Book Review: World Religions

In an age where inter-religious tension is on the rise, where Korans are burnt in American and Christians persecuted in North Korea, it is vital that every Christ-follower learns as much as possible about other world religions. A greater knowledge of exactly what other people believe, as well as how and why they worship the way they do, will help combat prejudice since it can only increase mutual respect and tolerance.

‘World Religions’ by Warren Matthews is now in its sixth edition, and may appear to be intimidating or even boring because of its size and textbook-like appearance, yet nothing could be further from the truth. Rather this book is easy-to-read, well-structured and both interesting and informative. In fact, I would go so far as to say this is a fascinating book since it includes interesting details about various religions, as well as colour photos, maps and timelines.

‘World Religions’ is structured into five different sections, each dealing with a particular ‘family’ of religions. This includes religions of tribes and city states (religions of the Americas and Africa), religions arising in India (covering Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism), religions of China and Japan, ancient religions of Iraq and Iran, and religions of the family of Abraham (covering Judaism, Christianity, Islam, new forms of older religions, and globalization and world religions).

The intelligent way the book is structured allows readers to study in both linear and non-linear ways. The concern of this book is not to highlight one particular religion is being right or more truthful than the others, but rather to promote better understanding by exploring essential areas such as : historical development, worldview, and rituals and practices. The author also shows how each religion has affected the cultures around them.

While there is nothing wrong in disagreeing with the conclusions of another religion, it is important to always maintain respect and compassion for each other while holding these different points of view, since we have all seen the ugly results when this kind of tolerance is missing. This is why learning about each other is hugely important, and as an excellent introduction to all of this, ‘World Religions’ comes highly recommended.

Book Review: Soul Surfer - A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board

‘Soul Surfer’ is the autobiography of Bethany Hamilton, a young surfer who had her entire left arm bitten off by a Tiger Shark. Bethany was 13 years old when she was attacked, and lost 60% of her blood by the time she arrived on the operating table. Yet, incredibly, this young woman not only survived, but was back in the water one month later, determined to learn how to surf again.

Bethany not only overcame the mental terror of getting back into the sea, but also the significant physical barriers of learning to surf with only one arm. Remarkably, she is today a professional surfer who is competing at the very pinnacle of the sport. I tried to make my coffee earlier today one-handed, and was pretty pathetic, so I cannot even imagine how Bethany has learnt to paddle and balance in big surf! The faith and courage of her story has inspired a Hollywood movie, named after this book, that is due to be released in a few months time.

‘Soul Surfer’ is promoted as a book for young adults and while written in a very simple, narrative style, will actually appeal to people of all ages. This is because Bethany’s mature faith and her relentless trust in God to somehow bring meaning to a senseless, horrific attack will certainly challenge and inspire most people. She tells the story of her life both before and after the attack, and throughout we see a deep determination to make her life meaningful.

Bethany believes firmly that without her relationship with God, she would not have had the strength to overcome adversity as she has. Certainly, her description of the attack itself is enough to make your blood run cold. As a father of young children, I also related to her dad’s emotions. He was awaiting knee surgery in the local hospital operating room when the news came in that a young girl had been attacked by a shark and the room was needed for that emergency. Bethany’s father said later he knew straight away in his heart it was his daughter.

We also learn that the quick thinking of her friends and rapid appearance of a paramedic on the scene helped save her life. The paramedic apparently kept whispering to her in the ambulance to trust in God. There is no doubt that there was a touch of the miraculous about her survival, but of course what makes Bethany’s story truly special is her determination for a normal life and her fight to compete on the professional surfing scene.

This is a touching story and a few of the chapters are really quite moving - in particular the one describing her return to surfing. 'Soul Surfer' is written for youth and young adults, but people of all ages will find enough in Bethany’s story to inspire them as well.

Book Review: The Illustrated Guide to Bible Customs and Curiosities

Why did Bible people wash each other's feet? What was wrong with Leah's "tender eyes"? Why were the Israelites forbidden to boil a young goat in its mother's milk? What did Jesus mean about His "yoke" being "easy"? The Bible, in particular the Old Testament, is filled with accounts of strange practices and confusing stories like these. While the ancient Israelites understood their meaning, modern readers find many of them quite puzzling.

This is what this wonderful little book is all about. The Illustrated Guide to Bible Customs and Curiosities is written as a companion to the Bible and will be especially helpful to those who find their reading of the Bible somewhat stymied by its more perplexing stories. This guide will not only clear up any confusion but also open up whole new exciting worlds for you as you are brought deeper into Scripture by better understanding the customs and practices of the cultures and contexts it describes.

More than 750 clear, concise and orderly entries are included, covering every book of the Bible in order. Full-color illustrations as well as sidebars and photographs enhance the text, making The Illustrated Guide to Bible Customs and Curiosities both informative and entertaining.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to make their Bible reading more meaningful.

The Illustrated Guide to Bible Customs and Curiosities is written by George W. Knight, and published by Barbour Publishing.

Book Review: The Prodigal God - Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

In ‘The Prodigal God,’ author Tim Keller takes on perhaps the most famous and best loved of Jesus’ parables - the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. Much like other authors before him such as Henri Nouwen, Keller argues that it weakens the overall message of the parable to understand it only as the story of one prodigal son. In fact, there is also a wayward older brother who is in just as much in need of receiving the father’s grace as the younger brother, and Keller places a heavy emphasis on this truth throughout. This is why Keller spends much of his time challenging his readers to abandon irreligion (younger son) AND religion (older son), meaning it is deeply challenging book on many different levels.

Keller deconstructs the traditional reading of the wickedly wayward younger brother, and redefines it to include the “godly wayward” actions of the overly self-righteous who lack compassion for others, and details how much both of these 'wayward' tendencies need a Father who will act in a holy, undignified way to redeem them. This is the reason for Keller’s provocative title, ‘The Prodigal Father,’ as he reminds us the definition of prodigal is “recklessly extravagant, having spent everything.” The father in this story 'spends' his dignity, pride, rights and privileges as part of a quest to draw his children into his grace, and in this sense is “recklessly extravagant” with his loving forgiveness.

As the subtitle of this book suggests, it is in this way that the heart of the Christian faith is recovered because sin, lostness and hope are redefined. Keller rightly points out the “elder brother-lostness” actually applies to so many experienced believers, who become filled with self-righteous anger toward God and end up with a joyless, fear-based obedience. Interestingly enough, as Keller points out, the younger brother tries to control God by power, while the elder brother tries to control God by praise.

As Keller makes this thought-provoking point, he then leads us into another - what we truly need, according to Jesus in this story, is a TRUE elder sibling. The one who will seek and save us even at great cost to themselves. Keller reminds us that in the two other parables in Luke 15, the lost coin and lost sheep are sought out (by the woman and shepherd respectively), but in this story the elder brother has no interest whatsoever in going out to look for his lost brother, despite the fact he must have been aware the younger brother’s loss brought pain to his father.

Keller writes: “By putting a flawed elder brother in the story, Jesus is inviting us to imagine and yearn for a true one.” Keller then uses the concept of yearning to redefine hope, by saying that true hope is the home given to us rather than a home created by us. The home, or place in God’s love specially created for us, is what our hearts truly yearn for and where our hope should be placed.

Keller is a thoughtful writer who communicates profound thoughts in simple and uncluttered language, while his illustrations are memorably crafted and culturally relevant. The book largely gets to grips with the essence of Jesus’ most famous parable as Keller reminds us of the nature of God’s grace and also warns us of the dangers of sinfulness and self-righteousness. At around 130 pages, it not long enough to intimidate even the most reluctant of readers. Warmly recommended to all.

Book Review: Eat This Book

‘Eat This Book’ is the second part of Eugene Peterson’s momentous five-part series on spiritual theology, and focuses on the Bible as it relates to spiritual practice. It is really important to understand from the outset that Peterson has not written yet another ‘how-to’ manual, nor is this an explanation of the story behind the Bible and how it came to be, but instead this is a beautifully written call to internalise the Scriptures as we read them. Peterson powerfully challenges our tendency to read the Bible merely for information and advice, rather than reading it as an exercise of transformation.

Peterson is convinced that the WAY we read the Bible is as important as that we read it at all. This means we should read the Scriptures on their own terms, and learn to live them even as we read them. With his typical pastoral warmth, deep wisdom and attractive ‘word-smithing’ style, Peterson draws his readers into the greater conversation of Scripture, and outlines practical ways that we can engage more whole-heartedly in this conversation. Peterson heavily endorses the ancient practice of ‘lectio divina’ in reading Scripture, while also offering fascinating insights into the nature of language in reading and understanding texts, and the role different translations play in reading the Bible, including his own best-selling paraphrase ‘The Message’.

I have read many of Peterson’s books, but this ranks as one of my all-time favourites. Perhaps what I enjoyed most of all was the balance Peterson brought to the whole topic, as his challenges regarding reading Scripture were neither overly mystical nor too academic, but instead advocated a very healthy mix of heart and mind. Peterson’s strongest challenge, however, was for the Western tendency to ‘individualise’ Bible reading to the point that personal experience becomes the authority behind our reading, rather than the Scriptures themselves. Peterson puts this challenge across far better than I ever could, so I will conclude with his words hoping they will motivate and inspire you as much as they did me.

“I want to counter this widespread practice of taking personal experience instead of the Bible as the authority for living. I want to pull the Christian Scriptures back from the margins of the contemporary imagination where they have been so rudely elbowed by their glamorous competitors, and reestablish them at the center as the text for living the Christian life deeply and well. I want to confront and expose this replacement of the authoritative Bible by the authoritative self. I want to place personal experience under the authority of the Bible and not over it. I want to set the Bible before us as the text by which we live our lives, this text that stands in such sturdy contrast to the potpourri of religious psychology, self-development, mystical experimentation, and devotional dilettantism that has come to characterize so much of what takes cover under the umbrella of ‘spirituality.’”

Book Review: Defiant Joy - The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton

Without any sense of hyperbole, I think it is fair to say it is an absolute tragedy that most Christians don’t know much about G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton was considered one of the leading literary figures of his age, the man who re-popularised Charles Dickens with his landmark book on him, the man C.S Lewis credits as having a huge impact on his own journey to faith, and a man described by fierce opponent George Bernard Shaw as a “towering genius.”

Chesterton was a leading authority in the literary world, writing breathtaking poetry and prose with ridiculous ease, and was also a leading Christian apologist in the early part of the 20th century - he provided an intelligent Christian response to an age dominated by pessimism and nihilism. Kevin Belmonte’s biography on Chesterton entitled: “Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton” seeks to introduce readers to a man that history seems to have tragically sidelined.

Chesterton, like many geniuses, did not really bother with formal education but wrote himself at a prodigious rate, at one stage releasing almost two books a year. He also wrote constantly for newspapers and magazines in his role as a journalist. In between all of this Chesterton saw it as his mission to fight against the prevailing philosophy of the age which was dominated by an overwhelming sense of meaninglessness - which Chesterton termed 'thought suicide'.

After enduring a very dark period of his own in his youth, Chesterton embarked on a spiritual journey that gradually brought him into Christianity. After that Chesterton lived his life with the most remarkable joy and zest, and became famous for the religious debates he engaged in with other leading literary philosophers such as George Bernard Shaw. Chesterton was a physically big and overweight man, and became a loved figure in London, renowned for his ‘large’ and joyful presence. Even during debates he would greet any personal jibes by his competitors with an infectious laughter that won him many friends. Chesterton also sought never to allow personal animosity to build up between his opponents and himself, and became close friends with figures such as Shaw and H.G. Wells, even if their worldviews differed sharply.

I would recommend Belmonte’s book to you, just because I think it is so important the world rediscovers Chesterton, but sadly, I don’t think this is a particularly good biography. After covering Chesterton’s fascinating early life, Belmonte shifts his focus to Chesterton’s books and we learn almost nothing about him personally from then on. While this was wonderful in terms of opening doors for me into Chesterton’s writings (and definitely made me want to read even more of him), I would have loved to find out more what made the great man tick. Belmonte uses a lot of quotes, including many from Chesterton himself, which enables you to see just why his writing gained so much fame, but also results in the book losing flow. At the end of the day, I would have greatly appreciated hearing more of the stories behind the man who was Chesterton.

Chesterton was (and through his writings still is) a tremendous gift to the Christianity, and I would highly, highly recommend getting to know him better. Belmonte’s book is a good place to start, but unfortunately won’t give you the kind of comprehensive introduction that is so important. For an even briefer, yet excellent introduction to Chesterton, try Phillip Yancey’s ‘Soul Survivor,’ which includes a whole chapter on the man.

Book Review: Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

Eugene Peterson is most famous for his Message translation, but it would be truly sad if that was the only ‘book’ of his you ever read. Peterson's remarkable insights into life and Scripture, and his combination of poetry, prose, passion and personal honesty shines through every single one of the numerous books he has authored, from his very first way back in 1980 (A Long History of Obedience). Furthermore, Peterson’s books are set to the background of an extensive pastoral and academic experience. Now that he is finally retired from the pastorate and from academic life, Peterson is able to focus on his ‘Opus’ - a collection of five books that deal with different aspects of spiritual theology. The first of these five is the book under review today, ‘Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology.’

In this particular book we see the very best of Eugene Peterson as he incisively analyses culture - both within and without the church - and relates this as only he can to the larger Biblical story. Peterson protests with his unique eloquence the fact that theology is so often little more than "depersonalized information about God, " while Christian spirituality is "impersonally functional," served up with cliches, slogans, and programs. Peterson believes that spiritual theology should offer far more than these pious cliches as it "represents the attention that the church community gives to keeping what we think about God (theology) in organic connection with the way we live with God (spirituality)."

Peterson shapes his thinking in this book along Trinitarian lines, as in between an introductory chapter and a concluding epilogue, he uses just three long chapters in which he explores the role of Christ in creation, history, and community. Peterson uses his considerable gifts as a scholar to draw our attention to the sensual, concrete realities behind biblical texts from Genesis to Revelation. Peterson uses these nuanced and clever readings to frame the three areas where he sees Christ at 'play': the beauty of creation, the tragedy of history and the beloved, bewildering community of the church. "The single most important thing to understand in spiritual theology is that it is not about theology... it is a cultivated disposition to live theology," Peterson convincingly argues.

Don’t make the mistake of being intimidated by this book because it seems complex. Yes, you will have to concentrate more than in your average novel, but at the same time Peterson’s soulful yet earthy narrative style will keep your attention, in fact, he might just make your soul sing. You are sure to benefit greatly from the rich, generous and wise “conversation” Peterson offers in this book. Highly recommended.