The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein

Computers and the Internet have been around long enough for long term studies to show the effect of them on students and career age individuals.  We have a net savvy generation but in the things that really matter, ignorance abounds. Studies show that wired classrooms have produced no measurable increases in desired educational outcomes such as reading skills and problem solving.  This generation knows all about pop culture but is at a loss understanding world events.

"As of 2008, the intellectual future of the United States looks dim."  (233)  While the outlook looks bright for technology, the future of civic understanding and liberal education the direction is downward.  "The Dumbest Generation cares little for history books, civic principles, foreign affairs, comparative religions, and serious media and art, and it knows less."  (234)

Bauerlein suggests that adults needs to align against youth ignorance and apathy.  Adolescence must be regarded as an inferior realm.  If the current habits are not corrected, the Dumbest Generation, "...may even be recalled as the generation that lost the great American heritage, forever."  (236)

God is Not One by Stephen Prothero

To understand our world, Prothero says, "We need to know something about the basic beliefs and practices of the world's religions."  (337)  He provides that information on Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Yoruba Religion (perhaps the third largest religion in the world), Judaism, and Daoism.  He also includes a chapter on atheism. 
Prothero's desire is that all religions get along with their religious rivals.  He is convinced this goal needs to be pursued through a new means.  Rather than lumping all religions together, "we must start with a clear-eyed understanding of the fundamental differences in both belief and practice" between major religions.  Denying differences is a recipe for disaster.
Prothero has done a great job introducing to the reader the most influential religions of today.  Anyone desiring to understand today's world will benefit from reading this book.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Stockett has written a thought provoking novel of Mississippi (and the South) in the 1960s.  Of major interest is the relationships between white families and their black maids.  There are also plenty of troubled relationships between the white women to stimulate the reader's thoughts.  Having grown up in Washington State, this book was an eye opener for me.

This would be a great book for book groups.  It's long (451 pages) but well worth the reading.

Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

The authors argue that the church today is suffering from JDD: Jesus Deficit Disorder. We have lost sight of Christ. They want to present Christ to us in such a way that we can't "help but fall at His feet and give Him [our] undying devotion..." (xix)
Christ is to be our occupation. "[T]here's nothing worth pursuing outside of Christ." (20) Christ is our life. Christ is our sufficiency. "There is much more in Christ than we have ever imagined." (40)
It is in Christ that we find what it means to be truly human. It is not that we try to be Christlike but that Christ lives in and through us. "The gospel is not the imitation of Christ; it is the implantation and impartation of Christ." (72)

Jesus did not call us to follow His teachings but to follow Him. In other religions people can follow "teachings" of the founder without having a relationship with that individual. Not so with Christ. "Christianity is ... a passionate love for a way of living in the world that's rooted in living by Jesus..." (90)

We should not be asking, "What would Jesus do?" We should be asking, "What does Jesus want to do through me right now?"
When we attempt to be like Jesus we fail because we ignore the root of His actions - His union with the Father. "Jesus said clearly that He couldn't do anything in His own strength." (126) Nor can we. "Genuine Christianity is learning to live by an indwelling Christ." (165)
Jesus is to be the very center of our being. When He is not, everything is out of order.
Read this book and be inspired to live the life God desires, the life of "Christ in you."

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Wingnuts by John Avlon

We live in a time of antagonistic politics. Fifty years ago, John Wayne said of John Kennedy, “I didn’t vote for him, but he’s my president, and I hope he does a good job.” Two years ago, Rush Limbaugh said of Barack Obama, “I hope he fails.”

“Our politics are being hijacked by a comparatively small number of people who seek to dominate the debate by screaming the loudest. … Fear is their favorite tactic as they try to divide and conquer. … The attack of the Wingnuts is an assault on the idea that what unites us is greater than what divides us as Americans…” (21)
Avlon identifies “Obama Derangement Syndrome - pathological hatred of the president often mistaken for healthy patriotism.” (42) (A similar syndrome was diagnosed during the recent Bush years.) It is fed by hyper-partisan talk radio and web sites.
Avalon thoroughly investigates this current atmosphere of hate politics. He interviewed a Southern Baptist pastor praying for the president’s death. He spoke to self-styled theologians convinced Obama is the Antichrist. Some accuse Obama of being a communist, a fascist, or a Nazi. When Avlon spoke to people in the American Communist party or the Nazi party, he found over and over that none of the avowed communists or Nazis thought Obama was even close to their ideologies.
Are we seeing the birth of white minority politics, the resistance of social change propelled by resentment of multiculturalism?
I think Avlon has explained how (and why) the right wing (Christian conservative) branch of politics has become one of hate. His is a sobering report that should be read by all.
Avlon does remind us that the group rhetoric is not as dangerous as is the lone gunman incited by that rhetoric. Presidential assassins (and Timothy McVeigh) have not been members of militia groups but have been influenced by their ranting.
Avlon ends his book by suggesting that centrists declare their independence from the far right and far left. Re-enter the dialogue with faith in the American political system. Stand up against the extremes.

Beast Books, 244 pages.

Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand

Rylee is a dog walker in an upscale section of Charleston.  Robberies begin to happen in the very houses to which she has keys.  Police reporter Logan is smitten with her and is convinced she is innocent.  Can he find the robber before she is arrested and locked away?  Can he solve the mystery of her father's disappearance?
Gist and Bertrand, former critique group partners, have teamed up to write a delightful book.  The writing is tight and the dialogue is snappy.  The mystery is very serious but not bloody and keeps you interested to the very end.
Don't let the cover turn you off (as it did me).  The cover art for this book is the only weak aspect of the novel.
I look forward to more great writing from this duo!
Bethany House Publishers, 329 pages.

The Last Christian by David Gregory

The year is 2088. Christianity has essentially died out in the developed world.

In the U. S. people generally have neural implants that receive programming from a virtual reality grid. “It causes [the] motor neurons to experience the same sensations we experience in the physical world.” (97) Face to face meetings are rare as people can meet each other in virtual reality. A group of scientists are pioneering brain transplants - that is, human brains being replaced by programmed silicone implants.
Into this world comes Abby who has spent all of her life with an isolated tribe in Papua New Guinea. She was born there, a child of missionaries. Now 34, she travels down river to civilization when her tribe mysteriously contracts a disease and is destroyed. She receives a message that has been waiting for her for 16 years. Her grandfather believes she is the only one who can reintroduce Christianity to Americans. She travels to the U. S. to fulfill her grandfather’s desires.
The novel is certainly not the most well-written I have read but it has some redeeming factors. In the course of conversation we find the reasons given for Christianity’s demise. They include scientific progress, the flame out of the Christian led culture war, the attempt to control politics (making Christianity more a political movement than a spiritual one), the backlash against fundamental religion (Islam), the change in the understanding of truth (no longer absolute realities), and the lack of distinctive behavior by Christians (behaving like nonChristians). That list should be the concern of Christians today.
Science fiction is tricky. I read tons of it as a youth and for some reason this book just did not seem to be tightly formed. The virtual reality concept is a loose end, I think. Apparently one could be in virtual reality with another person and the other individual never know it. (P. 247) That is a problem not addressed in the novel.
The message Abby has is a “Christ in you” message, a union with Christ that goes a little beyond the traditional understanding of Evangelical Christianity. I feel a little uncomfortable with that.
At the end of the book, Gregory says you can see the message Abby uploaded to the grid and gives the web address. That web address is where Gregory promotes himself. I tried to find Abby’s message but could not.
All in all, it’s a so-so book. A teen might find it interesting but it is not a page turner and it doesn’t end to my satisfaction.
To view a video: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2009/11/28/video-the-last-christian-a-novel-by-david-gregory/
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Embracing Your Second Calling by Dale Hanson Bourke

Bourke believes that “God has a special purpose for women in the second half of life that is world-changing in its scope.” (8) To understand God’s call we must turn away from clinging to youth. “We will be given a power and purpose beyond anything we have experienced.” (8) “God wants us to spend the second half of our lives worrying less about what we do and more about who we become.” (10)
This book is not about the shape of your body. It’s about the shape of your heart.

Bourke kept a journal as she entered into the last third of her life. She shares her own experiences, the traits she wanted to develop and the projects she contemplated. She interweaves her own reflections with the story of Naomi and the transitions she went through.

Readers are encouraged to be women living fully in whatever season of time they find themselves. Bourke shares stories and gives ideas on how to deal with the past, on leaving the past behind, addressing the idols in your life, and dealing with the transition in identity. Bourke is well read and she suggests many books to help the reader pursue study in areas of need.

Bourke understands the importance of maintaining supportive friends and making new friends. She gives ideas of “being Jesus” to them and encourages older women to be mentors.

Bourke has included boxes beside the text that give suggestions for the reader’s reflections and actions. These make the book a great choice for a group study. A reader could also go through the book alone but will want to have a journal nearby for recording thoughts.

If you are in the second half of your life, reading this book will help you finish well.

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 205 pages.