Religion-Philosophy – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

The Orthodox Way: Classics Series by Kallistos Ware

By Scott J. Pearson | April 19, 2026April 19, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

As a Protestant Christian, I share much theology in common with Eastern Orthodoxy; however, Protestantism’s emphasis lies more with justification than with Trinitarianism and Christology. Eastern Orthodox theology and spirituality tend to ground themselves in the nature of God. In this book, Kallistos Ware shows how the Orthodox maintained the emphasis of the early church’s creeds all the way to the present day. This book is simultaneously faithful to the Eastern Orthodox tradition and open…

Religion-Philosophy

The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity

By Scott J. Pearson | April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Like many Protestants, I have not experienced an in-depth introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy in my life. I’ve driven by its churches, sure, I’ve met its churchgoers, and in religion classes, I’ve read about its history. However, I never have taken a deep-dive into its culture on my own, mediated only be an advocate for its faith expression. Therefore, I read Timothy Ware’s classic work, now in a third edition, on the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith…

The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us & Divides Us

By Scott J. Pearson | February 22, 2026February 22, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Sometimes, it seems all we do on the Internet and social media is argue about whose activities are most superior and most important. We all want to “matter,” but we can develop elaborate defensive arguments about who gets there the best. Many times, our own need to matter gets in the way of recognizing what matters to other people. And yet needing to matter at something is one of the deepest human longings. We need…

Biography-Memoir Religion-Philosophy

A Summer with Pascal

By Scott J. Pearson | November 10, 2025November 10, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

I’m a huge fan of French polymath Blaise Pascal simply because he provokes thought. Besides his scientific and mathematical contributions, he died before forming his greatest philosophical work into a coherent defense of the plausibleness of Christianity. Instead, they were left as a series of fragments for us to ponder in the following centuries. Simply titled Pensées (or “thoughts”), they give us insight into the spiritual life of one of history’s greatest scientific geniuses. This…

Biography-Memoir Religion-Philosophy

Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard

By Scott J. Pearson | September 29, 2025September 29, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Søren Kierkegaard’s writings have long entranced me since I first ran across it as a teenager. He brought a thoughtful and philosophical approach towards the Christian life that didn’t center around being merely “churchy.” Indeed, as this biography testifies, he ran into conflicts with the institutional church throughout his life. Clare Carlisle details how Copenhagen received this eccentric bachelor before his eminence grew after his death. She particularly focuses on his love life as the…

Religion-Philosophy Society

What the Amish Teach Us: Plain Living in a Busy World

By Scott J. Pearson | September 27, 2025September 27, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

I work in technology research. In my office, I have currently four screens for two laptops in addition to my smartphone. I have over 20 years of formal education. I’m not exactly against technology and make a strange candidate to study the Amish. Regardless, I’m deeply religious and see limits in what technologies can give us. I like living off the grid when possible. Technology, to me, should always be a means, and never an…

Religion-Philosophy

The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse

By Scott J. Pearson | September 7, 2025September 7, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Self-interested ambition seems to fuel society in the West. For instance, politicians try to achieve dominance over the opposition; sports figures try to become a “GOAT” – even when the GOATs change every year! Even religious leaders try to be “the man” (and it’s usually a man) despite religion’s calls for humility. In 1776, Adam Smith saw self-interested motivations as one of the strengths fueling capitalism. Today’s society, by and large, admires strivers over those…

Biography-Memoir Religion-Philosophy Science

Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World

By Scott J. Pearson | September 1, 2025September 1, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

I have had a 25-year fascination with Blaise Pascal, and this book did nothing but nurture my admiration even more. He applied his fecund mind to so many topics and discovered the vacuum, pioneered computation, founded probability theory and conic sections, and wrote one of the most enigmatic yet persuasive defenses of Christianity’s reasonableness. Any book that helps me swap my wits with his, even if only by a little, helps me become better at…

Religion-Philosophy

A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good

By Scott J. Pearson | August 23, 2025August 23, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Our Sunday School class chose this book to discuss over the summer, and I led discussions. I found the discussion guide and videos from the Yale Center for Faith & Culture helpful. We discussed the topic of religion in the public square shortly after the 2024 US election, which made moderating conversation challenging. Christian nationalism is ascendant today, a phenomenon only alluded to in Volf’s book. In his era, Muslim nationalism was the main threat,…

Healthcare HIV/AIDS Religion-Philosophy

Women, HIV & the Church: In Search of Refuge

By Scott J. Pearson | July 19, 2025July 19, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

First, I want to acknowledge the nobility of this book’s purpose. HIV is a dehumanizing condition that only worsens with stigma. Today, both women and orphans are disproportionately affected, and both groups have traditionally been objects of the church’s compassion. However, such a compassionate orientation hasn’t been the case with HIV; instead, stigma reigns, especially in countries hardest hit by the epidemic. This book represents a direct call for the church to instead reclaim its…