Book Description
Grace and Divorce, written by noted author and psychotherapist, Dr. Les Carter, provides sound theological thinking on divorce and wise and compassionate suggestions for reframing and deepening our understanding of this difficult and controversial topic. Using stories from his practice as a therapist, Dr. Carter offers healing to both those who divorce and those who know and love them. He explains that Jesus never intended us to be so fixed about right and wrong and so judgmental that we lose the ability to love those who do not meet His perfect standards. With kindness and love, he shows that the wonderful gift of God’s grace is the best way to respond to people facing this trying life challenge.
Customer Reviews:
Don't shoot the wounded.......2007-08-26
Dr. Carter provides great encouragement for those of us that are divorced by reminding us that God's grace in there for us, too - just like it is everyone else. Sometimes, in the midst of the turmoil, it is hard to remember that and, unfortunately, it is ofter hard for others to remember that about the divorced folks as well. This is a great book to encourage the divorced and would also be a great book for a pastoral staff member to read.
Answers I've been looking for.......2006-07-19
This book helped me to resolve questions and fears regarding the shame and guilt of divorce in my life. Coming from a Christian background and having a desire to do the right thing, even after four years of recovery, this was not fully resolved with me, especially in the area of remarriage. Les is able to explain God's grace and where divorce fits in there, in a way I never fully understood before.
This is a great resource of understanding and empathy for anyone who has not experienced divorce in dealing with anyone who has. This book sheds light on this often avoided subject and often neglected action in Christian churches today. This book is a MUST HAVE for Christian lay ministry and pastors.
Book Description
No book has been more pored over, has been the subject of more commentary and controversy, or had more influence not only on our religious beliefs but also on our culture and language than the Bible. And certainly no book has been as widely read. But how did the Bible become the book we know it to be?
In this superbly written history, Jaroslav Pelikan takes the reader through the good book's evolution from its earliest incarnation as oral tales to its modern existence in various iterations, translations, and languages. From the earliest Hebrew texts and the Bible's appearance in Greek, then Latin, Pelikan explores the canonization of different Bibles and why certain books were adopted by certain religions and sects, as well as the development of the printing press, the translation into modern languages, and varying schools of critical scholarship.
Both an enduring work of scholarship and a fascinating read, Whose Bible Is It? will be eagerly welcomed by the many fans of Elaine Pagels's books and Adam Nicolson's God's Secretaries.
Download Description
Jaroslav Pelikan, widely regarded as one of the most distinguished historians of our day, now provides a clear and engaging account of the Bible's journey from oral narrative to Hebrew and Greek text to today's countless editions. Pelikan explores the evolution of the Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic versions and the development of the printing press and its effect on the Reformation, the translation into modern languages, and varying schools of critical scholarship. Whose Bible Is It? is a triumph of scholarship that is also a pleasure to read.
Customer Reviews:
BERN iN HeLL.......2007-06-29
BBERN IN HELL FOR READING AND RIGHTIN THIS BOOK! YOU'LL BE SORRY!!!
I am over the age of 13.
celebrating the nature and function of Scripture.......2007-01-18
Reading any book by Jaroslav Pelikan is a rare privilege and pleasure, not to mention an occasion for envy and humility by lesser mortals who fancy themselves as scholars. Magisterial, meticulous, encyclopedic, prolific, and prodigious, Pelikan is the Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University where he served on the faculty from 1962-96, the past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2004 the recipient of the Library of Congress's annual John W. Kluge Prize in the Human Sciences (the $1 million award focuses on academic disciplines not covered by the Nobel prizes). Most in his guild would consider him the greatest historian of Christian thought in his generation.
Now in his early eighties, Pelikan has written a wonderfully accessible book about the nature and role of the Bible in its worshipping communities that follows as a sequel to his Jesus Through the Centuries (1985) and Mary Through the Centuries (1996). The Biblical documents are decidedly historical documents, not gold tablets dropped from heaven and kept "pure" from human time and place. The thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Scriptures, for example, were written across about 1,000 years. The twenty-seven books of the Christian New Testament, he observes, are hardly a single book but rather a sort of mini-library of early believers. As documents embedded in human history, Pelikan reviews how these Scriptures were first written, then transmitted, formed into a single rule or canon in a way that excluded other noteworthy candidates, translated into other languages, hand-copied and then commercially-printed, and variously and often divergently interpreted. Along the way he demonstrates how the Scriptures impacted and were impacted by art, architecture, hymnody, classical music, liturgy, economics and politics.
However historical, though, believing readers rightly approach the Scriptures as more than ancient artifacts that require, even deserve, scholarly scrutiny, for in them we encounter the God who speaks and acts. Pelikan clearly loves "the Good Book" that he has studied so assiduously for sixty-plus years (both his grandfather and father were Lutheran pastors), and he always has one eye on the ordinary believer in the local church or synagogue. In their personal piety and corporate worship believers encounter "the power of the Bible to change lives" (p. 133). We can and must analyze and scrutinize the text with all the tools of the historical sciences, but ultimately, Pelikan reminds us, "I am not the subject but the object in my encounter with the word of the Bible...The historical or philological desire to comprehend what it says has been and is vastly less important than the religious need to understand it in order to obey it" (pp. 249-250). This is because "to the eyes and heart of faith," the Bible is, "after all, a love letter, one long love letter." Pelikan's ultimate intention, then, in this book about the Book, is "not to undermine its authority but to celebrate its message" (pp. 201, 231).
Interesting and well organized history.......2007-01-12
If you have a large study bible with many features, you probably have a diagram in the back that looks like the "family tree" of various bible translations--who went back to the Hebrew texts, who to the Vulgate, etc. I always found this interesting, as it helped explain why some versions of scripture were so markedly different, as well as giving the year of translation which helps understand the historical and cultural climate.
Pelikan's "Whose Bible Is It?" is like that diagram--only more dynamic, more interesting, more informative and more complete. He gives you the cultural, political, and social climate throughout the evolution of the Scriptures as we have them today; in addition, he touches on important historical and cultural events that were impacted by Scriptural translations, or influenced the actual translations or transcriptions.
I found this book to be interesting and informative. It is at times challenging to read--not something to read piece-meal, or while you are half asleep, as Pelikan's sentences are longer than the Apostle Paul's, and his train of thought rather convoluted at times. He weaves history and his commentary together in a very readable way, highlighting major figures and events not like a textbook, but as someone who is so well aquainted with the whole story and all of the details that he is chosing to share only the juiciest, most relevent and interesting sections with his readers.
This is not a book to fortify one's faith as a Christian, it is not a book to put on the shelf next to books by Lewis, or Packer, or Vieth, or Pless. In particular, it seems to deliberately try to discount the notion of the innerrancy of scripture and even the one-way-to-salvation held by the Christian faith. Pelikan was Christian (Lutheran then Orthodox), but seems to be trying so hard to be "fair" or "PC" or "well rounded" that he does not push Christianity as "the way"; maybe it is that he did not let his personal religious convictions mingle with academic objectivity, but this is not a book that promotes Christianity above Judaism or even Islam. It is also apparent that Pelikan was at least something of a proponent of the "higher critical" way of thinking; he does discuss this aspect of the history of scripture in interesting detail.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. When I opened it for Christmas, my brother in law saw the title and said "when you finish reading it, let us know [whose bible it really is]". I don't think there is a good answer to that question--which ambiguity seems to be even what Pelikan intended.
A brilliant history of the formation and use of the Bible through the ages.......2006-12-29
Jaroslav Pelikan's wide-ranging book follows the origins of the Bible from oral tradition and early writing, the gathering of the canon, translations from the Septuagint to modern missionary translations, the impact of the Reformation on use of the Bible and historical-critical study and the ways in which this has changed our view of Scripture.
He writes with a wonderfully light touch, adding occasional flashes of humour and referring to history and scholarship within the Jewish, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions as well as commenting on the Qur'an. His chapter which outlines the books and message of the Old Testament (Hebrew Tanakh) is masterful and there are many other highlights of the book which offered new insights into how modern Christians see this amazing piece of literature that has so shaped our western culture in the last 3000 years. This is the best book that I have read on the history of the Bible and it is a wonderful resource as well as a fascinating read.
Good Overview of Pelikan's Study.......2006-12-18
Jaroslav Pelikan is a Kluge Prize-winning historian and author. In this short book he traces what he says as the evolution of the Jewish and Christian Bibles from early Hebrew, Greek and Latin texts to the modern versions. He also examines the formation of the New Testament, influences of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation.
The author is respectful and this work will appeal to a broad audience. He does correctly affirm the role of the Bible as the Word of God. Pointing out that the Bible has been through many revisions and was once a body of oral tradition. The author seems to mainly be summarizing his knowledge on the history of the Bible with broad-brush strokes as we follow its history over the centuries. But he does state the obvious, which I agree with, that it is important to study the Bible in the original languages. I suggest you take your time reading this book in order to gain the most benefit from it.
Book Description
This inspiring book gives you a splendid example of how to live as a Christian in a secular environment that can be indifferent or hostile to your Faith. For Elisabeth Leseur had two great loves: God and her husband Felix, who was an atheist. Felix loved Elisabeth as well; yet to their mutual sorrow, he couldn't share the life of the Spirit that Elisabeth cherished.
Occasionally the happiness of their life together in upper-class Parisian society was shattered by Felix's frustration and impatience. How could such an intelligent woman waste her time, as he saw it, with ignorant superstitions? Sometimes he and his friends would even ridicule and mock her faith.
But Elisabeth loved Felix too much to allow their home to degenerate into an emotional war zone. She realized that confrontations and arguments were useless; she chose instead to keep quiet and pray for Felix. In her secret diary she recorded how she used his efforts to destroy her faith as means to grow in love for him and for God.
Throughout their life together, it grieved Elisabeth to think that Felix might be separated from her for all eternity because of his rejection of God.
For her, life in Heaven wouldn't be happy without him. Yet when she died prematurely, Felix was still an unbeliever.
The story doesn't end there. When Felix found this diary, he discovered how Elisabeth's whole life bore witness to the truth of the God she loved.
In time, Felix was transformed by the diary and his memories of Elisabeth. He became a Christian and, later, a priest. Now she may even be declared a saint. Elisabeth's diary and spiritual writings (all included in this one volume) map out for you a path to marital harmony and greater love for God — especially if you love someone who stands outside the Faith. Let Elisabeth's two great loves, and her faith and perseverance, inspire you now.
Customer Reviews:
The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur.......2003-03-22
'My Spirit Rejoices'& 'Light in the Darkness'
or 'The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur' - Sophia Institute Press
It is not often that one finds a book of such vital import that it changes one's life. But the journal kept by Elisabeth Leseur is surely one of the most compelling books I have read in many years. It ranks with the great works of the Carmelite Saints: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Therese of Lisieux.
For many years now I have kept Elisabeth as my companion during Lent; a great Spiritual Director in an age of darkness. She holds the light of Eternal Truth and points out the way with calm assurance.
Elisabeth experienced an extreme degree of spiritual isolation owing to the timbre of her times in Paris high society. Her husband was aggressively atheist, as were many of his friends and associates. She kept the love of God deep in her heart, and it was to the Heart of Jesus to whom she turned for daily solace.
At Elisabeth's death her husband, Felix, found her secret journal; and as he read the pages of the journal, his heart turning to remorse, the last vestige of his hatred for the Catholic Church was swept away in the tide of his beloved wife's counsel. Reconciling to the Church, Felix Leseur entered a seminary and became a Catholic priest. Elisabeth's cause for Canonization is now open at the Vatican.
Book Description
Many historians of religion now recognize that Christianity is a global faith whose most vibrant expression and growth are found today in the non-Western world. But no one explores this reality and its implications for modern life with the depth of learning and personal insight of Lamin Sanneh.
This book is unique in the literature of world Christianity, not least for its novel structure. Sanneh's engaging narrative takes the form of a self-interview in which he asks questions about the cross-cultural expansion of Christianity and provides insightful answers and meaningful predictions about the future. This technique also allows Sanneh to track developments in world Christianity even while giving attention to the responses and involvement of indigenous peoples around the world.
Sanneh's own background and lifelong involvement with non-Western cultures bring a richness of perspective not found in any other book on world Christianity. For example, Sanneh highlights what is distinctive about Christianity as a world religion, and he offers a timely comparison of Christianity with Islam's own missionary tradition. The book also gives pride of place to the recipients of the Christian message rather than to the missionaries themselves. Indeed, Sanneh argues here that the gospel is not owned by the West and that the future of the tradition lies in its "world" character.
Literate, relevant, and highly original, "Whose Religion Is Christianity?" presents a stimulating new outlook on faith and culture that will interest a wide range of readers.
Customer Reviews:
Some reviews misunderstand the author's goal.......2007-09-19
The author is at pains early in the book to differentiate between "Global Chrisianity" (i.e. Christianity imposed on cultures by European colonial efforts (e.g. South America)) and "World Christianity" (aras where Christianity develops more as a result of genuine faith experience than colonization efforts). Understanding this distinction, it is reasonable that the majority of the book focuses on Africa. On the other hand, this is not the only locus for World Christianity and, to my knowledge, the author, having come from Gambia, fails to acknowledge his bias towards Africa.
The discussion itself is worthwhile with solid points throughout. The "interview format", however, detracts from the presentation of the information. The author has a very 'academic" writing style, which better lends itself to continuous reading rather than the "stop and go" approach of an interview. One can scarcely imagine the "answers" he provides being adequate for an interview with someone such as Larry King or Terry Gross. This vehicle costs the book a great deal for those engaged in academic study as the "jerkiness" of the format makes it difficult to get into a reading rhythm. While perhaps handy for bathroom reading (i.e. pick it up and read 2-3 questions and answers) it is poorly suited to reading many pages in one sitting.
This is the type of book that you struggle through the first time (because of the interview style) but reference with some frequency afterwards (oddly enough, because of the quick, succinct presentation of information provided by the interview style).
I give it 4 stars for the treatment of the subject matter and 2 for the presentation. Average = 3 stars. Worth the price, but no more...
This author needs an editor!.......2007-03-06
Is Christianity a white man's religion that should be rejected by native peoples? Is Christianity a tool of cultural oppression of the Third World by Western imperialists? Is Bible translation a subtle way to sway indigenous peoples into rejecting their own culture? The author says that the answer to these questions is "no". Unfortunately, it took considerable effort from me to come to those conclusions from this text.
I eagerly anticipated reading this book but I am sad to say that it was a complete disappointment. I would not recommend it because the author's premises were consistently obscure and poorly stated. It appears to be written for academics by an academic all of whom might appreciate writing that is abstruse but it just frustrated me. My initial clue that this might be a difficult read was when I saw that there was only the introduction and two chapters in the 130 pages of the book.
The question and answer format did not help either. I felt like I had come in late to a conversation between two people who knew each other very well; so well that one could finish the other's sentences. Unfortunately, I did not know either of them so while the two in the conversation knew what the other was saying, I, as the reader, felt completely left out of the discussion.
A good editor would have anticipated the questions that a reader would ask and would have forced the author to go back and answer them. The topic is important and it deserved better than the Eerdmann's editors gave it.
yale theologian's global purview.......2007-01-18
Employing a question and answer rhetorical device, Lamin Sanneh, a native of Gambia who teaches at Yale Divinity School, creates an imaginary dialogue between a representative of the secular, post-Christian West, and himself, an advocate for and scholar of what he calls post-Western Christianity. "World" Christianity, as he understands it, must be distinguished from "Global Christianity." The latter is really just a version of European Christendom, the sad "cultural captivity of faith" no matter how exotic its location. World Christianity, on the other hand, as it has emerged with explosive force in the last several decades, is made up of previously non-Christian societies and cultures who have accepted and adopted the Gospel in and through their own unique idioms. Thus, Sanneh prefers to speak of indigenous cultures discovering Christianity rather than of Christianity (read: the post-Christian West) discovering indigenous societies. For the most part, this resurgence of World Christianity has proceeded since the post-colonial period began, and "without Western organizational structures, including academic recognition, and ...amidst widespread political instability and the collapse of public institutions" (p. 3). In the last third of the book he examines the revolutionary impact of Bible translations in these indigenous movements. Christianity, in fact, "seems unique in being the only world religion that is transmitted without the language or originating culture of its founder" (p. 98). Along the way, he explores ways in which the post-Christian West, so long accustomed to understanding itself as the spiritual creditor to the entire world, might now benefit and learn from World Christianity as its debtor (pp. 57, 74). Except for a few brief remarks about China, Sanneh focuses on his native Africa.
Modern Handbook.......2006-03-03
Lamin Sanneh's work sketches the relationship between East and West in the development of Christianity as a Global phenomenom. His work, in terms of content, closely resembles Phillip Jenkins work - The Next Christendom. However, where Jenkins looks to statistics and trends to analyze and predict (which is unbecoming a historian) the direction of contemporary Christianity, Sanneh goes beyond statistical analysis and insightfully relates issues of aculturation and indigenization. Jenkins' work seems shallow in comparison. Sanneh uses a dialogue style in order to adequately present the intricacies of question concerning the development of Christianity outside a Western context. Sanneh's prior work on translation and his current work on African religious traditions influence the examples that Sanneh uses, but the book is not limited to these topics. In its conciseness and intellectual rigor, this book represents a helpful handbook for understanding the new face of the global church and how we can effectively discuss the subtleties of Global Christianity.
Misleading title..........2005-03-20
Sometimes one sees a book and struck by simply the title itself makes an impulse purchase. As a "Westerner" living in the East, I purchased this book thinking it would provide more insight into the phenomenal Christian activity and growth that I see regularly here in the East. The title, I would soon discover, is not the most accurate description of what the book entails.
The book's primary interest seems to lay in a discussion of the vernacular translation of the Bible, and even that is focused especially on the African continent. The non-western movement of Christianity is much broader than Africa, yet this is mentioned only as a side note in this work.
The format of the work certainly is a love/hate item for myself. Largely presented in a question and answer format ('interview format') that ranges from comical to frustrating to at times interesting. I have found this kind of format, before as with this text, helpful at first but soon quite tedious as it plods on and on page after page. When the author is not giving incredibly leading questions, his questions present the biased extreme of the 'enlightened' view.
These criticisms aside, the book did present some great insights. I appreciated the response to questions on judging an individual's response to the Gospel and conversion. Also appreciated is the presentation of the strength in the 'Designer's hand' of including all cultures and languages in His ultimate saving Gospel. A person involved in Scripture translation would also find great encouragement in the author's high praise and respect for translation to the 'mother tongue.'
A cumbersome presentation (Q&A format), misleading title and bit wordy discussion of the main topic (translation of the Bible into the 'mother tongue') cause me to give this book only 2 out of 5 stars.
Book Description
Reading books on money and giving typically makes us feel worse than when we began.
"I don't want you to feel worse; I want you to feel better. And the path to feeling better is understanding what the Bible really says about giving and spending. This book will help you do that."-John MacArthur
John MacArthur has written this no-nonsense book to affirm Christ's teaching that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." In this practical, easy-to-read book Christians can find out:
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How to give, where to give, and how much to give
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Scriptural guidelines for acquiring money and investing it
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The right and wrong ways to go about giving
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The connection between generous giving and prosperity
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Why get-rich-quick schemes like gambling are wrong
"When you give as God has commanded, you will find it liberating, rewarding, joyous, and profoundly enriching"-John MacArthur
Find out in this book how the blessings that go with giving can be yours.
Customer Reviews:
Biblical and Balanced.......2006-09-19
MacArthur's treatment on Christian stewardship is a biblical and balanced study of what the Scriptures teach about money. MacArthur avoids the pitfalls of the prosperity gospel, while affirming the goodness of God in providing for his children's needs. He avoids the pitfall of legalistic teaching about tithing, while encouraging the New Testament principles of generous, proportionate, cheerful giving. His exposition of 2 Corinthians 8-9, which covers three or four chapters, is superb. His basic understanding of stewardship is soundly rooted in Scripture. His explanation of the true meaning of tithing in the Old Testament is persuasive. His application of Scripture to contemporary financial issues such as debt and gambling is needed and helpful. I found this a very wise book (typically John MacArthur), full of Scripture and true to life. I would highly recommend it!
Balanced view of giving.......2002-04-23
I would highly recommend this book for the following reasons:
1. It is a well researched biblical presentation on how we should view money. It presents the reasons that we should seek to honor God completely with our saving, spending and giving decisions.
2. It promotes the eternal view of money. Money is such a stumbling block in the lives of Christians. Many unethical ministers twist the prosperity gospel. As Charles Spurgeon said there is a prosperity plan laid out in the Old Testament. If you are faithful to God, He will prosper you materially. In the New Testament, if you are faithful to God, He will prosper you...spiritually, and even more after our bodies are resurrected. Many Christians believe giving is linked to strictly material blessings in this life.
3. MacArthur teaches that we should give our resources sacrificially and to the needy. He shares examples from the New Testament church that support this.
4. He tackles the taboo subject of tithing. He makes the strong case that tithing is a tax that applied to Israel in the Old Testament, and no longer applies to Christians today. He certainly doesn't condone the attitude of giving less than 10% of your income as a result of this, but MacArthur believes tithing is a doctrine that should not be taught. I concur.
Overall, a great book. Anyone interested in becoming a better money manager for God should read this.
Ashley Hodge, CFP
Southlake, TX
More than a How-to-budget book.......2001-03-01
The real issue about money management is the deep thoughts and motivations of a person. MacArthur explains the key Scriptures on the issue of money and stewardship so the power of the Word can change a person's attitude toward materialism and money in general. I highly reccomend this book, only if you want to take what it says to heart.
Heartsearching and encouraging view on money.......2000-09-15
This is a true MacArthur again. Thorough, deep in thought and well based on biblical truth, this book is still easy to read. It will be much more difficult to live out the truths contained therein. Lots of pious prejudieces about money are challenged, as well as misconceptions about money. There is sound biblical advice about what to do or not with your money, but it is especially an encouragement to giving. All the spiritual aspects of giving are explained, all the blessings that go with it. I think this book will challenge you for a long time.
Book Description
Written by an experienced speaker and writer, Making It Real calls teens to "kick it up a notch" to discover a solid faith and personal belief in Christ.
Customer Reviews:
A top notch read for teens who are serious about God and for those who want to be........2007-09-27
Marcia is heart broken over her best friend. They used to be so close, praying for each other, encouraging each other, prodding each other. Now her friend won't even talk to her. She has decided she doesn't want to be a Christian anymore. What should Marcia do?
Another name for "Making It Real" could be "Where the Rubber Meets the Road for Young Adults". In easy, conversational tone it tells the true stories of teens struggling to stay close to God amidst the temptations and distractions of their world. It doesn't patronize or talk down to them in a prudish way, but meets the level of sophistication young adults now have.
Like Matthew, who envies his friend Kris. Kris' dad is a youth pastor, while Matthew's dad has just gotten out of prison. His efforts to share God with his father are shot down with anger, and now Matthew's begun to resent Kris for what he has. Can God take away his jealousy?
Talk about problems. King David was trapped in a web of lies and lust, and he knew what he was doing was wrong. Even though he got the girl in the end, can he ever get right with God again? This is how seamlessly Eller weaves the Bible into the real life stories throughout the book. Suddenly, these guys in the Bible are just like us, dealing with the same timeless issues teens face daily.
Each chapter begins with a quote from a random teen, like a blog entry or a poem: "I found a kitten and it was cold and dying. I warmed it up and it survived. Last night I was laying on my bed with the little lucky kitten on my chest. I thought that what happened to the kitten is what happened to us. Jesus picked us up out of the coldness of sin and warmed us up to God's love." At the end of each chapter are several "devos", applications which make the topic relevant to the realities of day to day life. There are "heart check" blurbs in little grey boxes throughout, which are clear and concise, almost proverb-like: "Don't be afraid to ask questions about God and your faith." At the end of the book is a journal space to write thoughts about each section.
Many of the situations occur in a youth group setting. Like Erin, who's making her first visit home since going away to college. She visits her youth group and is faced with a video of her when she was on fire for God. She is horrified at how far she has strayed in such a short time without any fellowship. But now she knows she must find some at school. It's wonderful to have such common pitfalls explained to teens in a practical how-to way so they can avoid them. Issues like fear of public speaking, self esteem, sin, parents, missions trips, peer pressure, and living through unexplained tragedies are explored.
Tate is a track star. But after being hit by a drunk driver, he may never run again. "When he let go, he took the hand of God and talked to him about his confusion ... He thought he trusted God before, but it was easy because things were going his way."
Not as in-your-face as a Lookadoo book, Making it Real lets the stories engage you, and the book is hard to put down. Each entry is short enough to keep up with today's abbreviated attention span, and it's interactive without being a workbook. A top notch read for teens who are serious about God and for those who want to be.
--Reviewed by Carol Kurtz for TitleTrakk
A Book for Real Teens.......2007-05-15
T. Suzanne Eller's Making it Real: Whose Faith is it Anyway is a great study for teens as they wrestle with who God is to them, how He works in their lives, and how they can change the world for His glory. In an upbeat, conversational and always non-judgmental tone, Suzie incorporates true-to-life stories that will inspire young men and women to trust God in the most difficult circumstances, get to know Him more deeply, and seek His purpose for each stage of life.
Making it Real is set up like a Bible study, with thought provoking 5-Day sections of questions, prayers, and blank space for recording thoughts at the end of each chapter. This is a wonderful book for either individual or group Bible study, or for one-on-one mentoring. I haven't been a teen for . . . I won't even say how many years and I related to many of the issues that came up in this book. Highly recommended!
Great Book!.......2007-04-01
This book is great! Suzanne did a really good job on touching on some of the issues that Christians face in their faith life. Recomended read to anyone who is struggling with their faith, or anyone who just needs a "booster shot" of faith!
Wonderful!.......2007-01-25
Suzanne is one of my favorite authors and I believe this book is a must read for kids, teens, and those who know or have ever known one! All ages will benefit from the devotionals within "Making It Real: Whose Faith Is It Anyway?".
Book Description
Hope and encouragement for the woman in a spiritually unequal marriage. With a light-hearted, upbeat style and empathy for the spiritual single, author Nancy Kennedy brings the perspective of one who is still praying for her husband’s spiritual condition but who hasn’t let that hamper her from serving the Lord and her family with a joy-filled and faith-filled heart.
Customer Reviews:
Encouraging.......2004-04-01
Women married to non-Christians, and even women married to non-growing Christians, will find heart and hope in this book. A quarter-century of prayers and tears undergird the Biblical principles of "Between Two Loves." Its reminders would serve any woman wishing to strengthen her marriage. For example: Dwell on your spouse's positives, not the negatives or "if-onlys." Guard against finding soul-mates elsewhere. Be faithful in prayer. Deliberately love your spouse. Her suggestions for dealing with outright antagonism will bolster women who don't know how much more they can handle. Buy and read for your own edification, then quietly and lovingly give a copy to a wife who carries the banner of faith alone.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent!
- ears to hear
- Learn with an open mind.
- A Fresh Challenge !
- Covenant Theology from a Pentecostal viewpoint
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Customer Reviews:
Excellent! .......2007-01-28
"Whose Right It Is" has been one of the most influential books in my Christian walk. It takes head on all the commonly used scriptures used to support the "Rapture Theory". Why anyone hinges their walk on a theory when the truth is readily available I do not know. We have no excuse for following false doctrine. God is no longer winking at our ignorance. The Spirit of Truth has been shed upon us, and those who diligently seek will come to know. I seek truth. I pray God strips every shred of untruth that I may be harboring within myself. The Church will walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ when it completely walks in Truth. The problem with most is they are only trying to protect what they perceive as truth. They approach the Word in a way that they are trying to prove what they believe. Instead, we should approach the Truth always with an open heart and with humility, letting God unveil His Truth. There is always more to God. Seek the truth, not proof for the validity of the doctrines of man.
I highly recommend Whose Right It Is. I also highly recommend "The Three Prejudices" by Dr. Kelley Varner. It dispels the prejudices that are so prominent in most of what we call church. Every minister of the Gospel should give The Three Prejudices and Whose Right It Is a read.
ears to hear.......2001-12-28
Kelley Varner has done his homework in this book. It is a watershed work for correctly understanding Bible prophecy. In view of orthodoxy, intellectual honesty, and spiritual truth, those who question the major points and premise of this volume, should themselves be questioned when all sides of these issues are clearly viewed. The author has no axe to grind and is not poised to build a kingdom on his theology or writing gift. The winds of popularity are not blowing this vessel into the port of the accolades and celebration of the multitudes. He is sailing through what appears to be a narrow channel but in reality is navigating a course through the River of Life. It examines and communicates what the Spirit of God has revealed to him as he endeavors to effectively share words of Truth. Any serious and honorable student of Bible prophecy will want to thoroughly study and digest this treatise.
Learn with an open mind........2000-09-29
Kelley Varner more than adequately explores the very interesting possibilities that perhaps, I'll Fly Away isn't the only possible scenario.
In a manner that is totally supported by scripture, Kelley Varner picks apart the smallest details of dispensationalism and adequately points to the true nature of the scripture. To speak frankly, Kelley Varner makes a bold statement that Jesus isn't coming back any minute for a sick and dying church but that He is indeed coming back at some time for His mature, clean and holy bride.
To those who would scoff at this book, open your mind for just a moment. To those who would question Kelley Varner's reasoning on this, ask yourself one question. What does he have to gain by attempting to the reveal the truth in the scripture?
In all things, however, keep a stable and balanced view. Kelley Varner never once deviates from the bible in his supporting scripture and in fact uses the scripture, as it was written in the Greek, as the basis for the book.
If you want an alternative to the same old fear focused, 'rescue-mission' rapture, read this book.
A Fresh Challenge !.......1999-01-07
This indeed is a challenge to many, but such challenges are needful in this time of stale pie in the sky theology ! The purpose of the book is to show the aspect of God's Covenant with Christians. It is up to the openess of the reader to consider the content. It is also the very nature of humanity to embrace what the majority does, as if that determines truth. There is a historical look at the orgin of the rapture that fails to tickle the ears of main stream Christianity. However, the most important mention in the entire book is the constant focus on Jesus Christ ! The writer very well knows the importance of the centrality of Christ. This alone stands apart from the vast multitudes of those that are taken up with micro chips, a coming anti-christ, a one world government, a gospel based on speculation, a defeated life style with a someday quick zip out of here, and a evil report that is mixed with fear! The writer refers to the scriptures, shares a good report and mixes faith. The appealling factor comes at the end of the book in these words, "I beseech you. Don't beleive these things just because I or some other preacher have said them. Pick up your Bible. Read. Study. Think. Rethink. Then get mad enough to change. . . by giving your life and ministry totally to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one "whose right it is" Maranatha !" Of course to give ourselves in this manner may have its cost. Nevertheless, without such challenges the christian walk may be nothing more than a repeated cycle of tradition. Many would do well to read this fresh challenge and ponder it before they let tradition rob them of the good report.
Covenant Theology from a Pentecostal viewpoint.......1998-12-08
The book starts slowly but finally gets into meat in the last few chapters where it attempts to show the Covenant view of passages commonly referred to by Dispensationalists for the Rapture and Daniel's 70 weeks, etc.
As is typical with Covenant writers he slyly states that the word "rapture" does not occur in the Bible, but using the same reasoning the word "God" does not appear in the Bible either since "Raptus" occurs in the Latin Bible where the English uses "caught up." ("God" would only occur in an English translation). Being a Dispensationalist, I will let Mr Varner judge himself using quotes from his book:
P.132 "Good men almost become violent when Scofieldian dispensationalism is challenged (perhaps a hint of its spiritual source)."
Now compare his judgement with his own words in other places in the book:
p153 He calls Dispensationalism satan's "most effective tool" p206 He calls Disp. a part of "the lie" in Romans 1:25. p225 He calls Dispensationalists "the wicked". p275 He calls Disp. "the favorite teachings of the god of this world." p289 He calls Disp "another gospel."
Last time I checked, Disp. teaches salvation by grace apart from works as Galatians points out while Pentecostalism teaches works salvation and Covenant Theology teaches Law as a Rule of Life. I'll let the Bible judge who is teaching "another Gospel" here.
He points out that Dispensationalism started in the 1800s along with many cult groups but fails to mention that his own Pentecostalism started around the same time and that the former has done more for promoting true spiritual growth and soul winning than the latter will ever do.
Paul states in Eph 1:3 that our position in Christ is in heavenly places, not here on Earth. His position is easily refuted by Chafer, Ryrie, Newell, and others.
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