Avoiding Overzealous Faith

April 7, 2013 by Leave a comment

Review of ACCIDENTAL PHARISEES by Larry Osborne

_225_350_Book.812.cover

It might come as a surprise that a mega church pastor would write a book warning Christians not be be overzealous in their faith during a time in which secular humanism is growing more dominant, but yet, the book is as relevant as it is timely.  Those that are familiar with the story of Jesus know that the ancient sect known as “Pharisees” were singled out for strong criticism by Jesus and his followers.  They had a reputation for being very legalistic in their interpretations of religious teachings.

This book warns modern day Christians of several ways they can be unwittingly trapped into becoming like the Pharisees of old. Osborne discusses pride, exclusivity, legalism, idolizing the past, the quest for uniformity, and what he terms “gift projection” in major sections of the book.

It is divided into seven parts, with three short chapters in each part.  At the end of every part, there are one or two pages of discussion questions, making this book suitable for small group study.  Osborne writes in a casual but direct style, making his points plain for the reader to pick up on.

Not content to point out deficiencies he sees in others, Osborne also confesses to several of the faults being addressed in the book.  He explains that his views on several topics have changed over the years, as he has developed his faith and relationship with Jesus.

Christians everywhere can learn lessons from this short book, which earns it 5 stars out of 5 in this review.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <
http://BookSneeze®.com
> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

About these ads

Filed under Book Review, Traditional Values, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Solid on Principles, Light on Details

March 22, 2013 by Leave a comment

_225_350_Book.780.cover

Book Review: Heaven’s Lessons

Ten Things I Learned About God When I Died

By Steve Sjogren

This book is part autobiography and part motivational. Sjogren recounts his near death experience (NDE), and uses it to draw lessons that can be applied to life. The book is brief, with an easy to follow style that makes it a quick read.

The author has divided the book into 10 chapters, with each one focused on lessons he has learned from his encounter with the afterlife. His lessons are simple, but not necessarily easy to follow. For example, “Don’t Fear Death,” “Be Thankful,” and “God is Big” are some of the chapter titles.

Steve Sjogren is a pastor, and seeks to impart spiritual truth in a direct way. Readers will come away feeling assured that there is a Higher Power, and that He is a loving God. It is an emotional appeal to humility and thankfulness even when we are under stress, fearful, or taking things for granted.

Recognizing his shortcomings, he boldly describes some mistakes he made in church leadership, and his continuing journey to learn about patience in dealing with grief and forgiveness. This is made even more remarkable given that several of these mistakes occurred after the author’s NDE.

This is a book that will leave the reader feeling energized and with warm feelings to their fellow human beings. As Sjogren says, “God loves irregular people.” It turns out, we are all “irregular people.”

The book is solid on principles, but light on details. What it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with earnest emotion. I rate it 4 stars out of 5.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Related articles

Filed under Book Review, Traditional Values, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Asylum: A Christian Science Fiction Review

January 21, 2013 by 1 Comment

Asylum

The Circeae Tales

by Ashley Hodges Bazer

AsylumBookCover_225_350_Book.740.cover

Chase Leighton is a starship captain embroiled in a protracted conflict between the “Ghosts” and the “Legacy.” During the course of the conflict, his wife Trista is captured by Legacy forces and he risks everything to rescue her from her plight. When he finally catches up to her, she does not recognize him, and claims that her name is Krissa.

This book can be described as Christian Science Fiction. The allegory used is familiar to those educated in the Christian faith, yet the story is good enough to stand on its own. This is part of a series now encompassing ten novels, but is new to me. Reading this is a bit like jumping into a story that has already started, missing lots of background, but things move at a fast pace and keep the reader’s interest.

The medical ethics, or lack of them, exhibited by members of the Legacy tampering with Trista’s mind is explored in length. The temptation for Chase to exact vengeance for the mistreatment of his wife is also examined.

These medical experiments illicit comparisons in the reader’s mind with Nazi experiments during World War II, or perhaps Cold War era brainwashing techniques tried by the Soviets.

Despite the good story, I found the characters’ use of “Soli Deo Gloria” as an everyday phrase to be a stretch. However, this is the first Christian space opera I have ever read, and it proved to be an entertaining and fast read.  At the time of the writing of this review, the book is available on Kindle for $3.99, a substantial discount off the hardcover and paperback editions.

4 stars out of 5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <
http://BookSneeze®.com
> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Related articles

Filed under Book Review, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Who Are You, And Why Are You Here?

December 31, 2012 by Leave a comment

Wisdom Meets Passion

Review of Wisdom Meets Passion

When Generations Collide and Collaborate

By Dan Miller and Jared Angaza

Old school versus new school, or a classic look at how different generations approach life with different attitudes.  This book examines how the baby boomer generation looks at life and work, and how Generations X and Y approach it differently.  The authors picked the terms “Wisdom” and “Passion” to describe this.  Those that are looking for a career change, or not finding satisfaction in their current positions will find much to offer in this new book by a motivational speaker/author, and his son.

Yes, that’s right, Dan Miller is the father, and Jared Angaza is his son.  Jared followed his passion for serving those in Africa to the point of moving there, and changing his last name.  The book provokes one to consider how far out of our comfort zones we are ready to go in pursuit of our dreams.  As a balance, one also needs to consider whether moving out of the “normal” range is a wise thing to do.

The authors dismiss the over emphasis on formal education that is prevalent in our society.  They point out the value of traveling, interacting with other cultures, building and maintaining relationships, and work experiences in providing a true education.  Anecdotal stories of $133,00 of student debt and no job make the case for this.

This book provides interesting ideas that are sometimes motivational, sometimes repetitive, and sometimes self-promoting.  Miller’s website for his “48 Days” is mentioned multiple times.  The book is an interesting read, with unique stories that challenge others to live life for its fullest.

4 stars out of 5.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <
http://BookSneeze®.com
> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Related articles

Filed under Book Review, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Review of THE SEARCHERS by Joseph Loconte

July 3, 2012 by Leave a comment

The premise of this book is that people question their faith, and search for deeper meaning in life. The key concept that Loconte explores is questioning faith in comparison to the biblical narrative following the death of Jesus Christ. Drawing from the Gospel of Luke’s account of the men traveling on the road to Emmaus, the author points out that the men are extremely sad following the death of the man meant to be their savior. The book’s subtitle is “A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt.” Loconte’s thought is that sooner or later, we will all find ourselves among “The Searchers.”

Loconte is an Associate Professor of History at the King’s College in New York City, teaching Western Civilization and American Foreign Policy. He has given testimony before the U.S. Congress on the issue of international human rights. I mention this, because before reading this book, I was unfamiliar with the man; and am impressed with his breadth of knowledge in a wide range of subjects.

The book is peppered with numerous references to contemporary and past cultural events, ranging from Constantine’s conversion, to modern events such as 9-11, conspiracy theories, and Hollywood’s treatment of angels in movie and TV. Loconte manages to give relevance to such things as Cal Ripken’s baseball records, C.S. Lewis, Rembrandt’s art, Julius Caesar, Harry Potter, the death of silent film star Rudolph Valentino, and much more along the way.

This is a fast and thought provoking read that helps people to understand the nature of doubt that comes across all people of faith at one time or another. Just as the men along the road to Emmaus came to realize that they were walking with Jesus, the author strives to help us understand our own faith journey by discussing these other significant cultural events.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Help put more reviews like this online, donate to this blog via Paypal:


		


				


				

					

						Filed under Book Review, Traditional Values, Uncategorized
						Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , 					

				


			


		
			


				


					
Review of: THE FOUNDERS’ KEY by LARRY P. ARNN


					

						

							May 28, 2012
															by 
																											

					


					
The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It


Dr. Arnn is the President of Hillsdale College. That alone generated enough interest for me to read this book. In order to understand the current debate regarding our Constitution, the author explores the connections between it, and the Declaration of Independence. He points out substantial evidence for the faith of the men involved in writing these documents. Furthermore, he gives specific examples of documents they wrote that shed light on how they did not operate in an isolated vacuum from each other.


Today’s efforts to redefine the Constitution cause people (and even scholars) to suggest that the Declaration of Independence has nothing to do in the debate, because they are separate documents. Arnn argues that many of the men involved in crafting the Constitution had lived through the Revolution, and knew full well that the outcome of their “experiment” depends on having a government that serves the people.


The book is a little over 200 pages of hard hitting factual analysis, with a substantial part of the volume given to reprinting foundational readings, including The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States of America, Federalist No. 10, Federalist No. 39, Federalist No. 48, Federalist No. 49, Federalist No. 51, and “Property” by James Madison.


Arnn relies heavily on Virginians Jefferson and Madison for his points, but reinforces them with evidence from others, such as Washington and John Adams.


For an interesting look at the linkage between our country’s foundational documents, check out this book.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <

http://BookSneeze®.com

> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Related articles


		


				


				

					

						Filed under Constitutional Issues, Freedom Issues, Traditional Values, Uncategorized
						Tagged with , , , , , , 					

				


			


		
			


				


					
It is Dangerous to be Right When the Government is Wrong, By Andrew P. Napolitano


					

						

							March 10, 2012
															by 
																											

					


					


“The government makes it dangerous for us to be right when it is wrong.”




ImageThis is the basic premise behind this book by Andrew P. Napolitano, otherwise known as “The Judge” from Fox News and talk radio programs. For those who have not read any of his prior books, it is an excellent illustration of his libertarian views of politics, government, and Constitutional philosophy. Others who have read prior works of his, will find it fits with the ideas he has written about in prior works.


As a lover of liberty, I typically react in a positive way to Judge Napolitano’s books. When Napolitano says “The government is here to protect free choices – even bad ones – from the tyranny of the majority,” I could not agree more. In our age of out of control political correctness, the thought police are applying ever more pressure on people to modify their behavior, speech, and if possible, their thoughts, to the group-think model they espouse.


Napolitano argues for the notion of individual rights, without apology. He cites historical examples, such as the English Declaration of Rights which enshrined the “right of the subjects to petition the King, and all commitments and prosecutions for petitioning is illegal.” In this instance, penalties on the right of the people to petition were being used to try and prevent the very petitions in the first place.


This is an excellent read for those wanting to learn about the Constitutional rights which we have (and in some instances have lost) in America.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

		


				


				

					

						Filed under Constitutional Issues, Freedom Issues, Traditional Values, Uncategorized
						Tagged with , , , , , , 					

				


			


		
			


				


					
Pershing: Commander of the Great War by John Perry


					

						

							December 23, 2011
															by 
																						Leave a comment
																				

					


					
“No other American military leader is so important and yet so little known as John J. Pershing.”


Those interested in leadership and military history will find this book about “Black Jack” Pershing to be a quick and informative read. At one time, over a million men followed this man into battle, but yet he is not a major figure in contemporary discussions of history. However, he was highly regarded in his own time, and was discussed as a potential candidate for President following the “Great War.”


This book on John J. Pershing (1860-1948) is part of a series called “The Generals.”


Pershing was born in 1860, and his Missouri hometown of Laclede was subject to a Confederate raid in 1864. At times his family struggled financially, because of war damage, and subsequent economic conditions.


Later, Pershing taught black students in grade school, and eventually sought an appointment to West Point because it provided a free college education. His early Army career saw him commanding a black cavalry unit of “Buffalo Soldiers” fame. Critics of Pershing tagged him with a derogatory nickname from this experience, which newspaper editors later softened into “Black Jack.”


The book is a short, easy to read, overview of the life of John J. Pershing. In fact, most of the book centers on his family, and early career prior to World War I. Because of this, most readers will be intrigued by information that is not generally taught in U.S. History classes in our schools.


Pershing was renowned for his attention to detail, tough enforcement of regulations, and organizational leadership skills. Presidents McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Harry Truman all had complimentary things to say about him.


Future Army officers of note such as Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall, and George Patton all credited Pershing with being a significant influence on their leadership development.


His leadership legacy includes creation of the Military Police, Pershing Rifles, and significant influence over teaching Army leaders through a formal education system within the military. Lessons learned during the European conflict are still taught to junior military officers today.


For a short introductory biography of a man somewhat neglected in teaching of history, I highly recommend this book. For serious students of history, this book will serve as a good primer for detailed study of Pershing.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Pershing: Commander of the Great War by John Perry


ISBN 978-1-59555-355-3


224 Pages


Published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN, 2011


List Price: $19.99


Author: John Perry, Series Editor: Stephen Mansfield

		


				


				

					

						Filed under Freedom Issues, Traditional Values, Uncategorized
						Tagged with , , , , , , , , , 					

				


			


		
		

			

			

		


	




















	

	


	

		Follow
		


					


			

			
Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.


			

						
Join 2,009 other followers