Subscribe:
RSS feed
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Is.30:21)
Browsing All Posts filed under »Reviews«
The Medium And The Light | Notes & Review
Marshall McLuhan. The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion. Gingko Press, 2002. (224 pages) Introduction For many hundreds of the years covered in his investigations, the antagonists were clergy. And their debates concerned not simply this or that idea or doctrine but rather the very tools of intellectual endeavour, the nature and seriousness of philosophy […]
Genesis Unbound | Review
April 23, 2013
John Sailhamer. Genesis Unbound: A Provocative New Look at the Creation Account. Multnomah Books, 1996, 2011. (270 pages) Quick Introductory Note In this study blog, I generally post my highlights and underlines for the purpose of documenting the key phrases and ideas of the book and add a few interactions and reflections at the end. This […]
Night | Reflections & Notes
April 11, 2013
Eli Wiesel. Night. Hill and Wang, 1985. (120 pages) Reflections I began reading this in commemoration of Yom HaShoah (יום השואה), Holocaust Remembrance day (April 7). It is a small endeavor to reconnect with humanity, and to personally acknowledge the solidarity due to all people in suffering and oppression. As I searched a bit, it […]
Technopoly | Notes & Review
March 16, 2013
Neil Postman. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage Books, 1992. (222 pages) Introduction …the argument is not between humanists and scientists but between technology and everybody else. (xii) First, technology is a friend. … Second, because of its lengthy, intimate, and inevitable relationship with culture, technology does not invite a close examination of […]
The Son Rises | Notes & Review
February 17, 2013
William Lane Craig. The Son Rises: The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus. Wipf and Stock, 1981. (156 pages) Preface The Christian faith is based on the event of the resurrection. It is not based on the evidence for the resurrection. (7) 1. Death and Resurrection Modern man is the Cosmic Orphan because he […]
Year of Biblical Womanhood | Notes & Review
January 6, 2013
Rachel Held Evans. A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband “Master”. Thomas Nelson, 2012. (352 pages; 5684 Locations. This review is for the Kindle Edition.) Rachel Held Evans’ Project page; Desiring God Review; Huffington Post; Christian Post Introduction I was […]
Sticky Faith | Notes & Review
January 1, 2013
Dr. Kara E. Powell & Dr. Chap Clark. Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids. Zondervan, 2011. (222) http://stickyfaith.org/extras What is Sticky Faith? (introductory video): Kara’s talk at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church: http://vimeo.com/5508943 1. the not-so-sticky-faith reality Kids’ Faith Isn’t Sticking (15), … College Students Gone Wild (17), … Christian Kids […]
The Book of Mormon | Review
December 23, 2012
Book of Mormon, Broadway Musical. For starters, and for the religiously devout, this musical is offensive, raunchy, crude, irreverent, obscene, and offensive (yes, I said “offensive” twice). It is not for those who take their religion too seriously, so caution is advised for those who may not want their beliefs or convictions poked and prodded. […]
Toxic Charity | Notes & Review
December 22, 2012
Robert Lupton. Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help. HarperOne, 2011. (191 pages) Chapter One: The Scandal The Compassion industry is almost universally accepted as a virtuous and constructive enterprise. | But what is so surprising is that its outcomes are almost entirely unexamined. (2-3) …it may be hurting more than helping. […]
The Killer At Thurston High | Review & Reflections
December 21, 2012
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/ In September 1998, Kip Kinkel confessed to killing his parents in their home on May 20, 1998 and the next day, walking into the Thurston High School cafeteria and spraying students with 50 rounds from a semiautomatic rifle, killing two students, Ben Walker, 16, and Mikael Nickolauson, 17, and wounding 25 others. Kip was […]
Love Free or Die | Review
November 17, 2012
watch: http://video.pbs.org/video/2294044250/ (only through November 19, 2012) descriptions: LOVE FREE OR DIE (Special Jury Prize winner Sundance 2012) is about a man whose two defining passions the world cannot reconcile: his love for God and for his partner Mark. It is about church and state, love and marriage, faith and identity-and one man’s struggle to […]
Machine Gun Preacher | Review
November 14, 2012
http://www.machinegunpreacher.org Christan Post article. Urban Christian News article. Christianity Today article. Shekinah Fellowship Church. As with many films that are “based on a true story,” there are augmentations and omissions, several of which you can read about in the linked articles above. Regardless, what this film, as well as the articles, accomplish is communicating the […]
The Rise of Evangelicals | Notes & Review
November 14, 2012
Noll, Mark A.; Shelley, Bruce L.; Rosell, Garth M.; Sweeney, Douglas A.; Marsden, George; Mouw, Richard J.; Martin, William; Tait, Jennifer Woodruff (2012-09-07). The Rise of the Evangelicals: The birth of a movement that changed America (Christianity Today Essentials). Christianity Today, 2012. Kindle Edition. Introduction But when you start listing the attributes of evangelicals, it’s […]
Speaking Christian | Review & Notes
September 30, 2012
Marcus Borg. Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power — And How They Can Be Restored. HarperOne, 2011. (248 pages) (Thank you to Janelle for our copy!) CNN Belief Blog. Patheos interview with Borg. The Hillhurst Review. Englewood Review. — REVIEW — This is most definitely an important contribution to the […]
The Hunger Games | Review & Reflections
September 28, 2012
Admittedly, I have yet to read the books (calling to me from my Kindle). After seeing the movie, it is understandable how this story has become challenging to many in the faith community. The oppressive regime of the capitol, the despair of poverty juxtaposed to wealth and opulence, and young people being “forced” to kill […]
TED | Sarah-Jayne Blakemore: The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain
September 27, 2012
Fifteen years ago, it was widely assumed that the vast majority of brain development takes place in the first few years of life. Back then, 15 years ago, we didn’t have the ability to look inside the living human brain and track development across the lifespan. In the past decade or so, mainly […]
Revelations | Notes & Review
August 26, 2012
Elaine Pagels. Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, & Politics in the Book of Revelation. Viking, 2012. (246 pages) The Big Reveal: Why Does the Bible End That Way? – The New Yorker Into the Apocalypse With an Unruffled Tour Guide – NY Times Elaine Pagels on the Book of Revelation – Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly Chapter One […]
Saving Darwin | Notes & Review
August 18, 2012
Karl W. Giberson. Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution. HarperOne, 2008. (248 pages) Foreword Giberson’s carefully documented history provides a sobering response to the claims of those who think that the current controversy can be quickly resolved. Just as with other great world conflicts, such as the current war in […]
How The Irish Saved Civilization | Review & Notes
August 4, 2012
Thomas Cahill. How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe. Anchor Books, 1995. (245 pages) — Notes — Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true […]
Launch | Notes & Review
July 30, 2012
Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas. Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch. Regal, 2006. (223 pages) http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/, http://www.nyjourney.com/ Introduction Your call to start a church is the most critical factor to the church’s success. Don’t be afraid to raise funds from other churches. Build your church from the outside in. Don’t start with small groups […]
Inspiration and Incarnation | Notes & Review
July 22, 2012
Petter Enns. Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament. Baker Academic, 2005. (197 pages) Preface The aim of this book is not novelty but synthesis. My focus is twofold: (1) to bring together a variety of data that biblical scholars work with every day for readers who do not have firsthand […]
BASIC Series | Notes & Review
July 14, 2012
http://basicseries.com/ Overall, I am very blessed and thankful for Francis, his ministry, and his work. The Flannel people have created something quite beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, and the message, which is most important, is both verbal and visual, the interlocking partnership of word and image that few have captivated well in the Christian world. At […]
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother | Review & Notes
July 12, 2012
Amy Chua. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Penguin Press, 2011. (237 pages) http://amychua.com, Colbert Report, Time magazine Q&A, — VIA — This was a fantastic read. Chua has been criticized, mainly over the title of the Wall Street Journal article, “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior,” but this criticism, and especially that article title is […]
The Advantage | Notes & Review
July 8, 2012
Patrick Lencioni. The Advantage: Why Organization Health Trumps Everything in Business. Jossey-Bass, 2012. (216 pages) Introduction Jim Collins once told me, qualitative field research is just as reliable as the quantitative kind, as long as clients and readers attest to its validity. (xvii) The Case for Organizational Health The single greatest advantage any company can […]
Everyday Justice | Notes & Review
July 7, 2012
Julie Clawson. Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of our Daily Choices. IVP Books, 2009. http://www.everydayjustice.net/ WARNING! Read Before Proceeding Don’t panic! We see acting justly as an all-or-nothing endeavor, and because we can’t do it all, we often end up doing nothing. This book exists to help us start doing something by giving concrete and […]
Sophie Scholl | Review
July 2, 2012
Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (Wikipedia entry) [NR], 2005 This movie is about the last days in the life of Sophie Scholl, a 21-year-old member of the anti-Nazi non-violent student resistance group the White Rose, part of the German Resistance movement. She was found guilty of high treason by the People’s Court and executed […]
The Spark | Notes & Review
July 1, 2012
John U. Bacon & Lyn Heward. The Spark: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All. Currency Doubleday, 2006. (136 pages) — VIA — It is delightfully serendipitous that I watched Moneyball last night about the Oakland Athletics’ GM and read this book this morning about a sports agent. There is a common theme […]
Christianity After Religion | Notes & Review
June 30, 2012
Diana Butler Bass. Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. HarperOne, 2012. (294 pages) Part I: The End of Religion The Beginning Strange as it may seem in this time of cultural anxiety, economic near collapse, terrorist fear, political violence, environmental crisis, and partisan anger, I believe […]
The Prodigal God | Notes
June 26, 2012
Timothy Keller. The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith. Riverhead Books, 2008. (155 pages) Introduction …one of the signs that you may not grasp the unique, radical nature of the gospel is that you are certain that you do. (xiii) I believe, however, that if the teaching of Jesus is likened to […]
Masada | Notes
June 11, 2012
Yigael Yadin. Masada: Herod’s Fortress and the Zealots’ Last Stand. Steimatzky Ltd., 1997. (272 pages) 1 The challenge * Western drop to the Dead sea is more than 1,300 feet. * 66 AD, the Jewish revolt flared up into a full-scale country-wide war. * 70 AD, the Roman general Titus conquered Jerusalem, sacked the city, […]
Onward | Review & Notes
May 30, 2012
Howard Schultz, with Joanne Gordon. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. Rodale, 2011. (350 pages) http://www.starbucks.com/onward — VIA — Lessons abstracted are ethereal and often lost. Lessons in stories are vivid, palpable, moving, and memorable. It is the latter which makes this book so engaging. Schultz provides a surprisingly transparent […]
The Bible Made Impossible | Notes & Review
May 20, 2012
Christian Smith. The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture. Brazos Press, 2011 (220 pages) Other reviews: Experimental Theology blog; Rachel Held Evans blog; The Gospel Coalition; Reformation 21; Theoblogy (Tony Jones) – The Ailment, The Cure, The Fatal Flaw Introduction My contention here is that the American evangelical […]
Why Evolution Is True | Notes & Review
May 6, 2012
Jerry Coyne. Why Evolution Is True. Penguin, 2009. (282 pages) Preface …while the Dover trial is an American story, creationism isn’t a uniquely American problem. Creationists — who aren’t necessarily Christians — are establishing footholds in other parts of the world, especially the United Kingdom, Australia, and Turkey. The battle for evolution seems never-ending. And […]
Did Jesus Exist? | Notes & Review
April 29, 2012
Bart Ehrman. Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. HarperOne, 2012. (361 pages) [many thanks to Janelle for our copy!] Introduction When mythicists use the term [myth] they often seem to mean simply a story that has no historical basis, a history-like narrative that in fact did not happen. (3) What I […]
Half The Sky | Review & Notes
April 12, 2012
Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn. Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide. Vintage Books, 2009. (296 pages) www.halftheskymovement.org, www.facebook.com/kristof, https://www.facebook.com/halftheskymovement, http://twitter.com/nickkristof, — Review — The book reads much like one long New York Times article (or several stringed together), and is riveting, educational, inspiring, and evocative. My only regret is not reading […]
The Hunger Games & The Gospel | Notes & Review
April 9, 2012
Julie Clawson. The Hunger Games and the Gospel:Bread, Circuses, and the Kingdom of God. Patheos Press, 2012. (149 pages; 3930 Kindle locations) One Hand Clapping – Julie Clawson’s website Introduction: Let the Games Begin Although not explicitly “Christian” books, the themes explored in The Hunger Games are the same ones Christians have wrestled with since […]
Walking In The Dust of Rabbi Jesus | Notes & Review
March 25, 2012
Lois Tverberg. Walking In The Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life. Zondervan, 2012. (239 pages) I. Hearing Our Rabbi’s Words With New Ears 1. Brushing Away the Dust of the Ages In just the past fifty years, we have seen more advances in biblical archaeology and in […]
Leadership Secrets of the World’s Most Successful CEOs | Notes & Review
March 4, 2012
Eric Yaverbaum. Leadership Secrets of the World’s Most Successful CEOs: 100 Top Executives Reveal the Management Strategies that Made Their Companies Great. Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004. (275 pages) 1. Gene A. Abbott: A good leader makes sure he is surrounded by the right people. Only through one’s willingness and dedication to give one’s self, and […]
Radical | Notes & Review
March 3, 2012
David Platt. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. Multnomah, 2010. (230 pages) http://www.radicalthebook.com/ 1. Someone Worth Losing Everything For Jesus actually spurned the things that my church culture said were most important. So what was I to do? I found myself faced with two big questions (2) The first was simple. Was […]
Humilitas | Notes
February 26, 2012
John Dickson. Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership. Zondervan, 2011. (196 pages) INTRODUCTION | Humility and How I Achieved It CHAPTER 1 | Thesis: What Is Humility and Why Does It Matter? Learning history (and especially learning from it) is the ultimate exercise in democracy. By it you give a voice not […]
Incognito | Notes & Review
February 5, 2012
[additional graphic notes forthcoming] David Eagleman. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. Pantheon, 2011. (304 pages; 5809 locations) 1. There’s Someone In My Head, But It’s Not Me A vocalization seems ephemeral and ineffable: it is like opening a bag of feathers which scatter on the breeze and can never be retrieved. Voices are […]
The Human Experience | Notes & Review
January 31, 2012
http://www.grassrootsfilms.com/thehumanexperience/ Grassroots Films, 2007 [PG-13] Amazon.com EXPERIENCE I: HOMELESS ON THE STREETS OF NEW YORK Find those things that make us human. It’s not the nature of life to be despairing. The nature of life is to be hopeful. Life is other people. It’s just that simple. If you view the other as a unique […]
Leadership Gold | Notes & Review
January 29, 2012
John Maxwell. Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leading. Thomas Nelson, 2008. (256) Searching for Gold …everything rises and falls on leadership. (vii) …please understand that… 1. I’m still learning about leadership. 2. Many people have contributed to the leadership gold in this book. 3. What I’m teaching can be learned by […]
Leading At The Edge | Notes & Review
January 23, 2012
Dennis N.T. Perkins. Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition. AMACOM, 2000. (268 pages) This path has led me to believe that the essence of leadership can be found in this ultimate crucible of human endeavor. I am convinced that by understanding the things that work when survival […]
God And Sex | Notes & Review
January 16, 2012
Michael Coogan. God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says. Twelve, 2010. (237 pages) — VIA — Full disclosure: I did not actually finish “reading” the book (a term I use to communicate that I have actually digested a book’s full content). Coogan does in this book what any author of a short survey of […]
The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture | Notes & Review
December 21, 2011
Shane Hipps. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, The Gospel, and Church. Zondervan, 2005 (176 pages) …every innovation is an amputation as well as an extension. – Brian McLaren (from the Forward) INTRODUCTION This is not a book intended to argue that the church needs to engage culture. Rather, it assumes […]
What Technology Wants | Notes & Review
November 27, 2011
Kevin Kelly. What Technology Wants. Viking, 2010. (405 pages). http://www.kk.org/books/what-technology-wants.php. Video: http://www.qideas.org/video/what-technology-wants.aspx 1. My Question Should we allow human cloning? Is constant texting making our kids dumb? Do we want automobiles to park themselves? But as my quest evolved, I realized that if we want to find satisfying answers to those questions, we first need […]
The King Jesus Gospel | Notes & Review
November 25, 2011
Scot McKnight. The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. Zondervan, 2011. (184 pages) FOREWORD BY N.T. WRIGHT The Christian faith is kaleidoscopic, and most of us are color-blind. (11) We ought to welcome it if a musician plays new parts of the harmony to the tune we thought we knew. (11) “the gospel” […]
The Lost World of Genesis One | Notes & Review
November 7, 2011
John Walton. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. IVP Academic, 2009. (191 pages) Prologue It is regrettable that an account of such beauty has become such a bloodied battle-ground, but that is indeed the case. (5) In this book I have proposed a reading of Genesis that I believe […]
Our Time | Review
October 22, 2011
Short snippets of a random selection of young people does not a documentary make. I’m always thankful to be educated and exposed to various aspects of life and culture. And to a certain degree, this film accomplishes that. Some stories prompted me to feel proud and excited about the future. Others, a bit fearful. However, […]
April 26, 2013
0