Religion Books

I have read the much larger and more detailed Resurrection of the Son of God, Wright's scholarly version of this book. Now he has written much the same book in a more casual form. It is more accessible but still accurate, still fascinating, still Wright. Perhaps I should be surprised that one man can do both, but I'm not, because it's Wright, and he's done it before.

Right off I would say that it is impossible for someone as prolific as Wright to have each book be successful. Having read several of his other works, I did hear some of the same music in this one. The initial two-thirds of the book aren't really much good. That being said, those portions on the Resurrection of Christ as ordering the mission of the Church were very good, although I think Bright's work "The Kingdom of God" is a much better work. You might also see "Royal Priesthood?" To his credit, Wright is trying to convince people--and perhaps those within his own confession--that traditional ideas about the resurrection really are not New Testament ideas. I don't think he succeeds. Finally, I hate footnotes that refer to other works by the same author; Wright's work is full of these. I doubt very much that Wright's ideas in this work are so ground-breaking that he is only able to cite himself. I do think that Wright would be better served to publish less as his work is starting to sound redundant.

After reading this, extreme disappointment.

No need to rethink heaven, hell, Gospel, Judgment, Salvation from God's Wrath, Resurrection, Great Commission, Restoration of Davidic Monarchy by His Majesty King Jesus the First.

Desperate need on part of author to re-read the Bible with a new optometrist: The Holy Spirit and a Large Print Version.

Sola Scriptura Satis: Scripture alone is sufficient without baggage of rabbinic 1st century judaism scholarship informed by 21st century revisionism.

Please examine Peter's and Paul's sermons in Acts carefully to refute all the author's premises and departures from Biblical Gospel.

PICO - Preclusions In Conclusions Out.

N. T. Wright is a great author and most knowledgeable within the Christian ranks. At the same time he can sometimes speak a little over my head. The book is worthwhile if you want to work while you read it.

Bishop Wright has taken one of the most important concepts of Christianity and in non-theological terms clarified the teachings Jesus and the apostles about life-after-life-after-death and what is means for the mission of the Church. Many readers will have a surprise when the learn that they will not spend eternity in a white robe, with halo and harp, playing boring music. He strips off confusing ideas added in the Middle Ages and today's pop culture and shines a light on what we should be doing now in preparation for the appearing of Jesus and the remaking of the cosmos.

Whether you are single or married, you have to read this book. It is a life changer. It helps you better understand how to love your spouse and others. As a matter of fact, do what I'm doing: Read it twice, or you could say it's my third time because I also listened to the book on CD.

This book, more than anything else - although the movie Fireproof is awesome - helped me comprehend (more than understanding) the way to truly love my wife. I adore her after 31 years of marriage, and this book helped!

Wouldn't you love to be adoring your spouse? Spend less than $15 for this book and read it with an open mind. Then work on what you learn and over time you will enjoy the romance of your dreams. Buy this book and read it now!

Gary Thomas has done a great job with this book on marriage. It is not the typical "how to make your marriage better" book. It focuses on how your marriage should bring you closer to God. Even guys will want to read this book because he shoots straight. Pick up a copy. I use it in all my marriage counseling.

I have found this one of the most helpful books to give to marrieds and engaged folks. It largely avoids the complementarian/egalitarian debate (though it quotes one complementarian who is quite forceful in his views), focusing more on our heart attitudes. For that reason you can give it to a wide variety of people even if you're not really sure what their theology of marital roles is or even if they differ from your own. More than that, it presents wonderful challenges that all of us need; I think many marriage how-tos from either side of the evangelical spectrum really don't focus on the heart behind the decisions one makes in relating to the other and our roles. I think an honest look at the principles in this book would serve to temper folks' zeal about how they see marriage to work by bringing them to their knees in awe of the holy and awesome calling... in other words, to a place of humility where God can work on us and whatever assumptions or formulas we might bring to the table.

After prayerfully handing this book to one couple, I was told that they think I saved their marriage before it started. Now that's good to hear!

I have to say, however, that I relate very little to the woman whom Gary evaluates his reactions to (his own wife, who seems to fall into stereotypes in regards to emotions, desires, and so forth) or the pattern of marital sacrifices they've found themselves called to make for their particular marriage. And so that is a weakness to me. But the bottom line stuff is great as you think of ways to apply it to your own life--and relationships of all sorts within your life (I'm actually single). Because of its intimate reference to pretty much only one marriage and a fairly stereotypical if lovingly walked out one at that, many will find that it is best read along with other books--ones which do deal with the possible diversity of marital roles and callings for either the husband or wife--to which the same principles can be applied. I heartily recommend the book.

Btw, a favorite theology book on the gender topic is Dr. Sarah Sumner's "Men and Women in the Church: Building Consensus on Christian Leadership." To my utter delight in looking up the title of that book just now (my copy is perpetually on loan, so I don't have it sitting before me) I discovered that she and her husband just came out with a book on marriage this month. Yay!! I'm doing cartwheels in my mind at the thought. I hope it is as good as her previous books would indicate it will be.

My women's group used this book to guide discussions on a weekly basis for about six months. The group contained women with kids, without kids, single, divorce, remarried, widowed, and with traditional marriages. Everyone got something out of the discussions that took place despite their current situation. The author uses a lot of examples to try to get points across. Some are better than others, but all were helpful in getting the discussion going. The one chapter we lingered on the longest was the chapter on sex in marriage. This book speaks plainly about a lot of issues that people deal with in marital relationships. The only weakness I can see is that in a marriage where the wife is a Christian and the husband is abusive or hostile towards Chrisitianity, the advice given could be more harmful than helpful - especially the one on serving. As long as the two people in marriage are relatively equal in regards to their care and concern for each other, the advice given should help their marriages tremendously. Overall, this was a fabulous attempt to conquer difficult subjects. No one can write something that will fit all situations, so this author did a great job reaching the majority of his readers.

My wife and I have gone through the first chapter and answered all the study questions. We both loved it! After doing the first chapter I feel that the principles so far are very biblical. The way Gary Thomas explains marriage helping us become more Christ like is very comparable to the way the Bible explains how trials and tribulations are used to strengthen us, if we allow it. If you are married then you will definately relate to the examples he gives. I already started to think about my selfishness in my marriage. I know this is something I need to work on, and im just thankful that this book is helping my wife and I to talk more about issues that we both think about but haven't really vocalized yet. Im excited to see how this book will help me focus on being more Christ like so i can also be a better husband and father.

The book gives a good, grounded introduction into the inner workings of male - female relationships and is suitable for both married and unmarried men.

Our pastor recommended this book (who knew!). My husband read "For Men Only" and I read "For Women Only." Before we were married, we decided that each year, we would read a 'foster our relationship' book together. This is by far the best read we've done! Very insightful, specific and a fun read. We've already recommended these books to a number of friends and family members- both those with great marriages and those that could stand a little assistance. We recommend these books to anyone that isn't a mind-reader when it comes to their spouse!

This book is outstanding! It helped my husband understand things that I had been trying to explain to him for years. He now has a very clear understanding of the female brain and the many emotions and thoughts that dominate a woman's life. It has opened up many deep conversations between us and aided in our growing much closer emotionally, physically and spiritually. It is VERY user friendly with a cleverly presented "Quick Start Guide," and written in "guy" language.

This book almost perfectly describes my thoughts and feelings in my marriage. I've been married nine years and my husband still doesn't understand me. I'd really like for him to read this.

I listened to the audiobook of this. My first problem was that the authors chose to use the book as a vehicle to spread their misguided brand of evangelical Christianity. This was an affront to my intelligence.

Secondly, they clearly had no idea how to conduct a proper scientific study. The information presented in the book was based on an amateur survey and should be given little or no credence.

I would recommend to the authors that if they wish to publish further works on topics like this, they should go back to school and learn about statistics, random sampling and how to conduct scientific studies. Then, they should realize that there is no place for religion in books of this type.

If the authors want to write about their religious beliefs, that's fine, but the title should clearly reflect that so people who have a genuine interest in the workings of the human brain do not waste their money.

This book has been very encouraging in studying theology. It covers many topics, can be understood by the average person. In fact it was written with that purpose in mind. It does hold views, but also points out other views. Seems fairly objective. He's not derogatory or opinionated in style or fashion. I highly recommend this book even if doctrinally I don't always agree.

very good and very thorough but as with all things, remember, this is not the gospel and we must search the scriptures for ourselves and with the leading of the holy spirit and prayer, arrive at our own conclusions.

The study of doctrine should be important to any professing Christian. Understanding what you believe is essential. I have yet to read all through this book but plan on going through it in the next year. I am greatly looking forward to it.

This a fantastic book!,Imagine a book on Theology for everyman to enjoy,From the scholar to the layperson,everyone can enjoy understanding who God is.And this gentleman seems to write from a perspective of really loving God and people too,without any desire to impress anyone with his knowledge as Mr Grudem could easily do,This is a masterpiece and I cannot overemphasize how enjoyable and solid this hefty volume is,We need more men like this to break down these wonderful truths for us and yet they are still as meaty and can be as deep as you need to go with them,I thank my God for using Mr Grudem to bring this to us,all Glory to Him!!

The title of my Review says it all, and since there are already over 130 Reviews, I will make this short. This is simply the best comprehensive modern systematic theology in one volume on the market I have seen in 40 years of ministry. Why? It covers charismatic, evangelical, historical, liturgical and every other angle theologically, is reader friendly, loaded with footnotes and references from every Christian persuasion, and yet not avoiding thorny and difficult topics usually only tackled by very independent writers. No wonder it has sold over a quarter of a million copies in such a short time.

I'll make this short. I think Strobel's book is an excellent introduction to Christian Apologetics. He kept his explanations at a high enough level so that they were easy to understand without burdening the reader with much more, heavy detailed evidence that exists.

What I find interesting, however, is the number of readers that apparently have completely missed the point of the book. I've seen many reviews that criticize Strobel for not interviewing a single person that had a opposing point of view, for not interviewing any Atheists, etc.

To those people, I want to say this - Did you not read the title of the book??!! It's called the "Case FOR Christ", not "Notes from the Stenographer at Christ's Trial". Strobel was a confirmed Atheist (the prosecuting attorney if you will) before he wrote the book and in an attempt to DISPROVE the divinity of Christ, became a Christian.

Let me also ask this - if you were writing a book called "The Case For Christ" why WOULD you interview people that had an opposing point of view?

There are plenty of books out there that could be titled "The Case Against Christ" - they are written in general by Atheists, and I don't think you're going to find that they interviewed too many Christian scholars in the process of researching their books.

When you read a book it's kind of important to first understand the context of the subject and where the author is coming from when he wrote the book - I thought Strobel did a very good job in laying the groundwork on this - sorry that this point was apparently lost on some people.

Atheist or believer, this book is worth investigating. The author interviews several scholars concerning different aspects of Jesus such as archeology, history, psychology, and medicine. All the experts weigh in as to how plausible certain claims of the gospel are. Granted, all the experts are believers themselves, but this book does not intend to give a "both sides" account. It is also seems that their area of expertise and their studies helped convince them even MORE (or in some cases just convince) of the truth claims of Jesus.

The book is very easy and fun to read. It is written in the form of the conversation that the author had with each of the scholars and the author's commentary. It will give a believer a good idea of what academic areas have to say about Jesus, and non-believers an idea of what they need to argue against.

It's very simple - a proper, effective argument for Christ must defeat the arguments against Christ IN THEIR BEST LIGHT. Anybody can take the worst arguments for a stance, and defeat them - and then pretend that that's the end to the debate (this is especially easy when everyone at the debate is on the same side). To truly prove validity, you need to take the best and brightest of the arguments, and show why they're wrong. Otherwise, you've made a "case" for nothing at all (except maybe one's own intellectual weakness/dishonesty).

At best, this book is the intellectual equivalent to putting the Lakers on a basketball court vs. a junior high basketball team and saying that the Lakers winning the game is proof that they're the best team in the world. At worst, it's putting the Lakers on the court vs. the Lakers Cheerleaders who let them win, cheering them on each time they make a shot - and again, claiming that this proves their dominance.

It is also, in another way, plain dishonest - Strobel doesn't claim that this book is him, as a Christian, presenting the arguments for Christianity - no matter what the title of the book is. He claims this to be a documentation of his journey from Atheism to Christian belief. If we take him at his word on that claim, Strobel was either a miraculously easy convert or very stupid Atheist. Although, unfortunately for Strobel, something much worse is painfully obvious - that his claim of this book being a factual retelling of his conversion from staunch Atheism to equally firm belief is wholly false. His reasons for painting this picture are obvious - he hopes to guide the unbelieving of us along with this character named Lee Strobel, meeting us first in our land of unbelief, and guiding us down his trail to Christian freedom. Unfortunately, his dishonest grasp at this goal is self-defeating. In fact, it's insulting. Strobel thinking that anyone will identify with the simplified, ridiculously weak-minded caricature he presents of the non-Christian proves a barrier from him identifying with contemplative non-Christians.

Let's think of the same exact book, same exact structure, except instead "retelling" the conversion of a Christian to an Atheist. If we used the same methods as Strobel, it would go something like this:

"I, a hard-nosed, stubborn Christian journalist, was about to start my first interview with these Atheists, to see if they have answers to the hard-hitting questions...
'Author: So, Atheist X, I believe there's a floating bearded man in the sky who, after thousands of years of promoting barbarous behavior (killing any child who disobeys once, killing women if they are not a virgin on their wedding night, etc.), magically impregnated a virgin (who happened to have a boyfriend of sorts) to do some magic tricks, tell us all to love each other unconditionally, and die, come back to life, and thus save us all from the evil that was started when our great-great-great (etc) granddaddy ate an apple that a snake gave to him. I don't really have any facts to back this up, and I assure you that I will not try to refute any of your arguments, nor will I seek out anyone who can. Basically, I just believe this because my pastor told me so. So what do you have to say to that, Mr. Atheist, huh?'"

This is not an honest documentation of an Atheist's struggle and eventual conversion, or even an honest debate. It's a fixed game of bowling on page - Lee setting up pins, making them easy for a list of apologists to knock down. This is a Christian poster-child being dishonest (or at best, less than completely honest, which really isn't any different) about what really happened in his past in order to convince people to entirely change their worldview on life, death, and eternity. Why this isn't receiving the same type of scorn as a James Frey who does the same just to get published and sell some books makes me wonder if everyone is on crazy pills.

As a follower of Christ, this book embarrasses me.

"In light of the convincing facts I had learned during my investigation, in the face of this overwhelming avalanche of evidence in the case for Christ, the great irony was this: it would require much more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to trust in Jesus of Nazareth!" ~ pg. 265

"The Case for Christ" is quite an experience. If you read this book as an unbeliever the facts presented may lead you to a deeper understanding of Jesus and his mission. If you read this book as a Christian, your faith will be strengthened.

Lee Strobel was an atheist for most of his life until he began researching the life of Jesus Christ. In this book he challenges leading scholars with objections he had as a skeptic. His questions are hard-hitting and precise. In turn, the scholars present convincing arguments that are intellectual as well as heartfelt. Some of the questions he asks include:

Can the biographies of Jesus be trusted?
Is there credible evidence for Jesus in history?
Is Jesus really the Son of God?
Does Jesus match the identity of the Messiah?
Was Jesus seen alive after his crucifixion?

If you have any doubts about the validity of the New Testament, this book puts them to rest. Did Jesus really die on the cross and how could the resurrection be true? Lee Strobel investigates every aspect of Jesus' life and comes away with some startling facts and brilliant conclusions.

I love the way this book is written. As a journalist, Lee Strobel knows how to ask the right questions. His conversations with prominent scholars are the highlight of the book. I was amazed at the depth of knowledge these scholars possess.

I think this book can be enjoyed by atheists and Christians. I personally found this book to be exciting, informative and very well researched. Reading "The Case for Christ" could affect your life in a very positive way. It could also help you determine your eternal future. This is a book you will want to buy for all your friends!

~The Rebecca Review

Let me start by saying that this book has been recommended to me by Christian friends for a long time. And in my own atheist circles, I've heard Strobel criticized pretty rampantly. So, in the interest of fairness (although I wasn't expecting much, to tell the truth) I picked it up.

I didn't get beyond a couple of pages. Strobel presents an interview with an academic in which the claim is made that we can attest to the historicity/authenticity of the Gospels because Papias SAYS they are authentic in the early second century! Said academic then CONFOUNDS his egregious error by tacking Irenaeus, who lived much later in the second century, on there!

Let me explain for those of you who may not know: the Gospels are generally accepted to have been written in the late first century, with Mark being the oldest at ca. 70 CE--because it mentions the fall of the Temple of Herod in Jerusalem. Matthew and Luke are later, maybe 75-85 CE or thereabouts, and seem to draw on Mark but in their own way. John is believed to be the very last, maybe 90-100 CE.

So, the Christian tradition that the Gospels were written by the apostles of Christ is an old one, but it is just that: a tradition. And given the dates it's thought by credible historians that the Gospels were not written by Christ's apostles. For Strobel's authority to claim that they ARE based on a LATER source and a STILL LATER source is an absurd and transparent appeal to authority: 'X is true because so-and-so says X is true'.

I put the book down because frankly, anyone who's going to butcher something that badly has destroyed all credibility with me. Read it if you must, as a lesson of what NOT to do when arguing about the Gospels. Otherwise leave it on the shelf.

Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind

This book is great and really, really helped me recover from an emotional, verbally and mentally abusive relationship. I was only able to go to church about 10 times a year and even then caused rages in my ex. This will help you to understand how to recover and understand your feelings. Joyce is so inspiring and been through so much in her life so she been there and recovered and so can you!

Joyce Meyer is one of the most outstanding teachers out there today, in my opinion. The concepts in this book changed my life, and continue to impact me on a daily basis. They are presented in an easy to understand and read style that pulls you in from the start. What could be more important than dealing with what's going on in your mind! Everything in life stems from your thoughts and Joyce teaches you how to move up higher towards a better life. She has a God-given ability to communicate the heart of the matter, and to help you apply the information to your life. I strongly recommend this book and I feel that every believer should read it as soon as possible!

_Anyone with a Christian background, who has been bothered by feelings of inadequacy, or alternately feels like they can and cannot do something they they feel led to do - would find this invaluable reading.
Joyce Meyer defines worry, deals with problems many of us in home business find-- of a wandering mind -- , and encourages us to think about whether focussed on what we really want to happen.
It is the believer's version of "The Secret". The concept of the universe itself is very vague, whereas we can pray directly to God, and read the Word of God. If its right, and we get the negatives out of our minds, we can do great things if we focus on passages such as Phil.4:13(can do all--)

As a pastor who is called to care for his sheep, I have two objections to this book:

1. Joyce Meyers flagrantly misquotes/mistranslates scripture. She translates Proverbs 23:7 as "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he...". I invite the reader to open up any bible and see if her translation of Proverbs 23:7 matches up with any other english translation. It doesn't. In fact, it's nowhere near what it says in that verse or in the chapter. In case you're interested, the original Hebrew is nowhere near to how she translates that verse either.

2. She then continues by building her theology on top of her misquoted verse. Her basic premise is this: If you think good thoughts, then you will have a good life. This is a very unbiblical teaching. You can't get past books in the bible like Job, Jeremiah, Romans, Philippians (and others) without seeing very clearly that God does allow bad things to come into the lives of his Christians. And (despite what Joyce Meyers or Joel Osteen might say) thinking good thoughts doesn't remove them. Our Father in heaven allows them to enter our lives to lift our eyes to heaven, where there will be no suffering. He does this to show us how he will be with us here in our lives despite our pains and trials. He does this to show us that positive thinking isn't the solution to our life. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the solution.

There is a word for people like this--people who misquote scripture and then build their own theology on top of it: False teacher. Treat Joyce Meyers as you would any other false teacher, avoid her.

This book is one you will want to read over and over, as it contains so much practical positive information!

The key premise in this book is that if you change your thoughts, you can change your life.

Ms. Meyer's writes there is a battle going on for the control of our minds. This is a spiritual battle - a battle of ideas and thoughts. Meyers supports her premise with scriptures which show that Satan is doing his best to defeat mankind by poisoning our minds with negative distorted thoughts. The Bible states that Christians should have the "Mind of Christ". In other words, our thoughts should be in-line with those of Jesus. She devotes an entire chapter to explain how Jesus wants us to think as Christians - and what the mind of Christ means to a believer.

There are many other chapters which explain the many types of defeatist deceptions that Satan is able to "plant" in our minds to try to gain a foothold and wrest out minds from Godly things to negative distortions. Just knowing the bag of thought tricks that our oldest enemy throws against us, allows us to defend against him.

In reading and rereading this book, I found myself guilty of thinking in several defeatist or deceptive (lies) ways. Satan is the "Father of all Liars", and he plants suble lies in our thoughts to get us to question the goodness of God, how much God loves us, and how valuable we are in God's sight. Once we begin to question these things, our natural inclination is to become confused and negative. This is exactly what Satan desires - that we question God's love and goodness. Since thoughts are powerful forces in one's life, (thoughts actually change body chemistry) Ms. Meyers teaches the reader how to think in such a way that strengthens one's walk of faith and thereby strengthens one's mind and body. Healthy thoughts lead naturally to a healthy life and body.

I have underlined key thoughts from this book and I reread and rethink these things for it is easy to slip back into defeatist thinking patterns. Therefore, this book is not a one-time read, which then ends up on the shelf. On the contrary! This book sits by my bedside and I review chapters nightly before prayers and sleep to drive home the messages in this book.

I have not read a better "self-help" book that deals with positive Christian thinking. If you can change your thoughts you can change your life. Since changing thoughts is not something that happens overnight, I highly recommend that the reader reviews and meditates on the concepts that Ms. Meyers writes about. It is through constant repitition and application to life situations that the ideas put forth in this book bring results.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to have the mind of Christ and have a joyous life.

Jim Koenig

I love having this book on the coffee table for a quick hit of stillness. It is especially helpful when my mind starts realing and I need to calm down. Anything that Ekhart Tolle has to say has such power to soothe and bring a person back down to earth!

This is a wonderfully thought provoking CD. I find myself listing to it over and over again! It is well worth your time and money.

There is a powerful combination when I read the book while I am listening to Eckhart read it. It brings to Life what he has written.

I wish that I had what he has. Such a beautiful soul. A wonderful book to take along wherever you go, to quiet the mind.

This is a book, of amazing depth; each paragraph is a meditation; if you contemplate each, the meaning will open up; try it, you'll be amazed.. well actually you'll be THAT in which amazement arises... if you get the point.

This product was just what I was looking for. I am a therapist and use a mindfulness approach with my patients. Having access to such a welldone resource that is easy to use and understand for beginners has been very helpful.

While going through classes to try and grasp this concept I still could not grasp the practice. This CD made things so clear. It is extremely helpful & informative. I appreciate the authors tone and easy to follow language!
I will probably purchase follow up products from this author.

Jon Kabat-Zinn gives a most complete introduction to appreciating the now and quieting your mind. I highly recommend these cd's for the beginner.

I have been lucky enough to take two Mindfulness courses and they have changed my life. Both were run by excellent course leaders but nothing compares with hearing Mindfulness founder Jon Kabat Zinn discuss the philosophy and methodology behind it. His wit, compassion and way with words themselves make CD1 compulsive listening as well as explaining the reasons for CD2 which are the practices themselves. I cannot recommend this highly enough to anybody who wants to learn about themselves and especially those seeking release from troubled mind states such as anxiety and depression. Buy it- Mindfulness practitioners will tell you honestly that they make no promises to 'fix things' but it might change your life too...

A very useful program to help each one of us get in touch with what's real and important. It makes a lot of sense when you think about what John says. And you can't help but relax listening to his voice.

The author advocates spanking babies as young as eight months old. I defy anyone to find a Bibilical justification for that. An eight-month-old baby, needless to say for most of us but apparently necessary to say for those of the author's ilk, is not even close to the age of reason. It is therefore child abuse, not discipline. And certainly not Godly discipline.

I first read this book while a teacher at a Christian preparatory school. It was recommended by my supervisor, the Head of Lower School. It changed the way I dealt with my students and behavior issues that arose each day. I loved learning how to focus on the heart and using different styles and types of communication, depending on the situation and heart of the child. It is challenging to sometimes figure out the root of the behavior, and even more challenging as teacher of many students, to find sufficient time to talk and communicate with each child, but well-worth the pursuit. I obviously did not use spanking as a classroom teacher, but other modes of behavior correction. Now, 8 years later, I am a mother of 2 small children and reading the book for the 3rd time. We do use controlled, biblical spanking with our children. (How does one "back up" one's words without a spanking with small children? Especially if they refuse to go to time-out? Maybe I just have stubborn kids!) Anyway, even if you have chosen not to use spanking, you can still glean very valuable content from this book regarding communication and reaching the heart of your child, as I did as a classroom teacher. We are God's instruments to teach, raise, and train our children, and I don't believe that Tedd Tripp thinks that we actually ARE God (in response to another reviewer!) This book, while not perfect (is any book?), is very worthy of your time to read. I gained much out of it, and it is helping my husband and me in our journey to raise children with God-centered hearts.

The critical reviews of this book reflect why this book is so necessary to read. So many people object to what Tripp says in this book because they hold a high view of man and a low view of God which is not Biblical. When we rightly see man's fallen sinful condition, then we will comprehend the battle that we are in for the souls of our children(whether you want to acknowledge it or not). Come to the passages in the Bible with the proper views of God & man and you will come away with the same conclusions that Tripp writes in this book.

I read this book because it seems to have such a polarizing effect on those who read it. Wow. Either this is a one-stop parenting book, or it's a license to abuse children written by a nut! There's no in-between, is there!

Well, yes there is. I'll give this book a solid three stars, and here's why, from a free thinking Christian perspective (I'd like to think).

First of all, contrary to some of the more hysterical one-star reviewers, experiencing a few moments of sting from the buttocks is not the worst thing that can happen to a child, and it's not child abuse or perverted. It's what's happened to untold millions of children throughout history who became adults who contributed to their civilizations.

I believe the dominant form of child abuse occuring in our culture today is neglect. Leaving a child on his or her own to grow up as an undisciplined, untrustworthy narcissist is a far greater abuse to a child than the "spankings" it might have took at an early age to teach a child accountability.

Tripp's "spanking doctrine" is described within a context of communication and consistency, and within that context makes sense. Children are often irrational, and often don't respond to complex psychological manipulation techniques or reasoned negotiation. Spanking to me is a last resort. I think I've spanked one of my two sons an average of once a year, and not out of venting rage but because at the time there was nothing else I could do to end a bad situation.

Truth be told, I'd likely be a better person than I am today if I'd been raised according to all the principles described in this book. Hurts to write that, but there it is.

However, the author's biblical mandate for spanking is just plain poor logic. On page 31, Tripp says, in so many words, that I'm supposed to spank my children because Proverbs 6:23 commands me to and it would be a sin to disobey that command.

Well, there's Proverbs 10:13 that says "Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment." (NIV)

Obviously, that's a command straight from God that I should do my best to make sure anyone who "lacks judgement" is punished with the "rod". So, here's me at a party: "I'm sorry, but what you just said shows a genuine lack of judgement, so even though it's awkward and embarrasing for both of us, and might land me ten years in prison for assault, I'm going to have to beat you with a rod because God tells me to. Or, at least do my best to arrange for you to be beaten by someone else, because this passage just says you need to be beaten with a rod somehow".

So many Christians don't seem to understand that we are not bound by the Law of Moses, and I assume much less by the Proverbs, at least in terms of their being a collection of literal laws that count as sin if we don't obey them to the letter.

Furthermore, special needs kids have a way of trashing any prepackaged methodology for child rearing. My oldest son is high-functioning austistic. Spanking is simply not an option for him because he has a very high pain tolerance, doesn't interpret spanking as discipline, has little sense of shame, and the one or two times I tried spanking him years in the past he just laughed and hit me back. Then what do you do, Dr. Tripp?

Also, the useful information in this book could have been presented in about twenty pages. I scanned through it in a single evening and it seems I was reading the same stuff over and over again. Maybe some poeple need that to gain understanding, I just found it tedious.

And finally, Dr. Tripp did convict me that too much of my discipline, and my wife's, is emphasizing behavior modification and not attempting to point the heart of our children toward God. I really don't believe that if a child changes his/her behavior without a change of hear that he/she falls under the same condemnation as the Pharisees (page 5). My kids aren't religious teacher! Sheesh! Still, Dr. Tripp is right to emphasize that the goal of parenting is the child's heart, not just confirming to behavioral standards. I want to raise a Wally Cleaver, not an Eddie Haskell.

This book was highly recommended and so our christian Mom's group chose to read this. The basic idea could have been summed up in a simple brochure, the rest belonged in the garbage where our books ended up! Tim Kimmel's Grace Based Parenting is so much better, more loving, more practical. I hope others choose Tim Kimmel's book instead of Tedd Tripp's!

C.S. Lewis writes not about trends or fads that come and go, he writes about truth that is as applicable today as the day he wrote it. If you're searching for truth, or just trying to make sense of it all, I highly recommend the Signature Classics

I've always loved the Narnia series and had read the Screwtape Letters, but had never read C.S. Lewis's other famous works. This is a wonderful collection of his best work. I have loved every one and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing God through another perspective. Based on Biblical truth, but not "preachy," he gives us a glimpse into God's nature and His relationship with us. Not exactly an easy read (definitely not a "beach book"), but the message is crystal clear.

The book arrived very soon after I ordered it. Its description was accurate and the price was great.

enjoying c.s. lewis is a recent pasttime. i find these writings to be enlightening and full of life.

The book took a while to get here, and when it did, it was in rough shape for supposedly being brand new. I also discovered I could have bought it for $5 cheaper from another online retailer. Not too impressed with this purchase.