Balanced. Good Questions. Busting Holy Cows
939011
This is an extremely good book. It starts with an excellent question - why were the invasions of the Turks, Afghans etc called Muslim invasions and not territorial invasions. This is clearly indicative of the bias that has pervaded much of Indian history through the last decades.

Jaswant Singh proceeds in a gentle manner, clearly unfolding the events of the times. He clearly explains how Jinnah moved from being a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity and nationhood to a champion of Pakistan. The roles that the great Indian politicians played in causing the division of India into India and Pakistan has been clearly explained. It is a sorry tale, where the actions of a few men caused such divisions and large scale displacement.
The book is meticulously researched, balanced and well written.
This is an honest book, and one that deserves the highest praise.
214431
I enjoyed reading this book. The piece on conventional wisdom alone was enough for me to recommend. It's provides multiple topics to bring up amongst your friends for debate. Why crime decreased in the 90's, how real estate agents are against you, how teachers are sometimes the real cheaters etc. etc.
1004718
We are all full of questions for God.  Starting with "God, who are you?" this book addresses many of the questions most asked by humanity.  Is Jesus really Your Son?  How do we know the Bible is accurate?  Why is there so much suffering?  Just what is salvation?  Can I lose my salvation?  Why should we pray?  What is our biggest problem?  These and many more questions are answered with biblical references in a conversational style.

First, I have to say I like this book and will keep it both to browse through at times and to use as a reference when I am asked some of these questions by others.  I did, however, find that it is not an easy book to just sit down and read through from beginning to end.  I have read a section here and there between other books and during short waiting times over the past month. It is great to carry with me to doctors visits and other places where I do not know how much time I might have to wait.  I finished reading all of it in about a month reading this way.  I like that he includes so many bible passages and references for each question.  It would be a wonderful gift book for anyone, especially new Christians.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
1913076
I must say that I was initially put off by the title of this book. I assumed from the title that this must be another one of "those" Christian arguments for vegetarianism--you know, the ones that use out of context prooftexts to argue that Jesus really was a vegetarian.  However, one of my colleagues did his Ph. D. work with Richard Alan Young, and he told me that Young was not only an excellent scholar, but a person who lived his convictions.  So I decided to give the book a try, in spite of the title.

I am so glad I did.  Young deals with the major issues and texts which arise when the question of vegetarianism is posed.  Each chapter heading is a question which leads the author into a discussion of the relevant texts and historical background.  He addresses questions like "Was Jesus a Vegetarian?" "Didn't God Permit Us to Eat Meat?" and "Didn't Paul Condemn Vegetarianism as Heresy?" with honesty and theological integrity.  He does not try to force intepretations out of the texts, but lets them speak for themselves, offering a balanced and evenhanded treatment.

Most importantly, Young offers one of the best arguments for Christian vegetarianism I've read to date.  He does not resort to prooftexting or spurious arguments based on scant biblical evidence.  Instead he builds the case for vegetarianism upon a much broader biblical perspective--the peaceable kingdom.  In sum, Genesis 1 and 2 offer the ideal view of human existence:  humans and animals are vegetarians, humans are the caregivers of God's creation, the world and all creation are at peace. Unfortunately, all that is shattered in Genesis 3.  However, the biblical material looks forward to a reinstatement of that original harmony.  Examining the prophets vision of the peaceable kingdom, Young concludes that the role of Christians is to do God's will on earth as it is in heaven.  In other words, Jesus' vision of the kingdom of heaven is a here and now concept, not a concept that will occur only in heaven.  "The peaceable kingdom encompasses the full range of human moral aspirations, depicts peaceful coexistence between humans and nonhumans, and represents the goal toward which God is guiding history" (150).

Our job as Christians is to envision the peaceable kingdom and work to bring it about.  Christ's act on the cross was an act of restoration, not just between humans and God, but between humans and other humans, and humans and all creation.  Thus, Christians are to be actively involved in that restorative vision.  If the peaceable kingdom is to be established, one fundamental step toward that outcome is refraining from eating meat. There can be no peace between animals and humans if we continue consuming animals.

Additional touches set this book apart as well: each chapter concludes with a wholesome vegetarian recipe; the last chapter offers a basic discussion of how to "go vegetarian;" and Young provides a bibliography for further reading.

Don't be put off by the title of the book--I found out that the publisher insisted upon it to make the book more "provocative."  This book is a must read for any Christian who desires to investigate Christianity's relationship to animal rights and vegetarianism. It is well written, thoroughly researched, and easily accessible to anyone interested in the subject.
283441
This book addresses a controversial topic among Christians - the use of medications for treatment of various mental ailments. The author does an excellent job of balancing this topic in a Biblical manner, also showing that it's not always a cut-and-dried response. There is not a once-size-fits-all answer for this challenging area of medications.
The first section of the book deals with the history of psychiatry and development of various mental illnesses as seen in the Diagnostic Manuals and their continual updating through the years. The second section then deals with medications - what they are and what they are prescribed for, as well as not knowing completely how they work. I found his approach balanced and Biblical.
For those who may be on one side of the issue or the other, this book presents a balanced response and a "middle-of-the-road" approach to the difficult decisions involved with deciding whether or not medication is needed in the lives of those struggling. I recommend those who come across this issue to read this book for help.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher New Growth Press in exchange for my review.
1125887
This is one of those books (digital book, in this case) that puts politics aside and attempts to answer a politically-touchy question:  what is the impact of a meat-based diet on our health, our communities, the animals themselves, and on our planet.

Want the answer?  Read the book.  And if you don't reduce either the amount or the source of your meat after reading the book... well, read it again.
350244
With the recent renewing of the questions of Universalism, Annihilationism and Conditionalism I was looking for a book that would answer the questions that are being raised by Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins."  I believe that this book with it's grouping of essay's is a great tool for we in the Protestant Evangelical Conservative realm to be able to address and answer many of the questions that Bell's book is raising.

This text was drawn together by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson in 2004 as a way to present material to their students at the California Baptist University and Covenant Seminary.  Because it is a collection of essays it doesn't always flow well from chapter to chapter, nor is the writing consistent, some writers are easier to read than others.

It also seems as though many of the writers were responding to a book by "Fudge" where he is articulating his views of annihilationism.  But overall the book is well documented, takes you through the subject in a good orderly manner and gives plenty of evidence for why there is a Hell, why there is eternal punishment and why God is not a cruel, bigoted, tyrant who enjoys watching people in torment.

The Chapters of the book detail how they work through the subject, they are;
1. Modern theology: the disappearance of Hell (Albert Mohler Jr)
2. The old Testament on Hell (Daniel I. Block)
3. Jesus on Hell (Robert W. Yarbrough)
4. Paul on Hell (Douglas J. Moo)
5. The Revelation on Hell (Gregory K. Beale)
6. Biblical Theology: Three Pictures of Hell (Christopher W. Morgan)
7. Systematic Theology: Three Vantage Points of Hell (Robert A. Peterson)
8. Universalism: Will Everyone Ultimately be saved? (J. I. Packer)
9. Annihilationism: Will the Unsaved Be Punished Forever? (Christopher W. Morgan)
10. Pastoral Theology: The Preacher and Hell (Sinclair. B. Ferguson)

If you are a conservative who believes the Bible is God's word that gives us teaching on Heaven and Hell you will find this book very useful.  If you are one who wants to believe the age old teaching of Universalism you will find in this text why mainline conservative denominations disagree with you.

Enjoy this text and please read both it and Rob Bell's book with very open minds asking the Holy Spirit to show you the truth as you read.
3836247
This book contains a staggering set of viewpoints regarding the consumption of animals by humans. It starts off with the author's vacillating experience with vegetarianism but it's obvious pretty early on that the author is not going back to eating meat ever again. Written in the context of having to explain to his newborn son why they eat meat, the author approaches the topic with wit and respect. As 5-year vegetarian, I was curious to see if the author would reach a definite conclusion, and if they would tread any new ground. I've read a lot on the topic of animal welfare (and I highly recommend "Thanking the Monkey" for not just a look at how we treat the animals that become our food, but those we use for show at zoos, circuses, and as pets). This was still a fresh enough approach to me to make this one of my favorite books of the past several years. I'll be recommending it to others readily. The teaser posted in the New York Times by him on October 7, 2009 is a great way to determine if you want to read the rest of this book.

The author really dug into this topic, too. Apparently, he's written quite a bit of fiction or semi-fictional novels, such as "Everything is Illuminated" (which eventually became a movie) but took a different turn in tackling a non-fiction topic. His writing style is quite accessible, and he's able to steer away from preaching for a good part of his writing. He does this by offering space to various animal ranchers and farmers in an effort to present some contrasting views. Their contributions appear as multi-page rebuttals or explanations in the final third of the book. He doesn't exactly have the "other side" fully represented in these cases, but in his defense he didn't get much of a response when he tried multiple times with a certain popular meat purveyor. What was especially impressive was that the last 40+ pages of the book are his reference notes. It's like a bibliography on steroids. Not only does he cite references, but he often elaborates on them with additional statistics or how he applied them to the book. I thought that this was going the extra mile in terms of research because he at least laid out his thinking behind his use of the information he'd gathered. At the very least, he's being more open than I've come to expect with respect to references.

The author seems to have done the legwork here in his investigation regarding animal welfare (which he leans towards using more than the typical "animal welfare" terminology thrown around). It's worthwhile to note that this book touches exclusively on the ethics behind the eating of animals, and does not relate in any way to any health-related aspects. (For that, I'd highly recommend reading "The China Study" or any of Dr. McDougall's online newsletters at [...]) I've actually just finished reading the book but I am going to take a second pass through it just to jot down so many of the great statistics that he gathered so that I always have them on hand. It's important to note that the author's viewpoint is largely influenced by the ethics of eating animals as they are raised and slaughtered today. That is, he's taking his stance mainly because of the fact that 99% of the meat we have access to is factory-farmed. While it's hard for me to review this with a perfectly open mind because I am already a vegetarian, I still think that if I were coming into this as the omnivore I used to be that it would actually be enough to get me to reduce or eliminate my meat consumption. Essentially, that's what Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" did for me.
3671493
As usual, another excellent book from Bart Baggett.  This book helps you to come up with questions that allow your mind to come up with positive and empowering answers for your circumstances.  And its all subconscious;  No RaRa cheer performance, just all the right questions to ask yourself.
1724573
In this book, Max Lucado sets out to answer 172 questions, falling under the general categories of: 1) Hope: God, Grace, and "Why am I here?", 2) Hurt: Conflicts, Calamities, and "Why me?", 3) Help: Prayer, Scripture, and "Why church?", 4) Him/Her: Sex, Romance, and "Any chance of a second chance?", 5) Home: Diapers, Disagreements, and "Any hope for prodigals?", 6) Haves/Have-Nots: Work, Money, and "Where's the lifeline?", and 7) Hereafter: Cemeteries, Heaven, Hell, and "Who goes where?". I found a couple of instances where an allowance for evolution/old earth might be seen, but otherwise I didn't find anything I would consider to be theologically incorrect. My main frustration was with how short the answers were. At best, roughly a page and a half was the longest answer given.

There isn't a great deal of depth, not surprising because of the length of the answers, so I would recommend this book to someone who is fairly new in their faith. However, after 6 months or a year a person who has been consistently feeding on Scripture should be able to handle more extensive works.

Overall, I'd give this book a 3/5.

Note: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review from BookSneeze.
319665
Love this little book!  I've read it several times and feel it is a very simple introduction to a very big top... and bigger question.  Something virtually ALL people ask/wrestle with to some degree or another at various stages of life.  I've handed out copies to many of my friends and acquaintances with mixed reviews.  About 1/3rd say they can't understand it (I don't know how it could be made simpler, so I just say okay and take it back), about 1/3rd refuse to even crack the cover open and read the first chapter (so again, I just move along), and about 1/3rd actually read it ,resulting of course in more mixed, often... what's the word here... Shallow or uncritical reviews, like a shrug and no discussion... dismissive and unwilling to address the content.  (Total is about 25 people so far.)  The best review came from an atheist friend of mine who said that he found the reasoning to be sound and consistent throughout (he had no qualms with any of the content) but said that he just couldn't bring himself to say that there is a God. Hey, fair enough!  I also had a Buddhist friend who flagged me down on the street and said he had read it 4x's and more recently has said that his worldview has completely changed since he first read it.  As far as introducing friends who are leery of 'religious' books or just 'religion' goes, I like the non-religious nature, 'neutral' feel and honest approach of this resource.  (Which perhaps I should qualify within my opinion!)  After all, if there is a real purpose and meaning in human existence... how could any other question be more important?  My next intended recipient?  A former defense attorney!
2284866
You will never have more pertinent information at your fingertips. The questions are guaranteed to promote discussion. These are NOT yes or no questions. The questions require a look at the text under study.  The research is well done and well rounded.

Call on me this afternoon to lead a bible study this evening. I can be prepared and not stressed! Woo hoo!
3347192
When I was given the chance to review a Max Lucado book, I jumped at the opportunity.  His books are always a good read.  This one is no exception.

This book is a compilation of submitted questions and Max's responses.  The questions cover a very large topic range.  Everything from angels to premarital sex.  If you've wondered it, it probably is covered in this book.

I liked the fact that he didn't just seem to pick out the soft-ball questions.  The one's with the pad answers that any "preacher" would give you.  He does a good job of giving a real-world answer.  It makes it very reader friendly.

Is this my favorite Lucado book?  No.  I prefer the books that look in depth at a certain topic.  Ones that cover all sides of a subject.  This book just gives a good, quick, concise answer.  I know that is what the intent is but it's not my favorite book style.

If you enjoy having a book that you can use as a resource when those life questions pop up this is going to be a good read for you.  Perhaps over time, I will find myself referring to this book again and again.  I guess we'll just have to wait and find out.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <[...].com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...]: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
1915216
This book is for people who have more questions than answers - which is pretty much all of us. Gushee does a great job of taking weighty questions and ideas, and presenting them in a way that is easy to digest.

If you have ever asked any of these questions:

"what does it means to be human?"

"what does the church say about that?"

"how does that affect how i live my life?"

then you will enjoy this read. I have.
4369289
I've just finished reading Herd. Actually, I devoured it in two sittings. And I urge you to go and read it if you want to think about how to better trigger changes in mass behaviour.
Unlike most business or marketing books it's not a set of case studies or a 'how to' process guide to mechanistic thinking.
Rather, it's an excellently written analysis of the new thinking (and the forgotten old thinking) about how people think, act and behave. It doesn't give you answers or tell you what to do, but rather raises questions in your mind about the principles on which most communications thinking is built.
Already, it's made me question a lot of the assumptions I have been taking for granted, made me think differently about some of the problems I'm trying to solve and helped me ground some of the different thinking I've been doing over the last couple of years.
Whether you agree with all the conclusions or not, we need more stuff like this that brings fresh, challenging, provocative thinking into the far too conservative world of marketing and communications.
1373311
This is a structured and reasoned argument from the middle ground.  It presents facts and the author's opinion on the facts.

The facts stimulate thought and help you consider the argument.  The opinion is not in-your-face, but rather holds a mirror up to the reader and asks questions.  It allows the reader to form (or re-form) their own opinion.

This was well worth reading.
457758
Plenty of good, mostly common sense, financial information and ideas here.  Author tends to repeat many of his points throughout the book but that helps reinforce some of the ideas he is presenting.  Fairly balanced except one chapter that seemed out of place as it read as a biased attack on one administration when it is well known that problems we are facing did not originate that one-sided.  It really made me question what else in the book is spin.  Some facts are backed up by other books I have read but anything I was unfamiliar with I have to wonder if it was fairly presented.