious nones.” He frames this departure as a “great disillusionment,” acknowledging the grief, loss, and longing that often accompany the process. The book is designed to help readers navigate three possible destinations: 1. Deconstruction: questioning and dismantling one’s religious wor...
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Rape as Power: Revisiting Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will in Historical and Cultural Context

    Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape       by Susan Brownmiller   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Abstract  Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (2013), originally published in 1975, reframed rape as a political act of power and control rather than an isolated crime of passion. Drawing on history, law, warfare, slavery, racial politics, prisons, and cultural and victim narratives, Brownmiller argued that rape functions as a conscious tool of domination. This review summarizes her central arguments, highlights the book’s historical and cultural significance, and provides a historical framework against which we can measure progress or the lack thereof (Sutton, 2025, October 1). Keywords: rape, feminism, sexual violence, power, gender, survivor advocacy   CITE THIS REVIEW Sutton, G. W. (2025, October 1). Rape as Power: Revisiting Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will in Historical and Cultural Context....
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Framing Sexuality Through Lenses: A Review of Mark Yarhouse’s How Should We Think About Homosexuality?

How Should We Think About Homosexuality?  By Mark A. Yarhouse Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton CITE THIS REVIEW:  Sutton, G. W. (2025, September 25). Framing Sexuality Through Lenses: A Review of Mark Yarhouse’s How Should We Think About Homosexuality? Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews. https://suttonreviews.suttong.com/2025/09/framing-sexuality-through-lenses-review.html ABSTRACT This review examines Mark A. Yarhouse’s How Should We Think About Homosexuality? (2022), a contribution to the Questions for Restless Minds series. Yarhouse presents a tripartite framework—the integrity, disability, and diversity lenses—through which Christians might engage questions of sexuality. Yarhouse succeeds in offering accessible categories and pastoral exhortations toward humility and compassion, yet there are also limitations. The framework risks reinforcing heteronormative assumptions, pathologizing lesbian and gay (LG) identities, and abstracting sexuality into theologic...
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Reconsidering Missionary Childhoods: A Critical Engagement with Fletcher’s The Missionary Kids

  The Missionary Kids   By Holly Berkley Fletcher Reviewed By   Geoffrey W. Sutton The Missionary Kids Abstract In The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism (2025), Holly Berkley Fletcher combines memoir, oral history, and historical analysis to examine the lived realities of missionary children (MKs). Drawing on her upbringing in Kenya and interviews with other MKs, Fletcher challenges romanticized portrayals of missionary life by exposing the cultural dislocation, spiritual neglect, and emotional burdens often carried by children in missionary families. The book is structured around four parts: the myth of parents as martyrs, the imposed nature of missionary “calling,” the spiritual neglect of MKs in boarding schools, and the collective testimony of resilience and loss. Fletcher’s dual perspective as both historian and former CIA analyst enriches her critique of evangelical institutions and their impact on children. This work contributes to schola...
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The Coming Wave: AI, Technology, and Psychology

  The Coming Wave AI Image Illustration for a review of the book by Suleyman The Coming Wave  CITE this review:  Sutton, G. W. (2025). The coming wave: AI, technology, and psychology. Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews. Download Review as PDF REVIEWER : Geoffrey W. Sutton Book Summary We are waist deep in the ocean and laughing as playful waves knock us over and give us a short ride toward the shore on a hot summer’s day. We know the warnings about undertows but scattered along the shore are our safe-keepers-- lifeguards armed with whistles and small boats. Suleyman warns us that the coming wave of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology will not just devastate our shorelines but wreak havoc on our infrastructure and even our way of life unless we accept his challenge to construct a formidable bulwark to keep the powerful sources at bay. Mustafa Suleyman's argument in The Coming Wave is compellingly structured around four defining traits of the coming technol...
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God Have Mercy: A Look at Hays & Hay's Perspective on LGBT Inclusion

God Have Mercy:  A Look at Hays & Hay's  Perspective on LGBT Inclusion AMAZON CITE This post :  Sutton, G. W. (2025). God have mercy: a look at hays & hay’s perspective on LGBT inclusion Interdisciplinary Book Reviews. REVIEWER : Geoffrey W. Sutton Book Summary The Widening of God’s Mercy by Christopher B. Hays and Richard B. Hays (2024) is a deeply reflective and scholarly work that traces the biblical narrative of divine mercy as an ever-expanding force—one that consistently reaches beyond traditional boundaries to embrace those once excluded. Written by a father-son duo, the book is both a theological exploration and a personal journey, particularly for Richard Hays, who revisits and revises his earlier positions on sexuality and LGBT inclusion in light of a broader biblical vision. Central Thesis At its core, the book argues that the Bible presents a dynamic and evolving picture of God’s mercy—one that is not static or confined by rigid legalism, but responsiv...
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Sex and Gender Identity: Byrne’s Philosophical Perspective

Trouble with gender:  Sex facts, gender fictions   By Alex Byrne   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton CITE REVIEW:  Sutton, G. W. (2025). Sex and gender identity: Byrne’s philosophical perspective Interdisciplinary Book Reviews. ***** Woman: the female human being (Collins Dictionary) an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been considered to have a different sex at birth... (Cambridge Dictionary) ***** The challenges surrounding sex and gender extend beyond conceptual debates to encompass the psychological toll experienced by individuals grappling with gender identity, particularly in the face of restrictive laws and policies that constrain personal freedoms and rights. Having completed reading Byrne’s Trouble with Gender last week, I found its arguments especially resonant in light of recent events. On Saturday, I attended a local Pridefest event that celebrated gender diversity and inclusion. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Tenn...
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