Questions of Life by Nicky Gumbel

For years, Gumbel thought Christianity was dreary, untrue and irrelevant to his life. He really didn't know much about the Christian faith at all. But then he read the New Testament for himself and became a Christian.

He pioneered the Alpha Course and Questions of Life is the basis for the Alpha Course in book form. It is an introduction to Christianity that was first printed sixteen years ago. Since then, over fourteen million people have taken the course.

In this book Gumbel answers some of the key questions at the heart of Christian faith.

He looks at the historical evidence for Jesus, explores why Jesus had to die, what it means to become a Christian with faith, the how and why of prayer (including a good meditation on the Lord's Prayer), why and how to read the Bible, how God guides us, how to be filled with the Spirit (including speaking in tongues), the devil and spiritual warfare, telling others about your faith, God healing today and how to pray for it, why and how to be part of a church, and making the best of the rest of your life.

This is a very readable introduction to Christianity with answers to many questions inquirers have. Gumbel tells lots of stories about himself and others to illustrate his answers.

You can find out more about Alpha USA at www.alphausa.org.

Nicky Gumbel is the pioneer of the Alpha course. He studied law at Cambridge and theology at Oxford, practiced as a lawyer, and is now senior pastor of Holy Trinity Brompton church in London, one of England's fastest growing churches. He has written a number of books associated with Alpha.

Alpha, 213 pages.

You can order this book at www.alpharesources.org.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from The B&B Media Group, Inc., for the purpose of this review.

All Due Respect by Vicki Hinze

I have read many of Hinze's later novels, especially those released in the Christian genre. Having really liked what I'd read, I wanted to see how she did in the "secular" romance and suspense areas.
I did enjoy the book. This is definitely a character driven novel, even though there is plenty of action, especially at the end. The heroine has experienced abuse from her husband and the hero witnessed the abuse his father dealt to his mother. There is also a first grader who plays a part in this book and he is being roughed up by his father. Part of the character development is the growth of each of them through the scars left by the abuse to the ability to love again.
The suspense is decent, although not Hinze's best, I think. We are introduced to work  being done to prevent the U.S. being attacked with WMD. There are parts of the plot that did seem a little unreasonable to me, but given this is an early work from Hinze, not bad at all.
I was surprised to find that this is a re-release of the book from October of 2000. 

For those who have read Hinze in the Christian genre, there is some language and immorality in this book. It is suitable to the general public, in rather good taste, and the immorality is certainly not descriptive.


Vicki Hinze has been writing since 1987 and is the author of more than thirty novels. You can find out more about her at www.vickihinze.com. 

Bell Bridge Books, 258 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

The Idolatry of God by Peter Rollins

Rollins thinks that Christianity today is making God an Idol. “In a basic sense, an Idol can be understood as that object which we believe is the answer to all our problems, that thing we believe can fill the fundamental gap we experience festering in the very depths of our human experience.” (26) Christianity is being sold to us as that which can fulfill our desire rather than that which transforms the very way we desire. (2)

Rather than the freedom to pursue what we think will satisfy us, the Gospels hint at a different freedom, “the freedom from the pursuit of what we believe will satisfy us.” (80) The Good News is the reality that total fulfillment and certainty are not possible. Joyfully embracing this insight takes away the oppressive sting. We are free from the drive that prevents us from embracing life and taking joy in it.

Rollins has written this book because he wanted to “show how the idea of God today preached within much of the church is nothing more than an impotent Idol. Simply stated, this boils down to the claim that God is treated as nothing more than a product, a product that promises certainty and satisfaction while delivering nothing but deception and dissatisfaction.” He argues “that the modern church engages in a host of material practices designed to act as a security blanket for life. It does this by offering preaching, prayers and songs that solidify our tribal identities and promise fulfillment.” He argues for “collectives.” “In other words, a church where the liturgical structure does not treat God as a product that would make us whole but as the mystery that enables us to live abundantly in the midst of life's difficulties.” He is “inviting people to engage in a type of archaeological dig aimed at discovering if their beliefs are protecting them from the embrace of unknowing and suffering, and if so, what ought to be done about it.” (From A Conversation with Peter Rollins at the end of the book.)

Perhaps this reflects the message of Rollins' book: “There are countless churches that sell us a false promise of certainty and satisfaction... In contrast, there are a few insurrectionary groups that are seriously attempting to explore what it might mean to give up the idea of God as a product, dissident voices calling us to live fully in this world with an embrace of our unknowing.” (201)

Rollins is such a voice.

Rollins is a philosopher and writes like one. At times his writing, his use of words and concepts, were beyond my lay, non-philosophically trained brain.

Rollins is also associated with the emerging church movement and postmodern Christianity. Much of the anxiety and dissatisfaction he wrote about has not been a part of my Christian experience. I am of the boomer generation and I think Rollins is speaking to a much younger and certainly more agitated community of Christians.

I just could not identify with most of Rollins' work. I do believe God is the answer to all of my problems, in one way or another. I do believe that God fills whatever that is festering in the very depths of my being. And I do find certainty and satisfaction in God.

Peter Rollins is a widely sought after writer, lecturer, storyteller and public speaker. He is also the founder of ikon, a faith group that has gained an international reputation for blending live music, visual imagery, soundscapes, theatre, ritual and reflection to create what they call ‘transformance art’.

Peter gained his higher education from Queens University, Belfast and has earned degrees (with distinction) in Scholastic Philosophy (BA Hons), Political Theory (MA) and Post-Structural thought (PhD). He is currently a research associate with the Irish School of Ecumenics in Trinity College, Dublin and is the author of the much talked about How (Not) to Speak of God. His most recent work is entitled Insurrection. He was born in Belfast but currently resides in Greenwich, CT and is employed by The Olson Foundation.

Find out more at http://peterrollins.net/.  

Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Vanished by Irene Hannon

It was a dark and stormy night and reporter Moira Harrison was out way too late, her interview having taken longer than she planned. On an unfamiliar road, she is shocked to barely see a woman on the rain soaked road ahead of her. Trying to avoid the woman, Moira ends up against a tree. Dazed, she is surprised by a man in a hooded jacket, who opens the door, comforts her, and promises to call 911.

She realizes she must have blacked out as she groggily finds it is an hour later. There is no ambulance, no hooded man, and no body of the struck woman anywhere. She has vanished.

Moira pursues the mystery as she cannot forget the look of the terrified woman on the road. When the police discover nothing, she turns to a private investigating company. What they begin to discover is chilling.

Hannon has created another great novel of suspense. There was just enough of the mystery revealed from time to time to keep me reading. And as is the usual case with Hannon's novels, the suspense at the end kept me turning pages (well, digitally, so to speak).

The lead characters are Christians and that is well done. There is just enough romance, to keep that aspect of the novel interesting too.

The only thing I didn't like about the novel was that at the very end, Moira made some mistakes that I could see coming and could have avoided.

All in all, a very good first book in a new series.

Irene Hannon is a best-selling, award winning author of more than forty contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. She has twice won the RITA award as well as too many other awards to list. Irene holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in journalism. She is a trained vocalist and has sung the leading role in a number of community theater productions and is a soloist at her church. She and her family live in Missouri. You can find out more about her at www.irenehannon.com.

Revell, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Cold-Case Christianity by Jim Wallace

Wallace is a cold case homicide investigator. He was a skeptic. He thought the supernatural was impossible.

He decided to investigate the evidence for Christianity using his skills as a detective.

He introduces us to the tools and techniques he used to crack unsolved murders. He explains how he used the same analytical thinking on the claims of Jesus.

Wallace was thirty five when he began his journey, reading the gospelsfor the first time. He used his training in Forensic Statement Analysis and concluded them to be actual eyewitness accounts. As a cold case investigator, he had been trained in working with facts from the distant past.

As he gives us the principles detectives must learn, he illustrates each principle by using examples from his own cases to illustrate the techniques. He writes about presuppositions, abductive reasoning, circumstantial evidence, trusting eyewitnesses, separating artifacts from evidence, establishing chain of evidence, and more.

In the second part of the book he applies the investigative techniques to the claims of Christianity.

I was impressed with this book on several levels. I love to read mysteries and I was fascinated with the way Wallace wrote this book. He'd start a chapter with a case, perhaps how an eyewitness was essential. Then he would describe the importance of that aspect of the investigation. That is eventually applied to the claims of Christianity.

An insight that really impressed me was the idea of making a decision while there are still unanswered questions, still pieces of the puzzle missing. In many cases, there is enough evidence for a decision even though the evidence is not absolutely complete. Wallace applies that concept to Christianity. The evidence does not have to be complete, just reasonable, for one to make a reasonable conclusion.

His collection of circumstantial evidence for a created universe is impressive.

His insight into how eyewitnesses may tell different stories depending on their vantage point relates well to the differences in the gospels.

If you are skeptic of Jesus being who he said he claimed to be, you need to read this book. You can become a Christian because of the evidence, not in spite of it.

If you are a believer, this book will build your faith and help you explain your faith to others in a more informed way.

I have read many books on apologetics and this one is the most interesting I've seen. The combination of investigative techniques and evaluating the evidence is enlightening. Certainly skeptics should not ask perfect evidence when a jury makes a life and death decision on reasonable but not perfect evidence.

Great work Wallace. I highly recommend this book.

Find more about Wallace and his ministry: http://coldcasechristianity.com/

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/please-convince-me-apologetics/read/

Jim Wallace is a cold case homicide detective, a missions leader, and a church planter. As a result of his work he has been featured on many television programs. An outspoken atheist for many years, he is now an apologist for Christianity with a master's degree in theology. He and his wife have four children and live in southern California.

David C Cook, 288 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Operation Screwtape by Andrew Farley

Finally! A book worthy of Screwtape in the title!

In the tradition of C. S. Lewis, Farley has crafted a book worthy of being called the sequel to The Screwtape Letters.

This novel is a manual for training future deceivers from the realm below. This fictional manual contains everything a demon needs to know to keep Christians from living the life God has intended for them. Just like The Screwtape Letters, this book has a wealth of information for Christians regarding spiritual growth and how we are kept from growing.

(For those unfamiliar with Lewis' work, this book is written from a demon's viewpoint, so the “Enemy” is Jesus or God.)

Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy and that is the outline for this manual.

I know of no other way to convey the excellence of this book than quoting some passages.

“So despite the fact that he who is in them is greater than all of us combined, we still have one overwhelming advantage against the obtuse half-wits: many simply do not know what it means to possess the Life. They are not acquainted with the power and resources in them. Our best strategy is to occlude the Life from them, so their minds do not perceive his presence. This is effectively accomplished by means of distraction.” (90-91)

“Many of these stupid saints prefer to determine their spiritual condition through the lens of their own natural senses, lending more authority to them than to the Book itself, whenever the two appear to contradict.” (99)

“Their crucifixion with the One must go undetected. If many of them realize it as a literal and actual death and rebirth at the core of their being, it would be devastating to our cause.” (109)

“Grace. We shudder at the dreadful word scattered throughout the Book. A proper understanding of grace will render any patient nearly impervious to even our finest strategies.” (128)

“There is nothing more discouraging to us than a patient who serves the Enemy joyfully, from the heart, free of guilt or any sense of obligation.” (149)

This is a great book! It is cleverly written and contains a wealth of insight into the Christian life and how we are kept from being who God wants us to be. Read it and discuss it with your friends.

Beware, Farley steps on some toes. But those toes need to be stepped on as they are on the feet of people who are doing exactly what the demons suggest.

Go to http://operationscrewtape.com/ to watch a video and read an excerpt from the book.

Andrew Farley is lead pastor of Ecclesia, an evangelical church on the high plains of West Texas. He is the best-selling author of several books. He serves as faculty advisor for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and frequently speaks at churches and university groups around the United States and Canada. He is also a professor of applied linguistics at Texas Tech University in West Texas, where he lives with his wife and their son. Visit www.AndrewFarley.org for more information and free resources.

Baker Publishing Group, 192 pages. Publisher's product page.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith

Midway through his fifty fourth year, Smith realized he had been alive for nearly 20,000 days. He decided to take forty eight hours and put himself through a crash course to plan his next 20,000 days. He includes in this book the thoughts and actions he pledged to implement daily for the rest of his life in order to live with intense purpose, constant joy, and lasting influence.

There is really not much to this book. Smith says this book can be read in an hour. It can. (The last seven pages of the galley I read were endorsements.) He does share his own thoughts and maybe it worked for him. But this book is greatly lacking in the practical means to getting to that life of intense purpose. He does not include any techniques for goal setting, time management, or anything like that. His concept is pretty much that you just decide to live your life with purpose and it will somehow happen.

If this is the first book you will read on finding your purpose in life, etc., you may find inspiration in this book. If you have read other books on goal setting or productivity, you will probably not find anything new or helpful in this one. I have read lots of self help books and did not find this one to be particularly helpful.

Robert D. Smith has overseen the career of Andy Andrews for more than three decades. He has also served as a private consultant to numerous best-selling authors, speakers, entertainers, and organizations, educating them on the methods he has employed in his career.

You can find out more about him and calculate how many days you have been alive at www.TheRobertD.com.

Thomas Nelson Publishers, 144 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book for the purpose of this review.

Torn by Justin Lee

Justin writes that the Christian church has a reputation, not only for opposing gay marriage, but for hostility to gay people. It has become a Gay – vs. - Christian culture war.

The issues are complex, he notes. “Underlying all of them, however, is the essential question of how we Christians, having traditionally condemned homosexuality, should respond to a world that is increasingly accepting of it.” (10)

Justin tells his own story of the last fifteen years. He was a committed Christian, finding at high school age that he was attracted to guys, not girls. He shares his own struggles, investigates theories as to why people are gay, and reports on the failure of ex-gay ministries.

At the insistence of others, he went to a gay bar during his college years. He didn't like it. “I was just a sheltered Southern Baptist boy who wanted to serve God and couldn't help being attracted to other guys.” (164)

He takes the reader through the relevant passages in the Bible. From the gospels, Justin concludes, “Over and over, Jesus provides examples of the spirit of the law superseding the letter of the law.” (202) “The more I studied the Bible,” he writes, “the more I found myself coming to the conclusion that my church had gotten this issue wrong. ...I could no longer justify the condemning a loving, committed, Christ-centered relationship based solely on gender.” (206) He adds, “We Christians are failing to show grace to the gay community the way Jesus would.” (210)

Justin has established a ministry, The Gay Christian Network, aimed at bridge building between gays and Christians and providing a safe place for Christian gays.

In the last chapter he identifies a way forward, listing seven things he believes Christians must focus on.

This is a crucial topic for Christians to be considering at this time. Other books I have read on the future of Christianity indicate this is a watershed issue.

Whether you agree with Justin's conclusions or not, this is an excellent book to read to begin to understand Christian gays. Justin has given a very personal account of his experiences and his thoughts.

This issue is not going to go away. I do recommend this book, not because I think Justin has necessarily gotten it right, but because Christians need to compassionately listen to stories like Justin's.

Justin Lee is the founder and executive director of The Gay Christian Network, a nonprofit, interdenominational organization working to increase dialog between gays and Christians and support people on both sides wrestling with related issues. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Jericho Books, 259 pages.