Content tagged with "faith"

This a lovely, coffee table-ish book about the Bible. It’s a sequential tour through the Bible, story by story. Every story you’ve ever heard from the Bible – they’re all in here. The chapter header explains the characters in the story, the themes, the timeframe of the events, and the verse…

Meticulously-researched biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian who became an outspoken resistor of the Nazis, and an eventual plotter in Hitler’s assassination, for which he was executed just before the Allies would have reached him. The book really doubles as a history of the rise…

This book is a rebuttal to a prior book called The Benedict Option. I haven’t read that book yet. Apparently, The Benedict Option claimed that the world was so fundamentally broken that Christians should just retreat to our own spaces and wait for the end of the world . This book rejects that. It…

I read a longer book of Doyle’s essays, and I’ve become sort of obsessed with him. Doyle has a remarkable ability to notice the spiritual and the most mundane things. This is a book about 100 prayers about seemingly boring things. Doyle makes you understand how amazing they really are. Examples A…

Stroebel was a Chicago crime reporter, and he approaches his investigation to the divinity of Jesus with an analytical bent. Each chapter is an examination of one aspect of doubt, and to resolve it, he interviews one noted scholar in that field. Here are the questions, which are a good dissemination…

A very short book that basically boils down to having some period of God-centered quiet time. Giving it a higher rating because I appreciated that it was short – it had a simple, concise point, and it was just long enough to handle that. Someone else might have tried to pad this out to trade length,…

this is a solid book with a simple message: make sure your Christian organization is serving God rather than more earthly metrics. he basic premise is that you trust in God, and produce qualitative rather than quantitative results. It gets a bit repetitive, but then there’s a big chapter at the end…

This is a book that would offend and anger a lot of people. I get that. I read it so I could understand a friend’s point-of-view a little better. I read it at the same time as The Boniface Option which is even more extreme, but I’m calling out the chance of offense here just because of the title….

A pleasant book about overcoming negative self-talk through Christian faith. There’s a lot of evangelism in here, and some of it is repetitive. The book is at its best when it offers a few “lifehack-ish” things you can do to re-direct your thoughts when they turn dark.

It’s hard to categorize this one, but I enjoyed reading it. It’s not a book for new believers – more for existing believers who want/need to take the next step. It’s about pushing the sliders to 11. I don’t know where that fits in, genre-wise. A motivational?

This is a book in favor of intelligent design – of the idea of creationism – which I’ve historically been very skeptical of. The promise is right there in the title: Darwinism, or naturalistic evolution, is at odds with Christianity and must be “defeated.” The author is a law professor at at UC…

My wife bought me this at the Global Leadership Summit. It was one of the top three selling books there . The book is…awful? I almost don’t want to call it that, because I don’t think I was the target audience. I think the target audience is someone who needs spiritual motivation; someone who is…

Here are some notes I took on the acquisition of this book:

It belonged to Isabella.

I love Davis’s “don’t know much about” books. He takes BIG subjects and writes about them in interesting ways. Kind of a frequently-asked-questions mode. He starts nowhere in particular, and meanders around, in a good way. His writing style is engaging and interesting. He can make any subject…

This book was recommended by a friend. This friend is a social, religious, and political conservative, with very specific opinions on the separation of genders. I did not want to like this book. But, in the end, I agreed with far more than I disagreed with. The book is very well-written. The first…

This book makes the case that the world is better now on almost every quantifiable dimension than at any other time in its history, and this is because of the decline of religion. Pinker’s main point is that religion is bad and makes the world a worse place, and the improvement in life over the last…

A memoir of a broken life. Jack Deere is a world-renowned theologian, but he hasn’t talked much about how his own life often spiraled out of control behind the scenes. His son took his own life, his wife struggled deeply with alcoholism, and Deere himself often alienated other people and made…

A good look at the Christian/Biblical teachings behind physical fitness and a health diet. Turns out, sloth and gluttony are the two deadly sins we tend to cast a blind eye to, because they’re considered socially acceptable sins. Not an Earth-shattering book. If you’re looking for practical diet and…

I read this chapter-by-chapter for a men’s Bible study. I don’t quite remember all of it, but the basic idea was to help the reader find some spiritual service position in their church or some other ministry. It took three things into account: Those three things together would help you find an…

I’ll freely admit that a lot of this went over my head. This is not an approachable book. It’s very academic and more appropriate to seminary students. However, it does make clear the critical point that the modern Christian bible was formed through curation and the actions of mortals combing…

I didn’t review this book right away, and in the meantime, I read ruthless-elimination-hurry, by the same author. Because of this, it’s hard for me to separate the two books in my head – they’re about very similar themes. Maybe go read that review? A lot of it applies to this as well.

This is a solid introduction to Christian apologetics. When I started it, I was tempted to dismiss it as lightweight, but then I conceded that I’ve read a lot of apologetics. If you haven’t, this is a really good one to start on. The chapters cover. It’s a solid introduction. Certainly, other books…

What’s interesting about this book is that there’s just very little information about the actual process of creating the King James Bible. Not much of the historical record of the actual translation process remains. So, what the book does is concentrate on the societal, political, and religious…

I wasn’t the target market for this book, so my 5-star review is more intended at how I think it would be needed and used by the reader for which it’s intended. This is book meant to be given to new Christians. The idea is that you need move from the “hype” of the Christian festival or event where…

Here are some notes I took on the acquisition of this book:

This was printed for Central. Neil gave me a copy.

I don’t know if I actually finished this. I might have, or I might have abandoned it. It’s tough to tell, because the book is just so repetitive. The author makes a central point: as Christians, it is our responsibility to make the world a better place, and to help our fellow humans in real ways,…

A short book that combines evangelism with etymology. The basic premise is that the English word “praise” has seven separate meanings in Hebrew. The Hands of Praise The Fools of Praise The Music of Praise The Expectation of Praise The Posture of Praise The Songs of Praise The Shout of Praise The…

Wonderful book about the influence of the Christian church in the years since the death of Jesus, up until current times. Covers art, charity, education, politics, etc. Full-color illustrated, and easy to digest. Regardless of your faith situation, it’s a great look at the history of the common era.

Much better than I expected. As a Democrat, I read this as a counterpoint to my inherent views and found that I liked it quite a bit. Colson is a very good writer, and the book is engaging. While I didn’t agree with everything he said, he makes some very good arguments in places, and the book should…

Read this on the recommendation of a friend … who happens to be a former seminary professor. 99% of this went way, way over my head. It’s dense. The book is actually three essays transcribed from lectures Barth gave in the 50s. Man, it’s a lot. Not rating this because I was not even close to the…

Let me first say this: my review here is not necessarily an endorsement of Sam Allberry’s specific views. But I am saying that this is a very well-written book, from an objective stance. Allberry is an English pastor who “experiences same-sex attraction” . Those are his words. He doesn’t refer to…

Less of a book and more of a promo for the IJM ministry. Short; read it in 45 minutes. Reminded me of “The Hole in the Gospel” in that he picks an obvious point and just hammers away at it for 150 pages. It was a big argument in service of a point that I don’t think anyone is debating. Again, I…

This is a re-read for me. I originally read it 10 years ago, and it’s still amazing. Frances Collins was the head of the genome project. He led the team that mapped the human genome. He is also a Christian. He discusses the reconciliation of science and faith, and makes a compelling case that the…

I didn’t “read” this so much as I skimmed it, then gave a presentation on it. The book was given to me by the middle school youth leader at Central Church. I’m a coach for the youth group leaders there, and she wanted me to do a training on it. It’s a short book – the 167 pages is even deceptive,…

So, it’s tough not to like this book, because Sam Acho is an engaging writer and seems like a lovely person. But the book is unfocused, and doesn’t seem to go anywhere. The title hint that’s it about letting the world see “the real you.” But the result is really just a bunch of stories about Acho’s…

This is a re-read from 25 years ago. It should probably go down as one of the great “new apologetics.” Greg Boyd was a seminary professor, and his father was agnostic. The book is a series of letters they exchanged about faith over three years. The father raised virtually every single complaint and…

Here are some notes I took on the acquisition of this book:

Bells picked it up for free at USF. Gave it to me for my birthday.

A book about the need to devote oneself completely to the Christian faith – to be a “follower, not a fan.” The book is well-written, fun to read, but I don’t know if I was the right audience. The target appears to be the already committed Christian who might be at a crossroads, trying to determine…

This is another one of those books that should be a blog post. The basic idea is this: lately – and especially during COVID – people are putting their political affiliation first, and their faith second. They’re Democrats or Republicans first, then maybe Americans second, and then Christians third….

This book was written 1910. R.A. Torrey was a traveling evangelist. I gather he was one of Dwight Moody’s ministry partners. The book is a treatise on all aspects of the Holy Spirit . Example chapters: The chapters are generally quite short . Every chapter includes the phrase “Holy Spirit” in its…

This book is an attempt by Douglas Wilson to convey a “theology of work,” and explain how any work is blessed and sacred. The book is promoted as more of a celebration of working slowly – plodding away at something, rather than trying to rush through it. Wilson is a theologian. He’s very prominent…

I think I need to read this again. It’s complicated. The author is attempted to explain why war is so prevalent and violent in the Old Testament, but I – on first reading – it sounds like a very delicate skirting of the issue. If there was a central point or excuse, I missed it on the first…

This is a short book that examines the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 15. I read this chapter-by-chapter for a men’s Bible study group. Unfortunately, I lost the main point of it. I remember it being quite good and interesting, but I can’t recall what it was. Weirdly, I’m still recommending…

I didn’t read this all at once – I read it bit by bit, for a men’s Bible study class. So it’s a bit harder to review than normal. The book is a discussion of “holiness,” and how and why should pursue it by reducing the amount of sin in our lives. It explains why we should seek holiness, why that’s…

This is the second of John Mark Comer’s books I’ve read in the last month. They were both recommended by my daughter. This is what I would call an “inspirational title.” Meaning, Comer isn’t telling us anything that we don’t already know, he’s just trying to prompt is to do something about it. We do…

Wonderful book examining the conflict between evolution and creationism. The author is a professor at a Christian college. To be fair, I am tempted to rate this book lower, primarily because it was lazy about it’s subtitle – and I’m a stickler for titles and subtitles. You either support them or you…

This book caused quite a stir when it was published in 1994. This is the quote that upset a lot of people: The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there isn’t one. The author was basically saying that evangelical Christians have stopped thinking rationally about anything. Unfortunately, it was a…

I’m going to have to read this book again. Slower, maybe in a group. This is a book of philosophy that attempts to prove, logically, that belief in God is rational, and that atheistic arguments to the contrary are not valid. It’s roughly divided into three parts: This book is…complicated. It gets…

A lovely, contemplative book about the idea of a higher power and all the imprints that has left on humans and the human condition. The point is not laser-focused. It doesn’t build to a larger point or big conclusion. Each chapter is a meditation on some aspect of how the human world intersects with…

This was written by the guy who played Dwight from The Office. I’ve never seen that show, but I gather he was funny in it. He’s a practitioner of the Bahá'í faith. He was born into it – his parents were Bahá'í converts. That faith is a lot like universalism – it roughly believes in monotheism, and…

About halfway through this book, it became obvious that it wasn’t a traditional book. I think this is a book clearly designed for a Bible study group. Either that, or it’s a promotional tool. It’s published by an organization called Standard 59 , which appears to be a Christian men’s ministry. I…

A short, excellent book about fundraising for faith-based causes. It presents a new paradigm of fund-raising, more focused on the giver than the gift. It runs the risk of perhaps being too idealized, and it’s business fiction, which comes with all the risks of being stilted and awkward . To carry…

This book traces the history of Christianity by defining 12 “turning points,” which are pivotal moments in its development. These range from the Council of Niceo, to the Reformation , to the Edinburgh Mission conference in 1910. It was a good book, and certainly well-researched, but quite a bit of…

I didn’t like this. But what bothers me is that I don’t know why I didn’t like it. I am very interested in the subject matter. This should absolutely be a book I like. I have no idea why I couldn’t connect with it, but dreaded picking it up. It’s about a journalist who wanders around the Holy Land,…

I quite enjoyed this. It approaches the subject of Christian belief through a deconstruction of the Apostles and Nicene creeds, taking them apart, sentence by sentence, and examining what each part means. Understand that this is not an apologetic – there’s not much justification or proof offered for…

This is a lovely book of short essay chapters which explain teachings of the New Testament that we clearly often forget. Each one starts “If Jesus was serious…” Examples: then we will trust God more and politics less then we will recognize the illusion of control that money creates then we will…

A summary and commentary on the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

Excellent book about the inadvertent damage we do when trying to help. It discusses how to help other communities and countries without accidentally making things worse – how to help in such a way that you build the community itself up, instead of just throwing money and volunteer hours at something…

Here are some notes I took on the acquisition of this book:

It belonged to Isabella

A wonderful look at the historic figure of Jesus Christ and his continuing impact on the world. The book is not necessarily evangelical – it’s more historical than anything. It discusses the changes Jesus and Christianity brought about to the treatment of women, our relationship to government, and…

Wonderfully unique book written by a father and son, both of whom were Christian pastors and leaders. The son lost his faith and became a secular humanist and “humanist chaplain.” This book was written a few years later by both of them, which explains why the son left the faith, and rebutted by…

This book scratched an itch I’ve had for a long time. A friend referred to it as “activity over intimacy,” and Jethani captures this by identifying four ways of relating to god, and why they’re flawed: Life From God: Wanting the benefits that come from God without the work. Life Over God:…