3 comments about Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972.

1. After completing "Spiritual Radical," I sat on my parent's couch in their NYC apartment, emotionally, if not physically, trembling. A myriad of thoughts and feelings streamed through me as if I were a video that one watches on the internet. On the ride back home to Brooklyn, I composed--in my mind--what easily could become a 20+ page essay, "Was Abraham Joshua Heschel A Prophet?" That's how moving and evocative I found Professor Kaplan's biography to be.
   
   Besides giving me so, so much insight about Heschel, the man, I learned much about Heschel the theologist/philosopher, the historical period in which his work took place, the points of view of the various segments of both Judaism and Christianity--individual, organizational, and theological--and so much more it would take several pages to list them all.
   
   Indeed, words like brilliant, superb, and/or profound to describe the quality of the Kaplan's writing would be understatements! If I may borrow a phrase from the title--even if English language purists would shake their heads--his work evoked in me "radical amazement." For sure, of all the biographies I have read over the years, his is the BEST I have ever come across--surpassing McCollough's "John Adams," and Cook's biography of Elanor Roosevelt, to name two that I esteem. Besides the clarity of the writing, what particularly impresses is how fair he was, given the necessity as a biographer of being truthful to his task, even if that required being critical--at times--of someone he obviously loved.
   
   Finally, I can only imagine the profound and time-consuming labor he must have gone through to determine not only what to put on paper, but what to leave out! I believe his judgment concerning the latter places him, as much or more than anything else, in the top echelon of the vocation of biographers!
   
   Abraham Joshua Heschel -- Spiritual Radical -- is a masterpiece!
   
   Steve Rosner
   Brooklyn, NY



2. I can personally attest to the point Kaplan makes in this splendid book that Rabbi Heschel touched many lives beyond the Jewish community.
   
   In my recently published autobiographical novel LAST RITES about a young man who follows his grandfathers and father into the ministry only to find out he made a big mistake, I write about Heschel's effect on the main character Tom Reed. At this point in the novel he has left his parish in rural Connecticut and is on a "study sabbatical" in New York where he wants to find a secular job so he doesn't have to return to his bishop for reassignment.
   
   " The next day I took the bus up to Union Seminary where I registered for my independent study program for the second semester. I went to the opening day of a few of the classes, mostly to get the reading lists. Father Panovsky's course on Russian Orthodoxy looked interesting, but the course that I found most intriguing was Rabbi Abraham Heschel's seminar on the prophets, given across the street at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
   
   "At Rabbi Heschel's first seminar he had us go around the table and introduce ourselves. He looked surprised when I identified myself as an Episcopalian clergyman on sabbatical, and he was even more surprised when he learned how much Hebrew and Aramaic I knew. The Heschel seminar was the only course I stayed with, and I even had a couple of conversations with the great man in his office. We talked about the "anti-religion" theme that runs through the prophets and also the history of Christian anti-Semitism--what Jules Isaacs called the church's "teaching of contempt." I read several of the books he recommended and felt more in tune with his thinking than I ever did with any of my seminary professors."
   
   I can only wonder what the great man would have made of my book ETERNAL TREBLINKA.
   
   --Submitted by Charles Patterson, author of "Last Rites," "Anti-Semitism" and "Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust"



3. The second volume is even better than the first...Kaplan does not idolize Heschel; he shares the frustrations and shortcomings, but also the richness of his writing, his work and his soul.

5 comments about The Dark Sacrament: True Stories of Modern-Day Demon Possession and Exorcism.

1. Fairly interesting accounts of some recent devilry in Ireland - up to 2007. Some stories are sure to scare you. The main focus is on two different (and busy) exorcists and some of their recent cases. The author provides a very nice account of exorcism through the ages as the last chapter of the book. It's a good companion read after "The Demonologist" (which WILL scare you SILLY - guaranteed)!!!! But after reading the aforementioned this seemed a little pale in comparison. I would still recommend it for anyone interested in the demonic and how to safely coexist in a world where evil is just about everywhere. As with "The Demonologist", this book also had me thinking very much about the good in the world and the existence of angels as well as these terrible troubled spirits or these demons who have never lived. My heart really went out to some of these people (the poor woman and her evil, evil husband on the Dingle peninsula in particular, and the woman who left her body at will).
   All-in-all, a very good read but I highly recommend "The Demonologist" first and foremost. (If you do read "Demonologist", make sure you have some good friends nearby that you can call on).



2. GREAT BOOK, IT WILL BRING YOU BACK TO MASS, BUT I COULD ! PUT IT DOWN THAT'S WHY I GAVE IT 4 NOT 5 STARS.
   
   WAYNE STEVENS



3. This book had me hooked from the first page. It was well written, and fast moving. The stories in this book detail how the unseen dark forces invade our lives, and tells how the people in these circumstances battled the evil one. I found it very informative. It will give you a healthy respect for the powers of darkness, and show you just how horrific a life can be transformed by the presence of evil.



4. The Dark Sacrament carefully and thoroughly describes several cases of demonic activity in Ireland. The heroes are the families who endure years of supernatural harassment and two clergymen who are very humble spiritual/Christian giants who engage in supernatural warfare with the evil forces. This book is a great read for anyone interested in the cosmic battle between God, his people, and evil!!!



5. This was a great book. The intro was a bit slow, but once you started reading the tue stories, it renews your faith in God and say your prayers at night!

5 comments about Jack's Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis.

1. This book was very good, I could not put it down, I have read alot about C.S. Lewis and this is by far the best. It give the reader a real sense of the life of this great writer. I loved the stories about the real life and how the family came together.



2. I found this book to be a most touching tribute to a wonderful man of great ethical and spiritual integrity, who through the touching circumstance of a "late-in-life" deep love affair he never ever had dreamt could have been part of his "entrenched bachelerhood", enabled a young boy, in his turn, (He was to become the stepson.) to be profoundly inspired. This life-transforming experience for a young boy was sustained long past the time of C.S. Lewis' (he rathered being called "Jack"!) death, and impelled him, (Douglas Gresham) as an adult, to write this heartfelt biography of a great, yet perhaps troubled, man.
   I found it to be most a heartwarming reading.



3. This book is written as if the reader is a child (Douglas Gresham is constantly defining terms he uses as he writes). I really wanted to like the book and find it helpful insight into the life of C.S. Lewis but it wasn't.



4. For those interested in a light yet informative biography of famous Irish author C.S Lewis, this may well be the perfect book. Written by Lewis' stepson, this is a piece of work that will delight not only young adults, but adults as well.
   
   Gresham recounts Lewis' life from birth to death with obvious love, care and admiration, creating a touching portrayal of the gifted man who invented such unforgettable children's fantasy works such as The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
   
   Lewis was a highly intelligent, funny, compassionate and courageous man who suffered all throughout his life and whose mind and health were deeply influenced by major painful episodes, especially by World War I, when, like many other English young men of his time, he fought in the trenches and saw many of his friends get killed. He keenly pondered the reason for so much pain in the world, and this showed in his writing.
   
   The book is full of interesting information--how Lewis used walking for inspiration, his full transformation from Atheism to Christianity, his friendship with Tolkien and other famous authors, his education at Oxford, the "club" he created, called The Inklings, which came to be an elite group of gifted literary and philosophical minds. There are several other biographies about Lewis, but while those others concentrate mostly on Lewis' work, this one concentrates on the man himself.
   
   This particular edition comes with an exclusive author interview on DVD, the perfect complement to the book.
   
   Now that the motion picture of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is soon to be released for Christmas, this timely work will make a worthy, beautiful gift for Lewis' fans. Highly recommended.
   
   
   



5. Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (8/06)
   
   "Jack's Life" is truly an inside look at the life and times of famous author, C. S. Lewis from a perspective nobody else could give you but his own step-son, Douglas. First glance at the book and it's elegant cover tells you immediately that not only was there a lot of thought and care put into the making of this book, but no scrimping on presenting the reader with a wonderful personal view of Lewis' life was ever even an option. An exquisite hard cover book with a detailed embossed cover to protect this cherished book is only the beginning of the author's way of expressing the care taken. At a mere list price of under $20 the elegant hard cover book not only offers some great reading material, but a bonus DVD that adds yet another touch of class to the experience.
   
   Even the most well read of biography lovers has not been given a chance like this to see the inside life of the world renowned C.S. Lewis. Focusing not as much on his writings and his thoughts as a writer, but more on his every day life and hardships that helped to create the man he was. A wonderful look at what later became known as the true "home" of Lewis; Douglas fondly remembers the stories told by so many others regarding the beginning of the love/hate relationship Lewis came to have with his beautiful Estate. With so much work needing to be done, Lewis was remembered not only as an extremely hard worker, but a determined man with so much character that he took on the extended family of a friend who died at war while serving with Lewis. Submitting to a life of poverty at times, simply to take care of them all! This alone shows the intense character of the beloved author and, after reading the life Lewis accepted as his own to simply fulfill the obligation of a pact he shared with his close friend, brings one to realize that this is a man of integrity.
   
   The author shares everything from the relationships Lewis had with the "inherited" family, the mother and sister of a friend and fellow soldier in war, to the often shaky relationship he had with his own father; the touching love and relationship he shared with his brother, Warnie; and later the loving and tender relationship he shared with Douglas himself. Touching ever so briefly on the friends and acquaintances with whom he also shared numerous conversations and intricate details of the books he wrote, the author shows the inside influences of other famous authors, such as J.R. Tolkien, and some not-so-famous people that met together in a group weekly for intellectual discussions. This small group of intellectual geniuses and intimate friends became known as "The Inklings" and provided Lewis with many intense conversations and criticisms that influenced nearly all of his writings.
   
   "Jack's Life" is simply one of the best biographies I've read in ages and shares intimate details and touching antics of Lewis' life that no other author could share accurately. Seeing the loving relationship and utter admiration that Douglas Grisham had for his step-father gives the reader a feeling of truly knowing the inside workings of an intriguing man. Sometimes humorous, always intimate and completely touching, this is one biography that will not only leave you smiling from the knowledge shared but remembering to add on the many other books of C.S. Lewis that you may not have read yet, simply to experience the man you've learned about all over again.

5 comments about The Confessions of St. Augustine.

1. For whatever reason, the editor here has seen fit to leave out sections of Augustine's Confessions. What is most annoying is that this book is not clearly marked "abridged". Honest dealing requires this book to be clearly identified for what it is - an abridged, incomplete version of Confessions.



2. For those of you who thought that St. Augustine was going to be so deeply intellectual that it couldn't possibly apply to you, you should try this small book. It's not difficult reading, but the ideas aren't little ones. I was amazed at the parallels in culture to our 'modern' age, and at how little has changed in nearly 2000 years. He writes pretty bluntly about his youthful vices, which made me examine my own. I bought ten copies for friends and for graduation gifts this year.



3. When I studied religion at university, my lecturer told us that if we were to read any book, it had to be confessions. It really is a great book and well structured. It is very dense as the best religious texts are, so it will take a long time to properly read and absorb. A must have for your collection.



4. The Augustine part is fine and the translator did a wonderful job, but why were the parts edited out? Saint Augustine was just like us in his struggles to not only come to Christianity but also to live the Christian life after his conversion. He writes about his screw-ups, failures, and triumphs in such a humble, heart rendering manner I wish I had articulated it that way first. All Christians should have this book in their library to be read and re-read often. PAX, bb



5. The Confessions offer a deep look into St. Augustine's mind as he battles through questions about time and memory. It is, quite personally, an account of a once atheist who, through tragedy and an insatiable desire for truth, becomes spiritually connected to God. Augustine presents age old questions about existence and purpose, and provides his own unique and intelligent viewpoint. Augustine's confessions are uplifting to read through, and his gentle and eloquent praises to God are remarkably written. I gave this book five stars, in light of its uniqueness and the personal betterment I felt when I read it.

5 comments about In the Presence of My Enemies.

1. What if the Barnums had asked God, not to free them, but to use them? I am very concerned that they did not lead the other hostages to the Lord, nor any of their captors.
   
   Bruce Olsen was held for two years by communist guerillas in Columbia and prayed for God not to free him, but to use him. He led many many guerillas to the Lord and taught them to read and write also. When higher ups became upset about it, they moved him to a different camp and he did the same thing again,, over and over. Then the Indians he had been serving threatened the guerillas in order to get Olsen released.
   
   Now there are two ways of looking at Gracia's husband. "When you have endured, you will receive the crown of life."
   
   Or "If you want to keep your life you will lose it; if you lay it down you will gain it."
   
   I am not in a position to say which is true of this man, but I firmly believe that before people go out on the mission field, they should receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit to be "God's witnesses in Jerusalem....to the uttermost parts of the earth."
   
   It was also sad to me that Gracia only sang old hymns. I hope I would have sang, "Let God arise and His enemies be scattered," kicking all the demons out and making the captors open to the gospel.
   
   The book was very well written and I believe very honest. The results fall very short of what I hoped for.
   
   I have written this critique in the hopes that some would-be missionary will read it and be sobered by it enough to seek God for the power to do His will.
   
   I served in Haiti and Mexico with people who only wanted to argue about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and nothing was accomplished.
   
   Yet, at one point when I was disgusted, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Doesn't it bless you that they are willing to go out even though they don't have the power.?"
   
   God's ways are definitely higher than ours.
   
   God bless Gracia and her family and I am sorry about the loss of her husband. And sorry about the loss of opportunity. May we all be better servants.



2. The author accurately recounts how one is treated during a kidnap by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist organization in the Philippines. The book definitely has a spiritual slant but it does provide an in depth understanding of how one's religion and spiritual beliefs are most often what enables one to survive a most tragic experience.



3. I love, love, love this book! What a powerful testimony of faith in God during a terrible situation. This book has been such an inspiration to me of what real trust in God looks like, even in the face of death.
   I would highly recommend this book!



4. It's hard to express how much I admire Martin and Gracia Burnham. It's been at least two years, I suppose, since I read this book but I still remember most every chapter. So, if it's a riveting on-the-edge-of-your-seat book you're looking for, here's a good one.
   
   However, if you're looking for God working incarnate, this may be where to start. God took two "ordinary" people and made something most extraordinary out of their tragedy. Two things I especially appreciate from the book are 1) Gracia's brutally honest, no-holds-barred look at herself during the ordeal and 2) Martin's "speaking" through the book though he didn't physically write a word.
   
   I would love to meet Gracia someday and would have loved to have met Martin. Read this book and you'll still somehow carry them both around with you.



5. This is an excellent book written by a courageous woman. The main reason that I bought it was to learn more about the insurgents that captured Gracia and her husband. Gracia did a very good job in portraying the trials and tribulations endured by all of the hostages during her year in captivity. She also provides invaluable insights into the insurgents and the faults in their beliefs in Islam that did not match what is written in the Koran.

5 comments about Why I Am a Catholic.

1. The postscript for the book should be, "And Who Cares"? To a younger person, the penchant for self importance and navel gazing by Mr. Wills and his generation is amusing. In all, Mr. Wills and his freinds posses fairly unoriginal views that can be summed at as, "Why won't the Catholic Church just believe what I believe". Well it won't. If for no other reason than that as Catholics we can observe what happened to mainline Protestant denominations and say thanks but no thanks! No, the real challenge to the Catholic Church is from Evangelical Christianity, a branch of Christianity that despite its faults adheres to tradition and preaches the Gospel with confidence and authority. To the extent that the Catholic Church adopted the type of reforms that Mr. Wills and his liberal friends advocate; i.e., watered down rituals and dogma, lax practices of personal piety, particularly in matters dealing with human sexuality, it has suffered terribly. Please Mr. Wills, the Episcopal Church needs you. We send you to them with a smile and a blessing!



2. Garry Wills is a paradox. He viciously attacks some of his Church's most public teachings, harshly questions the competence and motives of its leadership and challenges its image of itself. He is also madly in love with it, appreciating it for what it has managed to retain of its mission and calling. He is liberal and old-fashioned - a pre-Vatican-II-born Catholic who wields a pen-sword of truth in one hand, a rosary in the other and knows how to use both.
   
   "Why I Am a Catholic" is Wills's response to the criticism he received from some quarters about his previous book, "Papal Sins." Many (including this reviewer) saw that book as an attack on celibacy, priesthood and the papacy. Not so, says Wills. A more careful reading would have shown it to be an attack was on the "structures of deceit" that the Church has built into itself. These structures defend celibacy, for instance, by knowingly twisting the meaning of scripture to fit pre-conceived conclusions. Wills doesn't seem to care whether the Church teaches celibacy, opposes contraception or reserves the priesthood to men. He detest the Church when it relies on untruths, selective history, outdated philosophy and bad scholarship to do so. Wills argues loudly and persuasively that using lies to sell truth is ultimately a losing proposition. And, I might add, even a diabolical one.
   
   This volume attempts to set the record straight. But as the Church has allowed such an overgrowth of pietism, nonsense and superstition to flourish, Wills is compelled yet again to wield his machete of truth-telling with his characteristic vigor.
   
   This book, which should have been called "Why Popes Matter," is written in three-parts. Part I details Wills's childhood and education. Raised in difficult economic times in the Midwest, he received his education at the hands of the Jesuits. At the time, this order was a fusty version of its old vigorous self, relying more on fleshly mortifications and [...]-retentive rule-mongering than on the innovative spiritual experiments of its founder, Ignatius of Loyola. Wills loved his teachers, though the curriculum was a straightjacket that forbade forays into secular literature, something suffocating to a nimble mind like Wills's. Still, he felt enough of a pull to consider joining the Jesuits, though he soon dropped out before making vows.
   
   Part II, the longest, is a fairly detailed exposition of the history of the papacy. Wills makes it clear throughout that the term "papacy" is a misnomer for the institution, a modern concept retrojected into the history of the bishops of Rome to legitimize their rule and position. Wills starts with Peter, the bumbling disciple of Christ, his denier, his misunderstander, but ultimately, the one to whom he entrusted his sheep. Wills follows Peter to his likely execution in Rome, but makes the now-familiar case that Peter was no bishop of that city, even less so a pope. The same can be said of a number of men who followed Peter as leaders of the local Church. Not until the start of the first century can anyone be said to have possessed the self-awareness of being a bishop of Rome. Wills provides a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between the bishop of Rome and the rest of the Church. From its earliest days, Rome was an apostolic church, along with Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch. But it was a weak sister. The Council of Nicaea in 325 was dominated by the intellects of the Eastern Church, with a few stragglers from backwards and intellectually unsophisticated places like Rome.
   
   From this inauspicious beginning, Wills traces the history of the papacy (still a misnomer, but useful shorthand) through its early years, through the glorious fiasco of the Middle Ages and into the modern time. Wills paints the institution as having been sometimes in serious error, even heresy; beholden to some princes (Constantine, Charlemagne and Otto) and imperiously superior to others; land-holding and land-broke; alternately dismissive of and dependent on councils; lashing out at modernity (and democracy and free speech) and embracing those same values. Wills spends much space on the more well-documented recent history of the Church -especially with the landmark Second Vatican Council. He ends with the papacy of John Paul I (still alive as Wills went to print this book in 2003) and with tantalizing glimpses of a certain "bete noir," Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. These latter two men are seen rightly by Wills as attempting to undo the "liberalizing" tendencies of Vatican II. Where V2 stressed the collegiality of bishops, JP2 and BB16 have worked hard to neutralize the autonomy of bishops and impress their own autocratic vision of Church "unity".
   
   Ultimately, Wills ends this section with the idea to which the entire book has been leading. This is the idea that the papacy is part of the carsism of Peter" - the gospel-based leadership that Christ bestowed on Peter. But he innovates by counterbalancing this centralizing tendency with the need for the Church as a whole to correct Peter. Having laid out the history of the popes, it is very easy to see where the Church - through individual bishops like Augustine, to councils and even the tendency of the laity to resist dangerous innovation - have pushed the papacy. Together, both the papacy and the Church have corrected each other, and have ultimately kept each other on the narrow path. Wills see this kind of corrective action in the resistance of the laity to papal edicts attempting to limit discussion of birth control and male priesthood. If the laity only knew the power that it had.
   
   Part II of the book, is a short excursus on the Apostle's Creed. This material is interesting, but not central to Wills's thesis.
   Garry Wills empbioesb the best in Catholic scholarship. He is devout without being obsequious; a son of the Church not afraid to warn his Mother she is driving the family over a cliff. His gift is to cut through thr cloying and self-serving faced that Church officials construct for themselves, blasting away until he gets to the Rock - not Peter in this case, but Christ, whose spirit continues to enliven the Church.



3. Gary Wills has written many excellent books on American history. His accounts of the Federalist Papers, the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address are all very solid and useful contributions.
   
   Wills is also a Catholic. He is the sort of American Catholic who is always waiting for the "next Pope" or the "next Vatican Council" which will once and for all sweep away all of the medieval nonsense and make the Catholic Church indistinguishable from the more liberal "mainstream" churches. As Wills describes in this book, he went to seminary for a few years, lost his vocation and ended up as a writer who was still very interested in Church issues. His perspective is distinctly liberal. He hated John Paul II and he hates Benedict XVI with a passion. He wrote an earlier book, Papal Sin, that basically trashed the papacy as much as possible.
   
   That book, not surprisingly got Wills a fair amount of abuse from Catholics who regard him as a traitor. One of the purposes of this book is to explain why Wills never left the Church. (Hence the title.) This part of the book is, to me, quite moving. He gives a very passionate defense of the virtues of remaining in communinion with the Church even when you disagree with her. This part of the book is an absolutely classic statement of some of the central Catholic virtues.
   
   He then goes off the rails to spend the rest of the book attacking the papacy, again, and trashing John Paul II and his evil German Panzer Cardinal Ratzinger. I am sorry, but on this I am totally out of sympathy with him. He acts as if the problems with the Church are all caused by the Pope. In my view, it is the inspired leadership of John Paul II and Ratzinger/Benedict XVI who have kept the Church from collapsing. All of the other mainstream churches have all gone liberal, gone secular and fallen apart. Thanks to the rock-like leadership of John Paul II, the Church came into the modern world, but never became of the modern world.
   
   I do not understand Wills' generation. My parents were the same way. They are all hellbent on liberalizing the Church, and they do not undertand that, if the Church did what they wanted, it would cease being the Church, and it would fall apart. If you disagree, look at the recent history of the Episcopal Church, which took the path that Wills urges upon the Catholic Church. While one can certainly make good political arguments for all of the reforms of the Episcopal Church, the net result is a deeply secular church which is losing all of its members at a rapid rate. Why go to church, if all it teaches is a re-affirmation of secular liberal values? What is the Church for, if it capitulates entirely to the modern world?
   
   Wills and his generation will never understand any of this. Thank God, they never took supreme power in the Church. They did, however, do a tremendous amount of damage. Despite all this, Wills is an intelligent man and a powerful writer and there is alot here.



4. Garry Wills describes the long and difficult journey of a 2,000 year old church, much like the Old Testament Hebrew writers approached the complex tale of the Israelites -- stories of courage, faith, struggles, pain, persecution, vanity, sinfulness and redemption.
   
   In order to see the Holy Spirit at work, sometimes we have to step back and give ourselves a little time for contemplation and reflection. By pulling all of the pieces of history together for us in one continuing narrative, Garry Wills reaches far richer conclusions than might first be grasped -- and for that gift, this catechist is forever in the author's debt.
   
   Perhaps Wills only error in judgment was that he presupposed a significant degree of psychological, academic, and spiritual maturity on the part of his largely Catholic audience.
   
   If you did not approach this book within that context; read it again.
   
   
   
   
   



5. Garry Wills has a vast knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church, and uses it to great effect in this book. He says "The job of a loyal Catholic is to give support (of the Church) that is not uncritical, or unreasoning, or abject, but one that is clear-eyed and yet loving." And he does just that in this book. "Why I Am A Catholic" makes fascinating reading.

5 comments about A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith.

1. This book goes to show you that adding a reference to Jane Austen is one way to sell a book, and I'm out of excuses for why I keep buying them. This book is much less about walking with Jane - and when the author does try to draw parallels they are week indeed - and much more about poor pitiful Lori. Lori has made life choices, and then expects us to feel sorry for the consequences. Lori is also an emotional roller coaster in a way that I was at 16, not 33, and when she laments that single men are single for a reason, I can't help but think the think the same could be said of her.
   
   I have been to England to see Chawton and Bath and walk where Jane did; while they brought me significant joy (much more than I expected), being your average tourist (which Lori basically was, sans car) hardly qualifies as adventure. Climbing a stile does not induce terror (at least not the ones I climbed in England, perhaps she found a different style of stile?). Yet I knew my vacation didn't make a book, and somehow Lori's vacation is this lightweight. She had no profound life changing experiences or revelations, though the reader does learn all about her outfits (poor thing - she had to put on a clashing red fleece in the cold!). Seriously, are Jane Austen fans supposed to care about this?
   
   I've already attacked the "adventure" part of the title, and unless you think falling in love over a couple of days with someone who honestly tells you early on that he is seeing someone and wants to be true to that - if you think that that is a journey into love - because really, that's all there is - then well, maybe you can find the journey into faith part, too. Prattling on about your doubts and insecurities but not coming to some conclusions or altering your views or learning something about yourself does not a journey into faith make, in my opinion.
   
   Lori really comes across as insincere - "I don't care if I'm not beautiful (please tell me I am)" is how it reads over and over - all in ways that not only have very little to do with Jane Austen, but probably in ways that Jane herself would make fun of if she were so unfortunate to be reading this book.



2. I went to the bookstore one night looking for 'something'. I found what I was looking for when I stumbled upon this book. I am so suprised and delighted by this book. I have never even read a Jane Austen book, but I have always been fascinated by the time and place in which she lived. I found Lori to be very interesting and I can relate to her in many ways. I'm glad she shared her story and her feelings in such a warm and friendly manner.



3. "Poor Lori." At least I assume the author wants the reader to feel this sentiment by the end of the book. Does the author create an appetite to read or re-read Austin's books? Sadly,no. I only found this book interesting as a possible indicator of how some young women think - their own self-importance being worn as a badge of freedom from anything "evangelical" or assumed. Lori Smith's "A Walk..." assumes equal footing with Jane Austin's writings which have been proven by untarnished character,reputation,excellence, and time. I'm quite sure this book will not survive the same scrutiny. I gave this a "one star" because it is mistitled...possibly "A Journey With Me" would have been more appropriate instead of capitalizing on Jane Austin's name.



4. I really really wanted to like this book. And the author, whose Jane Austen quotes blog I enjoy. And I did, at times.
   
   When the author was JUST talking about Jane Austen and the pertinent Jane landmarks she was after, the book was great. But the author, bless her heart, is too self-indulgent, too poor pitiful me, too insecure and self-deprecating. And not even a funny self-deprecating -- more of a "I'm going to say some bad things about myself and you should tell me they're not true" kind of thing. (Just a bit of advice for reference, dear: complaining about being a "fat skinny girl" will get you sympathy with NO ONE.)
   
   With a book title like "A Walk with Jane Austen," the book should be ABOUT Jane Austen, with a little Lori Smith thrown in. Instead, it was the Lori Smith show, with a little Jane Austen as an after thought.
   
   Smith gets props for having the courage to be so honest about her doubts and problems, and her writing IS easy and conversational . . . but unless you enjoy reading the emotionally sentimental ramblings of an angsty single Christian woman, you might want to skip this one.



5. I grabbed this book impulsively as I walked into the bookstore, being one of the startling number of women unable to resist anything with Jane Austen's name on it; and I'm glad I did. Despite many interesting biographical facts, this is not a biography of Jane Austen. Nor is it exactly a travelogue. Rather, it reads like a long and engaging talk with a friend and fellow Janeite.
   
   Lori Smith writes in an open and entertaining style about love, faith and dreams, along with plenty of well-researched Austen information. I found myself identifying with her in many ways, as well as enjoying a Jane Austen-themed holiday.

5 comments about Prophets and Personal Prophecy (Prophets, 1).

1. Having delivered over 45,000 personal prophecies to people that he has ministered to in over fifty years of ministry Bill Hamon's words as a modern day prophet are certainly words you want to pay some close attention to.
   
   God called me to the prophetic ministry a little over four years ago. He gave me the gift of word of knowledge, the gift of word of wisdom and the gift of prophecy and I was able to perform in those gifts as I prophesied but I had to buy a book to understand what they are and more about the gifts I was active in. I searched for a book on the gifts of the Spirit for two years before giving up and then the Lord brought a book across my path through a friend. In that book I learned about the three prophetic gifts but didn't learn much about the role of a prophet.
   
   Bill's book is comprehensive on the role of a prophet and the role of personal prophecy in their lives. The book is full of personal stories that illustrate his points and full of scriptural supports. It is a book that I know I want to lend to a couple of friends, but rather then lending it I might simply buy them copies as I know I want to read this book from cover to cover again.
   
   No person taught me how to prophesy and though I have done a lot of prophecies for people they have not been so much for people I know but for strangers. The Holy Spirit has been a very good guide.
   
   I wonder at the Lords wisdom bringing me across this book as I searched for where my prophetic site was ranked on Google two days ago. I think the Lord allowed me to learn a lot about prophecy and the role of a prophet on my own so that this book would confirm many things that I know.
   
   If you would like the gift of prophecy Bill suggests you seek the Lord in prayer and have a prophet lay hands on you and pray the prayer of faith.
   
   It is obvious this book wasn't just written easy. A lot of work has gone into planning the chapters, the subject headings and then the massive research that has gone into backing up everything he says with a scriptural supporting passage.
   
   If you have a calling on your life toward the prophetic I would say this book is a must for you.
   
   And if you live in charismatic circles and you have received personal prophecies that you still have not seen come true in your life this book is very comforting and very informative.
   
   It mentions a service closing at 9pm and Bill starting to minister in the prophetic at that time and not finishing to 12am. Three hours of speaking the prophetic over hundreds of people is a level of anointing and ability I am yet to see in my life.
   
   Well worth the money and well worth the time you will invest in reading it. I have read it in a day. You won't want your copy to leave your sight either.



2. This is a very informative book. I believe that anyone with the prophetic giftings should read this book and even those who do not operate in the prophetic but have been given prophetic words. It helps one understand what type of gifting they may be operating in and how to apply it. Very good. It also will help you to understand a word given and how to apply it.



3. PROPHETS AND PERSONAL PROPHECY: GOD'S PROPHETIC VOICE TODAY (hereafter, PPP) (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 1987/2000) is one of a growing number of "how to" guides concerning the Christian charismatic "gift of prophecy" and its exercise by and on behalf of believing Christians today in the United States and in many countries around the world. I think I am correct in saying that this particular book has the distinction of being the first of its type in modern times. As one of the "seminal fathers" of the present Christian "prophetic movement," and as a respected authority on the subject of "personal prophecy," Dr. Bill Hamon offers practical guidelines and numerous case studies from both his personal and his professional life as a pastor; itinerant prophet; and founder of his own prophetic training institute in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
   
   PPP is neither a theological, nor a biblical justification for the practice of prophecy in our day; rather, it is intended as a "practical handbook for those who are already convinced that prophets operate [legitimately] in the Church today, who have themselves received a personal prophecy, and who want to respond properly and fruitfully to what God is saying to them" (pp. 14-15). By its own self-description, PPP is a book designed for and targeted toward a niche audience comprised of Christians from Pentecostal, Charismatic, "restoration," "faith," and "kingdom" churches (pp. 8-9).
   
   Hamon presupposes the divinely endowed prophetic gift to be alive (though sometimes dormant) within the body of Christ today just as it was in the first century after the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the 120 disciples on the day of Pentecost. Hamon views the modern Christian prophets' words of direction as supplementary to the instruction of Holy Scripture and never contrary to it. He explains that God speaks by his Spirit through the Christian prophet for edification, comfort, and/or direction in the same way he did in biblical times. As the gift of prophecy was present in the lives of certain Old and New Testament persons, so it is still available to believers today. "Activation" of the prophetic gift may require the "laying on of hands" by a "prophetic presbyter" or "prophetic presbytery" along with oversight and ongoing training to reach fruitful maturity. The differentiation between a "rhema" word of God (i.e., original, Holy Spirit inspired words not recorded in the Holy Bible) and the "logos" word of God (i.e., those words which are already recorded as Holy Spirit inspired words from the biblical writers) is also presupposed as an important foundational tenet for this study.
   
   Given the book's ancient (and now revived) subject matter, it is plainly unique in the field of the "Christian charismata" today. For the unfamiliar reader, PPP should prove intiguing with its many "real life" illustrations and stories. Given its ground-breaking character, and the potential audience it might receive as such, I found it regrettable that the manuscript could not have been given a more professional preparation. Greater care during its final revision and preparation for publication would have enhanced its appeal for many additional readers beyond the niche audience. Numerous routine copyediting problems are still evident in the text. Distracting and idiosyncratic habits of capitalization and boldface usage have been retained. Chapter two has (by specific direction of the author) boldfaced every appearance of the word "prophet(s)," and the words "biblical" and "Scripture" are found with and without capitalization throughout the book. The use of hyphens, dashes, italics, and ellipses are often clumsily executed and also without consistency. A dictionary; a writing style manual; and a determination to stay consistent, would have solved these errors and would have improved readability. As one writing style manual admonishes: "--concerning what some may regard as 'trivial departures from convention'--it should be remembered that they stop the reader and make him think of your incompetence instead of your ideas."
   
   PPP is also in need of a "glossary" of technical terms. The number of unfamiliar terms and expressions is substantial even for someone like myself with personal exposure to the prophetic movement. I counted more than twenty terms (charismatic church expressions) that would be unintelligible to the unfamiliar first-time reader. Sometimes a definition is provided within the narrative, but not usually on the first appearance as it should be. Given the large number of Scripture references cited throughout the book, a "Scripture index" would have been much appreciated, and would have encouraged revisits. Again the writer's adage: "Always see your copy as it will look to a stranger"--is important to remember.
   
   Despite the many technical shortcomings, the book has sold extremely well as a P-O-D ("print-on-demand") publication having sold more than 100,000 copies in its first dozen years of availability (probably many more in the last six years), and has been translated into at least six languages! The personal magnanimity of brother Hamon; the charisma of his unique ministry and message; and what is likely a growing and acute hunger for this new genre of Christian literature have, I am sure, all served to explain the book's popularity. I guess when your target audience is large enough, and you are well-known to that audience as a man of integrity for nearly fifty years, a poor presentation is excusable and apparently of little account to the hungry reader.
   
   Content/originality = 5
   Writing/style = 3
   Literary/technical = 1
   ------------------------
   Overall average = 3



4. Dr. Hamon has hit the nail on the head once again. He has saved us countless hours of pain and heartache by sharing his prophetic experiences and lessons with us in this book. Prophecy and the Office of Prophet are essential to the success and the growth of the Body of Christ. Dr. Hamon has removed the mystery surrounding this office and gift.



5. I have read this book over and over again. Every time I read it, I notice gold nuggets I overlooked before. One thing the Lord made stand out in my spirit while reading this book was that I really have to walk in his love and learn more about it in order to operate effectively in any ministry. The Word does say that if we prophecy, prophecy will cease if we have not love. The Word says that without love, none of the other gifts mean anything. If we don't love those around us the way the Lord would, what makes us think we would be set loose on his church. It has answered so many questions about prophets and personal prophecy that I couldn't get anywhere else. Though we all have pastors, teachers, etc., they are human as well and aren't always available or easy to get time with. It was wonderful to find a book to feed my hungry heart without having to arrange to talk to someone else. I couldn't stop reading and the more I read, the hungrier I became...sort of like a starving child sitting down to his/her first meal after a week with no food. Now, I can always refer back to the book if I have forgotton something (we always go back for seconds to the food we enjoy the most). There have been times when I wasn't comfortable to ask anyone about prophecy and the prophetic ministry and I found my answers in this book. I had been in prayer about the many questions I had and would ask Jesus tons of questions...why this, why that, etc. and ask him to provide to me the answers. The Lord certainly has answered prayer with this book and has given me more information that what I even had asked for (Ephesians 3:20). Praise God!

5 comments about Surprised By Truth 2: 15 Men and Women Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons For Becoming Catholic..

1. This book puts together a collection of powerful testimonies from people who discovered or re-discovered the True Faith laid out by Christ (the Catholic Church and its teachings). I was most inspired and deeply moved by these testimonies. I will contact at least one of the contributors to this book. I felt particularly identified with his story and will seek advise on how to follow the path he took to "Rome". Buy and distribute among your friends the Surprised by Truth series. I did give away my copy of the preceding book of this Surprised by Truth series and I am pleased to inform that it helped to convert my friend to Catholicism. I am looking forward to read the third book of the Surprised by Truth series.



2. I highly recommend this book and the first "Surprised by Truth" book. Very inspiring testimonies by a wide variety of people who write about their search for religious truth. If you have questions or doubts or just want to know the facts, this is the book to read.



3. This book was as good as the first. I think it gives a good understanding as to why someone would convert. As a Catholic myself it has made my faith stronger. I bought the book to then pass on to someone who is considering becoming Catholic. I would not however try to force my beliefs on someone but if someone is interested to understand more it is a great book to read.



4. Conversion stories are always a fun read, when one is reading the stories of those who convert to their own faith.
   
   Of course, when the conversion is one away from one's own tradition, that is another thing entirely.
   
   However, fair is fair, and evangelicals have been publishing and telling conversion stories about how people were "saved" from the Catholic Church since the beginning of their movement some 400 years ago. It is remarkable therefore that some would criticize these humble and powerful stories of people who "swam the Tiber" in the other direction as "triumphalist" (whatever that word means) or inappropriate. Yet that is exactly what many evangelicals have done regarding the renaissance in Catholic apologetics that has occurred over the last 20 years.
   
   However, in my opinion, this renaissance is neither "triumphalist" in a negative sense, nor inappropriate. For, in theology, the only way to get at the truth is to use the time honored tool of philosophical reasoning when discussing Divine Revelation. That means making arguments from Sacred Scripture. Arguments invite counterarguments. Reformationists reject the authority of the Church to settle arguments when they get out of hand, or threaten unity. Therefore, we will continue to argue with each other, even while we often work side by side in the trenches fighting things like abortion.
   
   This book clearly shows that ideas have consequences, especially when those ideas are religious ones. Every person whose story is in this book is someone who had the courage to not only challenge received "dogma" but also live their life in a way in conformity with their ideas, regardless of the consequences.
   
   Luckily, these brave individuals are not building their houses on the sand of their own understanding, but rather on the rock of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church.
   
   This book and its companion volumes are a great tool when one needs the support they provide. They are also useful for explaining to reasonable non-Catholics why people would find it necessary to call the Catholic Church their spiritual home.
   
   I struggled with whether to give this book series 4 or 5 stars. As collections of conversion stories go, these are excellent. However, conversion stories are monologues, not dialogues, and are therefore less interesting to me than a good discussion of various theological issues. I feel good editing and inclusion of other ideas (perhaps a commentary?) could have addressed this weakness to some degree. However, fair is fair, and most other faith traditions (especially Fundamentalist Protestantism) don't extend the same intellectual courtesy when discussing the conversion stories of those who choose to leave the Catholic Church.
   
   At the very least, these books prove that the Catholic faith is compelling, and reasonable. I, of course, believe it to be true. However, until He comes again, I fear that debate will continue. When we are Christian it will be a good discussion. When we fail, it will be shouting match. Such is the Christian experience post the reformation.



5. I have read both the first and second book of Surprised By Truth. Both were excellent. Anyone reading them objectively, with an open mind and heart, will learn a lot about the Christian faith in general and Catholicism specifically. I could say a lot about these essays; they are so well-written. What is most important is that they are written from the point of view of love and truth-seeking. I recommend Surprised By Truth.

5 comments about She Who Is, 10th Anniversary Edition.

1. Johnson sets out in this book to articulate metaphors for God that are feminine in nature. This serves to counter-balance prodominantly masculine metaphors received from classical tradition. The term Sophia is particularly important.
   
   Johnson explores this topic in four sections. First, she discusses the importance of speech about God and the impact of a feminist perspective. Second, she outlines three resources from which to draw feminine metaphors: women's experience, Scripture, and classical theology. Third, she articulates her understanding of the persons of the Trinity, beginning with the Spirit. Finally, she turns attention to the unity of God and God's suffering.
   
   This book should be required reading for all men interested in theology. We must be aware of the importance of our speech about God. I have only two concerns. First, although Johnson does not seek to eliminate masculine metaphors for God, she avoids them totally in her book. This creates a tension between two equally exclusive forms of speech. Second, the experience of women is important in the book. This is only a problem if we allow experience to alter the way we understand God rather than allowing our understanding of God to illumine our experience. Johnson comes closer to the former.
   
   This is a thought provoking book. It should be read by all interested in speaking of God faithfully.



2. Over the course of Christian history, women have been disenfranchised and oppressed. Patriarchal systems and androcentric mentalities have marginalized women sociologically and psychologically, even within the Christian community. Elizabeth Johnson believes this oppression stems from the language used for God. Because God is referred to exclusively and literally as a male, women have reduced roles within Christianity. Johnson seeks to use new imagery and metaphors for speech about God, in order to emancipate women from this oppression. Johnson recognizes that all language about God is inadequate, but using feminine imagery for God restores human dignity in women and men and helps with the flourishing of humanity.
   
   Structurally, Johnson achieves this goal in four parts. In Part I, Johnson provides context and background for new speech about God. Because speech about God influences identity and praxis, new language for God must be sought. A solution to this problem can be explored using feminist theology, and Johnson provides basic feminist principles for theology. Lastly, Johnson discusses traditional approaches to speaking inclusively about God, and establishes that it is her intent to use only feminine imagery for God. Moving from the background to the foreground, Johnson builds her methodology, in Part II, by using three resources: experience, scripture, and classical theology. The experience of women is central to her theology, and while scripture is integral, Johnson seeks the reclamation of feminine imagery. Johnson also salvages certain principles in classical theology to use in her theology: the divine incomprehensibility, the need for analogy in God-speak, and the need for many names for God. In Part III, Johnson applies reclaimed feminine imagery to each Person in the Trinity. Beginning with the Spirit, and then moving to Jesus and God, Johnson explores what feminine imagery points to in God. Finally, in Part IV, Johnson uses feminine symbols, culminating in SHE WHO IS, to explain the immanent Trinity, the economic Trinity, and God's relation to the suffering world.



3. An excellent book that one should take enough time to read slowly and thoroughly.
   Elizabeth Johnson starts by looking for an appropriate word in order to refer to the Divine. It is common practice to say that God is Spirit. An interesting thing about this is that the word "Spirit" has gradually shifted from being feminine in Hebrew, to neutral in greek and ultimately masculine in latin. This is not much of a surprise in a male-dominated world. In itself this does not necessarily indicate an improvement in the adequacy of our concept of God. But if we consider this particular history of the word, it may suggest that in order to improve our image of God, we need at least to integrate all three aspects: the feminine, the neutral and the masculine.
   This will help us take into consideration the fact that God transcends all categories. It will help us deepen our perception of God as mystery.
   The important for all those who try to link with the Absolute is to know that God is, more than to know exactly what she, it, or he, is.
   Another interesting fact that the author points out in the same perspective, is that the Spirit as such, has never been given a proper name.
   Spirit is considered more often than not as an impersonal power, like a blowing wind or a breath in motion.
   The title of the book is a clear indication that the author approaches the mystery of God from a feminine point of view.
   This is done in a constructive way, without being too aggressive. Even when she suggests that Christ's ability to be savior does not reside in his maleness, but in his huge and steadfast capability to love.
   More challenging are her comments on the suggestion made by a number of authors, that the Spirit was, at least for some time, hypostatically united to Mary.
   To my view, this offers a good way of understanding the Christian creed when it claims that Christ was conceived from the Spirit and born from Mary.
   Altogether, this book is a good incentive for women, but also a real challenge for men.
   As a follow-up I would recommend the reading of her more recent book "Truly our sister". Quite logically, after dealing in the present book, with the feminine in God she focuses in the new one, on Mary as a major symbol of the feminine in humankind who also enjoyed a unique relationship to the feminine in God.



4. Johnson writes with an ultimate goal in mind, that of a transformation into new community. Her vision is one in which harmony with each other and with the earth are realized; an eschatological dream of a new heaven and a new earth where justice dwells and partnership reigns.
   As a first step toward this vision her book offers theologicaly founded evidence for expanding our image of God. Language functions; selling a god of violence,or superiority based on maleness or color is not helping us to realize a vision of the kindom of God put forth by Jesus-one where all are included at God's loving banquet. Without this first step toward expanding God's image we humans will always be in violent dissonance with each other and with the earth.
   I have read this book no less than six times, it has infomed my vision of the world and my personal goals in life. The language she uses is poetical and moves to the core of our being linking us with the holy.



5. I found the book to be an endless and somewhat unnecessary attack on classical theism. Her notions of pauline theology, based on a platonic dualism, have been shown to be baseless. The disparities and divisions of the church and society are not proven in her work to stem from classical theism, but are assumed. The church which she diminishes has worked to bridge culturally created divisions, which she fails to admit to. Her pandering into pantheism and panentheism are also disappointing, for she reveals her true intention of not reforming the church, but espousing a new religion.