Gods And Quadrangles

Jamie Kirchick noticed the slightly uncomplimentary review I gave to Jon Berry's review of God on the Quad and sent me his review of said book for the New York Sun.

It seems to be stuck behind a subscriber firewall, but I'll summarize it by saying that Jamie's piece is to Jon's as virtually any publication is to townhall.com. Here's the money quote:

And while the book's journalistic aspects, exploring the lives of those who attend religious colleges, will be of interest to any college student (especially those who attend schools in Blue States), Ms. Riley's conclusions about these schools are problematic. Her belief that the effect religiously educated students will have in society is entirely positive seems to be colored more by her own political leanings. It is hardly supported by her own findings:

How, just to cite one of many examples, does the establishment by Baptist Baylor University of a center to study "intelligent design," (a trendy euphemism for Creationism) point to her contention that the students who attend these schools are not "intellectually backward?" I don't dispute Ms. Riley's portrayal of the students at the colleges she profiles being more studious and conscientious than their peers at mainstream universities. But what these students are actually learning is just as important, if not more.