5 comments about The Anabaptist Story: An Introduction to Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism.

1. Gives the historical background, foundation, and progress of the "re-baptizers" as their critics called them. The ministries of the early Anabaptist leaders are followed in detail in both Switzerland, Germany, and Holland. After a historical review of each leader's influence on the movement, the latter half of the book provides a detailed examination of these leaders' positions on matters of doctrine such as infant baptism, the trinity, pacifism, the swearing of oaths, the ban, and civil authority.

   Perhaps the most interesting sections of this book relates to the ongoing and violent persecutions which befell the early Anabaptists. Not only the dominant Catholic hierarch but their fellow Reformers made martyrs out of the early Anabaptists. The arguments and misrepresentations made against the Anabaptists by their Catholic and Protestant tormentors helps to define what these people did, in fact, believe in.

   A great book for understanding where the Mennonites, Hutterites, and other Anabaptists came from.




2. I read this book for an Anabaptist history class at a denominational school with direct lineage to the Anabapist movement. I myself did not grow up in this tradition, but have grown to love many aspects of it. This book has surely contributed to this. Estep does a great of job cutting out the fluff and writing a straight forward book on the movement. I particularly liked the last section of the book which focused on the probable Anabaptist connection to the Baptists. Since my theology leans more towards Baptist thinking, particularly the Reformed variety, this was most interesting to me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Anabaptist movement and its contributions to modern Christianity.



3. In this book, Mr. Estep provides a very interesting overview of those who led the "radical reformation" in the 16th Century. The author does an excellent job of describing the various leaders, churches, communities, and doctrines which were formulated by the "re-baptizers" during this important time in the Church's history. I really learned a lot from this book about the Anabaptists, especially in terms of their doctrine.
   
   I did have two small problems with the book. First, the author is a little too sympathetic to the Anabaptists when defending the formation of their doctrines. Of course, that is his background so this did not come as a complete surprise. Second, the author does not describe the Munster incident in much detail, if at all. It is a little irresponsible as a historian to brush over this significant event in a book about 16th Century Anabaptism.
   
   Despite these two problems - it is a good book which I recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the radical reformation. If you do not know much about this period of Church history, like me, this is a great starting point.



4. I was required to read this as part of a class on the reformation of the 16th century. this is by far the best way to start any study of anabaptist history. it is a very quick and enjoyable read. it really is an extraordinary book on the subject.



5. It's hard for us in the United States to believe that people were once attacked by so-called fellow Christians over their views on water baptism that they actually sought to back up their teachings on baptism with the Bible! However, while "death by burning" is not a choice many make today, many do attack those who seek to follow the Bible completely and who believe the Bible is the final Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21).
   
   In this work, Dr. Estep takes us through the history of the Anabaptist tradtion. Where did it start? What doctrines seperated them from other movements? Historically, who has followed in their doctrines and practices? Dr. Estep traces these paths.
   
   The book is not easy reading however. It is a study of history and not theology. While Dr. Estep does touch on theological issues, the majority of the book is on the people involved. It is the story of the anabaptist.
   
   Overall this is a solid work on the Anabaptist movement. You will see the faith of these baptism reformers who sought to take the Church back to the authority of Scripture and be baptised by immersion (Acts 2:38; 8:36-37) as a disciple of Jesus (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15-16).

4 comments about Finding Peace in Life's Storms.

1. I would recommend this book to anyone who is searching for Christ, as a matter of fact I am buying one for my friend in the next couple of days.



2. Living in San Francisco you get lots of ideas about what living the Christian life is all about. Often times getting desensitized towards sin. This book brings me back to the unexpressable happiness and security that I look for everyday of my life. Spurgeon definetly had a direct line to the Almighty. His wisdom will help anyone especially christian's make light of any trouble or confusion they are going through.



3. Spurgeon brings us back to the bare essentials of the Christian life, Jesus Christ. Because of Christ's life, death, burial, and resurrection we can have peace in life's storms; for vile sinners have now been reconciled to a Holy God by His Son, Jesus Christ. We now know that no matter what happens in life, we are saved in Christ and when we think of that we can persevere no matter what storms life may bring to our path. Spurgeon brings us back to this truth in the eloquent manner that is only Spurgeon. A must read for every Christian, "Finding Peace in Life's Storms" has blessed my heart and has blessed the heart of many Christians. To God be the Glory.



4. The blessing of reading this book was having scriptural guidance to lead us through the storms of life. Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." God's grace pours forth to comfort and guide us. Our faith is increase in Christ Jesus, and realize an abiding hope in God through life's difficulties.
   
   This beautifully written book by Charles Spurgeon would encourage anyone through hard times. It could bring healing to a Christian or perhaps an unbeliever. Spurgeon brings scripture to bear on the heart of the soul that is hurting and weary.

1 comments about Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Proposal.

1. Southern Baptists, of whom I am not one, were for generations smugly confident of their identity, e.g., "There are us and then the others." As they splintered into opposite and opposing sides, they began to recognize they only thought they knew who they are. Those who call themselves "moderates" (but are called "liberals" by the other side) have moved left, and those who call themselves "conservatives" (but, "fundamentalists" by the former) have moved to the right. The differences each champions have taken on a life of their own and become their new identities. Dockery attempts to identify what is common among them, which is hard work, because attacking the other side is both easier and more fun. His focus is on what is Southern Baptist rather than what is moderate or conservative.
   
   -- Wallace Alcorn, Ph.D.

3 comments about Effective Evangelistic Churches: Successful Churches Reveal What Works, and What Doesn't.

1. This book shows Southern Baptist Churches across the country that have been effective in the past years at evangelism and church growth. It is very good if you would like to look more into what an effective church is.



2. Every pastor who cares about evangelism should read this book. By far it is the most comprehensive book on how to grow a church I have read. The author surveyed and interviewed the pastors of over 500 churches to determine what works, and what doesnt work. Rainer doesnt waste our time, but starts off by documenting ten surprises he uncovered about effective evangelistic churches. In a nutshell, much of what has been promulgated by the church growth moment is wrong. Such things as event evangelism, revivals, and traditional outreach programs are still very effective, whereas some of the newly touted methodologies such as weekday ministries (childcare, MOPS, etc) are not. The two chapters that I appreciated the most were Chapter 5 (The Sunday School Factor) and Chapter 11 (Miscellaneous Matters and Important Lessons). In them I learned that Sunday is not dead (once again, contrary to the mantra of many church growth experts) and that pastoral leadership is essential if a church is going to be evangelistically effective and that leadership cannot be delegated.

   Right off the bat, Rainer addresses the methodology issue. Most pastors, myself included, were or are looking for the magic bullet, the one methodology that will change our churches. The author points out that methodology is secondary to intentionality. Just about any methodology will work if diligently pursued.

   There are some weaknesses. How in the world can a church with under 100 in attendance be considered evangelistically effective? Sure they may baptize twenty-six people in a given year, but if they continued this for more than one year their attendance would increase to over 100. Perhaps these small churches have evangelistic effective pastors. I would have not included any church in the survey that wasnt evangelistic effective for at least three years. Also, there is another factor that colors this book: only Baptist churches were surveyed. This taints the authors research on such topics as worship. It was no surprise to me that the vast majority of Baptist churches use blended or traditional worship services. The problem is that some unsuspecting readers may assume that only blended or traditional worship services are evangelistically effective. Despite these minor flaws, this is a wonderful book. My only regret is that I didnt read it seven years ago when it was first published.




3. Another winner by Dr. Rainer. He explores the importance of preaching, prayer, Sunday school, and other elements of Church life. Written in an easy and quick to read style, the busy pastor will enjoy this book. It will give the minister of Christ a sea of information to help repair, renew, or begin a focus that will lead to a more effective Church.

No comments about Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? (Who Was...?).

5 comments about Elders in Congregational Life: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership.

1. Mark Dever is a man of passion for the truth of Scripture. His book 9 MARKS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH is well worth reading for every disciple of Jesus. His website www.9marks.org is a great resource for churches that desire to be Spirit-led instead of market-driven as many churches in the United States are today. This book will aid in that search as well.
   
   The book explores what the Bible says about leadership in the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles. Dever shows how the early church was elder led rather than the Western model of one single pastor (Senior Pastor, Lead Pastor, etc.) leading the Church. Dever shows how this model best fits into Scripture and further will better serve the Church and help safeguard the Church from becoming a one-man show.
   
   The positives of this book are that Dever is passionate that every teaching be based on the Word of God (1 Timothy 4:16; Titus 2:1). He rightly believes that the Bible must guide us into how God wants His Church to be set up. He further stays true to the Bible in regard to the role of elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). He correctly shows that the Apostles established the churches around the Lordship of Jesus as the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:15-20) and that the elders were to be simply one of the brethren and not over the brethren (1 Peter 5:1-5).
   
   The only negative I have of the book is that while the book focused on the biblical role of elders, it failed to show that the modern pastorate has no basis in Scripture. Elders were the pastors (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Peter 5:1-4). There was no division between the two roles that I see in the New Testament. Further, Dever should have built a strong case that the modern pastorate robs God of His glory with its titles and positions of power rather than biblical leadership that reflects servanthood and humility like our King (Matthew 20:20-28; John 13:1-17; Philippians 2:1-11).
   
   Overall this is a solid book on church leadership and I highly recommend it.



2. Phil Newton, Pastor of South Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, has provided the church with an exceptional study on the biblical basis, historical background, and practical outworking of eldership in congregational church settings. Many books have been written on elders in recent years - Alexander Strauch's Biblical Eldership and Gene Getz' Elders and Leaders being among the best - but the unique contribution of Newton's book is its grounding in baptistic church polity. Newton explores the implementation of elders in Baptist churches, not Brethren or Bible churches (the respective denominational backgrounds of Strauch and Getz). For pastors in Baptist churches, this will make Elders in Congregational Life an excellent and especially helpful companion to these other two helpful studies.
   
   Newton divides his book into three parts. Part one, "Why Elders?" begins by answering "Why Baptist Elders Is Not an Oxymoron" (chapter one). The author here explores elder plurality in both American and English Baptist history, with numerous brief quotations from historic Baptist confessions and church leaders. His conclusion is the same as John Piper's whom he quotes: "The least we can say from this historical survey of Baptist Confessions is that it is false to say that the eldership is unbaptistic. On the contrary, the eldership is more baptistic than its absence, and its disappearance is a modern phenomenon that parallels other developments in doctrine that make its disappearance questionable at best."
   
   Chapter two, "Elders in the New Testament", covers ground that will be familiar to students of Scripture, especially those who have read other books on elders. The three biblical terms applied to elders (presbuteros, episkopos, poimen) are discussed in their Scriptural contexts. A case is made for the plurality of elders. And the duties and responsibilities of elders are described under the fourfold list of doctrine, discipline, direction, and distinction in modeling the Christian life.
   
   The third chapter addresses "Character and Congregationalism," giving special emphasis to the biblical qualifications for elders, the need for both elders and deacons, and how a plural eldership should function within a congregational church.
   
   Part two, "Three Key Biblical Texts", is more expository and sermonic in nature with three chapters which deal with Acts 20:17-31 (Chapter Four: "A Model for Our Times), Hebrews 13:17-19 (Chapter Five: "Elders and Congregation in Concert"), and 1 Peter 5:1-1-5 (Chapter Six: "Spiritual Leaders for God's Flock"). The chapters not only teach the biblical basis for eldership, but also apply biblical exhortations to both pastors/elders and congregations. A key paragraph from chapter six, which summarizes well the Baptist/congregational view of eldership presented in this book, reads: "We [the church Newton pastors] differ from our friends in the Presbyterian General Assembly and Bible Churches who put final authority in the hands of the local session of elders or submit to a presbytery outside of the local church. In contract, the final authority on matters of our church life resides in the congregation. But the functioning of a purely congregational system is both unwieldy and lacking biblical support. Instead, the establishment of a body of elders to serve in day-to-day leadership in spiritual matters, serving at the pleasure of the congregation, enables us to maintain both the traditional distinctive of congregational life and the clearly biblical structure of elders" (97).
   
   Part three of the book, "From Theory to Practice," is especially valuable in providing practical and tangible steps for transitioning a more "traditional" church polity to eldership. Chapter seven, "Thinking About Transition to Eldership," begins the discussion with appropriate cautions about transitioning and then spotlights three churches as case studies in which this transition has been made: First Baptist Church of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, under the leadership of Jeff Noblit, Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D. C., under the leadership of Mark Dever, and Newton's own church in Memphis.
   
   Chapter eight then asks "Can it Be Done?" answering with a resounding yes - and then showing the way. The transitioning process is broken down into three phases: the evaluation phase, the presentation phase, and the implementation phase. Each of these phases is then broken down into smaller steps. During the evaluation phase, the pastor must assess (the current leadership and polity of the church), study (the Scriptures - with a leadership group), probe (give members of this team assignments, don't just spoon-feed), and summarize (the group's conclusions for the whole church). Then comes the presentation phase, which will involve exposition (of Scripture to the entire congregation, with careful and patient teaching on the biblical basis for eldership), discussion (with the members of the congregation, giving them ample opportunity to both comprehend and buy into the vision for change), and heavy emphasis on qualifications. Finally, the implementation phase is reached, involving prayer, screening of potential candidates, ordaining elders to service, involving those elders in leadership, and reviewing the biblical teaching on elders on an annual basis.
   
   Finally, chapter nine, "Putting It All Together", addresses the nitty-gritty concerns of how the elders' authority works, what role the "senior pastor" has, the concept of "ruling" elders, the question of church staff members as elders, the relationship between elders and deacons, the conducting of elders' meetings and congregational meetings, and elders' terms of service and dismissal. The final pages of the book acknowledge that some readers will not be persuaded that the view of eldership presented in this book is correct. And a helpful exhortation is joined with that acknowledgement: "Whatever type of leadership structure you embrace, by all means determine to raise the standards for leaders to match the biblical requirements. Failure of leaders to meet those requirements is the greatest deficiency in church leadership!" (153) Adding to the book's usefulness is a foreword by Mark Dever, thorough notes and documentation of the sources used in the book, a two page bibliography for further reading on elders (with numerous links to on-line resources), a Scripture index, and a subject index.
   
   As a pastor who is in the midst of leading a Baptist church through the transition to the kind of Baptistic and congregational eldership as described in this book, I found Newton's book helpful and encouraging. His exegesis of Scripture is solid, and much in line with some of the other resources already available. But especially valuable are his reflections on how to make the transition from a more traditional form to eldership. He is honest enough to acknowledge the challenges he and his own church faced, which give the book a flavor of realism often missing from books on church leadership that present neatly packaged plug-in-and-play models that are much easier to sell than implement. But best of all, Newton's presentation is really nothing more than clear biblical instruction.



3. Mr.Newton offers a scholarly defence of the agrgument for plurality of eldership in the church.His arguments are backed by strong Boblical cross references and historical as well as pragmatic evidence.



4. An important look at the Biblical model of a plurility of elders within the contest of a congregational government. Often missed and seldom faithfully followed today. Complete with some practical how-to suggestions. Highly recommended.



5. Elders in Congregational Life is a must read for any pastor or concerned lay person who is in a protestant church thinking about church government. Newton does a superb job of laying out the biblical position for a plurality of elders and then he gives practical insight into how one goes about the process! This is pure gold for a young pastor at an established church, or a more seasoned minister thinking through what the bible says about church polity. Buy multiple copies and give them away to people in your church!

5 comments about Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (Nac Studies in Bible & Theology).

1. I picked this book up today to read the authors' arguments, esp. their treatment of the Patristic evidence, and was greatly disappointed. (Note: I have not read the entire book, and my comments are mainly reflective of that part of the book.) They summarize and state their opinions of what the "so-called Church Fathers" (their term) wrote, but don't give lengthy extracts of what the Fathers wrote. (And if one has ever participated in discussions between, e.g., Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians about what the Fathers wrote and said, one knows that one cannot proof-text the Church Fathers, but must read their statements in context, and that often means lengthy quotes.)
   
   Similarly, when it comes to the exchange/debate between Joachim Jeremias (paedobaptism) and Kurt Aland (believer's baptism) on the subject, the authors briefly tell the reader what these two scholars said, but don't show what they actually wrote, or at least not in much detail.
   
   In other words, the reader who agrees with the authors based on what they wrote in this book can't really show that they made and proved their case. Instead, such a reader is simply agreeing with the authors' explanations and interpretations of the sources. And though the authors frequently mention that such evidence is not clear, they draw or suggest conclusions that support their position, even though they have not actually produced compelling evidence for it.
   
   Despite the praise on the cover, this book should not be regarded as a scholarly historical defense of believer's baptism. I pity the Baptist who relies on this book to go toe-to-toe with a well-read paedobaptist.



2. I am a student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and I normally admire the level of scholarship that happens here (this book was written in part by SBTS professors), especially in the area of theology. I was also raised as a Southern Baptist and I believe that believer's baptism (credobaptism) is the most likely depiction of what the Scriptures intended, so I bought this book fully anticipating what is stated on the back cover: "destined to be a classic," "scholarly, ... without demeaning those with whom they disagree," "unquestionably the best volume on a theology of baptism," etc. To be sure, the authors are respected theologians who are well equipped to handle the subject, and they cite many other important works during their discussion. The first few chapters form a logical, systematic review of every instance of baptism in the NT (these are the best chapters of the book and the most useful). They also give a great deal of space to discussing and responding to reformed/covenantal paedobaptism, though always in view of how it disagrees with the credobaptist view.
   
   Unfortunately, even in light of my respect for the seminary and my appreciation for believer's baptism, I don't think the book is worthy of its hype. The biggest problem is that it seems biased and even pretentious at times, even in spite of the authors' stated intentions to the contrary. Obviously, the cover presents the book as a case for believer's baptism, which is exactly what I was looking to buy. However, rather than presenting an unbiased, scientific examination of the Scriptures and historical evidence and then deciding upon the evidence that credobaptism is the most appropriate interpretation, the authors often fall into the trap of reading their strong convictions into their argument. I was dismayed at the number of times the authors precede their citations with words like "(this author) wrongly states," "rightly claims," "correctly asserts," etc., which demonstrates that the authors present their position as the one by which all others should be judged. No one can fault them for having strong convictions on a subject, or stating a case and defending it, but their methods leave much to be desired, and this type of writing is simply inappropriate for a scholarly work. This is not an analytical, biblical theology of baptism which culminates in a case for credobaptism nearly as much as it is a pointed response to those with whom they disagree.
   
   Aside from the clear credobaptism vs. reformed paedobaptism sparring that permeates the book, it also lacks depth in a few areas. Its discussion of some confusing and oft-disputed passages (such as I Cor. 15:29, baptism on behalf of the dead) is very brief. In all fairness, the author clearly states that he has no intent of canvassing the various views on the passage and directs readers to another book, but his reason is that he doesn't believe it changes "the view argued for in this essay" (credobaptism). I guess this goes back to my argument in the previous paragraph that the authors tend to use the Scriptures to defend their pre-determined belief, but I also mention it to point out that the book can't be a "classic" or "the best volume" if it defers its toughest interpretations to other books. In many respects, this book is not nearly as thorough as other books on the subject.
   
   All of the above is to say this: if a person is seeking a strong defense for credobaptism, then this book is a good tool. In fact, this review might not have been so harsh if the book had been clearly labeled "a defense against paedobaptism" on the front cover. However, if a person is seeking an honest, open, unbiased, thorough review of the evidence (which may or may not lead to a particular view), this book will not fit the bill, as its better parts (and there are good parts) are muddied by a sense of condescension.



3. Continuing in the standard of excellence from the first publication in the NAC series, 'God's Indwelling Presence' by Jim Hamilton, the orthodox view of confessional baptism is defended in this publication. Their combined effort seeks to encourage believer's who not only agree, but to elucidate for those who differ in their conventional or traditional views of this sacrament.
   
   But lest I misrepresent too important a topic to have misunderstood:
   
   'Believer's baptism accords with the gospel because it teaches that the objective work of God in salvation necessarily leads to the subjective response of faith.' pg 2
   
   'When Churches practice infant baptism or allow into membership those who were baptized as infants, they have sundered the biblical connection between baptism and faith.' pg 2
   
   'We believe that baptism should be reserved for believers because it preserves the testimony of the gospel by showing that only those who have repented and believed belong to the Church.' pg 2
   
   Notice the important clause' 'the Church'. This is their attempt to - as far as humanly possible- establish that the members remain confessing Christians. It does not speak of 'the Elect' which rightfully is only by God's divine decree.
   
   This book will 'rub up the wrong way' paedo-baptists. One such a friend, commented to me that the 'benefits' of baptism remain exactly the same, whether you are a consenting adult or an unwitting infant. To them this book retains the clear distinctions and differentiation as to why we believe that view to be insufficient. And why we believe it not to hold up under biblical scrutiny.
   
   This collection of essays by esteemed Baptist academia is polemical in that it raises the objections so often held by those who confess differing opinions. It is an important doctrine, one that needs biblical exactness and proper theological warrant - not just covenant-related justification. This they do with sufficient knowledge and respect. Stephen J Wellum's contribution especially is commendable, and one can only wonder what the great men as Warfield, Berkhof and Murray would have said had they had been able to respond in kind, a century later, with all the relevant knowledge at one's fingertips. Maybe Wellum would have come off second best?
   
   `Therefore, Baptists only view as true members of the new covenant community those who have actually entered into union with Christ by repentance and faith and as such are partakers of all the benefits and blessings of the new covenant age. Furthermore, for Baptists, it is for this reason that baptism, which is the covenant sign of the new covenant church, is reserved for those who have entered into these glorious realities by the sovereign work of God's grace in their lives.' Pg 113
   
   And yet `all Israel', men, women and children, walked between the Red Sea, and followed the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night...



4. Although much of the research was good, the point of the book fails to prove that baptism is necessary. There was a complete misrepresentation and mistreatment of Alexander Campbell and his teachings, and invalid arguments against what he proposed. This was very dishonest and became merely an ad hominem argument.
   
   In the end, the book leaves the Christian on a shaky foundation: believers should be baptized but it is still not absolute necessary for salvation, thus there remains no reason to argue it should be done yet doesn't need to be.



5. This is a marvelous study of the subject of baptism written for the pew member, the scholar, and everyone in between. It is written by Baptists for Baptists to encourage a return among the Baptist people to a biblical position on the purpose and result of baptism, namely, that baptism brings the forgiveness of sins to those who submit to it in faithful obedience to the gospel message.
   
   I hope this book finds a wide circulation among its intended audience and others who sincerely desire to know what the Bible teaches on this vital subject.

4 comments about Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

1. THIS BOOK BREAKS DOWN THE HOLY SPIRIT. IT ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTION ON UNDERTANDING WHAT AND WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IT AND WHO RECEIVES IT. I AM SO GLAD THAT I BROUGHT THIS BOOK. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK TO HAVE. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR NEWLY CHRISTIANS OR VERTERAN CHRISTIANS AS WELL



2. this book is excellent, Charles Stanley has always been a favorite of mine, He has always delivered sound doctrine and his teachings are excellent, I'd highly recommend this book for everyone who is a believer in Jesus Christ and trying to grow spiritually.



3. Very disappointing. This is a brief treatment of a vital subject. The content is accurate but unsupported by significant scriptural references that help the reader know where the truths are taught in the Bible. If you really want to learn what the Bible teaches of the Holy Spirit, this book will not help you get there.



4. This is a very informative book on the Holy Spirit. From this book, you will discover:
   Seven works of the Holy Spirit in your life, three potentials God desires for you to develop, how to remain full of the Holy Spirit, and four great questions to ask God everyday

5 comments about Charles Stanley's Handbook for Christian Living: Biblical Answers to Life's Tough Questions.

1. This book really helps answer your questions and give some guidelines of how to be a better Christian. I have really enjoyed digging into this book.



2. I first want to say that I have read many Christian books and study the Bible frequently, and I am an ordained Baptist Deacon. This book has been so helpful to me when I have been feeling down or confused about the simplest topics. I recently had lots of doubts and fears over a new job that I had taken, which was causing me so much stress that I felt, I could barely deal with it. The stress was so great that it was interfering with my work, my time spent with family and with my time spent with God. When I read the section on stress it was like a battery recharge, it helped me to put my work stress in perspective and literally made me feel better immediately. Nothing here is new material for me, but it is presented in such a way that it will open your eyes and lift your spirits.
   
   We are all growing everyday and it is our choice how we grow depending on what we feed our minds.
   
   This book is a must have for every Christian family, and I highly recommend it.



3. This is a great book. This book will deepen your walk with Christ. It is easy to understand. Perfect for the new Christian or the seasond Believer. You will see Dr.Stanley walks with Christ, and his desire is for you to have a deeper walk as well!



4. If you have a question about anything Biblical or your personal life, this book is for you. In a concise, understandable writing, Dr. Stanley spells it out clearly. Add this book to your library.



5. I only use "snack" to describe the chapters in this book because the subjects are offered in manageable amounts of nourishing, informative, fulfilling and soul satisfying nourishment. I read a subject or two each night as I lay in bed before I go to sleep. Very satisfying to my mind, body and soul!

1 comments about Comparative Religion For Dummies (For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)).

1. Since I know little about religious history, I was excited to see a book like this. I was not disappointed. The material was superb. The authors write very clearly and help even someone like me learn so much. I have recommended this book to friends and wish it could be taught in schools.