No comments about Take Your Glory Lord.

5 comments about And One Was a Soldier: The Spiritual Pilgrimage of Robert E. Lee.

1. To try to understand Lee apart from his faith is folly. He embodies all that is noble, beautiful, and worthy of emulation in the best of the Christian tradition. His grace, his poise, his presence are all legendary. His strategic acumen is without peer in all of American history. All are grounded in his simple, profound and unshakeable faith in the wisdom and mercy of God. He has been characterized as enimatic by some historians. I believe he is laid bare in this study. Part history and part meditation no Lee admirer should be without this one.



2. A thought-provoking book about one of the more interesting figures in U.S. history. However one might argue that his support of slavery, the needless misery and suffering caused by his refusal to call for an end to the war after his surrender when he admitted all was lost (basically a matter of protocol, due to loyalty to Jefferson Davis), his refusal to allow prisoner exchanges because of the Union's demand that black soldiers be included ('those species of property' as he put it) tempers the urge to consider him the "embodiment of all that is noble, beautiful, and worthy of emulation in the best of the Christian tradition." One would consider the Christian tradition a bit more enlightened. I also wish the author would have included the words Lee spoke when he shook hands with Ely Parker, one of Grant's aides, after the surrender papers were signed at Appomattox Courthouse: "I am glad to see one real American here." Parker responded, "We are all Americans."



3. The review written in a vain attempt to slash at the character of such a paragon of virtue is ridiculous and only shows the strength of Lee's character and the weakness of any who would care to even attempt such damage to it. Lee freed all his slaves by 1863 only because that was the time period set within his father-in-law's will, he would have preferred to release them earlier since he viewed slavery as a vile and impractical institution although he was not in favor of complete and immediate abolition, preferring gradual abolition for their "education as a race"-- in other words, to fit them with abilities worthy of employment and adequate pay once freed. The comment about protocol was ridiculous and incomprehensible. Lee specificially told his younger officers, who suggested that he lead the army into what would be a devastating round of "bushwhacking"- guerrilla warfare in the countryside, that he would not because the only honorable thing was to surrender to Grant, and thus saved the country from years of devastating warfare. To say that Lee prolonged the war, then, is pointless, for it was he who surrendered when davis, his superior, would have continued to fight. The quote which suggests bigorty and prejudice of Lee shall not even be repeated here due to the fact that it was a misinterpretation of his meaning. Lee, in fact, showed by personal example the best way to unite the country. He attended an Episcopalian church in which the congregation was white, until one day a black man entered the church and proceeded to the rail to take communion. there was a oause in the church, for no man dared sit beside this "colored" man- except Lee, who immediate took his seat beside the man and showed that he was in no way prejudiced.



4. A well-researched book on the religious beliefs of Robert E. Lee. A most instructive study on how these beliefs developed and impacted the man. The book is detailed on just what these beliefs were and how they were at the very core of who Robert E. Lee was.



5. Fantastic! What a great read from a Bishop who can recognize a man of character and faith. Unlike most Episcopal bishops today who chase after the wind, Bishop Brown has written an interesting short tome on the greatest man produced by the 19th Century. Bishop Brown's intertwining of C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, and T.S. Elliot makes it all the more interesting. This book will bless you during devotional time.

1 comments about Complete Works of John Owen, 16 Volume Set.

1. These 16 volumes by John Owen are a must for the thoughtful Christian. Fighting Temptation (6), For whom did Christ Die (10), the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit (2,3) and of course the Excellency of Christ (1) are all dealt with and so much more. Purchase these and study them with care and you will have so much assistance and encouragement in life and hope for the life to come. Owen doesn't so much as touch upon issues but open them up explore and apply them thoroughly and biblically.

5 comments about Forty Acres and a Goat: A Memoir.

1. Will Campbell is one of the South's great writers and this re-issue of Forty Acres and A Goat is perhaps his best. This book, still in high demand, has an exciting new cover and should be read by all who love the South, goats and God.



2. This book is out of print. It is being reissued by Jefferson Press (see above.) It's a great buy.
   DM



3. I've owned this book for fourteen years...a real treasure. Have told many friends about it...this was done first by a Southern publisher; then in paperback, I think, by HarperCollins.

   Now, it looks like a new Southern publisher is bringing it back out in paperback. It's funky, Southern, religious, racial...abosolutely Southern and a must read. I recommend it to anyone who asks big questions about themselves and world and people around them.




4. There are vague memories of Will Campbell, from my childhood days at St. Phillips Episcopal Church. I always knew that he was the Salman Rushdie of the Southern Babtist Convention but I never new why he was associated with the Episcopal Church until reading 40 Acres and a Goat. I recently hooked up with the Phil Rice the son of Father Charles Rice.
   My interest in 40 Acres and a Goat got rekindled during my search for Convention: A Parable, which I still have not found a copy of. Convention: A Parable was referenced in American Theocracy : The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury, and I have been on the search for a copy since.
   Will Campbell is probably the most effective activist I have ever known in my life. 40 Acres and a Goat made me aware just how effective he was.
   I would stack him right up with Micheal Moore.
   I have a twenty year old activist living in my home who I hope reads this book and it would be extraordinary if he could get an opportunity to meet Mr. Campbell to put his radicallism into a much larger perspective.
   There is almost a melancholy conclusion to the memoir with a lack of assurance to the effectiveness of his efforts. But I believe that if you bang the drum your whole life and all you have to show for it is someone to bang the drum for you when you are gone, your life is golden.
   I do not know if I would ever have met Kerry Majors, Donald Cockrill, Bonita Hayes, Sammy and Loretta Tally, Douglas Palmer who were transfered from Hopewell Elementary to Andrew Jackson Elementary as a result of Brown vs. the Board of Education and the efforts of Mr. Campbell so I consider his contribution phenomenal.
   And I think that it is ironic that it took place Andrew Jackson Elementary, whereas Jackson A' Goat was the name of the goat who witnessed all these events.



5. When he was seven years old Will Campbell (b. 1924) decided that he would be a preacher. Ten years later he was ordained, then took a pastorate at a small church in Louisiana. "It just didn't work out," he writes. Nor did his stint as Director of Religious Life at the University of Mississippi, where his views on civil rights were far too radical, nor after that his assignment with the National Council of Churches. He thus found himself with "a call but no steeple," a sense of failure, doubt about himself (but not about his call), and "a penchant for self-destruction." What to do?
   
   In this memoir Campbell tells how he regrouped on a rundown two-hundred year old farmhouse with forty acres and a goat named Jackson. There in rural Tennessee he has flourished as a Christian anarchist and rabble rouser. He's farmed, wrote nearly twenty books, hosted a steady stream of troubled people both famous and unknown, wrote country music, visited the sick and the imprisoned, and continued his curmudgeonly protest against the principalities and powers. If you were raised in the south as I was, have an interest in the civil rights movement, or want to enjoy one of the most irreverent Christians ever to irritate the church, then read Will Campbell. He was born and raised in the rural and very poor deep south of Amite, Mississippi, "ordained" by family members at a local Baptist church when he was seventeen, and, in a delightfully improbable life, played a central role as an activist and agitator on behalf of African Americans. In 1957, Campbell was one of four people who escorted the nine black students who integrated Little Rock's Central High School; and he was the only white person to attend the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. But he also made nice and sipped whiskey with the KKK Grand Dragon of North Carolina, believing that God's indiscriminate love embraces all of us without exception or conditions.
   
   Will Campbell loves a good chew of tobacco and will strike many as enigmatic. Not everyone will appreciate his rapier wit. But PBS profiled him in their documentary "God's Will," in 2000 President Clinton honored him with a National Endowment for the Humanities medal, and his book Brother to a Dragonfly won numerous literary awards.

3 comments about On the Side of My People: A Religious Life of Malcolm X.

1. It was fantastic to read a religious biography of Malcolm X. Although DeCaro does go over Malcolm X's political activities (it would be rediculous to do otherwise!), he presents Malcolm X's life in its religious context, for example outlining the ongoing tension between the Nation and Orthodox Islam and how this affected Malcolm, whereas most biographies do the exact opposite. His book focusses primarily around Malcolms two conversions - firstly to the Nation, and the second to orthodox Islam. He also outlines the religious melting pot that Malcolm X came out of, and shows how these influences helped mold and shape him throughout his life. In doing this, he gives Malcolm a lot more religious credit than past biographers have done, and points out some probable biases in "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (remember, in this book Malcolm originally intended to show how Elijah Muhammad had miraculously and single-handedly saved him, and therefore probably didn't give himself due credit). DeCaro goes on to explain how Malcolms second conversion was not an instantaneous transformation that occurred when he set foot in Mecca, but rather the climax of a change that had been building for some time. For me, DeCaro's book was thorough and well balanced. He didn't try to portray Malcolm as a hero or a villian or anything else, but rather just presented his life from the point of view of his 'religousness'. The book is written from DeCaros PhD dissertation, so is very well referenced, and he is careful to point out his own biases. The only qualm I had was that DeCaro did not have a huge number of interviews with people who knew Malcolm, but he admits this himself in the introduction, and he more than makes up for it with his use of other primary sources such as FBI files, prison records etc. So yeah. I loved it. Read it.



2. It was fantastic to read a religious biography of Malcolm X. Although DeCaro does go over Malcolm X's political activities (it would be rediculous to do otherwise!), he presents Malcolm X's life in its religious context, for example outlining the ongoing tension between the Nation and Orthodox Islam and how this affected Malcolm, whereas most biographies do the exact opposite. His book focusses primarily around Malcolms two conversions - firstly to the Nation, and the second to orthodox Islam. He also outlines the religious melting pot that Malcolm X came out of, and shows how these influences helped mold and shape him throughout his life. In doing this, he gives Malcolm a lot more religious credit than past biographers have done, and points out some probable biases in "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (remember, in this book Malcolm originally intended to show how Elijah Muhammad had miraculously and single-handedly saved him, and therefore probably didn't give himself due credit). DeCaro goes on to explain how Malcolms second conversion was not an instantaneous transformation that occurred when he set foot in Mecca, but rather the climax of a change that had been building for some time. For me, DeCaro's book was thorough and well balanced. He didn't try to portray Malcolm as a hero or a villian or anything else, but rather just presented his life from the point of view of his 'religousness'. The book is written from DeCaros PhD dissertation, so is very well referenced, and he is careful to point out his own biases. The only qualm I had was that DeCaro did not have a huge number of interviews with people who knew Malcolm, but he admits this himself in the introduction, and he more than makes up for it with his use of other primary sources such as FBI files, prison records etc. So yeah. I loved it. Read it.



3. Contrary to Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X has won more than his due share of attention. But he gained renown mostly for reasons having to do with his personal odyssey from petty thief to political figure of international stature, his black nationalism, and his scintillating rhetoric-not because he was a key figure in the growth of Islam in the United States. DeCaro fills this gap with an intelligent focus on his "religious life." Like Clegg, he relies on extensive research of primary documents; he finds much that is new about the man he terms a "religiously driven revolutionist." 5 In particular, he shows where Malcolm X's famous Autobiography is either lacking important information or slanted to make a point; what Malcolm X actually did during his last year (after leaving the NOI and becoming a mainstream Muslim); and the parallels in Malcolm X's dual conversion (to the NOI, to Islam). From an Islamic viewpoint, On the Side of My People is of special interest for the way DeCaro pulls apart the myth Malcolm X had propagated about having learned of mainstream Islam only on reaching Mecca in April 1964; in fact, we find out here, he had for many months, even years, been tending in that direction. Reaching Mecca for Malcolm X was less a revelation than an opportunity to come out of the religious closet.

   Middl East Quarterly, December 1998

No comments about Archbishop Romero: Martyr and Prophet for the New Millennium.

5 comments about His Holiness.

1. The thesis of this book is inspired by an agenda by the author. It tries to applaud him with one hand while trying to dismiss him with the other by reducing John Paul II's complex and prophetic vision to a mere out of touch authoritarian woman hater. The only thing that is worthy of comment about this book, is the depth of myopia that the authors view this most inspiring, mystic, philosopher, artist, prophet, man who is a Father to us all.



2. The Church changing her teachings regarding artificial contraception and other LIFE issues is like an engineer saying "well, its time to change that pesky law of gravity." Bernstein is more interested in his ideology than the life of Pope John Paul II. For a more balanced, scholarly, and less agenda driven biography of the Holy Father, look up George Wiegel. Don't waste your time with these hacks.



3. It is just too difficult to sort out the ideological agenda of the author from the facts. Bernstein utterly fails to understand one of the most interesting people of our time. This book has all the trappings of a serious work but when I read about the Pope I want to know what inspired the man. This tedious chronological and "investigative" work fails to provide that and thus we are left with a very boring read.



4. Among the many books written about Pope John Paul II, the book by Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi, His Holiness, stands out. That's because it's focus is on the role played by the Pope, working along with the Reagan Administration, in causing the fall of communism.
   
   This was a delicate balancing act for John Paul. As Stalin so famously pointed out about a previous pope, he had no military power, only moral and spiritual power. As they recount his first trip as Pope back to Poland
   
   "What was talking place now in Warsaw's Victory Square was a breakthrough to unknown horizons. John Paul II never uttered a word that might lead directly to a confrontation between Church and state, between the party and Christian believers, but everything he said marked the beginning of a grand turnabout for the Church -- in Poland, in Eastern Europe, in the Soviet Union, in world affairs. Through him the Church was laying claim to a new role, no longer simply asking space for itself. Through him it was demanding respect for human rights as well as for Christian values, respect for every man and woman and for the autonomy of the individual. These demands represented a direct assault on the universal pretensions of Marxist ideology, which by now had become an empty shell in the countries under Soviet influence."
   
   
   
   A campaign just by Solidarity, even aided by the Pope, may have gotten no farther than the Hungarians in 1956 or the Czechs in 1968. What was different now was that the West, especially the Reagan Administration in the US, and Margaret Thatcher's government in Great Britain, had moved away from detente and began to actively push back. John Paul II had similarly moved away from the Ostpolitik of Pope Paul VI. The book details the co-operation in intelligence between the US and the Vatican. It also provides, through Politburo minutes obtained by the authors, the futile attempts by the old men of the Kremlin, and later the unsuccessful attempts of the younger Gorbachev, to get the toothpaste back in the tube.
   
   This book, which was released in 1996, was a five year collaboration between Carl Bernstein (best-known for his work with Bob Woodward in All the President's Men and The Final Days) and Marco Politi, who is both the dean of Vatican journalists working for La Repubblica and then Il Messaggero, and a former Moscow correspondent. Countering a criticism, over how do we know what was really said at private meetings recounted in these exposé books, this book is quite detailed in its sourcing. The authors conducted, and documented, a long series of interviews with the people involved, up to and including President Reagan. The participants are quoted directly, and a Sources section at the back of the book shows who said what.
   
   The book probably would have done better focusing strictly on the East-West struggles, but it was extended to include both a short biography of John Paul II's early life, plus a critique in the latter part of the book of the theological controversies during John Paul's long reign (and there were still nine years to go after the book came out.) While I'm interested in having Carl Bernstein as a guide through some of the great political struggles of the late 20th century, I really don't need him as a theology teacher.
   
   While this isn't a new book, it is an interesting retrospective on one part of John Paul II's papacy.



5. Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi have written an excellent portrait of Karol Woytyla - both the man and the pope. The authors are objective about John Paul II's world vision, triumphs, shortcomings and place in history while being respectful at the same time.
   
   "His Holiness" is not for those enthralled by the now deceased Woytyla's charisma who may interpret critically objective discourse as being anti-Catholic. The book fairly chronicles Woytyla's clashes with feminists both inside and outside the Church, his critical view of the values of the richer, "decadent" Western nations, and his attempts to crush all who did not share his viewpoints on Church doctrine.
   
   The authors hint that Woytyla may have been reexamining his stance on the role of women and papal infallibility in the last years of his papacy. But the book was published in 1996. In it the authors note: "A principal problem facing John Paul II's papacy continues to be democracy in his own house.... (C)an a pope who championed democratic rights in Poland and all over the world continue to run the Church as an absolute monarchy?" I sincerely wish the authors will return to examine the last nine years of Woytyla's life.
   
   I have never agreed on Woytyla's policies on contraception, divorce, the role of women in the Catholic Church, homosexuals and papal infallibility. But there is no question in my mind that the man was brilliant; his achievements were monumental in upholding the dignity of the human being, in fighting for freedom, and in reconciling with the world's other great religions.
   
   And his constant, well publicized travels served a critical need. As the authors write:
   
   "His very presence in the most desolate parts of the world provided a spark of hope for people in misery. For men and women trapped in the shantytowns and barrios of the Third World, the arrival of John Paul II sometimes offered the first significant testimony to their existence as human beings, the only time in their lives when their wretched living conditions were presented to the court of public opinion in their own countries and around the world."
   
   Pope John Paul II "The Great"? Yes, without a doubt.
   
   Pope John Paul II "the saint"? I'm not so sure.

1 comments about Cries in the Night: Women Who Challenged the Holocaust.

1. The authors wrote of 7 women, out of many they could have chosen. An astonishing chronicle of courage in the face of Nazi terror. While many of the powerful and famous failed to help, these humble women - some vowed religious, some lay - faced death and torture and fearlessly rescued some hundreds of innocent people, including many children. A moving, wonderful book.

5 comments about My Glimpse of Eternity.

1. The greatest gift of the Lord is love. Betty shares her faith journey with us and how to overcome our selfish desires and let God be God in and through us. The Lord is the best teacher that we can follow and He so wants to love us into being. "Do not be afraid, I am with you always". Jesus.



2. I truly enjoyed this book, the story of one women and her walk through life's journey...until! I liked her openness about herself, her life style and her beliefs before her encounter with the hereafter and I enjoyed the wonderful transformation in her afterwards. I smiled at the faith of her Dad and the goodness of God to prepare her own husband for his soon crossing. God is so good! All in all I felt this book was very tender, showing the love God has for his children and His great, great mercy!



3. One day in 1995 I died, and had a NDE. Ever since then, I've been reading everything I can on the subject. According to most stories I've read, I had an unusual one, not going down a tunnel, but experiencing many interesting phenomena all the same. It seems to me that there are some NDE books and magazine articles that are just hype, and published just to give recognition. I have found, through my many years and multitudes of books on the subject, that there is an underlining truth and spirit that pervades the true experiences. So, I have compiled a list of my best reads for NDE books - ones that I consider genuine and adding validating light to the personal NDE experience. I have left out compilations, these are personal narratives. I hope you enjoy them too.
   Embraced by the Light ------by Betty J. Eadie
   Psychic Gifts ---------by Tiffany Snow
   Saved by the Light --------by Dannion Brinkley
   4 Days in Eternity ---------by Wayne F.A. Marentette
   After the Light -------------by Kimberly Clark Sharp



4. I first read this book in 1980. I will never forget how I felt as I read page after page of this woman's phoenominal experience. My father died in 1961 when I was only 11 years old and for the years that followed, my heart was filled with questions about the place he went to. As I read, I wept and laughed and felt that I was living her life.
   The information of how to treat on who is close to transitioning from this world to the next is irreplacable. Because both my husband and I have been pastors and counsellors for many years, there have been times her testimony has been
   very helpful in walking with those who are in the process of grief or are dealing with life and death matters.
   This book is a hidden treasure. When the reader reads the story, they will be hesitant to give the book away, because, this is a book that can be read over and over again. Spritual truths and eternal principals can only be grasped as those who enquire are ready to understand and receive.
   Even though this was written years ago, the story is fresh and applicable to any who desire to know what is beyond for those who prepare themselves.



5. Like many other reviews here, I have read many books lately on NDE's. Some books have touched me so deeply in my spirit that I couldn't get over it and just had to share the book. As a christian, the real testimony for me has been the powerful presence and truth of the Holy Spirit as I read the book. I felt the truth of this book, but if you're looking for alot of information about Heaven or life after death, you won't find it here. Don't put off reading it though. It's powerful. Great for a person who is losing a loved one to sickness or has just lost a loved one.

1 comments about Karl Barth: His Life from Letters and Autobiographical Texts.

1. The study of karl Barth has fascinated theologians for years; I, too, have begun to read more of Barth and his work. He has been an enormous influence to a wide variety of theologians, with his name popping up in numerous readings and books.

   What I was not particularly aware of was the story of Barth "the man." I knew of his opposition to Hitler, but not the whole story; I knew he was both loved and hated by the Swiss and Germans, but not the reasons. I had no knowledge of his intellecual journey.

   Busch's biography answers all of these questions with astounding clarity and remarkably makes himself an unknown person by using primariliy Barth's own words from his writings and letters. This is an achievement that is unsurpassed in the books I have read. Busch is to be commended for a sigularly fascinating and enlightening read.

   Read and Enjoy!