The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami?

Book Description

As news reports of the horrific tsunami in Asia reached the rest of the world, commentators were quick to seize upon the disaster as proof either of God's power or of God's nonexistence. Expanding on his short piece in the Wall Street Journal, "Tremors of Doubt," David Bentley Hart clarifies the biblical account of God's goodness, the nature of evil, and the shape of redemption.

Hart incisively reveals where both Christianity's critics and its champions misrepresent what is most essential to Christian belief. While responding to atheist skeptics, Hart is at his most perceptive and provocative as he examines Christian attempts to rationalize the tsunami disaster. He contends that the history of suffering and death is not simply part of a divine plan that will make sense of evil. Rather than appealing to a divine calculus that can account for every instance of suffering, Christians must recognize the ongoing struggle between the rebellious powers that enslave the world and the God who loves it.

This meditation by a brilliant young theologian of the Eastern Orthodox tradition will deeply challenge serious readers grappling with God's ways in a suffering world.

Customer Reviews:

Cogent, powerful, speaks beautifully to the hope and promise of God.......2007-01-10

Take a $10 chance and buy, read and consider this remarkable and enormously important Christ-centered (read: love-centered) book. Be not, as another wisely observes, mislead by the title: this is a book of keen theological perspicacity, scholarship and complexion, the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 but, however difficult and unthinkable, the backdrop upon which these beautiful, hope-filled words on the amaranthine love of God are cast. In many ways, the most important, with one exception of course, book I've ever read.

A tough but worthwhile read .......2006-08-19

"The Doors of the Sea" subtitled, "Where Was God in the Tsunami?" It's written by an Eastern Orthodox theologian, David Bentley Hart. And it's a fine work that demands careful reading. I read and then re-read it. It is short (109 pages), lyrical and literary.

The title tells it all. Hart's book is an expansion of an op ed piece he wrote entitled "Tremors of Doubt: What Kind of a God Would Allow a Deadly Tsunami?" that was published in the Wall Street Journal, on the last day of the year in 2004.

As a couple of other reviewers have noted, Hart can be obscure at times, but persistence with this book will pay dividends,

The title "The Doors of the Sea" is a loose reference to Job, chapter 38.

Eerdman's missed the mark on this book..........2006-06-14

They could have published a book that would have been a tremendous comfort to lay readers. Unfortunately, Hart's academic language is maddening--there are words here that will not be in your dictionary, and you will have to re-read parts several times to understand what the author is saying.

I would guess that most readers will give up before finishing the book. That's too bad, because Hart has important things to say. Some of the other reviewers seem to cherish his obscurity. I don't. It IS possible to present important, even complicated, ideas in an elegant way that can be also be readily understood.

To prospective buyers: skip the book and find the Wall Street Journal column. It's much more to the point. To the author: please read "Simple and Direct" by Jacques Barzun.

Fantastic, poetic, beautiful........2006-05-19

Christian theodicy (that is, its defense of an all good, omnipotent, omniscient God in the face of the nihilant evil and suffering of the world) in its variegated forms has the unfortunate tendency to be cold, sterile, and hopelessly esoteric. Hart's book provides an illuminating critique of standard theodicic rebuttals within the world of Christendom, but also a staunch and unrelenting deconstruction of standard atheistic aggrandizing of the "failure" of the Christian system due to misunderstood theological tenants on both sides (that is, both Christian and atheist).

Hart views with a critical eye the notion that the world process as it stands, evil and all, is part of some diligent calculus on God's part, some equilibrium of the "best possible world," or a necessity for God to show his grace. In this brushtroke of his mighty pen he chastizes epigones of Leibniz, Calvin, and others by working through the complaints of Voltair, Dostoevsky, and Mackie. Hart points out that if this were the case, that God has either made this evil for the greater good, or that evil actually has in itself a higher purpose, God would not be the God he is without the evil of this world. His Goodness would necessarily be reactionary, comparative, not essentially good or pure, always caught in the undulating dialectic of good/evil where God, though champion over evil, is the Good Savior only in reference to evil. Rather Hart points out that a truly biblical conception names no purpose to evil, superimposes no grant of life to death. Evil is in fact the ultimate meaninglessness of sin, and has no instrinsic purpose. The death of a child, the rape of a mother, the malignancy of a car crash, have no ultimate machination or design, but are all rendered ultimately meaningless as they are the privation of God's goodness. Hence God's goodness is not a dialectical goodness always paired as that good which overcame evil, but rather evil, in the ultimate illumination of God's effulgent glory, is defatigated and palliated into the nothingness that it truly is. To answer one question below, however, in regards to Noah, Hart is not denying that God might turn evil (or denying the Old Testament, as a reviewer below ponders) for the purpose of the Good, merely that evil has no ultimate design in the tapestry of God's economic plan.

There have been a number of critiques faulting Hart for what is otherwise an impressive utilization of the spectrum of the english language. For its part, they who would chastize Hart in this way are correct in pointing out moments of obscurity due to the poetic flourish of language often pervading the text. And I sympathize in part with those who find Hart's language pompous and perhaps isolated from a more general audience, as a reviewer above notes there ARE ways to state Hart's arguments otherwise than through obscure words. These are, of course, things to be considered (and I would recommend a dictionary as a compliment to Hart's compendious vocab) Nonetheless I find it a somewhat irritating and unfair analysis that seems much akin to faulting a painter for the complexity of brushtroke used in the architecture of a sunset, or the hyaline beauty of a midnight sky. Surely it is an unjust criticism to say Hart was writing "to impress other theologians or his mother" (as a somewhat pretentious reviewer notes above) Could not also his exuberance and excess of language be due to a love for poetic analysis, an enlightened aesthetic appreciation of the wax and wane of language's metaphorical landscape? God forbid we should learn something as we read! Whether or not Hart goes overboard with his word choice is debatable, and just how much the clarity of the arguments suffer as a result is also hard to determine, but at any rate I would urge readers not to pass up this book because of a smattering of difficult words.

This is all in all a fantastic book that both provokes and satisfies. Hart is truly a fantastic theologian with an ability for complex thinking (see his The Beauty of the Infinite for a truly staggering read) and it is very refreshing to have an approach to theodicy that doesn't seem to disrespect through the intrepidity of its logic, the utter cthonic nothingness,the morose and horrifying events of this fallen reality. Highly recommended. I can think of no other book that crams so complex and beautiful a Christian response to evil as this.

Absolutely Brilliant--a masterpiece.......2006-03-18

I have bought countless copies of this book as gifts. It is a stunningly beautiful, elegant, rigorous meditation. The prose alone is worth the price, but what so impressed me was the powerful articulation of the orthodox Christian understanding of good and evil. There is no mawkish sentiment, no appeal to pure emotion, no obscurantism. I have never encountered another book that, in so short a space, made me see how internally coherent and how revolutionary the Christian vision of reality is. The book is also a kind of poem to the beauty of creation, and a haunting lament over its sufferings.

One of the reviewers below grows a bit petulant over a scattering of large words in the text, but that's a silly complaint against so distinguished a stylist. Hart uses the exactly appropriate word in any given context, and the euphony of his sentences is majestic.

Average customer rating:

DON'T KNOCK IT
Apalled by reviews
Critically important information
Christian Propaganda
Good and Intriguing; Thought Provoking

Beyond Death's Door
Maurice Rawlings
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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To Hell and Back: Life After Death-Startling New Evidence
One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination
23 Minutes in Hell
The Light Beyond
A Divine Revelation of Hell

ASIN: 0553229702
Release Date: 1991-03-01

Book Description

All through recorded history people have predicted life after death. But only now, with modern resuscitation methods, are we beginning to see Beyond Death's Door. Does death represent the end of this life or the beginning of another? Does anyone know what happens after death? Has anyone been there? What does it feel like? Is there evidence to support the biblical descriptions of hell? Anyone who has ever pondered these important questions will find new, fascinating food for thought in Beyond Death's Door, a significant book by a leading heart specialist the recounts the experiences of individuals who have survived clinical death and returned to tell us about it.

Customer Reviews:

DON'T KNOCK IT .......2007-03-03

THIS BOOK CAUSES PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT OUR LIFE. THIS BOOK AS I READ IT DOES NOT CAUSE PEOPLE TO TURN TO GOD OUT OF FEAR. THERE ARE ALOT OF ATHEIST OUT THERE READING THIS BOOK WHY? BECAUSE DEEP DOWN WHEN THEY'RE ALONE IN THEIR ROOM THINKING, "WHAT IF THEY'RE RIGHT AND I'M WRONG? LOOK ARE THERE CRAZY PEOPLE THAT SAY THEY DIED AND WALKED WITH JESUS? YES THERE IS. BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE LYING. I DON'T READ BOOKS LIKE THIS TO INCREASE MY FAITH,I READ BOOKS LIKE THIS TO REVIEW THEM. IF I NEED TO INCREASE MY FAITH I READ GOD'S WORD. NOT MANS WORD. I BET THE ATHEIST ARE LOVING THIS REVIEW. DO I BELIEVE IN GOD? YES, DO I HAVE PROOF THAT GOD EXISTS? I HAVE NO MORE PROOF THAT HE EXISTS, THAN YOU HAVE THAT HE DOESN'T. WHAT I DO HAVE IS MY BIBLE (YOUR BIBLE?) YES MY BIBLE, THE SAME BIBLE THAT SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DISPROVE AND HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT BECAUSE GODS WORDS ARE NOT JUST WRITTEN IN BLACK AND WHITE HIS WORDS ARE SPIRITUAL. SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BY SCIENCE IS HOW A MAN COULD BE CHANGED WITH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THAT'S WHY THE BIBLE HAS BEEN A STUMBLING BLOCK TO THE UNBELIEVERS. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE IN GOD, IF THEY ARE WILLING TO CHANGE THEIR SELFISH LIFE STYLES, I KNOW PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE THAT HELL EXISTS, BUT HAVE DENIED ACCEPTING JESUS CHRIST IN THEIR LIFE IN ORDER TO PERSUE THEIR OWN DESIRES. COME TO JESUS NOT IN FEAR BUT COME TO HIM KNOWING THAT HE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE HERE ON EARTH, AND ONE DAY WE WILL BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN. READ THIS BOOK NOT TO INCREASE YOUR FAITH, BECAUSE THAT BOOK HAS BEEN HERE LONG BEFORE THIS ONE. WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE BIBLE.

Apalled by reviews.......2006-06-06

I have not read this book. I am considering it therefore I read the reviews with interest. I must say that I am apalled at some of the criticism leveled against the author.

Here is an atheist cardiologist that shares information from his own experience which changed his belief system and he is being attacked by people that don't want to believe what he is saying.

Listen folks - the guy was an educated atheist. He was not some rabid fundamentalist from the backwoods of Arkansas. He did not have any preconceived ideas that caused him to blindly accept what he was experiencing. Neither does he have an agenda.

You atheists that are distrusting of theists - fine, that is your choice. But when members of your own belief system present counter evidence at least be big enough to listen and not attack the messenger. He goes on to say that he knows of NO agnostic or atheist that has experienced an NDE that remains an agnostic or atheist. This is further testimony for you to consider from your like-minded brethren.

Or is all of this talk about being open to truth just a lie??? What will it take for some of you to even CONSIDER the possibility of a God or life after death?

Critically important information.......2006-05-15

This is a short book written by a highly credentialed cardiologist. He also was a self-described atheist . . . until he stumbled onto the information which comprises the theme of this book: Life continues after bodily death, and a few people have a had a peek behind the curtain and have described what they saw.

Dr. Maurice Rawlings compiled the stories of the post-resuscitation experiences of his own, and other physicians', patients. CPR is a relatively young technique that has become widely familiar to even lay people during the last 30 years or so. Rawlings goes into possibly a little more detail on CPR than most of us are interested in. I suspect that is what some of the other critcal reviewers are referring to as "filler". I also found it boring.

The recountings of the "beyond death's door" experiences were riveting. They have great entertainment value, however when one considers the real life implications (or end of life, as it were), the result is profound and terrifying.

Make no mistake -- Dr. Rawlings is now what is referred to in American culture as a "Born Again Christian". He believes what he has written and he offers a simple, available solution: Belief and trust in the Jesus of the Bible. Rejection of Jesus results in passing on to hell after physical death. Rawlings is quite clear about this, and supports his belief using references from the Bible. I found his previous atheistic position, his systematic compilation of "experiences" for the book, and his subsequent conversion to a STRONG Christian position to be compelling.

Obviously, this talk of Christianity and such repels most unbelievers, and leaves many in a frothing at the mouth rage (see other reviews). However, the author has written transparently. Take it as you will, but as Rawlings presents it, THIS IS VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS.

He is not the best of writers, but he is adequate. He is apparently a competent scientist, and has done readers a great service by putting this book together.

I note criticisms from other reviewers that Rawlings did not fully develop some of the resuscitation stories, or did not explain why some "good" people, or churchgoers, seemed to have been headed to hell. Perhaps the answer is that the author did not attempt to embellish, or judge, but just report. By his own description, the survivors' memories of these experiences (especially the hellish ones) are fleeting and evaporate completely rather quickly.

Rawlings wrote a subsequent book, To Hell and Back. It contains much recycled material, is a little preachy, and contains perhaps MOSTLY filler. I do not recommend it. I do however highly recommend this book for anyone interested in examining and thinking about the life after death phenomenon . . . and shouldn't we all.

Christian Propaganda.......2006-03-07

As a Paramedic myself, I have spoken with patients that were brought back from clinical death multiple time. Their heart was still fibrilating, and we got there quick enough to get it into a normal rhythm. None of them even remember the enourmous shocks used to get their heart "thinking" again. Not one of those people have ever spoken to me, even when specifically asked, about any afterlife experience. Don't get me wrong, I do believe they happen. However, as a Non-Christian in this increasingly Christian fanatic country, I do not appreciate being scare into thinking I must convert or go to hell. I have read many other books that encompass all religions, and their experineces on the after life, from a non-judgemental view. He left out many cultures/religions that are pre-biblical that exist to this day, or are enjoying a renewal under our protective Constitution. So as an educated man, I think he has done a great disservice. He should have added A Christian Man's Stories to the title. I'd have read it anyway just for the educational point, but would appreciate more of an unbiased point of view, instead of an attempt at conversion. I'd really have given this zero stars if it was available.

Good and Intriguing; Thought Provoking.......2005-07-06

First of all, I am a firm believer in life after death. I found Rawlings' stories of peoples trips to the afterlife truly fascinating. In saying that, I don't think Rawlings added enough information as to how the "event" changed peoples lives for the better. Secondly, with respect to those who had died and gone to Hell, Rawlings doesn't give any information as to why those people may have gone to Hell. Where they bad people to start with? Were they general jerks? Background information of this sort would have helped.

I agree with another review that some of the book was filler: how to do CPR; what you need to do to change your life for the better; and so on. I would have preferred less filler and more on the lives of those who died with a brief history of their backgrounds.

AfterLife: A Glimpse of Eternity Beyond Death's Door

Average customer rating:

A Great Look at What to Expect When You Die
Lively book on the subject of death

AfterLife: A Glimpse of Eternity Beyond Death's Door
F.LaGard Smith
Manufacturer: Cotswold Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0966006046

Book Description

Answers the questions for all religions on what happens after death.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Look at What to Expect When You Die.......2006-08-07

This was an eye-opening look at what the Bible says about what will happen when we die. Isn't it surprising that ministers never preach on this? They tell us how horrible hell is and how wonderful heaven will be, but they do not get down to the nitty-gritty and specifics of what the scriptures actually say. Satan has done an excellent job polluting our minds with man-made ideas about the afterlife that the scriptures do not support. He will do anything to keep us from going to the home he got kicked out of--heaven. F. LaGard Smith has done a superb job of using his legal background by asking tough questions and then revealing what the scriptures (Old and New Testament) say (or don't say) about death, heaven, hell, Sheol and Hades, rapture, purgatory, etc. to refute Satan and his wily ways. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants the truth about the afterlife.

Lively book on the subject of death.......2006-03-25

F. Lagarde Smith has written a highly readable and thought-provoking investigation into the Biblical viewpoint of death. It is a challenging work in that Smith arrives at some well-documented conclusions that are definitely not mainstream. For instance, in Chapter 1 he proposes that Adam's sin did not usher in physical death to mankind but strictly caused our spiritual death. He goes to great lengths to strengthen his conclusion that God's plan has always been that man "return to dust". This is clearly not the commonly held viewpoint of death (as Smith acknowledges), but it certainly is thought provoking. I recommend to any mature reader with a decent background of Biblical study.

Average customer rating:

Slow Dancing at Death's Door
Great Book about problems encountered when a parent is dieing
Seeing Death Off with Integrity
A Helpful Book For All!

Slow Dancing at Death's Door
Amy C. Baker
Manufacturer: Life Journey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aging | Aging Parents | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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Succeed at Work Without Sidetracking Your Faith: 7 Lessons of Career Excellence for Women
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Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs

ASIN: 0781442621

Book Description

The loss of one's parents is a devastating experience. To lose both within two years, after a five-year dance with disease and death, is even more heart-wrenching. This was the author's personal experience, beginning with the decline of her mother's health in 1998, her subsequent death in 2001, and her father's death in 2003. Amy C. Baker suddenly found herself multi-tasking in a way she'd never imagined. Besides being a mother, a corporate executive and volunteer at church and school, she found herself thrust into the new roles of managing her parents' health care, finances and property. This book demonstrates how God's unfathomable love carries us through these unforeseen seasons of life.

Customer Reviews:

Slow Dancing at Death's Door.......2007-07-16

Slow Dancing at Death's Door is a candid account of the author's experiences as her parents reached their final days. She shares her feelings of frustration, grief, anger, and all of those things she wish she hadn't said or did. For individuals suffering through similar circumstances will see themselves in the author's words, feel an instant connection to her most secret thoughts, and will take comfort in that they aren't alone in these aspects.

In addition to this very comforting material, the author also includes information to help educate the reader on things such as wills, power of attorney, and making preparation for all of those things we'd much rather put off. Despite our need to stay in denial, these simple preparations will not only make things run smoother in the long run but actually assure that your parents' wishes are fulfilled.

The author also urges people to really get to know their parents (their life before you were born, their stories, what they value, etc) and make a loving connection. This action is particularly important for those who have had falling outs with their parents.

Great Book about problems encountered when a parent is dieing.......2007-01-14

This book was extremely helpful. I recently lost my mother to cancer and I had alot of unanswered questions. This book was a god-send. I advise anyone that finds themselves in the same shoes of god forbid losing a parent to illness or accident, to get this book.. She uses some scripture from the bible and her personal experience is an added plus. Not just an author making up the answer and the story,she has actually been there. So do yourself a favor and get this book if you have questions about a parents death.

Seeing Death Off with Integrity.......2006-04-02

It is impressive to see that a woman, Amy C. Baker, from the corporate world has stepped forward to show us our deepest human value: the need for serving our departing generation. Her book Slow Dancing at Death's Door (Life Journey/Cook International, Colorado, 2006) incarnates a healthy form of what has been called `Survivor's Syndrome'. Amy Baker exhausts her experience of anger, frustration, loneliness, and grief, that are the lot of so many aging members of our `Sandwich Generation', and comes out with an enlightening lesson: forgiving for not knowing better.

Losing her mother to cancer and father to Hepatitis C, Amy Baker recounts what it feels like losing your loved ones and how best you can play your role of a caring child, at the same time a spouse, a parent, a responsible employee, and many temporary roles that one is obliged to take in life. That business world has not calcified her human spirit shows in Baker's account of all she did for her dying parents to claim her success as a humane being. That she is an intelligent writer is evident from the warmth and energy of emotion that saturate her expression throughout the book.

As Amy Baker maturely embellishes her passages with good-hearted humor, the gravity of a subject like death (and that of one's own parents) has no chance to oppress or offend the reader. However, Baker does more than that. With her faith, she illustrates the falsity of our perfection-seeking attitude towards life, thus showing us the importance to shed our slough of self-centeredness while at the same time not overlooking the need to take care of ourselves in order to be able to care for our parents. The emphasis is on growth not only in flesh and blood but more so in human spirit. On the practical side, we can see advice on hospice, management of ailing parents, and legal matters pertaining to inheritance, estate panning, and wills.

The nonconformist reader might frown over Baker's frequent resort to biblical quotes, which are seen as the source of inspiration and divine power. This does become a bit obtrusive, especially at end of the book, where the author discusses preserving family history for future generations. Nevertheless, the spontaneity of her account of her parents' death holds high her attempt to `light beacons of hope' in her reader's heart. The touching beauty of Amy Baker's tapestry of words in paying homage to her late parents is heart winning. She is one writer who emerges victorious from her situation as a caring survivor.

A Helpful Book For All!.......2006-02-04

Author Amy C. Baker has touched upon a cord in her new work, "Slow Dancing At Death's Door." This work is in a way a journal of her experience in dealing with the life and death of her parents. Now wait, yes it is an emotional read, but one that is done with such honesty and heart-felt compassion and understanding that all of us who are facing the same dilemma will breath a sigh of relief as we devour each morsel of this writing.
Our author shares some of her parents lives with us, their personality,their good and some of their bad traits and her relationship with them. She takes us on some rides down memory lane and brings us to the point of their departure into eternity.
In this work we learn about such things as, "Living Wills," "Medical Power of Attorney," and "Hospice," to name a few. Listen, if you have aging parents you are either going to deal with these issues now or later, and later is not a good idea.
I know for those of us who have aging parents this is an issue we would much rather sweep under the rug, but guess what? It's going to come seeping out and there isn't a thing in this world you can do to stop it.
I loved this book because the writing was honest and held invaluable information that is needed, yet it was laced with strong faith in a God who will strengthen us and be with us. A realization that in life there is death in death there is eternity and it is a road we are all traveling. This work will help you to help those who are passing through the door to have a much happier departure and you to have a much less stressful goodbye.
I cannot recommend this highly enough for all those who have aging parents. the encouragement, advice and strength you will obtain from this book is irreplaceable.
A must have!
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

Average customer rating:

Honest and thoughtful
Even-handed and helpful

Living Next Door to the Death House
David Clinton Owens , and Virginia Stem Owens
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

When a prisoner on death row is executed, it's not just the families of the murderer and the victim who feel the effects. The attorneys, the jury, the law enforcement officers, the prison guards, the wardens overseeing the execution, the chaplains and advisors, the technicians "who prepare the syringe and prick the vein" — all of these people are affected, and they all have powerful stories to tell, stories that are woven together in the riveting narrative of "Living Next Door to the Death House."

Authors Virginia Stem Owens and David Clinton Owens live in Huntsville, Texas, which has earned a reputation as the death penalty capital of the United States. They call Huntsville "a company town," where the company in question, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, employs almost a quarter of the residents. With so much of the population directly connected to the prison system, the ultimate punishment — meted out as often as once a week — is always "next door."

Through candid, compelling interviews with those in Huntsville connected both personally and professionally to the Texas prison system and death row, the authors explore how the steady stream of executions in the town has affected these people and the community at large. As the Owenses show, the ever-present death chamber "reaches out like tentacles to touch the lives of everyone who lives here." Some of the people they talk to are in favor of the death penalty, some are against it, many are conflicted.

"Living Next Door to the Death House" shows unforgettably the human face of one of the most controversial and hotly debated issues in the United States today.

Customer Reviews:

Honest and thoughtful.......2003-08-19

In Living Next Door to the Death House, the Owenses have taken on a difficult and potentially painful subject with great sensitivity and compassion. After talking to everyone from victims to prosecutors, guards to abolitionists, they present a balanced portrait of a system that can not be viewed in black and white. Along the way, they challenge the reader to think about capital punishment's relationship to justice and community, and what it means for someone to be executed in your name. A fair and balanced book, I recommend it to anyone seeking a greater understanding of capital punishment in this country.

Even-handed and helpful.......2003-06-25

I have just finished Living Next Door to the Death House and really appreciated the good writing. The book was excellent! It has been very helpful to me in my work as a Methodist pastor; during Advent I did a series of lectures on "tough issues" and thought that Homosexuality or separation of Church and State/Prayer in our schools would be the most passionate subjects, but I was amazed in that the Death Penalty was, by far, the most passionate and difficult for many. I have learned that I can talk about why I am against the Death Penalty, but I have not had a loved one murdered...... the stories I have heard from my members have humbled me and I continue to learn that this whole subject is very complex. This book takes so many of the sides and I found it to be very helpful. I will suggest it to my people here that are struggling. Again, I commend the Owenses for their excellent book.

The Guardian (Forbidden Doors Series #5)

Average customer rating:

Awsome!!!!!
Amazing...
WOW!
An action-packed book all the way!
It is a very good book.

The Guardian (Forbidden Doors Series #5)
Bill Myers
Manufacturer: Tyndale Kids
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0842339922

Book Description

The occult is a very real influence for today's youth--and the world is only too eager to exploit their curiosity about the supernatural. Tyndale and Bill Myers, cocreator of McGee and Me!, counteract the deceptions presented by immensely popular titles with an innovative approach to juvenile fiction--the Forbidden Doors series. Insightful and straightforward, each volume tackles spiritual warfare by presenting biblical truths through realistic situations and characters.

#5 The Guardian--Julie has a near-death experience, during which she encounters a guardian angel. But is this "angel" what it seems to be? Or is it something terrible in disguise? In the ultimate test of Julie's emerging faith, she must learn to trust God and heed his guidance in discerning spirits.

Customer Reviews:

Awsome!!!!!.......2005-01-29

This book was probobly the best book I have ever read.I would encourage every christian family to read this book.

Amazing..........2003-10-08

The Gaurdian was simply amazing. I read this book a year ago and I couldn't put it down. It's creepy and "out there" from the very start. When I first brought this book home I hid it from my mom....it's not exactly a cuddly Sunday school story, after all;-)
The first books of the Forbidden Doors series are great.After The Encounter the books start to lag in excitement. They lack the magical, draw-you-in quality this book has. When I read them I felt as robbed as the original Star Wars fans did by The Phantom menace. Ah, but that's a different story.

WOW!.......2000-11-15

This book is absolutley great. It works on so many levels... and all the while staying true to its Christian roots. I remember reading this book in 6th grade (I am a Sophmore now) and not being able to put it down. It just grabs you and pulls you into this deep and compeling story. Everything works so well because it is coming from a Christian point of view and it makes you see God's power through the characters. It also is a very chilling book, and doesn't let a horror fan down. While the content actually can get very morbid at times (alot of talk of death and the after life, plus a girl floating above her bed ala Exorcist). It scared me in 6th grade and I was already a vey big horror fan, and I rarely got scared by a book. If you are a Christian (or interested in Christianity) pick this book up. It shows that you can be way out there and still be a Christian.

An action-packed book all the way!.......2000-03-11

This was a well-rounded book. The perfect book for teens battling spiritual warfare. If you are a teen, read this book! I am a teenager myself, so this is from a teens point of view. It is very profound, especially when it comes to Julie dealing with the demon controlling her. But it can be a little intense. I wouldn't recommend this book to kids under 12. If you like horror books, but can't get your hands on them heathen horror stories, pick up the whole Forbidden Doors series today!

It is a very good book........1999-04-20

I think that anyone with teenagers in the family should read this series. My mother didn't want to read it, but after the first book, she wants to read the series.

The Doors of Death and Life (How Like a God)

Average customer rating:

A social commentary wrapped up i a sf novel
Read it in one sitting!
Blends politics and a fantasy fable with a tense thriller
Thumbs up, and double snap for originality
SF Examiner & Chronicle Review

The Doors of Death and Life (How Like a God)
Brenda Clough
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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How Like a God

ASIN: 0312875509

Book Description

In How Like a God, Rob gave his friend Edwin the Pearl of Immortality. Seven years later, the space shuttle ferrying Edwin home catches fire. Everyone dies except Edwin. Then he disappears. Its up to Rob to rescue him from the man who will stop at nothing to take the secret of immortality for himself.

Download Description

Immortality is a convenient attribute for a moon colonist, even when he has to keep it a secret. But when Edwin Barbarossa is the only survivor of a space fire, he attracts the wrong kind of attention, and his friend Rob Lewis must come to the rescue, endangering not only his own secret, but his life.

Customer Reviews:

A social commentary wrapped up i a sf novel.......2001-06-27

Seven years have passed since Rob Lewis obtained his power to bend minds to his will while Edwin Barbarosa gained immortality (see HOW LIKE A GOD). Rob now has family problems with his spouse Julianna, who feels he fails to support her needs. However, when three muggers attack Juliana, an outraged Rob mentally forces the three punks to jump into the Potomac.

Meanwhile Edwin is returning to Earth after a year on the moon, but the shuttle catches fire. All on board are dead except the immortal Edwin. He quickly becomes the only suspect in a closed-door mass murder mystery. However, that is the least of his troubles as Rob and Edwin's woes have just begun because a powerful individual knows about Edwin's immortality and plans experiments to obtain the secret.

DOORS OF DEATH AND LIFE is an exciting science fiction sequel that deeply digs into the use and potential abuse of power. Readers will believe that Rob and Edwin possess these non-human abilities by the way they use their power and the ethics questions that linger especially when Rob applies his talent. The villain seems more like Wile Coyote than a real individual, but his cartoonish manner does not hinder the basic premise that God-like powers should result in greater restraint. Though similar tales have been told in classic Star Trek and the Right Hand of God, Brenda Clough's latest novel will elate those science fiction fans that enjoy a complex moral story.

Harriet Klausner

Read it in one sitting!.......2001-05-18

Great and believable characters in and unbelievable situation. I really couldn't put it down. Fast paced, action packed, it also makes you think about what you would do with their "gifts".

Blends politics and a fantasy fable with a tense thriller.......2001-02-13

Rob gave his friend a gift of immortality seven years earlier; now Edwin's disappearance involves Rob in an effort to save his friend's life. Blend politics and a fantasy fable with a tense thriller and you have a title which skirts the boundaries of science fiction and adventure, offering an unpredictable plot and realistic protagonists.

Thumbs up, and double snap for originality.......2000-10-09

Far more "pro"s than "cons"--and the pros are more profound.

The cons can be got over quickly. The male POV falters occasionally ("her eyes flashed with magnificent scorn" is an awful romance novel cliche)and some of the arguments resolve as quick as TV sitcoms (in fact, the pacing was rather too much like TV--choppy) and the villain was rather one dimensional. But those don't throw you out of the story.

Pros: far outweighing the cons is the fact that Clough attempts an interesting blend of real contemporary life and skiffy "what if?"s. Edwin's immortality continues in this sequel to be interesting, and Clough doesn't flinch from considering the moral and ethical implications.

Also, in these days when it seems all mentions of Christians in fantasy mean "Here comes another fundie bigoted child molestor" or, even worse, the inevitable cartoon Evil Priest in red, an interesting character who happens to be Christian, and who tries to lead a Christian life, is really refreshing. Clough handles the religious questions with a light hand, permitting the reader to see what being religious is all about, but without preaching.

The book is worth buying in hardcover, and keeping for rereads.

Looking forward to her next.

SF Examiner & Chronicle Review.......2000-07-27

by Michael Berry -- Sunday July 16 2000

Set in a time slightly different from our own, Brenda W. Clough's DOORS OF DEATH AND LIFE is a direct sequel to her last book, "How Like A God." She returns to the adventures of Rob Lewis, an ordinary carpenter with an extraordinary talent: the ability to alter the minds of anyone around him. Clough uses the legend of Gilgamesh as a springboard for a thriller that combines tropes from science fiction, spy novels and family drama. Lewis' best friend biologist Edwin Barbarossa hodls one of Gilgamesh's talismans of power, the Pearl of Immortality. For the past year he has been a colonist on the moon, and during his shuttle trip back to Earth something goes disastrously wrong. Everyone aboard except Edwin is killed. Alive when he should be dead, Edwin has some explaining to do. Rob must break him out of house arrest and convince his bosses that Edwin isn't a murderer. When a megalomanic billionaire gets wind of their combined powers, Rob and Ed must find a way of stopping him without compromising their beliefs about free will and the sanctity of human life. Clough takes a premise that might seem better suited for an "X-Men comic and gives it enough emotional heft and moral complexity to make a satisfying novel for adults. If the book's plotting is a bit choppy and the villain overly cartoonish, Clough makes up for those shortcomings by delivering a spot-on portrayal of modern marriage and family life. Because Edwin Barbarossa is both immortal and so likable, it's likely Clough will bring him back for further adventures.

Beyond death's door
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Beyond death's door
Owen D Olbricht
Manufacturer: Gospel Light
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Theology | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B0006R0A8Y

Beyond Death's Door: A Collection of True Stories Told by People Who Died ... and Lived to Tell About It
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Beyond Death's Door: A Collection of True Stories Told by People Who Died ... and Lived to Tell About It
Paget
Manufacturer: Ashley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0879491132

Death Came Knocking... But Life Answered the Door
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Death Came Knocking... But Life Answered the Door
Henry L. Knight
Manufacturer: Milligan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0978603206

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