Review: The Mestizo Augustine: A Theologian Between Two Cultures

The Mestizo Augustine: A Theologian Between Two Cultures by Justo L. González
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I ran into this title in James Smith's On the Road with Augustine, which I reviewed a few years back and re-read recently. He quotes the experience of a mestizo, who is defined as a person born from Spanish and Indigenous blood, but is generalized into a mix of cultures/identities between a 'civilized' (in this book, Roman) and 'indigenous' group (here, Berbers). Gonzalez' basic thesis in the book is that an important way to understand St. Augustine, both is life and theology, is that he was a mestizo, born from a Roman father and a Berber mother. While the identification of Monica as Berber is not definitely settled (though it makes sense), there is certainly no doubt that her form of Christianity was heavily influenced by the distinctive African Christianity, which was prevalent around the time of Augustine. So, Augustine functioned between two cultures, two Christianities, which explains his reaction to both as well as his choices as he developed his theology in the Manichean, Donatist, Pelagian and pagan controversies of his day.

The thesis is bold and, I think, may be hard for those who identify Christianity with a purely Western point of view. But I also find it a fascinating reading of Augustine's life, career and theology. And it is a more nuanced way of seeing Christianity in the time in which Rome flourished. The fact is that we moderns have a tendency to see the Romans as a unitary culture, but what we are seeing more and more in the evidence is just how much hybrid cultures, joining Roman and local traditions, are the norm in the Roman Empire throughout its existence. Ethnic identity tended to morph and shift in this time and there was more than enough code-switching as individuals moved from one cultural context to another in just their everyday life. This book fits into that understanding and, I think, illuminates Augustine's theological moves in interesting ways.

This is very much well worth reading, both for Augustine specialists, but also for those interested in Rome of Late Antiquity.

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Review: Buffalo Is the New Buffalo

Buffalo Is the New Buffalo by Chelsea Vowel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I ran into this while look for another collection of Indigenous futurism short stories (which I'm now reading- Love at the End) and, because Chelsea Vowel is the author, of course, I picked it up. I've enjoyed the author's essays in Indigenous Writes, using them sometimes when I'm teaching my Contemporary Indigenous Voices course at my high school. I knew about Vowel's interest in Indigenous futurism, already, so I was curious to see her writing in that genre.

The stories are a blend of science fiction and Metis story telling in a way that is difficult to describe. Each are really different from each other, but all see futures from a Metis lens which combines a clear-sighted view of how we are today, with a creative vision of the future, combined with Metis spirituality and, because it is Chelsea Vowel, a lot of humour. The narrative styles shift and change and really are fun to read. There's also commentary to explain to background and thinking behind each story.

This collection is well worth reading, especially for this take on Metis futurism.

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Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is, of course, one of the prequels of the Hunger Games series, set sixty or so years before the action of the first novel (so, it happens in the 10th Hunger Games, not the 74th as in the original novel series). Here, we find a world in which Panem has only recently emerged from its ruinous civil war with the districts and is only slowly recovering. The Hunger Games remain as an instrument of vengeance, but many of the entertainment elements which gave a subtle horror in the original series are only slowly being added. Here, it's all about the punishment aspect and with minimal superstructure.

The story follows the District 12 female tribute, Lucy Gray Beard, and her sponsor, Coriolanus Snow (yes, that Coriolanus Snow, the President in the later series, but much younger) as they navigate the 10th Hunger Games. The story largely told from the point of view of Snow, whose family were ruined by the civil war and whose father died as a war hero. This left them impoverished and Snow juggling his lingering sense of privilege without the means to support it. Collins is at her best here, revealing the rationalizations and drives which lead him from a scheming teenager to the ruthless young man at the end of the story, who is willing to betray anyone, including the love of his life, for power and money. Lucy, on the other hand, is clever, witty, talented and deeply rebellious, which captivates young Coriolanus and that could be a redemption arc, but, as in the nature of dystopias, that proves a path not taken. I won't say more in fear of giving more spoilers than I've given.

This is a really interesting take on the Hunger Games and stands alone very effectively. Well worth reading.

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Review: Healing Wounds: The 2025 Lent Book

Healing Wounds: The 2025 Lent Book by Erik Varden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my Lenten book for this year, so I'm only getting to reviewing it now because of just the busyness of a busy semester. I had been hoping for a reflective Lenten study which would reflect on Jesus' suffering and how our suffering is reflected in that. And, to a degree, that is in this book, written by Erik Varden, a Trappist monk and Catholic Bishop of Trondheim. The reflection is structured on the wounds of Christ, as reflected on by a 12th (?) century Trappist poem on the wounds of Christ.

On the whole, I wouldn't say there was anything theologically wrong in this book, even for a non-Roman Catholic. There is a lot that is right. I think what put me off, however, was that visceral reflection on the wounds, as the physical wounds, which is characteristic of mediaeval Catholic spirituality. I am, admittedly, an Anglo-Catholic, so I'm more likely to be in sympathy with this aspect of Roman Catholicism, but there is a enough Protestant in me to baulk a bit. I mean, if people find it helpful to reflect on the sheer physicality and severity of Jesus' wounds, that's fair. And it's not like I deny those wounds were real and physical and awful- as Christians, we have to remember crucifixion wasn't a painless or sanitized as we often see in churches. The Cross was an instrument of torture, so the physical reminders are important. But reminders are one thing and reveling in the suffering is another. I'm not sure that Varden crosses that line, but sometimes I thought the source poem did.

So, perhaps think about this one. If the Wounds of Jesus are an important part of your spirituality, yes, by all means, this book is for you. If it is less important, this might be a more challenging read.

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Review: The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery

The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery by Sarah Augustine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I ran across this book in a bookstore in Waterloo, while visiting my son, who is studying there. This books goes along with the Indigenous authors I've been reading, but with the twist that the author is also Christian, looking at the legacy of colonialism in the context of being an Indigenous Christian. And that is a tricky balance to navigate.

The focus of this book, of course, is the Doctrine of Discovery, that initially ecclesiological doctrine which, effectively, handed the New World (and Africa and parts of Asia-anywhere where Christian kings were not ruling) to the European colonial powers- initially, Spain and Portugal, then Britain and France. Augustine explains the origins of this doctrine, how it morphed into a legal argument and how it is impacting people today, specifically her own Pueblo people, but especially the Yakama people in Suriname. She writes within the Mennonite theological heritage, but her activism comes through in everything she writes.

The result is a challenging book. Not because the theology is tricky. I mean, the absurdity of the Doctrine of Discovery has already been repudiated by almost all mainline churches. The Roman Catholic church which promulgated it in a series of papal bulls has even recently admitted its mistake in teaching in itin the first place. The book is challenging because the doctrine, now a legal principle, continues to be employed in disputes about who owns the land which mining and other exploitative industries work. Augustine is unrelenting in calling attention to these abuses and in demanding help for the Yakima people, and all who are resisting these policies. She doesn't stop with informing. She demands action.

Definitely, this is a worthwhile book, both as a refutation of the Doctrine of Discovery, but also as a call to action.

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