2 comments about WHEN GOD SAYS GO.

1. This book examines the life of a very courageous black American women at a time in our country's history when she had an uphill battle to do what God told her to do. Mrs. Lutz has done the research, including traveling to Africa, to make the whole time period come alive from those who knew this amazing lady personally. The book should encourage any woman who feels called to step out in faith no matter what the circumstances.



2. What stands out in When God Says Go is how many people do just that. While Eliza Davis George remains the book's center countless others: co-missionaries, mission boards, mission teachers, national workers and even a husband come and go, leaving Eliza to carry on. This is so since Eliza Davis George marked out a 65 plus year missionary ministry in Liberia, and at age 99, one year before her death, was still itinerating to raise funds and create missionary awareness. The others had to come and go, who else has that kind of track record? I was impacted by how much was going on in and through Davis' life, and realized that only half the book was finished.
   The author starts by stating that the Eliza Davis George story must be told. Davis-George (1899-1979), the daughter of former U.S. slaves, sensed a call to Liberia to share the gospel with Africans, and through an indomitable, indefatigable, almost incredible endurance prayed and labored her way in the interior of Liberia, starting a mission, establishing schools, training nationals, evangelizing a multitude, and being Christ to many tribes with no gospel contact, all the while facing such severe hardship and limited resources that only her strong faith in God and a true grit kept her there.
   Lutz begins the book by recounting a number of memories and stories as Eliza walks, in vain as it turns out, 200 miles to try and retrieve a money order for badly needed funds. These opening chapters set the stage for what was a long life dedicated to prayer, fasting, great disappointment, hard work and, through it all, belief. By the end her life her labors had yielded a boarding school for tribal children, various other schools, and over 150 churches supported by different denominational entities. Probably what stands out most is Eliza Davis George's prayer life. Her stamina was only equaled, even surpassed, by her remarkable life of prayer. How did she do it all? Prayer and fasting were a way of life for Eliza Davis George, and the accolades given to her in the latter part of her service for her dedication to Africa reflected a life-long commitment that rested on prayer.
   What would improve this fascinating account, what would make it more helpful as a missiological study and not only an inspiring missionary biography, would be a more specific focus on what did not go right for Eliza Davis George. George went with little backing and no training, and this to her credit, yet one wonders how these educational and practical limitations may have caused a rupture in some working relationships that, had the people remained, would have furthered the work sooner. As well, Eliza's giving spirit caused the mission to operate on credit, and in the red, for much longer than it should have. Had she learned to be more firm in saying no, not only would the mother mission have been on better footing, but her ministries in the bush would have been better realized and financed.
   Most tragic, and discussed in some detail, was the ill-advised and ill-fated marriage between Eliza and C. Thompson George. Acquiescing to his romantic dreams of a life together of missionary service, though full of doubts and stopping short of love, the 40-year-old Eliza agreed to marriage in part as a way to continue her dream of staying on the field. What happens when a calling seems so strong it binds two people together who would not otherwise have married? In the case of C. Thompson and Eliza, a spiritual call was not enough to build what was not there, a growing love and unity. C. Thompson's spiral into alcoholism, adultery and ministry failure and scandal are tragic. He was responsible for these life turns, yet how much of his failure was caused by Eliza's inability to provide him what he needed as a husband is a valid question. These aspects, discussed more thoroughly, would make the book a better resource for missionary training.
   A good deal of Eliza's work no longer exists due to the civil war that plagued Liberia for a number of years. Yet the vision she lived and taught still lives on in others, and they continue to make a difference through Christ, because Eliza was there to make a difference in them. This commitment, this dedication, this heroine of the faith makes for a good read, and a worthwhile one at that.

5 comments about Pope John Paul II.

1. This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the life of one of the greatest and most influential popes ever, John Paul II. Through the author's exceptional work, we get to know the man who became John Paul II, and relive his early heartbreaks and triumphs. From Nazi occupied Poland to the modern day Vatican, all significant events are detailed and discussed. This is a biography to be reread time and again.



2. First a warning: I advice you to skip the very first part of the book, in which is the author tries to give the reader a feeling on the Polish background of the pope. It's unbalanced, emotional, somewhat chaotic, and very little to the point. I almost stopped reading the book because of this.

   But when you start reading where the chronological description of the pope's life starts, you'll find a thorough biography, without exaltation, and not without some critical points of view. The first half of the book deals with the years before Karol became pope, and show how he was trained, coached, and grew as a actor, priest, play write, bishop, mystic poet and cardinal, in the often hard conditions in Poland. The second half deals with his policies as pope. Here is also a special focus on the Polish situation and how the pope exercised influence there. The book helps understanding the motivations of John Paul, even though one doesn't have to agree with him on all accounts.

   An interesting, insightful book.




3. "Pope John Paul II" is a balanced biography of the Holy Father, from his youth in Poland to the time of the writing in 1995. Tad Szulc's theme throughout is that to understand John Paul II, one must understand his Polishness. Polish culture and experience have molded Karol Wojtyla and have powerfully influenced his Papacy.

   Born the son of a minor army officer, Karol Wojtyla lost his mother at the age of 9 and his father while a 20 year old college student. Having lost his older brother between the deaths their parents, he was left alone at a young age. Undertaking his studies at Jagiellonian University, Wojtyla's education was interupted by World War II. Karol obtained employment at a stone quary, thereby obtaining immunity from deportation.

   An aspiring actor, Karol Wojtyla saw Poland's salvation in the preservation of its cultrue. His participation in the undergorund Rhapsodic Theatre was his contribution to the cause of keeping alive the flame of Polish culture in Kracow.

   During this time, Wojtyla was introduced to the works of St. John of the Cross by his friend and mentor, Jan Tyranowski. These writings lead Wojtyla into the worlds of theology, philosophy and, ultimately, the priesthood. Entering an underground seminary, he was eventually brought into the Archbishop's residence for safety while continuing his studies.

   Upon ordination in 1946, Fr. Wojtyla was sent to Angelicum University in Rome to continue his education. There he was taught by Rev. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., a Dominican who was to exert a tremendous influence over his philosophical and theological thought. Touring Western Europe before his return to Poland, Wojtyla observed the priest-worker movement in France.

   Returning to Poland, Wojtyla had a career including pastoral, academic and administrative duties. A major part of his ministry was to youth, with whom he would often go on hiking, kayaking or skiing trips.

   An appointment as auxiliary bishop of Krakow introduced him into administrative positions and enabled him to attend all session of Vatican Council II, where he played an prominent role. Promotion to Archbishop of Krakow led to his appointment as Cardinal.

   Wojtyla's rise in the Church was promoted by powerful patrons, such as Cardinal Sapieha of Krakow and Pope Paul VI. His performance at Vatican II and his travels to Rome and elsewhere made him a well-known figure among many in the Church hierarchy. Among the ironies in Wojtyla's career was that he was not a favorite of the Primate, Cardinal Wyszynski, but was favored by the Communist government which regarded him as apolitical.

   With the death of Pope Paul VI, the conclaves of 1978 convened. Progressive forces supporting Cardinal Benilli and Conservatives backing Cardinal Siri deadlocked the conclaves, leading to searches for compromises. The first conclave found its compromise candidate in Cardinal Luciani, Pope John Paul I. The second, guided by Cardinal Koenig of Vienna and Cardinal Krol of Philadelphia, turned to Cardinal Wojtyla.

   With his election, Pope John Paul II immediately began to win the hearts of the world. Traveling across the globe, John Paul has visited many nations and confronted many challenges, with varying success.

   Much of the reporting of John Paul's Papacy deals with the Pope's involvement in the evolution of Poland from a Communist to a free state, an process in which the Pope is presented as having exerted a moderating influence.

   Later chapters deal with specific issues confronting John Paul II, including Liberation theology in Latin America, the role of women in the Church, issues over clerical celibacy, inculturation of the Church, family life and the right to life.

   At the end, Szulc gives an assessment of Pope John Paul II as a man who enjoys immense personal popularity and respect but who has not been able to transfer that acceptance to the Church which he heads. While leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions, Szulc suggests that John Paul II may have failed in important aspects of his duties as head of the Church.

   Szulc deeply studies and evaluates the Karol Wojtyla and John Paul II of action. I believe that John Paul's greatest long run contribution to the Church may be the vast store of philosophical and theological writings which he has produced. I think that in these teachings may be the foundations of a great Catholic Renaissance. You will find little reference and less exploration of the Pope's writings in this book. Tad Szulc depicts John Paul II as a very intelligent, talented and dedicated man who has been both molded and limited by his Polish background. Tad Szulc is limited by his vision. This biography is very good, but does not tell the whole story of Pope John Paul II.




4. This book was a biography about Pope John Paul II. It included many interesting facts about the pope. Some of the information in the book is that his name before becoming pope was Karol Wojtyla. He was born on Tuesday, May 18, 1920. He was born in the town of Wadowice, in Poland. His whole family died by the time he was 22.
   He became pope on October 16, 1978.

   One thing that I like about Tad Szulc's biography is that he gives a great background of one of the most famous men in the Catholic Church. Most of the things Szulc discusses in the biography I never knew about. The book takes the reader through Karol Wojtyla's life from his birth until now. It shows how the pope had an incredibly difficult life. Another thing about the book that I like is that it shows how the pope's past experiences and upbringing affect the man he is today. The book doesn't just throw out facts it also show's how Karol Wojtyla's past experiences have shaped his opinions and attitudes, and characteristics.

   What I didn't like the book was that it was full of positive comments about the pope, but no criticism. Even though I agree with the author about what a great man the pope is, to others it may appear that Szulk ignored any negative information about the pope. I realize that he was a very moral and respectable person growing up, but everyone does at least one minor thing wrong during their upbringing, like being mischievous or causing trouble. The book does not mention anything that Wojtyla has ever done wrong. It makes him seem like he is without sin. Despite some minor complaints about the book, I think it was an excellent biography.




5. Tad Szulc has done his homework writing the biography. It provides an excellent insight into the zeitgeist and formative experiences that gave the world Pope John Paul II.
   
   If the book has two faults, they are:
   1. Lack of concerted effort to be critically objective, occasionally leans towards obsequiousness. Fortunately, it doesn't mar the content;
   2. Very technical writing style - exacting, but doesn't make for fluid reading. This has its benefits in terms of a very good index, bibliography and notes.

1 comments about Eileen George: Beacon of God's Love: Her Teaching.

1. An inspiring book about a wife, mother, granmother and greatgrandmother who has been given a special mission from God for our times. Eileen George is a woman who know tramendous suffering through cancer and a multitude of other illnesses, yet, she does not allow that suffering to become a crutch or stumbling block in her relationship with the Lord. This book is a reminder that God does not abandon His people in trying times - He raises up prophets, people like Eileen to remind us of His love and the importance of being faithful to the Sacraments, the means to a deeper relationship with the Father - Daddy God

2 comments about Susanna Wesley.

1. Mr. Dallimore presents Susanna as a real person. Her faults and her struggles come alive, and yet she is an inspiration. She was obviously highly educated for her time. The book educates us about history and society in her era, as well as religion. But there are no flat characters. Very informative. Nice and short, also.



2. I have heard Susanna mentioned many times as a model for rearing godly sons. I bought this book expecting to learn her principles and methods. Instead I felt the book was basically a criticism of her husband. I was not pleased and will not reccommend this book.

3 comments about Saints of Africa.

1. Many have speculated that perhaps our next Pope might come from Africa. While such speculation is premature, the reasoning makes sense. This continent of 117 million Catholics has already produced three popes, three Doctors of the Church, eight Fathers of the Church, and thousands of martyrs and saints.

   I recall some time back a colleague asking for a book like this. Unfortunately, at that time, I was unable to direct him towards anything that I was familiar with. As I said, this book is long overdue.

   Fr. O'Malley has done a great service in compiling this book of some ninety African saints. To my knowledge, it is one of few books like it. The saints' stories are told simply, yet inspiringly, shedding much needed light on these saints forgotten by the West.

   The entries include such familiar names as St. Augustine and St. Monica as well as many, many less known saints such as Blessed Josephine Bakhita, St. Deogratias, St. Melchiades, and Blessed Isidore Bakanja.

   The book is organized in a curious fashion - listing the saints according to their feast days rather than alphabetically. Thankfully, an index in the front of the book also lists them in a calendar format so that the reader can more easily look up particular saints. An alphabetical listing of all of the saints, or a similar index in the back of the book, might have made it easier to find a particular saint.

   Each chapter covers the saints whose feast days fall within that month. A convenient map in the beginning of each chapter indicates the region where each saint came from, although the map does not indicate specific countries. Many of the saints come from regions before they were recognized African countries.

   Also helpful is the brief history of the Catholic Church in Africa found in the back of the book and a glossary.

   Again, this book is a welcome addition to hagiography. Those interested in the saints, or those interested in Africa, will find this book enormously interesting.




2. I thought it was a very informative book and answered a lot of questions that I had.



3. Folks who enjoy this book should also enjoy Wade in the River: The Story of the African Christian Faith and An Unbroken Circle: Linking Ancient African Christianity to the African-American Experience, both by Fr. Paisius Altschul.

5 comments about New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A. (2d ed.).

1. Bill W. called Rev. Shoemaker a co-founder of A.A. He said most of the ideas in the 12 Steps came from Rev. Shoemaker, and he actually asked Shoemaker to write the 12 Steps, but Shoemaker declined, saying they should come from an alcoholic. Shoemaker's books, articles, and talks from beginning to end were about faith, prayer, and the Bible. This book helps to bring the A.A. roots and the Bible into focus



2. This book is a tough chew because it covers so many items in such great depth. It details some of Rev.Sam Shoemaker's life. It covers his personal relationship with A.A. and Bill Wilson. To make a knowledge of Shoemaker writings much easier, it specifically reviews almost every Shoemaker book written from 1921 through the year A.A.'s Big Book was published. And it touches on those published thereafter which commented on A.A. or contained repeat and relevant materials. It lists the dozens of words and phrases from Shoemaker writings that can be found in the Big Book, Twelve Steps, and A.A. materials. And, in its body and appendices, it covers the astonishing body of Shoemaker treasures Dick unearthed at the Episcopal Church Archives in Austin, Texas; at Shoemaker's two Calvary churches in Pittsburgh and New York; in Shoemaker's books and articles and sermons; in Sam's personal journals--never before seen or reported; and in the minds and memories of those friends who knew and worked with Sam. The particular treasure was the Pittsburgh section. Dick went back to Pittsburgh and interviewed the "golf club crowd" which Sam had rounded up and put to work in the Pittsburgh Experiment, businessmen's prayer meetings, and other unique outreach. These old-timers were alive and kicking and gave their reports on Sam and his methods with lots of enthusiams. There's plenty more. But I wanted to report that I've learned much much more in the last few years about the Rev. Sam Shoemaker that every A.A. ought to know. For it was to Sam that Bill turned and asked if Sam would actually write the Twelve Steps--Sam humbly declining.



3. This whole sordid pathetic tragic Oxford Group mess was the mother of Alcoholics Anonymous.
   
   Bill Wilson did not accidentally join the Oxford Group. Rather, his old friend, Burr & Burton Seminary high school alumnus and drinking buddy, Ebby Thacher, who, in 1934, was one of the enthusiastic new converts to the Oxford Group, and temporarily sober, was actively recruiting, and he was out to get Bill Wilson to join the cult.
   
   How Ebby had ended up in the Oxford Group was: He was on trial, in court in Vermont, about to be sentenced to six months in jail for habitual public drunkenness, when two Oxford Groupers, Rowland Hazard, who was another alcoholic, and Cebra Graves, who was the judge's nephew, came to Ebby's rescue. They asked Judge Graves to give Rowland Hazard custody of Ebby. Rowland would take Ebby to New York City and use the "religious cure" on Ebby. Both Judge Graves and Ebby agreed. Soon, Ebby was a happily babbling convert of the Oxford Group, mindlessly slinging slogans with the rest of them.
   
   Ebby received a "Guidance" that he should get Bill Wilson to join the Oxford Group. He worked on Wilson for a month, telling him that he had "got religion" and didn't need to drink any more. Bill didn't want to hear it at first. Bill thought that Ebby was just crazy:
   
   
   I pushed a drink across the table. He [Ebby Thacher] refused it. Disappointed but curious, I wondered what had got into the fellow. He wasn't himself.
   "Come, what's this about?" I queried.
   He looked straight at me. Simply, but smilingly, he said, "I've got religion."
   I was aghast. So that was it -- last summer an alcoholic crackpot; now, I suspected, a little cracked about religion. He had that starry-eyed look. Yes, the old boy was on fire all right. But bless his heart, let him rant! Besides, my gin would last longer than his preaching.
   The Big Book, 3rd Edition, William Wilson, Chapter 1, Bill's Story, page 9.
   
   William Wilson (left) and Ebby Thacher (right)
   The last known photograph of Ebby Thacher
   
   
   Ebby and his friend Shep Cornell described the Oxford Group program to Bill Wilson, and Wilson immediately disliked the sound of it, because Ebby and his friends were pushing an irrational cult religion that demanded that people stop thinking and just "have faith":
   
   
   Ebby and Shep C. were now asking him to give up the one attribute of which he was the most proud, the one quality that set a man above the animals -- his inquiring, rational mind. And they wanted him to give this up for an illusion.
   ... what they were asking him to do represented weakness to him. How could a man so demean himself as to surrender the one thing in which he should have faith, his innate, inquiring mind? ...
   It might be the last arrogant gasp of alcoholic pride but, miserable and terrified as he was, he would not humble himself here. On this point he would go out swinging.
   Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, Ernest Kurtz, page 18, and
   Bill W., Robert Thomsen, pages 213-214.
   Bill supposedly vowed to resist such an anti-intellectual program to the bitter end, but within two weeks, under the influence of alcohol withdrawal, delirium tremens, and the hallucinogen belladonna and other drugs, Bill Wilson gave up his "innate, inquiring, rational mind", and "surrendered", and was "changed" into an irrational true-believer Oxford Group cult member who then went on to insist that all other alcoholics must also give up their reason, logic, and rational thinking.
   
   What happened was: After many months of suicidally-intense binging, knowing that death was near, Bill reconsidered Ebby's answer to alcoholism. And he told Ebby that he was reconsidering things. So Ebby set him up and then knocked him down.
   
   Ebby set him up by first getting him to go to an Oxford Group meeting at Sam Shoemaker's Calvary House in New York, where, even though drunk, he was talked into coming forward and "giving himself to God". Then the Oxford Groupers sent Bill back to Charles Towns' Hospital in New York for detoxing (again, for the fourth time in a little over a year), where Ebby and other Oxford Groupers ambushed Wilson while he was at his weakest -- sick and detoxing and tripping his brains out on alcohol withdrawal, delirium tremens, and a drug cocktail containing morphine, barbiturates, megavitamins, henbane, and even the very toxic hallucinogenic drugs strychnine and belladonna.
   
   Ebby Thacher, Rowland Hazard, and other Oxford Groupers "tag-teamed" Bill Wilson, working on him in shifts, until they succeeded in "changing" him. After 2 or 3 days of alcohol withdrawal and round-the-clock hallucinogenic drugs and Oxford Group coaching, Bill Wilson broke down and became a true believer.
   
   And the conversion worked extremely well. As the expression goes, Bill not only took the bait, he swallowed it all, hook, line, and sinker. Bill Wilson was so completely taken in that he was a raving true believer for the rest of his life, even after the Oxford Group asked him to leave, because he was spending all of his time with alcoholics, and not enough time doing "the will of God", as the Oxford Group saw the will of God (which really meant 'obeying the orders of the Oxford Group elders').
   
   And, sadly, Ebby, the "cosmic messenger" who converted Bill Wilson to Buchmanism, would relapse after two years of sobriety, and go back to being a chronic drunkard, and would die of complications from alcoholism and cigarette smoking. Later, Bill Wilson wrote that Rowland Hazard didn't stay sober, either.24
   
   So neither of the two people who enthusiastically recruited Bill Wilson for the Oxford Group and taught Bill "the spiritual program for achieving sobriety" actually found lasting sobriety in that program. As is typical of cults, the recruiters gleefully declared that they had the panacea, even while the program wasn't actually working for them.
   
   Ken Ragge, in his book More Revealed, describes Bill Wilson's conversion this way:
   
   
   At Towns [Hospital], he was given the standard treatment, barbiturates and several hallucinogens, including belladonna and henbane, until "the face becomes flushed, the throat dry, and the pupils of the eyes dilated."
   After several days, Ebby came to see him. While there is no record of what was said, it is recorded that after Ebby left, "Bill [Wilson] slid into very deep melancholy. He was filled with guilt and remorse over the way he had treated Lois [his wife]..." Evidently, Ebby had done something to provoke it and, knowing the five C's, it is easy to put together what happened.
   Ebby was sent to Wilson in a Guidance session. He won Wilson's "Confidence" through "humble confession," eliciting a confession from Wilson. Apparently, Wilson confessed to something he had tremendous guilt over; the way he had treated Lois. Ebby was able to use this to give Wilson a "vision of the hideousness of his own personal guilt."
   Now the time of "Conversion" was upon Wilson. In what appears to have been a drug- and stress-induced hallucinatory breakdown, Wilson found "the programme of His Kingdom." From that day forward, Bill Wilson never drank again.
   
   
   Even before the Ice Age, belladonnas were used world-wide in religious ceremonies. The drug promoted babbling trances in shamans and other human oracles...
   Belladonna had two salient advantages for the cure specialists. Because it annulled morphine's mental clarity and euphoria by replacing it with a drowsy, babbling disconnected stupor, it became established in science as a morphine anti-toxin (artificial Autotoxin), providing a conceptually elegant framework for ridding the body, once and forever, of every addiction-promoting substance. And belladonna had the important advantage of keeping patients comatose: they wouldn't even think of sneaking out of the ward, being entirely occupied in talking to their ancestors, and flying through the sky with weird animals.
   Flowers in the Blood: the story of opium, Dean Latimer and Jeff Goldberg, page 247.
   
   The way Bill described it, Bill went to Towns Hospital and the Oxford Groupers indoctrinated him while he was detoxing and...
   
   
   At the hospital I was separated from alcohol for the last time. Treatment seemed wise, for I showed signs of delirium tremens.
   There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch. I have not had a drink since.
   My schoolmate [Ebby] visited me, and I fully acquainted him with my problems and deficiencies [i.e., he confessed his sins to Ebby]....
   I was to test my thinking by the new God-consciousness within. Common sense would thus become uncommon sense. ...
   My friend promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator; that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. ...
   Simple, but not easy; a price has to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Lights who presides over us all.
   These were revolutionary and drastic proposals, but the moment I fully accepted them, the effect was electric. There was a sense of victory, followed by such a peace and serenity as I had never known. There was utter confidence. I felt lifted up, as though the great clean wind of a mountain top blew through and through. God comes to most men gradually, but His impact on me was sudden and profound.
   The Big Book, 3rd Edition, William Wilson, Chapter 1, Bill's Story, pages 13-14.
   
   In the A.A. book Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age (1957) Bill Wilson described his experience this way:
   
   
   All at once I found myself crying out, "If there is a God, let Him show himself! I am ready to do anything, anything!"
   Suddenly the room lit up with a great white light. I was caught up in an ecstasy which there are no words to describe. It seemed to me in my mind's eye, that I was on a mountain and that a wind not of air but of spirit was blowing. And then it burst upon me that I was a free man. Slowly the ecstasy subsided. I lay there on the bed, but now for a time I was in another world, a new world of consciousness... and I thought to myself, "So this is the God of the preachers!" A great peace stole over me...



4. During my high school and early college years, I was a member of The Rev. Sam Shoemaker's congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I got to know him and his family quite well. He was, without doubt, the most dynamic and holy man I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Since that time, I have spoken with many alcoholism counselors as well as A.A. members -- all (who knew anything about the history of A.A.) had only positive things to say about the role "Sam" played in helping to develop the "12 step" program. Now, having said that, let's get to the book itself.
   
   I found this book to be a very extensive and, I believe, thorough account of the influence of this one Episcopal clergyman (and the God who obviously directed him) on the wording of the twelve steps. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who would like to know more about the early development of A.A. and the clergyman working behind the scenes during that development.



5. This book is so large, so comprehensive in the details it relates, and so thorough in its discussion of the relationship between Bill Wilson and his real spiritual teacher that many of its comments still seem to remain unnoticed. But the book, revised in the second edition, gives you some extremely useful spiritual history and tools. It reviews almost every book that Sam Shoemaker wrote. It covers the relationship between A.A. Cofounder Bill Wilson and the clergyman who taught him most of the Step material. It shows precisely the Shoemaker ideas and language that can be found in the Twelve Steps and the Big Book. It reports Shoemaker's talks to AAs at two of their International Conventions--St. Louis and Long Beach. It reveals the extensive findings of the author and his son at the Episcopal Church Archives in Austin, Texas where the vast number of Shoemaker papers are lodged. In the second edition, it gives a great picture of Sam Shoemaker in action after he took his second major church rectorship--in Pittsburgh. Wade through it. Get informed. And see how much about A.A., Bill Wilson, and Sam Shoemaker you never knew. I recommend it highly.

2 comments about Tongue of the Prophets.

1. This is the biography of a Jewish man named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda who made it his life's work to revive the Hebrew language and help return his people to their homeland of Israel. He persevered through a terminal illness, the death of his first wife and several of his children and constant financial trouble. He was misunderstood and criticized by many of his own people, yet he began a movement which brought many Jews home to Israel and helped unite them with a common language. I think one of the most amazing things about this true story is that, in reviving the Hebrew language, Eliezer actually had to create many words himself. Because the language had been "dead" for so long, there were no words for things such as airplanes, automobiles or concerts. He had to hunt through the existing language to find words that he could combine or slightly modify to make new words. He also spent weeks and months hunting through old literature to find lost Hebrew words. This is the most interesting biography I've ever read. Eliezer's passion and perseverance were inspiring.



2. For any interessted in Jewish history, or of the language of Hebrew itself. An excelent recount of the man who 're-discovered' the language of Hebrew. This book is full of adventure and real life drama. It follows all the ups and downs of his rediscovery of the Hebrew language and the fierce opposition against him. Does not read like a regular biography, very easy to read, could not put down ! I would recommend this book to anyone!

5 comments about Family Man: The Biography of Dr. James Dobson.

1. Great man! This book is highly recommended!!! He has spent his life imparting wonderful and insightful and loving parenting wisdom. Thank you Dr. Dobson, you helped my husband and me raise two fantastic children AND your valuable advice is now helping the next generation of our family!! The world needs more men like Dr. Dobson!



2. I have not read this book yet, but I will read it as soon as it becomes available in my local library. For 6 to 7 years in the 90's, I made it a daily habit to listen to Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program. I really enjoyed him and his cohost Mike Trout as they talked about man's role as a husband and father. I have learned a lot from their insightful teachings on marriage and family. I was and still am a politically aware individual who has always voted conservative (not necessarily Republican but usually Republican except for Zell Miller). In my opinion, Dr. Dobson has the tendency to twist facts or even lie in order to serve his purpose when he ventured into political topics. I cannot forget the day in his radio program (either 1995 or 1996) when he viciously attacked then House Majority leader, Newt Gingrich, who happened to be my Congress man, for no reason other than Newt didn't give in to Dr. Dobson's demand on whatever when Newt and other fellow Republicans proposed "Contract with America". The 10 points in CWA were designed to instil personal responsibility into welfare reform and other areas of social reform (google it and look it up yourself). Yet Dr. Dobson told his listeners that the new GOP leadership under Gingrich and its CWA "doesn't reflect our value." Also, Dr. Dobson's view on Y2K was way off the mainstream. I have always wondered why he was so radical on Y2K and devoted several of his daily programs on this topic at the end of 1999. However, in mid January, 2000, Dr. Dobson said in one of his daily radio programs that he never believed Y2K was so dire when he asked his listeners for contributions. He said Focus income was down because he believed his listeners were afraid of potential Y2K disaster, but now since Y2K was over he encouraged his listeners to give. In that context, he said he never believed Y2K was anything serious. Can anyone believe him? Who was the guy that only 2 months ago trying to paint a dire picture of Y2K? Did any of you good evangelical Christians know that there were some very prominent Christian leaders at that time publically castigating fellow pastors who didn't agree with them on Y2K? Maybe Dr. Dobson ought to answer his reason behind all the Y2K hype. What type of people did he and other fellow like-minded ministers on the Y2K issue want to set out to destroy then? Just last week in promoting this book "Family Man," in a FOF daily radio program, a man whom Dr. Dobson has helped over the year, called Dr. Dobson a prophet, a Jeremiah of our time. Come on, folks, that is just a bit too much personality cult. I am sure Dr. Dobson is a great man - a great husband, a great father, and a wonderful grandfather if he is one now. But his desire for power and his consistent approach of alienating other evangelical Christian leaders who disagree with him are divisive at least and very dangerous to the cause of God's work.
   
   (...)



3. Can anyone call this man anything less than a genius. He's astounding, his insight, spirituality, and hunger to save rival anyone I've ever read. I put him in the pantheon of other great conservative writers like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. All of their missions are clear and straightforward. SAve the children from the Devil and all that he seeks. Their work is good and just, their writing ability unassailable.



4. I have read this book and have had to put it down many times to scream into a pillow and hide my children. On page 47 we have this line, "A handy way of inflicting this pain without causing marks or injuries........is to compress the trapezius muscle that lies at the base of the neck.....when firmly squeezed..."
   
   Lord knows we surely do not want any marks that may identify you as an abusive parent. What good hints for abusive parents.
   
   We go on to this, "He recommends that spankings cause at least brief, real pain and be administered with a neutral object such as a small switch or belt, not with the hand, because the latter should always be seen as 'an object of love....."
   
   Truly sick! You can see his insights on "assertive toddlers" and self-propelled youngsters.
   
   You can read this horrific accounting by the weak follower (author) or just skip it and save yourself the nightmares.
   
   I for one can't believe children are enduring this abusive lifestyle by such weak parents.



5. FAMILY MAN by Dale Buss, is a good book about a great, patriotic Christian: James Dobson! It is written more by topic than by chronological order, which is my only misgiving. It makes it feel more like reading a collection of articles about Dr. Dobson, instead of reading and "reliving" the stories and events of his interesting life, in the same order in which things happened. I would have preferred to have read about everything in the order that it all happened.
   
   Nevertheless, if you are a listener of the daily FOCUS ON THE FAMILY radio shows which Dr. Dobson founded, or have read some of his very influential books about Christian childrearing, then you will find many interesting things in this book.
   
   Dr. Dobson already has built his listener and reader base using stories and anecedotes from his own life, as often as not. So there will probably be some stories which you have heard from his own mouth, on the radio, already. But that is okay, because these repeat stories are great stories with a thoughtful lesson and a moral to each story.
   
   For example, his funny story about his coveted school tennis trophy which he worked so hard to achieve, and years later was, well... you may know what happened to it, already, or you should read this book's version of the story, which tells it better than me and teaches a Bible-based lesson about what achievements are important in life and will last through eternity, and which works are way too temporary to waste too much time on!
   
   It is no secret that people that hate what the Bible teaches also hate anybody who promotes what the Bible teaches. James Dobson has plenty of enemies, but they all hate him for his relentless promotion of Biblical values. They have nothing on him that he has actually done wrong to anybody. They hate him because he exposes their deeds as going against what the Bible teaches.
   
   Jesus says, "If they hated you, they hated me first." -- John 15:18. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." -- John 3:19. So I will side with Dr. Dobson against any of his many outspoken critics, who really oppose Bible values first, and Dr. Dobson second, for speaking on behalf of the Bible teachings.
   
   The biggest surprise in the book, for me, was learning that his son, Ryan, was adopted. I had listened to the radio shows for over 5 years, and had heard Ryan on the show with his Dad many times, but I never heard anybody mention that, obviously because it is not kept in mind, as it should be.
   
   There are interesting stories with famous and infamous people who have been part of the interesting parade of personalities invited and/or appearing on the FOCUS ON THE FAMILY radio show. I really enjoyed the story about Pete Maravich, one of the best basketball players in the history of the sport, who made a very fateful visit. I also found it interesting to read the details about his exclusive interview with the serial killer, Ted Bundy, who requested that only Dr. Dobson was allowed to have a media interview with the death row killer, before the state executed him, (Bundy said he was Born Again, and so he chose Dobson for the interview, even though the secular media would have bent over backwards to get his last interview).
   
   The stories about his growing up with his parents are my favorite parts of the book. I also enjoy the personal life details during the different eras of his education and career. I also enjoy the many stories about building his books and radio show business.
   
   Dr. Dobson is not perfect, and the book spends many pages letting people blow off steam and criticize his work routine. Apparently, some feel he micro-manages too much, and runs a tight ship. Gee, who hasn't worked for a tough boss at some point in their life? Most of us have been on both sides of this situation, either being led by a tough boss, or having to lead people ourselves, under tough situations. There is nothing extraordinary in the stories that criticize the way he likes to run the FOCUS ON THE FAMILY organization.
   
   There are many photos from his life and career, which are interesting. I like the family photos, having heard and read the family stories, but there are also plenty of career photos of Dr. Dobson with famous people and at interesting events, all in a days work if you are Dr. James Dobson!
   
   All in all, this is a fairly beefy book, (nearly 400 pages), but if you agree with Dr. Dobson's Bible-based philosophy and psychology, and listen to FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, and learn about Christian family living do's and don'ts from this good doctor, then you will most likely find many interesting moments in this book to enjoy and ponder.
   
   Amen that James Dobson! He is a great role model for all Christians going through the difficult, narrow gate to Heaven, who reject the corrupt, broad road to Hell (Matthew 7:13), while looking to the promises of God and wanting to live the Christian Family way, the right way, God's way.

2 comments about Unshakable Faith.

1. John Perry has delivered the goods as a researcher and biographer. In this book about two luminaries of the 20th Century, who brought the light of their torches from the 19th, we have a book that will inspire everyone. There are places where it will not leave you tearless.

   Balance, honesty and contextual historicism are characteristic of Perry's work.

   Most reading it will concur with this reviewer that Perry has found a niche in reminding us of those persons of sacrifice who are such a rare type of leader in this 21st century.

   Take time to read this book and discover Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver whose lives transcended racial prejudice, reviling, misunderstanding and jealousy.




2. I am reminded by people like George Carver and Booker Washington that I have done so little, while they accomplished so very much. Besides the awe inspiring historical accounts of these two saints, the book is written with a kind of zeal that is obvious to the reader. It is obvious that the author loved writing it as much as we enjoy reading it (either that or he fakes it really well).

   I have only a few books that I will make my children read (when they come of age)....this is one of them.

3 comments about In Mysterious Ways: The Death and Life of a Parish Priest.

1. Paul Wilkes, often seen in the pages of the New Yorker or the New York Times Sunday Magazine writing on issues of faith in the modern age, turns in a compelling biography of a modern-day Catholic cleric. Entering the priesthood in the idyllic 1950s, Joe Greer's expectations were completely upturned by the dramatic changes of Vatican II and the wrenching realities of ministry in inner-city Boston. Rather than enjoying the peace of a well-appointed rectory, Fr. Greer winds up riding the stone-pelted school buses of Boston during the angry days of desegregation. Never claiming sainthood for himself, Greer struggles with very human temptations -- and occasionally falls to them, only to repent and try again. Finally, as the pastor of a suburban Boston church, Joe Greer faces the greatest challenge to faith anyone can confront -- he is diagnosed with a rampant and unyielding form of cancer. How this good man of a faith always open to doubt deals with the most dangerous temptation -- the temptation of despair -- shapes the crux of this well-told spiritual biography



2. This book really shows the day-to-day experience of a parish priest and probably applies to any clergy role. Of course, this book's main subject is, in addition, suffering from a terrible form of cancer. As the book portrays, he tries his best to keep going, even through times of debilitating treatment. By the end of the book, he has learned some painful lessons about delegating responsibility, and when to put yourself first. Still, the priest remains a faithful servant, trying to do God's will and trying at the same time to just survive. The book speaks a great deal to the demands on a clergy person's time and what that means for his/her life. Plus this book focusing on a Catholic priest also reminded me of the stresses in the Catholic church of today. (This book, however, was written more than 10 years ago.) For anyone interested in church life, the book illuminates some constant themes--mainly the need of the priest to serve pastoral and theological needs while, at the same time, making sure the boilers in the buildings are working.



3. God works in mysterious ways but not as mysterious as those of the internet or radio, as you can't see the person behind the voice and email. I wish you could see the beautiful stained glass window on the cover of this library book. It is fantastic. The apostle Paul (formerly called Saul) constanly felt that he was 'weak' and called out to God for guidance. "My strength is shown forth in your weakness." In the methodist church, a preacher called Paul Allen took most of his sermons from Paul's teachings. At a local 'big business' baptist church, he senior pastor Sauer used Paul to prove that the Methodist are deal wrong, but used his teachings instead of those of John the Baptist, as a ranting, out-of-contaol diatribute against the methodists.
   
   Joseph Greer was a dynamic Catholic priest in Massachusetts who often confessed that he, too, felt 'weak.' His was not a weakness of faith or spirit. His body, at the age of 55, was rife with cancer. In his position as parish priest, no problem was too small for his attention and intervention, such as as a parking-lot dispute. A noise problem and ugly artificial owls GSA has over this town is an eyesore and ear-sore, and yet it is too minor to deal with, a "harassment" charge from the director in Nashville who doesn't have to endure the noise pollution he is emiting over this town.
   
   Ordained at the age of 25, his grave illness thirty years later made him spiritually deeper and more intent on serving his parish will all his strength and ability. Even with a bone marrow transplant, his cancer returned. He has to face his own death, as am I, with suffering, humility, and the power of love -- instead of hate. He was an inspiration to all who knew him.
   
   The author was a visiting writer at the University of Pittsburgh when he wrote this book. Others include THE GOOD ENOUGH CATHOLIC, COMPANIONS ALONG THE WAY, SIX AMERICAN FAMILIES, and A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY.