A passionate call for Christians to commit more deeply to the Messiah they proclaim every week in church.
An examination of how the Christian God is perceived in modern society.
This 2013 title from long-serving Baptist pastor McClure (Made for Glory, 2016, etc.) hinges on the dramatic moment in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus asks his disciples about rumors circulating in the region of Caesarea, regarding the identity of a charismatic new preacher. His disciples offer the guesses they’ve overheard—that the preacher is Jeremiah, or Elijah, or even John the Baptist come back to life. Jesus then sharpens the conversation by asking his disciples for their own answer to the question. In the Gospel passage, Peter steps forward with certainty about Jesus’ divine status, and in this book, McClure is equally direct in seeking to clarify the nature of Jesus and the Christian God for his readers. He opens by lamenting how the figure of Jesus has been lessened in the modern era, transforming the majesty of God to “a pawn, or possibly a knight or bishop, in some religious game who doles out blessings if you prime Him with material goods, usually monetary.” McClure wants to restore a more heartfelt Christianity, not the shallow version he finds in many modern churches, which he likens to “snorkeling”: “we have yet to descend into the real depths of the ocean,” he writes. The clarity of McClure’s call to deep Christian commitment, as opposed to mere lip service, is felt throughout this book, as is his certainty that the willing faithful can change the depth of their faith: “if you honestly seek God’s will,” he writes, “your spiritual eyes will be opened to see Him, and your spiritual ears will be open to hear.” Fellow Christian readers, and especially those who may also be impatient with the complacent tone of their worship services, will find it both direct and refreshing that the author wants to restore a dynamic, personal element to their faith that’s been lost to time.
A passionate call for Christians to commit more deeply to the Messiah they proclaim every week in church.Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-937756-77-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Deep River Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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