Wee Sing Bible Songs (Wee Sing) CD and Book Edition (Wee Sing)

Book Description

The bestselling Wee Sing line is now tailored for the most modern Wee Sing fans! These eight classic Wee Sing titles are now in a great new package—a book and CD in a reusable blister!

Customer Reviews:

Just like we remembered.......2007-10-09

My children grew up on these songs, and now they are growing up with children of their own and wanted to pass the music on. Fun!!

Awesomw music for even the youngest child........2007-08-29

I do daily Devotions with my 3 young children and they love the music and I love what it helps me teach them.

Love It.......2007-05-12

I grew up with the Wee Sing products and, when I found out I was pregnant, I bought this CD for my own son. I find it very useful because I find it hard to remember a lot of the songs that I sang when I was growing up. This is a good reminder. Also, when my son gets a little older, I know that he'll enjoy singing along with it as well. I intend to purchase many more Wee Sing products in the future.

Kids' music.......2007-05-12

Some of the best music "out there" for Christians; conservative but kid friendly

Fanstastic CD!.......2007-02-09

Wee Sing Bible Songs became a favorite in our home, car, and Children's Church program. The songs are easy to sing and many have motions described in the song book that the kids love. I ordered multiple copies for our programs after purchasing one for my own children.

Baby's First Bible (First Bible Collection)

Average customer rating:

A Disappointment
Great book for baby
Great introduction for toddlers!
6 Month Old Baby Loves It
Perfect Gift!

Baby's First Bible (First Bible Collection)
Reader's Digest
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 1575840332

Customer Reviews:

A Disappointment.......2007-08-11

I was really disappointed in the quality of this book. It was listed as good and I intended to give it as a gift. However, upon receipt, my idea of good and the seller's must be very different. It was very worn and tattered and, in my opinion, in poor condition.

Great book for baby.......2007-06-27

I bought this for my cousin's daughters baptism and it was perfect. The bright colors and the pictures capture my little cousin's eyes and it something that parents can read to their children when it is ready for bed time.

Great introduction for toddlers!.......2007-05-23

My 3 y.o. son practically demands we read this book every night before bed during our family bible and prayer time. Just the right amount of text, spiritual 'milk' aimed right at the young listener, and nice illustrations to boot. The 'action items' on each page really excite our young one, he can't wait to roar like a lion, baa like a sheep or sing 'happy birthday' to Jesus each night.

My wife and I are going to start teaching in our church's toddler room this summer and this book is definitely coming with us!

6 Month Old Baby Loves It.......2007-05-15

I have been reading books to my 6 month old baby since he was about 3 months old. He absolutely loves it!

Perfect Gift!.......2007-01-05

Our parish has used the Baby's First Bible for several years as a gift to the baby upon the occasion of their baptism. It is well-received by the parents and children alike.

Average customer rating:

Teaching Bible Stories to Little Children
great book
Paraphrase doesn't live up to beautiful artwork
changed my life
Timeless classic

Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes
Kenneth M. Taylor
Manufacturer: Moody Pr (J)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0802405959

Customer Reviews:

Teaching Bible Stories to Little Children.......2007-07-28

Bought as a gift to a new mother. Beautiful illustrations, short stories, thoughtful questions for little children to consider what they've just read! I used with my own children to begin their foundation of Bible knowledge.

great book.......2007-01-20

Used an original of this book with my children and found it very good. So good that I am now buying for my grandchild. Like the edition with realistic pictures so much more than the one with cartoon like figures.

Paraphrase doesn't live up to beautiful artwork.......2007-01-05

Like some of the other reviewers, I grew up reading this book. I have a 1977 printing, as well as a recent one. The old copy was only recently returned to me and I was happy to marvel over some of the beautiful scenes depicted in this book. Truly, they are some of my earliest mental pictures of God and faith stories, particularly the image of God on the very first page, but many others as well.

I was disappointed, upon giving it a more critical overview as an adult, to realize that the paraphrase is terrible in some points. The one example that stood out to me so starkly was the Wedding at Cana. "After a while they needed more grape juice for the people to drink." Grape juice? Also, the author's use of the word "minister" in place of "priest" and "church" in place of "temple" is affected and sounds like it came straight out of a contemporary Baptist Sunday school lesson. Additionally, I find it baffling that, among so many beautiful art depictions on most of the story pages, there are a few images that seem to be photographs of actual people. Specifically, Ruth and her mother-in-law (page 72 in the old version) and Ruth alone on the next page. I might be wrong about how the images were created, but those two really stand out in style from the rest of the book.

I give this book a 3 star rating for the pictures alone. My favorites are the cover (baby Moses being rescued by his sister), God in the darkness on the first page, Jacob's ladder and the angels, The Nativity, Jesus walks on water, the Transfiguration, the Shepherd on the cliff with a sheep, and the Agony in the Garden.

The book lost 2 stars from me because I feel the wordings and translations are lacking, although I appreciate the childlike phrasing and intent to bring the truth of God's love to young people. I also am disappointed in the lack of consistency of quality among the images.

changed my life.......2006-08-21

I highly recommend this book for children. My mother read this book to me as a child and the images and stories have never left me to this day. A masterpiece.

Timeless classic.......2004-08-28

I read many times this book as a child. Almost 40 years later I read and teach to my sons from it. I use it as a teaching tool for children in church. Any person, regardless of age, who reads this book, will a complete knowledge of the basic stories of the Bible. It is fantastic, I highly recommend it for parents, teachers, and any who is just starting to learn about the Bible.

Average customer rating:

SIMPLY THE BEST YOU CAN BUY
Perfect introduction to God's Word for young children!
Wonderful!
Famous Bible stories with pictures for kids to enjoy!
This is a great first bible for toddlers.

Beginner's Bible for Toddlers
Don Wise , and Chris Wise
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0849952220

Book Description

Simple text and brightly colored illustrations communicate God's love especially for toddlers. Includes 39 all-time favorite stories from the Bible.

Customer Reviews:

SIMPLY THE BEST YOU CAN BUY.......2006-04-13

We have used this bible till it is falling apart. Our children know the major stories of the bible. If you want a simple, clear, and authentic children's bible...look no further

Perfect introduction to God's Word for young children!.......2002-03-18

I bought this for my 2 year old daughter, and she loves it. She can now identify (and often acts out) the basics of these 39 Bibles stories. They are easy for the young child to understand. They teach only the basics: people, significant event, God's love. On a cognitive level, it teaches what toddlers can understand. There have been times when I have expanded on the details of a given story when my daughter's interest has been high. All in all, it is a great start.

Wonderful!.......2001-10-10

This is a very colorful book and catches the eye of the youngster. I would recommend it for basic/early bible learning for any toddler. It would be even better though if it came in a board book style so the little ones don't rip the pages, Moms or people with small ones around know.

Famous Bible stories with pictures for kids to enjoy!.......1999-07-05

Each individual Bible story is short and easy to read. The colorful pictures keep their attention. Our children have grown to know the characters and have learned a great deal about them. This is a terrific tool for making children readers of the Word.

This is a great first bible for toddlers........1998-12-19

The simplified stories are easy for a toddler to understand, and the illustrations keep their interst and attention. A great first bible.

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Beautiful Bible!
One of the Best Childrens Bibles
Beautiful intro to Bible stories for your 3-5 year old child
Really charming kid's Bible
Colorful tales from the bible

The Usborne Children's Bible
Heather Amery
Manufacturer: Usborne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0794500285

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Bible!.......2007-05-16

I bought this for our daughter as an Easter present and neither of us is disappointed. It's the miniature edition which is perfect to take to church or keep on her nightstand. It's also great for little hands to look at by themselves. I like the fact that the stories are short and understandable (about 2-3 pages including drawings) and the illustrations are fabulous and colorful to look at. We read a story each night from this book and it will definitely go down as a keeper.

One of the Best Childrens Bibles.......2006-11-06

This is one of the best chilren's bibles we have come across. Nicely sized stories of the bible in a page or two each. Perfect for reading bedtime stories. I am reading it to our 7 year old now but she will be able to start reading it herself in a short time.

Highly recommended.

Beautiful intro to Bible stories for your 3-5 year old child.......2003-03-18

The Usborne Children's Bible includes about 45 stories, half Old Testament, half New Testament. Each story is told in about three pages on average (some have only one page, the crucifixion is told in seven pages) accompanied by colorful and more importantly beautiful illustrations. This edition is really wonderful for parents who disdain children's Bibles with goofy cartoonish drawings or the opposite problem, drawings that are boring and colorless.

The text is faithful yet simplified for a child. The Easter story does not depict the crucifixion graphically yet the story does not shy away from what really happened. "The guards took Jesus away and dressed him in a purple robe, pressed a crown made of thorns on his head and put a stick in his hand. They knelt in front of him, laughing and jeering. 'Hail, King of the Jews,' they mocked, beating him and spitting at him."

The New Testament section covers the Annunciation to Pentecost, emphasizing the life of Jesus rather than trying to cover the entirety of the New Testament. The Old Testament section covers Genesis to Jonah, again emphasizing familiarity with the most accessible stories rather than a complete retelling of the history of the Hebrew people.

We are a homeschooling family and I would recommend this if you think the Golden Children's Bible to be too intimidating for your child because of its length or size. Buy the Usborne Miniature Edition (about 6x8 inches) if you'd like your child to be able to carry the book around by himself.

Highly recommended as a nightly read-aloud or a special gift for baptisms, Christmas, Easter or birthdays.

Really charming kid's Bible.......2001-11-21

The Usborne Mini Children's Bible is a great book! It is exactly the same text as the original version of Usborne Children's Bible, but in a size that is just right for younger children to handle. The book contains 44 favorite Bible stories, all very accurate retellings from Scripture, and is beautifully and colorfully illustrated. Great for reading to very small children, and early readers will be able to handle it on their own. It's my number one choice for a Bible story book for my grandkids!

Colorful tales from the bible.......2000-03-30

I bought this book for my 4 year old son. He loves hearing stories from it. I think the pictures are really nice and colorful. The stories are short so we can usually read at least two or three before bedtime.

Average customer rating:

Great Bible for 1-4 year olds
The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers
Granddaughter enjoys listening
Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers, The
Our favorite first Bible

Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers, The
Ms. Linda Sattgast , and Linda Sattgast
Manufacturer: ZonderKidz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0310700787

Book Description

The fun-time, anytime read-aloud Bible rhyme! Boys and girls love the soothing rhyme in L.J. Sattagast's bestseller The Rhyme Bible. Now toddlers have a Bible rhyme book designed just for them! From the story of creation ("In the beginning God made the light. The light was for day. The dark was for night.") to the resurrection of Jesus ("All his friends were happy then. Jesus was alive again!"), this is the perfect choice for parents who want to introduce their toddlers to the Word of God. Joyful illustrations and classic stories told in vivid verse make this a sure favorite that will entertain your young ones and teach them biblical lessons that last a lifetime.

Customer Reviews:

Great Bible for 1-4 year olds.......2007-09-07

We got this Bible years ago for our oldest daughter (now 4, we started when she was 1). As we read the stories, we dated the corner of the page. Now we are reading it to our younger daughter (now 2). She askes for Bible each night as part of our bedtime routine and loves to "read" it throughout the day. My four year old now reads this Bible independently and I love to listen to my oldest read the stories to my youngest. I have given several of these to friends with young children.

The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers.......2007-07-05

My entire congregation loves this beautiful book. It's now a tradition that our ladies' group gifts one of these to every baby baptized at our church: we used to give bibles which an infant would have no immediate use for. It's beautiful illustrations grab even the smallest child's attention and it's stories are captivating -- mothers even tell me they've read each so often that they have it memorized and their child is big enough to turn the pages while Mom recites the words while driving or making dinner!

Granddaughter enjoys listening .......2007-05-13

My two year old granddaughter enjoys listening to the stories in this book. Having them in rhyming format adds to her enjoyment. The stories are easy to read and the illustrations add to the written word. Since there is only a few lines on each page, it holds a toddler's attention. I enjoy reading them to her and so does her mother.

Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers, The.......2006-10-30

Nice little book, fun to read, small and durable for little hands.

Our favorite first Bible.......2006-08-28

This is our absolute favorite first Bible. Both of my sons have loved it. It gets lots of requests. I've started giving it as a baby gift.

Average customer rating:

Great for the preschoolers!
Toddler's Bible
VERY simplified
Wonderful Teaching Tool
It's our bedtime routine!

Toddler's Bible
V. Gilbert Beers
Manufacturer: Cook Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0896930777

Book Description

This is the simplest Bible ever! It builds right attitudes about God and His Word; offers over 100 Bible stories with over 400 pages of colorful art; provides the only Bible for infants to three-year-olds.

Customer Reviews:

Great for the preschoolers!.......2007-10-01

Toddler's Bible
I purchased this for my newly turned 2 year old and he loves it! It's perfect with big print, easy words, lots of colorful illustrations and, best of all, short chapters! Each chapter gets straight to the point in language that preschoolers should be able to comprehend easily. This book is a great way to introduce your toddler to the Bible.

Toddler's Bible.......2007-08-16

Great! The book has wonderful pictures and tells foundational bible stories in an interesting, kid-friendly way!

VERY simplified.......2007-02-23

This is a book of *very* simplified Bible stories. My 22-month-old son has a pretty good attention span, and I think he would prefer stories with a bit more information. However, if you want the story of Joseph, for example, to be told in 2-3 sentences, this is the book for you!

Wonderful Teaching Tool.......2007-01-29

I bought this Bible shortly after being named director of my church's Toddler Nursery. The Nursery had just been created, and, unfortunately, it was being treated more as a babysitting service than an opportunity to teach our little ones. The Toddler's Bible helped us to change that.

Beers divides the Bible into a series of very short stories, and I use one each week to teach a toddler Bible lesson. The story is read to the toddlers, and a Bible verse, questions and games follow. This Bible is really useful to me as a starting point for lessons, and it's made it possible to call our program a Toddler Church instead of a nursery.

It's our bedtime routine!.......2005-08-19

My 3 y/o daughter loves the stories and enjoys looking at the pictures. She enjoys it so much that it's become her bedtime routine. She won't let me put her to bed till I read her her bible stories.

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The Bible in Pictures for Toddlers
Just what I've been searching for!!! So easy to understand!

The Bible in Pictures for Toddlers
Ella K. Lindvall
Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0802430589

Book Description

Seventy of the most loved stories from both the Old and New Testaments, re-told in an entertaining and expressive manner. Easy for a toddler to follow along as grown-ups read. From the favorite stories of Bible heroes like 'Joseph Gets a New Coat' to the lessons Jesus taught in 'A Man Hunts for His Lost Sheep,' kids will love hearing stories from The Bible in Pictures for Toddlers. Colorful illustrations and wonderful stories help make The Bible in Pictures for Toddlers a thrill for every toddler, parent and grandparent alike. Some other story titles include:- God Makes the World- God Makes People- Noah Does What God Tells Him- The People Say No to God- Abraham Says Yes to God- Moses' Mommy Hides Him- Jesus Makes a Storm Be Quiet

Customer Reviews:

The Bible in Pictures for Toddlers.......2005-08-02

I'm a big fan of Ella K. Lindvall so I was quite disappointed when reading through this children's Bible story book. First the positives: loved the illustrations, loved the padded cover, the 2-page format for each story, and an equal number of Old Testament and New Testament stories - about 70 stories in all. However, in simplifying the language the author has substituted the word "juice" for "wine." Wine is simply not juice. Better to choose other stories than to change the biblical content. If sacraments are seen as symbols in your Christian tradition, this book will not be so offensive to you. In my opinion, as a Lutheran Director of Christian Education, Lindvall's "Read Aloud Bible Stories" in 4 volumes (which also have wonderful illustrations) are a far better choice for toddlers as far as content is concerned.

Just what I've been searching for!!! So easy to understand!.......2004-01-08

I love this little Bible story book. I have a 2 yr old and a 3 yr old, and the Bible stories that I've had just can't keep their attention because they are too "over their heads." This one is just great. They are short and sweet for short attention spans. They capture the very heart of the message and put it just the way you would talk to a toddler. My 5 yr old niece came for a visit and got really excited about it also, because she could read it and understand it for herself. I definitely recommend!

My Little Book About God (Little Golden Treasures)

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My Little Book About God
Sweet book
It's Little, It's a Book, and It's About God.
This Bombed With My Boys
KEEP THIS ONE FOREVER

My Little Book About God (Little Golden Treasures)
Jane Werner Watson
Manufacturer: Golden Inspirational
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0307203123
Release Date: 2001-04-19

Book Description

A gentle introduction to the concept of God and the wonders of creation that is ideally suited to young readers. Noted illustrator, Eloise Wilkin, delivers this message in a heart-warming fashion.

Customer Reviews:

My Little Book About God.......2007-09-05

I enjoyed the Golden Books as child, 66 years ago and am happy they're still around for my great-grandchildren. They are just right for little hands. I remember some of the pictures to this day. I'm looking for a Nursery Rhyme Songbook. I can't recall the cover of the book but I remember many of the pages. The first page was "Lavender's Blue Dilly-Dilly" and the top of the next page was "London Bridge" I think the next page was "Where Have You been Billy Boy?" I thought the children in the pictures wore such pretty clothes. My mother, who is now deceased, sang these songs to my sister and me and I've sung them to my 10 grandchildren. Would like to have the book. My 9 month old great-granddaughter's favorite is "Are You Sleeping?" It was on a left hand page and "Row, Row,Row Your Boat" was right above it. Thank you if you can direct me to that speial beloved book.

Sweet book.......2006-07-17

This book is a sweet story and a good introduction to God's creations. The wording is a little antiquated but my daughter enjoys the sentiment and the pictures.

It's Little, It's a Book, and It's About God........2001-09-18

Truth in advertising, what more could you ask for? My Little Book About God is indeed little, and avoids taking any particular dogmatic approach. God is not described as an old man in the sky, nor are any particular religions held to be true to the detriment of others. Simply put, God is presented as great and loving, no more. Comparisons between the child's world and God's make these points explicit. Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Zoraster, Joseph Smith and the like never make so much as a cameo, and on this basis perhaps some will find the book too bland. But after all, it isn't My Little Book About How My Religion Is Right and Yours Isn't And You Are Going To Burn For All Eternity Because You Are An Infidel. Certainly devout atheists will find the book objectionable, but there is even room for secular humanists (God might literally be Love, and not a separate, intelligent presence at all) in in this approach. Hopefully most will find it a message of tolerance and love from which their children will benefit--two qualities that are far too rare in today's troubled times.

This Bombed With My Boys.......2001-06-11

The text is lovely but needs to be abridged for the attention span of the average preschooler. It starts out fine: "GOD IS GREAT." But when the text waxes poetically about light and stars and ancient mountain tops on the following pages, they lost both my boys. Usually my youngest will at least look at the pictures, but he found the baby doll-faced children, some of them with no pupils to their eyes (at least that is what I think he found scary about their eyes,) off-putting. Perhaps this is better for an older audience (mine were three and five, at the time) -- the message is certainly timeless.

KEEP THIS ONE FOREVER.......2001-02-22

This was one of my favorite books as a child so naturally I wanted my daughter to have a copy. To my delight, it has a few new illustrations now [black children are included.]

The wording of MY LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK ABOUT GOD can be at times too lengthy for a preschooler but it adds to the appeal later in life. My two-year old daughter has never complained though, she is mesmerized by the pictures just as I was at her age! Children love to listen to any story with illustrations this magnificient. Way to go Eloise Wilkin! I finally get to thank you after 30 years!

I highly recommend this book because I remember it fondly and vividly from childhood. I had countless books growing up but this is one of only a handful that I remember and that is also etched into my heart forever. Let's keep the little child in our hearts; this is a great book to help us achieve this feat!

But Jesus said, "LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME, AND DO NOT FORBID THEM; FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." Matthew 19:14 THE HOLY BIBLE

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Essential Reading

RENEWAL OF FAITH: Myth or Reality?

VISION OR PHYSICAL RESURRECTION

I BECAME A CHRISTIAN AGAIN!

Verdict: Reality Reduced to Myth

Resurrection: Myth or Reality? : A Bishop's Search for the Origins of Christianity
John Shelby Spong
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture

Born of a Woman

Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes

A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Faith is Dying & How a New Faith is Being Born

Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers In Exile

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ASIN: 0060675462

Book Description

A daring examination of the foundational event

of Christianity, and an inspiring vision for

reconciliation between Jews and Christians.

Using approaches from the Hebrew interpretive tradition to discern the actual events surrounding Jesus' death, Bishop Spong questions the historical validity of literal narrative concerned the Resurrection. He asserts that the resurrection story was born in an experience that opened the disciples' eyes to the reality of God and the meaning of Jesus of Nazareth. Spong traces the Christian origins of anti–Semitism to the Church's fabrication of the ultimate Jewish scapegoat, Judas Iscariot. He affirms the inclusiveness of the Christian message and emphasises the necessity of mutual integrity and respect among Christians and Jews.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Reading.......2007-01-04

John Shelby Spong is an Episcopal Bishop and the author of several books, among them Born of a Woman, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, and This Hebrew Lord. In the current book Spong examines the most minute details about the Resurrection in an attempt to re-visit the "Easter" story that is at the core of Christianity. Spong's unique contribution to this analysis is his deep familiarity with Hebrew literature and the midrash tradition, the lens through which the all Jewish people of the first century interpreted the gospels.

Part One (Chapters 1-3) is a 40+ page introduction to the study of the gospels, the use of words, and the midrash method. Part Two (Chapters 4-9) is a detailed study of each of the gospels as well as the epistles of Paul. Part Three examines some of the major images present in the Resurrection story (e.g., the suffering servant, the son of man. In Part Four (Chapters 14-18) Spong provides his own interpretation of what the gospels really say, and in Part Five he provides us with an idea of what the resurrection story means to him on a personal level.

This book is a monumental work of scholarship and it will completely revise your idea about biblical research as well as the story of the resurrection. Literalists beware, this is not the book for you. But anyone with an open mind who has ever questioned the inconsistencies in the gospel accounts (e.g., did Jesus appear to the disciples in Galilee or in Jerusalem? Did one, two,three or more women go to the tomb?) or wondered about the strange and impossible to explain issues (e.g., cursing the fig tree, the cowardly disciple who becomes the Rock upon which the church is founded) will find this book a true eye opener.

The book is well written, but the notes are sketchy and far too few. There is an extensive bibliography and a detailed index of topics. The book will appeal to beginning students as well as the most advanced scholars.

Bottom line - there is no more engaging or provocative book on the resurrection. This book belongs in everyone's library.

RENEWAL OF FAITH: Myth or Reality?.......2006-12-15

When I read this piercingly insightful book I was, for all intents and purposes, a former Christian turned atheist. So, I was both wary and skeptical when I finally read it. Page after page brought idea after idea cascading into my mind. Ideas and insights and facts that I did not know at the time and hence had not considered. After reading Resurrection through several times I came away with a renewed and transformed faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I now know the true nature of the Resurrection experience and how to enter into it. I know what it meant to the first Christians, and that is now what it means to me. I now identify with the Risen Christ, and with him I have been raised. Raised from time into Eternity, into the eternal Fact of the Resurrection, and of Life and Light in the immanental yet transcendent Kingdom of God!

Resurrection, Myth or Reality is a spiritual detetive story, a story that wiil take you deep into the Biblical texts, Christian history, psychology, Mythology, and the Nature of God. Not in any of the shopworn and powerless ways you were taught (and perhaps forced) to believe, but in a new way, an authentic way, a way that is in actual fact the Original Way. I have never read any other book by a so-called "liberal" scholar that exalts the Risen Christ as does Bishop Spong in this remarkable volume.

Are you an intelligent, educated, 21st century person whose faith is in exile? Do you yearn to return to the faith of your fathers, but in a way that enables you to keep your intellectual integrity intact? Yes? So was I. God brought Bishop Spong to my attention and with the Bishops help, my faith was both restored and transformed. CHRISTOS ANESTI! ALITHOS ANESTI! (CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!)

In the Grace of the Eternal Logos of God,
Rev. Nathaniel J. Merritt

You will also enjoy I WAS A TEENAGE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS and JEHOVAH UNMASKED, my first two published books.

VISION OR PHYSICAL RESURRECTION.......2006-09-25

According to John Shelby Spong, Jesus did not literally rise from the dead. Jesus was crucified, died, and was thrown in a common grave. Some time after Jesus' crucifixion, an event occurred that created the Christian movement. The heart of the Christian message is that the "crucified one lives." This alleged truth arose in Peter spontaneously. The moment that convinced the Apostles of this truth occurred in Galilee and Simon was the primary person in whom this truth first dawned. To call that idea (hereafter the resurrection vision) that allegedly popped into the mind of Peter a "truth" is quite a surprise. Spong tells us Peter saw "a realm of God from within which Jesus appeared to Simon. Was it real? Yes...Was it objective? Spong does not think that Peter's vision was objective. Spong's thesis is subject to serious epistemological challenge. Peter did not observe any objective event upon which to conclude that Jesus (the crucified one) was alive. There was no corresponding factual basis upon which Peter could believe that Jesus was alive. On this view, Peter had no justified true belief. Spong's thesis is a subjective and speculative house of cards that cannot stand.

Following Peter' resurrection vision, the need arose to reinterpret the life of Jesus Christ as a faith story. According to Spong this was done by the method of midrash.
Although he acknowledges midrash as a method for interpreting scripture, Spong brings new meaning the conception midrash by positing it as a method by which Scripture writers affirmed events and transcendent experiences into symbolic forms with no concern for linear time or literal events. Spong blames the western mind for insisting that the details of the Gospels were actual, historical events. Early in its history, the Church lost touch with its midrashic origins and claimed too much through literalizing scripture. With the dawn of the enlightenment, Spong suggests that the literal reading of Scripture was proven to be fantasy. Today, evangelical and fundamentalist elements of the Christian church, Catholic and Protestant, cling to the fading possibility of a literal truth being present in the details of their faith story. However, we need not fear, Spong's methodology will restore the original meaning of the midrashic message.

Applying his methodology, we cannot be, in the least bit, certain of the historicity of the Old or the New Testaments. Spong applies his midrashic method to show that whatever events the disciples experienced were set forth in the Gospels as non literal myths or legends. Specifically, since he places the location of Peter's resurrection vision in Galilee, it follows that the entire burial tradition must all be dismissed as not factual, including the female visitors who discovered the empty tomb. Jesus' appearances that purport to be the physical manifestations of the dead body that somehow was enabled to be revivified and to walk out of a tomb are also myths and legends. After disposing of the resurrection narratives as legend, Spong then embarks upon what he calls his speculative reconstruction of the events surrounding the resurrection while admitting that no one "can finally do anything other than speculate!"

Spong's concept of vision is not unique. For Spong, Jesus appeared to Simon from the realm of God. What Peter saw was not objective and yet it was real. Both subjective and objective visions have been refuted by scholars. The objective vision includes the experience of some literal minimal light phenomen with a corresponding mission. Spong speaks of a species of subjective vision also called hallucination. Gary Habermas offers an excellent treatment and refutation of the subjective and objective visions of resurrection. (see, Geivett, R. Douglas, Habermas Gary R. In Defense of Miracles, Downers Grove: Illinois, InterVarsity Press, 1997, pages 262-267) Hallucinations are private events that are not contagious to the masses and are not likely to inspire dying for one's vision. Spong's version of the vision transfer from Peter to the Apostles is ludicrous at best: "He tried to open their eyes. His tortured mind poured out his words in torrents...until light dawned in James, John, and Andrew." (p. 257) Spong wants us to believe that the Apostles faced the threat of certain death on the basis of a subjective vision. However, the New Testament reveals that the early church faced both threats and death for testifying to a literal resurrection.

In stark contrast, the Apostle Paul made the claim of the historical fact of Jesus' resurrection in no uncertain terms. He presented the fact of the resurrection as the litmus test of the Christian faith. The resurrection is the primary basis for Christian faith. Paul stated in no uncertain terms in 1 Cor 15:14-17 that if Christ was not raised, preaching and faith in the bodily resurrection is useless making professing Christians false witnesses for making such declarations. By positing the resurrection to be a legendary invention, he removes the basis upon which Christianity stands: salvation from sin through faith in a literal resurrection of Jesus Christ. Spong's postmodern approach might score high marks in a university literature class, however, rejecting the miracle of the resurrection with this midrashic method would score him low marks with theologians, historians, and philosophers who support the veracity of the New Testament.

I BECAME A CHRISTIAN AGAIN!.......2006-09-16

When I read this piercingly insightful book I was, for all intents and purposes, a former Christian turned atheist. So, I was both wary and skeptical when I finally read it. Page after page brought idea after idea cascading into my mind. Ideas and insights and facts that I did not know at the time and hence had not considered. After reading Resurrection through several times I came away with a renewed and transformed faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I now know the true nature of the Resurrection experience and how to enter into it. I know what it meant to the first Christians, and that is now what it means to me. I now identify with the Risen Christ, and with him I have been raised. Raised from time into Eternity, into the eternal Fact of the Resurrection, and of Life and Light in the immanental yet transcendent Kingdom of God!

Resurrection, Myth or Reality is a spiritual detetive story, a story that wiil take you deep into the Biblical texts, Christian history, psychology, Mythology, and the Nature of God. Not in any of the shopworn and powerless ways you were taught (and perhaps forced) to believe, but in a new way, an authentic way, a way that is in actual fact the Original Way. I have never read any other book by a so-called "liberal" scholar that exalts the Risen Christ as does Bishop Spong in this remarkable volume.

Are you an intelligent, educated, 21st century person whose faith is in exile? Do you yearn to return to the faith of your fathers, but in a way that enables you to keep your intellectual integrity intact? Yes? So was I. God brought Bishop Spong to my attention and with the Bishops help, my faith was both restored and transformed. CHRISTOS ANESTI! ALITHOS ANESTI! (CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!)

In the the Grace of Christ,
Rev. Nathaniel J. Merritt

You will also enjoy I WAS A TEENAGE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS and JEHOVAH UNMASKED, my first two published books.

Verdict: Reality Reduced to Myth.......2006-09-12

Spong inhabits a worldview in which rationality and religion are remotely distant cousins. Through postmodern eyes, Spong sets the mythological stage upon which resurrection should be viewed. For the intellectual, the demise of objective reality and certain historical knowledge are well accepted premises secondary to limitations of language and culture. To Spong, only the "ignorant," those who are left behind in the dungeon of "premodern ignorance," seek pragmatic understanding of actual historical events, or apply literal interpretation to past reality. Only a "weak," "pitiable," and "frantically insecure" Christianity believes in the historical, physical resurrection of Jesus. To Spong, literalizing the stories of Scripture and particularly the resurrection of Christ, only serves to destroy faith (i.e., Spong's kind of faith). In this provocative book, Spong reaches beyond linear time and space to achieve a transcendent, symbolic truth of resurrection, comprehended as a subjective, experiential reality incorporating Jesus' as the ultimate "mythic hero."

Despite his avowed disclaimer against use of literal interpretation of Scripture, he vainly attempts to literally undermine and replace the persons, places, times and events of Easter. Spong grossly prooftexts and misuses scripture throughout the book. He conveniently ignores historic and textual evidences toward early creedal development, pre-Gospel manuscripts, well-established oral tradition, and the presence of contemporaneous sympathetic and non-sympathetic witnesses, while using liberal, late scriptural dating to justify his alternative perspectives. Spong commits the fallacy of special pleading.

Instead of a Jerusalem-based physical resurrection of Jesus on the third day, Spong espouses an actual, initial post-resurrection "experience" by Peter in Galilee. After wrestling with the finality of Jesus' death for approximately six months, Peter suddenly envisioned that life's purpose is to give love and life to others, just as man Christ had done throughout his life and death. Indeed, it is not Jesus' resurrection that was critical, but Peter's "resurrection."

For Spong, Peter personifies the true beginning of Easter and springboard of Christian faith, accomplished through his own self-reflection and realization. Historic conversions from Judiasm to Christianity, as initiated by Peter and spread to the masses, as well as subsequent martyrdom further confirmed the experience of a spiritual resurrection. Such transformation and sacrifice were merely manifestations of a new spiritual outlook on life as inspired by Christ, but were not caused by the literal viewing of a physically resurrected Christ. Offering no evidence himself, Spong feebly attempts to dispose of any physical evidence by placing Christ's body in a common grave with criminals, left unidentifiable. He then ambiguously resurrects the `spirit' of Jesus' life to be both transcendently and immanently discovered later.

And, despite his dogmatic assertion against knowledge of objective reality, he not only proclaims with confident, self-refuting certainty that Jesus actually died in Jerusalem, but that bodily resurrection of Christ, and any literal interpretation of the events surrounding such is a grossly mistaken idea. This begs the question as to how he has accessible, authoritative knowledge, the very thing he seeks to dismiss. His dichotomous views prevail throughout.

One positive insight to be gleaned in these pages is Spong's desire and commission to live life unselfishly, guided by the amazing loving, sacrificial example of Jesus Christ.

This book is true to its postmodern roots, a decided effort directed toward deconstruction of orthodox Christianity and reconstruction of Spong's own brand of mythology. He separates faith and rational thought, yet appeals to logic to substantiate his own religious knowledge. This is indeed `Spong's story,' a creative legend of his own with the blurring of fact and fiction to avoid direct implications of an empty tomb, to avoid the possibility of the supernatural, to avoid his unanswered questions toward life after death, and to futilely escape any arrogant positioning associated with knowledge. Spong's spiritual, linguistic and historical reconstructionism rejects critical historical analysis, whether scriptural, philosophical, cultural or secular.

In his own words, this book promotes Spong's "re-creation," his "speculative interpretation" of resurrection; and, the reader should judiciously approach this book as an inconsistent and self-refuting fiction lacking validity or authority.

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