A Great Book and Tool; Compare to Scripture, though, it's just a book...the writer just a man (albeit gifted)...
590457
The book, as fiction, was very compelling and imaginative. However, read with caution and with great discernment.  There are several parts of this book that were not biblical.

Aspects of the trinity...check against biblical teaching as there is a heirarchy, although a completely loving one.

Aspects of Christian service, church going, etc.

Aspects of how the author treats sin

This book is complete fiction.  Read the book with that understanding, and you'll do fine.  There are very poignant parts that can teach some positive lessons.  So, if you read, read with discernment and check everything against scripture.
171362
I had heard of, but never visited the Daily Audio Bible website that author Brian Hardin founded, so I'm coming at this book as a reader, not a listener or community member.

Passages is a multi-layered book.  It's Hardin's personal testimony of
** How his life was changed by reading Scripture--really reading the Bible through in a year and reading it again and again
** How he discovered that reading aloud deepened his understanding; how the spoken Word really makes a difference (which I totally agree with)
** How the Daily Audio Bible listeners became a community -- and you'll read many of their testimonies here

What I found myself doing, as I read this, was wondering, "Why am I reading this book about reading the Bible...and not spending this time actually reading my Bible?"

My main hangup with this book is that it felt...long and a bit disjointed.  Perhaps it was the conversational style, maybe it was the layout, perhaps it was because I didn't need convincing.  He includes chapters about the importance of reading the Bible, then inserts a chapter on a method of reading--Lectio Divina--that seems almost out of place (though it's a good chapter).

Hardin's book is certainly motivating and would be a great book to use with a small group or adults or older teens.  The three different Bible reading plans in the back are valuable, as is the information about finding and becoming part of the Daily Audio Bible community. This is a motivational book for anyone who is wondering why they should commit to a daily practice of reading/listening to Scripture.  If you're already motivated, skip the book and head over the Daily Audio Bible website--and blog--instead.
3507297
It's not uncommon to hear the charge that Biblical writers borrowed and adapted material - myths, legends, religious practices - from the non-Israelite cultures around them. It isn't hard to find evidence that some of this "similar" material certainly pre-dated Biblical writings.

If you jump to this conclusion, take a good look at John Currid's book. He develops a concept that a lot of "similar" material doesn't mean or prove that Biblical writers plagiarized previously-existing ideas from other cultures. As he develops the concept of "polemical theology" - which isn't a new idea - he demonstrates how Moses, for example, took non-Biblical concepts and let them up to be compared and contrasted with true, Biblical concepts.

Yes, it is well known that Pharaoh's magicians pulled off some of the same "tricks" that Moses did as he confronted Pharaoh to release Israelite slaves. But the point is clearly made that, although Pharaoh's magicians could turn a wooden staff into a snake, it was Moses's staff (as a representative of God's Truth) that ate up the others to show who was superior - Yahweh, or the god-king pharaoh.

Numerous other similar confrontations are explored in this book. The book is relatively short and certainly easy to read. So technical aspects are minimized; the book is written to be a popular approach to polemical theology. Having read this, I am eager to read several of Currid's other books that help set the stage for this one.

I recommend this book to Christians for its apologetic significance and personal edification. I recommend it to non-Christians to see that there are other answers to evolutionary religious development that is suggested in out multiple-truth society that emphasized that there are many paths up to the mountain top.
45597
Very good.  And, Zach wrote the book himself (no ghost-writer)!  He has a unique "voice" that I really enjoyed.  It's set-apart from other spiritual books.  I'll read it again.
By the way, Zach is the real-deal.  He has a great testimony and is a godly man.  Enjoy!
3436869
This is a good starter book for Christians who have found their relationship with our Father to be stagnant and maybe even dying. However, the authors' do not provide enough Biblical texts to substantiate their teachings. From time to time, they mention the "popular" belief or practice of most Christians (as they see it) and then offer what they believe is God's "true" design, but they give no reference to prove their position (i.e. Pg. 19 'We often act as though God tells us what He wants us to do and send us off all by ourselves to try and do it.  Then, any time we need Him we can call on Him, and He will help us.  That is never the biblical picture.  When He is about to do something, He reveals what He is about to do to His people. He wants to do it through His people, or through His servants').
I think it is not the wisest thing to simply take people at their word (especially with so many different "words" flying around today) no matter how reputable their learning and experience. Show me in God's Word where your understanding comes from and let me think and reason it out for myself ( with the help and guidance of God's Spirit, of course). Prove your position. This is a good book to wet the heart back toward God, to enhance that relationship so essential to our well being and that of our relationship with the world He has entrusted us with. But I suggest it be approached with a free mind, not so locked into the teachers' "opinion" that you are not challenged to search the scriptures beyond what is expected of this book.
2068162
A Smart Guy's Journal on the Meaning of Life
Dr. Dale Johnsen

If you've ever seen the bumper sticker that reads "THE BIBLE SAYS IT, I BELIEVE IT, THAT SETTLES IT!" you've just read the above titled book, only the book uses a lot more words and references to some songs written in the last century. By the way, the "Smart Guy" is not you, he's the Jewish King Solomon, the author of "Ecclesiastes",  so don't wait for the "Smart Gal's" version. Although I like this book, I'm not sure why Dale wrote it there are, literally, thousands of interpretations of Solomon's works, or who his audience is - on one hand there is the advice to give your life to God, the S O N, not S U N while you are young but quoting songs no "Millenials" (Not to mention Gen X'ers) have ever heard of may not be the best way to get their attention.  On the other hand it is made clear to "Get there any time you can" as long as you can GET THERE before you die!  Alright that's okay. And the old ( I mean really old) Biblical stories can still have relevance in 2013. And to dust off the Bible and look into it from time to time is good too. In fact it may knock your socks off. But, make no mistake this is real fire and brimstone, God FEARING stuff. Finally, It is said that the Truth will set you free, and this "Truth" certainly seems to have set Dale free. And he has written a little book that may set you free too.
2810215
...A must-read, that is, if you are not already completely informed on the origins of the Bible, especially the ways that it has been passed on to us. I have been exposed to some of this before in apologetic books, such as Lee Strobel's work, but nowhere have I read a book about the Bible that is as thorough, documented, and well-illustrated as "The Story of the Bible." The copies of various documents and Bibles, which are prepared in 1:1 scale, are enclosed in pockets within the pages of the book itself, literally giving you the feel of the original document or Bible.

The book is very well organized, very readable, and comes in at just under 100 pages. In a carefully developed narrative, it provides lots of reasons to trust that many of the translations that we Christians read today are quite close to the "autographs" (the original or first writing).

I think the book could also be used as a reference for use in evangelism, since it outlines the very plausible way that Gods Word, originally transmitted to and recorded by men in the autographs, has been accurately handed down to us for over two millenia.
1122421
This is a fascinating book by a scholar of the classics, Robin Lane Fox.  A recent book of his, "The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian," is very nicely done.  His historical competence is pretty clear-cut.  The premise of this book is straightforward: the Bible is internally inconsistent and, externally, on a number of occasions inconsistent with known history.  He forthrightly notes that he is not a believer, so that one can account for his own religious views as they evaluate his argument.  Those who believe in the truth and factual nature of the Bible will doubtless not be strongly approving this volume.

He begins by noting that (page 7): "'The Unauthorized Version' is a historian's view of the Bible. It is a book about evidence and historical truth, not about faith.  It is unauthorized because it addresses questions which the Bible itself obscures. . . ."

Two approaches.  The first, the document is internally inconsistent.  He notes the two very different stories of Creation, the inconsistencies and contradictions across the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and in many other books of the Bible.  He argues that there were "editors" who rearranged and edited prior versions of Scripture to better fit their perspective.  He notes the various hypothesized editors, such as J and E.  He speaks of how D ("Deuteronomist") revised previous documents to fit a specific vision.  One may well not be convinced of different "editors" at work, but it does help to explain some of the internal inconsistencies.

The second approach is to note that some of the "history" in the Bible is inconsistent with other historical documentation.  For example Luke's chronology does not work.  Also, there is no evidence that Augustus ever decreed that everyone go to their home town for an enumeration.  Indeed, there is much evidence that this was not likely to have been the case.

At that, Lane is very sympathetic to the work of "John" in the Gospel of John.  It is not always clear to me why he is so accepting of this and so much more critical of the others (although it is clear that there are some real historical problems in some of the other Gospels).

This is not easy reading.  There is a close textual analysis of the Bible, and it can get pretty tedious as he recounts, for instance, the very different views of David across different books in the "Old Testament."  His historical documentation to support his thesis that portions of Scripture simply could not have happened can also lead to some MEGO ("My eyes glaze over").  But his command of textual analysis and historical phenomena produces a provocative thesis.  Even those who disagree and might wish to simply dismiss his critique would probably be better advised to confront it and address his points.

So, don't expect a quick read.  Expect challenges to standard understandings of the Bible.  But understanding and confronting his challenge can be a productive venture.
2881334
When I heard about this book, I salivated to think of a book written by a man who had spent decades in the counseling office with, and at the bedside of, the many who have been embittered from the teaching that God sends loved ones to a torment that has no end, and presenting to them our loving Father as revealed in His exact representation, Jesus Christ.

The idea that God's purpose is that all men become reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ is not new to me so I was not as impressed and helped by it as many obviously were, looking at the reviews.  I am glad for them, for indeed, it is a very liberating thing, but, as I got into the writing, it read like a first draft, full of repetition, careless punctuation and formatting.  I saw that it was self-published, and, unlike most books, there was no acknowledgement of or credit given to anyone who had gone over the drafts, proofing, correcting and critiquing, and perhaps no one had.

I was put off by the many references to Catholics and Protestants being referred to as `killers', and `killers on the loose'.  There are many people of these persuasions who, in spite of their doctrine, are kind and good people.  I know what he meant, but it just seemed unnecessary, and had he submitted it for editing, some of this could have been taken care of.

I could only read until page 58 and skimmed the rest.

I would like to recommend "The Healing Gospel", by Derek Flood which begins with the heart of the matter, our salvation, which leads to the revelation of the reconciliation of all men to God

I also recommend "Hope Beyond Hell" (found free on line)  with its wonderful teaching from the scriptures, "Evangelical Universalism",  and Talbot's "Inescapable Love of God".  We especially recommend "The Jeremiah Conspiracy" because its very good teaching is encased in the story of a Fundamentalist-Evangelical couple whose homosexual son has died in an auto accident, which sends them looking for answers. This is  a good 'first book' on the matter.

There are many others, but these stand out especially.

I am sorry I have to write a negative review, but I would like to see this author submit his work to friends and critics who will be honest with him about it, and help him to hone his views on matters of the faith.  I wish him every blessing.
4048231
Writing Theology Well certainly will equip you with the tools needed to write like a theologian. Writing theologically does not equate to re-inventing the writing wheel, it simply has some basic organizational and structural peculiarities that can be discovered by a cursory review of this book. In short, as a seminarian, theological writing involves a lot of personal reflection and learning how to extract and re-construct ideas from a variety of sources.

The only critique I have of this book is that it assumes you have almost no writing experience and begins to describe the writing process from the ground up. In fact, the entire first section goes into such minutiae as brainstorming, reflecting on a topic, and writing an outline. I think that unless you haven't had any form of graduate education, or you have no idea how to write at all, then this book will relate a lot of common sense and information that you probably already know. I ended up skipping through what seemed like an inordinate number of pages in order to get to the central point. Also, the cover price in excess of $20 also seemed a bit steep.

Writing Theology Well, I believe, will best serve the audiences of seminarians, theology students, those in full-time ministry, non-fiction Christian authors, and of course, theologians. I would tend to think those in more advanced religious degree programs (e.g. D.Minn) or those doing academic research would need to have this as part of their library. Then again, if you're not writing for an audience, then there would be little value for you.
1764158
I am impressed by this book.  Donald Knuth is a great computer scientist, maybe a giant with few peers.  How would I know that he is also a great Christian!  I have seen some excellent Bible interpretation books before and was wary before I started.  Then, I got hooked into it.

The explanation in the book is generally accurate, clear, and easy to understand.

Prof. Knuth explains thing so well that it becomes a joy to read the text.  The only possible shortcoming is its breadth.  If I want to prepare a talk, this book can be very useful.  But it alone might be insufficient.  One might want to use it in conjunction with a book like George A. Buttrick (Author), Charles M. Laymon (Editor) , "The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible," Abingdon Press, 15th edition, 1971.
2347668
This is a book that contains selections from  the author, which is not a bad thing itself. I guess what has disappointed me is that it was not as extensive as I would have expected given the author's previous efforts. Still, a very insightful book that I would suggest to anyone who is less familiar to the author's work. I found it very pleasurable to read.
304289
This is simply the text of The Book of Ecclesiastes (along with an introduction), a book in the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible (or the Old Testament, as Christians often say). The translation is the King James Bible, which holds a unique and unmatched place in the history English letters. Although I do not commonly read from the King James, I read Ecclesiastes is this version more than in any other; and I have read this booklet many, many times since acquiring it in 2006. The book's format leaves plenty of empty space for notes, but is small enough to fit into your pocket.

The writer, probably King Solomon, reflects on a long and varied life of seeking wisdom. He finds both "vanity" (or ephemerality) and the marks of God, and he puzzles over the relationship between the two. Even the best that earth has to offer a wealthy political ruler and philosopher leaves him unsatisfied and seeking more (see chapters 1 and 2 especially). Yet he ends in neither nihilism nor despair, but with a kind of gritty hope before God, who will bring all things into account in their proper timing (3:1-8; 12:13-14). But his stance is a million miles from the kind of sentimental religion that often passes for Christianity today (and I write this as a Christian). He laments over injustice (9:11), aging (11:7-12:7), and seeming absurdity; he is perplexed; he is burdened by his own ignorance and futility.

Ecclesiastes does not offer all there is to say about God, man, and meaning (we have been given the rest of the Bible for that); but it is a wise guide through the vexing vicissitudes of life "under the sun," and, as such, an indispensable companion for the sensitive and thinking person.
28904
I imagine many people have made New Year's Resolutions that involved reading through the entire Bible. I have. I also imagine that you found yourself somewhere in Exodus or Leviticus and - finding the names too hard to pronounce - gave up. Except for Genesis 1-3 I had no idea what in the world the Old Testament was all about. It wasn't until I heard of a man named John Sailhamer had I ever heard anyone present a unified and compelling vision of the Old Testament.

Sailhamer has written extensively on the subject of the Pentateuch and the Old Testament. His book, The Meaning of the Pentateuch, is a continuation and expansion of his earlier work, The Pentateuch as Narrative. In both he argues for what he calls a "compositional" approach to the writing of the Pentateuch as well as the Old Testament. He identifies many patterns and "seams" in the Old Testament. For example, much of his work on the Pentateuch focuses on four major poems - Genesis 49, Exodus 15, Numbers 23-24 and Deuteronomy 32-33. These poems are key to the compositional view of the Pentateuch. The compositional approach advocated by Sailhamer is a perspective concerning the composing and compiling of the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. He argues, in many places, persuasively that the order of the books in the Hebrew Bible (different from the modern, English order), the structure of those books and the unity between them all is intentional. In short, each book of the Bible was written by a God-inspired man which considerable organization and purpose. Many years later a prophet - equally inspired of God (possibly Ezra in Sailhamer's opinion) - organized and "edited" those books to highlight their themes and - specifically - the Messianic hope.

In my opinion there is much to commend Dr. Sailhamer for in the study of the Old Testament. I have read many of his older articles and portions of his older texts and found them extremely enlightening and helpful. I am convinced of his compositional approach, although I feel I need more time to explore it more completely. This latest text by Dr. Sailhamer explores all of those ideas once again. However, I would not recommend this text to someone knew - or relatively new - to the study of the Old Testament. The Meaning of the Pentateuch spends considerable time exploring the various ideas of many biblical scholars and theologians. Assuredly these are people of significance to the subject, but they will be entirely unknown to those not already familiar with Old Testament studies. I consider myself at the very least familiar with the names of important scholars and the basic ideas of their contributions. Many of the people discussed in this text were entirely unknown to me.

I think Dr. Sailhamer has made a noteworthy contribution to OT studies with his Meaning of the Pentateuch. However, I would not recommend this to someone unfamiliar or recently initiated with OT studies. Nor would I recommend it to someone who did not have considerable time on their hands to devote to reading it. Nevertheless, I believe he has written a book that deserves the attention of Evangelicals. It is a book I will go back to time and again in the future. Until then, I'm not entirely sure of the meaning of the Old Testament. But, I'm glad someone does.

Note: To comply with Federal Trade Regulations I would like to state that I received a complimentary copy of the aforementioned text for review as compensation.
117182
A great book and a gifted writer! I found this book very helpful in studying the Bible. Dr. McGee is very straight forward and down to earth in his writing.
1465572
Wills does a very nice job at presenting a brief sketch of the figure of Jesus Christ from a scriptural perspective.  His writing is excellent and always engaging which turns what could have been a rather dull topic into a page-turning captivator.  I commend Wills on using, what I believe is, the best English translation of Scripture: the New English Bible (NEB).  Inclusive and relevant to the modern spoken language, the NEB has removed much of the awkwardness of stereotypical biblical tone.

Wills does present a rather overt anti-institution agenda throughout the text that is directed at the hierarchical church.  Essentially quoting scripture that dismisses the founding of the Christian priesthood, one quickly finds that some of what Wills writes will not be taken well.  On the other hand, Wills does bounce back with many humorous episodes that prompted a laugh-out-loud reaction...at least for me.  A particular favorite of mine is the recounting of a letter from a congregant indirectly lambasting a pastor regarding a sermon based on Levitical laws.  Well done.

I do indeed recommend this book.  Be prepared for some bias, but be prepared for a mostly honest look at scripture presented in a respectable and at times humorous way.  All in all, this is a very good book.
886203
There's lots of information here. Cascione sets out to demonstrate that "Mosaic meter" is one of the most pervasive features of the biblical writings. According to Cascione, each of the biblical authors structured their books and particular words and phrases in their books according to the numbers 7, 10, and 12. Moreover, each of them used particular numbers at particular times because of the way they were used in the five books of Moses. For example, all four gospels use the phrase "And Jesus said to him" seven times, "And Jesus said to them" seven times, and similar phrases seven times. This is rooted in the fact that Genesis uses the phrase "And God said to him" seven times. Cascione points out that once Mosaic meter is recognized as a key feature of the biblical text, it can be used to adjudicate between manuscripts. A preliminary application of this method indicates that the Byzantine text is the most reliable textual tradition, against the present scholarly prejudice in favor of the Alexandrian.

The value of the book is really in the lists he provides. You will find endless amounts of raw material here- the way one theologically integrates the numerical features in the biblical writings is up to the reader. Some of the analysis Cascione does provide is problematic. For example, he consistently refers to the incredible mathematical features in the genealogies of Genesis as evidence of Moses' mathematical prowesss- but it wasn't Moses who ordained that the people in these genealogies would live the ages that they did! It was God. It was God who mathematically ordered history in that fashion. Cascione also seems to be prejudiced exclusively in favor of the numbers 7, 10, and 12. In fact, however, the biblical authors use many other significant numbers, as James B. Jordan has pointed out. 5 is the number of kingship and covenant, 8 is the number of new creation, and so on. Labuschagne has added more dimensions- the numerical value of the Name of YHWH is both 17 and 26. Cascione notes a few instances of the number 17 here and there, but he only sees it as 10+7, rather than the Sacred Name numerically encoded.

Regardless, the sheer amount of numerical features revealed in the biblical text provides a person with lots and lots of material to work with in uncovering the rich beauty of the biblical books.