Not everyone is an ex-evangelical or ex-Catholic. But it is not hard to find such a person! Americans, in general, are struggling with faith. This is Not everyone is an ex-evangelical or ex-Catholic. But it is not hard to find such a person! Americans, in general, are struggling with faith. This is a good book from a person who has been there and done that. He secretly deserted his faith while serving in his church. He became an atheist and took a journey deep into atheist "evangelism." He had an experience with God he could not deny. Then he used his deep understanding of science (and research) to help rebuild a new kind of faith. This is a good book for seekers who can stand listening to ex-evangelicals (who have a worldview that may seem foreign); it is a good one for everyone who would like to welcome science into their "faith life;" it is a good one for people who want to talk about faith without all the awkward judgment and anxiety Christians often inject into that dialogue. -- Rod White...more
Lew Wallace was a lawyer, Union general in the Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. His secLew Wallace was a lawyer, Union general in the Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. His second novel, Ben-Hur has been called "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century." The story recounts in descriptive detail the adventures of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince from Jerusalem, who is enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the 1st century and becomes a charioteer and a Christian. Running in parallel with Judah's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus, from the same region and around the same age. The novel reflects themes of betrayal, conviction, and redemption, with a revenge plot that leads to a story of love and compassion. It seeded faith in me as a teenager. -- Rod...more
To be surprised by joy is something quite different from naive optimism. Optimism is the attitude that makes us believe that things will be better tomTo be surprised by joy is something quite different from naive optimism. Optimism is the attitude that makes us believe that things will be better tomorrow. An optimist says: “The war will be over soon, your sickness will be healed, the depression will go away, the epidemic will be stopped…All will be better soon.” The optimist may be right or wrong, but, whether right or wrong, the optimist does not control the circumstances.
Joy does not come from positive predictions about the state of the world. It does not depend on the ups and downs of the circumstances of our lives. Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world. Jesus says it loudly and clearly: “In the world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world.”
The surprise is not that, unexpectedly, things turn out better than expected. No, the real surprise is that God’s light is more real than all the darkness, that God’s truth is more powerful than all human lies, that God’s love is stronger than death. ...more
A classic by Brennan Manning, the honest sinner who can speaks tenderness to the hearts of sinners. But he tells it like it is! He's seen it all, so hA classic by Brennan Manning, the honest sinner who can speaks tenderness to the hearts of sinners. But he tells it like it is! He's seen it all, so he can speak to what ails you....more
Nouwen parallels his life to that of the lives of the prodigal son, the elder son, and their father, from the parable told by Jesus in John's gospel, Nouwen parallels his life to that of the lives of the prodigal son, the elder son, and their father, from the parable told by Jesus in John's gospel, chapter 15, and from his favorite Rembrandt painting about the same story. And he invites his readers to do the same. I liked how Nouwen asked his friends for their opinion of his own character in comparison to the parables characters. Their opinions often gave him lots of insight. Nouwen then goes even deeper into the parable of the prodigal son in his description of Jesus as living a life parallel to the roles of the characters in the parable, though sinlessly. I was tardy in reading this story (supposed to have read it before the men's retreat a month before), but man, was I glad I finally got to it. Every page of this book is a rich exploration of love's story. -- Art...more
There are nine books in this series about living a life of faith in community -- lots of different personality types represented and explored. There aThere are nine books in this series about living a life of faith in community -- lots of different personality types represented and explored. There are so many characters to love here who find God in a multiplicity of ways and learn to love deeply. I think the early books are the best, but I eagerly await the publication of each new book in this series. -- Gwen...more
This is N.T. Wright's "Mere Christianity." He's good.
Wright is better at explaining why Christianity makes sense than he is about explaining how to lThis is N.T. Wright's "Mere Christianity." He's good.
Wright is better at explaining why Christianity makes sense than he is about explaining how to live it at the end. He might seem more radical if we were Anglican. And he might be more radical if he lived in Tanzania and not Northern England. We all have our place.
His eloquent voice is great to hear at a time when most authors writing for the general Christian reader presume they are not very smart....more
Faith from the perspective of the demons. I liked this book so much that when I wrote a Christmas story for my family one year, I used it as a model. Faith from the perspective of the demons. I liked this book so much that when I wrote a Christmas story for my family one year, I used it as a model. -- Gwen...more
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