Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
One of the influential experiences in both my Christian walk and my ministry journey was going through the Arrow Leadership Program. What I loved about it was that it was more than putting forth a bunch of leadership concepts that work equally well for Christians and non-Christians alike. Arrow Leadership is about Jesus. However, only … Read More “Jesus Centered – Review” »
This was the first of the post-Frank Herbert books that I have read in the Dune series. I fully understand that there is a lot of controversy among Dune fans over the Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson novels. First of all, we have to admit that no one could write a novel like Frank … Read More “Dune: The Butlerian Jihad – Review” »
It is common to hear about Muslims converting to Christianity. If you search, you will find all sorts of resources for sharing the gospel with Muslims. But what happens when Muslims convert? That is where I Will Give Them an Everlasting Name by Duane Miller comes in. This short book provides guidance for churches and … Read More “I Will Give Them an Everlasting Name – Review” »
Writing a full length book on even just one battle requires an author to pick and choose what details they will include. How can you cover the entire Second World War in just one book? That is just what John Keegan does in his Second World War. I have read a number of books by … Read More “The Second World War by John Keegan” »
The God-Emperor is dead but the effects of his long reign continue. Much time has past and the human race struggles with new threats. This is the setting for the Heretics of Dune. Part of what is happening is the return from the Scattering. People descended from those who had left the old empire are … Read More “Heretics of Dune” »
I have recently been drawn to some older works of science fiction. This led me to Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot. This is a book that I have wanted to read for some time. If you think you already know the story because you have seen the Will Smith movie of the same name, you are … Read More “I, Robot – Review” »
For many Christian apologists, the goal is to prove Christianity true beyond a shadow of a doubt. But perhaps there are some more humble expectations. This is the purpose of John Stackhouse’s new book, Can I Believe? For some skeptics, the question is not just if Christianity is true but if Christianity should even be … Read More “Can I Believe? – Review” »
I wasn’t sure on which of my blogs that I should review The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. On one hand, Philip K. Dick is one of the 20th century’s greatest science fiction writers. On the other hand, this book is not really science fiction, and is actually quite theological. This book is about Bishop Timothy … Read More “The Transmigration of Timothy Archer – Review” »
Everyone knows that science and religion contradict each other. They are enemies. Or are they? Alister McGrath, in his book The Big Question, examines the relationship between Christianity and science. This book is not so much a book of Christian apologetics, although it includes apologetics value. Rather it is an apologetic for people to see … Read More “The Big Question – Review” »
A number of years ago, many people were shocked when letters found after her death showed that Mother Teresa struggled with doubt. How could this incredible person of faith have doubt? Apparently she had an inner atheist. The truth is that we all have an inner atheist, although some are louder than others. That is … Read More “Conversations With My Inner Atheist – Review” »
I really enjoyed the first novel in the Dune series. While it had a satisfying conclusion, there was plenty of room to continue the story. That is where the sequels come in. The immediate sequel to the first book is Dune Messiah. Paul was more than just a duke or a military leader, he was … Read More “Dune Messiah – Review” »
There are many books on Christian apologetics and it would be fair to ask if there is anything new to be said. The reality is that there is more to say, as Why I Still Believe clearly shows. I expected this to be a book about Mary Jo Sharp systematically dismantling the arguments of skeptics. … Read More “Why I Still Believe – Review” »
Christians, including myself, have all sorts of interests and are willing to fight for numerous causes. And yet when it comes down to it, Christians need more of a focus on Jesus. That’s where Tom Gilson’s Too Good to Be False comes in. But do we really need another book about Jesus? We actually never … Read More “Too Good to Be False – Review” »
Some time ago I heard an interview with Brian Zahnd and I was quite impressed. He talked about his ministry of a prosperty gospel-style megachurch and his transition to a deeper theological place. It was encouraging to hear. One of the transitions for Zahnd was moving toward Christian nonviolence. As someone interested in theology and … Read More “A Farewell to Mars – Review” »
A.J.P. Taylor’s account of The Origins of the Second World War is an older work (first published in 1961) and yet is still an intriguing read. It is also a controversial interpretation of the events. The main issue is that Taylor doesn’t accept the simple explanation that the war started because Hitler was a monster … Read More “The Origins of the Second World War – Review” »
No, this is not about what you might think it is about. The full title is Naked Man Running: 100 IDEAS that work in a small church and it is written by Dave Jacobs. Dave Jacobs is one of the most positive voices in small church ministry. I received some coaching from him and found … Read More “Naked Man Running – Review” »
There has been a movement among historians to step away from the “great man theory.” That is, instead of focusing on the decisions and actions of one man (and it usually was a man) at the top, we should be looking more at what the average person was doing. I see this in many of … Read More “Churchill’s Generals – Review” »
I wish we lived in a world in which there was no trauma. However, trauma from sexual abuse, neglect and military service is extremely common. Not only do I see this as a pastor and a chaplain, but I know people who have experienced trauma. One of the best books on this topic is The … Read More “The Body Keeps the Score – Review” »
One of the theologians that I have been reading in my research into disability theology is Hans Reinders. He is one of the most respect theologians working in this area. One of his books is called Receiving the Gift of Friendship. In this book Reinders looks at a number of models of how churches seek … Read More “Receiving the Gift of Friendship – Review” »
This book is not about the Second World War but it is about the life of a soldier. I am a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces and it is important for me to understand the experience our soldiers had serving in Afghanistan. Ryan Flavelle’s The Patrol: Seven Days in the Life of a Canadian … Read More “The Patrol – Review” »
I regularly encounter people experiencing emotional difficulties and who are victims of trauma both in role as a pastor and a chaplain. I’m always looking for good resources. I recently came across The New Guide to Crisis and Trauma Counseling by H. Norman Wright. This book provides a nice overview of different types of trauma … Read More “The New Guide to Crisis and Trauma Counseling – Review” »
Essential Writings is a collection of writings by Jean Vanier that was edited by Carolyn Whitney-Brown. Vanier is best known as the founder of L’Arche. I really enjoyed this book as it gives a great picture of Vanier’s life and thought. It begins with a nice introduction to his life, including his family background, time … Read More “Jean Vanier: Essential Writings – Review” »
My daughter brought home a number of books from her school library and I was pleased to see one was Fragile Bones: Harrison and Anna by Lorna Schultz Nicholson. This book revolved around two high school students involved in a Best Buddies program, which seeks to match neuro-typical students with those who are not. In this … Read More “Fragile Bones – Review” »
I’m currently doing research into what the Bible says about disabilities. This led me naturally to The Bible and Disability: A Commentary edited by Sarah J. Melcher, Mikeal C. Parsons and Amos Yong. The Bible is a book that speaks a lot about disabilities and so this is a volume that needed to be written. … Read More “The Bible and Disability: A Commentary – Review” »
Two of the most known and respect generals of the Second World War are Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel. They may have been on opposite sides of the war but they had a fair bit in common. I really enjoyed Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives by Peter Caddick-Adams. What I appreciated most was how he … Read More “Monty and Rommel – Review” »
Two of the biggest interests for me are the Bible and disabilities. When those two things come together, II am happy. That’s why I enjoyed Disability in the Hebrew Bible. Things can get complicated when it comes to the Bible and disabilities. People with disabilities and disability advocates will want to see disabilities in the … Read More “Disability in the Hebrew Bible – Review” »
Advocating for people with disabilities is very important to me. However, I have caught myself getting impatient with people with disabilities, whether physical or developmental. While I am aware things can take longer, I have an attitude toward time in which I expect things to move at a quick pace. The problem is with me. … Read More “Becoming Friends of Time – Review” »
One of the problems with the church, whether the global church, within a denomination or even within a local church, is the conflict that has resulted in an us vs them mentality. The issues change but our natural tendency is to separate into camps and to see the other as the enemy. This is nothing … Read More “The Church of Us vs Them – Review” »
One of the books that I had been looking forward to reading was Miracles by Craig Keener. My hesitance was that it was a two volume hardback and thought it would take a long time to get through. I was wrong. Much of the book is footnotes and bibliography, and so it doesn’t take near … Read More “Miracles – Review” »
Most churches feel like they are growing old. But what if we could grow young? That is the topic of Growing Young by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder and Brad Griffin. They are all involved in the Fuller Youth Institute. They have done a lot of research on churches that are effective at reaching younger generations. … Read More “Growing Young – Review” »
I have been doing some research on Family Ministry and came across The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home by Jack and Judith Balswick. This book covers so many topics concerning families, including marriages (including divorce), sexuality and child development. One of the things that I liked is that the authors didn’t just … Read More “The Family – Review” »
I continue to hold onto the label ‘evangelical’ even though I know there is a lot of baggage that is accompanied with that. I consider myself to be a moderate, which can be lonely. I’m too conservative for my liberal friends and too liberal for my conservative friends. It is for this reason that I … Read More “Restless Faith – Review” »
I recently read George Eldon Ladd’s A Theology of the New Testament. This book has been on my shelf for quite a while but I was looking forward to reading it. I was not disappointed. There were many things I liked about it the biggest thing was that it is a model of evangelical biblical … Read More “A Theology of the New Testament – Review” »
Pastoral ministry is one of the most rewarding careers and yet it has its share of difficulties. As long as we allow people in churches, pastoral ministry will be messy. However, if we are not careful, there are certain stresses and conflicts that can shipwreck our ministry. That is why Charles Stone wrote 5 Ministry … Read More “5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them – Review” »
One of the most important issues for me is to make sure that people with disabilities are welcomed into our churches. One person who has done a lot of work in this area is Erik Carter, author of Including People With Disabilities in Faith Communities. There are two things that I want you to know … Read More “Including People With Disabilities in Faith Communities – Review” »
I began my pastoral career as a youth pastor. The model we worked with was that you had specific ministries for children, youth, young adults, young families, men, women and seniors. Dividing up according to age, as well as other distinctions, was the way to do family ministry. I was quite interested to read Perspectives … Read More “Perspectives on Family Ministry – Review” »
One of the topics that I’m most interested in is discipleship and one of my favourite contemporary authors is Alister McGrath. So I was pretty happy when I received Alister McGrath’s Mere Discipleship. What did I think of it? I both loved it and was disappointed. It was a very enjoyable read. McGrath is a … Read More “Mere Discipleship – Review” »
One of the most important conversations needed in the church is that of mental illness. There are different ways we can do this. It can be by describing the facts of mental illness or telling the stories of people with mental illness. The latter is the content of Christ on the Psych Ward. David Finnegan-Hosey … Read More “Christ on the Psych Ward – Review” »
I have read many books on autism but Uniquely Human is one of the best. As I read it, my initial reaction was, “I wish I had read this book when my children were diagnosed!” This book is a solid introduction to autism, giving a good number of examples of what autism can look like. … Read More “Uniquely Human – Review” »
I have always been convinced that the church’s role is to help people in need, especially the poor. But what does that look like? Is it as simple as throwing money at a need? That is why I was looking forward to reading When Helping Hurts. This book is one of a handful of books … Read More “When Helping Hurts – Review” »
One of the first times that I heard about the intersection of faith and disability was a discussion about the L’Arche communities. L’Arche was founded by Jean Vanier and Vanier has done much to raise awareness in the church about people with disabilities. Hans Reinders has edited a volume titled, The Paradox of Disability, which … Read More “The Paradox of Disability – Review” »
Many years ago, a couple of Roman Catholic ladies came to my parents’ door. They asked me if I knew the reason for most of the problems in the world. Their answer? “Too many people are reading the Bible.” Their answer was to let the pope interpret the Bible. I think a better solution is … Read More “Introduction to Biblical Interpretation – Review” »
When I was sent the REACTION Dashboard, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it might be a guide to help leaders react properly to difficult situations. That is not it at all. Rather REACTION is an acronym used in a template to help develop healthy leadership cultures in organizations. It is actually two … Read More “The REACTION Dashboard – Review” »
I recently read Enabling Mission, Enabling Witness by Benjamin T. Conner and I absolutely loved it. I am currently doing some research into disability and theology and this book just got me more excited about this topic. What is unique about this book is that Conner brings together the two disciplines of missiology and disability … Read More “Disabling Mission, Enabling Witness – Review” »
Most people are happy that Adolf Hitler did not win the Second World War. But it could have easily ended differently. One of the best books on military history that I have read recently was How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat by Bevin Alexander. In some … Read More “How Hitler Could Have Won World War II – Review” »
I have gotten to know Don McIntosh over the last couple of years and even wrote the foreword to his previous book. I was quite happy when he offered to send me his newest book, Transcending Vision. Transcending Proof was more of a book on apologetics, while Transcending Vision is more generally on theology. What … Read More “Transcending Vision – Review” »
What kind of leader do you want to serve with? An authoritarian leader that simply lays down the law? There is another way and that is the Hospital Leader. Terry Smith writes in his book about the intersection of hospitality and leadership. These are not concepts that are not often thought of together, but there … Read More “The Hospitable Leader – Review” »
I have been interested in the topic of spiritual formation and have been picking up books related to it. If you are unfamiliar with spiritual formation, it seeks to go beyond just imparting Bible knowledge and moving more into the area of helping the Christian to develop spiritually, to become more Christ-like in every area. … Read More “That I May Know God – Review” »
C.S. Lewis is by far one of my favourite authors and thinkers. His writings were instrumental in my early development as a Christian and they continue to impact me. When people think of C.S Lewis, they often think of his complex works such as Mere Christianity and Miracles. They are two of my favourites but … Read More “C.S. Lewis: Letters to Children” »
I have spent the past year focusing on how to make our church more of a welcoming church. For that reason, I was happy to discover Thom Rainer had written Becoming a Welcoming Church. This is an excellent book that is extremely practical and based on good research. I was not surprised by anything in … Read More “Becoming a Welcoming Church – Review” »
One of the most influential philosophers of the 19th century (although not during his lifetime) was Friedrich Nietzsche. I have read a number of his books, and while he has an interesting style, I struggled to get his full meaning. What I have found helpful is reading Nietzsche: Philosopher, Antichrist by Walter Kaufmann. I felt … Read More “Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist – Review” »
This is not a review of the actual King James Bible but of the book, The King James Bible: Do You Know the King James Version? by Edward D. Andrews. I should note that I was given a copy of the book by the author for review purposes. I went into this book assuming that … Read More “The King James Bible – Review” »
There is no lack of books comparing Christianity and Islam. While those books are useful, they tend to compare them as competing religions. It is true that both Christianity and Islam are religions, but they are more than that. They both provide a framework for seeing all of reality. This is called a metanarrative. Duane … Read More “Two Stories of Everything – Review” »
Based on my own research, as well as conversations with others, I have seen the nature of truth as being one of the most pressing issues of our day. We live in a “post-truth” world that is full of “fake news.” It is because of this that I’m thankful for Abdu Murray’s latest book, Saving … Read More “Saving Truth – Review” »
“Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship.” How many times have you seen this statement? You may have said it yourself. The problem is that when we look at traditional definitions of religions, such as belief in a God, rituals of worship and theological doctrines, Christianity seems to fit that definition. Christianity may … Read More “Resurrecting Religion – Review” »
In over twenty years of pastoral ministry, I have discovered that the most important currency in leadership is trust. If you don’t have the people’s trust, you can not do anything. To make things more challenging, trust doesn’t come free. Mac Richard works through this dynamic in his book, The Trust Protocol. The subtitle highlights … Read More “The Trust Protocol – Review” »
One of the first books on apologetics that I ever read was the original Evidence That Demands a Verdict. That book totally blew me away. I had come out of a number of years as an atheist and still had my skeptical nature. I had assumed that Christianity was only about a blind leap of … Read More “Evidence That Demands a Verdict – Review” »
The gospel should be central to the life of every follower of Jesus. But I find that even evangelicals (that label comes from the Greek for gospel) have trouble explaining what the gospel is. They are vaguely aware that it has something to do with believing in Jesus on the cross but that’s about it. … Read More “Gospel Fluency Handbook – Review” »
What are the most controversial issues facing society today? In addition to long-time debates about abortion and casual sex, there is an increase in discussions about euthanasia, as well as an almost total reversal in attitudes toward homosexuality and transgenderism. Is there anything that ties these issues together other than they get people really upset? … Read More “Love Thy Body – Review” »
Would our world be better off without Christianity? John Lennon, in his song Imagine, asks us to consider a world without religion and the peace and prosperity that would result. The New Atheism, in much harsher terms, argues that our world would be much better without religion in general and Christianity in particular. Jeremiah J. … Read More “Unimaginable – Review” »
I consider myself to be relatively well-read when it comes to theology. I at least am aware of the major theologians and have sampled from their teachings. I am also fairly well-read when it comes to Christian ministry, especially in the areas of leadership and preaching. But when it comes to the overlap of these … Read More “Introducing Practical Theology – Review” »
One of the most exciting things for a pastor is seeing new visitors at a worship service. The hope is that they will connect and return. But does this just come down to hope? Or is there something that can be done? This is where Fusion comes in. Fusion by Nelson Searcy provides a massive amount … Read More “Fusion – Review” »
Randal Rauser is one of the most intriguing Christian authors that I have read. I have read a number of his books. I will admit that generally my reactions to Rauser’s ideas move back and forth from “he is right on” to “where is he going with this?” His book What’s So Confusing About Grace? … Read More “What’s So Confusing About Grace? – Review” »
Like any series of books, C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia vary in quality. Although they are all good, some are better than others. One of my favourites is The Silver Chair. This story features Eustace Scrubb, a character introduced in the Voyage of The Dawn Treader. Eustace should get the award for most developed character … Read More “Thoughts on the Silver Chair” »
Is it good to argue? That depends on how you define an argument. If you consider arguing a venting of emotion that just leaves everyone angry, that might not be very helpful. But there is another way to define arguments. Richard A. Holland Jr. and Benjamin K. Forrest in their book, Good Arguments, define arguments … Read More “Good Arguments – Review” »
Apologetics is so much more than philosophical debates with atheist professors. While I appreciate the work that apologists such as William Lane Craig do, most of us will not be involved in such activities. What about normal people like you and me? Many of us will spend more time having casual conversations with friends and … Read More “When God Goes to Starbucks – Review” »
It is amazing that so many decades after J.R.R. Tolkien’s death that he still has “new” books being released. Thankfully, his son Christopher Tolkien has gone through manuscripts and has released material. Christopher expects Beren and Luthien to be his final book. The story of Luthien and Beren is one of my favourite stories by … Read More “Beren and Luthien – Review” »
I have been doing some research on the intersection of faith and science. This has led me to read on human origins. I would like to talk about two books that I recently read on theistic evolution. What is theistic evolution? It is also called evolutionary creationsim. It basically is a view that the basic … Read More “2 Books on Theistic Evolution” »
I don’t normally review old books but I’m making an exception in this case. The book I’m going to talk about was published (as a second printing) in 1968. I can say that is old because that is the year I was born. The book I’m referring to is Strength to Love by Martin Luther … Read More “Strength to Love – Review” »
This is an exciting time for Canadians as we celebrate our 150th anniversary. Different organizations are celebrating in different ways. Bible League Canada is celebrating by publishing a book called One Dominion: Celebrating Canada – Prepared for a Purpose. I really enjoyed this book. Although I consider myself to be an amateur historian, there is … Read More “One Dominion – Review” »
I remember showing up for a job interview just after I completed my undergraduate degree. The job was related to something I had never heard of before, something called the internet. I had no idea how much that new technology would change everything. Fast forward a number of decades and I am a father with … Read More “The Tech-Wise Family – Review” »
I’m always looking for some more C.S. Lewis to read. So I was quite happy to read a collection of his essays in the book Christian Reflections. Many of the chapters in this book were originally talks that he gave to a variety of groups. They are on a number of different topics, although all related … Read More “C.S. Lewis: Christian Reflections – Review” »
In an interview with Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig of the 200Churches podcast, I asked them what books they recommend. One of those books was God in My Everything by Ken Shigematsu. Therefore, I was pretty happy when I got my hands on a copy of this book. The basic goal of the book is … Read More “God in My Everything – Review” »
Perhaps one of the first Christian “celebrities” that I ever heard of was Joni Eareckson Tada. She has an amazing story and has accomplished much more than many people without a disability. However, early in my Christian walk I was involved in a number of Pentecostal churches. While this is not indicative of all (or … Read More “A Place of Healing – Review” »
I received a copy of Revitalize by Andrew M. Davis. I was looking forward to reading this book as I’m very interested in revitalization. I pastor an established church that is just celebrating our 184th anniversary. I long to see new life breathed into our church. While there are some very good principles in this … Read More “Revitalize – Review” »
When I was offered an advance review copy of Forensic Faith by J. Warner Wallace, I didn’t have to think twice about my decision. I have read his first two books: Cold-Case Christianity and God’s Crime Scene and loved them. I expected the same level of quality for Forensic Faith. I was not disappointed. Forensic … Read More “Forensic Faith – Review” »
I have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia to my daughter. We have now read five of the seven books having just completed The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Strangely, I have not seen the movie based on it and so I have no idea how close it stayed to the book. What I can … Read More “Thoughts on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” »
I have been enjoying Ken Samples blog and I frequently link to it. He consistently provides good content that is theologically sound. So I was very happy when I was offered a review copy of his new book, God Among Sages. Two of my interests are that of the historical Jesus and world religions. As … Read More “God Among Sages – Review” »
I have been doing research on the Millennial generation, which is generally understood as those born 1980-2000. There has been much written about the Millennials, but the time is here for us to begin to look at the next generation: Generation Z. James Emery White has provided a valuable resource with his book Meet Generation … Read More “Meet Generation Z – Review” »
Teaching is an integral part of Christian ministry. It takes place in congregations, Bible colleges, seminaries, Christian schools and many other contexts. It would be nice if all one had to do was to present the material and the student was be able to integrate all the imparted information. The truth is that teaching is … Read More “Teaching the Next Generations – Review” »
“Missional” is one of the most common buzz words when it comes to contemporary ministry. Most Christians would agree that the church needs to be missional. But what does that even mean? Ross Hastings, in Missional God, Missional Church, seeks to provide a theological foundation for what it means to be missional. Hastings uses John … Read More “Missional God, Missional Church – Review” »
A number of years ago, I picked up Their Finest Hour, which was the second volume of Winston Churchill’s series on the Second World War. I read it and enjoyed it. More recently, I found copies of the rest of the series and just finished reading the first volume, The Gathering Storm. I enjoyed this … Read More “The Gathering Storm – Review” »
If you were to look at my interests, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and military history would be near the top of my list. Therefore, I was quite pleased to come across A Hobbit, a Wardrobe and a Great War by Joseph Loconte. Many people know that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have some things in … Read More “A Hobbit, a Wardrobe and a Great War – Review” »
About a year ago, I was given a copy of Tim Day’s God Enters Stage Left. I finally got an opportunity to read it. The basic idea of the book is that we need an understanding of the big story that is found in the Bible. There is a plot that begins somewhere and goes … Read More “God Enters Stage Left – Review” »
In the second century, there was a religious teacher named Marcion who tried to put together a New Testament devoid of any references to the Old Testament. Ultimately, it was a futile attempt as the New Testament is rooted in the Old Testament. Jesus was the Messiah who was prophesied in the Old Testament and who … Read More “New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes – Review” »
Part of my personal research is about deepening my understanding of philosophy. I do this by reading books on philosophy in general, books by some of the most prominent philosophers and books that tell the story of these philosophers. I have just finished reading Examined Lives: From Socrates to Nietzsche by James Miller. Half the … Read More “Examined Lives: From Socrates to Nietzsche – Review” »
The first foreword I have ever written for a book was for DonMcIntoh’s Transcending Proof. While it is an honour to be asked, I am not attention-seeking enough to let my name go on anything. I would not have written this unless I believed in what Don was writing. I recently received a paperback version … Read More “Transcending Proof – Review” »
Sometimes when people ask me if I have seen a certain show, I reply “I don’t watch TV because I’m a Christian.” I’m being completely sarcastic, as there have been many shows that I have enjoyed immensely. My sarcasm is a reflection of how some Christians (rightly or wrongly) avoid TV as being worldly. The … Read More “Watching TV Religiously – Review” »
There are tons of good biblical resources out there, but only a few that I would recommend for everyone. One of those would be The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament by Craig Keener. Keener is one of the bright stars of evangelical biblical scholars. I have not been disappointed by any book I have … Read More “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament – Review” »
One of the most important and yet difficult aspects of leadership is guiding an organization through change. I sometimes joke with my church, “We don’t mind change as long as it’s the same kind of change we have always had.” The truth is that some change is required for an organization, including a church, to … Read More “Leading Change – Review” »
I have read quite a few books on leadership and will continue to invest in this area of knowledge. However, Reviewing Leadership by Bernice M. Ledbetter, Robert J. Banks and David C. Greenhalgh fills in a gap that I have not seen in other leadership books. This is not a “how to” book for becoming … Read More “Reviewing Leadership” »
One of the most important topics that we can study is that of worldviews. We all have a worldview, the question is how well do we understand our own and that of others? An excellent resource on this topic is The Universe Next Door by James W. Sire. This is one of the best books … Read More “The Universe Next Door” »
Was Jesus divine? Was the divinity of Jesus a later invention of the church? What did Paul, our earliest Christian writer, say about Jesus? I can think of no better resource to answer these questions than Gordon Fee’s Pauline Christology. I have read Fee’s earlier book, God’s Empowering Presence, where Fee looked at every mention … Read More “Pauline Christology” »
One of the major challenges to the Church in recent years has been the New Atheism. The New Atheists do not have new arguments, but they do have a new aggressiveness and a new level of visibility with their media savviness. It is in response to this that William Lane Craig and Chad Meister edited, God … Read More “God is Great, God is Good” »
There is power in positive thinking. Or is there? And what do we really mean by that? Is the power of positive thinking just a harmless fad? L.L. Martin, in her book Positively Powerless, looks at this popular but so misunderstood movement. In this book, Martin looks at the historical background of the movement and … Read More “Positively Powerless” »
I have heard much about the author, Neil T. Anderson, and have had his books Bondage Breaker and Victory Over Darkness recommended to me. While I haven’t read those books, I did have the opportunity to read his newest book, Becoming a Disciple Making Church. As someone very interested in discipleship, I was eager to … Read More “Becoming a Disciple Making Church” »
Have you ever been in the position where your faith has come up in conversation and the person responded with, “That’s interesting, I’m spiritual but not religious”? They might make some sweeping comment about all beliefs being the same. In that moment, you have the choice of whether to let the conversation die or to challenge … Read More “Unparalleled” »
One of my favourite series of books are the four/five views books. I love the format that allows the reader to both get a number of perspectives on a theological issue as well as to observe the conversation between the scholars. A valuable part of this series is Five Views on Apologetics, edited by Steven … Read More “Five Views on Apologetics” »
I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis, and so I pay attention when I hear about the authors that most influenced him. One of those authors is George MacDonald. MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish author, poet and pastor. He is known for his fantasy literature and even mentored Lewis Carroll. I recently had the … Read More “The Princess and the Goblin” »
By far the greatest influence on me, both as a Christian and as an apologist is C.S. Lewis. I was fortunate to discover him very early on in my Christian walk and he has helped to shape my thinking in many ways. I have been doing research recently on Lewis, reading both his works and … Read More “C.S. Lewis: A Life” »
