Book Description
"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened." In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but hypocrytical . . ........2007-10-11
As a Christian who frequently finds sustaining spirutuality in more resources than just the bible, I enjoyed this book some of the time.
Miller is dead on in his assertion that "the Church" and from that really all Christians, need to re-connect with the example of Christ's love, especially with regards to those whom Christians don't mingle with on a daily basis (at least my "daily basis" anyway).
His hypocrisy ruins it for me, though. It seemed like every time things were warming up about "loving others", Miller would drop some hugely critical comment about Republicans, fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc. I get it that these people aren't necessarily his cup of tea. However, if we are to accept, and adopt, Christ's example of love, it's all inclusive.
Loving only the less fortunate doesn't count; Christ loves all of us. And if Miller is going to write with integrity about emulating and expanding that love in our own lives, he can't pick and choose whom to love and not to love. In short, he falls in to the very trap he accuses "the Church" of living in.
And the hypocrisy of that makes it difficult to take his message seriously, at least for me.
With all that said, I am sending a copy of the book to an atheistic friend. You never know!
Miller's faith perspective rings true.......2007-10-10
Get Real: a spiritual journey for men
Blue Like Jazz is a beautifully written book that requires the reader to think honestly about issues of faith. Miller has moved well beyond the posturing and pretense that characterize too much of Christian apologetics. It's impossible to read Miller without being struck by his disarming candor and honest self-examination. Rather than introduce doubt, Miller makes sense, and he makes a strong case for a Jesus who is real and interactive in the world today. Like journalist Derek Maul's "Get Real: a spiritual journey for men," (2007) Blue like Jazz presents the Gospel as engaging, incisive, and deeply authentic.
Inspired Me to Read His Other Books.......2007-10-08
Blue Like Jazz is a sort of meditation on Don Miller's spiritual life so far (he's in his early 30s), sprinkled with a little Christian apologetic told by narrative rather than by theories or "spiritual laws" (Miller's "Search for God Knows What" is more along the lines of an apologetic though). Miller's writing style is accessible and easy, though he's prone to meditative tangents on the nature of God or faith or creation that may annoy the less religiously-inclined reader. Miller has a lot of credibility in the so-called emerging church movement for his narrative approach (and probably for his decidedly left wing politics), but his religious beliefs themselves come across as pretty standard evangelical Christian, which I was a little surprised by. It's not heavy theology by any means, and there's a lot of raw meat in Miller's book for the internet's theology attack dogs to tear apart, but the books resonated with me. After reading "Blue Like Jazz," I was inspired to read Miller's "Searching for God Knows What" and "Through Painted Deserts." My favorite moment in the book was the "reverse confession booth," where the campus Christians confessed the sins of the church to astonished students. For a new spin on evangelical Christianity, check out "Blue Like Jazz."
Re-thinking my original opinion.......2007-10-06
I am actually re-reading this book because I got so much out of it during my first read. I may have made a mistake by reading all these negative reviews here, but I'm finding I agree with some of them to an extent. It's funny because I am seeing both sides here, both good and bad, about the book. Yes, some of the stuff he wrote about is a little self-obsessed, but some of the stuff he wrote sparked real passion in me and furthered my relationship with God. I think I just had a moment of realization (an epiphany, if you will) that you cannot take ANYONE'S word for anything, except God's. This is just more proof to me that people, no matter who they are or what their intentions or how close to Christ they are, can lead you astray. To conclude; read the book (it has some good stuff in it), take from it what you will, and trust God with all your heart.
Offensive to jazz fans!.......2007-09-30
Donald Miller, I'd like you to take out the sheet music of Mood Indigo, which I'm sure you've studied extensively, and show me where it doesn't resolve--I think that harmonically it's one of the perfect all time pieces of music, and it resolves better than a lot.
Maybe he's talking about free jazz or bop or post bop or modal jazz or something, but I'm not sure he actually knows what those terms mean. It sounds to me like he's heard a couple of jazz songs at some point and decided that this makes him an expert. Yeah, man, he was turned on to this stuff by Tony, his beat poet buddy, man. Oh, that is so hip!
But even if you're saying on a technical level that jazz music, in some of its more far-flung explorations, abandons established notions of harmony, melody, rhythm and tonality, it can always be explained. You can always notate it, analyze it, study it, and explain it. You can break it down to vibrations traveling through the air and you can know exactly what those vibrations are doing.
You can't do that with Christian spiritual notions, because they're based on assertions of faith that require you to abandon the desire for statements of fact to be proved. It's cute, Donald Miller, for you to say that you're just not interested anymore in the intellectual/theological aspects of Christianity, but it's stupid and ignorant for you to use jazz as a point of comparison. Jazz musicians know exactly what they're doing and they can explain it to you in minute detail, and yes, they could write it down if they wanted to. It's not just getting up in front of people and blowing some BS through your instrument. That's what YOU are doing in your spirituality. Jazz music requires training, education, rigorous practice and relentless creativity. What you do requires a huge capacity for BS and evasive, circular arguments. Guess which one I respect more.
Any jazz solo can be studied note for note, analyzed, and explained. And the person who performed that solo can you tell what choices they made at every point and why, and they can base that on established musical concepts. Once you get to that point, it isn't mysterious anymore, but it is beautiful and special in a way that your unfounded, frightened faith can never be.
Book Description
Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you and offer you his Holy Spirit power that will change your life forever, deepening your faith and trust in God.
Download Description
Winner of the 2002 Christianity Today Book Award! You're One Step Away from the Adventure of Your Life Deep within you lies the same faith and longing that sent Peter walking across the wind-swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus. In what ways is the Lord telling you, as he did Peter, "Come"? John Ortberg invites you to consider the incredible potential that awaits you outside your comfort zone. Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. The experience is terrifying. It's thrilling beyond belief. It's everything you'd expect of someone worthy to be called Lord. The choice is yours to know him as only a water-walker can, aligning yourself with God's purpose for your life in the process. There's just one requirement: If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring words- minature book- extremly minature.......2007-10-09
I guess I overlooked the word minature (my fault) at a glance it just looked like the regular size book and was very excited to find it at such a good price, and hardcover at that! PLEASE know if you order this you are not going to get the full version of the book. I am going to pay closer attention and get the whole thing next time. Felt a bit silly when I opened my package and the book was about 2 inches x 4 inches. For me I'm going to BAM and shop in person for this one!
Total Disapointment.......2007-10-05
This is not a book but a sham, A full sized book was shown on the web-site, but when the order showed up it was a minature. After reviewing the web-site I was able to find the word minature in small print. Not sure if I will use Amazon again
Deceptive: Not the complete edition.......2007-09-06
[Added 9/07/2007] This review concerns the "Inspirio/Zondervan Miniature Edition" which is a hardback. Amazon has lumped this hardback edition with the full text hardback edition so the site does not indicate that this review does not concern the full hardback edition. Caveat Emptor
We ordered this book, thinking it was the complete edition of the book. Neither the Amazon page nor the book itself make it clear that it is merely an abridged version. The only way to tell is to note that this edition has 125 pages and a full sized edition has 200+ pages. Needless to say, we will be returning it to purchase the complete edition. I am looking forward to reading the content as I have heard good things about it.
Cute little item........2007-09-02
Be careful about your purchase. The one we acquired was a miniture version. The type was ok and you could read it, but the book was about 2" x 3". It was a miniture and not at all what we thought we were acquiring. We wanted the whole book. When ordering we did not notice that it was a miniture edition.
If you Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to get Out of the Boat (miniature edition).......2007-07-18
A nice, inspiring, easy-to-read but incomplete book, which contains a small portion of the original edition. The description should indicate, in addition to the dimensions of the book, that the full text is not included.
Book Description
For 1,600 years its message lay hidden. When the bound papyrus pages of this lost gospel finally reached scholars who could unlock its meaning, they were astounded. Here was a gospel that had not been seen since the early days of Christianity, and which few experts had even thought existed–a gospel told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, history’s ultimate traitor. And far from being a villain, the Judas that emerges in its pages is a hero.
In this radical reinterpretation, Jesus asks Judas to betray him. In contrast to the New Testament Gospels, Judas Iscariot is presented as a role model for all those who wish to be disciples of Jesus. He is the one apostle who truly understands Jesus.
This volume is the first publication of the remarkable gospel since it was condemned as heresy by early Church leaders, most notably by St. Irenaeus, in 180. Hidden away in a cavern in Middle Egypt, the codex (or book) containing the gospel was discovered by farmers in the 1970s. In the intervening years the papyrus codex was bought and sold by antiquities traders, hidden away, and carried across three continents, all the while suffering damage that reduced much of it to fragments. In 2001, it finally found its way into the hands of a team of experts who would painstakingly reassemble and restore it.
The Gospel of Judas has been translated from its original Coptic in clear prose, and is accompanied by commentary that explains its fascinating history in the context of the early Church, offering a whole new way of understanding the message of Jesus Christ.
Customer Reviews:
Religious.......2007-09-17
After reading this book and knowing what I know from many gospels, I
find this book very hard to believe. It just is far to away from all
the other gospels out there. I have read the "Other Bible" and many
of the gospels not found in the Bible of today, but none talk like the
gospel of Judas. I do not know who actually wrote this book, but I
would not put a whole lot of faith in it as truth. Why would Jesus
want to be crucifed in order to go back to the spirit world. I can
think of a lot of ways to kill yourself that are less painful. To
think Jesus wanted Judas to turn him in, so that he could be killed,
so he could go back to heaven, is just plain stupid. Jesus could
have just drank poison to do that. No one would ask for such a
painful death as crucifixion.
The Gospel of Judas: Fascinating and Controversial.......2007-09-03
A Review of The Gospel of Judas, edited by Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, and Gregor Wurst, with comments by Bart D. Ehrman. (Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006).
Humankind is often left with evolved systems of belief and organized religion, which are the products of those who have had the greatest political power. This is undoubtedly the case with Western Christianity. As recent discoveries have unequivocally shown, many alternate versions and constructs of today's multifaceted Christian heritage have been silenced or vilified over the ages. The Nag Hammadi Library, discovered in the late 1940's, brings to light some of these long forgotten and contested versions. Careful study of these and other documents demonstrate the great diversity of thought and conflicting testimonials, exhibited by earliest followers of Jesus. There has also been a trail of conflict and difficulty regarding scholarly and universal access to the Library for a good number of years.
With the access to an unquestionably authentic Coptic document called the Gospel of Judas, scholars again have the ability to explore historical diversity. Initial scholarly analysis has just surfaced in a recent book published under the auspices of National Geographic. This work, compiled by Kasser, et. al. is obviously written for the general public, although annotations and endnotes bring it to the depth of academic study usually shared by Early Christian Studies experts. Judas, the traditionally portrayed betrayer of Jesus, is presented in this lost Gospel as the handmaiden of salvation. However, it is not a salvation directed toward enabling the sacrifice of Jesus. In the contemporary version of Christianity with us today, Jesus dies to free men from their sins and therefore, to win the possibility of eternal life for those believers in and followers of his teachings. Rather, in this Gospel, Judas enables the soul of Jesus, a divine entity in human guise, to rid itself of its "mortal coil," and to rejoin with the highest, unnamable divine entity beyond this world.
The mythology of this particular Gospel is charged with a form of proto-Gnosticism: a term which conjures up debate among scholars, because it has been primarily defined through attacks by heresy seekers from the early, organized church. Gnosticism is a term derived from the sense of knowing as in "being aware" or enlightened. As one piece of the evolutionary puzzle, this Gospel shows the use of Sethian Gnosticism in early Christian thinking and how this thinking relates to evolving Jewish beliefs and to Greek writings (both Neo and Middle-Platonic).
To move this term from Platonism and to "Christianize it" within the Gospel of Judas (as Dr. Meyer writes) is to see the point Jesus makes in the Gospel: we are not the bodies we are in; nor are we defined by our existence in a mortal and often corrupt world. Rather, to know in the depths of our soul that we are mirrors of the divine is to know our true nature. Judas alone understands this and aids Jesus in his quest to reach his divinity by handing Jesus over to be killed. The other disciples do not understand this, and therefore cannot do what Jesus has asked of Judas.
Parallel to the publication of the Kasser book is a rather "polemic" review written by Dr. James Robinson. Robinson's critique is both critical and troubling. According to Robinson, as with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library, document dealers, middlemen and scholars have not always been as forthright as one would hope. Robinson contends that National Geographic and the editors of The Gospel of Judas seem to gloss over questions of proper legal ownership by Frieda Tchacos, whose name now labels the Judas Gospel and three other manuscripts ("Codex Tchacos"). The Maecenas Foundation, which currently holds the manuscript, may also have had intentions more directed at profit than preservation. These and other circumstances, Robinson claims, have limited the accessibility of this discovery.
As they broadcast their findings, and as scholars assist one another in the universal quest for knowledge, some things seem to fall short in the intensive drive to procure rare manuscripts. It is often difficult to secure a manuscript from a seller, especially when confounding circumstances may often result in its slipping away. This manuscript surfaced in 1983, and scholars are both critical and defensive about interactions surrounding it then, as they are now. Maltreatment of the manuscript by greedy and ignorant handlers almost destroyed the Judas Gospel. Knowing document fragility and how dealers can keep works out of reach, scholars are often hard pressed, whenever a document surfaces, to do all they can to get the work into safe keeping, before it is invariably destroyed. What drives any scholar, we would hope, is first and foremost, proper stewardship. In the real world, the best and most ethical approach to procurement often requires compromise.
The reader, who senses the undercurrent of frustration by any and all scholars during this document's long history of neglect and evasion, should credit all (current critics and scholars alike) with a driving desire and effort to get the truth of the manuscript out where it belongs. For their best efforts in a long history of difficult circumstances, all deserve our gratitude.
An Interesting Dip Into Unknown Waters.......2007-08-23
This book, edited by Kasser, Meyer and Wurst, seemed fairly repetitive, given the limited amount of material they had to work with; however, it does add to our knowledge of early Christianity. Whether it holds up to scholarly scrutiny however, remains to be seen......
Hmmmmm...........2007-07-03
I will give this 4 stars since it was very well written; however, I still feel it is missing a piece of the puzzle. How could there have been time for Judas to have developed a following in order for someone to have written "the gospel of Judas", when he killed himself shortly after betraying Jesus? He certainly didn't write it, as it was written after he died. I'm a big fan of the Gnostic Gospels, but this one doesn't make sense. Again, very well researched and written, but...
Early Christianity.......2007-05-13
This gives a more detailed commentary on the Judas Gospel than is possible in a TV show or magazine article, and of course the footnotes lead one on to a more detailed study!
Book Description
In this book, bestselling biblical scholar and media darling John Dominic Crossan analyzes Jesus and Paul's revolutionary message in light of the Roman Empire of their own time. Jesus and Paul came from very different backgrounds and their styles were very different, but one of the things they shared was a criticism of the civilization of their day as imperial, unjust, and violent. In their time, the Roman Empire's mantra was "first victory, then peace." The counter–mantra of Jesus and Paul was "first justice, then peace." In God & Empire, Crossan charts the evolution of biblical thinking on the relationship between faith and politics.
Using the tools of expert biblical scholarship, Crossan deftly presents the tensions in the Bible between political power and God's justice. He reveals what the Bible has to say about land and economy, retribution and violence, justice and peace, and ultimate redemption. He examines the meaning of the "kingdom of God" prophesized by Jesus, and the equality recommended by Paul to his churches.
Just as Rome in the first century, American policies and moral values can be reexamined in light of Jesus's prophetic message of peace through social justice, NOT peace through military victory. Crossan contrasts Jesus and Paul's messages of peace through justice to the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision of Revelations and its use by modern right–wing theologians and televangelists to justify U.S. military aggression in the Mideast.
Customer Reviews:
Anew look at our future.......2007-09-22
I was surprised at the content because I was expecting a comparison of Jesus versus Rome and the current situation with our empire, USA. It was not that. However by using scripture and the writings of Paul and John of Patmos, he makes it clear that the choice for us is the non-violent Jesus that Paul desribes and follows and the violence that surrounds the Jesus of John (revelation). In the present climate he feels and I would agree that the violent Jesus is what most people expect and want. Woe to the planet and its people.
Difficult read offers scant evidence to prove his point.......2007-08-26
I really wanted to love this book. The premise on the jacket copy offering the life of Jesus and ministry of Paul as peaceful and non-violent examples that have been distorted by a misreading of the Book of The Revelation of John is really something I buy into.
But instead, after wading through a really difficult to read 4 chapters leading up to the critical analysis of The Revelation, what I found instead could simply be boiled down to "John got it wrong." I found nothing in his writing to support a premise that modern fundamentalists are misreading The Revelation. No, his theory as I read it is simply that The Revelation is in contradiction with earlier Gospel writers, primarily Mark, and that The Revelation itself is a distortion of Jesus life and teaching.
Having had such high hopes from reading just the cover blurb, I have to say I'm disappointed. While I agree wholeheartedly with his opinion of a central message of Jesus teaching being one of peace, I just can't say that he stayed on track well enough to prove it. He offers the standard case for believing Mark and the "authentic" letters of Paul as the most historically valid books of the New Testament, but he offers little explanation that would disavow The Revelation as later but divinely inspired. I also felt he really missed an opportunity to examine The Revelation more in the context of contemporary allegory or metaphor for the Roman empire at that time versus a literal prophecy to be fulfilled some several thousand years later. A closer examination along these lines with more comparisons to earlier Biblical apocalyptic writers might have yielded a more believable path to his conclusions.
Finally, as a couple of other reviewers have noted, he is not an easy read.
Jesus, not President Bush, is Lord.......2007-07-26
Crossan sets out a beautifully researched explanation of why the Gospel writers' appellation of "Lord" to Jesus was a monumental and revolutionary statement. Without his historical and archaeological evidence, the title "Lord" easily becomes cliche today. Crossan puts it in context and explains how that clearly distinguishes the difference between what Jesus asks of us vs. what the nation asks of us.
Citizens of "The Beast" Awake!.......2007-06-12
As I read John Dominic Crossan's "God and Empire", I began to imagine myself as someone akin to John on the island of Patmos. The "Beast" is no longer the Roman Empire but the one of which I am a citizen. The difference is that I enjoy freedom of speach, religion and association. Now I need not wait for some Armageddon to slay the "Beast" and establish the Commonwealth of God on Planet Earth! Buy the book and see it all with clear eyes and mind!
Worth the effort........2007-05-16
Crossan is not always easy to read. His viewpoint that the Bible is a God inspired but humanly producted document will offend many fundamentalist and they will not accept his arguments that sometimes the writers of the New Testament got it wrong. But if you are willing to engage your brain as well as your heart and soul, he gives insight in the truth of Jesus and how His message interacts with civilization and man's laws.
Book Description
Good News Unpacked
Jesus is our ultimate model for finding identity, acceptance, and legitimacy from the Father. As we pull back the curtain on His life, we discover that Jesus knows what it’s like to be marginalized. He understands how it feels to have society shove you to the side, to not really be accepted, and in the end to be totally rejected. He can identify with life in the margins because when God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, He landed in the margins. On purpose. And He chose to land there because it’s in the margins that broken lives get mended, prisoners are set free, and the poor hear the Good News.
Reimagine Your Life
Welcome to the crowded margins of life. It’s a place where normal people don’t feel normal. Where the daily grind drowns out the soft cry within that says, “I do not have it together.” Where just beneath the surface we long for meaning and—dare we hope?—wholeness.
Rick McKinley writes from experience: Only God can rescue a person from the margins. Why? Because when He came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, in the margins is where he landed. On purpose. To find you.
Don’t wait till you get yourself together. Meet Jesus in the margins just as you are, and reimagine your life through the lens of His transforming love.
Story Behind the Book
This book was birthed out of Rick’s ministry at Imago Dei Community Church. Rick’s heart is to communicate God’s Word in an understandable way to those who are outside the reach of traditional churches. He often calls this “unpacking the gospel”—a gospel he sees as the predominant theme in all of Scripture. Rick says the kind of people he ministers to “are not afraid of the language of theology, but the theological ideas need to be brought down from the mountain.”
Customer Reviews:
Fans of Don Miller may like to branch out to Rick McKinley.......2006-10-17
I am a non-Christian, and this book has a lot to offer for anyone thinking about becoming a Christian or wanting to learn more about the religion, but who are turned off by traditional churches or Christians.
McKinley gives personal accounts from members of his church and talks about how Jesus's words and actions were often very different from those of mainstream American Christans. Jesus hung out with the losers, the outcasts, the people that many sheltered American Christians would not look in the eye as they passed them on the street.
Rick shows us specific ways of inviting God into our lives and allowing God to help us through any difficulties in our lives. He also talks about how we can help others and how people following Jesus might behave - in a radically welcoming, giving, loving way.
This is a healing book for those of us who have felt anger at the mainstream church but feel that the Christian religion might have something to offer. I am not a Christian but this book helped heal a lot of my sore feelings towards the religion.
Jesus reaches out to us no matter where we are.......2006-09-29
Jesus in the Margins by Rick McKinley is a good read about how Jesus reaches out to the outcasts of society. McKinley writes with genuine sympathy and emotion. He points out the truth that we each in our own way are all hurting and feeling like outcasts. Too many people are just going through the motions and pretending that everything is ok, because they are too afraid, even within their own church, to reveal their pain. He makes some terrific points, but I guess this wasn't the right book for me at this point in my life. I didn't feel that he made any points that haven't already been made elsewhere.
A worthwhile read.......2006-09-18
Rick McKinley's "Jesus in the Margins: Finding God in the Places We Ignore" is a worthwhile read for followers of Christ. It reveals some profound truths about Jesus' attitude toward those who our society considers "down and out" and presents its readers with the opportunity to do a self-examination with regards to his/her attitudes toward other people to don't readily fit his/her ideals. It is a bit repetitive at times, but all in all is a quick and meaninful read. Ultimately I believe it has inspired me to be a better lover of Jesus and my fellow man.
RJC
good book, not bad, not great.......2006-09-07
Rick McKinley is Pastor of a beautiful collective known as Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon. He is also the Pastor of the much touted Donald Miller, author of "Blue Like Jazz" and "Seraching For God Knows What".
He takes many of Don's ideas and presents them in a more pastoral way, with anecdotes, and his own experiences. He is a very wise man, whos love for people shines through beautifully. The book is put together nice, with "postcards" from people at the begining talking about their struggles, whether it be sexual abuse, or materialism, and Rick takes those issues head on.
He wants to reach those in the margins of life, the ones the mainstream church often shuns, or more likely forgets. I think what he is trying to do is great, but the book wasn't executed as well as it could have been. If you have read many Christian books, this isn't for you. For the most part he often regurgitates what we know already,but it may give you the kick in the butt you need to get out there in the dirt and gutters and help thoise who need God the most. I would recomend this book for those who are just coming into the Christian Faith though.
3.5 stars
would be very good for new Christians.......2006-03-12
When I became a Christian at age 18, I did not know what I was getting into. Twenty + years later I understand much better but the information in this book would have been helpful to me earlier in my Christian life. The book would also be good for teenagers or adults who are trying to make sense of ostensibly Christian people that they observe. The book explains how Jesus was not mainstream.
Book Description
What if a fascinating stranger knew you better than you know yourself?
When her husband comes home with a farfetched story about eating dinner with someone he believes to be Jesus, Mattie Cominsky thinks this may signal the end of her shaky marriage. Convinced that Nick is, at best, turning into a religious nut, the self-described agnostic hopes that a quick business trip will give her time to think things through.
On board the plane, Mattie strikes up a conversation with a fellow passenger. When she discovers their shared scorn for religion, she confides her frustration over her husband’s recent conversion. The stranger suggests that perhaps her husband isn’t seeking religion but true spiritual connection, an idea that prompts her to reflect on her own search for fulfillment.
As their conversation turns to issues of spiritual longing and deeper questions about the nature of God, Mattie finds herself increasingly drawn to this insightful stranger. But when the discussion unexpectedly turns personal, touching on things she’s never told anyone, Mattie is startled and disturbed. Who is this man who seems to peer straight into her soul?
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-09-17
This book is the sequel to "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger." Whereas the first book involves Jesus speaking with a man, this one is Jesus' witnessing to the man's wife. Like him, she's not a Christian. Jesus slowly leads her where he wants her to go, always dealing with her in love. Jesus meets the woman on an airplane, where he also entertains the child ahead of him by making faces. Yes, I think Jesus would do that! Another wonderful book that shows witnessing done God's way. It's a book you'll want to keep.
Excellent follow-up.......2007-09-10
I thought this book was an excellent follow-up/sequel to Dinner with a Perfect Stranger. As in the original...it is easy to read, thought-provoking, not bogged down or time consuming. Really, if you've read the first one...THIS is a MUST read as well!
A good book.......2007-07-14
I enjoyed this book but not as much as Dinner With a Perfect Stranger. I wished God would have revealed Himself sooner.
They're both books I will suggest to others.
God at work in every way.......2007-05-24
My wife and I read this after reading _Dinner with a Perfect stranger_ and they both compliment each other. These books give some terrific insight into life's 'workings' and provide another viewpoint about love, life, religion that can be intimately identified with for each of us, although in a different manner for each.
It was a thouroughy enjoyable read.
Day With a Perfect Stranger.......2007-05-13
I found this book to be so very awesome in it's presentation, purpose and perspective. I got lost in the book and when I was finished it I felt a sense of loss; I would not have this literary "friend" to read each night before retiring.
David Gregory presented some very thought provoking ideas.
I passed it on to a friend who also gives this book a rave review.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Customer Reviews:
Jesus and THe Victory of God.......2007-06-27
It is a very comprehensive and informative book. Apart from all the critics, Wright has provided a much needed balanced overview of recent writings re the Historical Jesus and outlines a challenging pisture of the Central message of christianity.
Jesus and the Victory of God.......2007-01-10
A most detailed and excellent work, probably too technical or detailed for the ordinary reader but required reading for anyone studying the life and ministry of Jesus.
Scholarly Myopticism assures Obscurantist Results.......2006-05-10
This author, N.T. Wright,has a theory which develops into an agenda.Instead of sound historical study, he presents a work of speculative revisionism with arrogant presumpion on the reader to come out of his benightedness into Wright's new insight: "The new pattern that WE find fits into the prophetic profile of Jesus that WE are building up." He claims, "it is not going beyond the evidence to suggest..." when the only "evidence" is the basic theory he has devolved, spun in lacy cobwebs of his mind and not based on historical reading of the Scriptures. Thus, the Last Supper becomes for Wright a "metaphor". Dealing with Christ's miracles is awkward for Wright. Call them "mighty works" that might well have been "magic". "Few serious historians now deny that Jesus, and for that matter many other people, performed cures and did other starting things for which there was no natural explanation." Christ's resurrection from the dead Wright does not mention ...except to imply some symbolism. The cures attributed to Christ "and many others for that matter" (sic)he does not care to engage. Just ignore. History or terribly flawed research? "But Christan apologetics has moved on as well: 'miracles' are not advances as 'proof' of anythng much. What matters far more is intention and meaning." And Wright will tell repeatedly how we "credibly reconstruct". (I love the "apologetics has moved on" line. Moved on to what? Where?) Miracles prove nothing? Only to the irreconciled skeptic with a bad theory.According to the author,Jesus was a deluded messiah , and if you follow his theory of Christ's life and existence you know He had a "strange vocation", "spoke in riddles",that the "symbolism and story-telling of Jesus makes sense only..." as it fits into Wright's tortured and abberational scenario.Skepticism, not honest history calls miracles 'mighty works" that were "supposed events" that "friend and for alike believed him to be doing such things....and they were more or less true".
This book is NOT scholarly history. It reflects an author whose interpretation is authentically his own, yes, and devastating far from honest history. He ignores the strongest testimony: people who were present and wrote what Jesus said and did contemporaneously. They didn't fit his bald theories of interpreted "intent". Jerome A Urbik
Jesus is King - of Israel and of the world of the gentiles.......2006-05-05
In this book Wright tells us that Jesus is presenting himself as leader of the people of Israel, the real king David. This kingdom of Israel has been set up by its God to show all nations how to live, and to do so in relationship with their Creator. Israel has to demonstrate the rule of God as the standard against which all human life can be compared, to make sure that no one is getting less than they should. The kings and gods of other nations do not look after their people and no longer under proper control. Only the God of Israel can bring these gods and rulers back under control, and either make them good rulers, or remove them from office. The gospel is the announcement of the arrival of this king who challenges and deposes all other pagan kings and gods. So the proclamation that Jesus is messiah, Christ, is the announcement that God has sent his man to be leader and ruler of the world. Pagan idolatry has been publicly defeated, in the cross of Jesus, and all peoples are summoned to give allegiance to the king of Israel, the umpire and arbiter of all other political authorities.
Wright's work relies on a good fifty years of NT research that has slowly been reuniting Jesus with the people of Israel. Wright's particular contribution is to reunite Jesus and the Old Testament, the agenda of the people of Israel. He shows that Jesus sets in motion what the patriarchs and prophets have been looking forward to. The revolution here is that this account of the Christian people does not cut out the people of Israel, but says their loyalty to God is a function of God's loyalty to them, and the only way to get to God for us is through these people, the people named in the Scriptures, the people of Israel.
For a long while the Church tried to have Jesus without Israel, to have the king without his kingdom and all its subjects. But it also knew that this was to try to separate the New Testament from the Old Testament, and so to divide what God holds together. The agenda driving part of the critical scholarship of the last 200 years has been to show that the Church were wrong about Jesus. It wanted to show that he was either himself mistaken, or misrepresented by the Church, being a moral champion who achieved a merely moral victory against institutional religion. All this was a way to protest at the Church, particularly in its cosy alliance with the state, and a way to say that the state does not have the authority it assumes, and is wrong to deny us our part in the political process.
Wright has put Jesus back with his people, as the one who establishes their identity as the people of God. Now to push this little further than Wright himself does, we can say that their king establishes their diversity and their unity. The Western philosophical tradition is always trying to simplify things by filtering out all the complexity, the crowds, the people. But you can't have Jesus except with Mary, and Martha, and James and John, and equally with Abraham and Moses and David. Christ is their man, and remains their man. Only because this communion and plurality is permanently established can we know that there is a life for the whole people of God into which the Gentiles - that is the Christians - are now included.
One of THE best books on Jesus.......2006-04-22
I first read NT Wright's Jesus and the Victory of God as an undergrad who was extremely interested in the historical Jesus and his message and in the contours of biblical theology in general. Since then, I've come back to this book again and again. In fact, it has done more to shape my personal views and personally impact me than any other book aside from the Bible. It is literally one of my favorite books ever written and NT Wright has quickly become one of my favorite authors.
The book is Wright's second in his magnum opus Christian Origins and the Question of God and follows on the methodological and historical foundations laid in the first volume, The New Testament and the People of God. One need not read this first volume to successfully wade through JVG but it certainly helps. In particular, many of the methodological or historical questions that might arise when reading JVG could probably be answered from a reading of NTPG. The diagrams he uses in JVG are also very confusing and not very well explained If one wants to understand them thoroughly, a look at the sections in NTPG where these diagram types are introduced will be necessary both to interpret them and learn of their uses. That said, JVG stands on its own fairly well (I myself did not read NTPG until several years after I had first read JVG).
Jesus and the Victory of God is definitely not for the casual reader - it is dense, scholarly, extensively foot-noted, and thoroughly argued. Those looking for a light read, brief apologetics arguments, or instant theological gratification will not find this book to their tastes. This long book is itself just the second part of a multi-part series building one big, long argument about the origins of Christianity (hence the title of the series). Wright is incredibly thorough in his arguments, careful to forestall as many objections as possible, whether good or bad, and marshall the full weight of the historical and textual evidence in favor of his views. This of course makes the book rather long and the arguments, for someone of limited attention span, hard to follow and therefore not as convincing as if they were laid out in summary. If one can keep one's eye on the thread, however, you can see that the many words are there for good reason and put to good reason - this is a scholarly work after all, not a book for the novice. Anything shorter or less nuanced in a scholarly work of this sort on a subject like this would be unthinkable. In fact, the book and its arguments could easily have been made much longer and the evidence in favor of traditional christology been supplemented even more. But of course that would have made a long book even longer. If you want a shorter version of Wright's views and arguments I recommend some of his shorter, more popular works on Jesus.
In this book, Wright distinguishes three periods or strands of scholarship on the historical Jesus - which he calls the First Quest, the Second Quest, and the Third Quest respectively. The First Quest is most ably represented by Albert Schweitzer, the Second by folks like many in the Jesus Seminar, and the Third by Wright, Dunn, Witherington and others. The Third Quest Wright links with the First Quest in taking Jesus' Jewishness seriously (though disagreeing with much of what the First Questers have said). Wright ably refutes the otherwise convincing arguments of Second Questers like Crossan and others and shows how their methodologies and therefore their conclusions are inherently flawed, no matter how nice they may have sounded at first blush.
Having argued against other approaches and laid the groundwork for his own, Wright sets about constructing his own version of Jesus' message, ministry, and self-conception. For one unused to such things, Wright's Jesus will seem both intimately familiar and yet unabashedly foreign to us with our twentieth century pop-versions of the Man from Nazareth. Wright presents us with a Jesus who is unmistakably and thoroughly Jewish - this is not a European, Catholic, or Lutheran Jesus but one who is firmly set in his own time and culture and yet who, in both continuity and discontinuity with the Jews of his day, lays the groundwork for what would become Christianity, itself both continuous and discontinuous in various ways with Jesus.
Rather than presenting us with a divinity who walked around pretending to be a human or with an uber-spiritual Jesus whose only interest is in getting to the dying part of his life so he can provide people with spiritual fire insurance, we find an apocalyptic, eschatological Jesus at the center of whose message is the Kingdom of God, the coming of YHWH to reign, and the return from exile and complete restoration of Israel as reorganized around his Messianic person. This is a prophet preaching the end times and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets and other scriptures in his person, ministry, and followers - a representative for God's People whose job is to restore Israel from the curse of the Law by taking its punishment on himself in its stead.
Wright masterfully draws on the Old Testament and Jewish background of the time to probe into what Jesus really meant, what he really said, and what he really thought. I found this particularly compelling and mind-blowing when I first read it - suddenly much of the New Testament and Old Testament and the relations between them started to make sense.
If you use this book for nothing else, then looking up individual verses from the gospels in the index and reading Wright's compelling exegesis is well worth the cost of the book. I found it to be more valuable in leading a Bible study on Mark than most full-length commentaries.
Some caveats:
1. Though Wright has set out an amazingly strict methodology, there are a few places in his interpretation of specific verses where he doesn't seem to follow them to a T and you get the feeling that he's stretching a bit. Thankfully, these places are not super common and his arguments are such that even if some of his individual interpretations are questionable, the weight of the evidence he brings and the multiplicity of sources on which he draws makes this almost irrelevant for the strength of his arguments and the validity of his reasoning.
2. Since this is only the second volume in his series, there are many topics where he just leaves us hanging wanting to know more or expecting a fuller development. This may at times lead to grave misunderstandings of Wright's position on the divinity of Christ, the Second Coming, and the Atonement (among other things). A casual reader, for instance, may easily get the impression that Wright thinks of Jesus as divine but that Jesus did not know that he was divine. While Wright does support the idea of the trinity (see especially some of his other works) his position on Jesus' knowledge of his own divinity is more nuanced than a simple 'He didn't know'. What Wright says, in fact, is that, in a sense, he did know, but in a sense he didn't. Wright makes a distinction between at least two different kinds of knowledge and affirms Jesus' knowledge in one sense and denies it in the other. What those two kinds of knowledge are supposed to be is incredibly unclear and that people misunderstand him here is probably inevitable. Another easy misinterpretation is to think that Wright thinks that the Second Coming happened in AD 70. If you read carefully, however, (and if you have read anything else by him) you will see that he does believe in a still-to-come physical Second Coming that will usher in the consummation of God's Kingdom. He just doesn't think Mark 13 is about the Second Coming and for some very good reasons (though I'm still debating in my head whether he is right about the 'Son of Man' verse). Another easy misunderstanding is to think that Wright's position is that the Atonement did not provide forgiveness for individual sins. It's purpose, according to Wright, is to provide atonement for Israel's national sins but he also thinks that by doing this it also provides atonement for individual sin (though, unfortunately, he doesn't say this in this particular book).
3. Wright does not use John's Gospel very much. This is not because he thinks it is less trustworthy than the other gospels or because he wants to suppress it or its evidence. Instead, his attitude seems to be that he is not ready to take it into account or work on it - given his academic background, the synoptics are a much easier place for him to begin and if his conclusions or arguments need to be changed later to take John into account, then so be it. I believe, though, that he personally thinks that his views are all compatible with the evidence from John even if he doesn't always explicitly argue as such.
All this being said, I would heartily recommend this book for the person who:
1. Is able to read scholarly works.
2. Wants to do so.
3. Is interested in any topics like Jesus, the gospels, the origins of Christianity, Christianity's relation to Judaism, theology, the Bible, history, etc.
4. Is open-minded and willing to read and think carefully.
Book Description
In his most important work to date, apologetics scholar and popular speaker Ravi Zacharias shows how the blueprint for life and death itself is found in a true understanding of Jesus. With a simple yet penetrating style, Zacharias uses rich illustrations to celebrate the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives.Jesus Among Other Godscontrasts the truth of Jesus with founders of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, strengthening believers and compelling them to share their faith with our post-modern world.
Download Description
In a world with so many religions, why choose Jesus? Apologetics scholar and speaker Ravi Zacharias contrasts the truth of Jesus with the founders of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, strengthening believers and compelling them to share their faith with our post-modern world.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but title may mislead you.......2007-10-10
This is a good book, but unlike what the title suggests, it is not a comparison of Christianity with other religions. (For that, I recommend Stephen Neill's book, Christian Faith and Other Faiths, published in the 1950s.) This is more of a personal testimony of why Ravi Zacharias chose Christ rather than the alternatives. As in all of Zacharias' work, there is strong emphasis on the intellectual coherence of Christian faith and on the relation of belief to emotion -- what you believe determines how you are entitled to feel about things.
The title of this book initially threw me off but as I began to read.......2007-09-30
The title of this book initially threw me off but as I began to read, I could see that it is vintage Ravi Z. He offers apologetics through a multi cultural perspective but the goal is always the same-to proclaim the historical truth of Christianity. He doesn't ask the reader to believe based on faith alone but through facts about the authenticity of the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. His personal anecdotes about his relationship with his father and the personal "almost" tragedy that led to his salvation serve to illustrate the state of man's pitiful existence without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.This is an excellent book for Christians in any stage of maturity and a great book for those who may not be Christians and have questions about Jesus Christ.
The basics of Christianity.......2007-09-23
This book is written in a very matter-of-fact style, it's not one of Zacharias' intellectual masterpieces like The Real Face of Atheism or Deliver Us From Evil, his classic on postmodernism.
In the first chapter Meeting My Master he recounts how he came to the knowledge of Christ as a youngster in India. Here he also discusses the various major faiths like Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, arguing that religions are not all the same.
Where Do You Live?, the second chapter, deals with the ministry of Christ, the first disciples, the God of the Bible and prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. It includes a section on the three aforementioned religions, their history and their core teachings on ideas like salvation and the soul.
Chapter 3: How Do We Know The Claims Of Jesus Are True?, investigates the matter of faith, distinguishing between blind faith and thinking faith. The author discusses the thoughts of Bertrand Russell, Thomas Nagel, Matthew Parris and David Hume. Here he also addresses the hypocrites in church, the limitations of science and the proof of the resurrection. Zacharias praises intellectual investigation and urges all Christians to think about their faith in the light of reason.
The following chapter: Won't Jesus Make Life Wonderful?, explores the motives and expectations of individuals. He refers to those in Christ's day who wanted something from him when they saw the miracles but didn't really want Him. On the subjects of miracles, mention is made of the miracles all around us that we never notice. He explains what we can expect from the Judeo-Christian God, comparing that with Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. There is a section on some reasons why Eastern religions are so attractive to young people in the West, and a realistic view of how we can absolutely rely on God for all the important things. Norman Geisler, Jon Krakauer and Deepak Chopra are some of the people quoted in this chapter.
Chapter 5 deals with pain and how to find answers to it. He quotes the words of Christ on this subject. There are intellectual struggles and there are emotional wounds; very different things. A special section offers advice on how to help friends who are suffering. Next, the author considers the arguments of atheists like Richard Dawkins, and Hindu and Buddhist views of evil and suffering. The chapter recounts an experience of Eli Wiesel in Auschwitz and concludes with the Christian view of suffering, how the faith provides meaning and purpose, and a reminder that God will ultimately put a complete end to evil. In this regard, I also recommend The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis.
Won't Jesus Answer Every Question? begins by looking at some of the questions always used by challengers of Christianity, for ex. those accusing the religion of atrocities, those asserting that faith makes people puppets and those who resent religion "being shoved down their throats." There is a passage dealing with the inquisition, Galileo, the Salem Witch Trials, and the accusation of "colonial imperialism." Zacharias then refers to Christ before Pilate, when He was silent. Jesus was silent when the accusations against him were ridiculous and wrongful, when minds were already made up, when people wanted a show, and when his job was done. Under the heading Faith By The Sword, he compares faith in Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, and how one can best share what one believes.
The book concludes with Chapter 7: What Are You Looking For? There is a supermarket of religions out there. The author looks at scoffers who, amongst other absurdities, cite the straw man argument of a literal 6-day creation in Genesis. See also A Matter of Days by the scientist Hugh Ross on this subject. Ravi likens God to a gardener and takes the reader through the garden of creation, the garden of temptation, the garden of pain and the garden of resurrection. He provides 3 reasons to believe: that the claims of Christ are uniquely credible, defensible and consistent. The book concludes with bibliographic notes arranged by chapter. Finding Jesus Among Other Gods is nothing like the CS Lewis masterpiece Mere Christianity, but the book is valuable for its practical advice in dealing with the current hostility towards Christianity and Judaism and for reminding Christians what the faith really is about.
Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus: New Insights From a Hebrew Perspective by David Bivin
New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context by David Bivin
Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church by Ron Moseley
Yeshua: The Name of Jesus Revealed in the Old Testament by Yacov Rambsel
Kabbalah of Yeshua by Zusha Kalet
A decent primer in comparative theology, but not apologetics. Good, but could have been better........2007-09-12
Ravi Zacharias is, in my humble opinion, one of the most brilliant philosopher-theologians of our day, a modern C.S. Lewis, if I may be so bold. He thinks on a far deeper level than most of his critics are willing to do, and is able to dismantle their fallacious arguments with an incisive precision that leaves them looking the fool when all the dust settles and their stubbornly unreasoning banter fades away. This volume offers just a taste of that, as Zacharias unflinchingly exposes the fundamental flaws in the thinking of atheists and ecumenicalists alike.
This is probably the only book in my life which I finished, and then immediately began to reread. There are two reasons for that. First, it was that engaging. I absolutely loved how he shredded the atheistic argument that the existence of evil disproves the existence of God. I kind of felt sorry for the atheists. I also enjoyed the statement that those who claim all religions to be equal only display their ignorance of all religions. The second reason for my reread was that not all of the arguments were as clear in their purpose as the ones I just mentioned. The first major segment, for example, while offering an insightful exegesis of a passage that normally receives only limited attention, left me asking what exactly was the point the author was making.
That brings me to the point of my title for this review. Zacharias does a fine job of helping his readers understand and appreciate key differences between Christianity and other major world religions, such as Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, not to mention atheism (which is, in fact, a religion in which man strives to be his own god). The author, however, presupposes the reliability of the Bible as his main source text, without offering any apologetic basis for that presupposition. While I am among those who agree with him on this, it is a hurdle his critics will not allow themselves to get past. In other words, it is inevitable that his naysayers will want to challenge him on this point, and thus leaves a gap that should have been plugged up front. This unmade argument, plus the lack of clear direction in others, left me wanting more from what could and should have been an otherwise excellent book.
Fine Book.......2007-08-06
Once I finished reading Mr. Zacharias' book I was further affirmed in my belief in the uniqueness of Christ. Having grown up in church all the time, sometimes church people get so caught up in the rigamorale of church routines and things of that nature that we lose sight of who Christ was and what we are serving. We concentrate more on the task of going to church, to do church things that we forget that we go to church to worship Christ who has given us freedom.
To the unbeliever, the book really contrast various beliefs with the uniqueness of Christ. It outlines what made Jesus who he is so different from all of the other people that make the claim of being God in flesh. And Mr. Zacharias doesn't attack any other religion at all but rather uses examples from their own holy books in contrast. You cannot get the idea that he is attacking and beating down another faith at all. His voice is intelligent and gentle. As a Christian, we can all take a lesson from him. We can discuss the issue of faith without anger but in a platform of listening.
Book Description
Walk His Steps, Pray His Way
It’s not an activity. Nor a chore. Prayer is a way of life. Here’s how you can move beyond rituals and discover new intimacy with Jesus. Henry and Norman Blackaby’s thorough study of Jesus’ prayer life reveals astounding truths about God’s intent for prayer. By the time you turn the last page of this 2006 National Day of Prayer book, your old notions will be replaced by the reality of Jesus’ example. You’ll experience the power of heaven and earth being joined together as the King of all creation lays His heart over yours. Your will becomes aligned with His. Discover freedom from methods and formulas, the beauty of a gentle step-by-step reformation process, and let God unfold His mighty purposes for you.
JESUS…
“ in the days of His flesh,
when He had offered up prayers and supplications,
with vehement cries and tears…
was heard because of His godly fear.”
Hebrews 5:7
The One who loved you to His death continues to pursue you.
He will humbly lay His heart over yours. Heaven and earth will agree. The supernatural will powerfully unfold. And you will be changed forever.
Story Behind the Book
Jesus’ ministry was marked by a life of prayer. Even more, Jesus is the pattern and definition of prayer. Who better for America to pray with on the National Day of Prayer than Him? And who better than father-son team Henry and Norman Blackaby to unveil such a message? In classic Blackaby style, they reveal how Jesus’ example can become our way of life. When prayer is genuine, life change is real. Look out, America. Prayer is changing our country like nothing ever has…or will!
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2006-10-28
I've read other books by members of the Blackaby family (most notably, "Experiencing God," which is excellent) and generally been impressed with them.
This book, overall, was a disappointment to me. It didn't have the depth that I was hoping for from them on such a potentially expansive subject. I'll admit my expectations were high, but, still, there wasn't a lot to challenge.
This rating would have been lower, but there was one point in t
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