A winningly open, lucid, and eye-catching explanation of the apocalypse.
An architecturally themed work examines the Christian end times.
Taking the title of his book from Psalm 127 (“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it”), Eberly lays out the step-by-step procedure necessary for his fellow Christians to construct their “doctrinal house” from the ground up. The author starts with the blueprint and proceeds to explicate the shape and sequence of what he refers to as “endtime prophecy.” Eberly creates his outline of that prophecy in chapter after chapter of extensive scriptural quotations. Every page of the volume rests on quotes from sources like the book of Zechariah, the Gospels, the book of Ezekiel, and, of course, the book of Daniel, the typical mother lode of end times extrapolation. The author’s decision to present all this material in an oversized, workbook-style format is an extremely sound one. The technical sequences of the end times, the tribulation, and the rapture are here broken down in ways that make them immediately accessible. Eberly indents all of his quotes, includes graphics to show the timeline of events as predicted in Scripture, and adds simple but colorful uncredited illustrations in order to keep the pages smoothly turning. The book’s exegesis is likewise invitingly straightforward. “Before we even attempt to interpret a particular Scripture, we must first establish what that passage is literally saying,” the author writes at one point, and he follows this simple approach throughout the volume. The main aim here seems to be to make the intimidating mass of Christian eschatology as clear and graspable as the step-by-step plans for building a house. Eberly’s Christian readers, many of whom will have only the haziest conception of this part of their faith, will appreciate the work’s clarity.
A winningly open, lucid, and eye-catching explanation of the apocalypse.Pub Date: May 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-72831-103-6
Page Count: 314
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: March 18, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Some of Avant’s mantras are overstated, but her book is magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic.
Memories and life lessons inspired by the author’s mother, who was murdered in 2021.
“Neither my mother nor I knew that her last text to me would be the words ‘Think you’ll be happy,’ ” Avant writes, "but it is fitting that she left me with a mantra for resiliency.” The author, a filmmaker and former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, begins her first book on the night she learned her mother, Jacqueline Avant, had been fatally shot during a home invasion. “One of my first thoughts,” she writes, “was, ‘Oh God, please don’t let me hate this man. Give me the strength not to hate him.’ ” Daughter of Clarence Avant, known as the “Black Godfather” due to his work as a pioneering music executive, the author describes growing up “in a house that had a revolving door of famous people,” from Ella Fitzgerald to Muhammad Ali. “I don’t take for granted anything I have achieved in my life as a Black American woman,” writes Avant. “And I recognize my unique upbringing…..I was taught to honor our past and pay forward our fruits.” The book, which is occasionally repetitive, includes tributes to her mother from figures like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton, but the narrative core is the author’s direct, faith-based, unwaveringly positive messages to readers—e.g., “I don’t want to carry the sadness and anger I have toward the man who did this to my mother…so I’m worshiping God amid the worst storm imaginable”; "Success and feeling good are contagious. I’m all about positive contagious vibrations!” Avant frequently quotes Bible verses, and the bulk of the text reflects the spirit of her daily prayer “that everything is in divine order.” Imploring readers to practice proactive behavior, she writes, “We have to always find the blessing, to be the blessing.”
Some of Avant’s mantras are overstated, but her book is magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic.Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9780063304413
Page Count: 288
Publisher: HarperOne
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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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