For some blessed reason book publishers sometimes send me books. Books for free… imagine. Some of them are stunningly good. Here are three books I can’t recommend highly enough… more highly?… high ? You get the picture. Blogging is destroying my already limited grammatical capacity… capacity, grammatical?… capacity for grammering?
In February comes N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.
This book challenges the last 200 years of individualism-based Christianity and the entirely non-Biblical views of heaven, of salvation, of Jesus’ ascension, of purgatory, the church, and the cheeseburger. Ok, not the cheeseburger but everything else. It may well be one of the most important books written in a very long time.
In March – Anne Rice’s Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.
It is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is an extraordinary work of literature and it is a staggeringly insightful look at Jesus’ life from a woman who has – through years and years of study – become a Bible scholar in her own right.
In April – Trish Ryan’s He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Hope, and Happily Ever After.
Trish’s book is the story of a successful, beautiful, 30-something who decided – after many a broken heart – to see who this Jesus guy was. It is a funny, engaging, moving, and brutally honest story of losing heart, finding faith, and finding love.
posted January 18, 2008 at 2:27 pm
They send you these books to edit or review?
posted January 18, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Hey, you want another book to review?
I’ve got one… in fact, Bishop Gene Robinson just wrote a review of it that I’m putting on the back cover of the next printing.
And, it got quite a lovely review on Street Prophets.
>
Just say the word… or e-mail it…
With love,
Rabbi Brian
posted January 18, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Dave, Dave, can I send you LEFT BEHIND Part 64: The Anti-Christ Resigns?
posted January 19, 2008 at 12:23 pm
David,
Saw a prerelease copy of Tim Keller’s new book, “Reason for Faith”–it looked very intriguing.
posted January 20, 2008 at 10:27 am
Canucklehead, which Democrat president is it?
posted January 20, 2008 at 10:36 am
Amazon.com: “As with Out of Egypt, the opening novel, The Road to Cana is based on the Gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship. The book’s power derives from the profound feeling its author brings to the writing and the way in which she summons up the presence of Jesus.”
Which “scholars” does she use? The anti-Christian “scholars” like Spong of Liberal theology like the Jesus Seminar gang, or scholars who are real Christians? Hopefully Jim Wallis and his ilk are not endorsing her work. Think how wonderful it would be for the youth of the world if this woman were to present what Jesus and the Apostles did and preached, instead of the typical leftie garbage of “Do what thou wilt . . . ” just, “be safe” wink-wink. The good news of liberalism: licentiousness, hedonism and lasciviousness, are not Gospel doctrines. I’ll read the book in B and N when it comes out.
posted January 20, 2008 at 11:48 pm
hey Donny,
think how wonderful it would be if each of us – you included – was present to what Jesus taught. I haven’t really made the connection between your fury at anything that makes you uncomfortable and the faith that Jesus has given to me. Anne Rice’s work is new to me – she seems to have think deeply and with a profound Christian awareness about this work. Try it – it’ll change things. I’ve read enough of her to see a soul that seeks God. I’ve read enough from you to see the same. She’s effective in relaying that journey to others. You are not.
sitting there as you fume about good people who disagree with you – can’t take you any further in this spiritual journey. As someone said about politics – such fury is all motion without movement. Jesus calls us forward and does not require us to defend him. We are just to hear him – clearly -and with love for him and for one another. To leave out the second half makes the first half irrelevant. My mother would fix you with a mighty look and say – Enough of this nonsense – tell your brother you’re sorry. Lord, knows, she did it for me often enough.