1 comments about From Union Square to Rome.

1. Here is an early work of Dorothy Day, who tells the story of her conversion from Communist journalist to Catholic Worker. Much of what she wrote here in 1938 would be taken up in her book "Loaves and Fishes", written more than a decade later. This first recounting of her faith journey, however, has a freshness and immediacy that the later work does not share. Part of this is because she write largely in the "second person" -- that is, she addresses her book to her brother, making an account of her heart and her life to this younger sibling with whom she shared so many ideals but not the Christian faith. Of course, this is part of the genre. Dorothy Day published her reflections to her brother in book form, so I take this to mean that she wanted to direct her message it for many other brothers and sisters, unbelievers and believers. In telling her story, she raises the hot issues of social justice, human solidarity, faith in life, prayer and self-sufficiency, politics and ethos.
   
   "From Union Square to Rome" was written 70 years ago, and Dorothy Day died nearly three decades ago... but she comes alive in these pages and presses you, as reader, to take stock of your own beliefs and lifestyle. Thanks, Dorothy Day! I'm so glad that I found this book of yours!

5 comments about In My Brother's Image: Twin Brothers Separated by Faith after the Holocaust.

1. Well written biographical story about the Hungarian experience during the Holocaust and beyond. Very revealing. Fascinating story about two brothers and their different choices.



2. This Book is for everybody to read, it is very interesting and powerful



3. The book, In My Brother's Image, was a book that caught my attention and made me want to keep reading. This book showed this very well. You learn about Gyuri and Miklos', identical twin brothers, life before the war when they were best friends, during the war how religion had torn them apart and the events leading to it, and after how different they had become. Miklos' son Eugene wrote the book, not Gyuri or Miklos. He vicariously wrote it and he makes it seem as though he were right there. The accounts in this book are based upon his father, uncle, aunt, and printed documents from the time such as newspapers and books.
   I, personally, am very into the Holocaust and what happened to families before, during, and after the war so if you are too I definitely think you should consider this book. If you like to see how people can change on a general level this is a good book. If you are like me, liking to learn about the Holocaust or history for that matter, this is an excellent book. Those on grade level 10, 11, and 12 (and on) will be able to understand book because of the language and words used. So once again read this book.



4. I remember reading about this real-life story a number of years before this book was actually published; I still have the clipped article from the Boston Globe in one of my scrapbooks. Then, when I was a student at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mr. Pogany came to our Hillel one Friday night and after services and dinner read from his book and spoke to us about the story behind it. Having met the author makes reading a book even better!
   
   I've very interested in what befell Hungarian Jewry during WWII, possibly because it's so painful and haunting to realise that they were the last nation to be invaded by the Nazis, the final Jewish community in Europe still pretty much fully intact, but for the men who had been drafted into labour battalions or sent off to work camps several years earlier. It's an even more interesting and unique story because the family became Catholics shortly after WWI ended, and they were very devout, so much so that the author's uncle Gyuri eventually became a priest, and his father, Miklós, had seriously contemplated becoming one too. Because of a painful health condition, Gyuri got permission to recover his health in Italy, which was a stroke of luck, since he got out before things really began getting worse and worse, even before the arrival of the Nazis. Though the twins' mother was deported and murdered, the rest of the family did not live in the small town she did, and because they were in Budapest did not suffer the fate of the other Hungarian Jews in smaller towns and cities, who were packed into ghettos and then deported. The Budapest Ghetto wasn't erected until very late in the War, and when Miklós and his wife Muci (also a distant cousin of his) were finally deported, they were "only" taken to Bergen-Belsen as opposed to one of the death camps in Poland like the majority of their Hungarian co-religionists had been.
   
   Because he was tucked away safely in Italy, a place which only lost about 19% of its prewar Jewish population, in the care of the holy mystic Padre Pio, Gyuri was not subject to anything like his twin brother and the rest of their family were. He could never understand why his beloved twin had lost faith in Catholicism and Christianity, how he could go back to Judaism, the religion they'd left as small boys and had never even really been very much of a part of in their early years before they all converted. Many people both then and now have made apologies for the collaboration, either active or through silent complicity, of ordinary citizens in allowing the Shoah to take place, much like Gyuri did, but Miklós and Muci had seen firsthand what had happened to them. Despite nearly thirty years of being a good Catholic, he was not protected from even the "good" labour brigade for converts. In the eyes of the Nazis and ordinary Hungarians, his family were still Jewish. The local parish priest arranged for their mother Gabriella to be taken from the ghetto to his church every day to hear Mass before she was deported, but he still didn't try to hide her or protect her from deportation. This book explores the complex relationship between not only the brothers who were separated by faith but also how the Church failed to protect its members, all members, and to speak out against what was going on, and how something of such a large scale could never have happened without the kind of hatred and collaboration from the common folk that the Poganies saw breaking through the surface after the Nazis and Hungarian fascists came to power.



5. I thought this was a good book and could not put it down. It explores the issues of assimilation among Budapest's Jews, conversion issues, Jewish and Catholic relations, Jesiwh security or lack thereof, Catholic complicity in the Holocaust and the Catholic church setting the stage for millenia that made the Holocaust possible. It also talks of family love and connectedness despite serious philosophical differences. We're discussing this in my book club and it should be very interesting.

2 comments about The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the Transformation of a Culture.

1. The book was a gift, towards the ministries of mercy class i am reading for, as such it moved to the top of my TBR list.
   It's a quick and breezy read, writing informally and meant to inspire and motivate more than a deep discussion on the topic. It's a collection of 5 essays, the first 3 by Ruth and centering on the place of women in Indian society and how important Christian was in their freedom for Hindu bondage, with particular attention paid to the issue of sati, or widow burning on her husband's funeral pyre. Chapters 4, and 5 are by Vishal and center on the crucial elements of Carey's Christian vision and how it made India's modernization possible. Chapter 5 is, by far, the best chapter in the book, i'd recommend reading it first. The book is suitable probably to the junior high level of reading and would make an acceptable Sunday School text on either missions, Carey himself or the entry of Christianity into India, this is it's nature target audience.
   
   It touches on a number of significant theological themes but doesn't dwell on them in any depth, that is not the book's goal. But rather a consistent theme emerges that Carey as the genius who brings Christianity to India is responsible for the modernisation and de-emphasis on Hindu religious elements that kept the people both poor and enslaved to idols. There is a secondary theme that is not explicitly developed, but is perhaps more interesting, that is this Christianization is under attack in India and has been since the 1970's by both Hindu restorationists and postmodernists who would undo the accomplishments and force India back into darkness.
   
   I found the book an interesting, if shallow read, i see their passion for Carey and his work as well as their desire for India's cultural renassiance as it incorporates Christian elements in the place of it's Hindi ones. I see how ideas i've met in other contexts can be of value in analysis here, but the book left me with more questions than answers. Mostly to read something more difficult and expansive from Vishal's word processor. I've learned something about Carey, i didn't know his 1st wife went crazy in the mission field and was locked in her room for 12 years. But would be interested in learning more about the influence of Christianity in Hindu India in the 19thC.



2. Wonderful work done by two individuals who know the country of India well. Not only is it an accurate description of William Carey, but the history of India itself. I am currently reading it for the second time. It is full of alot if information about how truely the power of the Gospel helps set people free in spirit and industrialization. Great gift for those who are our Hindu friends!

5 comments about THE WALK.

1. Michael Card wrote a good book about him and his friend Dr. Bill Lane which I think is good but the Lord took him and Michael Card's Nephew which is amazing quickly the Lord will come back and get us unto him the Bible tells us that he will com back for his people soon which he took Michael's Nephew so early and I ordered some of Michael Card's Music I can't wait to receive it an the mail hear it for the first time I hope he will write a another book soon I really like how he writes!!!!!!!!!!!!!



2. Sharply designed new soft cover edition of this book takes Tuesdays WIth Morrie to a spiritual place. Best reason to buy this edition is the inclusion of a CD of Michael Card and his mentor Bill Lane taken from a Moody Radio broadcast before Dr. Bill Lane's death. The book creates a holy hunger in the reader for pursuing relationships such as Card and Lane have known. While you always have a sense of Michael Card's humanity in his books and Bible studies - this one pulls back the curtain on the heart of an author who learned to love well.



3. I found this book in a discount store and could not pass it up because of my interest in discipleship. I could not put this little book down! I has several ah-ha moments as I read through Card's thoughts. Here are a few that have stuck with me: 1)God embodies truth in people. God sent truth into the world through Jesus, who is the truth. In the same way, a discipler is one who embodies aspects of truth. This thought is not emphasized in the book, but it has stuck with me and made me think of how to disciple someone. 2)Sonship is established in the wilderness. Through trial we find how much we need Jesus. We notice he is close to us. Card writes profoundly as one who has suffered and learned from it. He ties in discipleship by talking about his mentor's role during the tough times of his life.
   In the end, Card writes with a clear knowledge of Scripture. Several times while reading the book, I wanted to put it down and become more familiar with my Bible, not because I doubted the truth of his comments but because the Word is eternally interesting, satisfying, and freeing. Card's love for truth and the person of Christ is contagious. Don't miss out on this book!



4. "I want to show you how a Christian man dies." This is what Dr. Bill Lane told Michael Card when Bill discovered he had a terminal illness. If you are led to believe this is a book about death, you are mistaken. It is a book about life, Bill Lane's life and Michael Card's life. If you were as fortunate as Michael was, and knew Bill, you will hear his voice and feel his presence on every page. If you enjoy Michael's music and wonder where his Christian maturity and spiritual insight comes from, in meeting Bill Lane you will have discovered the answer. If you have never heard of either of them, after reading the book you will discover what a "walk" with Jesus Christ can mean to you in life and in what the world calls "death".



5. Reading the truth of how God does work in each of our lives is there in that book...is like being six years old and playing dress up and standing in shoes 10x's your size! It's simply your future...but you're not there yet! You will have to grow into it. But they are the right shoes. This is the response of a friend I lent the book to. I agree wholeheartedly it just that she put it better than I ever could. Michael Card's work always leaves me with a closer taste of the Lord.

5 comments about John, Son of Thunder.

1. I loved this book. It really gives you a feel of what it would have been like to be one of Jesus' deciples. It helps you to understand that even they were not perfect. Highly recommended.



2. I love and have read several Christian Fiction books. This book "John" is the best I've read. The biblical facts seem very accurate, and what she adds to this character seems very plausible. I found myself referring to the Bible and digging deeper. I love this author! Although this book is Biblical "fiction", it gave my commitment to Christ a little deeper meaning.



3. Most of us think of John as the lucky disciple - the one who didn't die a martyr. Ms. Traylor makes the point that his lot may have been the hardest of all in this fictionalized account of the life of the young man who stood at the cross with Mary and the old man who wrote the book of Revealation.

   Living to be an old man meant, for John, the horror of seeing everyone he ever loved die - not only Jesus but his earlier mentor John the Baptist, his brother James, best friend Peter, adopted mother Mary and even the young disciples following Paul. It isn't until the end of his life that he comes to understand, through what he learned from Christ, that it's our souls and not our bodies that count. Only then is he given the rather dubious gift of the vision of the Apocalypse, ad he finally understands why he was meant to survive his loved ones.

   The book is quite biblically sound, with the possible exception of the notion that Mary sister of Lazarus was the love of John's life - and althought it's not mentioned in the Bible there's no real reason why it couldn't have been true. All the characters are well written, so you feel awful when John looses them even though you know what's going to happen (I especially liked the charming portrait of Peter's brother-adoring and painfully shy "little" brother Andrew and the powerful, heartbreaking depiction of John the Baptist's last thoughts). A good addition to your biblical fiction library




4. I just recently made a decision to read and turn off the TV. The first book that God led me to was John Son of Thunder. I know it's a fiction book and that certain liberties are taken, but Ellen does an awesome job of sticking to the Bible. I really felt like John. I felt his love for his two mentors (John the Baptist and Jesus). I understood why he got the title "Son of Thunder". I felt his horror and confusion at the crucifixion, and his important part in the first church.
   I was in tears the last few Chapters feeling for John and praying that I might know what it means to give as much of a sacrifice for Jesus.



5. From the banks of the river Jordan-to the End of the World on Patmos Island! This story of an angry Jewish teenager who becomes best friends with the Son of God is a monumental work. Filled with action, danger, romance, sorrow, and the everlasting friendship with Jesus of Nazareth, this is an epic for all ages. Please, read it and enjoy!

5 comments about Joshua and Isadora: A True Tale of Loss and Love in the Holocaust.

1. This is a true story of the author's grandparents' determination to survive in the face of horrible conditions during World War II and their desperate efforts to hold on to their families, their dignity, their hope for a future. It is a loving retelling of their stories by their grandson against the backdrop of his travels to the same places they had journeyed through, struggling towards freedom and security. This is a beautifully written, absorbing tale of their two journeys, separated by 60 years and extraordinary hardships. Definitely worth reading.



2. Benanav is a talented writer, turning a family history and personal journey into a page-turning adventure. He helps the reader understand the horror of the era, yet does so without sounding either maudlin or unsympathetic: a delicate balancing act made all the more difficult given the family connections. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book.



3. This was an incredibly heartfelt book. It was extremely informative and added some new thoughts about how tenacious and courageous these people were. It was flawlessly written.
   
   Michael Benanav is a gifted young writer. His compassionate writing of this story made it a wonderful reading experience about a time in history that should NEVER be forgotten.
   
   KL



4. A chronicle of the author's grandparents who were married in a refugee train en-route from the Nazis, without speaking a language in common. True life fairy tale? Uplifting tale of people recovering from incredible oppression? Really it's so much more than this. This book is part history lesson, as the roots of European Jewry are explained, part travelogue, as the author travels to the places his grandparents were, and part historical narrative, the personal thread that ran through Europe convulsing during the war.
   
   Joshua, Isadora, and several generations are given life as real people. Foibles when the young grandmother gets into a horse-drawn carriage accident while sneaking out for sweets. Heroic moments when a Jewish school is set up against a backdrop of pogroms and discrimination. Questionable decisions when disassembled weapons are hidden beneath the baby father of the author's bedding as British soldiers come searching. Heartwarming moments when children forge friendships in fetid refugee camps. A nuanced view of a now gone Europe is presented without easy moralizing. The same peasants that ransack corpses as they fall out of forced marches provide a starving young girl with life saving food. Life in concentration camps is presented starkly. Skill with sewing uniforms brings double rations and points out the absurdity of who lived and who died.
   
   The book is mindful to be honest about the limitations of being based on old memories forged during difficult times. Ways that reality could have differed from recollection are noted. This breathes humanity into the people who made these memories. It makes them less idealized icons who shined at their moment in history, and more humans doing their best in a difficult time.
   
   It is a pleasure to be welcomed into the life of the author and introduced to the people in his history. This is really a magnificent work.



5. A sad story beautifully written by a loving grandson. All very true and actuate. Very touching.

5 comments about The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses.

1. This book is extremely well written and I would highly recommend it. As a former Jehovah's Witness, I was able to identify with so much of the story - not the sexual abuse (although I learned of some sexual abuse that occurred and was covered up by the elders) but I have seen so many mothers who were like the author's mother. One of the reasons I first began to question the Watchtower religion was because of the way the children were treated - or mis-treated would be a better description. Kids spanked who were noisy during the lengthy adult services, pinched when they fell asleep at late night meetings on school nights, etc. etc. But that is mild compared to what the author endured. I enjoyed this book very much.



2. This book was a bit like therapy. It was helpfull to hear a story so much like my own. She is a powerful writer, and honestly portrays what can go wrong in the JW cult.



3. Joy's memoir is a stark reminder that abuse in all of its various forms is devastating to individuals and relationships. Because it is her story and she was raised by parents who were Jehovah's Witnesses, it includes much of that lifestyle, religious doctrine, and terminology. Joy does a fair job at explaining some of the little understood doctrines when they appear in her story.
   
   If you are looking for a diatribe or poison pen against Jehovah's Witnesses or the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society you may be disappointed. She neither attacks nor excuses them. She more often reflects on the confused contradictions she experienced trying to make sense of the wide gap between what was taught and how it was lived.
   
   Having studied the Witnesses and their organization for more than two years I was familiar with many of the ways they apply scripture to their lives and Joy's descriptions are fair. The fact Joy's parents and step-father clearly took some of them to the extreme only confirms they were unbalanced people. I have some close personal relationships with a few Witnesses but probably could not get them to read this book as they would likely view it as apostate writing.
   
   The book serves to remind us how men and women in any religious following who fail to use the good minds God gave them to discern good from evil but instead faithfully, but blindly follow a religious organization as proof of loyalty to God, can find themselves quite quickly in horrible circumstances.
   
   Joy's book also gives hope to those who seek a relationship with God rather than an organization.



4. I felt that the book was very well written and engrossing. Having suffered through a very similar situation in my youth with this particular religion it was a comfort to me to know that during those lonely years that I truly wasn't alone: Other people were going through the same confusion and frustration that I had been through. Mrs. Castro did a great job of explaining the JW thought process and the total lack of respect they have for women. They are very willing to place uneducated men to call the shots in their congregations. They allow these men to make decisions that they have had no training, no experience and no business in. The mere fact that they are men is the only qualification many of them need. I felt Mrs. Castro also did a great job of showing how manipulative the JW's are. The "truth" is not what they are interested in at all. Preservation of their beliefs, right or wrong is what fuels them. The book must have been difficult for her to write but I would think cathartic also.



5. I could not put this book down. The mental and physical abuse that Ms Castro and her brother received is unbelievable. As we move through her incredible life it is inspiring that she was able to rise above her circumstances and find peace within herself and create a loving enviroment for her son. I have no history with JW, but would recommend this book to anyone. Beautifully written. Can't wait for the next book by Joy Castro.

5 comments about 30 Years a Watchtower Slave: The Confessions of a Converted Jehovah's Witness.

1. I am one of Jehovah's Witness and have read through this book by Brother Schnell. Although I understand the Watchtower Society's advice to avoid such "Apostate" literature I also am aware of my own ability to examine with open-mindedness the for's and against in any given subject. Indeed had I not had an open mind I would never have become one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
   My experience is that no-matter what Organisation emerges on the world scene be-it Political, Commercial or religious its inner workings become mechanical and mundane. This is a necessity otherwise no progress would be made.
   My studies of the "Men" at the top whom have organised and propelled the Watchtower Organisation from its infancy to now has shown me that there motives have been pure and honourable, forged by a desire to help others come to know God and exalt both Jehovah and Christ Jesus. However it is plain for all to see that no matter what level an individual reaches with-in this organisation (or any other) human thinking is fallible, mistakes and often very serious ones are made.
   In brothers Schnell's synopsis of his experiences with the Watchtower organisation sadly what comes through is not a thorough citing of scripture to back-up his premises or indeed any balance in his assessments of the Watchtower motives, but rather what comes through is an underlying hatred. This is very sad from a man who claims to be a Christian. Far from lovingly explaining errors made, the brother simply turns the beliefs and actions of the Witnesses into some kind of business-like enterprise with one goal of making money. He highlights regularly the book selling aspect.
   Now in the year 2007, the watchtower in many lands distributes literature with-out direct charge relying on voluntary donations to support the preaching work hence the charge of money making from book selling no longer holds any value.
   Brother Schnell also harps on about the Watchtower claiming to be the mouth-piece of God that no other organisation on earth is supported by God and everything outside the WTS is from the Devil. Although the statement sounds far-fetched I would remind anyone who is part of an Organised Religion that surely they believe they are part of the correct belief system. That is if you are a Christian, Muslin, Hindu, etc...what-ever sect of that Religion you belong to you MUST surely hold that they (your teachers and teachings) are correct - that is from God? Hence the Watchtower does nothing out of the ordinary in making this claim as most other Religions do the same albeit in a more subtle way.
   Some of Brother Schnell's interpretation of scripture is also as much a flip-flopping of ideas as he claims the Watchtower entertains. I find that in reading his book the true underlying essence is rotten and hurtful. I wish I could say otherwise.
   That being said, if you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses and very active, you will appreciate that the mechanics of what Brother Schnell talks about with-in the Organisation can be all consuming. It is true that the rank and file witness can become simply a number in an equation. However that is inevitable in any large organisation. Does the Pope know each and every individual in Catholiscm? It is impossible and no doubt many in other Religions perform perfunctory roles that are mundane. To off-set this PERSONEL BIBLE study is essential. This I feel is what the true crux of the matter is with the Watchtower society. From humble (and I feel honest) beginnings the "Bible Students" which were eventually forced into an organisational arrangement by men believing it to be the correct step to take having Gods blessing unwittingly removed the greatest gift from man - that of independent thinking. I have to agree that although fallible most Jehovah's Witnesses accept everything told them by the WT Society. As a Witness I understand that loyalty to God and Christ to be above the words of fallible men even if the statements made are backed up with scripture. This is because interpretation can be erroneous and none of the writers of watchtower articles are receiving inspired expressions. They are simply using there own understanding based on current scriptural understanding. Hence mistakes are made. Therefore each individual should check his/her own conscience before accepting material written. This I think is where people whom are Jehovah's Witnesses fail. Independent thinking is associated with that of the Devil and no facility is available to discuss openly bible text or differing views. This in my opinion slows down understanding and isolates thinking witnesses whom can end up spiritually defunct, disillusioned and depressed. Indeed millions leave the WT Organisation for this very reason - CONTROL. Brother Schnell calls this brainwashing, but this procedure is not isolated to the WTS, brainwashing exists from birth onwards and each one is brainwashed in varying degrees without knowledge. So I would not interpret studying the bible with Jehovah's Witnesses as Brain washing, rather it is simply a study from which the individual student can choose to either become a witness or not. The problem is the lack of free expression once part of the congregation. Free expression would stimulate the congregations and uplift many down hearted. However I fear that this may never happen. So I admit a problem of freedom of expression exists in the WTS. For a more in-depth understanding of this I would suggest reading the honest, humble and candid account written by Brother Ramond Franz.
   So to summarize, Brother Schnell has both valid points and misleading points. I do not feel he can categorically denounce the WT Society as he does and that his basis for doing so is frustration, disillusionment and ultimately hatred.
   If you are not a JW then you will perhaps side with brother Schell as he words his argumentation towards those without knowledge of the WT workings. If you are a JW then you could read this and be shocked, but you should not be as no-one and no organisation is perfect. Not until the revealing of the Christ in Power and Glory will any of us truly know who was right and who was wrong. We are all in a game and illusions of grandeur should be avoided. Who knows what influences are exacted on the world. Who knows the rules of engagement between God and the Devil? If you have no belief in God and approach this book from a purely secular level then you will announce the WTS as yet another cult siding with Schnell, as indeed you will if you are of another Religious persuasion. But for me the universal issues lay far outside the realms of human understanding. Hence I would conclude this book to be informative, interesting and containing valid points for reflection, yet sadly a corrosive, hateful underlying negative-ness permeates the writing which does not reflect balance or Christian love.



2. Perhaps to some who were never involved with the "Witnesses" much of what is written in this book will seem a bit far-fetched. But as one who was also in the "organization" for about 30 years I can say that this man's story made a lot of sense.
   
   A number of books have been written about the Watchtower organization. I have not been very well impressed with most that I have read; I do not feel that they are very accurate. Although this book predates most of those others, with a few exceptions, I feel that most things covered in this book really "hit the nail on the head." Schnell goes into the history of the society after "Judge" Rutherford's hostile takeover (which is about the time Schnell became involved) and describes the Society's tactics in Germany during this time and in the U.S. immediately afterwards. The "modus operandus" that Schnell suggests fits everything I experienced and witnessed personally while in there.
   
   My only exceptions would be to some disparaging suggestions directed towards Bible Students, prior to the "Jehovah's Witnesses". These seem a bit self-contradictory and I would not be surprised that they were added after the original publication, although I cannot confirm this.



3. This was interesting and informative reading. It took one man's story of his life and how he and his family became JW, then how the religion changed during his lifetime, and how he finally got out of the religion.
   I learned a lot about this religion from this man's experiences.



4. The Jehovah Witness Watchtower cult is a big money life destroyer. The cult causes children to die due to its bogus blood ban. The cult also causes suicide among the members of the cult. Protect your family and community by warning people about this big money mind control operation.
   Christian Peper



5. This book gives a good background and history of the JW's and what is really behind their organization. The author jumps forward and then comes back from time to time but everything eventually fits togather. His style of English represents some one that grew up in another culture (ie. Germany) so it reads a bit different than comporary English. I'm 58 so readers younger than me might need to rewiew some general history if they need some reference points for the time period of WWI, the 20's, 30's, and 40's. Overall a good book; I'm hoping to get a younger person, that is contemplating joining the JW organization, to read it so she knows about what they really are!

No comments about CONVERSATIONS IN THE ABBEY: Senior monks of Saint Meinrad reflect on their lives.

2 comments about Out of the Storm: The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther.

1. Wilson's take on Martin Luther is certainly interesting in places; however, it's hard to figure out what sort of book he really wants to write. In some places, he tends towards a futile Eriksonesque psychoanalysis of Luther. In others, he attempts overarching statements about the secularization of the Church to few accurate results. This can't be an academic work, since there aren't enough footnotes and references to justify many of his historical accounts, and it isn't really a theology text. Unfortunately, Wilson tries to write an accessible work which wants to be all things to all people but succeeds in none of it. If you're looking for a true biography, a theological analysis, or a psychological treatise, there are better titles available for all of these possibilities. Look elsewhere.



2. A thorough biography of Martin Luther and an in-depth description of his times. This book is not easy reading, even though it's well written. Out Of The Storm is full of many of the complex issues that shaped the Reformation. Often I found myself having to reread passages. Also, Mr. Wilson didn't seem to write his book from a particular perspective. He lets the events speak for themselves; so to me his book doesn't offer a new take on Luther and his times, which might be disappointing to some, but for anyone interested in how and why the Reformation happened I recommend this book.
   
   Randy Kadish