4 comments about Aimee Semple McPherson: Everybody's Sister (Library of Religious Biography Series).

1. I picked this book up off the bargin table at my local bookstore and found it a good read. It made me want to read other books in the series.
   
   Blumhofer presents a balanced view of Mcpherson neither focusing on the more sensational aspects of her life story nor selectively ignoring difficulties. This is not the typical protestant hagiography, but its presentation is generally positive. Blumhofer does a good job of sketching Aimee's influences and development, her remarkable and gregarious personality and ability as a visionary and organizer of a movement. She also presents the scandals, (marriages, handling of funds, the "kidnapping," infighting at Temple Angelus, lawsuits, etc.) in a fair way. I do not think you could come away from reading this book and think Aimee Semple Mcpherson did not have her share of faults, and issues. But you couldn't demonize her either.
   
   The biggest criticism I have of this book is a certain sloppiness in the editing. Dates contradict, grammar is strained in places. It is a shame that there was no revision with the reprinting of the book.



2. This was a very fair biography of Aimee Semple McPherson. She told the story without being judgmental or accusatory. I liked that. It's as good as Epstein's book (which I want to read again), and is better in fact that she includes an index, where Epstein's does not, and books that don't have indexes are very difficult to reference at a later date. I liked this book very much.



3. She seems to have been heavily influenced by both azuza street crowd i.e. much of today's pentecostalism/charasmatics i.e. the toronto/brownsville blessing (a history which is fraught with charlatans and very biblically problemic) and hollywood.
   
   In studying many of her sermons what is readily apparent is the lack of any solid biblical understanding or doctrine. It was just get saved and jesus loves you. A cozy accomodation to the masses who can pretty much define that jesus they want to believe in and then follow.



4. Aimee Semple McPherson was a Pentecostal evangelist who achieved celebrity status in the 1920's. "Sister"(as she was affectionately called) also pastored Angelus Temple in Los Angeles and founded the Foursquare denomination. To begin to understand the complex McPherson one should read this definitive biography by Edith Blumhofer. Aimee, a Canadian farm girl was heavily influenced by her mother's Salvation Army activism, and to a lesser extent, her father's traditional Methodism. For example, McPherson's putting ministry ahead of family is parallel to her mother's doing the same and the Salvation Army marriage vow to not let marriage interfere with ministry. The Army background definitely influence her use of theatrics and pageantry in her ministry. Robert Semple, an evangelist, and her first husband, introduces Aimee to Pentecostalism. "Sister"'s Pentecostalism was not definitive enough for classical Pentecostalists(Some Assemblies of God ministers saying she did not insist on tongues always being the evidence of the "Baptism of the Spirit"; a view which seems to shift in agreement with classical Pentecostalists later in her ministry?). She referred to her message as "Bible Christianity" rather than Pentecostalism. One is struck by the acceptance of her by much of Protestantism, the transdenominational clergy cooperation, and her good sense of using much of Protestant hymnody to unify the different traditions attending her meetings. She seems more of a forerunner of the "Charismatic Movement"(pentecostal renewal within Protestant denominations) than a classical Pentecostalist. The most intriquing aspect of the book for me as an evangelical, is Aimee's methodology in presenting the gospel. Rather than "preaching the law" so as to convict of sin, Sister instead provides a potrait of the Beautiful Saviour, Jesus, "the same yesterday, today and forever". Perhaps McPherson finds that the prescence of God will so show the Saviour in his holiness and glory that the same goal is achieved more efficiently? Blumhofer shows Sister Aimee, as she was, warts and all. One flaming anti-Pentecostalist summarizes McPherson as "married three times, died of an overdose". To get the full story, read this book. Fundamentalists and Evangelicals tend to look over obvious faults of their heroes: Luther was foul-mouthed and anti-Semitic, William Carey and John Wesley were far from role-model husbands. Sister, like all of us is a mixture of mud and marble. For God has no perfect people to work with. Her willingnes to go into the dance hall, boxing ring or red-light district to love the unlovely reminds one of Wesley and Whitefield. Historians, Evangelicals and Pentecostals will enjoy this well-researched, sympathetic potrait of "Everybody's Sister."

3 comments about Van Gogh and God: A Creative Spiritual Quest (Campion Book).

1. Eventhough my studies do not allow me a great deal of time to read books of my choice, I could not deny the work of Dr. "Cliffy-baby" Edwards. His book, "Van Gogh and God: A Creative Spiritual Quest" was just that. It was, in every sense of the phrase, a creatively spiritual page turner. His language and content captures the reader's mind and by doing so, captures the reader's spiritual core. Once mesmerized by the life, work, and creative madness of the artist, the reader becomes smoothly inundated with the thorough biographical information that Dr. Edwards so eloquently puts to page. At the risk of sounding mildly educated, I had never realized the influence Zen Buddhism had on the artist until reading Dr. Edwards' book. I did, of course, realize the "oriental" aspect of Van Gogh's approach to painting but I never knew of his "Zen Buddhist" approach to living. Sometimes the samurai leaves the monarchy and spends his life in caves painting. Congratulations Dr. E. for a fine work indeed.



2. I recently heard the author of Van Gogh and God, Dr. Cliff Edwards, speak about Vincent. At this particular gathering, he also showed wonderful slides of the artist's work. As a result of that encounter with Dr. Edwards and Vincent Van Gogh, I bought Dr. Edwards' warm and accessible book, Van Gogh and God. While reading it, much like the disciples who spoke to Christ without recognizing him on the road to Emmaus, I felt my heart burn within me while Vincent's life opened up before me like a lotus flower. I especially connected with Van Gogh's insistence that he was "not an admirer" of biblical subjects (to paint). Apparently he felt that paintings such as The Nativity and Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane avoided getting to the "reality of things" and gave him "a powerful feeling of collapse instead of progress." To paint biblical material must have felt inauthentic to Vincent as he journeyed on his spiritual quest. Lois Lowry in her book, The Giver, addresses this very issue of authenticity. Jonas, the hero, lives in a community where sameness and conformity are valued. Jonas sees things differently, though, and is chosen to become the one who acts as receptacle and transmitter of the community's collective memory. Jonas receives these memories/stories from the Giver, someone who currently has the task of holding memory. One of the questions the book raises in the reader's mind is, "When does a story become MY story?" People in Jonas' community lived without authenticity because the locus of memory was institutionalized within an individual. I couldn't help but think that Vincent, striving for authenticity, wanted to show that those sacred memories (institutionalized in the Church and in biblical paintings) gave him "a powerful feeling of collapse instead of progress." For a story (either word or image) to have meaning, it must first connect with an individual's experience. Vincent Van Gogh, like Jonas, saw things differently. Both struggled in a world that would have preferred their acquiesence to the status quo. Dr. Edwards convincingly shows that Vincent imaged God outside the parameters and conventions of the Church. Dr. Edwards suggests that "[p]erhps such profound power revealed through one's life task was a more accurate description of the divine than the word 'God.' " Another powerful image is "the child in a cradle as best evidence for God." As Dr. Edwards points out, "Vincent experiences God in the concreteness of his own most intense and significant personal history." We all do. Vincent found meaning in his life's work, his care and concern for the prostitute Sien, her daughter, and newborn son, and also in nature--wheat, flowers, olive groves, cypress trees. To image and paint a Christ that has no personal connection is, again, to live inauthentically. It would appear that Vincent would have none of that. One of my favorite parts in Dr. Edwards' book is in the Preface. "[M]ost Judeo-Christian scholars...[take] the unyielding position that religion must be expressed primarily as hearing and obeying, and cannot be expressed significantly as seeing and creating. Dr. Edwards shows how Vincent navigated those waters. It gives hope to those of us who have felt stifled by the Church's insistence that memory/story resides within its embrace.



3. The author misleads the reader by perpetuating two myths about van Gogh's religious life 1) that he was raised Calvinist and 2) that he was Buddist. If the author had taken the time to research van Gogh's biography, he would have found that van Gogh's family rejected Calvinism entirely, particularly the notions of sin and limited salvation, for a more liberal theology, favoring universal salvation and the belief that God dwells within us all. The author continues his false representation of van Gogh by arguing that he became a Buddist after he left the Christian ministry. This is based on one simple painting that van Gogh made for his friend, Gauguin, with his head shaven like a Buddist monk. Although van Gogh was thoroughly fascinated with Oriental culture, he never visted the Far East, never studied Buddism, nor did he show any real understanding of its basic ideas. In fact, all he learned of Asian culture and religion came from what he saw in the Japanese woodblock prints that came into Europe in the late 19th century and also what he garnered from reading 19th century French novels. Mr. Edwards only clouds our understanding of van Gogh with his own personal interests. For example, his discussion of van Gogh's famous work, "Crows over the Wheatfield," reads "The painting itself enters the mode of being of all things in their impermanence yet transformation, becoming a koan that poses the Zen Master's question: 'If you call this wheat you cling to it; if you do not call it wheat you depart from the facts, so what do you call it then?'" (What does this have to do with van Gogh?) The reader is best to stay away from this book entirely.

1 comments about Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity (Vision Books).

1. Mother Seatons life is a well written ,well recearshed accurate portrayal of a great person.I think all Catholics would enjoy this interesting book.

2 comments about The Journey of One Buddhist Nun: Even Against the Wind.

1. I love this book. Its core is a riveting spiritual biography of a single modern Thai nun, but the focus of the book gradually widens to include other nuns and then the situation of nuns in Thailand generally. Thematically, it is strikingly similar to Sallie King's Journey in Search of the Way, despite the obvious difference that the latter is a translation of and commentary on a spiritual autobiography. The sameness is that they are both vivid accounts of modern Asian women undergoing profound spiritual experience that take them into the territorial preserves of patriarchal Buddhist institutions. I don't know Sid Brown, but she can count me as a fan.



2. This is not an autobiography...simply a biography. Sid is very insightful and quite the inspiring woman herself. I can't wait for another book.

No comments about C. Stacey Woods and the Evangelical Rediscovery of the University.

No comments about Helen Steiner Rice: Ambassador of Sunshine.

5 comments about In Exile from the Land of Snows: The Definitive Account of the Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Conquest.

1. Probably this book has not been read in recent times as much as it was before. The reason is that it practically stops at 1985 with a small attempt of updating to 1997. For an historical essay that relies greatly on updated information on a dramatic world situation such as that of Tibet and that still has written on the cover "the definitive account of the Dalai Lama and Tibet since the Chinese conquest" this is a major drawback. However, John Avedon's 500-page book has really represented a milestone for the awareness of the West on Tibetan reality and the crimes and genocide carried out by the Chinese. In the 1980's it was the most read book on Tibet and practically the only updated, precise, journalistic source of all information. If anyone remembers Bertolucci's "Little Buddha" on the airplane to India the boy's father is reading this book! Having been such a great bestseller it is natural that it has slightly passed out of fashion. But this takes nothing away from its value. If you want a readable, engrossing, historical narration of the last years of Tibet's freedom, to the 1955-59 Chinese invasion and especially of what happened from 1959 to 1985 to the refugees in India and to the prisoners in Chinese jails, up to the apparent "normalization" of the 1980's and the visits of the Tibetan delegations to their native land, this book remains the best document around.
   One of the main narrative themes is how Tibetans and the Dalai Lama managed to maintain their cultural and religious heritage and only regarding to this aspect there is a wave of optimism running through the book.
   
   John Avedon had a personal relationship with the Dalai Lama and was also interested in Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan culture, so the first journalistic part of the book, mostly built up out of life experiences of eminent Tibetans who survived the genocide, is followed by brief essays on Tibetan medicine, the report of a pilgrimage to Buddha's sites in India by the Dalai Lama, and a personal interview with HH on the philosophy of Buddhism, its outlook on death, life and personal experience. This last part is interesting, but it is detached from the principal narration and it seems introduced only to lengthen the book or to cram into it all the Author's knowledge. The notes and the bibliography are excellent even though dated.
   
   A must read for those interested in modern Tibet, but it would be more honest to subtitle the re-editions "Tibet from the Chinese conquest to the 1990's".
   
   I am looking for a book that tells what has been happening in the last 10-15 years. Have any suggestions?



2. If your serious about learning about Tibet and the Chinese take- over read this book.Some of the more explicit chapters made me really angry and kept me questioning "How can humans treat each other this way"?



3. A must read to truly understand the complex story of Tibet, although it may disuade you from ever going there. This is the story of the destruction of Tibet, told through a narrative of political history and a few well-chosen personal stories. Internal squabbling contributed to the Tibetan's own downfall, but in the end this small underdeveloped nation could not have withstood the Chinese without significant support from the rest of the world, and that support was shamefully lacking in the 50's. The destruction that followed was unbelievable. I've always thought it would be fascinating to go there, but I now realize that the treasures of Tibet are probably now in China or in the hands of private collectors after the Chinese sold them off, and what's left is part of a carefully constructed show for tourists. I agree with the reviewer who says that Tibetan independence seems a long shot at this point, but the world should keep the pressure on until the Tibetans gain some measure of cultural and religious freedom. My only criticism of this book is that it ends in the mid-80's, and the newer edition that came out in the late 90's contains a rather feeble attempt to update the story through a chronology. Interesting though is the interview with the Dalai Lama.



4. If you have had any Shangri-La type illusions about Tibet, this book will soon blow them away. Not that that is a bad thing, but just be warned. This book will open your eyes, make you laugh, weep, clench your fists and probably curse before you're done, but it will not leave you unchanged, either in your opinion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and especially of China.

   This is a very balanced account from the Tibetan perspective of the period roughly from the end of WWII until 1990. In addition to an unvarnished account of Tibetan bravery, desire to retain their homeland at all costs and credulity, and unlimited Chinese brutality and treachery, there is a great deal of social insight woven in. This is not a "feel-good" story to garner sympathy for the Tibetans, this is a tell-it-like-is book whose message is so daunting that I'm not sure most of the world, much less the Tibetans themselves are ready to face much of it.

   This is not a book so much about religion, although you cannot write about Tibet without writing about Buddhism, as about world politics thundering down on a small, isolated nation. It is about the bravery and resourcefulness of the Tibetan people and the greatness of their leader. And it is about the utter shameless cupidity and determination of the Chinese to lay hold of this strategic bit of real estate and anihilate its native population. This book should serve as a powerful reminder of what the PRC is capable of and just how much their talk is worth.

   After reading this, I believe (and HHDL must realize) that the chances for any kind of an autonomous, much less independent, Tibetan region are slim to none, but that the facade needs to be kept up for political and morale reasons. None the less it is a bitter truth that the Chinese have done the rest of the world a favor: by driving the Tibetans out of Tibet, they have released a great force for peace and good to the rest of us in the form of Tibetan Buddhism and the presence of HHDL.

   I do highly recommend this book.




5. This is an excellent source for anyone interested in Tibet politically. It provides a picture of Tibet before, during, and after the Chinese invasion. I find it very surprising, (and disturbing)that this book is out of print, given the renewed interest in Tibet and efforts to liberate the country from Chinese occupation. What was done (and is continuing to be done) to the people of Tibet should be part of our daily conversations right now, as we are about to grant China permananet normal trade relations.

5 comments about Billy Graham and His Friends: A Hidden Agenda?.

1. Dr Cathy Burns book is certainly an eye opener. You can disagree with some of her theology but you can't disagree with the hard facts. And the hard facts are that Billy Graham says one thing to the world and one thing to his ecumenist clique and their powerful political allies.
   On this side of the Atlantic (Britain) where we pride ourselves in our objectivity, Graham is generally viewed as an actor and showman and/or a bit of a religious crank. He does have his supporters here, but they are the gullible who would follow a man in spite of the Biblical warnings against such a thing. For the general public, he is the kind of man who turns people off religion and the profile he's been given here has done just that. He does not know how to relate to the British.
   Dr Burns is obviously a lady who takes the teaching of the Bible, and therefore Jesus Christ, very seriously. Her incisive book shows that without a doubt Billy Graham does not. If a tenth of what she says in this fairly large book is true, Graham would be exposed as a fraud and a charlatan and a fairly dangerous man when it comes to leading people astray.
   From a few pages into the first chapter, I could see that Graham was not just some silly man as many British people are convinced he is. His dubious connections soon put paid to that. And by the time I'd finished the first chapter, I could no longer believe that he was just some sincere but misguided Christian. He is a man of no mean intelligence who uses and is used by people in high places. And, as I got further into the book, I became more and more convinced of the threat Graham is not only to honest Christians who wish to serve their Lord, but that he actually sides with their enemies.
   If we want to find out something about a person we do not go to their enemies. We look at what that person himself does and says, or what their friends say of them, and Dr Cathy Burns does just that.
   "Billy Graham and His Friends" is meticulously researched and by and largely is free from her own views and does not generally argue from a personal paradigm. She lets the facts dictate the paradigm.
   Sadly, most people let their paradigms dictate the facts. We wouldn't have politicians and a subjective media if they did not. As Cathy Burns has it the right way around, any logical person can see that she's got it right. So would anyone who reads the Bible.
   Jesus said that His followers would be hated and despised. This cannot be said of Billy Graham or the people who are his friends and allies. For me, that alone sums up Dr Burns' "Billy Graham and His Friends."
   Though a big book full of facts, it was an easy and very enjoyable read, albeit shocking. I put off other reading to finish "BG & F."
   Every Christian needs to read this book. The Bible itself says "Prove all things" (1Thess 5:21) and it's not a request!
   I would also encourage non-Christians to read this book because it applies to everyone who wants and needs to know what's going on behind the scenes. And I would ask them not to let their paradigm dictate the facts.
   If something is true then it is true and wishful thinking won't make the truth go away. It is foolish to ignore the truth. If any part of Cathy Burns' book is not true, then that will be apparent.
   For any Christian whose mind is already made up on the matter, I would remind them to consider, "He that answereth a matter before he hear it, it is folly and shame unto him" (Proverbs 17:13).



2. The reviews posted here speak volumes about Christians and their pitiful hate-mongering, intolerance and judgmental attitudes toward their fellow man! I am a recovered fundamentalist Christian and thankful to be rid of the hypocrisy of that modern Christian CULT! If Cathy Burns and her readers could possibly pull their heads out long enough to study the ancient writings with an objective, uncritical eye, they might find true enlightenment, LOVE and compassion for all life here on this magnificent planet! I feel nothing but pity for those who waste their lives believing in fairy tails and imaginary deities! What is even more pitiful is all the energy Christians waste slinging mud at EACH OTHER! Than they have the nerve to call themselves CHRIST-LIKE! (BTW,that is what the word Christian means).
   
   I gave this book a 5 star rating because the book was well researched. I enjoy a well researched book even though it is biased and I disagree with the pompous, arrogant, holier-than-thou attitude of the author. I also feel great pity for someone who is so thoroughly brainwashed by a prison religion that was originally conceived to control the masses.



3. This is a shameful book written by a God hater. It's full of lies and distortions. Clearly Kathy Burns has never met or spent any time with Mr Graham and his associates. Although Kathy Burns claims to be a Christian, from her criticisms of Mr. Graham and other Christians, I'd doubt that even Christ would be good enough for her. Don't waste your time or money on thie hypocritical book of lies designed to slam good people who have dedicated their life to Christ and live a godly life. Unlike Ms. Burns, they don't make a living ripping people a part due to envy and pride. There is no "hidden agenda". The agenda of Mr. Graham and his associates is in the open - bring people to Christ and that is exactly what he does - opens the door to evangelize them and from there they should join a church for further study.



4. Documentation, documentation, documentation! Whenever I read a book that purports to bring to light secrets need to be known, I always check to see if that book meets my documentation test. This book far surpasses that test.
   
   I was concerned with the anti-biblical and heretical aspects of Billy Graham, but this book exposes much more than that - it shows his connections to the evil world shakers as well. I am not interested in those connections, but I am only interested in the documentation that shows that Graham is not a shepherd, but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Yes, the book is long and tedious in some places, but just limit yourself to what you want to read.
   
   The Bible says to prove ALL things.
   
   "Test ALL things, and hold firmly that which is good." 1 Th 5:21
   
   "Beware of false prophets!" Matthew 7:15
   
   "Ye shall know them by their fruits," Matthew 7:16.
   
   "Don't judge according to appearance, but judge according to righteous judgment." John 7:24
   
   Much of the "fruit" emanates directly from Graham's own mouth.
   
   For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matt12:37
   
   This book proves lucidly, conclusively, forcefully and beyond any shadow of a doubt what most believers fail to see or purposely ignore - Graham is a false teacher who is not drawing people to Christ, but is driving them away from Him. He is the single greatest detriment to the church of the 20th century, replaced now in the 21st century by Rick Warren. If I could give this book a "10", I would. Well worth every penny I spent on it.



5. If anybody is the hatemonger, it's William
   (33rd degree Mason) Graham, who for years
   has blasted the germans on the absurd lie
   that they murdered 6 million khazars during
   the second world war, which is the New World
   Odor's biggest weapon to keep us divided here
   in Western Civilization! No, Mrs. Burns does-
   n't have a Historstorical Reveisionist back-
   ground, but she proves much more than Histor-
   ical Review Library, with our meager budget
   can! And she back it up in spades! Over 800
   footnotes and all correct as far as I can see.
   I've studied kooks like Graham, who has a Play-
   boy magazine in one hand and Bible in another
   for years. Basically he's a crytozioNAZI type
   who wants your cash and then 'tells' us how
   to get salvation. Sorry Billy, the bank is clo-
   sed. And your types are on the way out. Bravo
   Kathy! And look for her exposes on the Mormons
   and Jehovahs Sicknesses, too!

1 comments about The Mother of the Little Flower: Zelie Martin (1831-1877).

1. I love this book. It offers great advice on how to be a great mother and catholic, like Zelie Martin was. I've used some of her teaching ideas for my child too, helping her to learn what a good deed is and encouraging her to do more. You don't get advice like this anymore.

5 comments about Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley.

1. This book is full of wonderful wisdom, from an inspiring lady.

   I really enjoyed reading this book again after Sister Hinkley's recent passing. It was a fun and enjoyable way to get a peek into her life. She truly had an inspiring spirit, and a magical sense of humor that put everyone around her at ease instantly.

   This is a book to be read at times of happiness, or in times of trouble. It is a great gift for any LDS household, and even for those who are not of this faith. There are so many wonderful insights about living and loving in this book.




2. A borrowed book originally, I am getting this one to keep! I can read any page and find something that encourages me to be a better mother, church-member, and Christian. Sister Hinkley is a model of practicality, faith in Christ, and a loving and supportive mother, companion, and grandmother. When you need a boost-- look at this remarkable women's example and you will be inspired to "carry on," as you are reminded of the most important things in life. This book is also a great example of a record of one's personal history.



3. I don't generally enjoy "feel good books", but this book really makes you want to be a better person. She is definitely a role model. This book provided an abundance of self-reflection, particularly as a parent. I strongly recommend this book to those who would like a glimpse into the attitudes of a great woman.



4. What a wonderful book. When I heard that it was coming out I knew that I had to get a copy. I am not at all disapointed! What a wonderful woman she is. She is such a great example. She makes me want to be a better mother, wife and friend! She makes you feel good about yourself, even though you have never met. What a wonderful couple she and Pres. Hinckely make!!



5. It is such a great book. She told a story aout when her and President Hinckley were about to get married. He talked to her and wanted her to know that he only had $25 to his name. She said the first thing she thought of how lucky she was. She always wanted a husband and now she got $25 too!! Remarkable woman and a wonderful read.