No comments about John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God.

5 comments about 131 Christians Everyone Should Know (Holman Reference).

1. I was pretty excited to receive this book, as I love Christian History. I quickly lost my excitement as I realized this book contained information about people who have done tremendous harm to Christianity. Among them are William Miller, who was a false prophet - even by the account given in the book, but they never denounce him or issue a warning about following his teachings. Ignatius of Loyola is another. The same goes for various rulers and "popes" which have done the utmost harm to the name of Christ through the ages. I never even had a peace about reading that book, or having it in my home, so I sent it back. Despite the men of God the book does include, it sends a deadly mixed message. To someone who is inquiring about Christianity that is not soundly rooted in the faith and the Word of God, this book could be disastrous.
   
   I was advised once a number of years ago, that if you want to know about someone from history, the best place to look is in their own writings. My experience in many areas has confirmed this. Please look into the actual writings of John and Charles Wesley, Watchman Nee, Martin Luther, Menno Simmons, George Washington, Andrew Murray, etc. Also the book The Pilgrim Church by by EH Broadbent is a very good history of the lesser known saints of old.
   
   More recent believers who have made significant contributions to the body of Christ include: Dr. D. James Kennedy, Dave Hunt, David Wilkerson, Art Katz, Ray Comfort, Ken Ham, David Barton, and Ed Decker. While I do not agree 100% with the men listed above, I would recommend their teachings almost without reservation, trusting the Lord that His sheep will hear His voice.
   
   So please bypass this book and look elsewhere.



2. Good summaries of the people in this book. Just be aware 10-25% of the people in this book could more appropriately be labeled religious as opposed to Christian. Examples include Harry Fosdick, Menno Simons, Aimee McPherson, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila and others.



3. If you're a history buff and a Christian, you will enjoy and be inspired by this extremely readable little book. The summaries of each of the 131 christians are short, to the point, and inspire you to do further research.
   
   I think it's a great book to use along with my daily devotions-- one Christian per day!



4. How is it possible that over half of the 131 Christians in the book come from a division of Christianity that has only existed for a few hundred years and in areas that represent only a minority of Christian-dominated regions? Where are the great names from the Eastern Churches? An embarrassing display of the typical Protestant blindness regarding history.



5. This book is a quick reference of personalities in Christian History. Theologians, Evangelist, and Apologists, Pastors and Preachers. Each personality includes a timeline in history in which they lived, and gives a brief historical context. Mystics are listed within the book as well, so discernment is needed. A topical index is also included. There are other books on Church history that go into more depth, but this is a good primer and is helpful to have on hand.

4 comments about Come Back, Barbara.

1. I cannot possibly recommend a book more highly for "parents in pain," i.e. parents whose children are now older and may have "bolted" from the flock (whether they are still at home or have left the "nest" as well as the faith). For parents whose children remain in the "far country" still unreconciled to their Father - the "Father of spirits) (and their earthly parents as well), this excellent foray into the life of one rebellious teen (Barbara) is very biblically oriented and therefore exceedingly helpful in learning to respond in godly ways to children who may have begun to tred some dangerous paths. There are no pat answers - C. John Miller will be the first to affirm this . . . but there are biblical directions, biblical prayer, biblical postures that parents can take toward their children who have, to one degree or another, rejected their parents faith. Miller is correct: the process of seeing our children return from the far country is an adventure. And God is just as interested in rescuing the parents (from their natural but harmful sense of and supposed need for control, among other sinful behavior patterns) as He is the wayward children. I would recommend this book to every parent who is struggling with the issue of their child resisting their godly shaping influences - even if they have not actually left with their "Father's inheritance" to squander it in riotous living

   Howard Eames, Kansas City, Missouri
   More about me www.faithcommunity.com/fca/




2. A group of my Christian friends and I are dealing with a close friend who has recently fallen away from the faith. I can't tell you how encouraging and perspective-renewing this book was for us to read, even though we aren't her parents!

   Jack Miller brings everything right back to the Gospel. The lessons that he and his wife learned showed me "what love looks like." None of us could put it down. It's been a God-send!




3. This is an excellent book for parents raising teenagers. The format of the book is such that the reader gets the story from both the parent's side and the daughter's side. This gives the reader insight into the reasoning of the daughter, as well as the viewpoint of the parent. Although the subject matter deals with a wayward child and how the parents and family dealt with the issues involved with that, the principles given in relating to children are a benefit to all parents. I recommend it to everyone, whether you have children who have rebelled against your teachings or not. The principles of interpersonal relationships dealt with in this book are useful in many circumstances. A must read!



4. The father and daughter in this book openly share their journey of separation and reconcilliation after the daughter forsakes all the spiritual values her father held dear. This book is a must for parents who are struggling with how to relate to a wayward child. This is a true story.

2 comments about Bruchko and the Motilone Miracle.

1. The original Bruchko book is one of my favorite books of all time. So when I heard he had written a second book which updated his story into the present day, I purchased it quickly. It was like getting reacquainted with an old friend. You see Bruchko grappling with the losses of Gloria and Bobarishora. You see his spirit rekindled after hearing a couple of the younger Motilones speaking at a peace conference. You feel his joy as the nation of Columbia recognizes that 420 acres of jungle land belong to the Motilone people (truly known as the Bari people).
   
   The first 36 pages rehash the first Bruchko book, while the rest of the volume brings the story into the present day (with occasional looks back into the past).
   
   You get to read the details of Bruce's entanglements with terrorist groups and drug dealers. You get his first person account of his brutal 1988 abduction by the ENF and his mixed feelings about the current direction the Motilones are taking. You get the sense that the younger Motilones want to modernize more and to forego some of the tribal traditions that Bruce has been trying hardf to safeguard. Yet Bruce is confident in the Lord that God will continue to raise up Motilones who walk in our Lord's trail.
   
   If you love the first book, you'll definitely want this one, too. But this is also a good place to start even if you have never heard of Bruchko.



2. After hearing Bruce Olson speak over a year ago and reading his first book, Bruchko, I have researched every magazine article and other source I could find on the life of this very special man. So when the sequel came out I was very excited to order my copy. It does an excellent job of filling in the later years, right up to the present.
   
   The gripping story of Olson's unorthodox life in the Amazon jungle challenges every stereotype we may have of missionaries. As a passionate and driven 19-year-old, he left a comfortable, bookworm existence in Minnesota and followed his God-given dream to travel to South America, where he was violently captured by a reclusive, murderous tribe of stone age Indians. And he has lived with them ever since!
   
   Bruchko and the Motilone Miracle unfolds all the events that have happened in Olson's life with the Indians, who are now transformed into a productive and positive cultural force in Colombia. It covers the account of Olson's unbelievable response to his kidnapping and captivity in 1988 by one of the armed rebel groups using the jungle as their base of operations.
   
   There are so many reasons why I was attracted to this story. It's a high adventure journey filled with love, suffering, resurrection, social redemption, and victory over evil. I'd like to see the movie made -- and made on a big scale, because it would enthrall audiences more than the most elaborate Hollywood action film. In this case, truth is stronger than fiction!

1 comments about More Saints: Lives & Illuminations.

1. Written and beautifully illustrated in the style of Renaissance art and illuminated manuscripts by Ruth Sanderson, More Saints: Lives & Illuminations is a picturebook anthology offering one-page portraits and biographies of thirty-six male and female Christian saints of the second millennium. Not only are well-known saints such as Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua profiled, but also lesser known individuals such as Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha and Saint Bernardino. A brief introduction about the process of becoming a saint, a list of additional resources and a glossary round out this fascinating and instructional picturebook - though due to its small typeface and relative quantity of text, More Saints is most appropriate for young readers who are almost ready for chapter books. Also highly recommended is Sanderson's first volume in the series, "Saints: Lives and Illuminations".

5 comments about Men of Science Men of God: Great Scientists of the Past Who Believed the Bible.

1. I found this book very interesting and encouraging--these are the fathers of science--the men who pioneered our scientific method and thought. It was encouraging to see them as recognizing the role of God in themselves and their work.



2. The late Henry Morris, a creationist with no background in biology or history (his degree is in hydraulic engineering), levels false implications of evolution with evils (or Morris's preceived evils). This book is nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on the science of evolutionary biology using long dead mens' faith as some kind of attempt to place Christianity on a pedestal (funny how he didn't get into other faiths, as if science cares if someone is Christian, Hindu, Muslim, or what have you). The bulk of it is something a middle school student could have done as a report; as for accuracy I would suggest reading biographies by actual historians. Someone who is willing to lie about evolution (e.g., Henry Morris) should not be taken seriously in any scholarly field that he is not formally trained in.



3. Wonderful, fascinating, little-known information lies in this book! Evolutionists would have society think religion (and Christianity specifically) has only ever hindered science, yet this book shows that the best founders of our modern scientific disciplines were motivated to explore the world explicitly because of their faith in God.
   
   These men were not Christian out of the cultural norms of their respective societies, these men sincerely had a zealous faith that far exceeded their peers in their day.
   
   This books forever terminates the image of anti-scientific, Christian knuckle-draggers; a must-read.



4. Some qualifications for opining to start. I have read this book and I am a public school teacher with 9 years of teaching elementary school. I have a BA in Psychology and a M Ed.
   
   This is a great little book. It is important that we understand the beliefs of the scientists as well as their backgrounds. Contrary to popular opinion, scientists aren't devoid of beliefs and everyone's beliefs influence their perspectives. This can be readily seen by perusing these reviews. Our beliefs also determine our actions which makes being certain of their veracity all the more important as they will dictate the course of our lives and our destiny.
   
   These scientists stand head and shoulders above many of their peers. It is important for all of us to understand what they believed and why they chose those beliefs.
   
   I highly recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did, and do every time I read it. It is a short, interesting, and fun read. Bon appetit!



5. This book, written by Henry Morris and Chuckie Darwin, gives new perspective of creationism. The science of intelligent design shows the blueprint used by an "intelligent designer" to create the universe. Periodically, the creatures designed, both evolved and changed. Monkey may or may not have evolved into man. But various creatures have changed as God planned they would. God can make these plans, because ... well, ... He is God!

5 comments about Young Man Luther: A Study in Psychoanalysis and History (Austen Riggs Monograph, No 4).

1. This might've been a worthwhile study if Erikson had not watered down his Freudianism. For example, Luther displays numerous traits of what Freud would describe as an anal personality: not only was he angry and uptight, he was obsessed with farts, butts, and feces. Does Erikson pursue this angle? Not consistently. Instead, he suggests renaming the anal stage the "independence stage" and compares Luther to a typical adolescent. This sort of watering down in endemic here.
   
   Erikson focuses on the notion that Luther went through an identity crisis. Unfortunately, Erikson's notion of an "identity crisis" is so bland and general that it is hard to imagine anyone who has not gone through such a crisis, and thus it says little about Luther in particular. Further, Erikson's ambiguity about Luther becomes annoying as he constantly swings from criticizing his behavior to defending him as a supposedly great man. He frequently gets off track and explores side issues.
   
   Finally, Erikson's understanding of the Reformation is limited at best. He blindly accepts every anticlerical cliche about the Catholic Church, and offers simplistic versions of German history and politics. On the other hand, he does offer occasional insights and throws out some spicy tidbits about Luther's private life. A curious mix of purience and dullness which left me wishing for what might have been.



2. This is Erikson's breakthrough work in psychohistory. He reads the inner conflicts of Luther and connects them convincingly with great historical events. In this particular case he chooses a historical figure whose violence in some way undermines and contradicts the very religious vocation his life is built upon. Erikson shows how the revolutionary Luther in conflict with his own violent father and himself turns against the world of corrupt medieval indulgence- laden Catholicism and uses his own personal energy and story to create a powerful change in history, the Reformation.
   This is an admirable piece of theorizing and research combined and a fascinating read.
   
   
   



3. The father-son relationship Erikson explores here is very interesting. The most convincing aspects of his analysis are those most closely based on Luther's own writings, such as Luther's deep paralyzing dread at celbrating his first mass in front of his earthly father, as he mediates on behalf of that same father with his heavenly father.

   Erikson's spirit lives on in the same tension found in "Amadeus," where Mozart confronts his father's same brand of wrath--suspecting that his son is wasting himself in something unproductive and immoral.

   Erickson probably is speculating, in the manner of an archaelogist, when he broods about what Young Man Luther may have witnessed around the house in his violent father's relationship with his mother.

   Psychiatrists need this kind of book. Taking on the really big personalities helps them understand the rest of us. Helps them use all the gears on the 18-speed; lets them press all the buttons they will never need to service the only vital end of the market for shrink services: the troubled youth market, the only one with the cash to invest in the counseling arts. Before you're too far gone for anyone to care about.

   Perhaps it also helps the rest of us to escape, to focus on something we don't know much about, and aren't very good at: but to be satisfied anyway. Ibn Khaldun said that was a particular affliction of academics. That's the good news: if you can't bear this book, maybe you're a really talented academic with a bright future. The rest of us are just reading it in an attempt to find meaning in our latest airplane flight. We're developing a fear of facing the pilot on the way out, since he's such an imposing father figure. Then we realize he's repeating cheesy little "good byes" and our confidence returns--he's not challenging us at all, he's one of us. Amen.




4. Granted, Erikson's book makes for a great read, but lacks any real credibility. This book, along with his book on Gandhi, demonstrate that one can read anything into people when seperated by time and space. Take everything you read with a grain of salt. There are many more Luther bios that are more accurate and useful.



5. Erickson's work is intelligently written and is perfect for stimulating the first year history graduate student towards broadening his or her thoughts on history and historical figures. That said, the work is also a tedious read that at times is little more than a pedantic stream of the author's consciousness. In the end, one does not really feel that much has been learned about the inner life of Luther, or about his time and place. A worthy work to be sure, but certainly also a minor one of limited value.

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 Long Life, Honey in the Heart.

1. Prechtel's prose is beautiful but this is difficult to get your teeth into. If you can persist with it, then it is rewarding as it travels the gamut of shamanic experience, and is wildly entertaining at times. However, there are drawbacks. It is very long, and the pace sometimes tedious. It's a pity this wasn't edited better. Overall, a good introduction to shamanism. I would recommend starting with Patrice Some instead.



2. Modern society has us born and abandonded. It does not take any interest in us unless we make lots of money or achieve some kind of fame. We have little purpose in it except to make money for others and that is pretty much the extent of it: nothing else is demanded of us.
   
   Martin Prechtel's book describes a society where giving is more important than receiving, working together for a common cause of spiritual value rather than material value, opposed on both sides by the materialist communists and capitalists, neither of whom can see any value in their old ways of initiation.
   
   Yet the initition creates a person of far greater value than those who sought to destroy it. Whether or not the reader can share the beliefs of the Tzutujil Maya, and for a modern reader it is of course difficult, the result of this system of society is the creation of real human beings, lives not devoid of meaning and afloat on a sea of worthlessness, but deeply intertwined with the living processes of the world, each one feeling that they contribute to the story of life, that they have value and love.
   
   The difficult and dangerous passage of initiation that the adolescents of the village undergo to bring the goddess back to life gives them an inner power and wisdom that stays with them for the rest of their lives, meaning that they don't become disruptive, lost and alienated from the world but an integral part.
   
   It is a shame to me that our modern societies, whatever their political system, cannot operate more in this way. Not to live exactly like they used to - before the modern societies imposed themselves - but to realise what they achieved and how it can benefit our cast-adrift generations.
   
   I have given this book five stars because it offers a way out of the ever-tightening spiral of anguish that drives even the pleasures of modern life and it does so without preaching or spite. There are humourous passages throughout as well as more serious tracts. It is about the joy and beauty of life.



3. This is the third book I've read by Martin Prechtel. I wish there were 5 more to read. He is an excellent wordsmith and his experience with the Maya people of Lake Atitlan is much needed in these troubled times.



4. We saw Martin speak in Ashland, Oregon, and bought his books. they are nectar foods for the soul. nothing else like his writing, he will transport you with language to a place in your brain beyond language. Savory, delicious, honest, wildly reverent. but it and read it. then quit your job.



5. Prechtel's retelling of his life as a part of a society based on ancient tribal traditions. It gives a rare glimpse of mankind caring for its own. A tale of a culture striving for health and balance between neighbors, generations, mankind and nature. It is a beautiful tale of human beauty dashed by the motion of time in the hands of modern man. As sad as it is to see the outcome I find these people living within me as a reminder of what society can accomplish when it is rooted in respect, dignity and love.

1 comments about Wonderworker: The True Story of How Saint Nicholas Became Santa Claus.

1. Written for a three-year-old grandnephew to read when he is 13 o4 14, this large format paperback is clearly more than the story of the morphing of St. Nicholas into Santa Claus. Yes, that's the theme, and it is told well, but the author necessarily includes a great deal of cultural and church history. Black and white drawings and color reproductions of medieval art are commingled with replicas of soft drink ads featuring Santa. The writing reminds me of maybe a 12th grade religion text, which I wouldn't have appreciated so much in high school. Or it might be similar to something from a Lives of the Saints, though none of those held my interest like The Wonderworker. Put this one on your bookshelf next to Night before Christmas and begin a new tradition.