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Lighthouse Faith: God as a Living Reality in a World Immersed in Fog
Is God Just a Distant Concept? An Award-Winning Religion Correspondent is Convinced the Answer is No and Explores the Possible Relationship with Our Creator
Fox News Religion Correspondent Lauren Green uses her wealth of stories, vast network of contacts, and her own extensive study of theology to take the reader on a unique journey of spiritual discovery. With few female authors writing in the field of theology, Green provides an important perspective to all who wish to move closer to not only a deeper relationship with God but an understanding of what makes that possible.
Green gathers insight from some amazing guides along the way, through personal conversations with some of the leading minds in the world on the topic of Christianity. These
Timothy Keller
John Piper
Alister McGrath
William Lane Craig
John Lennox
Sir John Polkinghorne
Amy Beckman
Elizabeth Lev
... and many more
Is God simply an accessory that we carry with us? Something similar to what we might download from a music site to suit our personal tastes--a personal assistant in a way? Or is He His law, His structure, and His authoritative Word contained in the Holy Scripture, an objective reality to which you daily shape your life? If we believe or know we should believe that it's the latter, how do we make this happen? How do we live joyfully under God's will in a world so drenched in the will of human desire?
Lighthouse Faith explores the heart of the Christian doctrine and a pathway of perceiving God as an interactive hands-on presence; a caring and loving being. The first commandment is a life-giving force loaded with information about the world in which we live. This law stands atop the other nine commandments as a beacon of light, illuminating the created order, just as a lighthouse lamp shines in a darkened space, heralding a way to safety.
Fox News Religion Correspondent Lauren Green uses her wealth of stories, vast network of contacts, and her own extensive study of theology to take the reader on a unique journey of spiritual discovery. With few female authors writing in the field of theology, Green provides an important perspective to all who wish to move closer to not only a deeper relationship with God but an understanding of what makes that possible.
Green gathers insight from some amazing guides along the way, through personal conversations with some of the leading minds in the world on the topic of Christianity. These
Timothy Keller
John Piper
Alister McGrath
William Lane Craig
John Lennox
Sir John Polkinghorne
Amy Beckman
Elizabeth Lev
... and many more
Is God simply an accessory that we carry with us? Something similar to what we might download from a music site to suit our personal tastes--a personal assistant in a way? Or is He His law, His structure, and His authoritative Word contained in the Holy Scripture, an objective reality to which you daily shape your life? If we believe or know we should believe that it's the latter, how do we make this happen? How do we live joyfully under God's will in a world so drenched in the will of human desire?
Lighthouse Faith explores the heart of the Christian doctrine and a pathway of perceiving God as an interactive hands-on presence; a caring and loving being. The first commandment is a life-giving force loaded with information about the world in which we live. This law stands atop the other nine commandments as a beacon of light, illuminating the created order, just as a lighthouse lamp shines in a darkened space, heralding a way to safety.
256 pages, ebook
Published March 14, 2017
36 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Green
26 books6 followersLauren Green currently serves as Fox News Channel's (FNC) chief religion correspondent based in the New York bureau. She joined FNC in 1996.
Most recently, Green reported live from Rome in 2013 on the election of Pope Francis, as well as on the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI. Additionally, she provided live coverage of the beatification of Pope John Paul II from Rome in 2011 and Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States in 2008.
Prior to joining FNC, Green served as a weekend news anchor and correspondent at WBBM-TV (CBS-2) in Chicago, IL. From 1988 to 1993, she was a general assignment reporter at KSTP-TV (ABC-5) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Outside of her career at FNC, Green is a reputable concert pianist with a degree in piano performance from The University of Minnesota. She has interviewed some of the most prominent people in the classical music world including Placido Domingo, Pierre Boulez, Joshua Bell and has covered such events as the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and opening night of The Metropolitan Opera. In 2004, she released her debut album, "Classic Beauty."
A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Green was named Miss Minnesota in 1984 and was the third runner-up in the 1985 Miss America contest.
Most recently, Green reported live from Rome in 2013 on the election of Pope Francis, as well as on the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI. Additionally, she provided live coverage of the beatification of Pope John Paul II from Rome in 2011 and Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States in 2008.
Prior to joining FNC, Green served as a weekend news anchor and correspondent at WBBM-TV (CBS-2) in Chicago, IL. From 1988 to 1993, she was a general assignment reporter at KSTP-TV (ABC-5) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Outside of her career at FNC, Green is a reputable concert pianist with a degree in piano performance from The University of Minnesota. She has interviewed some of the most prominent people in the classical music world including Placido Domingo, Pierre Boulez, Joshua Bell and has covered such events as the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and opening night of The Metropolitan Opera. In 2004, she released her debut album, "Classic Beauty."
A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Green was named Miss Minnesota in 1984 and was the third runner-up in the 1985 Miss America contest.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 4, 2017
The book reminded me of the writings of C.S. Lewis. The explaining of musical theory was difficult for me to follow.
July 10, 2020
I had a lightbulb moment during a discussion of the first and eighth days of the week. "Oh!" I exclaimed, fingers aflutter, "that's just like the musical octave that starts on the first note and ends on the eighth, which is the same tone as the first, only higher." My friend replied, "You need to read Lauren Green's book. She examines music theory through the lens of Christian faith."
Green, the chief religion correspondent for Fox News, wrote Lighthouse Faith to share how her faith informs her life. In her journalistic life she has interviewed raft loads of fascinating people [Tim Keller, her pastor, N.T. Wright, Jeremy Begbie, William Lane Craig were names I recognized]. Her fund of interesting interactions was so immense, that she over-included them in her book. Plus Green's too-wide-angle focus meant many ideas were mentioned but not developed. In short, it was hard to follow. Now, this might be unfair because my interest was music and that exploration didn't begin until p. 124.
If you are conversant in the terms tonic and dominant (the keynote and its fifth) and you love Handel's Messiah you might enjoy reading the Appendix where Green, an accomplished pianist, analyzes the music of the "Hallelujah Chorus". When I checked the Amazon "Look Inside" feature of this book, all but one page was visible if you are logged in to Amazon.
Green, the chief religion correspondent for Fox News, wrote Lighthouse Faith to share how her faith informs her life. In her journalistic life she has interviewed raft loads of fascinating people [Tim Keller, her pastor, N.T. Wright, Jeremy Begbie, William Lane Craig were names I recognized]. Her fund of interesting interactions was so immense, that she over-included them in her book. Plus Green's too-wide-angle focus meant many ideas were mentioned but not developed. In short, it was hard to follow. Now, this might be unfair because my interest was music and that exploration didn't begin until p. 124.
If you are conversant in the terms tonic and dominant (the keynote and its fifth) and you love Handel's Messiah you might enjoy reading the Appendix where Green, an accomplished pianist, analyzes the music of the "Hallelujah Chorus". When I checked the Amazon "Look Inside" feature of this book, all but one page was visible if you are logged in to Amazon.
November 22, 2017
Though Lauren Green is obviously intelligent, it seems she is more of a journalist (providing provocative short stories/illustrations) than a book writer (who must employ the use of EDITING out illustrations to fit the book). Our women's group of about 60 women read this and, to a person, found it frustrating to follow and, for some, impossible to glean much. It was just generally confusing.
I had to read it through twice, taking notes throughout, in order to have an idea of a meta-narrative in order to teach this. Sometimes, she used the metaphor of a lighthouse for God with the light being those things which draw us to him. However, in the lighthouse analogy, the light is to let sailors know where the shore is, to help them navigate, but not to draw them to the actual lighthouse. Other times she uses the line of a building (foundation, walls...) to represent God. At first, I thought she was building a lighthouse, but then that didn't follow through. Other times, she referred to OUR light.
Though the individual illustrations were interesting, there were TOO MANY and they were not tied back to the main theme enough to create a "whole". Nor did the pieces of the whole ever get tied together. Many of the illustrations also were a stretch. To say that right angles makes crosses and therefore God has mathematically put these in to draw us to Himself is a bit of a stretch. To say the sight of the crosses formed reminds her of God would have been sufficient.
The most straightforward chapter was that on the vineyard where she gave steps that a vine must go through that directly applied to our faith.
I also began to wonder if the Tyndale editors even read the book with simple errors found, such as putting the burning bush on top of Mt. Sinai, or the idea that an egg and sperm have to "shed" DNA as a sacrifice when most 7th graders learn that eggs and sperms are unique cells that never have both halves of the DNA. Additionally, one of her theses said that we should see the triune in the world because "if God is indeed triune as Christian doctrine says, and the world is in God's image, then the whole of the world, too, would mirror those three parts". Unfortunately, the world is not in God's image. Humanity is. But her entire book is based on this false assumption.
I wholeheartedly believe God is not a distant concept. But it was not Green's book which led me there, nor was it crosses on buildings or seeing things in groups of three. I'm sure Ms. Green is an awesome person and a great reporter (she seems to go over and above on her research, but sadly I cannot recommend this book.
I had to read it through twice, taking notes throughout, in order to have an idea of a meta-narrative in order to teach this. Sometimes, she used the metaphor of a lighthouse for God with the light being those things which draw us to him. However, in the lighthouse analogy, the light is to let sailors know where the shore is, to help them navigate, but not to draw them to the actual lighthouse. Other times she uses the line of a building (foundation, walls...) to represent God. At first, I thought she was building a lighthouse, but then that didn't follow through. Other times, she referred to OUR light.
Though the individual illustrations were interesting, there were TOO MANY and they were not tied back to the main theme enough to create a "whole". Nor did the pieces of the whole ever get tied together. Many of the illustrations also were a stretch. To say that right angles makes crosses and therefore God has mathematically put these in to draw us to Himself is a bit of a stretch. To say the sight of the crosses formed reminds her of God would have been sufficient.
The most straightforward chapter was that on the vineyard where she gave steps that a vine must go through that directly applied to our faith.
I also began to wonder if the Tyndale editors even read the book with simple errors found, such as putting the burning bush on top of Mt. Sinai, or the idea that an egg and sperm have to "shed" DNA as a sacrifice when most 7th graders learn that eggs and sperms are unique cells that never have both halves of the DNA. Additionally, one of her theses said that we should see the triune in the world because "if God is indeed triune as Christian doctrine says, and the world is in God's image, then the whole of the world, too, would mirror those three parts". Unfortunately, the world is not in God's image. Humanity is. But her entire book is based on this false assumption.
I wholeheartedly believe God is not a distant concept. But it was not Green's book which led me there, nor was it crosses on buildings or seeing things in groups of three. I'm sure Ms. Green is an awesome person and a great reporter (she seems to go over and above on her research, but sadly I cannot recommend this book.
August 26, 2017
Enjoyed the many stories and conversations and comparisons throughout this book. Whenever I see a lighthouse, I will now think of God's light that is there in the darkness to comfort me.
March 22, 2017
Lauren Green is a religion correspondent for Fox News, and also an accomplished pianist and former Miss Minnesota. She shares lessons from her faith journey in her new book Lighthouse Faith.
The book is a compilation of thoughts and reflections on life and spirituality and includes insights from some of the many scientists and religious leaders that she has interviewed over the years. She compares the Christian life to a lighthouse but switches metaphors often in her intriguing book. She finds spiritual power in places and poignant metaphors, and leads us from a quiet cottage, to a rocky shore and on to a vineyard and then into a musical analysis of none other than Handel’s Messiah.
The book does go in circles but the reflections and thoughts shared are honest, heart-warming and rooted in a simple Christian faith. Green attends Redeemer Presbyterian Church pastored by Tim Keller as she notes in her acknowledgements and throughout the book, but her roots are in an AME church and her work brings her in touch with Christians of all stripes.
I was not moved by some of her observations. She finds the cross in the Pythagorean theorem (4 right angles = a cross in the middle) — and so to her, every building that stands, does so by power of the cross. Even in blood some of the molecules have a shape of the cross in them, she observes. She also leans on biblical numerology and makes tenuous connections. Perhaps even more troubling is her attempt to read motives into tragic events and look for a deeper meaning.
That said, her meditations make for interesting reading and no great damage is done. The eye of faith stands behind her work and many will benefit from her simple approach and sometimes deeply personal life-lessons.
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.
The book is a compilation of thoughts and reflections on life and spirituality and includes insights from some of the many scientists and religious leaders that she has interviewed over the years. She compares the Christian life to a lighthouse but switches metaphors often in her intriguing book. She finds spiritual power in places and poignant metaphors, and leads us from a quiet cottage, to a rocky shore and on to a vineyard and then into a musical analysis of none other than Handel’s Messiah.
The book does go in circles but the reflections and thoughts shared are honest, heart-warming and rooted in a simple Christian faith. Green attends Redeemer Presbyterian Church pastored by Tim Keller as she notes in her acknowledgements and throughout the book, but her roots are in an AME church and her work brings her in touch with Christians of all stripes.
I was not moved by some of her observations. She finds the cross in the Pythagorean theorem (4 right angles = a cross in the middle) — and so to her, every building that stands, does so by power of the cross. Even in blood some of the molecules have a shape of the cross in them, she observes. She also leans on biblical numerology and makes tenuous connections. Perhaps even more troubling is her attempt to read motives into tragic events and look for a deeper meaning.
That said, her meditations make for interesting reading and no great damage is done. The eye of faith stands behind her work and many will benefit from her simple approach and sometimes deeply personal life-lessons.
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.
March 13, 2017
In her book, Lighthouse Faith: God as a Living Reality in a World Immersed in Fog, Lauren Green does a beautiful job of exploring the question, "Where is God in my hour of need?"
It is probably the most asked question down through the ages and one, we all have asked or will ask at some point in our lives.
In the darkest nights of our souls, we wrestle with life and its meaning. We search for a way to make sense of it all as we seek comfort, security, and strength as we journey.
Lauren Green takes us on a powerful journey exploring the questions we ask. She points us to three truths:
"We need and look for light in a darkened world to guide us."
"Light is a source, outside of ourselves, which we desperately need."
"Jesus Christ is the light we must value above all other forms."
Much the way a lighthouse helps a ship to navigate its way to shore, our relationship with God through His Word is meant "to illuminate the way to freedom, to define a covenantal relationship with God, to help us navigate through any storm in life" (page 13).
Written to engage our hearts and minds, we are made to think more deeply about God and His love for us, His people. It was most difficult to put the book down once I began reading as every word spoke deeply and confirmed truth in a meaningful and illuminating manner.
This is a challenging book from start to finish and one we all need in these days we are living. One well worth the time to read!
** I received this book in exchange for my review from via Cross Focused Reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
It is probably the most asked question down through the ages and one, we all have asked or will ask at some point in our lives.
In the darkest nights of our souls, we wrestle with life and its meaning. We search for a way to make sense of it all as we seek comfort, security, and strength as we journey.
Lauren Green takes us on a powerful journey exploring the questions we ask. She points us to three truths:
"We need and look for light in a darkened world to guide us."
"Light is a source, outside of ourselves, which we desperately need."
"Jesus Christ is the light we must value above all other forms."
Much the way a lighthouse helps a ship to navigate its way to shore, our relationship with God through His Word is meant "to illuminate the way to freedom, to define a covenantal relationship with God, to help us navigate through any storm in life" (page 13).
Written to engage our hearts and minds, we are made to think more deeply about God and His love for us, His people. It was most difficult to put the book down once I began reading as every word spoke deeply and confirmed truth in a meaningful and illuminating manner.
This is a challenging book from start to finish and one we all need in these days we are living. One well worth the time to read!
** I received this book in exchange for my review from via Cross Focused Reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
March 29, 2017
This was a challenging read for me. It's not a simple read.
Rather it is book that compeles and challenges the reader to think and absorb.
The writer shares her experience finding a deeper relationship with God after she was challenged and a calling from God to experience him in her everyday life.
This is a great book for the reader looking for a relationship with God.
Rather it is book that compeles and challenges the reader to think and absorb.
The writer shares her experience finding a deeper relationship with God after she was challenged and a calling from God to experience him in her everyday life.
This is a great book for the reader looking for a relationship with God.
April 27, 2017
Beautifully written book! Lauren describes how God is hiding in plain sight-- in math, music, and much more.
May 4, 2017
Enjoyed!
January 8, 2019
Tempted to give this four stars, so I'll say a strong 3 and 1/2. I really enjoyed the perspective of Ms. Green on many aspects of the Christian faith. The views were very fresh and really enlightening in so many ways! As a religion correspondent for Fox News she has access to many spiritual leaders and professionals, and brought their insight into play often, explaining things in ways that were easy to understand. She also brought her own experiences onto the page, and her personal walk was inspiring. As a professional musician, her music analogies, especially about the Hallelujah Chorus, were wonderful. I did not understand it all in that section of the book, because I am not a student of music theory, but I did grasp much of what was explained and felt ever closer to God through this understanding. In fact, all of the analogies were eye-opening, and I would definitely recommend this book to both Christians to strengthen their faith, and to non-Christians to have a greater understanding of God's purpose in this world and in all our lives!
March 19, 2024
3.5 stars
*review to come*
*review to come*
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews