5 comments about Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest.

1. 
   A wonderful read on one of the most outstanding christians in history.
   Our Heart Group which meets in our home each week has truly been blessed by reading about this great christian man ( author, preacher, teacher, statesman, and more ).
   Trust that others might receive the same blessing by the reading of this book.



2. For a number of years I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and being blessed by "My Utmost for His Highest". While I have been greatly blessed, I knew little of the author other than he served British troops in Egypt as a servant of the YMCA. Thankfully, McCasland has written a most interesting read of Reverand Chambers.
   
   Among the areas covered in Chambers' life include:
   
   1. Early life and large family he belonged to - parents and siblings.
   2. How and when he came to Christ.
   3. His education at various schools.
   4. Marriage to his beloved "Biddy" and enjoying his daughter Kathleen.
   5. His service for the YMCA and other Christian-related organizations.
   6. Ministry to British troops in Egypt during WWI.
   7. Many travels and friends he made throughout his life.
   8. Circumstances leading up to his death at the early age of 43.
   
   The book was so well-written and detailed about Chambers' life that I have grown to respect and appreciate the man even more. I (in addition to many others I'm sure) am also deeply grateful for his wife Biddy's efforts to publish many of his addresses to the British troops that ultimately resulted in the devotion "My Utmost for His Highest".
   
   Read and enjoy the book and come to appreciate Reverand Chambers even more! Highly recommended.



3. John Newton wrote a poem with the above title.
   
   Mr. McCasland has written a very readable biography of a true man of God. In every chapter following the first, the reader walks with Chambers throughout his spiritual growth. Our Lord has told his followers that life will not be easy as a disciple and 'OC' is a shining example of living the life of faith--real faith unlike today where many so-called people of God have replaced faith with conservatism or patriotism or judicial capitalism.
   
   From the 6th and last stanzas of Newton:
   
   Lord, why is this, I
   trembling cry'd.
   Wilt thou pursue thy worm to
   death?
   "Tis in this way," the Lord
   reply'd.
   "I answer pray'r for grace and
   faith.
   
   "These inward trials I
   employ,
   "From self and pride to set
   thee free;
   "And break thy schemes of
   earthly joy,
   "That thou mayst seek thy all
   in me."
   
   The school of Christ involves learning the basics of the Christian faith but that is NOT the end. Be of good cheer, because when Jesus says he is their with us in our trials, he really means it! In the life of 'OC,' we know and believe this is true.



4. Thank you David McCasland for your biography of a true disciple of Christ.
   If only we still had Oswald Chambers! I loved this book. I would have loved to have met Biddy Chambers as well. Such inspired lives they had!



5. Most people are familiar with My Utmost for His Highest, one of the great classic devotionals. But few are familiar with the man, Oswald Chambers. Oswald Chambers was originally from Scotland, formed a Bible College in England, and eventually went to Egypt where he served as a chaplain for WWI servicemen. He left this earth at a very young age. The marvelous thing is that Chambers had a wife who trained to be a transcriptionist. Her earthly ambition was to be the transcriptionist for the Prime Minister of England, but when she met and married Oswald Chambers, she began transcribing his words from his many teachings at the Bible College and to the servicemen. My Utmost for His Highest was published a year after his death, after Mrs. Chambers gathered together some of the gems of his teachings in one volume. Many more books followed over the years. Oswald Chambers would surely not be remembered today, if not for the partnership and labor of his wife. This book is wonderfully written as it tells the marvelous story of one man who dedicated his life to God's service...and whose words are treasured today because of his wife's gift of transcribing his words.

3 comments about Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII.

1. In an interview in The Bulletin (Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2008), the author stated that since the publication of this book, his views have changed, noting:
   
   _______
   "While I believe with many commentators that the pope might have done more to help the plight of the Jews, I now feel, 10 years after the publication of my book, that his scope for action was severely limited and I am prepared to state this," he said. "Nevertheless, due to his ineffectual and diplomatic language in respect of the Nazis and the Jews, I still believe that it was incumbent on him to explain his failure to speak out after the war. This he never did."
   _________
   
   Others would argue that the author's insistence that Pope Pius XII should have taken a more public stance against Nazism has never made much sense. The Pope lived in Vatican City, a militarily indefensible neighborhood in Fascist Rome. Any time he wanted, Hitler could have sent German troops already in Italy to silence the Pope. In spite of that, the Vatican's open opposition to Nazism compares favorably to that of Switzerland, protected by its mountains and an army that included virtually all adult Swiss males, and Sweden, protected from invasion by icy cold waters and Hitler's need to ensure that nothing happened to his supply of Swedish iron ore.
   
   Instead of making a public statement that would have been sneered at by Hitler and flashed across the front pages of newspapers in the US and UK for a single day and then faded into oblivion, Pope Pius XII did far more good in secret, issuing orders and encouraging others to protect European Jews. Scholars, obsessed themselves with mere words on paper, attach too much value to them. Deeds are better. And having done nothing wrong, the Pope had nothing to explain after the war.
   
   One final note. The assumption that Pope Pius XII could accomplish much by making a single statement before he would be kidnapped and perhaps killed by Nazi soldiers assumes that the Europe of the 1940s was the Europe of the Middle Ages. That's far from true. For centuries, secularists and academia had labored to undermine the Pope's authority, even over Catholics. They can't suddenly turn around and say, "Oh, we've made a mess of things. Why don't you speak up and straighten them out?"
   
   A case in point. Today's popes are often attacked for criticizing something quite similar to Nazi anti-Semitism. Using almost identical arguments, unborn babies are dehumanized and killed. Anyone who criticizes the Pope, or indeed any Catholic, for denouncing abortion has no right to criticize the Pope of World War II, even if he did only one tenth as much as he actually did to save Jews.
   
   The Catholic church, I might add, did for more to save Jews than Europe's much vaunted universities. According to one account I read, half of Rome's Jews found shelter in the Catholic facilities. Pope Pius XII even issued secret orders allowing Catholic nuns to hide Jews deep within nunneries in places that were off limits to anyone who wasn't a member of the order. How many Jews found refugee in the university campuses of Europe? How many secret orders to hide Jews were issued by university presidents? I don't know of a single one. Perhaps the author should devote himself to a new book entitled Hitler's Professors.
   
   --Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II



2. Cornwall's book is a tremendous research effort and highly readable. He starts out trying to disprove accusations that Pope Pius XII stopped his church from protesting Nazi atrocities. But the research leads to a far more painful truth. For any who promote the separation of government from religious values, this book poses hard questions. The Church's agreements with fascist rulers involved a trade: government support for religious institutions, in exchange for church silence on political affairs. As the 1933 Concordat with Nazi Germany said,
   
   "In consideration of the guarantees afforded by the conditions of this treaty, and of legislation protecting the rights and freedom of the Catholic Church in the Reich ..., the Holy See will ensure a ban on all clergy and members of religious congregations from political party activity."
   
   Cornwall explores the unfolding implications of this split between loyalties. As Hitler later said, "When they attempt by any other means -- writings, encyclicals, etc. -- to assume rights which belong only to the state, we will push them back into their proper spiritual activity." And as Pope Pius XII would later explain, the Church must avoid "being compromised in defense of Christian principles and humanity by being drawn into purely man-made politics ... the Church is only interested in upholding her legacy of Truth. ... The purely worldly problems, in which the Jewish people may see themselves involved, are of no interest to her."
   
   Cornwall is the best kind of scholar, driven by a personal and spiritual need to understand the truth. The questions he pursues are directly relevant today, for Christians, Muslims, or anyone. To what extent has the goal of protecting religion from the world served to protect governments from moral opposition? What have we learned about the role and aim of religion in the world?
   
   --author of "Different Visions of Love"



3. Let me start by saying that although baptised a Catholic I have not been at all religious for the last forty years. I read the book because of an interest in Hitler, but found it so intensely anti Pacelli (Pius XII was Euginio Pacelli)that it took a lot of the gloss away from the reading of it.
   
   Cornwell takes every opportunity to infer Pacelli's policy and personal faults (more often than not by conjecture), as he rose to power in the Vatican . The author also allocates any (rare) favourable decision by the Church to Pius XI (Pacelli's predecessor) and anything negative to Pacelli, Pius XI's right hand man. As for Pacelli's approach to the rising Hitler juggernaut in the 1930's, and his attitude as Pope during WWII, the question that needed to be asked and answered is what would have been the result for German Catholics if they had opposed Hitler as Cornwell seems to have wanted. Once the Jews had been gotten rid of, would the Catholics have been next? There is certainly a solid case that Pacelli's approach of keeping the Church out of politics was the right one, yet Cornwell rarely considers this at all. As we look at the world today this appears to be the norm. Maybe he was ahead of his time in some regards.
   
   I also thought it would have been interesting to hear what the Protestant majority, and its Church leaders thought about the treatment of Jews and the rise of the Nazi Party etc. Cornwell is so intent on denigrating Pacelli that this is not discussed at all.
   
   Having said all that Pacelli certainly doesn't come across as overly likeable. He appears totally inflexible, and determined to put his stamp on the Catholic Church no matter what anybody else thought. But an overall portrait is difficult to determine from such a biased outlook.
   
   In summation, a more balanced approach would have led to a much better book.

5 comments about A Thousand Shall Fall:: The Electrifying Story of a Soldier and His Family Who Dared to Practice Their Faith in Hitler's Germany.

1. This book continued to add faith and encouragment to our live. Excellent 5 stars, A+++++++++++++



2. Susi Hasel Mundy writes of her own family experience during the terrible years of Hitter's reign in Germany. She tells in her book A Thousand Shall Fall of her father's reluctance to fight in Hitler's war for empire. As a Seventh-day Adventist her father Franz Hasel wanted nothing to do with Hitler's promises of a new Germany.
   
   Franz Hasel's family life was suddenly turned upside down when he was drafted into Hitler's army. On the very day that Franz leaves in order to report for duty he bluntly informs his young son Kurt that Hitler was an evil man. "Hitler is an evil man," Franz tells him, "Never trust what he says. You must stay true to God and God only!"
   
   Franz then gathers his children and his wife Helene in the family living room and reads Psalm 91 to them: "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor of the arrow that flieth by day; ...a thousand may fall at thy side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but is shall not come nigh thee." The family then sings the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." These few short moments sets the stage for the theme of the entire book. Indeed a God acted as a "Mighty Fortress" to the Hasel family. And indeed thousands died around them as Hitler's war wore on. Yet at the end God brought the Hasel family back together again.
   
   Hasel relates the story of her own birth during the war. She tells how hours after her birth an air raid forced her mother and three siblings to flee from their house to a bomb shelter. Her mother--having just given birth to child--was forced out of the home on a dark night. The family was forced to flee to a nearby air-raid shelter where they spent the rest of the night.
   
   Franz Hasel was often the brunt of jokes in the Nazi engineer regiment that he was in. They often mocked him for his Christian beliefs and absolute refusal to break his Sabbath. Being a Seventh-day Adventist Franz acknowledge the Lord's Day on Saturday--the same day as the Jewish day of rest. This of course created another problem in Hitler's Germany where any suspicion of being a Jew resulted in distrust and often worse. Franz was belittled by the mean Lieutenant Peter Gutschalk who tried many tactics to humiliate Franz.
   
   This book is ranked in my mind next to Corri Ten Boom's The Hiding Place in its distinctly Christian message. It is also interesting to read a real-life story about a family living in this tumultuous time in Germany. Our society often looks on the German army as the "bad guys",or at least Hollywood does. A Thousand Shall Fall gives its readers a glimpse at Hitler's Germany that is not often seen. It is the story of a fine Christen family and how God preserved them through the struggle of World War II. This book was indeed an adventure story well worth reading!



3. I bought this book after reading 'The Heavenly Man' and 'God's Smuggler', hoping to find a similar testimony of God's work amongst Christians following Him no matter what.
   
   The main theme of the book is about keeping the Sabbath all through the war. There was very little mention of Jesus and the incredible work of the Good News in people's lives, which stands in contrast to the above mentioned books.
   
   I also felt a bit uncomfortable about Franz's assistance that he gave to the German war effort, but I don't want to judge too harshly a situation that I've never had to experience. But I felt that it fell short of the stories of Christians who have laid down their lives rather than compromise their beliefs, and as such I found the book interesting, since it is the account of a Christian in WWII Germany, but not inspiring.
   
   As a story about WWII it did not grip me either. I thought 'Because of Romek' was much more absorbing, even though it was so plainly written. I am surprised to see 'A Thousand Shall Fall' with such high reviews, so I guess it must appeal to some. I only finished reading the book on principal and to give it a chance.
   
   Feel free to disagree, this is merely my opinion of the book, but maybe this will help someone else make a more informed choice.



4. Let me just say that if you are looking for a fascinating uplifting read about a family who doesn't compromise their values, this is your book. You do have to get past a writing style which lacks vivid imagery and and has stilted transitions, but I was sucked in anyway after a few chapters. Just the idea that a man who is a strong Christian could join the German army as a pacifist, carry a fake wooden gun, and warn the Jews that the SS was coming the entire war and get nothing but promoted is enthralling.
   What an amazing family and what a sweet story of how God honors those who honor Him. I wish there were more stories like this one out there. I'd love to see Spielburg make this into a movie. It would rival Schlinder's List!



5. I just read this whole book today. The book is fairly well-written and reads easily. The main theme I took away from the book is just how awesome God is in how He sovereignly arranges the affairs of our lives and leads us through very difficult times. It's apparent in this story how God, in His mercy and love, arranged the events of the lives this story recounts.
   
   It was particularly refreshing to read a story about those suffering persecution for their faith in Nazi Germany who were not Jews, but Christians families struggling with the persistent peer-pressure of their friends and neighbors. Further, it was nice to see an honest account of American behavior towards the Germans that included the not so nice stuff that was done under the banner of he American flag. It's very easy to believe that Americans served only in a redemptive capacity during WWII and miss the fact that many atrocities were committed at the hands of American GIs too.
   
   The story is about a seventh day adventist (SDA) family. It could just be me, but I detected a tone in the story, or an implied hint that God was faithful to the characters because of their dutiful keeping of the Sabbath rather than due to His loving nature and rich mercy. Now, before you flame me for my comments, let me just say that I do see in scripture how obedience to God in the face of difficulty pleases God (ie. Daniel,Joseph, etc.), however, this book seems relate the the law-keeping of the family involved to the miraculous way God intervened and less on God's compassion afforded to them due to being in Christ. Every miracle seemed to be credited to that right way of living. This seems to be in contrast to what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 4:4-5. There are a few instances where it seems that the writer indicates that the sabbath keepers were spared where everyone else was not as if God only spared the faithful. This is not unexpected given the traditional SDA view that only those whom follow SDA teaching are the "true church" and right with God. Again, I know many SDAs do not hold this view, however I do believe that Ellen White did hold this view and many today still do. Please don't read my comments to be anti-SDA. I believe that God loves them as much as anyone else! There's only one body of Christ and it has no denominational label or associated pet doctines. The basis of our salvation however is the sufficiency of Christ's death on our behalf, not our faithfulness to honor the 7th day sabbath.
   
   That said, I would still buy the book again and still found it to be an encouraging, thrilling testimony to God's mighty hand! I wish there were more stories from this time in history of how God preserved other Christians.

5 comments about Joan of Arc: In her own words.

1. I've begun reading this, along with 3 other books I purchased. It is not a narrative read, and more along the lines of a journal or notes, but it is excellent, and breathes new light into Joan of Arc as a woman beside & within her every belief.



2. I bought this book several years ago and it is one purchase that I do not regret. Wonderful for grabbing a thought, it often ends up in the pile of my inspirational books. There is nothing like a word from Joan before facing the day. As history, it is an excellent tool from which to derive direct quotations from one of the greatest enigmas of all time. JOAN OF ARC: IN HER OWN WORDS puts the reader in contact with the mind of the saint and the events which she faced so courageously. Her boldness, her femininity, her adandonment and her triumph are all there.



3. This was a good book. It enlightened me to many things I didn't no about Joan of Arc. Like her childhood which it covered very well and even mentioned her dreams of becoming a solider and father's nightmares and even her favorite spot to play.
   It covered her military conquest in great detail and made it interesting in a way I have not before on her. But I have to question the parts that reveal personal information on Joan's dreams. She was illiterate her entire life, right? So how did the author get the documents to prove this.
   
   The trail sequence was also very well done. The questions and answers, even though very redundant, were both enlightening and showed Joan's personality extremely well. The references to the saints were like said in the notes slightly changed to make it make more sense.
   
   All in All, good book but contradicts itself in some parts. Probably when the author was changing the letters to first person instead of third, but that is mention in the notes. There are also some randomly blank pages in the notes leaving parts out. The book is very accurate and is a good read for people who wish to learn more about the heroine.



4. I read this right after buying it, but it was published in 1996 and the publisher apparently went out of business in 1997. I would like to know whether it is my copy or the entire edition that is defective - the Notes end in mid-word ("Excluded with then are passages merely rou-") on p.147! Then p.148 is blank, and there is no p.149/150, after which the pagination resumes with p.151.



5. Reading Jehanne's own words is simply an amazing experience. The way the book is written, you can almost hear her speaking with all the passion & fervor she posessed. Reading this book is like being there, back in time, actually watching & hearing all as it happens.

5 comments about The God I Love: A Lifetime of Walking with Jesus.

1. Joni Eareckson Tada is the author of several books, but this is the most revealing look at her life ever. She spends several chapters talking about her childhood and her early teen years before her paralyzing accident. Joni talks about the suicidal thoughts she had after she became paralyzed. "The God I love" tells very sad stories, humorous incidents, poignant recollections, and the romantic story of how Joni and Ken Tada fell in love. Through it all, Joni's devout Christian faith has always been growing.1
   Today, besides being an author, artist, and advocate for the disabled, Joni Eareckson Tada is an outspoken opponent of embryonic stem cell research. It's too bad the general public has not heard as much from her as they did from the late Christopher Reeve (as much as I respected his and his wife's courage.)
   Joni Eareckson Tada is a modern Christian heroine.



2. For Joni Eareckson Tada's memoir to turn out to be anything less than stellar would be difficult to imagine. A long-time bestselling author with an amazing story and a highly successful ministry, Tada outdoes her remarkable record with an autobiography that may be her best book so far.
   
   The basics of Tada's life are well-known in Christian circles. Reared in a Christian home, Joni Eareckson was planning to enter Western Maryland College in the fall of 1967. But a trip to a Chesapeake Bay beach in July of that year permanently changed her life. A "simple" dive went wrong, and Joni ended up paralyzed from the neck down, confined to a wheelchair for life. In the following decade, Christians in America would become familiar with the once-unknown young woman who had learned to draw and paint with her mouth and was steadily producing a successful line of artwork sold in Christian stores. Her story was told in print and on film, and her voice later became a mainstay on Christian radio. In the intervening years, she has become an advocate for the disabled, not only in the United States but also around the world.
   
   In no previous book has Joni Eareckson --- now married to Ken Tada --- been quite so transparent and open about the highs and lows of her relationship with God, particularly in the years immediately following the accident but also amid the day-to-day frustrations that come with being dependent upon others for the basic necessities of life. Through it all --- through the extraordinary accomplishments of someone who at one time had every reason to give up on life --- you get the sense that many of Tada's inner struggles are very ordinary, very human, and therefore very easy for others to relate to.
   
   Tada writes about social issues, such as her firsthand experience with oppression in former communist countries, with as much sensitivity as she writes about highly personal issues, like her disappointment and sorrow after learning that she was infertile. She seamlessly intersperses detailed accounts of her many international trips with loving stories about her close-knit family, her circle of friends, and her marriage to Ken. Especially poignant are passages relating to the deaths of her mother and father.
   
   Throughout, of course, the focus always returns to Tada's relationship with God and the subtle irony inherent in the subtitle, "A Lifetime of Walking with Jesus." Even from her wheelchair, Tada "walks" with God. She writes, "Ah, this is the God I love. The Center, the Peacemaker, the Passport to adventure, the Joyride, and the Answer to all our deepest longings. The answer to all our fears, Man of Sorrows and Lord of Joy, always permitting what he hates, to accomplish something he loves...There are more important things in life than walking."
   
   Fans of Joni Eareckson Tada's previous books will not be disappointed with this one. It's a beautifully written tribute to the love of God as seen through the life of one woman who found freedom and joy in Christ in the midst of what another might consider a cruel confinement.



3. This is by far the best of all the books that Joni Eareckson Tada has written. Once I started it I couldn't put it down. I have a personal interest in anything Joni writes..I also had a diving accident and I'm also a quadriplegic. Joni expressed it so well in this book...living in a wheelchair does not have to be a burden but an ADVENTURE! God is GREAT and I wish everyone could come to know the love and peace He gives us.



4. This is a wonderful, inspiring, honest, heartwarming, encouraging and inspirational book. I so enjoyed it, it was hard to put down. I learned so many things about Joni I hadn't heard before and plan to buy it on tape to share with others. What an encouragment to trust in our Lord no matter what! Don't miss this one.



5. When Joni Eareckson Tada completes a book, I buy it immediately.
   Since her first book detailing her accident, I have purchased every one since and given many as gifts. I love them all but this one is the most revealing.

   The God I Love, is wonderful. I relate to Joni and her horse accomplishments and her life before the accident. She is an incredible writer. Now in this book, she fills us in on her entire life up to the present.There are several surprises. Her family, her friends, her travels thruout the world, how she deals with her physical condition, and what makes her joyful, are all here, written so beautifully and so sincerely.

   I recommend this book to everyone - young and old - no matter what your religious affiliation - this book is about a life well lived despite being confined to a wheelchair because this talented intelligent woman reached out to God.

5 comments about Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic.

1. This book gave me hope when I had almost lost it. I came to the end of my seminary education and I was ready to throw in the towel. Once you're on the inside of the church, once you necessarily lose all those false illusions about what ministry is really about, you may find you don't have the stomach for it. I look at the church, and how slow things change, and I wonder if there is any hope at all. Niebuhr honestly lays out his own transition from green seminarian to seasoned pastor of hope and grace, radical, but real. It was a breath of grace and peace...just what I needed.



2. I am a HUGE Niebuhr fan, and I strong suggest that anyone interested in politics, economics, social philosophy and/or theology should pick up as many of his works as possible. This book was a real treat for me, to get into peer into his mind in those oh so important formative years as a pastor in Detroit, WOW!
   
   Even when he's just writing random thoughts on the passing scene, he's a fantastic writer. Here you have a demonstration of Bonhoeffer's views of the true Christian life which must "share in the problems of secular life, and teach all men what it means to live in Christ". You see the greater and greater emphasis on the role of repentence and the way Christ's oh so rigorous ethic acts as a judgment on all human behavior as time goes on. This will all become so important as he turns his mind to writing his great theological and social works in the 30's and 40's.
   
   This book is a fairly easy read, none to technical, and relatively short, you can probably read it in 3 or 4 sittings. Pay attention to the way Niebuhr's doubts about his own position become theological fare, informing the way he thinks about theology and life in toto.



3. This little gem was probably my favorite book from seminary. Niebuhr takes you with him on the difficult journey through the first years of his parish ministry and teaches you how to think theologically about really practical dilemmas that arise as a clergyperson. My favorite thing about the book is that it is not written as a memoir, but in the moment, so you don't have an old, brilliant theologian reflecting on his years in ministry, but rather a young, brilliant pastor who doesn't know all the answers and doesn't pretend to. I feel like Reinhold has become a close friend though the end of seminary and my first year working in the church, because he gives words to and insight into many of the struggles I have had.



4. Reinhold Niebuhr's small book, Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, is perhaps his most famous and popular book. It has informed and helped to shape the lives and ministries of seminarians, educators, ministers and other prophetic and ethical people since it was first published early in this century. Niebuhr recounts with astonishing honesty the difficulties facing those who would do ministry, and act ethically, in the church today. His criticism is not held back from any sacred topics.

   `I make no apology for being critical of what I love. No one wants a love which is based upon illusions, and there is no reason why we should not love a profession and yet be critical of it.'

   Niebuhr talks about the shock of coming to realise the limitations of his ministry, going from being a fresh-from-seminary full-of-grace minister to a person confronting another person in the 'real world'. He talks about

   `...the difficulty of acting as priest. It is not in your power to determine the use of a symbol. Whether it is a blessing or a bit of superstition rests altogether with the recipient.'

   This real world also presents problems. Parishioners tend to ask practical questions, rather than theoretical ones. They ask, Why won't Jesus heal me? Didn't he heal others? It is in the Bible, after all.

   `I do believe that Jesus healed people. I can't help but note, however, that a large proportion of his cures were among the demented.'

   He talks about the practical limitations of doing ethical ministry and prophesy for the average pulpit preacher.

   `I am not surprised that most prophets are itinerants. Critics of the church think we preachers are afraid to tell the truth because we are economically dependent upon the people of our church. There is something in that....'

   Finally, Niebuhr comes to have realistic expectations of the church and his own ministry in it.

   `The church is like the Red Cross service in war time. It keeps life from degenerating into a consistent inhumanity, but it does not materially alter the fact of the struggle itself. The Red Cross neither wins the war nor abolishes it.'

   Niebuhr in this small work has given great insight. Barely 150 short pages of his journal from 1915-1928 as a parish minister--although he became much better known as a philosopher in later years, this book is most likely his best seller, and the one with the most profound day-to-day impact for his readers.

   A must-read for anyone with a calling to ministry; a should-read for anyone in a helping and caring profession. It gives insight into how to remain human and fallible in the face of a congregation's (and one's own!) expectations of holiness and godly perfection.




5. This is a collection of Neibuhrs short essays. Each one stands on its own as a reflection of reality as applicable today as it was decades ago. I like it so much I am rationing it, reading one or two essays a day and stopping to think about the lesson in each one. These are sermons that are not "preachy" recognizing the human frailities and what should be expected of us. A book for the ages in my opinion

5 comments about She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse.

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.

5 comments about Redeemed: A Spiritual Misfit Stumbles Toward God, Marginal Sanity, and the Peace That Passes All Understanding.

1. Like any AA story of redemption, this one satisfies with its power of grace and devotion, supplied from of all places, the much maligned Roman Catholic Church. Kudos to Heather for sharing her story, even if she does veer off into some strange doctrinal commercials at times.



2. I have had a deep attraction to the Catholic Church over the past year. Sure I've made spiritual retreats with Catholic friends, read Thomas Mertons The Seven Storey Mountain, and it doesn't hurt that one of my favorite records in the last 9 months is from a Brooklyn hipster rock outfit called the Hold Steady who write songs that depict the "beauty in forgiveness and redemption, especially in regards to the Catholic Church." (npr.org - The Hold Steady: Rewards And Redemption)Separation Sunday
   
   Heather King's Parched is a piece of spiritual testimony that not only shares her conversion experience, but also shares some insight about why these experiences are essential in order for many people to live a full life. I've also wondered like King, how some people can get along just fine without any concept of God, spiritual awakening, or even the slightest amount of religious conviction and seem to operate just fine? Meanwhile, as Redeemed depicts, the people who attain to grow in the spiritual life trudge through an existence marred with the constant realization of character defects, sins, shrouded in moments of despair and frustration.
   
   Fortunately Heather King equates her trials and tribulations with her triumphs over adversity by living in the spiritual life. It is the humble triumph over these spiritual adversities that instills hope in the heart of the reader and encourages us to seek the redemption that can satiate us all.



3. Heather King's book is a gem for anybody looking for grace in their own lives. I am a cradle Catholic and to read about Heather's embrace of Catholicism and reverence for its attitude towards life and mystery was truly refreshing. She shares her own story, struggles, obsessions, and insights with her readers. After reading her book, I felt more connected, understood, and whole as a person and as a Catholic. Heather has a tremendous gift of radical honesty and an eye for humor in what seem to be dark situations. She has an intuition for grace and a wonderfully poetic way of seeing daily life and expressing its beauty. Redeemed is a wonderful book in which I found part of myself and part of God.



4. This book is a logical followup to Parched by Ms. King. Her sense of humor comes through at all times and even though I have never met Heather I feel she's a good friend. Along with the bumps and bruises in life she has obviously acquired a lot of knowledge. Books like this one give me faith in mankind and help me get through another day. Thank you Heather King and someday I hope we can meet!!



5. This is one of those books that came along just when I needed it. Heather King has a wonderful ability to make you laugh and think and just quiet down long enough to really hear someone else's perspective. You don't need to share her beliefs to be enriched by the honesty, humor and bravery, not to mention the beauty, of her writing. I've loved reading both of Heather's books, and I can't wait for more.

5 comments about Saint Augustine: A Life (Penguin Lives Biographies).

1. It's hard to love St. Augustine. Even as one of the most influential religious thinkers in the history of Christianity--the image of heaven as a holy city, the City of God, was his idea--and as the author of his Confessions, arguably the first confessional biography (and a model for many of the literary memoirs we've lately been swamped with), he presents a cold and prickly figure. It's not so much that he doesn't give us the goods about his early, sinful life--he does, sometimes in great detail--but the guy who ranks his theft of a cartload of pears among his greatest mistakes is unlikely to impress our jaded sensibilities. What we want in a biography of Augustine, is an interpreter--not of his works, but of his life: we want to know the drama of this man's life, and to feel afresh his importance today.
   That's just the issue here. Throughout the Confessions, which Garry Wills, in his new short biography of St. Augustine (one of a series of excellent short lives published by Penguin Putnam) more accurately translates as Testimony, we find ourselves in the presence of a man who has a lot to say, but speaks in a voice that sounds alien to most late-twentieth-century ears. The child of a pagan father and a Christian mother who would later be venerated as St. Monica, Augustine grew up on the fringe of the Roman Empire, in Africa. Torn between his mother's strict Christian discipline (legend has it that she allowed her child only two small cups of water a day, in order to mortify the `sinful' flesh--a story that Wills, perhaps wisely, omits) and the lure of the old pagan order which still held sway in much of government and civic life, it's small wonder that Augustine went where the money was. For the first part of his life, the part he would later describe as gravely sinful, he followed the career path many young Romans aspired to--to great effect: at the time of his conversion to Christianity, he held an advisary position in the court of the Emperor.
   Along the way, however, he picked up an interest in philosophy, particularly the fashionable (and most unchristian) Manicheanism, which holds that the universe is a battleground between equally-matched and eternally-opposed forces of good and evil. It was his misgivings about the truth of his beliefs--no doubt also the influence of his mother, whom he brought along on his travels to Italy--that prompted his conversion, famously described in the Confessions. Sitting under a fig tree in his garden one day, reading the letters of St. Paul with a friend while wrestling with his doubts, Augustine heard what sounded like a child's voice from a nearby house, repeating the refrain of a nursery rhyme or game: Tolle, lege; tolle, lege--'Pick up and read, pick up and read.' He opened the book he had laid aside, read the first sentence on which his eyes fell--"Be clothed in Jesus Christ"--and a saint was born.
   That's the famous story, the part of his Confessions most often read and retold today. But Augustine's long life (he would live another thirty years, eventually becoming the Bishop of Hippo in northern Africa, and writing his monumental book The City of God), would be spent amid the spiritual and political controversies of the Church in the fourth century A.D. Unlike our recent spate of memoirs--and of much less interest to contemporary readers--Augustine's biography here is a political one, less concerned with his personal spiritual transformation that with the religious politics of Roman Africa in the years just before Rome's fall. This is where, and largely why, Wills' biography loses its interest and pales beside the testimony of the saint.
   It does not help that Wills repeatedly fails to enliven Augustine's story, keeping the flesh-and-blood man behind a scrim of political reportage and undoubtedly learned commentary on Augustine's theology, and a critical reading of his many written works. The composition of The City of God, for instance, is clouded over in background detail:
   "Augustine spent fifteen years writing the twenty-two books of The City of God, that `great and trying labor'.... They were years of increasing desire for some measure of temporal peace. Augustine's hopes for enlightened leadership, first lodged in Marcellinus, then cruelly disappointed, were partly revived when another Christian official, Boniface, came to Africa in 417 as commander (count) of the Roman military force. Augustine sent him a long statement of the Donatist policy he had created for Marcellinus. Since Boniface had important frontier duties, keeping the Saharan tribes from Christian Africa, Augustine wrote for him in 418 a little treatise on military morality--war should be waged only when it is necessary to peace, and then with the minimum necessary violence; truth should be observed even toward the enemy; mercy to the vanquished precludes use of the death penalty."
   
   And so on, and so on--making a short book feel long and dry. It's hard to remember, while we read this, that one of the most splendid conceptions of divine grace ever committed to paper is taking shape in the background--the scratching of Augustine's quill is drowned out by the noise from the street outside.
   Not that we lose sight of much that Augustine wrote: hardly any of the saint's extant sermons or treatises are left unmentioned here, but few are actually summarized to the point of intelligibility, or quoted at length enough to allow us to get a flavor of the man's thoughts. In fact, so much discussion is spent here on the meanings of texts not quoted, or on the interpretation of single words and phrases, that Augustine, the man whose Confessions have unjustly earned him a rather scandalous reputation, gets lost in a fog of worldly detail. Often it's difficult to tell just where our hero is, what he's doing in his daily life, and why it matters in the larger scheme of things. The tone of the book is dry enough to make Augustine's common-law marriage--at the age of sixteen, making him a father a year later--and his eventual spurning of the woman he called his `concubine,' first for the prospect of a socially advantageous marriage, then for God, all seem rather dull. Where, we want to ask, is the drama of the sinful life that Augustine himself conveys in his Confessions?
   And this is the saint we want--and perhaps the saint we need. There's no shame in admitting that when we read his biography, we want to know not the brilliant prose stylist and theologian, not the provincial magistrate and church politician, but the man who sinned, suffered, doubted and finally found his faith--a faith that would change the world for centuries to come--in the voice of a child overheard in a garden. If Wills' book can be said to have failed this task, it is because he has given us the words of Augustine, but not his voice.



2. With so much to say about Saint Augustine, it is difficult to include all of the facts in one book. It is impossible to include all of the facts in 144 pages. What makes this book disappointing is that this book has little to say about this magnificent man.
   
   At times, Wills focuses more on the writing of Saint Augustine than in his life. Obviously, there are not first hand interviews of this saint available. Instead, Willis interprets the writings on Saint Augustine. The product is so concise and scattered that it is often hard to makes sense of it. This is a tremendous injustice to Saint Augustine. The greatest shame is the fact that Wills focuses so much time on Saint Augustine's views on intercourse and celebacy rather than his defense of the Christian faith.
   
   There are so many better books to learn about Saint Augustine such as "Confessions" and "City of God". While the authors attempts to draw points from these books, the point are too scattered to interpret.



3. Any biography on Augustine will always linger in the shadow of the great Peter Brown's work, which is a classic treatment of the philosopher/bishop without rival in the English speaking world. Therefore, anyone desiring a complete portrait of St Augustine must first behold the masterpiece found in the pages of Brown's Augustine of Hippo. This being done, Wills book can be fully appreciated. Some notable aspects of this compact but wholesome biography are (1) his ability to bring into focus some of the more obscure details of Augustine's early life, as they are found spilled out on the pages of the Confessions. (2) Wills cleverly renders "confessions" into "the testimony," thereby greatly enhancing the meaning of the entire text of Augustine's Confessions. (3) The author also does a fine job discussing the various individuals who impacted his life: in particular, his overview of Augustine's relationship with his concubine, who Wills craftily names Una, is fantastic, just as it is with his son Adeodatus and others who were close to him. (4) The authors' brief but profound discourses on the key revolutions in Augustine's intellectual and spiritual odyssey, and on his literary and ecclesiastical exploits, will also be welcomed by the reader for all their insight and terseness.(5) Wills also makes some rather innovative--but stunning--assertions such as the down-playing of the role of St Monica and St Ambrose on Augustine's conversion. (6) Possibly the best aspect of Wills work, is the revelation of the optimistic, pastoral and compassionate side of Augustine--a characteristic that most scholars don't care to spend too much time cultivating. Overall it would be safe to say that this is not a good introductory work, however it will be very stimulating to anyone who has previously read Brown's classic or a lot of Augustine's writings first-hand.



4. Wills' essay on Augustine was written for a series of new introductions for use by students and the public. But unlike Peter Brown's superb biography, now stronger than ever after its revised 2000 edition, Wills does a very poor job introducing big chunks of Augustine's life and background. If you don't know about Donatism and Pelagianism, or have never heard of Julian of Eclanum, Wills won't help you. His selection of themes and angles is almost eccentric and he skates over way too much. This is an essay for the specialist who knows the background and wants another pungent point of view. It is not a beginner's survey. If Augustine interests you, try Henry Chadwick's short, superb "Augustine" from Oxford, or dive into the warm, deep waters of Peter Brown's book.



5. On the positive side, it contains none of O'Donnell's tendency to cast petty motives on Augustine's life. It is a nice short read, and it contains many interesting facts in a short space. I liked the discussions about the symbolism in the Confessions very much. The information about Augustine's sexual life was also interesting.
   
   Still, it is not very good. As another person here has pointed out below, it would be better if Wills had not injected his own ecclesiastical politics into the book (he is not very generous in his treatment of the Papacy, and he omits important facts about Augustine's attitude towards the Apostolic See). The treatment on nature and grace was disappointing, as was his treatment of Augustine's position on the sacramental efficacy. Wills rightly pointed out that we cannot approach Augustinianism as if it was some consistent system, but on the other hand it would not have been bad if Wills had attempted to outline Augustine's theological development in more detail. I would not recommend this as an introductory volume to Augustine.

3 comments about Intimacy with Christ.

1. Writing a review for a Madame Guyon book is a bit like submitting a critique of Shakespeare. Her writings are classic. Who hasn't read her? What can I add?
   
   Personally, my moments with Guyon are treasured and vital. Like an aspirin for pain, a dose of Jeanne Guyon brings relief to the hurried, exterior western mindset. Radical in her day, her thoughts continue to challenge the religious. Her mystic writings cut through the fog of our present culture. Her words often pierce by surprise. Her truths are exacting and accurate in this collection of letters. The focus is clear: turn from self to Christ; abandon yourself to God. Trust His love and grace for all spiritual progress.
   
   My only objection to this edition is its subtitle, "Sit at the feet of the greatest woman in church history." Although I might personally agree with that statement, if Madame Guyon isn't rolling over in her grave at that accolade, she has most certainly protested to her Beloved about it. Her key objective in this text, and in all her writings, is to lead others to sit at HIS feet. As she writes in chapter 30: "See God alone. Fix your eyes on Him and never put them on yourself." It is ironic that the publisher would so violate her vision in circulating her material. Having said that, I am grateful to the Seed Sowers for providing the text - and highly recommend it.



2. I liked this book so much, I bought several for members of my prayer group. We now have discussions on its contents. This is just what I have been looking for. After reading Jeanne Guyon first book on "Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ", I knew I had to read her other writings.



3. Madame Guyon used simple short words to speak out deep truth in different people's spiritual life. More than that, she gave appropriate medicine to the person in that situation. The book is awesome. Every piece of advice is precious pure gold. Thank God for this wonderful supply.