Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  The Violence Project How to Stop A Mass Shooting Epidemic      By Jillian Peterson & James Densley Reviewed by Geoffrey W.Sutton Most of the time, mass shootings command the top spot on the evening news. By now the sequence of covering the crime scene is familiar—too familiar. Jillian Peterson and James Densley have studied mass shootings for several years. They’ve built a data base and interviewed killers, survivors, and family members of victims and killers. The Violence Project tells the story of mass murder and offers ideas and resources that might help some of us prevent the next major event. In fact, they also tell stories of avoided shootings and some that could have been avoided if policies or laws were closely followed. Although the authors mention some shootings outside the US, their focus is on America where 85% of the US killers were born and raised. TRAUMA . Before suggesting ideas that may help avert future disasters and hel...

  The Meaning  of Jesus:      Two Visions By Marcus J. Borg & N. T. Wright Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton In The Meaning of Jesus , two religious scholars take turns presenting different perspectives on the same salient events or topics about Jesus and his ministry. I’ll offer a brief summary of the eight parts followed by some comments. 1. How do we know about Jesus? Borg , a Jesus scholar, explains the source material that is available about the historical Jesus then takes readers through an easy-to-read introduction to methodology—how he uses the sources. Wright offers the traditional or conservative, albeit scholarly, perspective on understanding Jesus through the lenses of faith and history. 2. What did Jesus do and teach? Wright provides the sociohistorical context for Jesus mission. He stresses the importance of the fact that Jesus was a Palestinian Jew. He notes a few points about Jewish monotheism and Jewish eschatology—"history ...

  Line of Duty, a police drama, is one of the most popular BBC TV series of all time. BBC BBC Created by   Ted Mercurio Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Line of Duty engages viewers at different levels. The show is an action-adventure police mystery drama that keeps viewers wondering what will happen in the next episode. It's also an insightful look into human nature and the relationships that shape behavior. The series features two officers who work as partners in an anti-corruption unit known as AC-12. DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) is an AFO (Authorised Firearms Officer). He joins the anti-corruption  unit after refusing to join his team in covering up the fatal shooting of an innocent man. His partner is DC Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) who is also an AFO. The other main character is AC-12 Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) who doggedly pursues bent coppers. His Catholic-Irish roots are revealed in sayings, accent, and his history of pol...

  CREATING SURVEYS   Second Edition How to Create & Administer Surveys, Evaluate Workshops & Seminars, Interpret & Present Results Click to Download Free Sample Available on AMAZON GOOGLE e-Books Reviews “This resource provides practitioners and students a systematic, easy-to-read overview of what surveys are and how to use them. Even seasoned researchers could benefit from reviewing this book and keeping it handy for reference, but undergraduate and master’s students should find it particularly useful for grasping basic research constructs and designing simple survey projects. Not only does the book explain important principles, but it also provides many clear, concrete examples and links to additional resources that the reader will find helpful.” —Joe D. Wilmoth, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Human Development and Family Science, Mississippi State University   “Many researchers find themselves in contexts where they have access to groups of people...

The Last Week    A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus’s Final Week in Jerusalem   By    Marcus Borg &    John Dominic Crossan Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton The Last Week     is, as the subtitle says, is a daily study of the events taking place during Jesus’ last week on earth. The authors structure their work by focusing on Mark’s gospel written about four decades after Jesus’ crucifixion. In the preface we learn the value of the week’s sequence spelled out by Mark, which allows the authors to trace the events leading up to the cross and the Easter celebration. Not surprisingly then, readers find eight chapters taking us from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.  The clarity of writing and scholarly presentation of information missing from so many sermons make this an ideal read for Lent so I highly recommend it for Christians who are unclear on the significance of the week in the first century context of the Roman Empi...