good Deliverance and Bad deliverance.
937103
This is a group who has very little if any true talent. They play on theatrics and their "shock them" lyrics. This is music based soley on shock value alone! The metal "christian" group Deliverance that had great albums such as "Weapons of Warfare" and "Stay of Execution" and even the self titled Deliverance album all blew away anything this Deliverance group ever made! They made it MTV Headbangers ball which is unheard of for most Christian rock. this band not so.. probably because of the lacvk of true talent. So I must say it is ironic that one group is "christian" and one group is "satanic" because you can say one is the "GOOD" Deliverance and one is "BAD" not only lyrically but Literally!
1938216
This a a beautifully done broad view of the Catholic faith and as such it would deserve five stars except for two serious flaws. First, the narrator and creator of the series, Father Barron, says the Gospel of Mark was written in 70AD in Rome. Does he know this? He does not, its his uneducated opinion, yet he voices it as if it were a definite fact. Mark is considered the founder and first bishop of the Church in Egypt and the Coptic Church says he brought his Gospel to Egypt with him and a number of years later, after establishing the church there, was martyred in Egypt. The year he was martyred according to the Copts? 68 AD, two years before Father Barron says he wrote his gospel in Rome. Now, IMHO, if anyone has a correct tradition of when Mark died it is the Church that he founded. Therefore: minus one star.
  The second flaw in Father Barron's beautiful work is his statement, "If anyone is in hell, and again I say if because we don't know, if anyone is there it's because they stubbornly are sitting in the corner while the whole thing [heaven] festively swirls around them." Now what does Jesus and the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about this "possibly empty hell" of Father Barron's? Of hell, the Catechism says, "To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from Him forever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called 'hell'." (1033) So does Father Barron really believe that over 2000 years it's possible that no one, among the billions of people who have lived on this earth, committed a mortal sin and then died, for example in an accident, before repenting of the sin? Does he believe that Hitler, unrepentant until the end when he committed yet another mortal sin by killing himself, is not in hell. But more directly, what does Father Barron think of what Jesus is quoted as saying in reference 1034 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that Jesus "will send his angels and they will gather all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire" (Mt13:41-42) and that Jesus will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire." (Mt25:41)
  Now it is true that we don't know that any particular person is in hell. That judgement is up to God. In that sense Father Barron is right, but his stress on the possibility of hell being empty is silly. And this means minus another star.
  Do I recommend buying/watching this beautiful series? Yes. A watcher gets a beautiful overview of the Church, its teachings, its history, its worldwide ministry and its art. But I think one needs to know that Father Barron, based on the above two flaws in his presentation and on many statements he makes and quotes he uses, is a fairly liberal practicing Catholic; a "social justice" Catholic who, in my opinion, would probably if he were a college president, like the president of Notre Dame did two years ago, invite (and therefore honor) pro-abortion, anti-Catholic President Obama to speak before the student body. Father Barron is another Chicagoan, an open-minded guy, a little too open-minded. One must love the sinner but condemn the sin. Father Barron doesn't seem to like that approach and maybe that's why he's hoping against hope that hell is nearly empty.
2077897
When I was offered the opportunity to preview "Jesus Manifesto" by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, the subtitle immediately caught my eye.  A passion for Christ's supremacy and sovereignty in all things appears to me to be sadly lacking in much of the church today. In the introduction, Sweet and Viola claim to present "razor-sharp, cut-glass clarity of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega". So, do they deliver?

To a large extent, they do. "Jesus Manifesto" presents a much larger, exalted view of Christ than what we hear in most modern Christianity. It's not unlike John Piper's "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" in subject matter. In fact, more than a few times, I had the thought that Sweet and Viola were sounding almost "John Piper-esque" with their statements! I really appreciated the emphasis throughout the book on the truth that we are not supposed to "live a Christian life", rather we are supposed to completely yield ourselves, completely lose ourselves in Him, and let Christ live THROUGH us! Chapters 8 through 10 were the most powerful in the book, in my opinion.

And yet, I did feel that the book had one flaw...an emphasis on the PERSON of Christ to the detriment of the WORK of Christ in salvation. The two go hand in hand. When Jesus' work on the cross was discussed in the earlier chapters of the book, the authors seemed to make some pretty sweeping statements. Personal accountability for sin was somewhat glossed over with statements like, "by His death, He slew all negative things" and, "where there was hostility, He brought peace" or "by that horrible death, He reconciled a fallen cosmos to God". None of these statements are untrue, but when made without qualification they can come dangerously close to sounding like universalism. I didn't see anything about what is personally required of us in order to become a member of the body of Christ. The assumption seems to be made that all the readers are already members. That seems to me to be a somewhat dangerous assumption to make. I understand that evangelizing isn't the intent of the book, and yet without laying the proper foundation many who aren't part of the body are likely to read the book and not understand what's necessary in order for it's message to apply to them. So, in order to set the foundation for all the wonderful truths that are presented (and presented very eloquently!), I would have liked to see a clearer presentation of WHY we need Christ in the first place and HOW to be a part of His visible body here on earth.

Despite this issue, I enjoyed the book. More emphasis on Jesus' complete and total supremacy and sovereignty is greatly needed in today's church, and Sweet and Viola are to be applauded for daring to add their voices and attempting to raise awareness on this vital issue. Thank you to Thomas Nelson for graciously providing a copy for me to preview and allowing me to express my honest opinion.
156882
The first half was more compelling that the second. The second was about his misery in recovery, which could be very inspiring for those who are recovering from a major accident or illness. It is also about his ministry, showing that his life on earth continued to have purpose, even though his ministry changed drastically. The first part, about his time in heaven, was riveting and very convincing. As his movement was diminished his faith was enhanced.
2567114
What happens when I decide that the bulk of a years preaching will be coming from the New Testament? I get a book called Preaching Old Testament Narratives for review. And I like it. So Im already plotting 2018 sermons.

Benjamin H. Walton runs a service called PreachingWorks. That he didn't try to be trendy and use an x for the ks raises my opinion of him in the first place. But, the reason you're reading this is to find out about his book, Preaching Old Testament Narratives. Let us, then, get down to business.

The first thing I would note about this book is that it depends on the readers admission that the genre of a Biblical text is a key aspect for understanding it. That is, one cannot treat Old Testament Narrative in the same manner as one treats New Testament Prophecy. If you have no idea what those categories of literary type are, you probably need to start with something like Duvall and Hays Grasping Gods Word before you come to this text. If you do know what those types are and just don't care, then youll find no value here. (Also, I think you should go back to Grasping Gods Word or something similar and rethink your position.)

Now, for those who are willing to admit that genre matters in Biblical interpretation, Waltons book has several things to commend it. First, he addresses why Old Testament narrative should be approached differently than direct commands or poetry.

Second, he explains some of the pitfalls of poor approaches to preaching from Old Testament narrative. This closes with a note of encouragement as Walton acknowledges that many who struggle with the hows of preaching still love the whyand still desire to handle the Word of God with excellence.

The hinge of this work is the idea of a complete unit of thought. Waltons view is that preaching OT narrative requires making the right choice of a passagenot too much and not too little. This concept is illustrated with a look at 2 Samuel 11-12.

Next, Walton moves on to methods of delivery. It is a book on preaching, which is hermeneutics shared with a group. This section is the strength of the book as the reader is guided in moving from the theology of the unit of thought into a take home truth. That is the necessity at handtake home truths for the hearers is the point.

Walton also makes clear how to connect the Cross and salvation into the Old Testament message without getting too strained in the connection.

This is a handy reference for a preacher wanting to hone up the skills before diving into the narrative portions of the Old Testament. Not quite a must-have, but definitely a will-use.

Book received from Kregel Academic/Ministry for review.
2908667
The FUNDAMENTAL problem for any effort to argue that Revelation  "predicts the future" derives from the fact that this ancient rant depicts a very primitive world:  In Revelation, people are ruled by kings, practice slavery, ride horses, fight with swords, get attacked by mythological creatures, keep records on scrolls and are oppressed by "spiritual" forces (whatever that means).
In other words, Revelation sounds more like the world of _Xena: Warrior Princess_ than the kind of world we live in.
And the attempt to allegorize these embarrassments away faces the double-standards problem:  LaHaye and similar bible-prophecy cranks want to argue that the parts of Revelation that are too weird to take literally must have some deeper "spiritual" meaning, but they want a literal "Jesus" to fall to Earth (Revelation 19:11-15) with a sword sticking out of his mouth, wearing a robe dipped in blood and riding a flying horse -- like a Valkyrie, I suppose.  (Western civilization gave up pagan mythology for this?)
I find it especially amusing that LaHaye, when he wears his conservative hat, preaches a message of this-worldly self-reliance, rugged individualism and the pursuit of happiness (e.g., refer to his books on sexual fulfillment in marriage and fighting depression) -- but when he wears his preacher hat, he preaches secular despair and the call for a supernatural welfare program (Revelation 21) to solve our problems.
1214892
Why do bad things happen to good people?  Because it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!  In order for evil men and demons to be judged eternally, they must be allowed to fill up their cups of iniquity.  Dumitru Duduman is an example of a righteous man suffering unjustly because of his godliness so it will be obvious to all that God is a just god when the evil beings receive eternal retribution.  It's awful to have to bear the brunt of the evil, but great rewards await those who patiently endure.  He suffered greatly, but left us a good example and testimony of God's grace during his endurance.
1658494
I recently happened upon a moral dilemma that had me both indignant and perplexed. I bore witness to two men engaged in a contest of strength. Glory, wonder, and excitement pulsed through my veins as the two met in fisticuffs. Flesh and muscle glistened with sweat until at last one contender cast his opponent down in what appeared a clear victory. Alas, the weaker man's wife approached the rightful victor from behind and grabbed him by his genitals. I was appalled as triumph was so brazenly stolen with one firm squeeze. I knew something must be done, but what? I headed to the county library in a desperate search for any book that might offer justice and quell my outrage. Hopeless, I conceded that this most serious offense would go without vengeance. With one last, desperate effort, I dove into the King James Bible. Unable to contain myself, I abandoned library etiquette as a shout of ecstasy escaped my lips when I stumbled across Deuteronomy 25:11. Who would have known proper justice for this exact scenario would have been documented in God's perfect book. Of course it was in there. As for the woman, let's just say that raising her hand in to protest God's justice was the last thing she ever did with that hand. Finally, I can sleep. It nice to know there's a book out there to solve these relevant moral dilemmas of the 21st century.
1963734
Despite its shortcomings, the tracks are primarily good and in the Blues style. The group songs are some of the best such as two different versions of When Was Jesus Born. The worst parts are the pure sermons--not songs at all.
4660145
While this book did give me a wonderful perspective on living a life that will lead to eternal reward, I did leave with a sense of condemnation that (thanks be to the Holy Spirit) I rejected. While there is some discussion of the Spirit's enabling power and grace, the fear-evoking conclusion that someone's name can be blotted out of the book of life may leave Christians feeling as though there's always the possibility that their salvation can be taken away, so we had better get busy doing good works just in case Christ's sacrifice wasn't enough.
That's just not true, and that is where I have come to believe that there are truths mixed in with...other stuff...in this book. To clarify that "blotting out fallacy" (which really puts us back under the law) - there are two books. One is the book of life (everyone's name is in that) and the other is the Lamb's book of life (only believers' names are written there - and they are there forever). The wicked will have their names blotted out of the book of life, but not the believers. David mentioned these two different processes for the wicked in Psalm 69:28 - the blotting out of one book, and the lack of being recorded in the other.  As the judgment is played out in Revelation, it is clear that there are 2 bookS, and that is not because God ran out of room in one :)  Once your name is in the Lamb's book of life (by believing in His sacrifice for sin), that's a done deal. You might not get great rewards if you don't fulfill your purpose, but that's another thing altogether. in my opinion, Driven by Eternity did a great job of bringing home the "reward" concept.

I wondered if the author's real concern is whether or not a "believer" actually believes - which shows up in their thoughts and deeds as a product of a growing relationship the beloved Christ because, truly, once one believes in His all-inclusive sacrifice, there's nothing left to do except live life saying "Thank you!" in words and actions.

That said, the thing that this book really got across: the time we spend on earth is so incredibly short. We should be more concerned about eternity and the things God holds dear than things with temporal value.
4325784
As a visual feast for the eyes this saga has been excellent.  It has had spectacular special effects and exciting and epic battles.  HOWEVER, the problem that this saga has experienced is when people have tried to compare it and contrast it with other classic sagas of "good vs. evil"; this comparison has and will continue to fail.

The classic stories have very clearly defined the lines of good and evil.  Further, they have always had their protagonists have a clearly defined "code" of right and wrong, good and evil, etc.  Here is where STAR WARS fails, and frankly has far more in common with the present.  In "Return of the Jedi" Luke chastises Obi-Wan for having lied to him about the real identity of his father and his father's fate.  The response he receives from Obi-Wan is that truth is relative and depends on your own point-of-view.  This theme is brought to its' culmination in "Revenge of the Sith"; Obi-Wan chastises Anakin/Vader for holiding to "absolutes", (only a Sith deals in absolutes).

This is very disturbing.  This suggests that truth, good, evil are all morally relativistic.  As a result they are fluid and never constant.  This, rather than being a depiction of life in a galaxy far, far away and a long time ago, is a far more accurate view of our own time.  This is the unfortunate part of the STAR WARS saga; the Republic and Jedi hold to no absolute truths; no eternal concepts of good and evil.  The world they reside in was doomed to failure for the very reasons that they failed to adhere to the absolutes that they so feared in the Sith; that was the one thing that they should have exceeded the Sith in.
1364149
True, we don't preach about sin and salvation much any more, or at least not in the mainline denominations but its there in our liturgies.

She doesnt seem to understand situation ethics as she suggests that it has done away with the notion of right and wrong, good and evil. Not true. Joseph Fletcher spoke of the lesser of two evils but it was evil nonetheless.

She has an amusing story to illustrate the theology of grace trumping sin  Yale Divinity School had the highest theft rate of any graduate school in the university.

Shes good on structural sin inasmuch as it applies to America.

Her description of the Ash Wednesday is decidedly old-fashioned. The ashing comes ion the middle of, not at the beginning of the rite (unless her denomination is also old-fashioned).

And shes wrong to say that catechumens joined in the already established Lenten fast. It was the other way round.
2845795
The video and photographic quality alone is enough to buy the series.  What ruined the production value of these series for me, (Blue Planet, and the other one about the earth whose name I am not remembering) is the spirit of them.

While the points in the narration are valid and factual, there seems to be a lacking morally-attributable fiber.  In other words, it seemed there was, in the depth of the obviously-advanced technology used for capturing the footage, a humanistic hopelessness devoid of God.  The pervasiveness of New World Order(ness) permeated the astute observations of the BBC-compiled crew.  Perhaps the policy of world Christianity has finally manifested itself in clear and unmistakably atheistic lines.  It's as if she has almost dared anyone to come against her lamb-veneered, beastly core, waiting to catch the spirit of Protest of the true Christian hope in rapture.

The beauty of the world is worshiped in this production, but the God who created her is left in the wake of 2000+ yrs. of ecclesiastical, church-state fornicated apostasy.
3016326
This is a good book. It is well written, the characters have depth. It's easy to like and identify with the h and H. There is also a good plot, a town that sounds like a place worth saving, and appropriate villians. However the choice of Jesus as a cussword just got to be too much. Why choose a word that will alienate a number of people when there are so many others? It would seem that an author would want the broadest possible base of readers. Christians believe that using Jesus as a cussword is unacceptable,it is the name by which we all are saved. Some may overlook it a time or two, but when it seems to be the cussword of choice most Christians will simply put the book aside. It's a shame because there are so few books that are entertaining, well-written, have likeable characters and a decent plot.
1517687
I get a kick out of some revewers who think the author is a little harsh on religion.  Excuse me...I believe the religious are the people that will tell you you're going to hell if you don't follow their particular brand of insanity.  Talk about harsh.
3141367
When guided by prophecy not all seems clear. Having been give the chance is it the time? One never truly knows till standing in that moment. Only them must we decide. For light and darkness have a balance. This scale isn't ours to govern.
1797284
Although I'm a fan of all of Macnutt's other books, there is a landmine in the middle of this book that renders it dangerous.

Particularly helpful are the latter chapters of this book, which deal with practical issues of spiritual deliverance (e.g. forming a team, finding a place, how to prepare). Highly recommended.

But then there is chapter 6, a lynchpin chapter for MacNutt, in which he denotes the names of demons. Here, abruptly, he disembarks from the Scriptural foundation on which he's rested his case so far, and depends instead on the highly questionable exegesis found in 'Pigs in the Parlor' (there is not one bible quotation in chapter 6). It is this chapter alone that leads me to give this otherwise good book such a bad review--because naming demons is not a necessary part of deliverance--and it leads to the 'demonization of sin', in which people don't take responsibility for their personal sin, but instead blame it on an evil spirit (i.e. "I didn't lust after that woman, the devil made me do it").

So do read this book, but read also 'Power Encounters' by David Powlison, a book built on classic evangelical exegesis. Powlison rightly understands that power encounters with evil spirits do happen, but puts it in its proper perspective in terms of personal repentance and accountability for sin.