Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Unleashed by Erwin McManus is a re-release of his book The Barbarian Way. Serving as a primer to living a life of what most people would consider an extreme faith, the main thrust is God intended His people to live a wild life of faith, not the tame, safe, institutionalized, often fear based faith that characterizes the majority of American Christianity. Through personal anecdotes from his own life as well as his childrens' lives, McManus illustrates what a life of untamed faith can look like.A couple of key quotes that sum up the message of Unleashed are: "His [God's] desire is not to conform us, but to transform us. Not to make us compliant, but to make us creative. His intent is never to domesticate us, but to liberate us" (p. 64). "The freedom to love and the freedom from fear make the barbarian an entirely different species within the whole of humanity. This may be the most extraordinary mark of the Spirit of God within the heart of humanity: the freedom to live out dreams greater than ourselves" (p. 102).
Unleashed is a quick and easy read. For anyone searching for a more meaningful faith, or looking to live a life based on absolute faith in the wildness of God and His promises instead of fear, it provides an encouraging example of those who are living that way. It made me stop and think, and re-examine my own life, to see if there were areas where I was letting fear dictate my actions and decisions, instead of the faith I profess.
There were a few things I would've changed about the book. One is that it seems extremely redundant after a bit; it almost seems as though everything could've been conveyed just as effectively in a long essay rather than a short book. Another thing is that the Scripture references are few and far between, and the extrapolations based on those used are a bit of a stretch sometimes. I believe there is truth in what McManus says, and what he proposes can be seen in Scripture, just not necessarily in the ones he picked, or the way he chose to present it.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to break out of the standard mold of American Christianity.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann is an intricately woven suspense story set in a little mountain town in Colorado. Focusing on two main characters with an intriguing supporting cast, Indivisble explores the bonds that tie us all - and the consequences of trying to live without any bonds- through a disturbing series of crimes, and a tortured courtship.
Fans of Kristen Heitzmann will find the unique characters and hidden motives familiar; however, Indivisible is more suspensful and action driven than most of her work. It captured my attention more than any fiction book I've read in quite a long time. The disturbing set of crimes that forms a thread through the novel literally made me unable to read it right before bed for fear of what was just around the corner on the next page. I was both hesitant and anxious to find out what happened next.
The character development was more in depth than some novels of this type. While I couldn't imagine anyone doing the things that were done, when the criminal was revealed it made total sense and kind of completed that character. Overall there was a redemptive theme that reinforces the idea that God did not create us to live alone; we are meant to be tied to many people in varying ways and degrees. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter really added to this overall theme as well as the development of the story.
I'd recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel, as well as anyone who needs to understand the utter brokenness that occurs when we resist being connected with others.
I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ by Charles Foster is one barrister's attempt to present all of the most widely accepted facts and arguments on both sides of the debate over whether or not the historical figure known as Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Foster uses two fictional people - X and Y - to present both sides of the debate regarding the sources, the death, the burial, the empty tomb, the post-resurrection appearances, whether or not the early church believed in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and where Christians got their idea of the resurrection.There have been very few books in my life that I have started and not finished either because I enjoyed reading them, or out of sheer stubbornness. The Jesus Inquest was one of the few that I simply could not bring myself to read all the way through. After slogging through the introduction and first 3 chapters, I skimmed the rest until the conclusion, which was not really a conclusion at all.
One reason is that Foster's format is confusing. He lists all of the arguments from X on the chapter's topic, then has Y list all of his. The problem is that there are numerous arguments dealing with each chapter's topic. It is difficult to truly see both sides when one has to think back through a bunch of other arguments. Perhaps a dialogue format would have been more conducive what Foster was trying to do. Besides the confusing format, the tone is often unnecessarily sharp and disparaging of the other side. The content is comes in such a way that at times it feels like being shot at by a machine gun. The lack of context, and the quick blurbs of information that flow one right after another leave one little time to process, much less compare both sides to decide which one to agree with. To his credit, Foster does provide several appendices to supplement his text, as well as thorough documentation of his sources. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone but someone who already has a firm scholarly grasp on the overall topic.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Next Christians: How a New Generation Is Restoring the Faith, by Gabe Lyons, describes the defining characteristics of the “new” type of Christian that is emerging among the paradigm shift occurring in American Christianity. As the Church in America begins to grapple with the shift culture as a whole has already embraced – mainly from modernity to post-modernity, and “Christian America” to post-“Christian America” – a different kind of believer emerges; one who quietly lives out their faith in a way that looks radically different than their father’s and grandfather’s generations. Throughout The Next Christians, Lyons presents those he has termed the “next Christians” through story while at the same time providing solid research to provide context to these stories. He spends the first part of the book thoroughly explaining what was once true, why a change occurred, and what is now true regarding Christianity and its place in American culture.
The stage he sets is overwhelmingly supported through both impersonal statistics and personal narratives. Lyons then spends the majority of the rest of the book giving an in-depth explanation of the six main characteristics of the next Christians: they are provoked, not offended; creators, not critics; called, not employed, grounded, not distracted, in community, not alone, and counter-cultural, not “relevant”.
Books that describe any kind of shift taking place among a large group of people, especially in the realm of religion, often have a negative tone towards one side, while glossing over the faults of the other. Lyons however, manages to give the old its due while acknowledging the downfalls and potential pitfalls of those he is describing. The Next Christians is one of the most hopeful books on the state of the Church in America that I have read. His ability to honestly tell it like it is without rancor, as well as maintain an objective viewpoint on those he describes while championing the faith as a whole gives that much more weight to the topic. Without reservation, I recommend The Next Christians to anyone who has a stake in, or is merely curious about those who make up the next generation of leaders of the Church in America.
I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher is a personal reflection of Communion. Part of The Ancient Practices Series, which examines seven ancient practices of the Christian faith, The Sacred Meal examines how central communion is to both the church as a whole, as well as the spiritual journey of the individual believer. Though each tradition handles Communion differently, and even calls it different things - Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper - it is one of the most ancient and central sacraments of the church.The Sacred Meal evoked conflicting emotions within me. On one hand, as one who comes from a tradition that does the Lord's Supper infrequently, it was both encouraging and convicting to read the journey of someone who takes the Eucharist as seriously, and who has woven the practice so deeply into one's personal spiritual life as Gallagher has. The weight of the practice, and the fact that it is a practice in her life and not just a "once every quarter" event resonates within me.
At the same time, some of the theological leaps Gallagher makes were a bit hard to swallow. Its safe to say that her personal theology is much more open than, and to the left of, what is considered a biblical worldview. It was hard to tell whether Gallagher believes in the divinity of Christ, or merely reveres him as someone somewhere between God and a great teacher. Seeing as how Communion is so closely tied to who Christ is and His sacrifice on the cross, it was hard to reconcile her beliefs about Christ, and the weight with which she approaches the Eucharist.
While it would have probably been beneficial to have a bit more history and concrete examples of the various beliefs about and practices of Communion throughout the Church, Gallagher's personal story is good for all to hear, if for nothing more than a jumping off point for a conversation about Communion - which would be beneficial for all. Anyone who is interested in the Lord's Supper, or anyone who would like to expand the conversation about it, should read this book.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Monday, November 29, 2010
On This Day in Christian History by Robert J. Morgan, is a devotional chronicling, in the words of its tag line, "365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories About Saints, Martyrs, and Heroes." Each day of the year has about a 3/4 of the page long story about a person in Christian history who was born, died, or did something significant on that day. There is also a Bible verse at the bottom of each page that goes along with the story. In the preface, the author states his purpose in compiling these stories is twofold. He hopes to both chronicle parts of Christian history that it might not be lost forever, as well as use stories from the past to instruct and encourage fellow believers in the present.Overall, this book is a nice collection of stories, covering all of Christian history. There doesn't seem to any bias toward one time in history over another, or any kind of bias toward one view of doctrines over others. On This Day in Christian History serves as a nice introduction to the vast number of people on whose shoulders modern day Christians stand. While not covering anything in depth, it does provide a helpful starting point for anyone who'd like to study certain people or events more closely. There is an index of topics, though an index of people, events, or periods of time would be more helpful considering the subject. I would recommend this to the casual student of Christian history, or someone looking for examples of other's devotion to encourage their own.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright can be summed up in its tag line: "The Biblical Roots of the Inevitable Crisis in the Middle East." Wright discusses how the decision of one man - Abraham - to not trust God spread and multiplied into the crisis that is the Middle East. According to Wright, the fierce and unending fighting among the peoples who inhabit the Middle East are inevitable in light of biblical history, and will not end until Christ returns. He fleshes these ideas out in Seeds of Turmoil.Based on the title and description, I was initially excited to read this book. As a Christian and a history buff I thought it'd be both interesting and informative. In was informative, but only on the most basic level. Seeds of Turmoil would be a good primer for people who have little to no knowledge of the Middle East and the people who inhabit it, or an understanding of the origins of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. While presented in a logical manner, the information given seemed to be repeated many times throughout the book. The author's obvious bias for Israel was almost overwhelming at times. In a topic such as this, it's natural to have a bias for one side or the other; however, when attempting to address the matter factually, the bias shouldn't take over as it did in this book.
Wright's handling of the Scripture used throughout is true to the Word, though some of his interpretations and extrapolations of interactions between people that weren't recorded are somewhat iffy. Nothing that causes a serious doctrine issue, but more poetic license than one would expect in a book like this.
Overall, there may be certain people I recommend this book to, but they would be few and far between. It's pretty fluffy and there are better works on the topic.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
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