God.ol.o.gy Review

I’ve just posted my review of the book, God.ol.o.gy by Christian George over on the The proGnosis.For the sake of completeness, I’ve also added it to my list of book reviews on the book review page, because I would be irritated if it weren’t! Read it in either place. I’ve now started reading Bible Overview by Steve Levy with Paul Blackham. I may review it when I’ve finished it… if I’m feeling brave and up to it!

On Becoming Babywise

By Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam

First of all let me start by giving a disclaimer: I haven’t had a baby yet so I can’t really comment on whether this method of parenting works. This book review is simply on the helpfulness of the book for getting me to think through our parenting methods. My baby is due in two weeks so I may have more to say on this book some time after that.

The Reason for God

Belief in an Age of Skepticism

By Tim Keller

I’m going to be right up front with this review: This is a fantastic book. I only wish I could remember everything that is written in it!

Keller has written this apologetics book so that it can be read both by Christians and by non-Christians. It’s divided into two halves. In the first half Keller gives a defence of Christianity tackling subjects such as other religions, suffering and science, then in the second half he gives arguments in favour of Christian faith with chapters explaining evidences for God, sin, the (true) story of the cross and the resurrection.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

By Saint Benedict of Nursia

I don’t know how I came across this book, probably a free give away from WEST whilst I was there! I’ve got a 1909 translation with introduction by Abbot Gasquet! You can also read an online 1949 version translated by Rev. Boniface Verheyen, here. It was originally written sometime shortly after 429 AD and has been the most influential Rule and order of monks in the West ever since. The idea of the Rule is that it is basically a rule book for how monks of the Benedectine order were and are to live.

Jim and Casper Go to Church

By Jim Henderson and Matt Casper

I took this book on holiday with me wanting an enjoyable and entertainingly easy to read book for relaxing whilst also stimulating. This book fulfilled such a purpose; I did thoroughly enjoy reading it and really couldn’t put it down (excuse the cliché, but it’s true).

The concept is great. Jim is a Christian, was a pastor, then gave it up to paint houses, and no runs a ministry to aid evangelism called Off The Map. Casper is an Atheist. He was sprinkled as a Catholic, but only nominally and went to Presbyterian Churches with his mum (who sang in choirs) occasionally though his dad is a thoroughly convinced Atheist. Casper is quite convinced though he is open minded.

Karstadt’s Battle with Luther

Documents in a Liberal-Radical Debate

Edited by Ronald J. Sider

“On Christmas day, 1521, Karstadt celebrated the first public evangelical Eucharist of the reformation… [Karstadt was] dressed in a simple secular gown… For the first time in the Reformation the words of institution were spoken in German in a public service… The tension reached its peak when, instead of placing the bread in each communicant’s mouth, Karstadt allowed ordinary lay persons to take the bread and the cup in their own trembling hands. This innovation so terrified one frightened layman that he dropped his wafer and was too terror-stricken to pick it up” (pp.5-6) Luther was away in hiding for a year which left Andreas Bodenstein of Karlstadt in charge. When Luther returned he was furious at what had taken place and changed back many of the reformed practices to traditional Roman Catholic-esque ones. Such were the circumstances of the period of history that this book covers.

The Screwtape Letters

by C. S. Lewis

This book is a classic. There’s no doubting that. It’s been regularly published since the Second World War, which the book makes some reference to. And it’s no wonder that it has been read throughout its 66 year history.

Our protagonists (main characters) are a young demon called Wormwood and his uncle, Screwtape. Screwtape is sharing his wealth of experience with his young nephew. The idea is that each demon is assigned a ‘patient’ of whom it is there responsibility to ensure that he/she ends up in hell, or at least does as little as possible to help the enemy (God) and his kingdom as possible. Wormwood’s patient becomes a Christian and so the focus is on how can he be tempted away or at very least tempted into lazy or nominal Christianity.

Two Views on Women in Ministry

Edited by James R. Beck

I bought this book about a year and a half ago after reading Dan Kimball’s book, They Like Jesus Not the Church. In that book he challenged me by making me realise that although I had a view on women in ministry (complementarian), I didn’t know the other side of the argument and so I wouldn’t be able to explain that reasonably to someone who liked Jesus but not the church because they saw it as oppressive to women. Then I forgot about it.

Then some blogs I read made a little bit of noise about the women issue, including Dan Kimball again and also Asbo Jesus. And it reminded me to read that book! So I did!