5 comments about To Live Is Christ: Member Book.

1. "To Live is Christ" not only sheds insight on the life of a great servant of the Lord, but has led me to a new level of understanding regarding the early church. As she takes the reader through the book of Acts/life of Paul, she cross references the episles Paul would later write. The cross references provide a greater context to scripture as a whole, which I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed. I highly recommend this book!



2. This is a very deep, meaningful study about the Apostle Paul. If you enjoy Beth Moore this will be an insightful study of the book of Acts and also into Paul's spiritual strengths. "To Live is Christ" is one of her earlier studies but has been worth doing.



3. This study gives one a complete, Bibically sound look at the full life of Paul, including his struggles and his triumphs. As usual, Beth Moore reveals insights into our own struggles as how we too can triumph through the same Power than enabled Paul to.



4. Beth Moore Bible studies are the most interesting and easy to follow for any mixed age group. My church will going into this our second study and we have the older teen to the great grandmothers in out sessions.



5. I never tire of the details Beth Moore includes in her studies. This study of the apostle Paul is rich with Jewish insight, giving the student a complete picture of where he came from and why he was so completely sold out to Jesus!

3 comments about Workbook for Intermediate Hebrew, A: Grammar, Exegesis, and Commentary on Jonah and Ruth.

1. Robert Chisholm, professor of Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, has produced A Workbook for Intermediate Hebrew: Grammar, Exegesis, and Commentary on Jonah and Ruth. At 320 pages, the book is somewhat longer than the title. Designed for intermediate students or those nearing the end of first-year Hebrew, this new resource aims to transform grammar into syntax by providing direction towards developing a rough translation and outline of selected passages. Answers to all questions are provided. A useful parsing guide and glossary are also included. More briefly, Dennis Tucker has produced Jonah: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text (Baylor University Press).



2. I used this workbook both for a Ruth and a Jonah exegesis class. It is great for self-teaching grammar, syntax, morphology, etc. It is not a commentary, but it will help you learn the text of these two books.
   
   Answers in the back!



3. This is a good way for those who have a basic knowledge of Biblical Hebrew to keep up with it and learn a few more things.

5 comments about Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the People's Temple.

1. Originally bought as a source for a research paper, i had come into this searching for a simple first hand account of the Jonestown incident. However, once i began reading, Seductive Poison evolved into much more than just a primary source. What sets this book apart from any other literature on the accounts of Jonestown is Layton's honesty. She provides the reader with a background of information leading up to joining Jim Jones and finally wraps up with the eventual mass-suicide. Instead of focusing primarily on the final events of Jonestown and the actions of Jim jones himself, Layton tells her story, from beginning to end which will help others understand why anyone would have gotten up and followed a man such as Jim Jones.
   Before beginning this book, i was skeptical. I had many questions about the followers of Jones, their motives, their mental state, what they believed in and I was worried that Layton might try to sway the reader in one direction or another. However, that is not the case. Seductive Poison provides the reader with facts, journal entries, letters, and most importantly, Photos of the loved ones she describes throughout the entire book.
   Often the writing of memoirs such as this involving such an emotional attachment don't live up to the story itself. However, Deborah Layton is a talented writer which allows the reader immerse themselves in the content rather than focus on the pros and cons of the writing. From her steady attention to detail to the heartfelt commentary, Layton has truly pulled off a winner. Because of her first hand situation in the Peoples Temple, Seductive Poison is informative. Anyone interested in seeking the ways and workings of a cult, how cults come-to-be cults, why anyone would join one or just looking to read of a women's personal journey of coming into her own, should give this book a chance. I did, and I'm thrilled with my choice.



2. 
   Book came within a short time and was in the shape that seller told it was in and even better.



3. I read this book in 3 days. I couldn't put it down. It keeps you wanting to know more! It made me sick how many people were involved with such a mind-freak! They didn't even recognize what was going on. This is a must read!



4. I had seen a documentary a while back on PBS, and Deborah Layton was one of the many former members and survivors who gave commentary on People's Temple and specifically the Rev. Jim Jones. In introducing Layton, there was a marker under her name that indicated she had written a book titled, Seductive Poison, on the infamous death cult. I ordered it. All I can say is that Layton's memoir is an altogether fascinating read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, because her very detailed account is absolutely all consuming, riveting in the best sense of the word when it pertains to memoirs; no stone is left unturned, and all the recollections are thoroughly laced together to form a disturbing portrait of how and why seemingly normal and intelligent people get emeshed in cults. And when they realize that they are in one it is often too late. Deborah Layton, among others, were the lucky ones.
   
   Jim Jones was the charismatic pastor of the Disciples of Christ, a liberal Protestant denominationin that was a member of the National Council of Churches; it too was the division that housed People's Temple. Combining Scripture and Christian dogma with Marxist and Leninist philosophies, he espoused the concept of Liberation Theology, in essence, creating a social Gospel where people of all classes, colors, economic levels, ages and education would be a part of. In addition to the questionable socialist teachings, Jim Jones love-bombed his congregation, telling them how special and unique and important they were in the eyes of Jesus Christ, how what he required was the will of God, for he was supposedly the microphone of the Holy Trinity. And who can fight that concept? Bit by bit, people gradually gave their will over to him, assuming that his Divine influence was beyond question. And gradually, they became automatons, shadows of their former selves doing the will of their Father.
   
   Aside from the fact that Seductive Poison is beyond exceptionally well written, it is the inside details that Layton offers that makes her memoir especially pulsating, particularly her details on the "white night", where members were so deeply indoctrinated that they on many an evening had practice drills to drink the cyanide laced punch. She also gives vivid details on the types of punishment used in Jonestone. The evil perpetrated upon children was especially disturbing: "...There was also the Well, a punishment used especially for children. They would be taken to the well in the dark of night, hung upside down by a rope around their ankles, and dunked into the water again and again while someone hidden inside the Well grabbed at them to scare them."--Page 176.
   
   The spying, turning against loved ones, cruel assorted punishments, disturbing and nonsensical harangues all kept people in line until they flew off Guyana, to the Promise Land. Yet it was anything but that, and many had to suppress their inner feelings of disappointment for fear of severe retribution.
   
   There is a lot to say about this work; it raises serious questions and offers important answers, paramount being that individualism is indeed a very good thing and following your own will is not something to be taken for granted. It also sheds light on why people join cults, to be a part of something bigger than themselves, to live in a community where those who have nothing have something of far greater worth: love.
   
   Seductive Poison works as sociology, history, a family record, psychology, autobiography; it works on so many fronts and conveys so much. Religion is a good thing, but sometimes it is best to appreciate it from afar.



5. I have been fascinated with the Jonestown story ever since the first reports of the massacre emerged in '78. The combination of elements; the jungle, a charismatic leader, poisoned flavor aid and an assasinated congressman all made for an irresistable tale. The action plays out more like a novel than a real life event. The cult story has been told several times, but always by outsiders. Now we have an eyewitness account from Debbie Layton, a top officer in the People's Temple.
   
   Seductive Poison is not written in the professional style of other books, and it is all the more authentic because of it. Enough reviews have been written already, so I will not get into details, but will comment on a few aspects. First of all, this book will hold your attention and is never dull at any point. The ending will bring a stoic to tears. And if the description of Layton's escape from Guyana does not send shivers down your spine, you need to see a doctor.
   
   In the end one cannot help but reflect on all the victims and what could have been. Children could have grown, lives of a sort lived out in the Jungle or elsewhere. Instead over 900 were snuffed out in hours of madness, part of one the strangest events on record.

2 comments about The Journey of One Buddhist Nun: Even Against the Wind.

1. This is not an autobiography...simply a biography. Sid is very insightful and quite the inspiring woman herself. I can't wait for another book.



2. I love this book. Its core is a riveting spiritual biography of a single modern Thai nun, but the focus of the book gradually widens to include other nuns and then the situation of nuns in Thailand generally. Thematically, it is strikingly similar to Sallie King's Journey in Search of the Way, despite the obvious difference that the latter is a translation of and commentary on a spiritual autobiography. The sameness is that they are both vivid accounts of modern Asian women undergoing profound spiritual experience that take them into the territorial preserves of patriarchal Buddhist institutions. I don't know Sid Brown, but she can count me as a fan.

5 comments about Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul.

1. The Pope's Private Prayer Book : Words of Inspiration from Pope John Paul II
   An Invitation to Prayer (Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II (Audio))
   I think Father Joe Saved my soul too!
   
   This audio book is a great listen.The difference between other books about religion is it is not about religion.Tony like many people growing up was searching for the meaning of life.The seven deadly sins effected Tony,lust being his first attack on his mortal soul,led him to confession to Father Joe.This first confession led Tony to
   have a lifelong confessor in Father Joe.Tony believed as a boy that he was going to join the Benedictine Monstery.
   St.Benedict was the Founder of Western Monasticism,he
   founded a collection of rules in which became known as the Benedictine Rule.These rules are used to guide the monks who follow St.Benedict.The rules are loosely based on the old saying "a person not busy is the devils workshop".
   Father Joe did not think Tony should be a monk, and guided him to be in the Arts.Tony went on to write theatrical stories in hopes to make people laugh.Tony was told at the end of Father Joe's life,by father joe why he sent him to school an guided him thw way he did.
   The biggest thing a person can get out of this story is everyone serves God in his
   or her way.A priest serves God, no less then a dad or a mom and or visa versa.We are all in vocation that serves the creator, the way the creator created us to be.This is a very good book,read, Father Joe: the Man Who Saved My Soul, by Tony Hendra...
   Work Cited
   http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintb02.htm



2. ...you'll relate to this book in a truly personal and humorous way. But even if not, or if you have no religious affiliation at all, this is a fantastic personal journey to experience. I listened to it on audiobook, and found the act of listening to the author himself (it is his own voice on the recording) reveal his life, with all its ups, downs, triumphs, and failures, to be refreshing and touching. Well written, witty, but not arrogant, this book is worth picking up.



3. In spite of his celebrity and achievements in the world of satire, Tony Hendra possesses a worldview that is fairly typical of those who came of age in the 1960s. Deeply antagonistic to established authority -- be it that of parents, government, the Church or themselves -- he and his cadre of stalwarts blazed a path that changed the modern world, but brought more than a few to the hell of drugs, bitterness and alienation. Many have reconstructed their lives, after a fashion, and a few seem to have struggled back from the inferno to establish lives of meaning and peace.
   
   "Father Joe" is Hendra's funny, autobiographical, and brutally frank account of his successes and failings, especially through its touch points with Father Joe Warrilow, a Benedictine monk at the abbey of Quarr, on the Isle of Wight. Hendra grew up a stranger in a strange land -- a Catholic in anti-papist 1950s Great Britain. His memoir starts with his attempted seduction of a neighbor's wife, which landed him at Quarr on Good Friday, ostensibly for a bout of penitent reflection. It is here that Hendra meets Father Joe, almost a caricature of a gentle, pious monk, with large ears and flat feet and knobbly knees. Yet in spite of his comical appearance, Father Joe would be a presence throughout the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s, as Hendra endured (usually willingly) the well-intentions depravities that characterized that era and his narcissistic generation. From his days as a guilt-ridden youth, Hendra nursed a desperate desire to become a monk, though like Saint Augustine, he wanted it "but not just yet." Hendra's lifestyle brought him fame as an actor (band manager Ian Faith in Spinal Tap), editor (National Lampoon) and director (Spitting Image) but also the purgatory of unfulfilled dreams and personal failings. His struggles often returned him to Quarr and Father Joe, whose generosity of spirit, elfin artlessness and unfailing love sustained Hendra through some truly difficult times.
   
   I heartily recommend listening to the audio version of the book if at all possible. Hendra does a wonderful job of portraying Father Joe's kindly, stuttery voice and his calming spirit. Hendra expertly renders his own state of mind at various stages in his life. There's the horny and hyper-pious 14-year-old, the college student bowled over by his first taste of satire, the hedonistic, ambitious 30-something and the burned-out middle-ager reaching for comfort, forgiveness and stability. Hendra is unflinching in his depiction of others and of himself. He is an absentee father; a brilliant if lacerating satirist with unyielding standards; an attention-seeking perfectionist who seeks idealistically and naively to change the world. Hendra's memories of his talks with Father Joe are full of meaningful detail -- probably reconstructed -- that show the older man to be wise, kind and even occasionally irreverent. Father Joe was way ahead of his time. In an era when churchmen regularly resorted to threatening hellfire on miscreants, Father Joe reached back to gospel images of a God of inexhaustible love and second chances.
   
   Hendra's critical eye falters only when discussing changes in the Church that began in the 1960s. Like many who left the Church before the reforms and returned afterward, he confuses nostalgia for the old Latin rite with worthwhile worship. In this, Hendra betrays a lingering selfishness that was always his trademark. Strange that an unorthodox believer like Hendra would pass judgment on a liturgical form whose underlying reality (the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, even the Resurrection of Jesus) he is far from accepting.
   
   Like St. Augustine's "Confessions," Hendra's "Father Joe" is an unsparing review of a man's quest toward the eternal. Though Augustine went considerably further in this journey does not diminish the value of Hendra's work, especially for this generation of skeptics and self-appointed spiritual authorities. Whatever his faults, Hendra is honest about his failings as Father Joe is unselfish with his love and support. A wonderful book for those who love spiritual quests and who appreciate the snarky humor and commentary of one who was in the middle of it all.



4. Fr. Joe offers one a splendid peek into the life of an admirable person. It was a priviledge to get to know him and his wonderful influence on people and his encouragement for all of us to live on a higher plane. This book made me feel that God holds us in the palm of His hand because we are the apple of His eye no matter how we fail; and we do so fail! Not a bit 'churchy', but rather speaks directly to real life.



5. I read this recently, in a public library so as not to help Hendra's sales. I read it after being exposed to his daughter Jessica's book which makes a convincing case that he molested her.
   
   The narcissism was always self-evident in this book. But for Hendra to draw this picture the way he did where Father Joe's last advice to him is that he was put on this Earth to be a good parent and husband, that that was his destiny ... amazing. Hendra's fictitious bologna will stand throughout the ages as the penultimate example of "playing thyself" in print.
   
   To the extent that Father Joe actually told him anything like that, it reflects both Father Joe's disconnect with reality, borne of his insular life within "the Church", and the natural acceptance of pedophiliac tendancies that such a life seems to correlate to.
   
   "A Life Wasted Badly" would be a better title.

5 comments about Saint Francis of Assisi.

1. Chesterton's book offers significant insights into St. Francis that make this book worth reading and owning. Chesterton eloquently identifies and expounds some of the paradoxes from Francis' life. He also highlights the truths of Francis' ministry and radical faith. There are many lines in this book that readers will want to review and appreciate.
   
   However, this is not as Chesterton claims an introductory book to the saint. I think that for this book to be read without frustration readers should have at least a cursory knowledge of the timeline of events in St. Francis' life and why he is considered the most perfect image of Christ that ever lived. If you approach this book expecting, as I initially was, an easy to grasp overview of Francis' life you will probably be left wondering what Chesterton is writing about and when he is going to tell you about Francis.
   
   Chesterton approaches Francis from dozens of different perspectives and eventually zeros in on the heart of Francis and the supernatural events that guided his life. Chesterton hits the highlights but does not go through Francis life in a simple manner.
   
   Before reading this book, I would suggest reading a simpler biography on Francis. Many of his biographers cull from St. Bonaventures "Major Life of Francis" or Thomas Celano's biography of Francis. These are ealy traditional biographies of Francis and would prepare readers for Chesterton's discussion that does offer value to any picture of Francis.
   
   Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays



2. G.K. Chesterton's titled ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI demonstrated once again Chesterton's charm, polite criticism, wit, and logic. Chesterton also showed that he had actual insight to St. Francis'mission and thinking. Chesterton also realized that modern misinterpretations had to be corrected to give readers a clearer understanding of a man who was complex, apparently mad, and had a passion for creation and the Creator.
   
   Chesterton began this book with a brief explanation of the political situation in Italy whereby small politics vied for power and land. St. Francis was part of this environment and began his younger days as a soldier. In one encounter, St. Francis was captured involving Assisi and another city-state in which St. Francis was captured. This was not what St. Francis expected or wanted. This event led to dispair and depression which Chesterton said changed St. Francis from an Italian citizen and soldier to a saint. Chesterton wrote that the man who emerged from such depression and dispair emerged from this experience as a far different man. Chesterton gives a good analysis of Medieval war in Italy. Men fought for their homes, loved ones, their shrines, and their rulers with whom they were much more familiar than modern mass and mindless democracy. Chesterton accurately contrasts Medieval Italian wars with modern war which is based on false media lying, government propaganda,and vague useless slogans for war in remote areas far from family and homes. Chesterton wrote that St. Francis could be a soldier and still love people. Chesterton explains this paradox by commenting that men could do so because they knew what they were fighting for and could accept an enemy as a friend as long as the fight was fair.
   
   Readers should know that St. Francis was a frair rather than a cloistered monk. Modern men do not understand the cloistered life unless they understand that pagans worshipped nature to the point that such worship became perverted and unnatural. The cloistered life was a reaction to such unreasonable nature worship. One could argue that St. Francis appreciated nature, but St. Francis worshipped whom he considered the Creator of nature. St. Francis was not a pantheist. Chesterton explained that the cloistered monks prior to the active frairs such as the Franciscans and Dominicans made invaluable contributions to Western Civilization. They hand copied books. The cloistered monks and nuns were Europe's first teachers during the so-called dark ages and saved learning. These people taught men how to effectively breed livestock and cultivate land. Chesterton stated that the cloistered monks and nuns were severely practical. They were severe with themselves and were practical and compassionate with everyone else.
   
   Another aspect of St. Francis' life was that he was a poet. Chesterton made the comment that poets write about romance and love. St. Francis' poetry was devoted to Divine Love and God. St. Francis may have influenced Medieval poets such as Dante (1265-1321) whose DIVINE COMEDY had obvious religious overtones.
   
   In spite of St. Franics poverty and asceticism, he was not a gloomy man. St. Francis was cheerful, optimistic, and free. Chesterton wrote that the Franciscans were more free than others because they took an honest vow of poverty. Anyone who is attached to his possessions could not be completly free. No one could contain St. Francis and his follwers by economic and social neccessity. Chesterton commented that he expects nothing will not be disappointed. Chesterton also commented that the Franciscans expected nothing but enjoyed everthing because they believed that creation emerged from nothing.
   
   Chesterton related a charming story of St. Francis and his followers who were poor and had nothing unceremoniously approaching great rulers and Popes for audiences without fanfare and pomp. Yet, more secular men who had wealth and power usually received St. Francis with politeness and respect. Another charming story is that of St. Francis and his followers approaching powerful Islam rulers during the Crusades. These rulers would have executed most Catholic if approached by other Catholics. Yet, the Islamic rulers showed respect to St. Francis. These rulers did not accept Catholcism, but St. Francis' kindness and manners made the Islamic rulers respect him in spite of severe religious differences. Many crusades want to kill Moslems in battle. St. Francis went to the Middle East not to kill Moslems but to create Catholics.
   
   Chesterton wrote this book to present a brief history and commentary of St. Francis and the Franciscans. Chesterton presented a more authenic of the Medieval era to give an authenic view of St. Francis and the Franciscans. Chestertoned showed what modern men in a crass materialistic world could learn from the Middle Ages which was intensely more religious as opposed to what has become of modern religion or what Bonhoffer called "cheap grace."
   
   This reviewer believes that G.K. Chesterton admired both St. Franics and St. Thomas Aquinas. Chesterton's nonfiction work shows the logic and reason of St. Thomas Aquinas and the compassion of St. Francis. As an aside, readers should read Chesterton's book re St. Thomas Aquinas which is a good companion volume to this book.



3. Approaching this little book about a pillar of Catholicism with a sceptical interest in the historical aspects of the man St.F., one gets properly looked down upon by recent convert GKC. Orwell called Chesterton, his contemporary, a 'Catholic nationalist', i.e. not an English nationalist who was also Catholic. 'Chesterton was a writer of considerable talent who chose to suppress both his sensibilities and his intellectual honesty in the cause of Roman Catholic propaganda.' That seems to be about it, sorry Jim Egolf, here for once I disagree with your assessment of 'a gentleman who writes about a gentleman'.
   GKC wrote this in the 20s of the 20th, shortly after converting. The book is neither 'scientific' history, nor does it make an attempt at telling me what I would like to know about St.F. In that sense it is a disappointment.
   In other regards, it is worth reading. Like for his style, even if it gets annoying once in a while. He did love his pirouettes and his mannerisms. Watch this one, in the opening para:
   'A sketch of St.F. ... may be written in one of three ways. ... the third way, which is adopted here, is in some respects the most difficult of all. At least, it would be the most difficult if the other two were not impossible.'
   Well, we all need our little vanities.
   Worse are the arrogant asides against members of other 'nations' than his newly found Catholic tribe.
   Paraphrases:
   The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank.
   In mediaevel times, nobody would have tolerated a Schopenhauer scorning life or a Nietzsche living only for scorn.
   A heresy had developed around a prophet named Mahomet.
   Mad metaphysics blown across out of Asia.
   Or a rough summary of his theory about the spread of Christianity: it was needed because the ancient people, the pagans, were subverted by sexual perversity, specifically homosexuality in the case of the Greeks. (He did not even spell this out, but resorted to allusions, because the subject might be too offensive, I assume...)
   Enough, I think.



4. Chesterton surprise us again with this formidable short essay about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. This is not the typical hagiography, but an inside look to the vivid facts that made us understand the true meaning of charity, fraternity and solidarity through love.



5. This short volume by Chesterton on the life of St. Francis of Assisi did not satisfy me either as a biography, as a glimpse into his time period or as a devotional read. Chesterton's circuitous style of writing while passable in longer works gets annoying here particularly at moments when he goes off on long tangents. These tangents add something to the narrative, but by the time you arrive at their end you've already forgotten where you began from. The big chunks on the life of St. Francis are well done, quite honest and quite approachable, but the fact that they're interspersed with so much wandering text makes this a difficult book to read. There are better books on the life of St. Francis out there. For instance, although I've never read the English translation, the best Life of St. Francis that I have thus far read is El Hermano de Asís by Ignacio Larrañaga.

5 comments about 131 Christians Everyone Should Know (Holman Reference).

1. This book is a pretty good way to introduce yourself to many of the most influential thinkers and doers of the Christian tradition. It's easy to nibble at this salad bar of biographies, and it's easy to become addicted to nibbling.

   I have two gripes. First, a predictable complaint about the choices. Only two scientists are included (plus Pascal, as an apologist) -- but not Neuton, Kepler, Faraday, Kelvin, or Lister. At the same time, a few minor characters like William Miller and Aimee McPherson are, apparently to pad the "denominational founders" number. It is also hard to understand why no Latin Americans, black Africans, Indians, or Chinese (Watchman Nee? Wang Ming Dao?) made the grade. Isn't one purpose of this book is to help us Anglo-Saxon Christians become less parochial?

   My other complaint is that the authors, or editors, talk down to their readers. The back cover of the book opens, "If you think history is boring. . . " Well if I thought that, I wouldn't buy the book. The authors give less than a page and a half to Francis Bacon, clutter that little space up with irrelevent biographical detail (no doubt to make the story "interesting"), and never get around to telling us why he is worth knowing or what he achieved.

   Perhaps at times the problem is they lack the necessary breadth of knowledge to tackle some of their subjects. They give the usual caricature of Pascal as promoting "faith" rather than "reason," in lieu of the more complex truth, that he wrote of both brilliantly, and did not agree to the conflict that we moderns read into the relationship between the two. They claim that G. K. Chesterton had no masterpieces -- which made me wonder if they read or understood Everlasting Man.

   The authors present Harriet Beecher Stowe as "the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin," which they describe as "contrived, unreal," and "romanticized." They fail to mention that the woman did have some real talent; perhaps they didn't notice it. They also skipped over one of the most attractive qualities of her story, the mutual loyalties between herself, her famous father and brother, and her husband, and how out of the matrix of such personal support that Stowe began to develop, in later life, a Christian feminism rooted in respect between the sexes, that contrasted with the radical feminism of George Elliot, for example. All that could have been fitted into the white space at the end of Stowe's third page, and made the story much richer.

   This is a pretty good introductory reference or self-education book for a church or personal library, or as a text for homeschooling. I did learn a little about a lot of people I wanted to know more of. But I wish Christian editors would stop dumbing down their books. What would have been helpful is a bibliography, so readers who catch the passion for history the authors want to promote, could go further with it. I guess they don't want to tax their readers.

   Author, Jesus and the Religions of Man




2. The approach of this book is extremely simple, yet the product is absolutely fantastic. The editors of Christian History magazine (an outstanding periodical that I would recommend to anyone) have compiled a list of 131 key leaders in the history of Christianity, starting with Ignatius of Antioch and ending with Billy Graham. These key church figures are organized by category (Theologians, Poets, Missionaries, etc.), rather than by chronology, which can be helpful or annoying, depending on the readers' reason for reading it. Each person is described in two to four pages, with an interesting mix of significant events and trivial factoids.
   
   As with any list of this nature, one could quibble about their choice of 131 Christians. It seems odd that William and Catherine Booth were given two separate slots when so many other worthy candidates were omitted. Nonetheless, no one will ever agree upon such a selection process, and I'm sure that the editors themselves found it to be a most onerous task.
   
   In any case, I used this book as a supplemental text as I studied church history for two seminary courses. These snippets into the lives of my spiritual forefathers were not especially profound but did a fantastic job of summarizing and highlighting the key moments in their lives, while managing to maintain a more engaging storytelling approach than an encyclopedia or other general reference book.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading some fascinating snapshots into the lives of the key players in the story of Christianity. It would serve pastors well in helping to provide context for sermons. It would serve seminarians well as a quick reference to previous coursework that might need refreshing. And it would serve any faithful Christian well who is interested in reading about those who have gone on before us, providing the spiritual landscape that we now inhabit.



3. This book is a quick reference of personalities in Christian History. Theologians, Evangelist, and Apologists, Pastors and Preachers. Each personality includes a timeline in history in which they lived, and gives a brief historical context. Mystics are listed within the book as well, so discernment is needed. A topical index is also included. There are other books on Church history that go into more depth, but this is a good primer and is helpful to have on hand.



4. How is it possible that over half of the 131 Christians in the book come from a division of Christianity that has only existed for a few hundred years and in areas that represent only a minority of Christian-dominated regions? Where are the great names from the Eastern Churches? An embarrassing display of the typical Protestant blindness regarding history.



5. If you're a history buff and a Christian, you will enjoy and be inspired by this extremely readable little book. The summaries of each of the 131 christians are short, to the point, and inspire you to do further research.
   
   I think it's a great book to use along with my daily devotions-- one Christian per day!

5 comments about Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (Mass market version): Divine Mercy in My Soul.

1. This book has helped me to grow so much in my spirituality. I highly recommend it!



2. This is my all-time favorite spiritual book. By reading about St. Faustina's growth in holiness, I learn about growing in holiness and above all, God's endless mercy. I've read this book probably a dozen times and I everytime I hear something new and grow more deeply in my relationship with Christ. By this book for yourself and everyone you know! Spread the hope of God's awesome mercy!



3. The print in this book is quite small making reading difficult. I would recommend searching for a copy with normal size print.



4. This is a beautiful & eye-opening book! It changes your way of thinking and your life!! I absolutely love it and can read it over and over. It helps understand God.



5. I love the content of this book.
   
   However, I agree with Don--another reviewer: the print in this book is VERY SMALL. I find it difficult to read such SMALL PRINT.
   Unfortunately, I didn't take Don's warning into account when I bought this edition. Avoid making the same mistake.
   
   By the way, the only glasses I use are safety glasses, at work. And my vision is excellent.
   
   It's just a matter of comfort. I dislike struggling reading such small print and feel the need to buy a different edition with larger print (I probably will.)
   
   Other than that, its content is a joy. Plus, due to its smaller print, the size of the book is smaller as well. That is good if you are traveling with it or if you take it with you to read throughout the day, outside your home.
   
   Remember: if you're are going to read it at home solely, you'd be better off buying an edition with larger print.

5 comments about Medieval Technology and Social Change.

1. White's "stirrup" thesis was shown to be incorrect by Bernard Bachrach over 30 years ago. It was an interesting hypothesis at the time, but now has become one of those ideas (such as medieval people thinking the world was flat) that half-educated school teachers tell students and that even gets into the less well-edited textbooks.

   In other words, read this book if you are interested in the history of ideas, but not for conclusions any professional medieval specialist would accept.




2. This book was part of the PhD curriculim at a top-tier university for Public Policy. The course was Science & Technology Policy I (a massive literature review before getting into our own research).

   Whether or not the chain of events and relationships occurred precisely as White postulates is irrelevant.

   The POINT is that small, technological change can have GIANT impacts upon life and social organization. This has been proven repeatedly by the researchers/students of complexity science (see Mitchell Waldrop, Murray Gell-Mann, Roger Lewin, John Holland, etc.)

   By connecting medieval technological change (eg agrarian practices, stirrup, clock) to societal change (eg feudal system, settlement/town patterns), this book provides readers with a conceptual starting point to begin thinking about the impact of modern and future technologies.

   In short, its a quick, VERY stimulating and interesting read. With the price at only 2 dollars, you can't go wrong!




3. Medieval Technology and Social Change was published in 1962. It is the production of a professor and it bears many of the characteristics of such works: huge numbers of footnotes, further Notes at the end (comprising about a third of the total book), and an extremely scholarly tone. Fortunately Professor White writes much better than many academics, and the book contains a number of interesting speculations about the effect of Europe of the technological changes which took place in the Middle Ages.

   The book concentrates almost completely on Europe, so that you will have to look elsewhere for technological changes in the rest of the world, but what is here is fascinating. There is speculation on the role of the stirrup in revolutionizing warfare and feudalism, an examination of the effects of the three field system on the health of the medieval Europeans, and some intriquing hypotheses on the development of various power sources and machine designs. Worthwhile, particularly in combination with a broader work such as Technology in World Civilization by Arnold Pacey.




4. This is one of the classic works of medieval studies to emerge out of the past half century, and its importance far outstrips whether or not White's famous stirrup thesis is correct or not. The overwhelming consensus is that it is incorrect. But only someone who has not read the book could imagine that that thesis was the bulk of the book, or the only idea in it. In fact, there is an unstated, larger thesis that underlies White's book, and which indicates why it is important: White implies that we can only understand the medieval period if we also understand its technology. White virtually ushered in the age of the study of medieval technology and seeing it as intimately connected and underlying the social and even political history.

   This is a short book, shorter than it initially seems upon holding it because of the vast number of foot and endnotes. But the number of ideas and insights are completely out of proportion with the book's apparent brevity. It is absolutely stuffed to overflowing with content. Miraculously, that doesn't effect its readability. Even a relative neophyte to historical studies will have little difficulty following White's ideas and arguments, although, obviously, the more one knows, the better the background one will have for understanding his theses.

   Although his stirrup thesis has largely been rejected, this remains an essential book on any short list of the great works of medieval history. More than that, it is fun, too. I strongly recommend it to anyone with the slightest degree of interest in medieval history.




5. Halsall gets it wrong. The great controversy is still going on about feudalism as a system arising from a technological innovation, the stirrup.

   White's details about the stirrup and change of warfare are partly insufficient and conclusions partly dubious. - But this is exactly, why we read history. The causes of events tend to be very complicated. Luckily there is Trivial Pursuit and other parlour games for people, who prefer "facts".

   This book is seminal.

5 comments about Jesus Land: A Memoir.

1. Julia Scheeres has tremendous courage. She tells the story of a dysfunctional Christian family where image is everything, and love is basically absent. The parents use religion and morality as a "mental wall" to keep themselves from healing and learning lessons. This is a telling indictment on religion in America today. Faith should enlighten and guide individuals, especially parents, to learn new and often difficult lessons. Instead, faith was used by Scheeres' parents to stubbornly deny the truth of what was going on in their family: sexual abuse, child abuse and racism.



2. Immediately absorbing, Jesus Land is a tribute to the author's younger brother, David, her soul mate. She goes to great lengths to make sure he is safe, indeed she gives up her own freedom to look after him. It will cost her much more in the long run.
   
   At first I thought this family had to be poor. As the story unfolds, you see the children sitting down to a meal of the most awful boiled-down leftover crap you can imagine, flavored with a little beef. But then the author casually mentions her father is a surgeon. Immediately, the reader's perception changes. Why is the family eating slop? And aren't surgeons supposed to be smart, and not radical religious fanatics?
   
   This was quite a harrowing journey and throughout the book, Julia's bravery shines through. She does not spare herself, however. She is upfront and honest about her own insecurities regarding having black brothers. Kids at that age are trying so hard to fit in, still finding their way. She spends their early years ignoring him while Jerome, the older adopted black brother protects him. Except he can't protect them both from their father. The surgeon has a sadistic streak.
   
   Strong and intimidating, Jerome violates a deep trust and places himself beyond redemption. Unspeakable things occur. Racial revenge? The reader finds himself engaged in a whole new set of philosophical and familial riddles.
   
   And Julia stays huddled over vulnerable David, doing her best to protect him.
   
   I don't want to give any of this book away. It just has to be read. It is a suspenseful account of a family subtly and then violently torn apart. But Julia's honesty and courage brings redemption in the end.
   
   Great read.



3. "Jesus Land" by Julia Scheeres is one of those rare books that one can read in a day, given enough free time. It is lucidly written, engaging, and very troubling. Fans of memoirs/biographies will likely enjoy "Jesus Land," though it reads like a novel, so fiction lovers will enjoy it as well.
   
   "Jesus Land" is about Julia growing up in her Christian fundamentalist household in Indiana in the 70s and 80s, and particularly about the relationship she had with her adopted African-American brother, David. The first part of the book focuses on Julia's experiences at home, and the second part on her harrowing stay at Escuela Caribe, a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic.
   
   David & Julia are the same age, and so begin high school together. Unfortunately, David is the subject of ceaseless racial taunting, and Julia must keep to herself during the school day to avoid being seen as "the black kid's sister." Yet still, she is seen as an outsider. At home, things are no better. The Scheeres adopted another African-American, Jerome, since they thought that David "would want to play with someone of his own color." Unfortunately, Jerome is highly aggressive, and gets into trouble frequently. The father of the family is abusive, and frequently beats David and Jerome, while Julia is simply scolded. This sets the 2 boys against the white sister. Jerome then begins sexually abusing Julia, perhaps as a way of getting back at the father. The mother is emotionally distant (if not hostile), and resents it whenever the children ask her for something beyond the minimum food, water, shelter, and church that she provides. At their hard-line Calvinist church, Lafayette Christian, they are told lots about sin and repentance, but very little about how to deal with the problems around them. So Julia deals with them in her own way- she siphons liquor and has sex with her new boyfriend, Scott. Eventually, she is caught and sent to Escuela Caribe.
   
   Escuela Caribe is one of the worst places a parent could send a teenager. Everyone there is ranked, from 0 to 5, and must rank up points in categories such as Being Truthful, Being a Helpful and Positive Influence, Respectful to Authority, etc., to move up on the rankings. Only when one reaches level 5 is it possible to go home. The "program" rewards tattling on other people. For example, if a student catches another student cussing, then informs the teachers, then the informing student will get points in the "Being a Helpful and Positive Influence" category, whereas the offending student will be docked in points. Students at the school experience all manner of abuse, and Julia is constantly woken in her sleep to the shrieks of girls with nightmares. Throughout all of this, her one constant is the relationship she has with her brother David. In one particularly touching passage, after David finally learns about Julia's abuse at the hands of Jerome, he slips her a note saying "I know what happened to you is not your fault." In the end, despite all the hardships, Julia and David know that they have formed a bond that could not be broken.
   
   "Jesus Land" is fascinating in so many ways. It is fascinating in its exploration of racism and fundamentalism in the American heartland, the dynamics of a dysfunctional family, and how people can form bonds to overcome bigotry and dogmatism. David, who died in a car crash when he was only 20, was the inspiration for this memoir, and it shows. At the end of every chapter, in italics, there is a tale about David from childhood, giving the reader insight into the character. Despite the grim subject matter, this is not a bombastic, self-pitying memoir (like Jodee Blanco's "Please Stop Laughing At Me"). Scheeres never goads the reader into anger, sadness, or joy, but simply tells the story. And that's what makes it so powerful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. (See my comment for some links)



4. I found this book to be a very good read; however, I will warn - it is quite depressing. I consider myself to be an eternal optimist, but this book really threw me for a loop. I had no idea it would be so sad, especially from the reviews that I had read. Either way, it's an excellent book, and I am glad I read it!



5. This is a memoir of a little girl's family that adopted two little black boys. The story is disturbing about the hatred and racism that she encountered as well as her two brothers. People were cruel to black people in the late seventies and early eighties in these small little towns in the north as well as the south. This story is set in Illinois. The family was highly religious as the mother spent most of her extra time corresponding with missionaries and her father was a doctor. The father was abusive to the little boys while he was merciful to his girl. But when the boys left home, one ran away and the other was sent away, his angry and wrath turned on Julia. The book recounts the time that her and her brother David spent months at a Christian reform camp. The book was painful for me to read. People hate with gladness. There is a big difference between being a Christian in action and appearance and being a Christian in heart. This book makes you sad at how people treat one another, how Christians treat one another, and how love of one another is the strongest bond in life. This book is a page turner, in the sense of hoping for a better result, a happy ending. The book ends, but you are left to provide happiness in your own life. You will watch how you treat people, that is where the happiness is in the book.