"Angelesis" is Jesus in the modern world in the female form
351699
"Angelesis" was so gripping, it was the first book I read twice, immediately after the first reading.  I had to control myself when someone to whom I'd loaned it told me she couldn't get into it.  My response was to give her a novel loaded with sexual activity, and she read avidly!  "Angelesis" is the story of how a group of people left their planet to orbit our world to help us not destroy our world with nuclear fision. In addition, the daughter of a planetary God flew in spiritual form only and landed in a cave in Utah.  She and her associates completely overlooked her wardrobe.  She arrived in the cave in the nude.  That was easily overcome.  In the short time of her stay, however, she made a lasting impression where ever she went.  Most people accepted her loving wisdom that if earth was to survive, we must learn to live cooperatively, not in competition with each other.  For example, she accepted a terrorist on her closest board of confidants.  That one played out with cutting edge terror.
4680802
This engaging volume is the contribution of a European feminist theologian to the search for a critical contextual Christology for the times. The author explores the possibility of reconstructing a spiritually dynamic and intellectually coherent Christianity that regards the Western feminist critique of Christology with utmost seriousness. Her work-holding immense significance for America and Europe-seeks to find a liberating path in between the Western dogmatic tradition and the outright rejection of Christology advocated by post-Christian feminist theologians. She confronts the Christological crisis squarely and suggests a way out of the impasse for those prepared to risk the encounter of the Spirit for themselves.
3330544
Jesus Swagger is a bold call for Christians - scratch that - for people to view the life of Jesus as more than an antiquated series of events and to really embrace the trans-formative work that Jesus came to complete in this world. The idea of "poser Christianity" is extremely relevant in a culture that is superficially obsessed with realism while actually abhorring the truth that transparency reveals.  With so much love, Jarrid vulnerably and daringly reveals his own struggles with being a "poser Christian" which allows the reader to be comfortable enough to admit (even if only to themselves) that there are areas of life where they too have been "poser Christians." This admission not only brings to light our continued need for a savior, I think it brings us that much closer to our savior, Jesus Christ. Anything that allows me to see more truth about who I am and my perpetual need for Jesus is a five-star winner for me! After all, as spiritual beings living a human experience aren't we all on a journey to continually die to ourselves in order to live more fully through Christ? That's the path that I have found myself on, and Jesus Swagger has been a great addition to this process!
4783988
Throughout Christian history, we have paid lip-service to the message of Jesus humanity. We have honored it in the mystical trinity, have insisted upon it in the Creeds that we continue to use in the church, but we don't really believe that that humanity extended beyond a suffering and ghastly death. Our churchs Greek and Roman influence have separated God above us, and removed the simple intimacy that the Hebrew God enjoyed with his people; bartering, wrestling, dazzling, but always on earth, and always in the present. Behold and Here I am are both translations of the same Hebrew word that are the simple requirements God asks of us when he calls: be in the present, be in the now.

June Kerrs book Rabboni, My Love has restored my faith that people actually do see Jesus as fully human; one who loves as generously with his friends and strangers alike, as he asks us to do simply in the message he gives us. Christianity though, has been twisted and manipulated for so long to remove any possible thought that Jesus may have had a full, loving normal life as part of his deity. It astounds me, the lengths to which that twisted energy has been spent to de-humanize Jesus throughout history. It has been focused on edifices, wealth, art and music; all wonderful (sometimes) expressions of human inspiration, but always at the expense of Jesus message to love one another and to be truly human.

This warm and fluent novel expresses that simple humanity in a delightful way that had me laughing, crying, agonizing and rejoicing over life. The stories are familiar, but told from new perspectives that always emphasize the human. Miracles abound, but the response is to celebrate, throw a party, and be close to friends and family; to give thanks to God for the blessings of life. They recite psalms together, not because it is the appointed psalm of the 2nd Sunday in Lent, but because their hearts are bursting with emotion.  Miriams voice throughout is stronger than any apostles preaching, because it is based on real love and joy for her own blessings; her husband Joshua, her children, her siblings and extended family, and her friends.

Everyone with whom you are familiar in the Biblical stories is here, without the emphasis on numerology, mysticism and out-of-body experience. THIS is about the body of humanity, about what God asks us simply to do: to love and to live, and throughout I feel God smiling as broadly as Joshua and Miriam at one of their many celebrations, saying simply, Blessed are You, Lord God, King of the Universe, who brings forth wine, bread, life. I enthusiastically recommend this novel to all who have even a passing knowledge of Christianity, to give them a new perspective.
3921007
The Thirteenth Disciple, The Life of Mary Magdalene - Gordon Thomas

A most learned presentation of ideas regarding the importance of Mary Magdalene in the Scriptures, The Thirteenth Disciple, offers an erudite approach to be enjoyed from the comfort of one's armchair.  Gordon Thomas espouses the concept that Mary Magdalene as the thirteenth disciple brings intuition and a depth of spirituality into Christianity that cannot be found within the patriarchal church - both in those times and today.  Mary Magdalene represents the ultimate change in status from the wanton who becomes a saint.

Whether she exists in one person or as some believe her to be, an amalgam of unrelated episodes dealing with women in earlier Judaic tradition, the Christ persona treats her with respect and His attitude toward women comes across in accepting them as persons in their own right, to be treated as equals and allowed a place at His side.  As the fallen woman, Christ first revealed Himself to her following the crucifixion.  This highlighted the importance that repentance came not only from renouncing sin, but by turning to God.  Her life serves as a parable of the best of Christian reality.

Thomas brings the characters within the last days of Christ in physical form to life in this most interesting thesis about the role of faith in life, choice, and working toward a future - despite social reluctance to accept the role of women.  He fleshes out the presence of Mary Magdalene with astute evaluations derived from knowledge of the time period.  With the life span being approximately 40 years, Mary Magdalene must have been a relatively young prostitute.  Her complexion would most probably have been olive in color with brown eyes as she came from Galilee. The wealth attributed to her also implies that she must have been attractive to be successful in her work arena.  Her personality reveals a woman with a strong will, determination, possessed of considerable insight, and yielding an indomitable faith.

The work reminds us  that forgiveness is the ultimate loving and that Mary Magdalene taught the disciples of Christ the meaning of faith.  Patriarchy does not have God on its side as evidenced in the New Testament which promulgates salvation though love and redemption.  It is clear that this major player of the period has great importance today.  Within the Christian faith, women have been subtly denigrated for almost two thousand years.  And yet, Christ chose a woman, this woman, whose salvation epitomized the deepest tenets of Christianity.  "She provides every woman a chance to liberate herself from the constraints man continues to impose on the feminine role in Christian worship.  The woman of Magdala could have asked for no more, or wished for no less."
365853
We all know about the greatest birth in history, the birth of Jesus Christ.  We know about the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, King Herod, and the manger. But have we ever taken a really good look at the women who were a part of the story too?

Elizabeth, an aging woman who was barren.

Mary, a young woman betrothed to be married.

Anna, an elderly widow living out her days and nights in the temple.

All in different places in their lives, doing different things but all on the brink of having their lives changed forever by the Lord.

This book by popular author Liz Curtis Higgs helps us take a look at the birth of Jesus and the events leading up to it through the eyes of the three pivotal women who God chose to use in His plan.

Each chapter is titled after a significant line in favorite Christmas hymns, and is utterly overflowing with Scriptural references and notations. Breaking down the Biblical account of each woman, line by line, this book will draw you into a world brimming with trials, hope, and faith.

Can you imagine the joy that Elizabeth felt when she discovered she was with child despite her old age and life of barrenness? That baby, that special child growing inside her would be one of the most influential people in her time to lead people to Christ.

What about Mary?  A young girl, a virgin, awaiting to be married to a humble carpenter.  Then one day she is visited by an angel of the Lord and told the most important message she would ever receive in her life.  She would bear the Christ child.

Then there is Anna, a prophetess who has the amazing privilege of seeing and touching the newborn Jesus because of her devotion and righteousness.

Liz Curtis Higgs brings these women to life in an inspiring way to help readers look at the birth of Christ with a new perspective.  This would make an excellent read during this Christmas season.

O Come Let Us Adore Him.
4499779
A beautifully informative story blending the lives of several women, past and present.  The archaelogical setting in Israel and sensitive viewpoints from Palestinians and Jews provide the stage for Christ's teachings as well as a stunning trail of how prophesies were fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth.
  It blows my mind.
316989
Ok-- I'll admit the writing and dialogue are not great, and the characters are flat.  But I really enjoyed the take on the gospels and the role of women in the world of Jesus Christ.

Women have been maligned throughout history by insecure, spiteful, and controlling men.  You can still see this in societies all over the world (the Middle East and Africa come to mind but we in "enlightened" America are not immune)-- small men controlling and devaluing women in an effort to hold on to some perceived superiority or sexual "policing power."

People should understand that the Bible was written by men who were products of their time with their own agendas.  It doesn't make them bad, but it does make them flawed.

This story is lovely in that it shows the way Jesus probably wanted us to live with each other.  It makes you wonder how much violence against women and the subsequent suffering of children could have been avoided if this Mary Magdalene story had been the one ingrained in all of us instead of the inaccurate and malignant one of her we were all taught.

I attend church regularly and even teach Sunday school.  I enjoyed this book, and don't understand why the notion of Jesus as a husband and father runs contrary to the notion of his divinity.  It makes perfect sense that a Jewish man of his bloodline would marry and father children.  It even makes me admire him more.

I wish the author had not put the part in the end about all this stuff happening to her (because it damaged the suspension of disbelief it should have had as a work of fiction) but I really hope she was telling the truth -- I think it would only serve to strengthen Christianity.

This isn't high art, but it's thought provoking and worth the read.
1546984
Camille Fronk Olson has put together a very readable and scholarly book about the women in the New Testament. We learn what it was like for women in New Testament times; they were definitely second class citizens. Camillle Fronk Olson helps us realize what a change the Savior's attitude and behavior was toward women. We gain greater insight into the stories we all know. I have grown in my appreciation for the Savior and His teachings. The art work is also excellent and really adds to the book. I own both the hard copy version and the kindle one so that I can enjoy the book wherever I am. I recommend this book highly.
4803406
This book brings the reader to a vital, insightful, and inspiring mid-point in conceptualizing Jesus for the modern reader.  Parini's Jesus is neither the historical Jesus or the Jesus of the Jesus Seminar.  Neither is he the highly rigidified Jesus of zealots.  This Jesus is a mystical person, a true son of God, and a leader for his time and ours.  Parini gives us a powerful new sense of what it is to be saved - of what salvation means.  He allows us, through Jesus, to grow closer to a compassionate and redeeming God.
113996
I wish to preface my review with the fact that I am a born again Christian and have been educated in very conservative Christian schools and colleges.  I've studied the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Parables of Jesus as college level classes.  NEVERTHELESS, I found this commentary on the Bible to be a treasure trove of information and logic.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the famous suffragist of the late 1800s to the early 1900s spearheaded this commentary focusing primarily on the places in the traditional Bible wherein women are referenced.  While other notables contributed and provide a wealth of information, I personally found her logic and reasoning to be of such a high level that I am convinced that her IQ dwarfs that of Einstein.  Mind you I do disagree with her on her disdain for supernatural claims, as I think that what is supernatural and magical in one era becomes science in the next.  However, at the time of her writing, 1898 specifically, things like artificial insemmenation hadn't been developed yet and so claims such as the Virgin Birth did seem fanciful.  Nowadays there are other myths involving virgin births from Greek mythology as well, so apparently artificial ensemmenation of some form must have been known in antiquity.

It was very interesting how she traces with adept scholarship the command of Paul for women to wear a head covering in public to an ancient Jewish Rabbinic teaching that held that the way the Genesis referenced "sons of God" took to wives the daughters of men was by laying hold of their hair.  Accordingly they warned women to cover their heads in public so that these "Sons of God" might not get possession of them.  It falls in line with other materials I have read tracing a lot of Paul's comments to ancient Jewish traditions, not specifically to the teachings of Jesus.  Ironically enough, Jesus didn't make gender an issue in His teachings.  Most of the banning of women from leadership roles in the Church have nonChristian origins.

For those who are aware of the Annunaki/Ancient Alien theories concerning the Old Testament, they will be interested in finding out that the Book of Revelations here is attributed the Re-Veilings books of the temple of Luxor in Egypt. It is important to keep in mind that the great Christian leaders such as Martin Luther even expressed concern over Revelations being included in the Bible and it actually wasn't included in the canon until quite late.  So the intergalactic battle between the heavens that one contributor gives of Revelations is most interesting.

I found the power of this commentary to be in its focus solely on the women of the Bible.  There are lots of women who are mentioned in both the Old Testament and New Testament that quite frankly one does not hear about.  But even in the Old Testament and early Christian Church times there were women who were priests, judges, prophets, and disciples.  And I found Elizabeth Cady Stanton's notion that Self-Development for women shoudl be more important than Self-Sacrifice to be a notable one.

In closing, this isn't a book for someone who is not saved or born again or who isn't familiar with some of the discrepancies or quirks of the Bible.  As it can shake ones faith.  Me, personally, I felt stronger in my faith after reading it because of the logic presented in it.  While I consider myself to be an evangelical, I'm not unaware of the some of the evangelical failings, and they will probably reject the notion that not all of the books in the Bible are divinely inspired.  Stanton's continual mocking of it as being the "Word of God" will surprise some people.  But for those who are more studied and familiar with some of the background that went into the compilation that is now bound as one book, Stanton's discrepancies will come as no surprise.  And it is actually encouraging to find that even after reading such a thorough analysis of the Bible as this one, that Faith in Jesus can and does remain strong.
1438974
It was a compelling read, especially because it put Jesus of Nazareth into the proper context of his times. The view Christians nowadays may have is product of years later, and a result of gentile influence over the story  of the historical Jesus. This is not about the Christ, but the Jew from Nazareth who died by act of sedition against the Roman Empire.
4206250
This is one of my favorite movies about Jesus. The script comes straight from the Bible without any manipulation from so called artistic license so prevalent in Biblical movies these days. Jesus' message is pure and perfect as it is. The Bible does not need a script revision!

The actor who plays Jesus is wonderfully believeable. He manages to portray Jesus as a real individual, a combination  of divine love and purpose but filled with joy and sorrow and compassion. I highly recommend this account of Jesus' time on earth.
583195
I have not yet bought nor read The Passion of Christ: a Gay Vision, though I have followed the paintings as Doug showed them on Facebook and on his blog. I was deeply moved by the faithfulness to the Passion narrative as told in the Gospels, and to its burning desire to proclaim the meaning of that story in art. The church, it is said, is only or two generations from extinction; each must pass on the faith entrusted to the Apostles, to those who have heard too often the dry bones of yesterday's proclamation, and think they have heard the Gospel, or to those who have not heard it, and don't like what they have heard about it. The Gospel is about good news to the oppressed, and to the weak and despised: Samaritans, Roman soldiers thieves, whores, and murderers. Not so with the powerful, the well-connected, and the comfortable.

The paintings stand squarely in the tradition of Christian art throughout its course: proclaiming the gospel, and without words, as St. Francis noted. Art has always been democratically accessible to the crowds, before widespread literacy, and now to the cosmopolitan world in all its diversity. Children may be moved by art, speakers of other languages, and with other traditions may readily gain from encounters with art Art always has spoken to its own age first; we see the Virgin as a Renaissance Flemish or Italian princess, and think nothing of it. Our Lady of Guadalupe?  Entirely natural today.

Doug's paintings are beautiful, luminous, and hopeful. When so few artists devote so much of their talent, energy, and time to such a traditional religious subject, I thank Godde for this magnificent work's completion. I believe a copy belongs in every religious organization's library in the country.
2551332
Anne Catherine Emmerich is perhaps one of the two most imporant channels of Mary, Jesus and other Biblical characters. The other being Maria Valtorta. When I say one of the most important what I mean is that she has withstood the test of time. There are and have been many other channels, but eventually their work is blown by the wind. Edgar Cayce is another one who has withstood the test of time, but his focus was more on medical treatments. Much has been written about Mary Magdalen, but Emmerich is as reputable a source as you are going to find. Nice book!

Alex Gutierrez
Author of Mother Mary's Resurrection
4408245
In the last novella of the Sons of Encouragement series (the follow-up to her Lineage of Grace series), bestselling author Francine Rivers imagines the little-known life of Silas, one of the first Christians and the beloved traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.

Pulling from the biblical books of Acts, First Peter and Matthew, used as an outline for her novella, Rivers presents Silas as a rich and educated man who gives up everything for the early Church.

The novella opens with Peter and Silas --- his secretary --- fleeing Rome. Peter turns back at the last minute, leaving Silas to go on alone unwillingly. Tradition tells us that Peter is then crucified, upside down (having deemed himself unfit to die in the same way as Christ), and Rivers narrates the events through the grieving Silas's recollections. We also learn that Paul, Silas's travel companion for thousands of miles, has been beheaded. The apostles are scattered; many are dead.

Silas, as seen through Rivers's words, is a man broken by the loss of the giants of the Christian faith, burdened with the responsibility of safeguarding their letters, penned in scrolls, that someday would be the cornerstone of the New Testament text. He longs to join Peter in death: "To have an end of trials, an end to fear, an end to the attack of doubt when he least expected it." Silas is presented as a man tired, defeated and fighting an internal battle with discouragement and grief. Grudgingly obedient and desperately weary, he is determined to finish his task. And he comes to find that his task is to write of what he has seen and experienced while living in a small room in Puteoli. "Those I loved most dearly are not lost, only beyond my sight. I cannot give up! I cannot fail! I must go on!"

With time to rest and remember, Silas begins writing again. He talks of how he was at first put off by the company Jesus kept: lepers, women, the poor --- commoners. However, Silas had many questions about the Jewish Law and hoped that Jesus might be able to answer them. He also longed to see a miracle. Rivers recaps the biblical text about various events in Christ's life that Silas might have been witness to, including the call for Jesus to become king; Jesus defending the woman caught in adultery; Jesus teaching from a boat where the unruly crowd might better hear him; and Jesus explaining why it is right to "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." Rivers imagines Silas to be the rich young ruler who Jesus commands to give up his money and cannot. She also imagines him as one of the two men who walks with Jesus to Emmaus after His resurrection.

Several pages are taken up with recapping key events in the life of Christ through the eyes of Silas's recollections, followed by events from the book of Acts involving Saul's conversion to Paul, Silas's defense of the young John Mark, and the life of the early Church. Indeed, an over-reliance on scriptural retelling and less reliance on imagination of Silas's life makes the writing a little too familiar to those who have studied the scriptural text. Although there are some good imaginative stories, such as Paul and Silas falling into the hands of robbers, those who have read some of the great novels of the early Church, such as THE SILVER CHALICE or LION OF GOD, will wish for more embellishment and less adherence to straight scripture retelling. (Some scenes, such as Timothy's heroic decision to be circumcised as a young teen, which lend themselves to more exploration, are barely glossed over.) Those who want to revisit biblical events without too much embroidering of the details will find this book more satisfactory.

Readers will appreciate the Bible study section at the end of the book, which allows for greater exploration of the scriptural basis for the story and its application to Christians today.

  --- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby
2463122
This narration of Mary's life and of the story of her son Jesus and of his own disciples and of those who came after Jesus's death from Mary's perspective is engaging and realistically imagined. I like it's description of how the mingling of religions in the formation of Christianity might have happened. I feel it is a capable addition in the genre of giving voice to characters who have not spoken in the traditional versions, well worth reading, but not quite a force of nature .