Blogcritics Category: Books: Religion

Book Review: Conversations with a Stranger: A Search for God by Larry Tate

Jennifer Bogart — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:17:31 EDT

Intense apologetics interwoven with a tale of personal discovery serve up a rather unique combination.
The plot of Conversations with a Stranger is at once both simple and difficult to describe. Two men meet; one utterly unconcerned with the question of whether God exists. The other dedicated to proving His existence. An age-old dance played out in a coffee shop between two nameless men, previously unknown to one another. Without names these...

Book Review: Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith by Shane Hipps

Jennifer Bogart — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:59:05 EDT

Titillating examples of how advances in technology affect our thoughts and faith, but fail to form a firm conclusion.
In Flickering Pixels, author Shane Hipps claims that Marshall McLuhan is one of the greatest thinkers you’ve never heard of. To the contrary, most Canadians are familiar with his iconic phrase, “The medium is the message.” Having been familiarized with many notable Canadian figures through publicly funded television shorts that...

Book Review: As We Forgive: Stories of Reconciliation from Rwanda by Catherine Claire Larson

Jordan J. Ballor — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:31:01 EDT

Essential reading for anyone interested in the recent history of Rwanda, the practice of restorative justice, or the Christian understanding of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Catherine Claire Larson’s book As We Forgive is an exploration of forgiveness and reconciliation in the years following the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Fifteen years ago this month, a plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi was shot down on a return trip from Tanzania, sparking widespread ethnic violence across the country. By the...

Book Review: Blaggard's Moon by George Bryan Polivka

Jennifer Bogart — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:47:25 EDT

Surrounded by piranhas and waiting for ravenously savage mer-monkeys to arrive Smith Delaney has time to reminisce.
Pirate Smith Delaney finds himself atop a tall post in the midst of a tropical lagoon waiting for a particularly gruesome death to arrive in the form of savage mer-monkeys. Attempting to keep his thoughts from the flesh-hungry piranha in the waters around him, and the imminent arrival of the Onka Din Botlay -- rippers of bone -- Delaney casts his...

A Tasteful Examination of Using Salty Language in Religious Publications

Bradley J. Moore — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:10:58 EDT

Is it okay for Christians to curse?
I have a friend who works in the Christian publishing industry. He was recently telling me how conservative it is, and for emphasis he added, “We can’t even print the B-word.” I rolled through a catalogue of words in my head, trying to guess which B-word he might be referring to. There were so many choices. Was it bitch, bastard,...

Book Review: Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History by Newt Gingrich

Katrina-Kasey Wheeler — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:13:23 EDT

In Newt Gingrich�s book, Rediscovering God in America, he takes the reader on an exploration of America�s history.
Newt Gingrich has gained the esteem of his peers through his work in government, most notably as the Speaker of the House under which Congress accomplished many things -notably the first balanced budget in a generation.In Newt Gingrich’s book, Rediscovering God in America, he takes the reader on an exploration of America’s history as he...

Interview with Chet Galaska, Author of Finding Faith in a Skeptical World

Dorothy Thompson — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:36:07 EDT

"Finding Faith in a Skeptical World explains how problematic issues unexpectedly became reasons for faith rather than against it."
Chet Galaska is represented by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion.C. William "Chet" Galaska was born in 1951. He began his college career at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey and graduated from the University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut with a...

Book Review: The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

Violet Nesdoly — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:53:40 EDT

The change began when he listened to the story of an orphaned boy in Rakai, Uganda, on his first World Vision assignment.
You know how sometimes vanilla people can go all salsa on us? They’re bland and ordinary until they experience a pivotal event like a spouse being killed by a drunk driver or a bullied child committing suicide. Suddenly they turn hot and piquant. They’ve seen life from a different perspective and emerged with a new mission -- to stamp...

Book Review: The Miracles of Jesus by Tracy Harrast

Jennifer Bogart — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:12:56 EDT

The miracles of Jesus.... complete with a spinny wheel thingy... oooh! Guaranteed to be a hit in the pre-school set.
The gospels are some of the most captivating pieces of literature ever written. The depictions of Jesus’ life have captured the imagination for nearly 2,000 years and continue to do so. Our family recently jumped ahead in our Bible readings from Leviticus to Luke, and the response in our young children was amazing. Reading about the deeply...

Book Review: Pure: A 90-Day Devotional for the Mind, the Body & the Spirit by Rebecca St. James

Jennifer Bogart — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:56:11 EDT

Purity? Nearly a foreign word in our culture. Get some real encouragement, advice, and spiritual reflection here.
Best known for her inspirational praise and worship music, Australia-born songstress Rebecca St. James is busily carving a ministry niche for herself supporting young women who are waiting on God. As a Christian woman committed to maintaining purity in her own life while single, St. James is right there in the trenches and knows the struggles of a...