1 comments about Parting the Waters: Finding Beauty in Brokenness.

1. Parting the Waters is a book about authentic, gritty struggle during loss. Author Jeanne Damoff paints a vivid picture of her family's journey through her son's drowning accident, but she does so with broad enough strokes that the reader gleans comfort and wisdom to face any personal tragedy. If you are suffering from grief, worry, shattered expectations, or anger, Parting the Waters is a much-needed oasis to your soul.

5 comments about America's Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen.

1. A superb biography about one of America's most talented personalities. The book is a milestone in the annals of Americana. We will never see his likes again. The author has done a most splendid and complete job in his portrayal. Best bio I have read in years.
   jw
   nyc



2. I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it did a number of things well. For one it helped me to get to know Fulton J. Sheen, a name I had heard about from the past and brief mentions from my parents, but had never known except the author of one book on my shelf ("The Life of Christ"). I felt that I not only got to know who he was, but also about the times he lived in. Reeves seamlessly blends the historical reality of Sheen's time with Sheen's actions as well as his thoughts.
   I felt that Reeves had presented Sheen as entirely human, he did not try to portray him as a distant saint, nor try to deconstruct him in a voyeuristic way. He attempted to accurately present the man and his message. Based on his liberal number of interviews and sources I think he did a good job. He stated that there was simply a lack of a good biography on Archbishop Sheen and I think that he filled it.
   I appreciated Reeves working in numerous quotations from Sheen's writings and talks which sent me to Amazon.com to see if many of these books were still in print. However, many are not, which seems a shame, because Sheen seems to me (as a 26-year-old) to have much to say about the current age.



3. Fulton J. Sheen will never be canonized a saint in the Roman Catholic Church for two obvious reasons: his sins are bright scarlet and we know them too well. Sheen established a television intimacy with the American public in the 1950's that only a few individuals have achieved-Walter Cronkite and Johnny Carson come to mind-through his apostolic use of that explosive new video medium. I was a lad in Catholic elementary school when Sheen delivered his prime time homilies from 1952 through 1957. While I remember little of the content of those shows, I was captivated by the style. Sheen, I noticed, paused to let the audience think. None of my local priests did that, nor did they have Skippy the angel to erase the blackboard.
   
   Thomas Reeves is to be commended for the manner in which he tells the truth, the whole truth, about Sheen without defacing the Bishop's many good works and his positive influence upon a wide and diverse American public. Sheen's life was indeed a message "written with crooked lines" and one is reminded of Christ's words to the penitent woman, "her sins, many as they are, will be forgiven because of her great love." Though haunted by the pride and ambition that would seem to stalk nearly all television evangelists who followed, in the final analysis Sheen did love his God, though he himself ran a close second.
   
   Born in 1895 on a farm in rural Illinois, the youthful Peter John Sheen was devout, smart, and disdainful of manual labor and farming. He was hardly the first country boy to see the cloth as a step up from shoveling manure. We forget that he was originally a priest of the Peoria, Illinois, diocese, possibly because of his distinguished academic record at the Louvain.
   
   There is an air of mystery about Sheen's academic status, though. Desperate to escape a life in Peoria, Sheen joined the philosophy faculty of Catholic University in 1926 but never became "one of the boys" of the staff. In fact, tenure was denied him for some years, in part because the young priest was away from the campus three days a week for his growing number of speaking engagements. [In 1928 he hired a clipping service to track his press notices.] Catholic University itself was in academic, political, and organizational disarray. The school was frankly under-funded and underachieving. Perhaps to ease himself out of the philosophy department and into theology, Sheen invented for himself a second doctorate, an S.T.D. that suddenly appeared after his name in 1928 and which remained on his letterhead as late as 1966. Reeves speculates that Sheen got away with this massive deception precisely because it was so audacious and no one would have expected it of him.
   
   Reeves wonders if Sheen is under-appreciated today as a scholastic. Although brilliant and prolific, Sheen was not original, and added nothing of substance to twentieth century philosophy. Sheen's strength was apologetics: the presentation of Catholic faith and devotion in simple, straightforward, and yet cosmopolitan ways. For about forty years, from 1928 through 1966, Sheen was arguably the best preacher in the United States, dividing his time between public appearances, radio and television, prodigious devotional writing, and fundraising for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith [and, surprisingly, acting as an "observer" of sorts for J. Edgar Hoover, who admired his fierce anti-communism.] His work for the Society earned him the title bishop, appointed auxiliary to Cardinal Francis Spellman of New York in 1951. Reeves finds that Sheen was a holy priest who made a daily holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament and spent hours personally instructing converts, including numerous celebrities of the entertainment and publishing industries.
   
   Having said that, it cannot be denied that Sheen shocked his clerical brethren with a champagne lifestyle. While a faculty member at CU Sheen built a magnificent home in NW D.C.and entertained frequently and graciously. As a fund-raiser, millions of dollars passed through his hands, though there is no whiff of impropriety. Reeves does comment upon Sheen's total absence of fiscal management skill, his arrogance and petulance that insulated him from sound advice, his unfettered cash charity, and his pride of bestowal, so to speak. These factors, coupled with Spellman's own devils, led to an estrangement between the two that produced one of the strangest episcopal appointments of our lifetime.
   
   In October 1966 Fulton Sheen was appointed bishop of Rochester, NY. To church observers it was clear that Spellman had orchestrated the transfer for ultimate humiliation effect. In public, at least, Sheen put the best face on things, explaining that his tenure would be an experiment with the reforms of the recently concluded Vatican II. In truth, Sheen was a pre-Vatican II autocrat who alienated nearly every local constituency. His unilateral decision making cost him his priests, and his explicit criticisms of racial policies at Kodak the support of the city's largest employer. He was deeply wounded that Rochester did not recognize the celebrity in its midst, and within three years "America's best preacher" withered into retirement.
   
   If the Rochester years were his crucifixion, they also brought Sheen into communion with his best self. In retirement he publicly regretted his earlier opulence and vanity. He became less dogmatic and more open to philosophical systems other than that of St. Thomas Aquinas. Although not entirely shedding his theatrical instincts, he lived the last of his 84 years with an optimistic piety that belied the sufferings of multiple illnesses. Appropriately, he was found dead in his private chapel. Throughout this remarkable life, with its graces and glosses, Sheen's prayers were always sincere. His arrogance and sense of self-importance are perhaps the less desirable fruits of his utter certainty in the truth and goodness of God and the holiness of the Roman Catholic Church.



4. Thomas Reeves deserves kudos and credit for a very fine biography of a man much admired by millions. The high points of this book are as follows: the meticulous gathering of much information simply unknown by his admirers; the careful balancing of sanctity and human frailty of Sheen's character; the fascinating recreation of the Golden Age of Catholicism in America; the personal relationship between Cardinal Spellman and Bishop Sheen; a superb ability to synthesize and bring new insight from the wide variety of materials cited; a great bibliography and excellent notes. The weaknesses are minor: a tendency to repeat some stories, and the maddening tendency of Sheen himself to destroy and misplace correspondence or simply not document his personal life. Despite these minor drawbacks in the book, I was deeply moved by much of this biography and, indeed, brought to tears by the account of the last years of Sheen's life, his meeting with Pope John Paul II, and his funeral. Few will be disappointed in this book; it is a true accomplishment. Many thanks to Professor Reeves for this profound and necessary commentary on the life of a truly great person of the 20th century.



5. This is a book that has been ignored by the media which does not want to hear about good Catholic clergy. The media only wants to know about scandal in the church - because the Catholic Church and that which it really stands for(as contrasted with the deeds
   of the fallible priests,and lay Catholics that can be found within it) is the mortal enemy to secular humanism, sexual license, abortion and the "if it FEELS right, do it" philosopy that is held so dear by much of the media.
   The book is a great inspiration because Bishop Sheen, with all his human failings, is an inspiration to us all.

2 comments about Women in Church History: 21 Stories for 21 Centuries.

1. From Prisca, who preached alongside Paul in first-century Corinth, to Sr. Dorothy Stang, martyred as she worked among the poor in twenty-first century Brazil, Joanne Turpin's women in church history are models for Catholic men and women everywhere. Turpin delivers on her promise to illuminate "her-story" through figures marked by personal holiness, moral courage, and important contributions to development of the Church. In an introductory overview, the author reminds us that Jesus, the apostle Paul, and a host of male saints supported women and encouraged them to use the gifts God gave them. Their stories show a devotion to loving service in roles such as reformer, humanitarian, teacher, missionary, writer, and mystic. Each entry begins with background on the political, cultural, and religious climate of the time and the circumstances into which the woman was born. The stories, all written in the present tense, are engaging, informative, and at times painful.
   
   I was saddened by the chronicle of violence inflicted by political leaders over the centuries in an effort to silence many of these women and their fellow Christians who stood up for their beliefs. And I found certain notes on church history especially interesting. For example, the role of deaconess, instituted in apostolic times, expanded significantly in Alexandria during the early 200s as the number of converts increased. Baptismal rituals called for entering the water naked, so women were needed to oversee the immersion of female candidates to avoid any hint of scandal.
   
   The fact that this book can spark intellectual curiosity while evoking sorrow for those who have given their lives and pride in being even remotely associated with them is a tribute to the author.



2. It was a great book and one I will return to. For women who feel they are alone in a men's church. It was great to see these dynamic women, read their stories, celebrate their success in following the Gospel in the place and time they found themselves.

5 comments about Rabbi Paul: An Intellectual Biography.

1. This book shattered my misconceptions of Paul as an usurper of the message of Jesus and a charlatan who lured away Chrisitianity. On the contrary, this book demonstrates how Paul was a founding figure without whom Chrisitianity would probably have never held its own as a major world religion and would have forever remained an obscure sect. Chilton presents Paul as the first true universalist - one who believed there is no distinction between races or classes or ethnic groups. He reached out to all to build his new religion and vehemently resisted those who wished to seclude their beliefs to their own. He paid heavily for his idealogy, but his efforts for inclusion admitted the kind of corruption that the Romans later were able to heap onto Christianity: the idolatry of icons, the incorporation of Roman holidays and festivals into Christianity, etc. Regardless, this is an exciting book that keeps you thinking and inspires your desire to read Paul's letters, after placing them in historical context.
   
   The maps leave a lot to be desired. It is basically the same map reprinted on several pages at various levels of zoom. What would have been more useful is to plot Paul's itinerary at different stages on the maps.



2. This book seemed to be just what I was looking for as I went hunting for the Jewish backgroung from which so many of the early apostles came! Here Chilton was to tackle the problem of how the context in which the Apostle Paul grew up would have effected his ministry. It appeared to be just what the priest ordered.
   
   For the first half of the book, it was really insightful. Chilton spent a chapter talking about Tarsus in Cilicia, "a city of no small means", and the religious environment therein. He spoke specifically about Diaspora Jews in Cilicia and Alexandria and how their reliance on the Septuagint (as opposed to the Scriptures written in Hebrew) would have made them different from Jews of ancient Judea. He spent time discussing Gamaliel the Great, a teacher "at whose feet" Paul studied. He discussed the differences between Ananias, the High Priest, and Gamaliel and how their rivalry must have effected St. Paul. The initial material is profoundly insightful.
   
   Chilton covers the Apostle's conversion, isolation in Arabia, return to Tarsus, call to ministry and the famed "first missionary journey." The amazing feature of Chilton's work up to that point is that he takes the Bible as being accurate. He skillfully reconciles Paul's own account of the events (from the Epistle to the Galatians) with St. Luke's account in the Acts of the Apostles. He says, in effect, Scripture is accurate. He does not dismiss it or say that it is incorrect or try to revise it to his own ends.
   
   That is, he does not revise Scripture until he arrives at the Council of Jerusalem. Then he breaks from the position that takes the Scriptures as accurate and makes on revision that seems to eschew all his further assumptions and assertions. Chilton alleges that the Council of Jerusalem punished Paul and essentially reprimanded him and shut down his ministry. That the letter the Elders of Jerusalem sent to the brothers in Antioch was not sent immediately after the Council's decision, but rather after St. Paul's return to Jerusalem following the "Second Missionary Journey." Acting on this basis causes Chilton to make the following assumptions: 1) that Barnabas left Paul over theological reasons regarding Judaism rather than over a conflict regarding John-Mark; 2) that Silas was sent along on the Second Missionary Journey by St. James the Just (of Jerusalem) as a spy to ensure that St. Paul attended to the decisions of the Elders in Jerusalem; that when Paul parted company with Timothy and Silas in Berea, it was due to their inability to agree to Paul's new and innovative teaching.
   
   Neither of these assumptions is borne out by Scripture, While Acts 16 acknowledges a conflict between Barnabas and Paul, Acts specifies the reason as a dispute over John-Mark, Barnabas's cousin who had previously abandoned the missionaries in Pamphilia on the "First Missionary Journey". Similarly, the notion of Silas as a Jacobean spy is not borne out by Scripture and the thought of Timothy and Silas parting company with Paul over theological reasons neglects their almost immediate reunion in Corinth, their collegial writing of two epistles to the Church at Thessalonica, and Timothy's longstanding relationship with Paul being his Father in the Lord.
   
   Essentially, the quality of the work declines from then on. While there still some quality insight, those pearls of wisdom become fewer and further between as the work progresses. The more Chilton separates from what Scripture actually says and tries to read his "Paul as rebel outcast" theory into Scripture, the less value the text has in giving insight into the life of this incredibly fascinating figure. Ultimately the text ends with a fizzle and not with a bang.



3. this is a great book for people who enjoy engaging the real forces and faces in christianity. the prose is delightful. surely there is some conjecture and filling-in but it is all in good fun and indicative of chilton's love and high regard for his work. i have read several of his books and they are all imbued with a deep love of god and a tenacious passion for faith, truth and humanity.



4. Rewarding experience and refreshing insights by Mr. Chilton's writing about Paul. Everyone in church authority should be required to read this little volumn, especially individuals who use mass media for their message and platform. I am rereading a second time. Thank you again Mr. Chilton.



5. Since there isn't much hard, first-hand information available about Paul of Tarsus and his activities, the best we can do is rely on scholars to (1) piece together what little there is, (2) integrate it with historical facts and second-hand information written by others (often several decades after the fact), (3) apply their best educated guesses while reading between the lines, to (4) compile a quasi-fictional account of what was probably going on.
   
   My interest in Paul arose from a sense that what we Christians believe is the legacy of Jesus, is actually more the work of Paul, a Turk who never knew Jesus, yet was somehow able to create a Jesus-based tradition off the top of his head and sell it to a wide audience. The first book I happened to pick up was Hyam Maccoby's similar work, The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity. A minister-friend cautioned that I should read several such books before settling on any hard and fast conclusions. After reading a few, I understand his advice.
   
   Bruce Chilton's effort is probably as credible and creditable as any other, and is recommended to anyone who is interested in learning what there is to know about Paul and the formation for the Christian faith. But, to paraphrase the all too familiar ADA statement, "Rabbi Paul has been shown to be an educational resource that can be of significant value when used in a conscientiously applied program of study and regular professional care." Read several such books before settling on any hard and fast conclusions about Paul and the formation of the faith.
   
   Gene Warner, author of ...
   Solutions for Secretaries of Small NPO's
   The Manitou Passage Story

1 comments about William Carey.

1. This book though written in a style not popular these days it is still the most comprehensive and informative biuography on the life of a great missionary pioneer.

5 comments about The Personal Beliefs of Jimmy Carter: Winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.

1. The book is very interesting, I think not many people in the world put there faith in to action, thats what the book is about. And I get chance to meet with President Carter personally and he is really very interesting person, read the book and you will know better...



2. I have read most of his books and find them all to be well written and this one is stands up to the test.



3. It really is awful to see ideological conservatives give a critique of a book they haven't even read here at Amazon.
   
   One went as far as to claim that the only thing Carter did that was worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize was the progress he made at Camp David.
   
   Have they been so blinded by war and hate that they can't even look toward Carter's admirable work in Habitat for Humanity as a basis for him winning this prestigious award?
   
   They obviously must be. They certainly are dedicated to crushing the image of someone who represents solving problems with great love and effort, rather than with destruction and arrogant minsunderstanding.
   
   But I recommend this book for someone with an open enough mind to see how wonderful a human being Jimmy Carter is. Regardless of your partisan bias.



4. During the Carter Administration, President Carter had to deal with the deaths of his mother, sister, and brother, and that was near the start of his four years of Presidency. Then there was the Hostage Crises in Iran. President Carter had to try anything, and everything to get the hostages. It cost the lives of several soldiers when thier helicopter crashed in the desert. Essentially, President Carter got a raw deal. He was not reckognized by those who came home from Iran, or anybody else in the United States, as the saviour. President Reagan got that glory. And, at president Reagan's Inaugural Ball/Dinner, he did not even mention President Carter. This may sound like a put down of both administrations, but it is not. Both men had their faults, as does today's President Bush. I have the ultimate respect for President Carter. For somebody who will be 80 October 1, it does not surprise me that he is still constructing houses, taking care of the other persons, etc.



5. Nobel Peace Prize winner and humanitarian President Carter explains how certain events have influenced his life in this excellent autobiography. Although the book contains the words of a man that is not afraid to speak the truth, he does not go into details of the failed attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran. He micromanaged the rescue team from the White House, instead of empowering his men in the field to make any decisions. Unlike other presidents, he has not been bought off by corporate America.

3 comments about The Spiritual Journey of Joel S. Goldsmith.

1. Put aside the controversy surrounding Goldsmith's heirs; the same thing happened within the Krishnamurti circle and the A Course in Miracles (regarding the copyright). Things haven't gone so well after the death of Jesus as well...
   
   This book is an inspiring and practical account of an American who touched the Light within him and shared it with the world. He was a blessing upon this planet.



2. This book was my introduction to The Infinite Way. Having been reared in Christian Science, I found the book fascinating from the standpoint of transition, being that Joel had also been a Christian Scientist. It gives a perception of the person we know as 'Joel' and provides an understanding of relativeness. We have all been through growing experiences, and 'A Spiritual Journey . . .' paves the way for the beginner and adds light to an otherwise mysterious past of an enlightened mystical teacher.
   
   The book provided a very important principle to my husband and myself. We typed and framed a quote from this book that helped immensely in our business of being self-employed 'together'. It's found on page 163 which states, "two individuals, each recognizing his God-given individual capacity . . . . " and I'll let you discover the rest of the sentence. After 22 years, it's still hanging on a wall of my home.
   
   If one is a follower of the works of Joel Goldsmith, this book, I believe, is the only one out there that gives insight to the man during his formative years. A blessing to me, and I think it will be to you also. Lorraine Sinkler did the world a favor when she wrote this one, regardless of whether or not Joel wanted a biography. We're all making a transition and to know that someone 'just like us' has already paved the way, and how, is of immeasurable value.
   
   Gail Gupton, Author: The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment and Seekers of Truth.



3. Joel Goldsmith never wanted a human biography. His autobiography he considered A Parenthesis in Eternity. This book relates selective information that may mislead and disappoint a serious mystical student. It would be better for students to read Joel Goldsmith's own works. This account would have saddened Mr. Goldsmith as much as it saddened his widow and family. The veil will never be allowed to obscure the truth again

No comments about Buddha: His Life and His Teaching (Tarcher Lives of the Masters).

3 comments about The Life Story of Lester Sumrall: The Man, the Ministry, the Vision.

1. This book is a must read for anyone who needs to step out in faith. Lester Sumrall is an amazing man, and his life story will inspire anyone who has dared to step out in faith. I loved how real he is, and how transparent he allowed himself to be. We go from glory to glory, and from faith step to a bigger faith step. God's hand is shown in such a powerful way when the vessel He uses is willing to submit themselves to doing His will.



2. This book is a page turner, and all the more so because it is all true. Rev. Sumrall's sense of humor is evident throughout his life. He shows that you can do the Lord's work and still see the humor in life situations. A very inspirational book I read cover to cover.



3. Not only is this a great book, but a true story. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the other side of the Spiritual veil. Lester Sumrall was in the Deliverance Ministry for over 5o years and has alot of wisdom, experience, and insight into dark and evil forces.

5 comments about Mary Magdalen: Myth and Metaphor.

1. It was Pope Gregory who began the notion that Mary Magdalene was a fallen woman and the story stuck even after Vatican 2 in 1969. This is a pre-Da Vinci code take on the historical Mary Magdalene. There have been many edits to the Bible, to church history, to the lives of key figures from the earliest origins of Christianity ... and in sorting out fact from fiction ... one must seek to understand the context of teachings first before just blindly believing anything presented to them. Mary Magdalene became an icon of the fallen dangerous women and was used to subjugate women in many levels of church politics. Her history is one of the most controversial topics in the church .... and well worth exploring to understand the intention behind her image.



2. Ignore my rating as I have only just begun reading this book but I did not want to alter the overall rating given to date. I have posted this 'review' simply to let it be known on Amazon that the book is back in print and is now published by PIMLICO with the ISBN 1-8459-5004-6.



3. It's a silly shame that this wonderful book is out-of-print when the Code Mania would sell it like hotcakes. It is, without a competitor, the best all-around book on Mary Magdalene. Buy Karen L. King's translation of the Gospel of Mary if you want an intense but engaging lesson in theology, Jane Schaberg's *The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene* if you want a solid feminist critique, or Margaret Starbird's *The Woman with the Alabaster Jar* if you are looking for New Age speculation, but it's Haskins who pulls it all together.
   
   Tracing the idea of Mary Magdalene from the Biblical (and "heretical") sources to present-day manifestations in film and novel, she provides a survey of the changing role of women and sexuality in Occidental culture, generously illustrated with depictions of the Magdalene. She shows how the "shamed prostitute" myth got its start, examines the claims of connection between Mary and France, and provides a very funny account of the Church supported habit of "relic snatching" that accounts for Mary's "relics" moving here and there from this monastery to that church.
   
   All in all, it is a heavy but interesting read, with no polemic axe to grind. Start here.



4. This is THE MOST AMAZING book on Mary Magdalen. Susan Haskins goes through the image/personna of the magdalen from the Biblical roots to our pop-culture. The primary references are excellent, it is well put together, it is PERFECT!



5. Haskins does an excellent job in bringing us virtually every relevant piece of useful information about Mary Magdalene. It's all discussed here -- Mary Magdalene in Scripture, non-canonical Christian literature, artwork, history, myths, and legends. An important work about an important historical and spiritual figure.