A passionate but often scientifically questionable study of the book of Genesis.
A Christian daily devotional centers on the first book of the Bible.
In this 365-day devotional, Snider concentrates on the first 11 chapters of Genesis. He breaks them down into one small bit for each day of the year, with readings also grouped six at a time to be perused over the course of a week. The author includes with these passages his own readings and glosses worked out over the decades he’s been studying and writing about the famous Bible stories, which include the tale of Adam and Eve and the Serpent, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the account of Cain and Abel, Noah’s Flood, and so on. Snider examines each of these chapters line by line and verse by verse in minute detail, exploring single words, obscure terms, and broader narrative themes. Although each day’s reflection begins with its own quote and uncredited artwork, the fact that some of those larger themes develop from one week to the next means that the book should be read in chronological sequence, not by days picked at random. Throughout his calendar, the author is a happy, energetic guide, often pausing to give his Christian readers affirming thoughts about “the manifold wisdom of the Creator God.” Unfortunately, Snider’s enthusiasm often leads him into standard creationist fundamentalism and science that some of his readers may find disconcerting. Putting aside the author’s belief that “sheep with human hearts” are some kind of “human-animal chimera” or that God has ordained that husbands “rule over” their wives, his various pronouncements on science are debatable. “The fossil evidence alone,” he writes, “demonstrates that life exploded into existence on earth, instead of slowly evolving.” “There is no evidence whatsoever,” he asserts, “either from paleontology or genetics that whales or great sea monsters could have developed from land animals.” These creationist beliefs will dilute the book’s heartfelt message for some readers.
A passionate but often scientifically questionable study of the book of Genesis.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 492
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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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