Book Description
“Thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ’s love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse.”
So begins Letter to a Christian Nation…
www.samharris.org
Customer Reviews:
A good "starter book" for atheism.......2007-10-10
"Letter to a Christian Nation" is, as it says, a letter. To a nation. Of Christians. As someone who is already a confirmed atheist, I wasnt't really the target audience for this book. As such, I found it a little lacking in comparison to other works of atheist thought, such as The God Delusion (a very good book), and God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (a decent, but not as good, book).
Sam Harris makes many of the same points in his book as Dawkins and Hitchens do in theirs, but he doesn't go into nearly the same level of detail as Dawkins or the same amount of polemic as Hitchens. He does make his points, but I felt there was more he could have done.
On the other hand, this is a very, very short book (only about 90 pages... about the same as, to my understanding, Common Sense (Penguin Classics), which I haven't read and should). Due to the length, I guess he wasn't able to go into too much detail. Of course, he could have simply written a longer book...
If you, like me, are someone who is already firmly in the atheist camp, this really isn't the book for you. If you're someone who can feel your faith wavering, and know that you're getting to the point where you're about to divcorce from god (and there's a term I love and will have to use elsewhere), then perhaps you might want to give this book a go. After all, what do you have to loose?
Well, aside from your religion...
thin volume that should be required reading.......2007-10-10
The author doesn't belabor any points - but rather is concise and crisp. I wish I had written it.
Concise, articulate and enlightening.......2007-10-09
Bravo to Mr. Harris. This is a must-read for anyone with children who might consider placing them in religious schools. Mr Harris makes the point that religion is propagating fairy tales (at best) and training our children to be scientifically illiterate (at worse). Personally, I couldn't agree more. Between my graduation from a Christian high school to my PhD in Neuroscience, I had to overcome all the illusions taught in my Christian high school and learn how to think critically. Critical thought has led me on a slow but steady journey away from Christian indoctrination and on to free-thinking athesism. Where I have at times struggled to articulate my doubts, questions, rationale and reasons to 'true-believers' (or my parents for that matter) this book does so in remarkable clarity and brevity. Similar to Dawkins "The God Delusion", this book provides excellent tools to fend off the specious arguments of religious people, but it does so with a bit more tact and grace. While I absolutely loved the God Delusion, I would not recommend it to a Christian, as it is certain to offend their sensibilities from the start. Harris's book may actually get through to them (one can hope!).
Quality.......2007-10-08
This is a good, concise response to the many outlandish complaints against the member of society who have no interest in fabricating a diety to explain away their problems. Some points could have used flushing out, but then it wouldn't have been very concise. I recommend this book.
A solid overview of the problems caused by religion and faith.......2007-10-06
Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation is an excellent overview of some of the major reasons why religion (he talks about Christianity for the most part) is negatively impacting American society. People of all faiths I believe will enjoy this terse review of the problems religion causes on all levels of practice, whether you be an extremist or moderate or not a believer at all. Harris does a good job getting to the point and making concepts easy to understand so that even a six year old might be able to follow - it's even comical at times.
I would recommend this book be read by anyone interested in religion or philosophy in any degree, whether you want to just get a preview of some of the topics being thrown around today between religious peoples and atheists, or as a primer that will prepare you for more in-depth books on religion such as Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion.
Book Description
God never changes, nor do the central truths of Christianity. But our understanding of those truths is in constant flux. Christians will always be exploring and discovering what it means to live in harmony with God and each other. Now in softcover, Velvet Elvis offers original and refreshingly personal perspectives on what Christianity is really about.
Customer Reviews:
What a refreshing book..........2007-10-09
"Just because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to articulate a Christian worldview doesn't mean I've got it nailed. I'm contributing to the discussion. God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?" Rob Bell commands the attention of his readers, even down to the blip on the back of the book. He encourages his readers to look at the Christian faith a little differently, from biblical history that describes Jesus as a real person to ideas of the Christian individual's role as a witness, with the environment, and in the church. Bell does not ask the reader to agree with him; in fact, he begs that the reader test and probe what he says. "Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it." I just love that Bell is so humble--that he offers a lot of truth in the book, yet begs the reader to question it. It's time for the true Christianity to step forward. People like Rob Bell, who know they don't have it all right but keep at it, are the people who are leading the pack.
Fresh perspectives on ancient concepts.......2007-09-24
Rob Bell does an excellent job applying ancient concepts from early Christianity and Judaism to our modern world. Whereas many recent works on Christian spirituality fall short in substance, Velvet Elvis is strengthened by Bell's scriptural grounding and historical contexting.
For example, my favorite part of the book was the chapter on the significance of Christ's call to "follow me." Bell highlights how rare it was to be worthy of a rabbi asking you to follow him - you basically had to be in the MENSA of Talmud interpreters. In contrast, Christ invites mere fishermen to follow him. Thus, when Christ invites average people like us, he is showing the same confidence in us as the rabbis showed in their selected followers.
By placing in its proper context a portion of scripture that I had previously overlooked, Bell helped shed fresh, new light on my faith. Bell uses this new light to reenforce his ideas on what the church should like today.
I recommend this to both Christians and non-Christians alike. Bell may convince you that following Christ is actually much different than what you had assumed. I know he did for me.
Velvet Elvis, Contorting an analogy.......2007-09-21
I find a number of subtle and sometimes obvious faults in this book that make it dangerous. Throughout the book, particularly in the first few chapters, Mr. Bell makes a number of analogies which he contorts, stretches and forces. The most notable analogy relates to the velvet Elvis itself. It is never quite clear what the velvet Elvis typifies. On pages 10 and 11, one can surmise either Jesus, the Christian faith or the church. However, in the last paragraph on page 11 he states that Luther "never stopped rethinking and repainting the faith."
On the next page, Mr. Bell states that "I embrace the need to keep painting... I mean theology: the beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived, and explained." Whereas, I would agree that culturally, over the years and centuries adaptations and changes needed to be made -- specifically, with the outward appearance of dress and hair style and the place of women in the church. (Actually, in different parts of the world, culturally different practices continue to be used. Christian women in the Middle East and in some parts of the United States still wear head covering.) The basic tenets and faith principles have not been changed only rediscovered, and reapplied. Hebrews 6:1-3
On page 14, the statement is made "but this book is for those who need a fresh take on Jesus and what it means to live the kind of life he teaches us to live... this pursuit of Jesus is leading us backward as much as forward." To this I say: 1. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. 2. Growing from faith to faith does not imply that faith is being replaced but rather implies an increase in faith. The mustard seed is growing. 3. The church needs to change -- not God's Word or Jesus. Several times throughout his text and even on the back cover Rob Bell states "God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?" God's Word is inexorable and unchanging.
A number of senseless and vague statements are made throughout his text. On the surface they give a pretense of being deep but are rather nebulous, incongruous and convoluted. In chapter 1 on page 21 he states "Jesus' intention was, and is, to call people to live in tune with reality." (!?) Next he develops the analogy of springs on a trampoline and compares these to the doctrines of Christian faith. He contrasts this with what he claims is current theology that the Christian faith is inflexible and is like a brick that is fixed in size which "can't flex or change size because if it does then it can't fit into the wall." It seems to me that we're talking about a foundation upon which we can build the church or our faith and which needs to be unshakeable so that no storm can topple it. Sand certainly flexes and changes but does not make a good foundation. This is another example of him forcing an analogy and getting into trouble. Many of his statements thus far are too cutesy and contrived! -- done for sex appeal and to force interest and controversy.
Later he makes the statement that seems to imply that the creator, God the Father, is the painting. However, all that can be known of God is revealed in his son and his son is the true painting (what can be seen of the father) and can be visualized better by some them by others. On page 26 he states "what if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archaeologists find Larry's tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel...?"
To this I say -- what if the moon is made of green cheese? Why ask the question in the first place?
What if the Christian faith is that solid and that unique in that it is formed on bricks and not a trampoline? All the questions asked on page 28 and 29 are peripheral to the issue and are often used by unbelievers as an excuse to not take the final step of faith. We have all been taught as Christians and soul winners to listen to these arguments but to deflect them and get to the main issue which is what are you going to do with Jesus? His statement on page 30 "questions, no matter how shocking or blasphemous or arrogant or ignorant or raw, are rooted in humility" is pure baloney. At the bottom of the page he states "maybe that is what God is looking for -- people who don't just sit there and mindlessly accept whatever comes their way."
The Christian faith is a foundation not a trampoline. I would rather have a brick foundation than a trampoline for a foundation. It is interesting that in forcing and stretching his analogy he finally states that he is too exhausted to jump anymore and finally just "lies down on the mat and stares up at the vast blue sky above us." This is resting in your faith and in a firm foundation.
In chapter 2 on page 46 he makes the statement "once again, the Bible is open ended. It has to be interpreted." Interpreted by the Holy Spirit -- not by man. On page 48 he makes the statement that a rabbi may find "a new way to understand the Scriptures that was closer to what God intended than the way of the rabbis who had come before him." These are new truths and not new understandings of the truth.
On page 50, "giving the keys of the kingdom" was not Jesus giving authority to make new interpretations of the Bible but was for binding and loosing people who were enslaved that he might set the captives free. Page 55, second paragraph, he states "the Bible has to be interpreted. Decisions have to be made about what it means now, today." To this I say that many passages are not open to interpretation because with many passages there is no cultural or background bias.
I find it interesting that Mr. Bell uses analogies endlessly to make points but then objects to others using analogies. On page 62 he finds issue three paragraphs from the bottom with those who use the Bible-as-owners-manual metaphor.
He makes the comment that the Bible is "alive today" and then on page 63 he states that "it is a book of ancient narratives. We cannot make it something it is not." The details given in the Bible may be at times very specific but the truths are transcendent and not subject to interpretation.
On page 64 he states that John in writing his Gospel "has an agenda." To this I would say that it is God who has the agenda and directs John to inform us about it.
On page 65, third paragraph, he states "the Bible has the authority it does only because it contained stories about people interacting with the God who has all authority." The authority of the Scriptures does not come from being based in current events. If this were the case, the Koran and books in other religions would have the same authority. Further down he states "the authority is God who is acting in and through these people at that time and now these people at this time." The authority comes from the fact that it is the Word of God. The Bible does not imitate current events, current events mimic the Bible. Being contemporaneous does not equal authenticity. On page 66 he states that the "Bible tells a story. A story that isn't over. A story that is still being told. A story that we have a part to play in." To this I say that stories are only a small part of the Bible. Further down on this page he makes the remarkable and dangerous statement "the people who eventually wrote all of this down weren't sitting there with their hand and a pen moving as if controlled by some outside force. The writers of the Bible had agendas." God had the agenda -- Luke and John were just obedient.
In chapter 3 he really goes off the deep end. Here we go into the New Age philosophy which he so obviously espouses. On page 74 he asked the question in the first line "and is that something actually someone?" This statement was made after saying that he felt close to God when being out in nature and experiencing touchy-feely sensations. These experiences made him aware that there was something bigger in this universe. Does this mean that someone who does not know God can experience him? On page 77 he states that "the whole earth is full of the weight and significance of who God is." On page 80 he states "I claim and affirm the truth whenever I find it." Truth found in the world is not equivalent to truth found in the Bible. On page 81 he states "truth is available to everyone." I agree, Satan quoted scripture. In the final paragraph on this page he states "Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life. If you come across truth in any form it isn't outside your faith as a Christian. Your faith just got bigger. To be a Christian is to claim truth wherever you find it." Does this mean there is Truth in Buddhism, Islam and Hindu? Jesus said he was The Truth not a truth.
On page 83, in the middle of the page he states "for Jesus then, the point of religion is to help us connect with ultimate reality, God." Jesus is the one who provides the pathway -- The Way -- to God through forgiveness of sins.
At the top of the page 85 he states "he is teaching people to live as Christians, and then whatever they do will be sacred, holy work. Music already is worship. Music is praise. Music is sacred. Music is good." Music can be worship, praise, sacred and good. I think we are seeing some of Rob Bell's agenda in this statement. It is obvious that he used his background as a musician as a springboard and this probably has a lot to do with his success within his church. Parenthetically, I must say this last statement is conjecture on my part.
Page 86, middle of the page, he states "the Bible is filled with stories of God teaching people how to think. How to discern. How to sort and sift and figure out what is true and what isn't. What is good and what isn't. What brings life and what brings death." With this statement, he makes the claim that we are exclusively to work out our own salvation without the benefit of redemption or forgiveness of sins. On page 88, he states "so the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst." God may be there but Jesus the Redeemer is not. He criticizes the statement by missionaries who say they are about bringing God to the lost. He states that God is already there. God may be there but Jesus the Redeemer is not. The missionary is bringing salvation not God.
Nowhere in the book is the New Age Jesus more dramatically depicted than on page 92. He makes the statement "and Jesus is the life force that makes it possible... my friends are resonating with Jesus whether they acknowledge it or not... Jesus was up on that cliff with us that day... in affirming and celebrating all that they did that day on the cliff, my friends are closer to Jesus than they could ever imagine."
Finally, 107 pages into his book, first mention is made of redemption. On page 108, he makes the statement "the point of the cross isn't forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to something much bigger: restoration. God isn't just interested in the covering over of our sins; God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be." The work of the cross was not the covering of our sins but the removal of them. The last line of page 109 states "but we can join a movement that is as wide and deep and big as the universe itself. Rocks and trees and birds and swamps and ecosystems. God's desire is to restore all of it." This is New Age, Mother Earth and bright Green! God is not interested in making us what we originally were intended to be. He has so much more for us than that. Because we now have free choice, he wants to make us free and not slaves. Heaven is so much better than the Garden of Eden.
The rest of this book is pretty much plain vanilla and not very profound. Consequently, there is not much that is controversial here.
On page 148, last paragraph, he states "for Jesus, this new kind of life in him is not about escaping this world but about making it a better place, here and now. The goal for Jesus isn't to get into heaven. The goal is to get heaven here." This is an unbalanced statement. Jesus made the comment that the poor we always have with us and he accepted spikenard, et cetera. His ultimate goal for us is in heaven. That is why he states that we should lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven by blessing people here today. On page 150, middle of the page, he makes the statement "and Jesus calls us to return to our true selves." To this I state we can't -- we must be born again. Further down, he states "we need you to you." New Age!! "We don't need a second anybody. We need the first to you." Social Gospel. Next page he states "trust Jesus can repair the scarred and broken image." He can't and you won't. It is his business to produce a new image/creation.
Page 158 is rather interesting, in the second paragraph he states "from day one (which is really day six). They are in intimate relationship and interaction with their environment. They are environmentalists... This is why litter and pollution are spiritual issues." It's really nice being Green!
He states "we cannot live independently of the world God has placed us in. We are intimately connected by God." However in the Bible we read that we are to be in this world but not of the world. On page 159, third paragraph from the bottom, he states "these people cannot be separated from their environment. One part falls out of harmony and everything is affected. As one text says, 'the whole creation has been groaning.' It is all thrown off." This is a stretch of the Scriptures. The groaning is part of the travail for the New Creation.
On page 160 he states "remember when God made the world, he called it good. Why would God destroy something he thinks is good?" In the Scriptures we read that God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth and the Old will be destroyed. Next page, he states "in Jesus, God is putting it all back together again." However, Jesus stated that he wanted to put in new wine in new wineskins.V
Rob Bell modern Christian.......2007-09-19
Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith written by Rob Bell is a short novel, only 177pages.
Rob Bell is the founding Pastor of Mars Hill, a church in Grandville, Michigan. Bell graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He has written two books, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, and Sex God. Bell is also featured in a series of short films called NOOMA. He
and his wife Kristin have two boys.
Things that work about this book are, that the author has brought a broad view of what a person's individual interpretation of the Bible does and does not tell the audience. Bell uses everyday examples of family and ministry occurrences to inspire thought. He defines vocabulary terms that the society as a whole may be unfamiliar with.
Although the writer is obviously a Christian, he is
writing probing and eye-opening what-ifs on every other page. He tells the reader about his own struggles with faith and gives little tips throughout the book in the reading on how to hone in on the struggles of life and overcome them.
The book needed a larger font. Reading the script chosen was difficult because the line of the letters is so thin. When the editors separate chapters, they use sub-headings. This does nothing for the reader except distract from the reading.
Rob Bell has written a great novel in Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. This book would be best for the Christian who needs a jumpstart, a person
seeking Christ, and for anyone who simply wants something to think about. Anyone who considers themselves spiritual in any way would finish this book without wondering why they started it.
Ultimately, Velvet Elvis will open the eyes of anyone reading it. This book would be especially interesting to the casual Christian reader.
Fun - but all over the map.......2007-09-13
Impressed by his NOOMA videos, I jumped at the chance to buy this book by Rob Bell. As I read, I enjoyed the style, the stories. It was entertaining, but, as I made progress through the book, I began to feel uncomfortable. As other reviewers have noted, Rob Bell is all over the map. The book ends up being a sloppy mess.
I have two major problems with Bell and his theology as described in this book:
1) Bell contradicts himself. For example, he tells the story of a time when he asked a pastor if he was ready for his next sermon. Bell says that this pastor was arrogant when his claim to be ready included the statement that the guy had the verse nailed. Bell tells us that scripture isn't for KNOWING; it's for QUESTIONING. Then he quotes scripture to back up his points. Hey, wait a minute! You can't claim scripture is only for generating questions and then use it to prove your points! Circular reasoning not allowed!
2) Recreating the gospel. I agree that scripture should be questioned. I think we should all read the Bible and then think long and hard about what it says. Bell's method, however, is more new-age than I think is justified. He writes in the book that what we are to do is collectively re-interpret scripture as time goes on. Taken to it's logical conclusion, Bell is advocating that we collectively recreate our own gospel in each generation.
Bell missed the point that there are some things in scripture that you can know. It's not all up for grabs, as this volume suggests. Bell is weaving all over the road, so readers might miss the underlying themes espoused in this book.
Book Description
A way of sacrifice. A way of failure. A way on the margins. A way of holiness. All of these ways prepared the "way of the Lord" that became incarnate and complete in Jesus. But somewhere along the line, have we lost the way?
In The Jesus Way Eugene Peterson continues the thought-provoking spiritual-theological conversation that he began in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and Eat This Book. This third volume, offering more of Peterson's singular blend of probing biblical exposition and keen cultural analysis, considers all the ways that Jesus is the Way compared to the distorted ways the modern American church has chosen to follow.
Arguing that the way Jesus leads and the way we follow are symbiotic, Peterson begins with a study of how the ways of those who came before Christ -- Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah of Jerusalem, and Isaiah of the Exile -- revealed and prepared the "way of the Lord" that became complete in Jesus. He then challenges the ways of the contemporary American church, showing in stark relief how what we have chosen to focus on -- consumerism, celebrity, charisma, and so forth -- obliterates what is unique in the Jesus way.
Customer Reviews:
Living Like Jesus.......2007-07-15
"The Jesus Way" is the third book in Peterson's opus concerning conversations in spiritual theology. The first two books are "Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places" and "Eat This Book." Spiritual theology is teaching on how to grow spiritually.
Peterson's latest work reminds one of Dallas Willard's excellent premise: to be like Jesus we must live the way Jesus lived. Peterson fleshes out how Jesus lived by looking at the life of Christ and by looking at Old Testament and New Testament examples of people who lived like Jesus.
For deep insight into spiritual formation into the image of Christ, "The Jesus Way" points the way with biblical precision and relational power.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, and Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.
Perfect for any collection strong in Christian thinking........2007-06-09
THE JESUS WAY: A CONVERSATION ON THE WAYS THAT JESUS IS THE WAY draws a symbiotic connection between the ways Jesus leads and the ways people follow, studying those who came before Christ and how they led and comparing these with Jesus' methods of leadership. Chapters challenge the methods of the modern American church and argue against consumerism, charisma and other barriers to understanding the Jesus path, using a blend of scholarship and spiritual insights to push the boundaries of belief and wisdom. Perfect for any collection strong in Christian thinking.
The way we follow must be internalized and embodied.......2007-06-06
Especially in his senior years, Eugene H. Peterson has become a prophetic voice, gently but firmly challenging the American church to be concerned with the way it declares and lives out the Gospel. The title of the book refers to Jesus's statement recorded in John 14:6: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." Jumping off from that point, Peterson quickly delves into a discussion of ends and means. "We cannot skip the way of Jesus in our hurry to get to the truth of Jesus." Put another way: "Only when the Jesus way is organically joined with the Jesus truth do we get the Jesus life." Or: "The popularized acronym WWJD ('What would Jesus do?') is not quite accurate. The question must be 'How does Jesus do it?'"
After an initial chapter about Jesus Himself, which includes Peterson's interpretation of the meaning of Jesus's three wilderness temptations, Peterson presents six chapters based on Old Testament characters who illuminate Jesus's message and meaning for us. (1) Abraham --- a way of faith and sacrifice. (2) Moses --- "the way of language," as receiver of the Torah, in some ways analogous to the Gospels. (3) David, whose "way of imperfection," including prayers that express his need and repentance and gratitude, "provide us with an imagination that is capable of understanding the operations of God to do His perfect work in us." (4) Elijah, who lived on the margins of society: "The essence of the Elijah way is that it counters the...culture's way." (5) Isaiah of Jerusalem, who proclaimed and lived in the reality of the holiness of God. (6) Isaiah of the Exile, who preached "images of the living God of salvation" that were rooted "in a solid sense of creation and history." Here Peterson returns to a discussion of the means of our salvation: the suffering servant.
A much shorter Part 2 looks at three contemporaries of Jesus who show us what the "Jesus Way" is not. (1) King Herod, who plays a role in the Nativity story. (2) Caiaphas, the High Priest. (3) Josephus, a prominent Jew who colluded with Rome against his people. This section includes history lessons, such as background on the Maccabees, Zealots and Essenes.
Though this book stands on its own, it is the third in a series of five billed as "conversations in spiritual theology" (CHRIST PLAYS IN TEN THOUSAND PLACES and EAT THIS BOOK are the previous installments). THE JESUS WAY is not light inspirational reading; yet on nearly every page you'll find a memorable or pithy line that grabs your attention and draws you along, anticipating the next thoughtful insight into what it means to live as a Christian. There's a pastoral engagement in Peterson's writing, including well-placed personal anecdotes (even one about Winnie the Pooh) that transforms these books from academic theology or biblical exposition to spiritual nourishment. Toward the end of the book there's a revealing comment in this regard: "We can only pray our lives into the way of following Jesus.... The way we follow must be internalized and embodied."
For further help in digesting Peterson's spiritual theology, a study guide will be available June 15th from the publisher.
--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence
Leisurely and enriching.......2007-05-25
Peterson's series continues to inspire and enrich. It's a thoughtful tour of familiar biblical characters and incidents, giving us a new way of appreciating them.
Getter closer to what means to walk with Jesus today.......2007-05-15
I have read this book with great interest and a good feeling inside. The question of what Jesus really meant when he said "I am the way (and the truth and the life)" has bothered me for a long time. After reading Eugene Peterson's book I still have to think it over. Peterson does not give any simple answer. However he does - like what I believe Jesus did - tell anecdotes and supply us with jigsaw pieces that can be put together, approaching an answer.
I have tried to do that. From Abraham's faith and the narratives of Moses, through David's prayers and repentance, Elijah's trust in God, and the emerging gospel partly uncovered by "Isaiah" (of Jerusalem and of the Exile) - from all these we get contributions to what it means to follow Jesus. Even the lessons to be learnt from the encounter with Herod, Caiaphas and Josephus - political and ecclesiastic leaders of their day - contribute to understanding of what it meant to be a Christian in those days. That experience is easily translated into what you can expect being a Christian today.
Product Description
PLEASE CHOOSE EXPEDITED SHIPPING FOR THIS BOOK WHEN YOU GET TO THE PURCHASE CONFIRMATION PAGE. IT IS TOO HEAVY FOR STANDARD (MEDIA MAIL). // The first complete textbook in nearly 30 years for high school academic study of the Bible is here. // Thoroughly reviewed and critically acclaimed, it respects the views of major faith groups, while endorsing none. This respects the views of major faith groups, while endorsing none. // The Bible Literacy Project curriculum is unique in eight distinctive ways: ** (1) It was created to fulfill the standards of The Bible & Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide ** (2) It has been examined by 40 reviewers. ** (3) It is uniquely a student textbook. It presents a straightforward explanation of the narratives, themes, and characters of the Bible. ** (4) It broadly covers the cultural contexts and influences of the Bible, with examples of art, literature, rhetoric and music. ** (5) It preserves the ability of parents to teach their view of the Bible's religious significance without prejudice to a particular view. ** (6) It has been tested both in public high schools and in a university training course for English teachers. ** (7) There is an accompanying teacher's manual in development. ** (8) There will be a university-based, online teacher training program available.
Customer Reviews:
A reasonable survey and a positive presentation.......2007-06-04
I purchased this somewhat expensive but beautifully printed secondary school textbook because of an article which appeared in TIME during March 2007. The article was entitled "The Case for Teaching the Bible". I was encouraged that a book had been produced for the use of Bible in Literature courses in American Public High Schools.
The writers have given a reasonable survey of the contents of the 66 books of the Protestant Canon of Old and New Testaments in the Christian Bible. The presentation is essentially a version without historical critical undertones and without religious overtones. It is strong on the social influence of the Bible in American life.
If one wants the historical critical and religious perspectives there are the standard introductions by such writers as Bernhard Anderson and Lawrence Boadt on the Old Testament and Raymond Brown and David DeSilva on the New Testament. Indeed, if one seeks these perspectives at a similar level to The Bible and Its Influence, I would think that the introductions of John Drane would fill the gaps.
All in all, this is a positive presentation of the Bible that will go a long way to encourage secondary and early tertiary students to read the content of the Bible in a modern English translation with thoughtful understanding of its relevance down through the years.
Student Text Review.......2007-05-12
The book is an excellent attempt to cover Biblical principles and theory without using the book to convert or modify the readers present theological beliefs. It is approached from a historical basis and has the purpose to educate the student about the Holy Book called the Bible. It is well written with many interesting facts spread throughout the chapters to peak ones interest. Appears to be well balanced for a book that is trying to stay within guide lines for a public school curriculum. As our society becomes more open to the teaching of basic religious concepts/beliefs in the Holy Books, I can perceive that it would be a key component of a series of such texts that included other religions as well or texts that delved deeper into the books major topics(New Testament Study Or The Life Of Jesus etc.). Overall, an excellent beginning to educate without being over zealous .... students of all backgrounds will benefit.
Excellent Bible Textbook.......2007-01-02
This book can provide a valuable education to middle and high school students. A 43 page preview can be read at by going to books dot google dot com and then typing in the title of this book. If you are on the fence about buying this book you should try the google book search to read the very generous preview. Schools can request an evaluation copy by contacting the publisher at sales at bibleliteracy dot org.
How to study the Bible academically.......2006-11-10
This wonderful textbook, intended for use by high school students, contains much background information on the Bible. These details not only give the stories of the Bible context but show their relevance to today. I have been a student of the Bible all my life, yet I learned new things reading this book. The examples of biblical art and the sidebars on cultural connections are especially interesting. For those who teach teens in Sunday School, this book is a very helpful guide.
The Bible & It's Influence.......2006-07-26
Great book! Wish is was a mandatory read for all schools!
Book Description
An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture
The NIV Archaeological Study Biblesheds new light on the Bible. From the beginnings of Genesis to the end of Revelation, this new study Bible is filled with informative articles and full-color photographs of places and objects that will open your eyes to the historical context of the stories you read and the people you meet in Scripture. From kings and empires to weapons of war to clay pots used for carrying water, the archaeological record surrounding God’s Word will help contextualize and inform your personal study.
Features:
• 4-color interior throughout
• Bottom of page study notes highlight and add further explanation to passages that speak on
archaeological or cultural facts included in the Scripture
• Articles (520) covering one of the following five categories:
• Archaeological Sites (Hazor, Ugarit, Arad, Ephesus)
• Cultural and Historical Notes (ancient seals and scarabs, perfume and anointing, the missionary journeys of Paul)
• Ancient Peoples and Lands (the Persian empire, the history of Egypt)
• The Reliability of the Bible (the question of the Psalm superscripts, the reliability of Judges, the ending of Mark)
• Ancient Texts and Artifacts (the Mesha Stone, the Prayer of Confession)
• Approximately 500 4-color photographs interspersed throughout
• Detailed book introductions that provide basic, at-a-glance information
• Detailed charts on pertinent topics
• In-text color maps that assist the reader in placing the action
• CD-Rom containing NIV text and all photographs, maps, and charts included in the Bible
Customer Reviews:
Great resource to your biblical library.......2007-09-18
Keep in mind that this review is written by a man who doesn't care for the NIV translation. However, I found that: the history, archaeological facts, maps, archaeological photographs (almost 500), NIV translation, and cultural background make this a logical addition to my resource library. The book I have comes with a CD that includes the NIV translation, photographs and maps (I haven't looked at it yet). But even if this bible didn't come with a CD it would be well worth the money I paid for it. I wouldn't say it's as comprehensive as: a bible handbook, manners and customs reference, bible atlas, or concordance. However, it does have aspects of those resources in one volume. I feel this is a solid reference text that should be supported with other reference materials. And if your partial to the NIV translation this is solid choice for a study bible in my humble opinion. God Bless You.
Typeface Concern.......2007-09-16
According to Zondervan, the typeface in this study bible is 9 pts. A large[er]-print version, 11 pts, will be available Sept 2007.Archaeological Study Bible: New International Version, An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture
A very well received gift........2007-09-07
This was purchased as a gift. It was well received. The CD that was included made it possible to view and enjoy pictures in a larger format.
Excellent Study Bible.......2007-09-03
The Archaeological Study Bible is an excellent resource for students of the Bible. It provides tremendous insight into the life and thinking of those who lived during biblical times giving us a background to better understand the Bible.
Changing Fiction to Fact .......2007-09-03
Among other things, the Bible is also a history book. This archeological review printed for reading with the Bible to make readily
available factual information adds "life" to the Bible and should aid in discouraging any skeptics about the truths contained therein.
Book Description
Churches have tried all kinds of ways to attract new and younger members - revised vision statements, hipper worship, contemporary music, livelier sermons, bigger and better auditoriums. But there are still so many people who aren't being reached, who don't want to come to church. And the truth is that attendance at church on Sundays does not necessarily transform lives; God's presence in our hearts is what changes us. Leaders and laypeople everywhere are realizing that they need new and more powerful ways to help them spread God's Word. According to international church starter and pastor Neil Cole, if we want to connect with young people and those who are not coming to church, we must go where people congregate. Cole shows readers how to plant the seeds of the Kingdom of God in the places where life happens and where culture is formed - restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, parks, locker rooms,and neighborhoods. Organic Church offers a hands-on guide for demystifying this new model of church and shows the practical aspects of implementing it.
Customer Reviews:
Superb Summary of "Missional Church".......2007-10-09
I've been looking for a great summary of the missional church concept -- here I've finally found it. Neil Cole calls the reader back to the Biblical roots of church, cutting through traditional paradigms and dated ecclesiology. While maintaining a fresh relevance to the 21st century, the author communicates a way of doing church that is so Scriptural it appears new.
This book is NOT another formula of how to organize, lead or manage a local church. Instead, it is a radical departure from a dying, dated ministry model to one that is Biblically sound yet culturally relevant. I recommend this book highly -- it's definitely a keeper for me!
Four star review.......2007-08-27
Haven't read the book yet but leafing through it it looks good and attention holding...
Really real - and really effective .......2007-07-23
I saw organic church on a bookshelf a couple of years ago. I avoided it because of the title (remember don't judge a book by it's cover?). It seemed a little trendy - maybe even too pop culture. I was looking for some good discipleship material when I came across another book that I had read by Neil Cole (author). When I discovered that this was the same author of Organic Church, I thought that I would give it a quick read.
Organic Church was maybe the best book that I have ever read! It connected the book of Acts with the 21st century. It was inspiring and innovative. And it has put me in a postition to reconsider what it means to be a disciple and to make disciples. It is a very honest and very realistic look at church as we know it. It exposes the weakness in the church, and doesn't hide it's own weaknesses. It is not theoretic, analytic, or synthetic - it's just real - natural. It ends up that being organic means being effective.
What makes a church?.......2007-05-18
I enjoyed Cole's thinking outside the pizza box, his passion for evangelism, and his rather sound explanations of new testament era churches. He does a good job in explaining the biblical idea about the priesthood of believers. I liked the critical thinking about engaging the culture.
But, What makes a church?
It didn't go into much detail about the individual churches themselves, how they are structured, or what makes them definably different than a traditional small group. It read as if any small group of people that organized themselves would have been called a church. Perhaps he lays out further development somewhere and I've not yet come across it.
I'm not sure what separates these little churches from small groups disconnected from a church. He doesn't interact with the rich theological history of the marks of a church, which in my confessional tradition (Presbyterian) are
1. The pure preaching of the Word of God as sound doctrine,
2. Administration of the sacraments,
3. The exercise of discipline
The point here is not to debate tradition, the validity of how many marks define the church visible or invisible, but rather how to blend the material in the book into the richness of good sound theological tradition.
Pastor Chris
Touching the Heart of the matter.......2007-05-12
This book is awesome. I am a connoisseur of faith in Jesus having started churches and or served in a variety of capacities for more years than I can remember. I've always puzzled over our present western practice of church and the visible practice of church in its origination. What we read in the New Testament is more like a release of a plague of God spreading eveywhere, delivered in power from believer to unbeliever in live demonstrations of the Ascended Jesus.
Finally - a 'go to'model of Jesus that is free to once again spread the life of Christ in a plague like viral fashion, unencumbered by grasps of men for control and power and to make a name for themselves - "Look at me, I'm king of the hill." Church as a business is one of the most foolish concepts we've ever adopted.
Read this book. It will ruin you if you let it. And then you can get on with serving Christ and not something else. It's possible if the western church doesn't go this way by choice, it may still end up going this way, but by some other means. Either way, the model may well be the most correct I've seen, and the most viral in bringing "the Cure" to our fellow diseased travelers here on planet earth.
Book Description
In Creating Community, Andy Stanley and Bill Willits take you on their amazing journey of developing the small group culture at North Point Community Church. They reveal their five key discoveries about what it takes to create a compelling small group ministry. These discoveries have helped connect almost 8,000 people into North Point’s adult small groups.
This is not just another book about community; this is a book about strategyâstrategy that builds a small group culture. Creating Community shares clear and simple principles to help people connect into meaningful relationships. The kind God desires for each of us. The kind He uses to change our lives.
Small Groups That Succeed.
Small groups are the key to impacting lives in your church. But a healthy small-group environmentâone that fosters meaningful, lasting connectionsâdoesn’t just happen.
So pull up a chair. Let’s talk about how to make it happen.
Bill Willits and bestselling author Andy Stanley share their successful approach, which has resulted in nearly eight thousand adults becoming involved in small groups at North Point Community Church in Atlanta . Simply put, the five principles clearly described here have passed the test.
Put this proven method to work in your ministry and enjoy the tangible resultsâGod’s people doing life TOGETHER.
FRONT FLAP
[Head]:
Small Groups.
Big Change.
âThe small-group program at North Point Community Church is not an appendage; it is not a program we tacked on to an existing structure. It is part of our lifestyle. We think groups. We organize groups. We are driven by groups. Creating Community contains our blueprint for success. And I believe it has the potential power to revolutionize your own small-group ministry!â â Andy Stanley
Story Behind the Book
Creating Community flows out of the North Point Community Church story. The message here is not just some new small group program, but reflects a passion lived out and implemented in their church from the very beginning. Even with phenomenal growth, the church has stayed true to its commitment to small groups and has fine-tuned its ministry process into one of the most unique and effective models in churches today. Andy Stanley and Bill Willits have put these successful principles into this new book with the hope and prayer that pastors, churches, and leader with put them into practice.
Customer Reviews:
Unbelievable resource for church builders.......2007-06-07
wow! Though I'm not a fan of the "7 steps to..." "5 ways to...." etc. books, I LOVED this! It starts off a little slow, but develops into a PERFECT plan for building community in your church. My husband and I are church planters and we were so grateful for every single piece of advice in this book. Amazing!
Creating Community.......2007-03-09
This book is not, perhaps, for the standard layman, but wonderful for anyone who wants to understand better in inner workings of their church and why some programs fail and others succeed. The questions at the end of each chapter are very thought provoking. The book is an easy read, but very powerful.
Good book to begin.......2007-02-15
With the task to help create a small group area in my church i recomend this book as a good starting point.
I usually don't like the very personal writing style that the author adopt, I don't care to know his personal problems and spiritual conflicts.
But beneath that sentimental stuff there is a good road map to begin planning a small group ministry. It is an esay reading book ( a blessing in our days) with an important message.
Insightful Small Group Panorama.......2006-10-12
Creating Community is an interesting book, a big idea book. Reading it is like taking a tour of NorthPoint's small group ministry.
The tour includes the feel for the required environment and leadership participants. It includes glimpses into the planning and formation of this "Small Groups" church. There's also a peak into review and reformation when changes are needed.
As a big idea and invigorating planning book it succeeds,however, this book alone will probably not provide a blue-print for constructing a small group ministry. It will certainly inspire the framework and growth of smal group ministry!
An average sharings / sermon-liked books.......2006-08-09
There are some good sharings in this book. Some does provide insight. But sometimes it's just made me feel that the chapters are only the collections of the author's sermons.
Book Description
Introducing the life you’d gladly stand in line for
You don’t stand in line at Starbucks
® just to buy a cup of coffee. You stop for the experience surrounding the cup of coffee.
Too many of us line up for God out of duty or guilt. We completely miss the warmth and richness of the experience of living with God. If we’d learn to see what God is doing on earth, we could participate fully in the irresistible life that he offers.
You can learn to pay attention like never before, to identify where God is already in business right in your neighborhood. The doors are open and the coffee is brewing. God is serving the refreshing antidote to the unsatisfying, arms-length spiritual life–and he won’t even make you stand in line.
Let Leonard Sweet show you how the passion that Starbucks
® has for creating an irresistible experience can connect you with God’s stirring introduction to the experience of faith.
Customer Reviews:
The Church According to Starbucks.......2007-07-17
Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at Drew Theological School in Madison, New Jersey. In this book, he attempts to exegete culture by using the medieval methods of literal, allegorical, tropological, and analogical. To do that, he uses the example of Starbucks, the twentieth century success story and compares it to the failure of the contemporary church (which by implication is a failure).
Starbucks, by the marvels of modern branding, marketing and giving people the illusion of what they needs, makes people willing to pay top dollars for a simple cup of coffee. Why are people willing to pay so much? Sweet answers, "They pay so they can enjoy the Starbucks experience. The value comes with the experience that surrounds the cup of coffee. Starbucks lovers connect with the warmth of friends as they enjoy the warmth of their favourite drink." (p.4)
Starbucks attains this success by giving people the Starbuck experience. Sweet postulates that the church can be revived by giving her members a similar experience, which he terms E.P.I.C. spirituality. EPIC is the acronyms for
Experience
Participatory
Image-rich
Connecting
Starbucks offers EPIC is the experience drinking coffee in the ambience of a Starbuck outlet, participatory in the choosing of the variety of offerings, image-rich branding of Starbucks especially the coffee cup, and connection as friends meet over coffee and connect in a community.
The EPIC church will be experiencing God rather than the knowledge of Him, get "fully immersed in what God is doing," using images as "God speaks in more than just words," and reconstructing "life's four bad connection: our broken relationship with God, others, self, and creation."
The EPIC church is about experiences, and feelings. However I wonder if by using Starbucks as an example for comparison, Sweet is not bringing the church to the level of Starbucks. Starbucks is a phenomenon success because it caters to the culture of the age. Is Sweet suggesting that the church should also caters to the culture of this age? This is the culture which values experiences, existential existence, secular individualism, and materialism.
Sweet writes,
Rational faith-the form of Christianity that relies on argument, logic, and apologetics to defend its rightness-has failed miserably in meeting people where they live. Intellectual arguments over doctrine and theology are fine for divinity school, but they lose impact at the level of daily life experience. Starbucks knows that people lives for engagement, connection, symbols, and meaningful experiences. (p.5)
Because rational faith seems to have failed, there is no reason to throw out the baby with the bath water. What Starbucks offers is a superficial experience. It disappears as soon as we finish our cuppa and leaves the store. Church offers a real experience, one that transcends culture. Engagement, connection, symbols, and meaning experiences can only be lasting if it is grounded in the revelation of God. And that is rational faith. Without rational faith, it will become a free for all religiosity.
Sweet is right to point out the church has fossiled in some of her activities. However, we must be careful that to differentiate that the church is not Starbucks. Church is not a place where people who are severely addicted to caffeine go for their `pick me up.' Church is a place where people who are severely addicted to Jesus Christ go to become a community of faith.
Jehovah Java!
DO YOU CRAVE AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES?.......2007-07-12
'the Jesus example of meaning and passion over duty and obligation moves people' & I also love when Len says 'coffee is a sensory drink...' (chapeter 1) are you a coffee evangelist? 'the EPIC life is organic and unscripted' are you and extreme follower of the Christ? this book is like having a 1:1 conversation with one of the most brilliant minds of our times. how good to be reminded that god calls us 'friends' and wants to connect with us- and guys, THIS IS REAL STUFF. if you like the status quo of your being this book is not for you...on the other hand if deep inside you know YOU ARE AN EXTREME SPIRITUAL PLAYER- then DIVE! into this book and let's join in the revolution started by 13 men + their friends, 2000 years ago or so...
other favorites:SoulSalsaAquaChurch: Essential Leadership Arts for Piloting Your Church in Today's Fluid Culture
Gospel According to Starbucks.......2007-07-09
This is one great book on congregational development. My entire church board is reading it and we will be using it as a guide for the upcoming year. I've been preaching E.P.I.C. for the last three weeks and people--in the pews are taking notes!
Love Starbucks and the Gospel?.......2007-07-07
For everyone who loves Starbucks and the gospel, this book is for you. Actually it could be for you even if you just love Starbucks. Quick read on what essentially the church can learn from Starbucks.
Captures the contextual intelligence that Christians can gain from studying the Starbucks way of doing business.......2007-06-06
A while back I stood on a street corner in a major U.S. city and counted five Starbucks stores within my limited range of vision. I wondered what on earth they were thinking; weren't they concerned all these stores would cannibalize each other? Well, no, they weren't concerned at all, and their reasoning sheds light on the company's phenomenal success --- and what the church can learn from the Starbucks knack for engaging the culture and transforming it in the process. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO STARBUCKS offers a delightful romp through the world of a company that changed the way we take our cup o' joe. And along the way, the book offers a wealth of insights that will help the church engage the culture --- and maybe, just maybe, help transform it, changing the way people relate to God and express their faith.
But first, to the author. If Leonard Sweet's contribution to the literature of the church was limited to his academic, theological works on postmodernism, that would be enough to earn our gratitude. The fact that he also remembers the masses makes his writing a doubly valuable asset. This is one of his books for the masses, and for reasons I can't quite pinpoint, it's one of his best of that kind. Maybe it's the fascinating tidbits about Starbucks's history and corporate culture that pepper the book; maybe it's the oh-so-familiar behavior of caffeine-addicted consumers like me; maybe it's the dots he connects between extreme sports and karaoke and reality TV and a chain of coffee houses. Whatever it is, he brews up a whole lot of fun and pours out his best blend of information, insights, wisdom and casual writing style.
To help us "get" the Starbucks culture, Sweet uses the acronym EPIC: experiential, participatory, image-rich and connective. If you've ever entered a Starbucks store (forgetting for a moment the kiosks in airports and other locations), you know what Sweet means. At Starbucks, you're not buying a cup of coffee; you're immersing yourself in a cultural Experience. You're not settling for the ordinary; you're "living with a grande passion," as the subtitle reveals. Unlike fast-food franchises, Starbucks encourages you to Participate by allowing you to create your own customized beverage from something like 55,000 potential combinations; you can truly "have it your way" there. (Just imagine asking for a medium-well burger at Burger King.) Every Starbucks store is rich in Images, much more like a medieval cathedral than the gymnasiums that are home to so many of our worship services.
Perhaps most importantly --- at least for me --- Starbucks offers a Connection with others. I love this quote from the book: "In a culture without a front porch, in a culture where we built up the backs of our houses with decks and walls, not the fronts of our houses where we might connect with a passing neighbor; in a world where we invested in privacy over hospitality, Starbucks spoke these words: 'We'll be your front porch. Hang out here.'" The message to the church, found in all four EPIC words, is obvious: we need to provide a deeper spiritual experience, greater opportunity for participation, powerful images that tell the story of God, and a welcoming atmosphere that encourages genuine connection with others. I suspect the aroma of freshly brewed coffee couldn't hurt.
As in nearly all of his books, Sweet reminds us that faith as an authentic lifestyle is often missed when "right-thinking" --- and overthinking --- crowns reason as the master over our lives. Granting that level of power to "reason" has robbed us of a "grande gospel, frappuccino faith, venti life of romance and passion," he writes. "Starbucks took an old, unexciting standby --- hot, dark liquid in a cup --- and made it an EPIC beverage that millions of people feel they can't live without. That, in a very few words, captures the contextual intelligence that Christians can gain from studying the Starbucks way of doing business."
--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford
Book Description
This comprehensive and engaging introduction to visual culture provides an overview of a range of theories about how we understand visual media and how we use images to express ourselves, to communicate, to experience pleasure, and to learn. Using over 175 illustrations, Professors Sturken and Cartwright examine how images - paintings, prints, photographs, film, television, video, advertisements, news images, the Internet, digital images, and science images - gain meaning in different cultural arenas, from art and commerce to science and the law, how they travel globally and in distinct cultures, and how they are an integral and important aspect of our lives. These images are analyzed in relation to a range of cultural and representational issues (desire, power, the gaze, bodies, sexuality, ethnicity) and methodologies (semiotics, marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory). Practices of Looking provides an explanation of the fundamentals of these theories while presenting visual examples of how they function. Central concepts such as ideology, the concept of the spectator, the role of reproduction in visual culture, the mass media and the public sphere, consumer culture, and postmodernism, among others, are explained in depth and in accessible, informative language. Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright provide the best introductory book for students coming to the study of visual culture for the first time. Truly interdisciplinary, this book aims to be the key text for courses across a range of disciplines including media and film studies, art history, photography, and communication media.
Customer Reviews:
one of the best books about visual culture.......2007-09-21
The authors of this book very clearly articulate the considerable factors of the visual culture in mass media and visual art. Not only the pictures cited in the texts are also quite helpful to better understand the details of description, but also more importantly this book provides knowledgeable contents and information enabling readers to be aware of the significant roles of visual culture and how it is embedded in our lives, influencing the whole culture, society, industry and other many impacts of social forces.
excellent!.......2007-02-26
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in media studies. The language is simple and articulate. The authors provide plenty of visual evidence in each chapter. If you enjoy reading about popular culture, even advertising strategies- this is the book for you.
Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture.......2006-03-25
I actually returned this book after leafing through it. It was a little disappointing and did not have much information other than common sense kind of info. Where was the meat?
Review of Chapter Nine.......2003-09-30
As a class assignment, I closely studied chapter nine of Practices of Looking, and researched several of the listed source materials. This chapter is entitled "The Global Flow of Visual Culture" and deals with the globalization of Western media, primarily in the form of television and the internet. The authors explore such topics as the history of media globalization, its effects on non-western cultures, pros and cons of the internet, and possibilities that new global technologies afford us.
This chapter was well-presented, persuasive, and useful. It offered a cohesive and informative discussion of a broad variety of topics, dealing with each one in satisfactory depth and detail. After researching a few of the listed sources, I found that while some of them seemed to be surplus to the actual chapter content, those that were used were, on the whole, represented accurately and fairly.
I recommend this book to anyone studying visual culture, due to its detailed and informative treatment of this broad and varied topic.
Brief on Practices of Looking (with emphasis on Chapter 8).......2003-04-26
In Practices of Looking, imagery in culture is shown to play on the way we perceive, initiate, and direct ourselves in our daily life. This book, indicates that we rely on imagery to guide us daily. This book explains how imagery is the most relied upon role model of today; basically, due to the fact that it is the most direct measure for a humans consumption of information. It provides input on how imagery sells goods through advertising, how images evoke personal memories, and how images can provide us with scientific data. In Society, Imagery can be found in all areas of the social arena. Influence of imagery is never counted alone in any arena. It is quoted in Practices of Looking "That images are never singular, discrete events, but are informed by a broader set of conditions and factors. The identity of science in correlation with imagery is explained in a wide spectrum of social engagements. Anything in the fine arts, film, television, and advertising, to visual data, can provide insight into the way we see things.
In Practices of Looking, written by Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, mediums of influence and expression for Science and Imagery are identified in Chapter 8, Scientific Looking, Looking at Science. This chapter projects ideas with scientific imagery from the early 19th century to modern day. The chapter opens your eyes to the realization that we are constantly being fed ideas from imaging dealing with any subject matter. Whether the ideas are correct or not, most people today take the information and the images they see very seriously, especially when there are relations to science. Maybe due to the fact that science has proved itself in time, at least this is one opinion written in Practices of Looking; life science is seen as the "truth" and is accepted as objective knowledge due to the fact that doctors have a clearer understanding for the body through their experience. The understanding and the experience of Doctors is covered very thorougly throughout this chapter. It explains how imagery even comes into play in arenas we would never correlate influence from imagery, like (law and medicine). This chapter provides us with archival proof, predictions, perspective for current and past issues, time frames, and also developmental measurements. I found this book to be a great resource for understanding the influence that imagery has upon us in society. It really gives one a great look at the daily impact that imagery plays, and how it effects the publics outlook. I would definately recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about "how art and media plays a role in society".
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.
Books:
- Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion
- MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-290, 70-291, 70-293, 70-294): Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Core Requirements, Second Edition
- Meeting the Needs of Multiethnic and Multiracial Children in Schools
- Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul
- Mysteries Of Isis: Her Worship & Magick (Llewellyn's World Religion & Magic Series)
- Natural Born Charmer
- Problems of Religious Diversity (Exploring the Philosophy of Religion)
- Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity
- Reasons to Live
- Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal: Exploring the Ghost Fleet of the South Pacific
- Just Not Invited
- Asmara: Africa's Secret Modernist City
- Experiencing World History
- Friends: A Love Story
- One Hundred Years of Solitude
- Good Natured
- Democracy and the Market: Political and Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America
- CIA, Inc: Espionage & the Craft of Business Intelligence
- Business Forms on File 1998 Update
General
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
The God Delusion
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism
