5 comments about The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible.

1. Having this provides one with a fine translation and solid opportunity for interpretation and application.
   
   I was leary about the last part, since often that can be sappy. Not so here.
   
   Selecting a Bible is hard. I have decided that for me, a hard bound book is best and worth any extra cost. Get one like this and add tabs. It is one big book.
   
   Shortcoming: No index. But with so much else, an index may have been hard to add.
   
   A great find after much looking.



2. We used this book for a gift for a high school graduate and will use it again with future graduates. It was also recommended by our pastor. The commentary is excellent for young people seeking to make their way through the world in a way that is pleasing to God.



3. This Bible is a perfect compliment to my spiritual direction of practicing the deeper Christian walk through the disciplines of the faith. I have read all the authors that contributed to this verson and respect their wisdom and scholarship and Christian personal lives.



4. I bought this book looking for a good study Bible. I was very impressed by the previous literature of Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. The Renovare Study Bible has essays that are profitable and the introduction to the books and different sections of the Old and New Testament are well written.
   
   However,the in-text commentary really falls short of its goal as a "Study" Bible. There is little or no cultural, historical, or practical context in the various authors' comments to aid the explication of text. This Study Bible succeeds in highlighting Biblical principles of Formation outlined by the Renovare group, but little intellectual stimulation is offered for the curious mind.
   
   Read the Celebration of Discipline to procure with pith and cogency what the in-text commentary of the Renovare Study Bible offers with cursory and inadequate explanation.
   
   Note, I am coming from the perspective of wanting a STUDY Bible, the Renovare Study Bible could very well be what you are looking for if you desire a Devotional Bible.



5. Spiritual formation is nothing more than a repudiation of modernism, critical thinking, and use of the intellect. A spiritual formation Bible takes no interest in real exegesis of what the text actually means historically and grammatically, but only in some subjective, mystical nonsense.
   Your mind would actually grow if you read Carl Sagan instead. Save yourself the money, and buy a good theological book by either of the Niebuhr brothers.

5 comments about Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, ... America (or at least the Republican Party).

1. Rod Dreher has the exact same values as I do. I have the exact same feelings as he does, both because I am socially conservative like he is, and because I care about the environment and everybody's health like he does. Although I am a socially conservative Christian, I care about the environment, and until recently, I wondered if I was the only socially conservative Christian who cares about the environment and living a simple lifestyle (apart from the Old Order Mennonites and the Amish). No, I am not an Old Order Mennonite or an Amish! I am very pleased to have discovered that there are other socially conservative people (besides myself, or the Old Order Mennonites or the Amish) who care more about the environment and everybody's health than about big business, materialism, etc.!!!



2. There must be something afresh in the waters of conservativism. I became a Christian about 12 years ago and immediately hopped into the "Christian Right". After a period of studying I became "disenfranchised" with many of my views and those of my friends. I slowly started to return to a more "grassroots" conservativism. A conservativism that actually sought to conserve, enjoy, and cherish local traditions, including foods, architecture, nature, and farming. I found myself at Wild Oats and Whole Foods and conversing with the "enemy" - "those tree hugging, dirty hippies". Before long, I realized I was not alone. There were many conservatives that didn't think economic expansion and big business was the only way to be conservative or Republican. For those of us who found ourselves in that boat, then this is our book. A manifesto of sorts. Actually, this book is more of a collection of stories of men and women that became "crunchy cons", people that found themselves valuing the "free-market" and many things oft association with Republicans or conservatives, but also many things assumed to be left wing - the environment, local farming, organic farming, etc.
   
   So, for those individuals that find themselves out of the current stream and spirit of the Republican Party, although they value some of the things most often associated with it, then this is a very good book to read. A book that you can give to your liberal friends, assuming you haven't isolated yourself, and you can find MANY points of agreement. For the left, it is also a good book to read, because it breaks down many walls and barriers from conversation and might enable both sides to see that they have a lot to agree upon. For example, the book points out how government laws hurt the small farmer. Both the right and left can agree that this is bad, although they may do it for different reasons. However you look at it you cannot agree that this is the "free market" at work, because corporations and the state are preventing entry to the market. My favorite chapters deal with architecture, farming/food, and religion (despite major differences). He writes in a winsome, appealing fashion that enables almost anyone to enjoy and breeze through the book.
   
   The draw back of the book is that it could probably be cut in half. The stories of the various crunchy cons start off interesting, but become repetitious. You get the point of each chapter about halfway through the pages and much of the supporting material is not necessary. In fact, you can read his "10 Points" and then read the opening and close of each chapter to get a good flavor for what "crunchy conservativism" is. More than buying the book I hope that many buy into the ideas of this book and begin to implement some of the practical things found herein, because it would make our local communities a more valuable and sustainable places.



3. I recommend this book, but particularly recommend it as a basis of a discussion with friends, or in a book club or even with a spouse. It is a book that aims to change your life, and probably will. I think it will be seen as a kicking off point for a new aspect of our society. Crunchy cons have been around for a while, they now have a name and a bit more "legitimacy" from this book, which tell conservatives that it's OK to like Brie (or Chevre) and organic food.
   
   The book is often thought-provoking and sometimes just provoking. In it similar to any of a hundred self-help books, and to many Christian books: those which say, in effect, "Put down the remote, turn off the TV, read a book or take a walk (pray..toss a ball..talk about sex/drugs...)with the kids." The difference, I think, is the cultural nexus. I'm thinking back to my youth when NOBODY jogged unless they were training for something. In my small town in Colorado this one guy would jog in preparation for a marathon or something. When he went by, we kids would run outside to watch him. Then along comes Dr. Cooper with "Aerobics" (others might credit Jim Fixx) and everybody thinks jogging is a good thing. Or take Euell Gibbons or Adelle Davis who (one or the other) created the health food "industry." Neither group Fixx/Cooper or Gibbons/Davis was primarily interested in legislation, but there have been legislation. Labeling on cans comes from the Gibbons/Davis influence, as jogging paths and other health related issues come from the Fixx/Cooper influence. I think CC is that sort of book, one that might influence the way that people think even if not a carefully reasoned (or even thought out) discourse on the "good life." It obviously has hit a nerve.



4. Rod Dreher's "Crunchy Cons" is a fascinating exploration of the world of conservative environmentalists. The environmental movement tends to be dominated by Democrats, such as former Vice President Al Gore with his "Inconvenient Truth" and the Democratic Congress passing its energy bill. There are "emergent" evangelicals who believe that "creation care",along with poverty and AIDS, are issues more deserving of attention than abortion and same-sex marriage.
   
   Dreher's "Crunchy Cons",on the other hand, looks at conservatives who see care for the environment as part of their obedience to God in terms of the family and the nation. He interviews the Eastern Orthodox Frederica Mathewes-Green and the Catholic Donna Steichen,who see homeschooling as a countercultural effort to care for the home environment-and the Earth in general. Rod Dreher, who was a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, looks at environmentalism through the lens of faith: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, evangelical. He meets up with conservative Catholics who love the Earth, the Latin Mass, and Lord of the Rings.
   
   It's a fun, accessible book. There are sappy parts such as "I care for the Earth because I love to hug my children",but all in all, it's a fascinating exploration of a world the media tends to ignore. For those who think only New Agers love the Earth while evangelicals rail against global warming as a demonic fabrication, this book is enlightening. It's a journey into a whole new world. Not all who wander are lost.



5. Humorous and thought provoking. Not just a political, current events book and not just another jab in the liberal vs. conservative sparring match. Content is not limited to what the media proffers. Delves into areas not commonly discussed in conservative circles yet will likely strike a chord and awaken a dormant sensibility about life as a whole. Includes very timely topics for those concerned about the safety of our food supply, a need for greater conservation efforts as stewards of God's creation, as well as discussions on consumerism, home, education, and religion. Provides affirmation to those who quietly lead their lives trying to apply time-tested, biblical principles to all areas of life, against the stream of popular culture. Encourages us to be involved in our government processes, while not mistaking the government as a god and savior. Exhorts us to look inwardly and realign our own personal lives first, to focus on the "Permanent Things" with an underlying conviction that "...the institution most essential to conserve is the family."
   
   I may not agree whole-heartedly with everything Mr. Dreher says, but I have read this book twice now. (Can't say that about a lot books). He gives direction to a hope that the chasm between conservatives and liberals need not continue to be so vast and filled with vitriol. There is some common ground. We need to seek it and begin to mingle with those who never see real true conservatives or real Christians and only possess the stereotypical "dangerous" or cartoon images incessantly portrayed by the media. By ignoring some of the issues "highjacked" and repackaged by liberals, we are ignoring a part of our soul that has been created in God's image, which in turn prevents us from experiencing joy and the abundant life.
   
   Read this book and prepare to be challenged, enlightened, and empowered to define and live a better, more meaningful life.

2 comments about The Yellow Rose (Lone Star Legacy #2).

1. Man oh man! I thought Deep in the Heart was good! I was not ready for this book. The Yellow Rose is one of the best books that I have ever read. I can't wait until the third book comes out!!!! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about the frontier life.



2. The Yellow Rose is the first novel I've read in quite some, but I'm delighted to say that it was well worth the wait! Gilbert Morris has done an excellent job weaving an exciting tale of action, adventure and romance. He's created a wonderful balance between historical fiction and romance, a nice blend of narrative and just enough facts to set the tone of the story.

   Hosting a radio show for Christian living doesn't allow me much opportunity for reading novels, but I'll be sure to make the time to read more of the Lone Star Legacy series. I'm looking forward to reading book 3!

2 comments about The Eyes of Texas (Lone Star Legacy #3).

1. If you haven't read any of the other books written by Gilbert Morris, you are really missing out! This begins with life on the ranch. Clinton is a very interesting situation that he barely gets out of. Does he break it all off? Moriah is fearful and worried about Ethan. Does she marry for love or for her son? Has Brodie gotten over Serena? Will he find new love? Will Mary Aiden's selfishness hurt the man she loves? What of the Comanche chief that kidnapped Moriah? Morris has created a spellbinding, sequel to THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS and DEEP IN THE HEART. Great read!!!



2. This book is wonderful. It shows how a family together can face any and all situations. It may be fictional but it can be true if a family sticks together it can over come all odds and be strong because of it. Show love and respect to each other and help each other through every situation.

No comments about Progressive & Religious: How Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist Leaders are Moving Beyond the Culture Wars and Transforming American Public Life.

5 comments about Think Like Jesus.

1. I was surprised when reading this title, for it is so much different than Barna's other works. Rather than citing statistics and displaying pie charts of religious demographics, the author describes the importance of a Biblical worldview and the basics of it. For me his words here are refreshing, offering an insight into Barna's own heart and mind.
   
   Barna here is straightforward, easy-to-follow, and extremely relevant. I recommend this book highly to anyone wanting to understand the basics of what it means to have a Biblical worldview. In short, it means to "Think Like Jesus!"



2. I liked this book, and would recommend the first 3 chapters to anyone. It's also an interesting study to use in preaching. The premise is basically "unlike the rest of us, mature Christians actually walk the walk." He then defines maturity along doctrinal lines ("think like Jesus"), as described in other reviews. However, I wasn't completely convinced that he was sampling mostly mature Christians, as I think maturity isn't so easily quantified. But it was certainly an interesting book; it got me thinking and I'd like to see more research done in this direction. I'd recommend it.



3. I must say that the statistics and research presented - though sparse - was interesting; however, I left the book with the feeling that I hadn't really learned to "Make the Right Decision Every Time" or "Think Like Jesus". Instead, I felt that I had learned how not to think like Jesus. In other words, the book seemed to teach me more about what would be thinking unlike Jesus than the opposite.
   
   Unlike some negative reviews here, I don't have a problem with calling sin sin and saying that there is evil in the wold (like Jesus did and does - by the way). However, I also believe that there is some truth in that Jesus would certainly have those suffering around the world on his mind and this book seemed to place littl fous on that.
   
   In the end, I don't think it's one of Barna's best, but I'd still recommend reading it once your finished reading the other books that you feel are of more immediate importance.



4. While this book won't make you turn the pages so fast you'll have to read it in two days you will find the statistics interesting and very useful in dialogue with Christian brothers and sisters.
   
   The Christian Worldview Statistics are eye opening and are cause for great concern within the Christian community. Barna merely exposes the myth that America is a Christian nation, when we are really a pagan nation, worshipping ourselves.
   
   Read this and be enlightened the the truth of modern day Laodicea, that is the United States.



5. "A biblical worldview is thinking like Jesus. It is a way of making our faith practical to every situation we face each day. A biblical worldview is a way of dealing with the world such that we act like Jesus twenty-four hours a day because we think like Jesus." ~ pg. 4
   
   If you are expecting this book to be about how Jesus responded to various situation in his life then you may be sorely disappointed. If you are looking for a book about developing a biblical worldview then you may find this book to be especially helpful. The start of the book ploughs through facts and figures, showing the percentages of people who believe in various topics of concern. For example, 100 % of born-again Christians with a biblical world view believe that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing perfect Creator of the universe.
   
   George Barna then explains Deism (God abandoning the world), Naturalism (God does not exist), Nihilism (life is complete emptiness), Existentialism (life is a meaningless reality), Postmodernism (hyper-tolerance is the highest virtue), Pantheism (everyone is god) and Philosophical Syncretism (New Age beliefs). He then shows how these views affect serious moral choices.
   
   To develop your own biblical worldview, George Barna leads the reader through seven main questions:
   
   Does God really exist?
   What is the character and nature of God?
   How and why was the world created?
   What is the nature and purpose of humanity?
   What happens after we die?
   What spiritual authorities exist?
   What is truth?
   
   Overall, this book seems to be more about God the Father than God the Son. If you are expecting stories about Jesus or even the words of Christ then you may be disappointed. While I think the title of this book is a little deceiving I did enjoy reading the message presented and felt it strengthened my belief in God.
   
   If you are looking for a book about thinking like Jesus then I can recommend: 365 WWJD: Daily Answers to What Would Jesus Do?
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

2 comments about Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate.

1. Brazos Press in Grand Rapids, Michigan - which describes itself as "faithful to the wide and deep embrace of God, publishing out of and to all the major streams of the historic Christian tradition," has produced the latest entry in the respectful dialogue now taking place between some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormon") and its evangelical neighbors. On the evangelical side of this published back-and-forth is Dr. McDermott, a professor of religion and philosophy at Roanoke College and teaching pastor at St. John Lutheran Church.
   
   While I did not consider this book nearly as engaging as "How Wide the Divide" - a book so terrifically engaging that it is banned from some Christian bookstores (i.e., the Mormon guy won big!) - "Claiming Christ" is a fascinating study in the notorious back-pedaling that always occurs when an honest evangelical comes face-to-face with a real Mormon and real Mormon doctrine. I have no doubt that Drs. Millett and McDermott are dear friends - and that their efforts in writing this book were hardly to create this kind of reaction in someone like me - but I have rarely seen such stark proof that evangelicals have been libeling Mormons in the most egregious ways for nearly two centuries now. They did it without shame, and they did it for money. A lot of them still do it, though a few of them - while unwilling to embrace the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ - are at least repenting somewhat for those past sins.
   
   This book demonstrates that, again and again, in-the-pew Christians have been grossly misled by their leaders on the issues of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and LDS doctrine - and someday there is going to be an accounting. Until then, here are some highlights from the "tipping point" to come (all of the following quotes are concessions made by Dr. McDermott):
   
   pp. 55-56, I'm afraid I am one of those who has misunderstood and misrepresented Mormons. ... I mistreated a distinguished Mormon historian when he came to speak to my class more than a decade ago. Besides treating him rudely, I did not understand how central Jesus Christ was to his faith and to the LDS Church generally. ... I suspected he wasn't telling me the whole truth when he insisted he was trusting in Jesus for his salvation, and I suggested as much to my class by my repeated counter-assertions and questions.
   I have since learned that ... Jesus Christ is indeed at the center of Mormon faith. As I have learned from my own reading of the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ is central to the story .... The Mormon view of Jesus Christ is different from that of evangelicals and other orthodox Christians, but the fact remains that Christ is central to LDS consciousness. I am struck by [one Mormon scholar's] calculation that Christ or his ministry is mentioned on the average of every 1.7 verses in the Book of Mormon.
   ... [V]erses [in the Book of Mormon] that would surprise evangelicals who have been led to believe that all Mormon doctrine is totally wrong on Jesus are 2 Nephi 11:4 and 7. These passages assert plainly that there is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ .... They also proclaim that Christ is God .... This and many other passages in the Book of Mormon prove clearly that the Mormon Jesus is not ... less than fully God[], despite the belief of many evangelicals and other Christians.
   
   pp. 63-64, Evangelicals and Mormons agree on lots of things about Jesus. Many evangelicals are surprised to learn, for example, that Mormons believe not only that Jesus is the Son of God but also that he is God the Son. I find that many evangelicals have somewhere picked up the idea that Mormons deny the deity of Jesus Christ. They are often amazed to learn that, unlike Jehovah's Witnesses and other groups they typically classify as "cults," which do indeed deny the deity of Christ, Mormons declare emphatically that Jesus was and is incarnate God. ... I have to say that evangelical agreement with [Mormons] on Jesus is significant and, when compared to a history of evangelical denunciations of Mormonism, remarkable.
   
   p. 102, This chapter by Professor Millet has been, I suspect, another surprise for many evangelical readers. They were amazed to see such emphasis on the suffering and death of Jesus as the events that save you and me. Some might find it hard to believe that the Book of Mormon teaches that "there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8).
   
   pp. 163, 169, 171, In the "fog of theological war" we evangelicals often accuse Mormons of teaching salvation by works, even when they protest they don't and try to prove it with passages from the Book of Mormon or Doctrine and Covenants. ... Many of us have wrongly accused Mormons of teaching salvation by works because they have put some strong emphasis on works. We have become convinced that Mormons do not understand or teach grace ....
   One of the problems with this evangelical view of LDS teaching is that ... Jesus also teaches the necessity of works. ... So let's put some old staples of evangelical anti-Mormon apologetics to rest. Let's stop saying incessantly that Mormons teach unadulterated salvation by works and that they have no conception of grace.
   
   pp. 177, 190-91, What I am about to say may cause all of my evangelical friends to desert me, or think I have lost it. But I think we evangelicals have something to learn from our Mormon friends on th[e] subject [of salvation] that is absolutely integral to faith. ... Perhaps we can learn from the Mormons that we have wrongly separated faith from works, that we have created a false dichotomy between justification and sanctification, and that while we are saved from being justified by the law, nevertheless, the law is still "holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12). ... We evangelicals are often guilty as charged, failing to admit the possibility that we could be wrong in our estimation of what Mormons really believe. ... Evangelicals have most typically dismissed Mormonism as unchristian because it was thought to teach salvation by works. I hope this chapter will show the case to be significantly different.
   
   pp. 218, 220, Early on in my evangelical life I was told that Mormonism is a cult with radically un-Christian beliefs. Chief among these, I was told, were the ideas that we are saved by our works and that Jesus is not God. Their focus, I thought, was on Joseph Smith rather than Jesus Christ.
   Then, a number of years ago, ... I ... discovered that there was more emphasis on grace in the Book of Mormon and other parts of the LDS canon than I had imagined and that Mormons worship Jesus as God. I saw a concentration on Jesus that I had previously thought to be absent. ... [I]t is clear that the LDS Church is related to the family of Christian communities. It is quite different, obviously, from Judaism or Islam, which reject the gospel explicitly. Mormons reject the relativism of some postmodern religions and, unlike many other spin-offs from the orthodox tradition, robustly profess the full deity of Jesus Christ.



2. Mcdermott concedes that MC has been falsely persecuting the LDS for over a century. The three points he continues to dispute however are the nature of God, creation out of nothing, and modern authorized revelation.
   
   First Mcdermott uses Old testament scripture to support the hellenized Nicence God. What he misunderstands about these scriptures is that nations surrounding Israel at the time worshiped various Gods but they were not the true God. Thus Moses, along with other prophets, would teach and warn there is but one God and no others beside him.
   
   Mcdremott disregards numerous biblical verses that testify that God and Jesus are distinct beings with bodies. Jesus claimed that the father is greater the he, Stephen saw Christ on the right hand of God, God proclaiming that he is well pleased with his son, The great intercesssory pray, Jesus ascending to heaven in front of the disciples and the angels proclamation he will return in like manner, the significance of the resurrection, legion desiring bodies of swine to no body. etc. McDermott calls these plain and simple statments divine mysteries. But if such simple and plain language is a mystery, then what is to stop the whole bible from being viewed in this light. This reminds one of the broad way Christ warned of. That MC represents an anything goes as long as Christ is mentioned form of worship is easily dicernable. The danger is that MC worships a false God fashioned by Greek philosophers which keeps man in the dark. It refuses him lasting peace in this world and the obtaining of eternal life in the next.
   
   
   Light (truth) is shining in darkness and the darkness rejects the light because its works are dark. These works are adhereing to false traditions, and the preaching for fame and fortune. It is the same obstacle Christ and his followers had to confront. Modern and ancient parallels are strikingly similar.
   
   MC rejects the need for modern apostles and prophets (revelation) but the early church was built and maintained upon the rock of revelation. New apostles were ordained when a vacancy arose. If divine revelation ceases to flow through ordained individuals, Christ's church cannot exist. What amazes is that with the abundant evidence provided, MC continues to prefer darkness and keep souls from the light. The LDS church is a warning to MC and the world that it needs to repent and prepare for the return of Christ. The LDS church is going forth in the spirit and power of Elias. Elias has returned and restored these keys. Like Moses pleading with Israel to look upon the serpent and live, the LDS plead with the world to look and partake of the restoration and live.

5 comments about Successful Adoption: A Guide for Christian Families.

1. My husband and I felt more confident about going through all of the steps of adoption after reading this book. This book tells you what the different types of adoption there are and what steps are necessary in each case. It is very detailed and helpful.
   
   If you are considering adoption, this is a wonderful resource.



2. This book was very well written in both its content and sentiment. Some adoption guides are technical and hard to read and I found this book to be neither. In addition to having great information regarding the various aspects of adoption, there are heart warming stories from adoptive parents and adoptees whose names you will recognize. This book is a must read!



3. This book is so comprehensive and informative. It covers every kind of adoption - foster care, state, private, domestic and international. It has tips for paying for your adoption and lots of inspirational stories at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend this book and can't wait until we bring our own little one home!



4. This book is 300% better than the first adoption book I chose to learn about this delicate subject. It has helped tremendously in reconciling feelings about adoption and my faith, as well as provide useful information in a very clear presentation. A must-read for anyone considering adoption!



5. Complete guide in every area of adoption and if you're a Christian it tells you reasons why adopting in line with scripture and even lists Jesus and Moses as being adoptive plus a long list of famous people. Makes you feel really hopeful about the possibilities but is also realistic about all the things that can go wrong. Very helpful tool.

5 comments about God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America.

1. Hana Rosin, a Washington Post reporter who embedded herself in the Patrick Henry College for two years so she could get first hand knowledge of how the evangelical college plans to turn the mostly home schooled kids into leaders who will "shape the culture and lead the nation". It was an absorbing read. Rosin detailed the school's plans, the students' dreams and how they deal with the dating vs courtship issue. She was particularly good at reporting the students' personal lives. They opened their dreams and aspirations to her. She was at once intimate with the students yet maintained her distance, partly because she don't share their religious views. This is a fascinating report on how the fundamentalist Christians plans to educate their young to take back the nation. Be aware. The election of George W. Bush to the presidency is only one of their first successes. They have shown that they are a force which others can not be ignored.



2. I enjoyed this highly readable book tremendously. Author Rosin presents her characters, most with their real names, in a sympathetic albeit questioning light. I, as a liberal/agnostic/religious skeptic, was surprised to find myself feeling great empathy for these earnest young people, and even some for their parents and teachers, who would appear superficially to be garden-variety religious bigots. Rosin emphasizes the human aspects of Patrick Henry College and fundamentalists generally, not the theological, philosophical, social, and political background, though she develops that context sufficiently to understand some of the thought process of her protagonists. For example, she provides a fairly lucid description of baraminology, which is the creationist substitute for taxonomy (which is apparently tainted by evolutionary thinking). The downside of her approach is that it provides no answers to such questions as:
   -Why are fundamentalists so interested in temporal power?
   -What makes them think that their isolated religious/social/educational training is suitable preparation for the exercise of temporal power?
   -Why do they want to establish a theocratic state when they have been so successful under our secular constitution?
   -Fundamentalists appear to be obsessed with a "biblical worldview," but what is the biblical basis for their near-unanimous position on such issues as social security reform, universal healthcare, and the torture of "enemy combatants," for example?
   As interesting as these questions are, the answers will have to be found in a different book. This one is just fine as it is.



3. In God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America Hanna Rosin, Washington Post correspondent, was embedded in the environment of the Patrick Henry College student for a year and reports what she witnessed and learned.
   
   Patrick Henry College is a very small institution, but also newly founded under the clear authority of its president Michael Farris, a Christian homeschool advocate and clear supporter of the link between political conservativism and orthodox evangelical Christianity. The story she tells shows us remarkable resilience and fortitude of the students of this institution Farris can coined "God's Harvard". Indeed it's students will be among the elite of all secondary school graduates much less the creme of the crop among homeschooled teens. The student body which boasts a rather generous helping of homeschooled undergraduates alone supports any assertion that homseschooled teens can compete with the best and brightest of all high school graduates.
   
   Rosin tells tales of highly competitive students who are in the throes of political training at Patrick Henry. these students have unprecedented access to Washington with a clear sense of mission and pride about their task to reform American government to be something in which God can exercise domain and rule. That God is not currently doing so is at the very heart of the curriculum. In any college, one would be thrilled to have such a critical mass of bright and passionate students and this is part of the picture that Rosin paints for us.
   
   There is, of course, another side to the story. This side is the authoritarian nature of the administration with a special emphases on Michael Farris and Dean of Students Bob Wilson. There are very clear limitations on behavior and dress along with unwritten expectations of the role of women along the lines of clear complementarianism. Infallibilism of Scripture is not only preached from the pulpit at mandatory chapel services, but it is a clear expectation to be integrated into all facets of the curriculum. And more than just integrated, but this view of Scripture should hold all other forms of knowledge as a contingency upon its truth. To wit, the biology program focuses on a rather odd anomaly in biology called baraminology, which is a taxonomic system that re-casts speciation in terms of what was likely to have been the case in the literal six day creation of Genesis (see Ch. 8, 183 ff.). History and politics are taught with the indubitable assumption that the founders intended to favor evangelical Christianity as the structure in which government and civility would be administered. So this is not just about abortion and gay rights. These are only symptomatic issues of a wider evangelical worldview that hold the structure of quite literally everything in different terms and under different standards of truth compared to even other evangelical colleges (Rosin points out differences with Wheaton College in a few key places such as science).
   
   Finally, the ethical administration of the behavioral code is brought out in Rosin's stories of a few students that she followed intently. Chapter 7 "Den of Sin" (p. 167 ff.) recounts one such conflict in which one student informed the administration of behavior infractions of other students whom he had befriended.
   
   "Someone was getting expelled. No, five people were getting expelled, or maybe three. A couple of them were Farahn's friends. Rumor was that the boys had been caught drinking, smoking, abusing prescription painkillers, and possibly cheating on exams. No wait, they had not been caught. They had been turned in by one of their roommates. He had written a long letter to the dean of students (p. 168)."
   
   The problem here is not so much that students get caught and punished for such behaviors. The problem is that the institution made as part of its rules that students should hold each other accountable if they catch another breaking any rule to any degree. Rosin's tale shows that this has created among many of the students a culture of distrust and paranoia rather than one of moral fortitude.
   
   Indeed, Rosin points out such details with the tone of a mother who feels bad for these children; that in spite of their brightness and passion in what they do, there is a stir of conflict that rages beneath the surface. The college's position is to use biblical infallibilism to hammer any such conflict into submission with perhaps a follow-through of a hug and even an "I love you" from the Dean. But with he influence of Tim LaHaye and other Christian Right conservatives who support Farris unflinchingly there is a clear pejorative tone to Rosin's narrative even in terms of the homseschooling environments from which many of these students came.
   
   "Experimental communities almost always implode. One faction wants to hold on to the purest version of the mission while another begs for a little fresh air. The men fight for power, while trying to protect an image of unified authority. But eventually, their adoring subjects catch on" (p. 257).
   
   For PHC, such an implosion was the resignation of four professors who did not support the same premises of Farris in their classrooms. Indeed, it is clear that for Farris, this version of "God's Harvard" hearkens back to the ante-bellum Harvard itself, perhaps more so of Yale. But this is even more radical in its understanding of the evangelical nature of government and the role of the student. This is an interesting and thought-provoking engagement of a new kind of evangelical college that seeks to dissociate itself from the controversies of Falwell and Robertson, but maintains a clear kinship in its very mission.



4. This book was not what I expected. The reviews on the back cover proclaimed it to be an unbiased work, but the author's negative, cynical tone towards Christianity is set forth in the first chapter. What follows is mainly criticism of Christian teenager adolescent behavior with a pinch of poking fun at home schooling interjected. I'm sorry, but that's my take on this book. To be fair I considered the possibility that my interpretation be influenced by my faith, however the digs are blatant. The author is a capable writer, and some parts were interesting, but based on the title be careful not to think this is something else.



5. I loved this book from cover to cover. It was exceptionally well-researched and well-written. The author did what few have managed: She got behind the scenes of self-righteous, my-way-is-the-only-way Christian conservatives and was able to show readers how the folks living in that world think, live and even question. She also gave us great warning at what techniques they're using to brainwash the rest of us. Good for Rosin!

4 comments about The Burning Heart Contract.

1. When this book arrived in my mailbox, it was a gift from God. As a speaker and author and youthworker, I found myself in a place where I longed for renewed intimacy with God. I loved him, believed in him, reached out to others, but the foundation of what I do is nothing if I forget that one-on-one love with my Heavenly Father.
   
   I have begun my burning heart walk and I don't want to look back, unless it is to see where God has taken me.
   
   Thank you for a beautiful, real-life, get-in-love-all-over-again resource.
   
   T. Suzanne Eller, http://realteenfaith.com



2. If you don't know where to begin your devotional life -- this is the place to start. It's a straight forward, easy to follow, challenging and effective tool that will guide you. This book will help you get on track with God.



3. The purpose of this book is to re-awaken the passion that a Christian feels when he or she is first born-again. However, if a person has never been born-again and has never felt so excited about God, Jesus, etc., that they were nearly peeing their pants in excitement to tell everyone about it, this book is not for you. This book is aimed at people who had an explosive conversion experience, not people who have been raised with Christianity all their lives and have a quieter kind of faith. The author tells us that God talks to us through the Bible, but the way she describes it makes it sound like we pray about some thing and then read the day's Bible passage according to the calendar or whatever and that Bible passage will give you God's message which will directly answer your prayer five seconds earlier. Just like a Magic 8 Ball. Also, while the author's faith and ferver are commendable, the reader is left with the impression that you will have a conversion experience and feel the hand of God directly only if you pray hard enough for it, so if you don't feel it it is your own fault.



4. Our church just read through this book together with five other churches in our community. That experience of unity and collective learning has been a wonderful thing. However, I would have to say that I have been disappointed with the actual text that Becky Tirabassi has written. It is worth noting that I have heard her speak in person and on multiple recordings for several hours about "The Burning Heart Contract" over the past few weeks, so my reflections on the book may also unintentionally include some of her oral presentations intermixed with actual textual critique.
   
   Ultimately, Tirabassi starts with the premise that God wants His followers to be sold-out, on-fire, fully committed Kingdom warriors. She suggests that committing to the principles of prayer, purity, and purpose help to point us in that direction. She is willing to challenge luke-warm Christians to stop pretending and engage in the life to which we have been called, which is not an easy thing to do. She provides a compelling picture of what this can look like, as reflected in the very personal testimony that she openly shares throughout her teaching. So far, this is all good.
   
   Where this book (and her teaching, more broadly) lost me was the times she seemed to fall into the unfortunate fallacy that her experience is the ideal, normative experience to which we should all be striving. Though she never expressed this notion in so many words, it seems to be an underlying component of her theology. And I might even be somewhat inclined to lean in that direction if I found the description of her life to be more attractive. Unfortunately, she bears as a badge of honor the fact that she has very few friends. As she openly says, most people don't like her. And after reading and hearing her teaching, I can understand why. Rather than challenging and edifying the body, she resorts more to scolding and guilting. And that approach simply does not connect with me.
   
   To reiterate, I find the general principles that Tirabassi has to offer to be completely biblical and worth pursuing. I just find her method of drawing people into this "Burning Heart Contract" to be distasteful or something worse. The format of the book makes sense. The stories that she tells are very personal and engaging. But I cannot say, as another reviewer has said, that I'm on board with her, at least not in the way that she apparently desires.
   
   If you want a book to tell the fascinating and wonderful story of how God took a broken and sin-riddled young woman and turned her on fire for Him, "The Burning Heart Contract" might be right for you. But if you want a compelling call to earnest discipleship, check out Jerry Bridges' "The Pursuit of Holiness" instead. And if you want a wonderful description of why "one-size-fits-all-spirituality" as (hopefully) unintentionally described by Tirabassi in this book is absurd, check out Gary Thomas' "Sacred Pathways." "The Burning Heart Contract" certainly isn't terrible, but I'm not inclined to recommend it highly.