3 comments about Confessions of a 'Sixties Priest: But Probably Not What You're Thinking!.

1. A fun and thought-provoking book about learning to be honest with yourself - and definitely not what you think a priest might confess. Jim O'Brien has written an intriguing second volume of his memoir. Following his graduation from the seminary and his ordination, he is assigned a succession of posts in and around the diocese of Rockford, Illinois. His recollections are again funny and touching, and sometimes very surprising. Why would a bishop in Rockford assign a young priest to study for a Master's degree in Broadcasting, for example. But in this volume, O'Brien writes of his increasing frustration and confusion in his new role. Between the laughs, you find yourself wondering how the young priest will find a way out of the trap he seems to have set for himself. I was reminded of the first verse of the Talking Heads hit, "Once in a Lifetime":
   
   "And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
   And you may find yourself in another part of the world
   And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
   And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful
   Wife
   And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?"



2. O'Brien traces his priestly career through an increasingly turbulent decade with self-deprecating humor and occasional irony. Alternately promoted, demoted and remoted, he encounters the famous, the almost famous and the yet-to-be famous. As the author himself notes, "I might have misremembered but I didn't make it up." Tabbed by his bishop for journalism, his liberal views relegate him to the boonies. Tabbed again for a graduate degree in television, he finds himself chaplaining a congregation of girls and women religious, not the best possible choice for the young celibate. Along with many others in his time, as the cultural revolution dissolves in a chaos of drugs and protests, O'Brien joins many others in leaving the priestly ministry.



3. In CONFESSIONS OF A SIXTIES PRIEST, the second volume of James O'Brien's memoirs, we see how a young, idealistic priest loses his vocation and his faith in his first decade out of the seminary. O'Brien's movement away from the Church probably would have occurred anyway, but since the decade in question was the 1960s, his re-examination of his life and his resolve to make radical changes in it were probably accelerated by the forces that were changing American society during that time.
   
   As in his first volume, O'Brien gives us a look into a strange and now largely vanished world, that of American Catholic priests. On the one hand, the lives these men chose to lead, first in the seminary and then out in the world, strikes us as odd now, full of senseless restrictions and empty rituals. On the other hand, O'Brien shows us a group of characters that, as a group, is not odd at all. That is, some men in it are clever, honest , and interesting, while others are slow-witted, shady and dull. They could be accountants or stockbrokers; they do not seem holy. Perhaps this added to O'Brien's disillusionment, but he is not explicit on this point. Indeed, he is never clear on just what led him to reject his vocation, and that may be because it was not one thing, but a slow realization that his faith had disappeared.
   
   Unlike some authors who have broken with the Church, O'Brien writes about it without being harsh or bitter. He is able to express some nostalgia for it; we can see why the religious life once might have been attractive, while at the same time he makes clear the many failings of the Church (especially its leaders) and why many people raised as Catholics are now alienated from the religion.
   
   It is not, of course, O'Brien's purpose to explain the decline of the Catholicism in America. This is a memoir, and in it we see how one man changed in a changing society. O'Brien tells his story with good humor and admirable self-detachment.

1 comments about The Woman Behind the Collar.

1. The book is an illuminating look at a the makings of a modern Anglican priest.
   
   I will note, however, that it was originally published as "Beneath The Cassock" --- so no need to buy both!

5 comments about John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides.

1. the life of John G. Paton was one of a continual sacrifice to bring the gospel to those that hated it the most. It is hard to imagine living under such scrutiny and continual danger and still loving the people that literally wanted to eat you. This book, especially the first half, is full of incredible stories of God's provision and faithfulness and Paton's committment to staying and bringing these people the Gospel. It also has an incredibly touching story of one of the natives who gave his life to save people that were exactly where he saw himself before he heard and believed this gospel.
   
   as a teacher, I find myself often using little stories from this book to stress committment to the kids I work with. Paton is from the period of missions where these guys were truly on an island by themselves. He gave up everything even though many told him not to go to the savages. One of the greatest lines from the book is when an old man was telling Paton not to go to the island saying 'But Paton, they'll eat you!' Paton replied, "Maybe, but you are advanced in age and will so pass away, only to be eaten by worms. What difference is it who we're eaten by?" that isn't the direct line, but the main idea of what he said.
   
   Paton displayed the true idea of a life turned over to whatever Christ wanted and a life that truly displayed that he believed his citizenship was in Heaven.



2. John Paton was the famous 1800's missionary to the cannibals of the South Seas islands. This is his autobiography and it is over 500 pages long. I read it slowly over about 8 weeks. It was more than worth my efforts!!
   
   However, if you are not an avid reader, this book will probably be "too much" for you. I'd recommend getting one the shorter biographies of his life. But because this is John's first hand account - there are many fascinating stories/situations. You'll probably miss out on many of them if you opt for a biography of his life instead.
   
   This book was inspiring and powerful. It takes you from his childhood, all the way to his later years. John Paton was sold out for Jesus, and for reaching the cannibals for Christ. Imagine landing on a primitive island, and not even speaking the language of the natives. He started from nothing! He endured much hardship,suffering,sickness and danger - especially on the first island that he was a missionary on. There were setbacks and disappointments. Many would have given up and went home, but not John Paton. Eventually, after much sacrifice and labor, he saw many natives come to Christ and their lives miraculously transformed.
   
   On a lighter note...One part of the book left me laughing so hard that I cried! Paton was a "total abstainer" from alcohol (and he argues his choice very strongly). But one time while travelling in Australia he had a 20 mile ride on a crazy, out of control, horse. Upon reaching his destination, he was topsy turvy and could barely speak. They thought he was drunk and try as he might he couldn't convince them he was sober. You have to read it yourself - it was hysterical.
   
   Anyways, I give this 5 stars. It is a missionary classic.



3. This autobiography has seemingly included every detail of the author's life with the tribes of the New Hebrides. It may not have been necessary to include an account of each incident when one would have done to represent all of that particular type. Thus the book is more one of a historical account than one that would inspire others to follow in John's foosteps of ministry.



4. Another of my top three autobiographies of all time. Paton gave his life to taking the gospel to islanders of the Pacific. It cost him the lives of those dearest to him. At times he had to flee for his life. Paton experienced both extaordinary suffering and blessing. An incomparable story of a missionary giant.



5. I'm a pastor who has read my share of biographies and historical books. This book, by far, is the greatest biography I've ever read. Paton has become my historical hero! You learn from Paton what it really looks like to trust in the sovereign goodness of God, what it looks like to be a father and raise many kids, and what it looks like to have a heart for missions! Once you start reading you won't want to put it down . . . I've read it multiple times and burned both ends of the candle with this one!

1 comments about Kathryn Kuhlman: The Woman Behind the Miracles.

1. While Jamie Buckingham's 'Daughter of Destiny' remains the definitive biography of Miss Kuhlman, this is a valuable collection of interviews and insights that help to better explain Miss Kuhlman's personality and history. Her connection to Aimee Semple McPherson is not as accidental as once thought and her devastating divorce in the 1940's and the collapse of her early success in Colorado was more bitter and scar-filled than even Buckingham (with his brutal honesty) records. Despite claims to the contrary, Warner concludes, like Buckingham, that Miss Kuhlman, not unlike Aimee Semple McPherson, was unique without a direct successor. Daughter of Destiny: Kathryn Kuhlman

No comments about Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope.

1 comments about Helen Steiner Rice-The Healing Touch: Poems, Letters, and Life Stories.

1. Book arrived promptly and in good condition. I always love the heart felt message in Steiner Rice's poetry.

1 comments about Padre Pio: The Wonder Worker.

1. It's impossible to imagine a reader not being moved by the life of Padre Pio as told in this delightful little book.

   Complete with numerous photos of the Saint and rich chapters about the life of this holy man this is a title you'll turn to again and again.

   Padre Pio's gifts of the stigmata, bilocation, prophecy, reading hearts, and interpreting languages makes him a most extraordinary Saint.

   The chapter on his bilocation alone is well worth the price of the book.

5 comments about Rabble-Rouser for Peace: The Authorized Biography of Desmond Tutu.

1. Journalist John Allen has given us both a highly readable, engaging biography of retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and of the remarkable story of South Africa's transition to true democracy. What emerges is a portrait of a complex man of God, who understands that faith that is not translated into action to advance justice is worthless. Tutu's so-called "African spirituality"--in which there are no false (Western) distinctions between the sacred and secular, the body and soul--holds great wisdom and the power to heal many of the world's deepest problems. This is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in modern history, world events, and the role of people of faith in shaping and altering the course of events in positive ways. The diminutive Tutu stands alongside the giants of our own, and any other, age.



2. Having lived in South Africa for 36 years (1954-1990), I found that there were (not surprisingly), two sides to Desmond Tutu. My namesake John Allen has given the mainly positive aspects of the man, while my own book, 'Apartheid South Africa: An Insider's Overview of the Origin and Effects of Separate Development', gives the other. For instance, the Archbishop was accused by South African President Thabo Mbeki of being a liar and a charlatan, while President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, in his better days, called Tutu 'an angry, evil and embittered little bishop'.
   I have listed much more about Mr Tutu in Apartheid South Africa, but coming from such well-informed people, statements like these should be enough to get readers thinking.
   
   John Allen



3. An excellent biography. I will echo another review that this book is highly readable. I wish I would have been tuned into the events in South Africa as a teen (or that my Social Studies teachers would have been tuned in) in the 1980s. This book helped to inform me of broad events in South Africa as well as give me an honest picture of Desmond Tutu. It is incredible how Tutu's theology informs his actions. He understands God in such a way that he could not sit safely on the sidelines. The book not only informs, but inspires. From a historians perspective, the use of primary sources throughout the book is clear. Well researched, well written! I highly recommend this book.



4. The book starts in a very dramatic fashion with the description of a confrontation between Tutu and P.W. Botha. The vividly-written drama of the meeting has a certain sense of urgency to it and immediately draws in the reader and keeps him/her enthralled throughout the book. Though a thick book, I finished it fast since I didn't want to put it down. That for me is a thumbs-up.
   
   The author leads us through Tutu's life with ease and finesse as he describes Tutu's youth, his stay in England, his slow climb up the hierarchy in the clergy in South Africa despite resistance, his forays into the anti-Apartheid movement. He not only made the international community aware of Apartheid (`apart hate') but also lobbied with them for imposing sanctions on South Africa. The book climaxes with the freeing of Mandela and the holding of elections in mid-1990s.
   
   Throughout this easy-to-read book, Allen slowly builds up a mosaic of Tutu as being strong willed, persistent, compassionate and with a sense of humour. The various layers of Tutu's personality are revealed to the reader through anecdotes and reminiscences of others.
   
   The strength of this book also becomes one its only drawback. It is extremely well-researched but then there is so much happening all the time, so many characters both well-known and less known that the book, at certain pages, becomes a muddle of facts through which the reader has to plod through. However, that doesn't take away significantly from the quality of the book.



5. My admiration for Desmond Tutu is unbounded. I've read his words, I've heard him speak, I've been inspired by his passion for the social gospel and Christian pacifism. He is indeed a prophet.
   
   That's why I'm flabbergasted at how uninspired and uninspiring John Allen's biography is. The book is clearly well-researched; there are almost 40 pages of tiny-printed endnotes. Moreover, Archbishop Tutu clearly has approved the biography; it's "authorized." Finally, Mr. Allen is a well-respected South African journalist.
   
   But, alas, the book is one of the most boring reads I've ever struggled through. Partly this is because Mr. Allen spends a great deal of time going over the minutiae of South African parliamentary politics during Tutu's lifetime--to such an extent, in fact, that it's easy for the reader to lose sight of the fact that the book is actually a biography of Tutu. All this political detail may be of great interest to South Africans, but is much less so to outsiders.
   
   But the tediousness of the book is partly because Mr. Allen's prose is just leaden. A typical example (p. 316): "In February, before the Anglican bishops met, the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Program to Combat Racism, headed by Barney Pityana, had held a consultation in Harare, Zimbabwe, and called for sanctions to be intensified. The week after the bishops' meeting in Soweto, Pityana was in London, where he heard Tutu explain on BBC radio the synod's decisions. Back at his office at the WCC in Geneva, he wrote to Tutu about 'how disappointing these positions were to us.'" After a few hundred pages pages of such prose, one begins to lose focus and interest.
   
   I suspect that the encomiums for the book from the likes of Jimmy Carter, James Forbes, and Thomas Cahill are motivated more by admiration for the subject than for the actual biography. A much more readable (although not as thorough) treatment is Stephen Gish's biography. But much better are Rev. Tutu's own works. Start with God Has a Dream and No Future Without Forgiveness.

2 comments about Living in God's Love: The New York Crusade (Recorded Live).

1. THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK OF GREAT COURAGE AND HOPE ! "LIVING IN GODS LOVE " BY BILLY GRAHAM IS A GREAT COLLECTION OF ALL OF HIS SERMONS FROM HIS RECENT NY CRUSADE AND THERE ARE ALSO SOME PHOTOS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN YET. THIS GREAT EVANGELIST CAME IN 1957 TO NY AND THIS BOOK RECENTLY CAME TO NY RECENTLY AND THIS BOOK "LIVING IN GOD LOVE" HAS ALOT OF SERMONS AND THE NY CRUSADE AND THIS BOOK HAS ALOT OF COMFORT AND PEACE AND HOPE. I REALLY LOVE THIS WONDERFUL PAGE TURNER. PLEASE GIVE A GIFT TO A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER OR A PASTOR THIS IS A REALLY NICE BOOK CALLED "LIVING IN GODS LOVE" BY BILLY GRAHAM" GREAT GIFT FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL.



2. The product came quickly. It was exactly as advetised and met expectations. Thank You.

1 comments about Elder Ambrose of Optina.

1. This book is volume 4 of what was a 7 volume series, but now is part of a larger series. All the books were edited by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, about the elders of Optina which were from a Russian Orthodox monastery southwest of Moscow. The most famous of the elders was Elder Ambrose, who was born November 23, 1812 & died October 10, 1891. He was a disciple of Elder Macarius, who's biography is contain in volume 3.
   
   An Elder of the Russian Orthodox tradition is not an Abbot, which is the leader of a monastery, rather is the foremost spiritual counsel or confessor normally a Staret, a humble monk who by the grace of God can reveal & cure human souls. Elder Ambrose was also a Schema monk, the highest & hardest form of the monastic order. In his later life He was bed ridden most of the time, but many people including the famous Dostoyevsky & Tolstoy visited him for spiritual guidance. Dostoyevsky even created the character Elder Zosima as an example of Elder Ambrose in his book "The Brothers Karamazov".
   
   In his last years Elder Ambrose blessed & consecrated the church & woman's convent in Shamordino where he died. He was later buried beside Elder Macarius in Optina monastery.
   
   Some of the books in this series can be a little flowerily for some readers, yet the spiritual wisdom gain out weighs this slight problem. The author Fr. Sergius Chetverikov may not be the best writer, but he had the right heart to reveal Elder Ambrose in the best way he knew how.
   
   I found the introduction a little strange starting with a Russian monk in America & sometimes the chronological order got lost jumpimg back & forth between Elder Ambrose or the monastery, but over all a good book & a must read within this series.