Amazon.com
All Christianity is, to some extent, idolatrous. Christian worship is a response to a worshiper's image of Jesus, and all images of Jesus fall short of his reality--in the same way that all biographies and portraits fail to depict a whole person. In Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, New Testament scholar Marcus Borg attempts to understand how popular images of Jesus connect Christians to their savior and isolate them from him. Borg writes about his own evolving ideas of who Jesus was, considers the scholarly and popular religious evolution of Jesus' public image, and investigates with special care the effects of Historical Jesus research on contemporary images of Jesus. Meeting Jesus Again is written in an affable, gracious, and unflinchingly honest voice. Borg's description of his own faith particularly exemplifies these qualities, and gives the reader a simultaneously safe and unsettling new perspective on the peasant from Galilee: "[T]he central issue of the Christian life is not believing in God or believing in the Bible," he writes. "Rather, the Christian life is about entering into a relationship with that to which the Christian tradition points, which may be spoken of as God, the risen, living Christ, or the Spirit. And a Christian is one who lives out his or her relationship to God within the framework of the Christian tradition." --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
Of the many recent books on the historical Jesus, none has explored what the latest biblical scholarship means for personal faith. Now, in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg addresses the yearnings of those who want a fully contemporary faith that welcomes rather than oppresses our critical intelligence and openness to the best of historical scholarship. Borg shows how a rigorous examination of historical findings can lead to a new faith in Christ, one that is critical and, at the same time, sustaining.
"Believing in Jesus does not mean believing doctrines about him," Borg writes. "Rather, it means to give one's heart, one's self at its deepest level, to . . . the living Lord."
Drawing on his own journey from a naive, unquestioning belief in Christ through collegiate scepticism to a mature and contemporary Christian faith, Borg illustrates how an understanding of the historical Jesus can actually lead to a more authentic Christian life––one not rooted in creeds or dogma, but in a life of spiritual challenge, compassion, and community.
In straightforward, accessible prose, Borg looks at the major findings of modern Jesus scholarship from the perspective of faith, bringing alive the many levels of Jesus' character: spirit person, teacher of alternative wisdom, social prophet, and movement founder. He also reexamines the major stories of the Old Testament vital to an authentic understanding of Jesus, showing how an enriched understanding of these stories can uncover new truths and new pathways to faith.
For questioning believers, doubters, and reluctant unbelievers alike, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time frees our understanding of Jesus' life and message from popular misconceptions and outlines the way to a sound and contemporary faith: "For ultimately, Jesus is not simply a figure of the past, but a figure of the present. Meeting that Jesus––the living one who comes to us even now––will be like meeting Jesus again for the first time."
Customer Reviews:
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time.......2007-10-05
Having been raised in a conservative Lutheran denomination, I found that Borg's chapter on his experience of Jesus in the Lutheran Church resonated with mine. His distinction between the pre-Easter and post-Easter Jesus was a new view for me as is his vision of Jesus as a "spirit person." Most Christians have turned Jesus into an idol to be worshipped. This distances him from us rather than bringing us close to him in the kind of union he had with "Abba," the God of Abraham, Moses and the prophets.
Borg explains words used over the centuries that are poorly understood by ordinary people--grace, salvation and prayer. He explains how the historical Jesus became associated with the second person of the Holy Trinity by early Christians rather than "the face of God." This book is a must for anyone interested in the development of Christology and soteriology over time.
Do you trust the Jesus Seminar?.......2007-09-29
This book is written by a member of the Jesus Seminar. Check wikipedia about them. Should you believe a guy who votes with beads to figure out if something could be true. Let me vote with a bead to see if his book is true! This is a terrible book. Compare his statements with the Bible and a good concordance. I did and his errors are revealed. What happens to most people when they go to college: if what you believed was not real to you, you wont believe it after college. Sad that we should have to pay to read lies.
Meeting Jesus AGAIN for the first time.......2007-08-07
Author Marc Borg is without a doubt a most resourceful and creative
writer of a most spiritual book for modern Christianity !
....Paul Kee-Hua Hang, Jr.
Author of "Blessings by the Dozen" & "More...Blessings by the Dozen"
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith.......2007-05-12
An excellent book into the understanding of Jesus for us today... Meeting Jesus Again, was certainly meeting Jesus again, a book that is central to the formation of any religious group... thank you Marcus.
Help for recovering baptists........2007-03-24
Like the author, I have traveled the agnostic-atheist-confused path in my spirituality-seeking. Marcus Borg has not only traveled the path, but was able to take notes along the way. A refreshing and renewing source of help for followers of Jesus.
Average customer rating:
- One of my all-time favorites!!
- Great
- A True Classic
- The Screenplay Would Be Fantastic
- Should be made into a Movie!
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Time and Again
Jack Finney
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Finney, Jack | ( F ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Alternate History | Anthologies | Arthurian | Contemporary | Epic | General | Historical | History & Criticism | Magic & Wizards | Series
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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FROM TIME TO TIME
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ASIN: 0684801051 |
Book Description
"Sleep. And when you awake everything you know of the twentieth century will be gone from your mind. Tonight is January 21, 1882. There are no such things as automobiles, no planes, computers, television. 'Nuclear' appears in no dictionary. You have never heard the name Richard Nixon."
Did illustrator Si Morley really step out of his twentieth-century apartment one night -- right into the winter of 1882? The U.S. Government believed it, especially when Si returned with a portfolio of brand-new sketches and tintype photos of a world that no longer existed -- or did it?
Customer Reviews:
One of my all-time favorites!!.......2007-09-05
I first read this book in 1971, and have read it several times since.
I have never read a book like this, that actually makes me feel like I am really transported to the 1800's. Jack Finney captures the time period perfectly - at least, exactly how I imagine it would be.
The main charactor, Si, is marvelous! And the mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat. There is a lot of detail in it (too much for younger readers), but I find it fascinating!
A great writer, and a great book!!
Great .......2007-09-04
This is a great read! A suprising ending. You will love this book if you like New York and victorian era history.
A True Classic.......2007-08-23
Finney created a classic time travel story in this novel which may never be equaled. One of my favorite books of all time and one I return to with fond memories and eager anticipation. A story that will capture your imagination and heart.
The Screenplay Would Be Fantastic.......2007-07-09
I turned my family on to this one as our audio book choice for a days-long vacation drive time. (I'd experienced it a few years back, in the same fashion). Kids included, we've all enjoyed the trip back (and forth) from 1971 to 1882. Sure, Finny overloads our senses with detail (from both time periods!) but with everything so colorful and vivid, we're only as overloaded as Si Morley, as he looks around old-time New York with open-mouthed astonishment. As for the "method" of time travel at the heart of this story, I believe it!
Should be made into a Movie!.......2007-06-29
This book is very much like "Somewhere in Time", the movie, but different. This time the government is running a "secret project" with time travel as the ultimate goal. What a great book! It had everything, mystery, intrigue, love, and action mixed with historical events. Mr. Finney wrote this book over 25 years ago but it was still a wonderful read and he certainly has the talent for description. I actually felt I was in the New York of 1882. Would highly reccomend this as a must read!
Amazon.com
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time is Marcus Borg's follow-up to Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Like his earlier book, this one is written for lay people whose faith has been frustrated by their misapprehension that fundamentalism's claim to be the one true faith is valid. Borg, a professor of religion at Oregon State University, describes an alternative to fundamentalists' so-called "literal" readings of scripture. (He believes that such "literal-factual" readings do not live up to that description, and that the limitations of such readings have alienated many people who would otherwise remain part of the church.) Borg calls his alternative "historical-metaphorical" reading, a way of "taking the Bible seriously without taking it literally." Reading the Bible begins with a history of recent conflicts regarding biblical interpretation. Borg navigates the minefields of his subject with sensitivity and precision, explaining, for example, the important distinction between evangelical and fundamentalist readings of the Bible. He then offers historical-metaphorical readings of some key texts from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Throughout, Borg writes with calm assurance and respect for those who would disagree with him. Reading the Bible is a credible guide to the project it names. It is a faithful exercise of reason, undertaken to help Christians hear more clearly the many voices recorded in the Bible. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
One of the vital challenges facing thoughtful people today is how to read the Bible faithfully without abandoning our sense of truth and history. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time provides a much-needed solution to the problem of how to have a fully authentic yet contemporary understanding of the scriptures. Many mistakenly believe there are no choices other than fundamentalism or simply rejecting the Bible as something that can bring meaning to our lives. Answering this modern dilemma, acclaimed author Marcus Borg reveals how it is possible to reconcile the Bible with both a scientific and critical way of thinking and our deepest spiritual needs, leading to a contemporary yet grounded experience of the sacred texts.
This seminal book shows you how to read the Bible as it should be examined—in an approach the author calls "historical-metaphorical." Borg explores what the Scriptures meant to the ancient communities that produced and lived by them. He then helps us to discover the meaning of these stories, providing the knowledge and perspective to make the wisdom of the Bible an essential part of our modern lives. The author argues that the conventional way of seeing the Bible's origin, authority, and interpretation has become unpersuasive to millions of people in our time, and that we need a fresh way of encountering the Bible that takes the texts seriously but not literally, even as it takes seriously who we have become.
Borg traces his personal spiritual journey, describing for readers how he moved from an unquestioning childhood belief in the biblical stories to a more powerful and dynamic relationship with the Bible as a sacred text brimming with meaning and guidance. Using his own experience as an example, he reveals how the modern crisis of faith is itself rooted in the misinterpretation of sacred texts as historical record and divine dictation, and opens readers to a truer, more abundant perspective.
This unique book invites everyone—whatever one's religious background—to engage the Bible, wrestle with its meaning, explore its mysteries, and understand its relevance. Borg shows us how to encounter the Bible in a fresh way that rejects the limits of simple literalism and opens up rich possibilities for our lives.
Download Description
"Special e-book features: This PerfectBound e-book contains an exclusive interview with Marcus Borg and in-text hyperlinks to each of his notes and to key passages in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. One of the vital challenges facing thoughtful people today is how to read the Bible faithfully without abandoning our sense of truth and history. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time provides a much-needed solution to the problem of how to have a fully authentic yet contemporary understanding of the scriptures. Many mistakenly believe there are no choices other than fundamentalism or simply rejecting the Bible as something that can bring meaning to our lives. Answering this modern dilemma, acclaimed author Marcus Borg reveals how it is possible to reconcile the Bible with both a scientific and critical way of thinking and our deepest spiritual needs, leading to a contemporary yet grounded experience of the sacred texts. This seminal book shows you how to read the Bible as it should be examined -- in an approach the author calls ""historical-metaphorical."" Borg explores what the Scriptures meant to the ancient communities that produced and lived by them. He then helps us to discover the meaning of these stories, providing the knowledge and perspective to make the wisdom of the Bible an essential part of our modern lives. The author argues that the conventional way of seeing the Bible's origin, authority, and interpretation has become unpersuasive to millions of people in our time, and that we need a fresh way of encountering the Bible that takes the texts seriously but not literally, even as it takes seriously who we have become.
Customer Reviews:
Review of M.Borg's Reading the Bible Again for the First Time.......2007-09-09
This is just an excellent book, especially for those who find traditional expressions of Christianity empty and hollow. Professor Borg states that one's experience of God today is (can be) as real as some of the stories in the Bible relate. Readers concerned about social justice and the marginalization of our poor and disabled will find the chapter on the (Hebrew) Prophets particularly interesting.
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time.......2007-07-12
In reading several of Borg's books, I find them all inviting, easily read, yet thought provoking. With this particular book, I found a wealth of information that literally changed my view of the Bible. Rather than disputing areas of the Bible, Borg adds understanding and depth with a sensitive treatment of subjects at hand. This is one of my favorite books to be given as gifts for Christians and non-Christians.
learning about the bible.......2007-07-06
i have read this book twice myself and now have sent it to friends. i think it helps you know the bible and its history without getting an agenda like you do trying to read other books written about the bible. Borg writes in an easy style and not above your head. i would recommend this book highly to anyone.
Nice to know what I learned in graduate school is still good........2007-03-31
I studied the Bible in seminary over two decades ago thought I did not go into the ministry. My "Old Testament" professor was a rabbi. This book reinforces what I learned all those years ago. While I do not agree with every conclusion the author draws I do think he is on the right track.
One of the most interesting things Marcus Borg says is that no matter what something in the Bible means now, it had to mean something to the writer at the time. While Revelations may say something to us today, understanding what it says as applying to a society that would not exist for over two thousand years as if it was only a prediction that far in the future makes no sense.
Spiritual Enlightenment.......2007-01-15
Reading the Bible for The First Time is a wonderful book for anyone seeking a deeper meaning to the scriptures through a historical and metaphorical perspective. I've found it truly enlightening and intellectually stimulating.
Customer Reviews:
You've come this far, don't stop now.......2007-02-18
If you've read the first four volumes of the Penguin Modern Classic, Proust's In Search of Lost Time, then don't let the publication restriction in the US stop you from buying the British text versions. Except for minor presentation, they are exactly the same that will be published in the US when the copyrights expire. The only differences (which are hardly a great obstacle to the enjoyment of reading the novel), are the footnotes in back and the original French lyrics which Proust occasionally quotes from in the body of the work -- apparently the British assume we colonial philistines do not know as much French as they do.
The introduction to The Fugitive I found hugely welcome -- British translator Carol Clark is unapologetically direct in summing up for us what the previous 4 volumes have been about -- a long wished for insight as I have been dying to know up to this point whether or not I have been truly getting Proust all along.
The curse and the blessing is that Proust died before he could give the final sign off on these manuscripts before publication. A curse because he most certainly would have removed or resolved many errors, and extended or rewritten many parts which are its weakest sections. A blessing in that, to be sure, there are in this and the next volume several obvious errors which a good copy editor would have detected and eliminated, but with time have become such a part of Proustian lore that they can no more be removed than say Jimmy Durante's nose shortened or Richard Burton's pockmarks removed or Marilyn Manson's makeup wiped clean.
And if one has lasted this long, the addiction to Proust's peregrinations from the plot to discuss seemingly unrelated topics and issues in minute detail - as seen from the other end of binoculars, as Roger Shattuck writes in Proust's Binoculars- one will not be at all bothered about any perceived sloppiness in these last two volumes. On the contrary, one will feel proud to detect them for oneself, and have a private chuckle about it as Proust is forgiven for what would be unacceptable by today's publishing standards.
SO don't wait four more years - you'll not care by then or have forgotten much of the threads of the protean plot which keeps all volumes tied into one - for most of what is written in these last volumes is the rich reward the reader deserves after having hung in there until the end, to discover the final fate and full identities of all the rich and lively characters we have come to love - Charlus and St Loup, Albertine and Gilberte, oh, and Mme Potbus' maid - remember her?
The Prisoner and the Fugitive translated by Carol Clark
This is almost a novel within the novel as it deals in two parts with the final resolution of the narrator's relationship to Albertine, this character who, more so than any other, the narrator has kept directly from the reader's curious view and desire to know her in her own voice.
Finding Time Again translated by Ian Patterson
The fates of the rest of the characters are revealed, and the narrator in this last volume himself ages (or catches up to the age at which he began telling this long story -- and we will learn why he had to write it all before his death, as the line between fiction and reality between Marcel the narrator and Marcel the famed French writer nearly disappears). This is the volume where, winding down at last from what was always a nebulous plot to one last social scene,like a curtain call, all the characters take their final bows together in old age (either still alive or in the narrator's memory of them). And there are some great surprises left to discover, which hopefully too much reading of Proustian criticism, biographies, and reviews hasn't already revealed to the `well informed but too reluctant to read A la Recherché du Temps Perdu for themselves' lover of literature.
again, a misleading heading.......2005-03-12
Though it bears the title of Proust's seven-volume masterpiece, this is actually just the final volume, called "Finding Time Again" in this new translation. This particular book would be the British paperback edition, for the American press run has so far only given us four volumes, all of which are for sale on Amazon in a uniform style.
There are small but real differences between the British and American editions. With their greater tolerance for continental foibles, the Brits retained French punctuation, using dashes instead of quotation marks for conversation. They also retained the French wherever Proust makes a literary reference, providing a translation in the notes; in the American edition, this policy is reversed.
In reading the first two volumes ("Swanns' Way" and "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower") I noticed typographical errors that might well have resulted in converting the British to the American languages, rather than from French to English. For example, on page 95 of "In the Shadow" there is the phrase "Professor Cottard and his wife were not to partake of the pleasure" when the sentence should actually read "NOW to partake," since Swann has decided to introduce the Cottards to the Duchesse! Not earthshaking, but it does rather spoil Proust's little joke.
In short, these British paperbacks will serve very nicely if the American reader is in a hurry to complete the novel, and they may also be more free of errors. But I will probably wait for the uniform hardcover Viking volumes.
I haven't read Mr. Patterson's translation of volume seven, but I give it five stars based on the company it keeps.
Average customer rating:
- Universal wisdom and comfort
- Inspiring. Encouraging. Optimistic.
- A Gift
- Wisdom is not gender-biased in Judaism.
- One of My Favorite Books
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To Begin Again: The Journey Toward Comfort, Strength, and Faith in Difficult Times
Naomi Levy
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345413830
Release Date: 1999-09-07 |
Amazon.com
"Then what good is God?" a rape victim asked Rabbi Naomi Levy after Levy said she didn't think preventing tragedies was in God's hands. Levy realizes that the question after a personal tragedy should not be, "Why did this happen?" but rather, "How can I go on?" To Begin Again is a book of comfort and faith to lead us through tragic times. Her advice is wise, gentle, and compassionate, dotted with stories of people Levy knows who have endured terrible pain--and healed. She teaches us to get comfort from asking others for help, letting ourselves cry, seeking a community of faith, studying something new, and keeping memories alive. She shows us how to rebuild our lives by facing the truth, loving and forgiving ourselves, repairing relationships with loved ones, teaching our hearts to remain open, holding onto our faith, and, finally, transforming ourselves.
Levy understands emotional agony firsthand: she lost her beloved father to a robber's gun when she was 15. Levy's message in this beautiful, moving book is, "Each of us possesses the power to overcome the unthinkable and be reborn, to live life not as survivors but as partakers, rejoicers, participants." --Joan Price
Book Description
"Words that come from the heart enter the heart, an ancient rabbinic proverb instructs us. The words in this book come from the heart--mine and the hearts of others. I pray that you will find within them a spark that will ignite the flame of hope and the passion for healing that lies within us all."
Naomi Levy was a spirited fifteen-year-old when her father was murdered in a senseless holdup that destroyed not only his life but her trust in a loving God. Healing took a long time, yet from her struggles with grief, anger, and depression, she forged the wisdom that made her, at twenty-six, a beloved rabbi--and now makes her book a miracle of honesty, recovery, and compassion.
Where do we find the strength to meet tragedy? Can we rekindle hope? Innocence? Faith? The answers, illustrated with many moving, true stories drawn from Rabbi Levy's experience and the lives of her congregants, provide sanity, peace, and a safe harbor where we can heal and grow. Remember: "Death is a great tragedy. But to die while we are still living, that is the greatest tragedy of all."
Customer Reviews:
Universal wisdom and comfort.......2005-05-04
My husband is Romanian Orthodox who is dealing with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow plasma. I am Jewish and dealing with his disease and other issues. But we both have found enormous comfort and wisdom in this book. He has read many spiritual books since his diagnosis but this is the book he continually goes back to. Because of Rabbi Levy's style of talking about her own experience and that of her congregants, she offers a spirituality that is not abstract but very authentic. Because of her humility, I read her books and feel like we are comrades in facing the tribulations of life. I feel less alone. This is definitely the best book I have ever read about practical spirituality and one that I recommend whenever I can.
Inspiring. Encouraging. Optimistic........2004-04-11
In this very personal book Rabbi Levy takes us through her own very personal story of loss so that we may ourselves recover from the death of a loved one. As a young teenager she lost her father and in this work of nonfiction she takes us through her struggle with G-d (HaShem), with helping her mother, and with living the rest of her life without her dad. We are able, as readers, to bond with the author as she takes us through her life from teenager to young adult and then through college. We experience the transformation of Rabbi Levy through rabbinical school to her obtaining a pulpit of her own in a congregation full of daily and weekly worshipers. Each chapter of this inspiring book finishes itself with a wonderful peaceful serene meditation that leaves the reader feeling just wonderfully at peace and without grief. This book was recommended to me by my therapist. I was hesitant to read it at first because it was written by a female Rabbi. I did not feel that I would have anything to gain from the female perspective. Then I had to stop and think. I am grieving over the loss of my dear beloved wife who died too young at the age of 47 from brain cancer. She is up there in heaven whacking me on the side of the head if I don't change my "Archie Bunker" ideas and read the book. Well, I did. It proved to be a defining decision in my road to recovery from grief. This book is one of two that I read and, along with individual and group therapy that helped me overcome the 2.5 year nursing home ordeal of brain cancer, that finally culminated in death. It does not matter whether you are Jewish or not, whether you are male or female, buy this book if someone you love has died, it will help you.
A Gift.......2003-02-24
If I had a wish it would be to talk to Rabbi Levy. What a wonderful source of wisdom she is. I usually speed read books but this one I purchased after the prayer book and it has been rabbit eared, underlined, and had many tears spilled on it's pages. My story is a series of bad things over the last ten years and I've turned to many books and people for guidance. Now I realize God is there and he is there in this book. This book helped me believe again. She also said something that helped me explain myself to my family. I read all the time. Especially spiritual books; She talks about how studying and reading can be God's way of talking to you. This book is an example of that through Rabbi Levy. I admire her for her strength to become a Rabbi. I always wish my church would let women be Priests so I understand her prayers to be able to become a Rabbi. Anyone going through any kind of difficult time could benefit from this book. Her own experience, when you look at her smiling picture in the back of the book, you cannot believe her father was murdered. I guess it is true that great sorrow often gives way to great wisdom. This one will stay by my bed with my rosary.
Wisdom is not gender-biased in Judaism........2002-11-27
Contrary to some beliefs, female Rabbis have added immeasurably to the wealth of Jewish thought and understanding. This book is an example of such wisdom. If you are looking for a good gift for someone struggling with loss - this is it.
One of My Favorite Books.......2001-12-07
Although I (Thank God) have not experienced a tragic loss like the ones described in Rabbi Levy's book, I related to and loved every chapter. I have read this book twice and have given it to at least 5 friends to read. Why does this book touch me in such a personal way? I am not quite sure (I'll just have to read it again!)
Perhaps it's her down to earth writing. Perhaps it's the human-ness of the book - real people with real problems (or ordinary people with extraordinary situations?). Perhaps it's the use of blessings to confirm life itself. Perhaps it is a confirmation of Judaism (liberal or traditional) as a path to live a more fulfilling life even when life "isn't fair." Perhaps it is a realization, as we mature, that bad does happen (and, sometimes good does come out of bad). Also, human pain is real and common - and, becomes easier to live with in a caring community.
Book Description
Throw the tissues in the trash and start living life to the fullest! In typical Cathy Lechner style, she points out the extravagant joy that awaits all Christians. Based upon many of her own hard-to-believe real-llife experiences, the popular author shares some deep truths from Scripture that will rally confidence, conviction and comfort. How easy it is to get worn down by serious problems or just the hectic pace of day-to-day living! Cathy's wit and humorous style will help readers uncover God's miracles, but don't let that humor fool anyone. Lechner has a prophetic calling on her life that causes Christians to take notice as they press into the Father.
Customer Reviews:
True Cathy.......2001-12-03
This book is true Cathy. All the humor that you are used to in her other books come through in this book as well. After the death of her father and all of life's other pitfalls Cathy learned how to laugh again. This book is for you if you have faced trails and are tired of sitting in a sea of tears. If you are ready to move on, this book will help you to do just that.
Book Description
The perfect Book for those who are seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith through the "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults" and for those who may have become disenchanted with the Church or perhaps even God over the years. This book opens a dimension what it means to feel " at home" in the Church, a dimension of faithful living that readies the believing heart to receive the abundant life God
Customer Reviews:
Good, but perhaps not as good as this author's "Why Be Catholic?".......2006-10-14
This friendly overview of Christianity and the Catholic Church is not quite as well thought out as O'Malley's earlier book, Why Be Catholic?, certain sections of which this book repeats. The tone is uneven here and O'Malley's arguments and analogies are not always easy to follow. It is nevertheless a fine guide, not pretending to be either advanced theology or a Catholicism For Beginners, but a cultured and subjective consideration of the church as a community, rather than as an institution.
I frankly don't understand the polemical outbursts this book is inspiring in reviewers. It is neither radically inflammatory nor mind-numbingly conservative. You only have to read a little of O'Malley to realize that he is (appealingly) all about pluralism and toleration, yet he is not so flexible that he thinks "anything goes." Where he is partial to a certain belief or point of view that he cannot back up with a solid argument, he makes it clear that he is expressing a subjective opinion.
My only real criticism is the unevenness of this book, which I did not find to be either as persuasive nor as well organized as the earlier one. Still, worth your time if you're so inclined.
to set the record straight.......2006-04-23
a radical proposition for the reviewer: if you critique a book, you should critique what the author is saying. you should not put words into the author's mouth. you should read a book carefully, not just fan your eyes with the words, and then use those words to mean what you want them to mean.
o'malley writes on page 197: "...i do think there has to be a purgatory, not for debtors to wipe out a debt but for those who die incapable of genuine joy." no where does he suggest that "the church's teaching on purgatory is incompatible with the teachings of jesus," as one reviewer would have it. (the vatican ii's "lumen gentium" that that reviewer refers to says simply: "this sacred council accepts with great devotion this venerable faith of our ancestors regarding this vital fellowship with our brethren who are in heavenly glory or who having died are still being purified.")
o'malley says on page 193: "perhaps the single most important reason i am a catholic, rather than some other kind of christian, is my unshakable belief in transubstantiation, that--somehow--the bread and wine truly become the body and blood of christ." no where does he say--as the reviewer attempts to make him say: "belief in the real presence of christ in the eucharist is negotiable." where o'malley does use the phrase "weekly meal of gratitude" (in chapter 7: "your basic christian") he is talking of the bare minimum of connection between all the different strands of christianity. this is before he gets to chapter 8: "why be catholic?"
the reviewer has o'malley say that: "there's no special moral authority conferred on the pope; he's just a political leader. (p. 114)" o'malley does not say that. rather o'malley notes that there are, in human terms, two kinds of authority, that of enforced authority, and that of "moral authority." this moral authority is a subdivision of the authority that one has because of the respect and veneration that one receives due to one's own righteousness. that cannot be given, one must earn it. john paul ii earned it. many of the renaissance popes didn't. this has nothing to do with the question of the pope's authority from christ, and, in this section, that is not what o'malley is writing about.
o'malley has written a quite good colloquial book on the the ways that a person who is not catholic, or one who has been away from the church for a number of years, might approach the church and learn to appreciate it, indeed, love it.
for those who want a more structured approach, o'malley gives all the proper references to the catholic catechism.
i wouldn't mind a person who wants to take exception to what o'malley, in fact, has to say. just give o'malley the respect of actually reading what does say. don't cram words into his mouth.
Another lousy book by a "smart" theologian.......2005-10-06
Written by someone who thinks he knows better than 2000 years of theology. I verified the heresies denounced by a previous review dated March 27, 2003. Well, it's your money and you're free to waste it ;-)
Might as well be called "Choosing to be Protestant".......2003-03-28
"Choosing to be Catholic" is being promoted as a guide for potential converts and returning Catholics. As such, it can only serve to confuse and mislead. It contains many assertions that are in flat contradiction to the Catholic faith, as that faith has been believed and taught from the earliest times to Vatican II and beyond.
A few examples of Fr. O'Malley's claims:
- The Church's teaching on purgatory is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. (p. 197) [This is self-evidently contrary to Catholic belief, but if you'd like a reference, see Vatican II "Lumen Gentium", #51]
- There's no special moral authority conferred on the pope; he's just a political leader. (p. 114) [Huh? Even non-Catholics know this isn't what Catholics believe.]
- The four marks of the Church -- one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic -- are only "imperfectly" present. (pp. 173-5) [It's my understanding that the writers of the Nicene Creed didn't insert any qualifiers. And how can something be "imperfectly one", anyway?]
- It's good to pick and choose which aspects of the faith to believe in. (pp. 117-8) [Well, no. Not wanting to get all medieval or anything, but this is called heresy. As St. Jerome put it: "Heresy is derived from a Greek word meaning choice, whereby a man makes choice of that school which he deems best".]
- Belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is negotiable. We only need to believe that we share a "weekly meal of gratitude". (pp. 103-4)
Is this all starting to sound rather Protestant? Well, how about this:
- It doesn't matter if you're Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, or Anglican; they're all pretty much equally good. Just pick whichever one you're most comfortable with. (p. 111-113)
How very open-minded! According to this view, the Protestant Reformation must have all been a big misunderstanding. Too bad about all those martyrs, like the English Jesuits (Fr. O'Malley's order) who suffered excruciating deaths rather than convert to Anglicanism. They must feel like a bunch of saps, having realized it was all about nothing important.
That gives me an idea. With minor repackaging, Fr. O'Malley might be able to sell this book to people interested in converting to middle-of-the-road, liturgical, Protestant denominations. It does have a lot of nice things to say on topics like forgiveness, acceptance, and the importance of living out what we believe (whatever those beliefs might be). On the other hand, given the declining membership among Methodists, Episcopalians, et al., the demand for such a book would be low to non-existent. I guess it's more profitable to continue marketing it to Catholics.
Come Back to the Church!.......2002-02-17
Father O'Malley takes another look at the question "Why be Catholic?" in this engaging and accessible book.
And he writes, in his fine chapter on the sacraments, "Perhaps the single most important reason I am a Catholic, rather than some other kind of Christian, is my unshakable belief in transubstantiation, that--somehow--the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ."
As great as this answer is, the questions along the way are interesting too, as O'Malley ponders atheism and the major world religions. Then he discusses Christianity and distills the faith into a short list of "Non-Negotiables".
While I disagree with his interpretation of Scriptures (overly symbolic), he is no moral relativist. As he writes: "If objective morality...changes from age to age, Plato has nothing to tell us about being human. Nor did Jesus, Buddha, Shakespeare, or Dickens. Moral discourse is little more than verbal Ping-Pong, and libraries are a terrible waste of money." (No sugar coating here.)
As to a dominant subtheme in the book, O'Malley exhorts the Laodicean in all of us to be active (and joyful) in the faith. In fact, the book concludes with a nice section on prayer.
This is another good book by the author of "The Voice of Blood".
Average customer rating:
- I've read this book time and "time and again!"
- Time And Again: Time Was/Times Change
- Time Stood Too Still
- The Best Time Travel I have Read
- Very predictable.
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Time And Again: Time Was\Times Change
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0373285337 |
Book Description
New York Times bestselling author
Nora Roberts enchants readers once again with two unique and intriguing classic tales about passion so powerful it transcends time itself!
Time Was
Stranded in the present, time traveler Caleb Hornblower's biggest problem wasn't returning to the twenty-third century -- it was falling in love with the beguiling Liberty Stone, who showed him a love more powerful than time itself. Though he belonged in the future, how could he leave the past -- and Liberty -- behind?
Times Change
Cynical Jacob Hornblower had followed his brother Caleb into the past, hoping to lure him back home. But his mission was soon forgotten when he found himself captivated by Liberty's spitfire sister, Sunny. Can a man who is down on love understand the truly timeless power of the human heart?
Customer Reviews:
I've read this book time and "time and again!".......2006-06-20
These are two stories of brothers who love each other and their parents very much and live in the 23rd century. The sisters they will meet live in the 1980's and were brought up by parents who married very young and were part of the "hippie/flower child" movement.
Any time (no pun intended) you see a book about time travel, you really MUST suspend your belief system as this is FANTASY and science FICTION. I think many reviewers have forgetten that fact! For me, I enjoyed the wonderful character development in these two stories as we get to know Caleb and Libby before they get together and also Jacob and Sunny. We also get to meet a learn a little about Libby and Sunny's parents.
The fun of the future and time travel makes a great vehicle for these stories but what really makes them stick with me are knowing and rooting for the characters!! I have re-read these a couple of times just for the enjoyment.
Lighten up and have fun with these stories!!
Time And Again: Time Was/Times Change.......2006-06-13
This is one of my all time favorite Nora Roberts books. I have read these two stories at least five times each. They are captivating and absolute page turners. What I find truly interesting is the fact that even though these were written some years ago some of Nora's predictions about the future are coming to fruition (for example, taking medication by tabs on the tongue). The stories are of two brothers that travel through time, the first one by mistake and then the second brother to find the first and each finding their "match" outside their own century. As always, Ms. Roberts paints such vivid tales that the reader is truly taken on a journey with each story. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Time Stood Too Still.......2006-05-09
I am an avid Nora fan and I love everything she writes. Some stories are exceptional; others good, but always entertaining. Time and Again was entertaining to a point. Stories of Caleb and Jacob Hornblower crashing down to the 20th century from the 23rd century and each meeting up with the Stone sisters - Liberty and Sunbeam. The first story concentrates on Libby & Caleb and the second story is a carbon copy of the first with the other two siblings. My main objection was the repetitive storylines and the fact that in the first story, there seemed to be more sex than story. It was an okay read but certainly not up the to the high standards and excellent writing that I know Nora is more than capable of providing even the most critical reader. I finished the book, but definitely would not pass it on as a "must" read.
The Best Time Travel I have Read.......2006-04-23
There's more time travel than orginially intended since the reader goes back a full decade and a half before cable news, internet mania, pre-emptive strikes, genetically altered foods, etc. References to the heroines' parents as 60's flower children-made-good adds additional refreshing texture. Best of all, this is powerhouse romance with love scenes about love in two stories requiring the transcendence of time for the love to prevail. The black hole concept is very credible. I preferred it to Michael Crichton's disembodyment through time machines that never made sense and the details of which were distracting to the story. Having heroes from the 23rd century come back to early 1990's America beats a trip to medieval chaos any day.
Very predictable........2006-04-12
I've never really been a fan of Nora Robert's books with more than one story in it, they've all felt rushed and poorly written. While Time & Time Again does slightly better than some of the others I've read, it's full of typos and is very predictable. The story follows 2 sisters through a rather dull and predictable story about brothers who come back from the 23rd century and fall in love.
What bothered me the more than anything, was the absolute lack for any science fiction elements. This story deals heavily with science fiction themes, so it would have been nice to see her make an attempt to include a little bit of explanation. Sure, she'll throw in the occasional reference to a black hole, or a space ship, but for the most part whenever the boys are questioned about anything, they shrug it off with "you wouldn't understand" or "there's no time to explain now."
Time & Time Again Time Was\Times Change has the same problem her murder mysteries have. She's not a science-fiction author.
There were also several cases of rather blatant grammar and editing errors riddled throughout the book.
Though she has some very sweet romantic moments, she has done much better work.
Book Description
Time gets out of hand in a witty, suspenseful new fantasy from the author of THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND.
Choose time or lose time. The inscription on his grandfather's pocket watch has always confused Alex. But now that Alex has lost the heirloom,
time is all he can think about — time slipping through his fingers. That's when an encounter with a strange lady clues him in to the Blue Moon, a place where earthlings search for what they've lost. Soon Alex is in a rickety spaceship hurtling toward a topsy-turvy world of eccentric characters — from Miss Mumsley, who lost her heart to a prospector, to a medieval scholar who lost his way while calculating pi. It's a perilous journey, plagued by Time Eaters, who suck up their prey's time. How will Alex ever find the watch — and the sense of direction — he's lost? From Rebecca Rupp comes a fast-paced fantasy honoring friendship and courage.
Customer Reviews:
A riveting story........2006-12-10
Rebecca Rupp's JOURNEY TO THE BLUE MOON tells of a confusing heirloom watch which gives Alex a mysterious message - and then vanishes. His chance encounter with an old lady leads to a ride on a rickety spaceship journeying to the full Blue Moon in this zany fantasy packed with unexpected twists and turns of plot.
In Which a Good Premise Falls Flat.......2006-12-06
After Alex loses the pocket watch he inherited from his grandfather, he becomes obsessed with the loss of time. Seconds turn into minutes, which turn into hours, and so on. School assignments become pointless when one considers all the minutes and hours that are ticking by.
In the public library, Alex meets an old woman who speaks of the Blue Moon, where lost things can be found. Incredibly, Alex and his dog hitch a ride with a group of industrious rats. He begins his search little knowing what to expect.
Alex makes friends and discovers enemies on the Blue Moon, all while discovering an entire new world where lost or unfinished things make up a landscape populated by lost people.
Rupp's imaginative world of the Blue Moon is a promising concept. Where DO all our lost and unfinished things go? (Is my husband's lost PS2 DVD remote on the Blue Moon?) She builds on an interesting premise by introducing places such as The House of Records, the Inn of Abandoned Plans, and the Pointless Tower. The villains hold potential, as well. Unfortunately, these aspects only loosely gel together. It is a readable story with a well-formed beginning, middle, and end, but the entire package is somewhat flat.
JOURNEY is a passable read, but not up to the standards of classics like THE WIZARD OF OZ or even the Harry Potter series.
The publisher recommends this title for Age 10 / Grade 5 and up, but I think kids older than eleven or twelve are likely find this too young for their tastes.
Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
12/05/2006
Average customer rating:
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Avengers: Kang - Time and Time Again
Stan Lee ,
Roy Thomas ,
Roger Stern ,
Jack Kirby ,
Sal Buscema ,
Herb Trimpe , and
John Buscema
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0785118209 |
Book Description
The super-villainy of Kang the Conqueror... unleashed at last! In a classic contest, the Grandmaster and Kang pit the Avengers against the Squadron Sinister and the wartime Invaders! And when the self-proclaimed "Ultimate Kang" sets out to conquer his alternate-reality counterparts, only one force can possibly halt his mad march: himself! Plus: Kang takes on Thor and the Hulk! Collecting Avengers #69-71 and #267-269, Thor #140, and Hulk #135.
Customer Reviews:
The Quest For Ravonna.......2005-08-18
The central theme in these issues is Kang's quest to ressurect Ravonna who was killed way back in Avengers #24. This collection includes Thor 140, Hulk 135, Avengers 69-71 and 267-269. I think that this collection would have been better served to drop the Thor and Hulk issues(which have nothing to do with the main theme other than the Growing Man being introduced in the Thor issue) and adding Avengers 23-24 for continuity sake. You would have the introduction and death of Ravonna and then Kang's attempt to get her back. Avengers 69-71 deals with Kang's contest with the Gamemaster and then Avengers 267-269 deals with one Kang's quest to be the only Kang so that he can have a very much alive Ravonna to himself.
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Books Index
Books Home
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