Religion Books

I read this book at a particularly low time in my life, and I loved it. It encouraged me to stand on my own two feet, and it convinced me that my own two feet were more than adequate to sustain me. It opened up avenues of strength and opportunity. I went right out and bought other books by this compassionate author.

How to be an Adult is a great book to guide the reader towards establishing boundaries in any relationship. It is a reference book of sorts. It is small but don't let the size fool you. It takes a while to read as the concepts that are introduced are new and you find yourself attempting to figure out how to apply them. Great read for those who need to affect positive change in relationships.

I agree with others who said this book is not a fast read. It takes a few pages at a time to analyze and apply the information to your own life. I see that the author is very educated person. He gives a lot of statements from famous psychologists. On my opinion some of the authors own statements sound even better and underline better point than those of famous once. I enjoyed the book, although it was a little difficult to read. A lot of thinking should be involved when reading this book. It's definitely a very helpful book. It changed my perception of life phenomenally. I received a lot of answers to my questions: where my fears come from, what is a loss and how to live with it, the most important for me was explanation on unconditional love- I love that part. I highly recommend this book!!!

David Richo presents his work as a handbook for psychological and spritual integration. The book is very condensed and should be read in small snipets so that the information can be digested. It offers many statements for meditation. The book is a journey beginning with our neurotic ego, exploring a host of personal obstacles such as fear, anger, guilt, self-esteem, boundaries, intimacy, etc., and finally guiding us back to wholeness and love. The author's use of lists, comparison charts, and well chosen quotations provides us with incredible tools for our journey towards enlightenment. Although tedious at times, this work is a must read for anyone seeking personal gowth, happiness, and enlightenment.

This is a great book. Its a dense read, every word is important, so don't think you can just read it in a single afternoon

Well this is a true horror story. One that may well be true and one that we may not be able to change without a revolution.Power for Power: in the name of God, Big G thank you.Humble also. What we are really looking at--in my view is a country with little or no mental heath care for most AND a poor education system People look for "THE TRUTH."

We are a nation of sales people. Surprise! Someone has something to sell. What worries me is how many buy it. A God based fire sale for unregulated capitalism."The Plan" for the end of representative government.Just check with the top dog that talks with God....or maybe put him on the right meds. It will be a him. The ladies are gracious and submissive in this group--even some big names in the feminist movement.And they like it that way. Sorry no fems allowed.

Jeff Sharlit is a fine writer that does his research and writes in a clear style that holds you page after page. Jeff hope you read this. Please read Neil Postman's " The End Of Education". Postman's plan may be the cure. We need more good small g gods. A Big G God with followers that are tolerant would also help. Or maybe it's time to become intolerant of these treasonous powerfreaks that hide behind God.

Mr. Sharlet deals with a good number of facts about a group which has influence in politics. That is good. But there is intertwined some failed terminology and off-topic material that I find disturbing.
Off-topic: Why deal at all with Campus Crusade ("Christian Embassy")?
Inconsistent terminology: Is this group really "fundamentalist" or even representative of fundamentalism? Two stories emerge -- they are and tehy are not.
Does he understand?: The statement that they are merely followers of Jesus reflects some postmodern thinking. I don't know that Mr. Sharlet caught that very clearly. Apparently this was also unclear to some other reviewers.
The history section is thorough but will bog down many readers. It is scholarly to do this, but further peer review would have been helpful. In that light, the research and energy are good but the taint of such inconsistency damages an otherwise useful work. My suggestion to Mr. Sharlet would be to have a *critic* peer-review his work in order to gain additional clarity.

This is an excellent book for understanding both the public face of evangelical Christianism in the US and, perhaps more importantly, at least one very powerful and influential largely secret group: The Family.

Central to the Family's ideology is what Sharlet calls "American fundamentalism, a movement that recasts theology in the language of empire" (p. 3). The US, it believes, has the divine right to rule the world, either directly or indirectly. Any nation or individual who stands in the way of the American empire is, from this standpoint, thwarting the will of God and hence, evil. Reagan's language of the "Evil Empire" and Bush's of the "Axis of Evil" take on new meaning in this light.

Embedded in the notion of American empire are the ideas of "biblical capitalism," anti-labor unionism, free trade, and economic inequality. The poor will always be with us. Just as any opposition to American political dominance goes against God's plan, so too is any effort to organize labor, limit free trade, or abolish poverty.

The fact that there are individuals who believe that an American empire, free-market capitalism, and economic inequality are God's will is mildly troubling. The fact that many of these individuals are high-ranking government officials, heads of large and powerful corporations, and military leaders is a matter of great concern. (Also, the fact that this organization has received very limited attention by the mass media is also a cause for concern.)

Sharlet makes it clear that he is no conspiracy theorist. Family, he says, is "not a conspiracy. Rather, it's a seventy-year-old movement of elite fundamentalism, bent not on salvation for all but on the cultivation of the powerful, "key men" chosen by God to direct the affairs of the nation [and the world]" (p. 7). He repeats this claim later in regard to the founder of the Family, when he says "Abram's upper-crust faith was not a conspiracy, but it was not meant for the masses either" (p. 92).

The legal definition of a conspiracy is "an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act." So long as no two members of the Family, over the past seventy years, have discussed or plotted any illegal activities, then there is no conspiracy. But the very existence of a highly secret organization made up of influential individuals who believe in world dominance and who have an elitist outlook naturally raises the suspicion of conspiracy. One of the underlying principles of any democratic nation is that the public's business should be discussed in public.

The Family should be required reading for people who write about national and international events and for students of American government. It should also be required reading for students of religion and for liberal Christians--Christians who believe that they are called upon to serve the poor, the sick, and the homeless (not the rich and powerful) and for those who do not equate the Kingdom of Heaven with an American empire. For Christians who place their loyalty to God above their loyalty to free-market capitalism or the US, this book might serve as an object lesson of the dangers associated with conflating God and Caesar.

For a very different take on the relationship between Christian faith and national government, I would recommend The American Empire and the Commonwealth of God: A Political, Economic and Religious Statement, by David Griffin. This book argues, among other things, that religion is, or should be, the best bulwark against excessive nationalism, economism and imperialism.

The author of The Family, Jeff Sharlet, has written a lengthy expose of The Fellowship, a clandestine 501(c)(3) "ministry organization" housed inside the beltway of Washington D.C. that is perhaps best known for its sponsorship and production of the National Prayer Breakfast as well as affiliated prayer breakfasts around the world. For clarification purposes of this review, Sharlet refers to The Fellowship as "the Family." Sharlet unwittingly infiltrated The Fellowship several years ago and wrote about it in Harpers. This book represents a lengthened treatise on the same.

The subtitle of the book, however, is misleading in terms of historical word usage. To call The Fellowship a fundamentalist organization is a far, far reach in terms of the past and present theological understanding of the word in relationship to this organization. Protestant fundamentalists are those who possess high convictions concerning the preeminence of the Bible; in Christendom they are the defenders of the faith.

In Sharlet's own words, associations and definitions of The Fellowship, he himself defines the group's members to be anything but the subtitle he chose to give them.The astute reader will become suspicious as to why Sharlet or the publisher defined them as such: was it for purpose of book sales? To have subtitled The Family as The Secret Cult Group at the Heart of American Power would lack relevance to secular concern over the Religious Right movement in America. The subtitle is a clumsy attempt to tie them in, as though they are a covert arm of the movement. His attempt to do so is recorded on page 3: "[The Fellowship] were members of a very peculiar group of believers, not representative of the majority of Christians but of an avant-garde of the social movement I call American Fundamentalism." But he quickly admits, as soon as page 43, "The more I learned about the Family, the more difficulty I had in classifying its theology..."

To illustrate the point, notice the following definitions and associations used by Sharlet in his book:

A non-biblical group, page 61:
"In 1935...When the family began as a businessman's antilabor alliance in Seattle ... [their] origins lie not in the New Testament, which is ultimately little more than a fabric from which the Family constructs contemporary realities..."

A non-Christian group, page 14 & 15:
"We're not even Christian," he said (Sharlet is quoting a man named Zeke at The Fellowship's training center, Ivanwald). "We just follow Jesus." Sharlet responds, "this Jesus did not demand orthodoxy." Sharlet goes on to state that when Zeke quit his job and moved to The Fellowship's training center, he was told, "he'd meet another Jesus..."

A Buddhist group, pages 51-60:
"Not for aesthetics alone, I realized, did Bengt and the Family reject the label Christian. Their faith and their practice seemed closer to a perverted sort of Buddhism, their Christ everywhere and nowhere at once, His commands phrased as questions, His will as palpable as one's own desires" (p. 51) "I've been...trying to fit the religious practice I found in that Arlington cul-de-sac (The Fellowship's Training Center) onto a spectrum of belief where it seems to have no place" (p. 56). "I went to the Billy Graham Center Archives at Wheaton College, where the Family had deposited more than 600 boxes of documents, and I sifted through these seventy years of history in search of explicit theology, an explanation of what I had encountered...but most of all there was a mood...men would come from around the world to spend time with Doug Coe, or his predecessor, Abraham Vereide, to catch the spirit of the work...one did not learn anything; one found it in one's own heart" (p. 60).

A mystical religion for the elite, pages 89, 91, 98:
Speaking about his research on Vereide, Sharlet states, "In April of 1935 [Veriede] received not instructions for the day before him but a vision for the decades; God's hand moving His people in an entirely new direction. The revelation God gave him was simple: To the big man went strength, to the little man went need. Only the big man was capable of mending the world" (cf. p. 92; 159). "Abraham would become an exponent of a religion for the elite....for men who believed in their own goodness and proved it to themselves and each other by commending Christ and the next fellow's fine effort at following His example."

A neoevangelical group, page 43:
"Neoevangelicals distance themselves from populist fundamentalism, which they consider a folk--read: white trash--religion."

A liberal Protestant group, page 139:
"Abram soon joined Peale [Norman Vincent] as one of the twelve, a council ... bent on working behind-the-scenes to rebrand fundamentalism in Peale's feel-good terminology." (Cf. p. 135).

A dominion theology group, pages 44, 45, 111:
"Dominionists want to reconstruct early Christian society, which they believe was ruled by God alone." "This goal will be achieved through The Fellowship's "core group agreement." "These core, or cell, groups have hierarchical structure, at its heart would stand Doug Coe (the president of The Fellowship), said by the brothers to be as close to Jesus as the disciple John!" "Abraham agreed to use the `Bible as blueprint' with which to take back first the city, then the state, and perhaps the nation from the grip of godless organized labor." (Cf. p. 191; 218).

An anti-church group, page 213:
`"Doug [Coe] hates church' one of his followers, a former aide to [Senator Mark] Hatfield told me. (Coe considers church irrelevant to the real Jesus encountered in one's prayer cell." (Sharlet here supports this statement in a footnoted article from Christian Leadership magazine).

The Fellowship, if Sharlet's internal descriptions are correct (and I believe they are from my more than 30 years of interactions with the group), is anything but a Protestant fundamentalist group. Even if his labeling is off, however, his book serves a tremendous purpose in outing a potentially heretical organization that appears to pimp Jesus to politicians throughout the world. In this sense, Sharlet may be right on target.

"The Family" wants to lead Americans out of Democracy and into a world run by elite, fundamentalist, Christian leaders.

Jeff Sharlet's The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, describes the seventy-year history of the Family, or Fellowship, from its beginnings to the present day. This secretive group, now headed by a very private Doug Coe, has invaded the halls of our government, "spiritually" guiding leaders across the globe -- from vicious dictators to corporate CEOs and American politicians -- with a spirituality that claims to be a personal guidance by Jesus, having no accountability to anyone but Jesus. But the Jesus they espouse is neither the Prince of Peace nor the Savior of the poor and down trodden. No, He's a God of Power who forgives and forgets whatever methods the leaders use to control their populations and maintain or gain their power.

The Family does not advocate violence, it merely ignores it. For example, the blood-thirsty Suharto of Indonesia is a member of one of the many Prayer Groups located throughout the world, and is on friendly terms with the Family Leadership. The annual National Prayer Breakfast and the weekly prayer gatherings in the Senate are quietly planned and directed by Doug Coe. What the National Prayer Breakfast does for those seeking power is provide them with contacts with other powerful leaders, including the President.

Though not directly connected to the popular Christian Right, the Family uses its power and feeds its paranoia with highly charged "issues," keeping them in line and supporting their leaders.

I came away from reading this book with an alarmed sense that an insidious cancer has invaded and is undermining our democracy. It's well worth reading.

-- Joan Burds

Strong's is the concordance for looking up any word in the Bible. Lets put it this way, if you want to know how many times and where the word "the" or "A" is in the Bible, this book lists it! Incredible! Numbered Hebrew and Greek words with definitions. The only other thing you need is a Greek interlinear Bible that's numbered to the Strong's and you're set.

Great product...needed help with Bible study questions and the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance was just what I needed...

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
Easy to follow instructions.

This this a must have for everybody who owns a Bible! you don't have to know Greek or Hebrew to use this concordance!
I can recommend this book to everybody!

Strong's Concordance provides a way to study words Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic -- the languages of the the Bible -- without knowing these languages. It was designed for people who need this kind of help.

It has other uses also. Sometimes I have a verse of scripture in mind, but I cannot remember all of it or the precise meaning. I want to recall the exact words. If I can think of a single word that is unusual, a word likely to be found in only a few specific passages, I can use the word to find the verse by looking in the concordance.

Then while I'm looking, I may want to find similar passages about the subject. All the passages are easy to find using the Strong's Concordance.

There are programs on the Internet, such as the one at Blue Letter Bible dot org, with the same capacity for locating verses; sometimes though the book is better. There are quiet study times away from the computer, and there are times when the computer screen is otherwise busy.

I have friends who never go online. The Strong's Concordance is perfect for them. A concordance is a lovely gift.

I stumbled upon Dr. Craig while watching on old Day of Discovery episode. I enjoyed the things he had to say, so I googled him to see what he was about. That led to me reading his blog, website, etc, and finding out about this book. I am really enjoying it so far. I am taking my time going through it so as to make sure I understand the many priciples that I am being introduced to. Apologetics has opened up a new world for me, and I am excited to continue learning. Reasonable Faith is an excellent tool to get me in the know.

The 3rd edition of Reasonable Faith coincides with the recent launch of William Lane Craig's apologetic ministry www.reasonablefaith.org. This work is rigorous, thoughtful, and brings precision to some difficult issues (in other words, typical Craig!). Blomberg's chapter on the Historical Reliability of the New Testament has been replaced by a new / expanded chapter on the self-understanding of Jesus. The chapters on Miracles and the nature of History are clearly argued and persuasive. The switch to footnotes rather than endnotes is very helpful as well. But, by far, the most helpful chapter in the book (in my opinion) is the chapter on Knowing vs. Showing Christianity to be true. Here, Craig investigates the role of the Holy Spirit in knowing, as well as utilizes insights from Alvin Plantinga's reformed epistemology to talk about what beliefs can be / are "properly basic." This is a wonderful book. But it probably isn't the place to start one's apologetic journey.

A good introduction to William Lane Craig's writing would be to visit his website, www.reasonablefaith.org.

Also see:
God?: A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist (Point/Counterpoint Series (Oxford, England).)

Hard Questions, Real Answers

High School and College Students may also find useful in understanding the Christian faith:
Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower's Guide for the Journey

I have read his second edition and this revised and updated copy is worth the investment. The improvements to the cosmological and teleological arguments based on the current state of affairs in astrophysics is worth it alone. This is a must-have for the armchair apologist like myself.

A review of Bill Craig's third edition of Reasonable Faith by Michael Haney

Since every picture is taken from a specific angle, here is `my' picture of Philosopher William Lane Craig's new third edition of his most distinguished book Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Since Craig's new ministry website (www.reasonable faith.org) offers what is new in the third edition of this book compared to the second edition, this review will just proceed forth as if this is the first edition of this book to be released to the public.
Introduction:

Craig offers a working definition of the term `apologetics' and states why there is a need specifically for it within the Christian context. He argues that Christian apologetics play three vital roles. First, they have the ability to shape our post-Christian culture. Second, they have the ability to strengthen those who are already convinced of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus of Nazareth. Third, they have the ability to help in the process of sharing the good news with non-followers of Jesus. Ending this section, Craig explains the two different types of apologetics: offensive and defensive. Offensive apologetics seeks to present a positive case for Christian truth claims. Defensive apologetics seeks to nullify objections to those claims. Craig claims that his book Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics falls under the category of `offensive' apologetics but he states that he hopes to write a book in the near future defending the claims of this work and objections brought against it.

How Do I Know Christianity Is True?

Craig deals with the question of Christian epistemology. More specifically, he asks the question: how does one `know' that Christianity is true against other truth claims found within other religious contexts? After discussing a couple of key thinkers of the past and how they worked through the issues of faith and reason and how they interact, he distinguishes between `knowing' Christianity to be true and `showing' Christianity to be true. Ultimately, Craig argues that we know Christianity to be true by the self-authenticating witness of the Holy Spirit. In other words, our knowing Christianity to be true is not based upon arguments and evidence but by the work of the Holy Spirit. To thoughtful readers, this might appear to be `too subjective' at first glance but Craig addresses several objections to this type of epistemology. Regarding showing Christianity to be true, Craig argues it is here where arguments and evidence come into play when considering the truth-hood or false-hood of various religious truth claims.

The Absurdity of Life Without God

Craig simply offers what the title of the chapter seems to imply: a universe with no God behind it is a universe with ultimately no meaning. In other words, if there is no God, human life becomes directly and indirectly unlivable. But, if the Jewish/Christian worldview is true, it provides "the two conditions necessary for a meaningful, valuable, and purposeful life for man: God and immorality...If God does not exist, then life is futile. If the God of the Bible does exist, then life is meaningful. Only the second of these two alternatives enables us to live happily and consistently." (p.86)

The Existence of God: Part One and Part Two

Craig simply offers various sophisticated and well-argued arguments for the existence of the Jewish/Christian God. All these arguments are updated in light of new philosophical and scientific knowledge. Craig is right when he says that "the conventional wisdom is that it's impossible to "prove" the existence of God and that, therefore, if we are going to believe in God, we must "take it by faith" that God exists. But the last half century has witnessed a remarkable resurgence of interest in natural theology, that branch of theology that seeks to provide warrant for belief in God's existence apart from the resources of authoritative, propositional revelation. Today, in contrast to just a generation ago, natural theology is a vibrant field of study." (p.93) Craig works through various arguments in this chapter: ontological, cosmological, teleological, moral, etc. The catch is that he puts new philosophical and scientific knowledge into these arguments and even deals with a ton of objections against them. Again, two chapters are devoted to this particular section in the book so Craig obviously thinks it is an important issue to discuss.

The Problem of Historical Knowledge

Craig deals with the question regarding past events: how can we really `know' what happened in the past? It is often assumed that human beings cannot really know with any real certainty what happened in the past because of the belief that all history is written from a particular perspective. In other words, it is believed that there is no such thing as an objective recording of past, historical events. The charge is that everyone is too bias to record real, actual events without any spin. Craig directly deals with these charges and offers the hope that even though we cannot have 100 percent accuracy in this area we can still know with a good deal of certainty what actually probably happened in the past. More specifically, Craig argues that the biblical narratives, once tested, are overall a good telling of what actually happened in the biblical past. In the end, historical relativism gets smashed to pieces under the hammer of Craig's argumentation.

The Problem of Miracles

Craig specifically deals with the concept of the miraculous intervention of the Jewish/Christian God within history. He states that "before we can examine the evidence to see whether the Creator God of the universe has revealed himself in some special way in the world in order to offer us the promise of immorality so necessary for meaningful existence now, we must deal with the problem of whether such divine action is possible in the first place. And if it is, how can it be identified? That is to say, we are confronted with the problem of miracles." (p.247) Craig ends this section by arguing that the deistic presupposition "against miracles survives in theology only as a hangover from an earlier Deistic age and ought now to be once for all abandoned." (p.278)

The Self-Understanding of Jesus

Craig argues that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, God in the flesh. He asks the specific question: who exactly to Jesus of Nazareth claim to be? According to Craig, this question is very important for "the Christian religion stands or falls with the person of Jesus Christ. Judaism could survive without Moses, Buddhism without Buddha, Islam without Mohammed but Christianity could not survive without Christ. This is because unlike most other world religions, Christianity is belief in a person, a genuine historical individual-but at the same time a special individual, whom the church regards as not only human, but divine." (p.287) In the end, Craig argues that "explicit use of Christological titles like Messiah, the Son of God, and especially the Son of Man, combined with implicit Christological claims made through his teaching and behavior indicates a radical self-understanding on the part of Jesus of Nazareth." (p.327)

The Resurrection of Jesus

Craig asks the question: was Jesus of Nazareth really raised from the dead by God and if so, what exactly does it mean? More specifically, he states that "God and immorality: those were the two conditions we saw to be necessary if man is to have a meaningful existence. I have argued that God exists, and now we have come at length to the second consideration, immorality. Against the dark background of modern man's despair, the Christian proclamation of the resurrection is a bright light of hope. The earliest Christians saw Jesus' resurrection as both the vindication of his personal claims and the harbinger of our own resurrection to eternal life. If Jesus rose from the dead, then his claims are vindicated and our Christian hope is sure; if Jesus did not rise, our faith is futile and we fall back into despair. How credible, then, is the New Testament witness to the resurrection of Jesus?" (p.333) After working through a lot of historical and textual evidence, Craig ends by stating that "in conclusion, therefore, three great, independently established facts-the empty tomb, the resurrection appearances, and the origin of the Christian faith-all point to the same marvelous conclusion: that God raised Jesus from the dead...Given the religio-historical context in which this event occurred, the significance of Jesus' resurrection is clear: it is the divine vindication of Jesus' radical personal claims." (p.399)

Conclusion: The Ultimate Apologetic

Craig ends his book by offering what he believes to be the most effective apologetic for the Christian faith: a life lived out by aggressively loving God and loving others. He ends by stating that "more often than not, it is who you are rather than what you say that will bring an unbeliever to Christ. This, then, is the ultimate apologetic. For the ultimate apologetic is-your life." (p.407)

My personal take:

Craig's book is by far the best Christian apologetic book one could possibly find on the market today for it covers a bunch of the core questions relevant to examining the truthfulness of Christianity all in one book. And now, this wonderful book is updated for a third time by Craig offering new philosophical, historical, and scientific knowledge where needed and even dealing with a host of old objections from new faces and from new places. The only two beefs I have with Craig is that he did not mention or even appear to consult Philosopher Paul Moser's new book The Elusive God: Reorienting Religious Epistemology nor Greg Boyd's and Paul Eddy's fairly new book The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition. Moser's book, I believe, would have really strengthened his case for the Holy Spirit epistemology found in chapter one. Also, the book by Boyd and Eddy would have really strengthened chapters five, six, seven, and eight. These two books, in my opinion, are way too good to leave not consulted. In light of desiring to leave out of the book arguments for the historical reliability of the NT, he could have at least consulted Moser's book. In a post-post-modern culture becoming increasingly post-Christian, I think the epistemological questions regarding knowing spiritual truths (or knowing anything for that matter) are very important since a lot of college and graduate students (and even lay-people) are becoming more and more exposed to post-modern philosophy without being also exposed to adequate criticisms of those philosophies where needed. Overall, I would definitely add this `third edition' to my personal library, especially if you are the type of person who likes to work through arguments and their objections. I believe Craig has done us a favor by addressing some of these objections instead of ignoring them even though he originally claimed he was not going to do so in the introduction.

The arguments presented really offer nothing new in the way of apologetics, whether by Cardinal Newman, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, or St. Thomas Aquinas; the fact remains that in order to believe one must suspend disbelief, and wanting something to be true-- no matter how strongly-- does not make it so. There is absolutely no evidence for faith in the supernatural, and all efforts to provide rational arguments for doing so are either incomplete, misguided, or outright sophistic-- (theodicy, anyone??? [...])... Just because science does not have all the answers does not necessitate the automatic default to religion. Religious mythology has many recurring motifs, across many cultures and many eras (even pre-Mosaic and pre-Christian), whether exoduses, virgin births, or resurrections; and while these narratives can evoke wonder and emotion through sheer literary value, these qualities do not make them true. Any claims to the contrary are unsupported and unprovable. The inability to disprove something does not make it true-- if that were the case, then no one could prove that Santa Claus or even the Easter Bunny, do not, in fact exist; and there have been far more sightings of them recently-- especially at shopping malls during the holidays-- than of any other saint or deity.

This book opened my eyes and and is must-read for everyone.
This takes you to the very core of the meaning of life. As
more and more people read about the "Theology of the Body"
a much-needed revolution will transform the world.

This is a beautifully simple explanation of John Paul II's Theology of the Body. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a clear and easy-to-understand introduction to the Theology of the Body.

Prior to his elevation to Pope, Karol Wotija, wrote extensively on this subject (see "Love and Responsibility"). After he became Pope, the late Holy Father, John Paul II gave, over several years, a long series of talks on love, marriage, contraception, sex and the roles of men and women. These talks were collected into the book "Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body".

If anyone has read the late Holy Father's work, it becomes clear that he is an exceptionally intelligent man. These works are deep with meaning and it will take many decades to go through them. Most people will need an "interpreter" to understand them more fully.

What Christopher West tries to do with this book is cut to the chase. This book is not intended to be a scholarly review of the whole of John Paul II's mammoth work, but an introductory work, an "executive summary" if you will.

Theology of the Body has become controversial among some in the Church; especially theologians and traditionalists. The reasons are complicated, but they do not seem to be based on an honest and fair appraisal of facts. I have yet to see a critic of Theology of the Body fail to make false and misleading statements in their criticisms.

This book is intended to be a friendly and readable guide and invites people to study more *after* they finish it. It is inspiring and truly a wonderful introduction to this deep and profound subject. Not all of us are scholars, not all of us are theologians, not all of us has IQ in the low 160s.

Does it cover everything the Pope talked about? No. Can someone with a less than a high school education understand this? Most assuredly yes. Is there better introductory material on Theology of the Body available for those unfamiliar with it? Not that I have seen.

In short, this is an excellent introductory work and I recommend it unreservedly.

This is the best book yet I have read this year- simple, totally engaging, profound and provoking. And small! Christopher West, acknowledged as one of the most erudite interpreters of John Paul II's Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Bodyhas seeded his book with the "right questions" that lead to a deeper search for knowledge and challenge in knowing self, another, and the Word Incarnate. It is scholarly and practical, a rare and refreshing combination.
A Resource Section points out to further study, aid for ministry building and contacts. A Glossary of Terms, explaing some of the key theological expressions used in the book is itself a gem to stimulate individual or group conversations, research and meditation.
This is a book I definitely recommend for use in Adult Formation of couples, especially those preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which I have started to do and have found very fruitful!

As an academic theologian, I was intrigued when this book was not only being passed around among my friends and students but was recommended as one of the finest explications on the body, gender, and sexual intimacy as seen through the writings of John Paul II. It is not. And I say this not as a critic of those with conservative Christian beliefs (I am one), I say this because what West teaches in this volume is so sadly misdirected. In fact, I shared an outline of this book with a number of colleagues who gasped just as I did. "Surely," one said, "this guy doesn't have a degree in theology." And that was it. To the trained reader, this book falls apart not long after one begins to read it. West needs a theological mentor.

In a word (a fuller exploration is impossible), West thinks our society has become "Gnostic" and so flees from this heresy into the arms of a materialism ('monism') with an application to sex that we haven't seen since the 1960s. A colleague linked it to ancient near east pagan fertility religions. West exploits our understanding of marriage and misconstrues the place of sexual intimacy within it. For West, sex is no longer a gift from God, it is a "participation" in divine life -- on a parallel to how one participates with God in sacramental worship (e.g. the eucharist). Therefore to have sex (within marriage) is to gain some access to divine reality that one does not gain elsewhere. And with this surprising announcement, West thinks that the church will not only protect the sanctity of sex but recharge marital sex with all the exciting goodness God planned for it. There is a lot more, but this is the gist of it.

The book ends -- really, it is a major part of the book -- with an angry screed against any form of contraception. The ethical and medical arguments are considered, but the theological conclusions are utterly irresponsible. To use contraception is to reap the most severe criticisms. It is to deny any relationship with God, to void one's marriage, and to sin in the most profound sense. Of course, Natural Planning is the only option offered.

There are a lot of solid orthodox books of sexuality, the intimacy of persons, marriage, and the relationship of sexual life to marriage. One will find solid Catholic works on the relationship of marriage to sacramental life. But this is not one of them.

I couldn't help thinking that the outrageous, pop-theology style of West is one of the things that make people want to read him. Surely Christian theology, even bright laity like West, can do better than this. At least we should stop recommending him to our friends.

Pema Chodron explains the Buddhist philosophy in this as well as her many other CDs in a clear, relevant manner with just the right touch of humor relating to the human condition. She has mastered the philosophy, yet her modesty lets the listener know that she has been where we listeners often are. Easier to absorb than reading, for me, and a lot more fun. A great way to clear the mind at night when trying to get negative thoughts out of my head and helpful to prepare for sleep. I actually fall asleep with the headphones on and hope that perhaps my subconscious is learning her explanations of various instructions. Super for the novice or the more advanced student.

This is an advisory not a review. The content of these three CD's is excellent. When Pema speaks there is a continual popping-clicking sound which is not present when Robert Walker the reader speaks. This indicates to me a defect in the original recording, perhaps in her attached microphone. I'm surprised these weren't picked up by the sound technicians and the noises eliminated during the recording. These odd sounds exist through the entire recording and for me were disconcerting.
Listening to Pema speak I was getting annoyed by the strange crackling sounds when I realized she was discussing "bourgeois suffering"--those minor things that irritate all of us, traffic jams, rude people, not getting your correct seat in an airplane, etc. I laughed and finished all three CD's, crackling sounds and all. If odd noises like this bother you, be forewarned.

Good practical advice that allows you to get to know yourself. This CD helps you to practice spiritual principles in our daily lives. Loved it!

This recording is ok. I had not heard Pema speak before and she does have an engaging speakers voice. I was disappointed however as I did not realize this recording is mostly about interpreting verses from Shantideva's writings. I wanted more practical advice (from a buddhist perspective) on how to deal with anger. I don't believe this recording provided that. Would I buy it again knowing what I know now? No, there is not a lot of substance to it.

The entire book is wonderful -- after reading so many works (and listening to some talks) by noted teachers and other Buddhist practitioners about this or that element of the philosophy/faith, it's refreshing to just hear someone talk. That is, rather than innundating a lay listening like myself with this or that concept in Sanskrit or Pali and using confusing allegories that made perfect sense when they were related several thousand years ago, listening to the wonderful words of Pema Chodron is so nice.
Above all other teachers, she talks to me -- and the many thousands of others who listen to hear -- as if she were a friend. She tells me about her own experiences and then makes fun of herself and so I don't feel like she's someone above me, someone to work at trying to be. She just seems to be someone who is further along the same path I'm walking down.
The only reason that I have any problem with this audio book is that the idea of Shenpa in the book was still a little unclear to me after I had finished it. Although now I know that Shenpa is a bit ephemeral; this was never explained, clearly at least, in the book.

This is probably one of the best slow cooker books I have tried. There are so many recipes, and many variations of those recipes. The ingredients are simple to find and use, and the ingredient lists are not too long. Some recipes do have more than 5 ingredients, and the book gets away with that by calling in "optional" ingredients. This is okay though because even the optional ingredients are easy enough to throw in there with everything else. I have made so many recipes from this book, and pretty much every time I look in here for ideas on what to cook for dinner, I find something new. There are also great recipes in here that your family will ask for more than once. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to use their slow cooker more!

I love the ease of these recipes. Perfect for busy adults who want to come home to an easy crock pot meal that is ready at the end of the day. The ingredients are ones that most people have available in their pantry. There are no pictures but it isn't important since the preparing is so simple.

The book is the best in the series as the ingredients help make the actual recipes shorter. I've tried many of them and they are easy and convenient. I am health conscious and so often times if a recipe doesn't call for reduced fat or fat free options, I automatically substitute those things. If they could make a 5 ingredient + healthy version, it would be great!

I was not as happy with this book as I had hoped. It uses a lot of short cut food products, not like real home cooking to me. However, my 20 something daughter liked it and took it home with her, so it was not a total loss.

I bought this for my single son who is in graduate school and doesn't like to cook. He thinks it is great to be able to take a minimum amount of ingredients, throw them in the crockpot and come home to dinner already prepared. He is really enjoying it!!!

The book arrived in great time and is another classic of this famous and amazing author. It is all that was expected and I highly recommend it to anyone who is now, a C. S. Lewis fan or will be upon reading any of his works. Thanks gain to Amazon for another honest and quick transaction. Gary Krei

The Essay "The Inner Ring" moved my youngest daughter from the margins of middle school to its social center. Six years ago when she was in the sixth grade, we talked several times about a group of three girls that were the most popular in her school. Because she was so curious about the subject, I read her "The Inner Ring." She loved it. She asked many good questions, related the essay to her situation, and to her friends. By the middle of her seventh grade year, the group had expanded to six and because four of the six members of the group had siblings in the high school, the "six pack" was the subject of high school gossip in addition to being the coolest clique in the middle school. My wife believes that in reading "The Inner Ring" to mathematically minded Lisa, I gave her the rules she needed to become a permanent member of a group who all were starters on at least one sports team and continued to be close friends in high school.

This book is actually a collection of essays. Lewis addresses various things such as, the glory of man as being a reflection of the glory of God, why he is not a pacifist (where he gives some pretty strong moral, biblical, and sensible arguments), speaking in tongues and various spiritual gifts (moreso on their implication, not on the technicality of each or what exactly each gift is), what he calls "is theology poetry" (or in other words, do we believe in theology just because the idea of a cosmic drama appeals to us), the affects of peer pressure and the gradual degradation of one's inner principles and also its positive affects when one surrounds him/herself with Christians, and forgiveness.

Overall a very enlightening read, in which many issues that are not commonly talked about are given attention. Not very long either, but packed full of insight.

I agree that this collection is often overlooked when considering the best works of CS Lewis. Among the essays, my personal favorites are Weight of Glory and Transposition. I highly recommend this book.

There is a jacket blurb on The Weight of Glory from John Updike, who comments on both the comfort and pleasure afforded by Lewis. Neither should be underestimated. This is great devotional writing but it is also great writing, writing that is typified by Lewis' ability to deal with the weightiest of matters with a light touch.

It is a truism that our faith is reinforced whenever we see it embraced by great minds. Samuel Johnson believed that and it is interesting that Lewis often turns to Johnson for such reinforcement, as we turn to Lewis--one of the indisputably great intellectuals of the twentieth century. Part of that greatness comes from the stark clarity with which Lewis sees important matters. That makes his work accessible; it does not make it simplistic.

All of the lay sermons in this volume are trenchant, though 'The Weight of Glory' and 'Learning in War-Time' are exceptional. I especially like 'Is Theology Poetry?' and 'Membership' and find 'Why I Am Not a Pacifist' of particular interest and importance these days.

This is a book to be read, embraced, and shared.

I read this book for my book club, but found it to answer many questions I was having (as a protestant married to a Catholic) about Catholicism. It is written in a down-to-earth way so that even I could understand it!

It's a good and also fairly quick read. I highly recommend it.

A single and interesting experience around human being and his need to go through the deep of his soul. A wonderfull withness of the dayly life and a sane relationship between a man and a woman.

The book arrived quickly after ordering. The perspective the book provides is that of a non-Catholic to begin with, which is interesting. The basis for the book is the Bible and there are plenty of references for those who doubt the accuracy of the book itself. Highly informative and makes me, as a Catholic, confident to spread the word.

This was an interesting book, but what I learned from it was surprising. What was notable was not their conversion from Protestant to Catholic, but the fact that they were Evangelicals, and remained that way regardless. The husband's story is full of zeal and enthusiasm and the wife's is loaded with struggle and torment. The book was way too dramatic, and I wonder if the couple converted not because of their love for Catholicism, but for their love of Scripture, which they analyzed for what seemed every minute of their waking lives. I don't doubt their sincerity, but their zeal can be a bit off-putting. For me, not a keeper.

The journey of faith is personal, yet it's fun to read about others searching, even if their approach, or where they end up, might be very different from one's own. "Rome Sweet Rome" has its moments, though I found Hahn's pedantic approach to conversion off-putting. Why are there so few negative reviews of the unbelievable amount of pure drivel this man has "mass" produced? Pun intended.

Words, sola scriptura, and authority matter a lot to Hahn. How can he consistently avoid writing about the Church's sex abuse scandals (how can so many Catholic theologians turn such a blind eye?), or, having studied Martin Luther, fail to address his infamous rants against Jews? Lutherans actually have been fairly open about this, especially the wise Kristal Stendahl. It would be a grace from God if all Christianity became more objective and honest about its history, thus allowing for real growth and real faith.

Hahn's self-importance precluded his waiting to convert to Catholicism until his wife became comfortable with this significant change and process. Unlike the suffering of the saints, Hahn couldn't humbly exercise patience and compassion towards his partner, but exhibited extraordinary vanity. His mantra should be, "I want, I want..." His desire for the Eucharist became his justification to break a marital promise/covenant (of course, misusing a scriptural passage to justify this action), leaving his wife to struggle on her own in an unfamiliar spiritual landscape that kept shifting under her feet. Kimberly Hahn's description of her pain was humble, and humorous. Her conversion experience, with its real challenges, appears to have been deeper than her husband's, thus the sections she wrote are more compelling. Opus Dei members assisted Hahn's adherence to the Church, while leaving his wife floundering spiritually and emotionally.

Like many who purchased Hahn's later books, I thought they might mirror real development of spirit as he learned about the early Catholic faith and its Judaic roots. Rather, Hahn bends Catholicism to fit a Protestant perspective, reinventing faith from an ivory tower built on a Babel of words. Real faith should be able to examine extremely difficult issues and find some way forward. While Hahn's scriptural quotations are usually accurate, his analysis and interpretation lack theological maturity. Hahn is not the best source for Catholic theology, his previous formation molded his perspective, and his misinformation is a serious theological issue for those seeking real faith. Yet his enthusiasm and sincerity pull thousands along, unquestioningly; there are few dissenting voices regarding Hahn.

In "Rome Sweet Rome," his vanity actually prompts him to brag about lingering in Pope John Paul II's private chapel, alone with the Pope, after the honor of being invited to a private mass. While the Pope knelt in prayer after all the other guests respectfully left, he was unaware that a lingerer remained to observe him. The Pope's private secretary had to hurriedly return to the private sanctum to collect the Lurking Hahn, who was busy enjoying his illicit thrill of being alone with Pope John Paul II. Perhaps this occurrence is one reason private masses with the Pope were since cancelled?

Others seeking a sincere, informed path in faith need to be provided another point of view. Having read many of Hahn's books (never again!), I feel obliged to warn others, as there are few critiques of Hahn's body of work and misrepresentations. Consistently, Hahn's scriptural quotations form a litany of words that obscure, rather than illuminate, truth, though he has quite the following.

I'd like to say some faith is better than no faith, and that if Hahn helps encourage people, fine. But faith has too often been horrifically misused in history, through bad ideas, to remain silent. Of course, Hahn is a fan of the fatuous Anglican writer N.T. Wright, another cultural relativist. Hahn was "convicted" to become a Catholic, and has found a wide audience, convicted to read his quantity of books, but theological bulk does not equal quality.