Church History Books - Page 4

Maid of Heaven: The Story of Saint Joan of Arc

Ben D. Kennedy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

NEW BOOK ABOUT JOAN OF ARC POETICALLY TELLS HER LEGENDARY STORY IN A WAY THAT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE WITH HER AS SHE MAKES HISTORY!

Everyone has heard of Joan of Arc but how many people really know the complete story about this famous person? Perhaps it is the complexity of all that happened to her and the long, hard to read biographies that keep most people from knowing the full story. Ben D. Kennedy solves this problem by delivering an easy to read yet compelling biography that covers the life of Joan of Arc in a way that is both beautiful and inspiring.

The story of Joan of Arc is so remarkable that it is one that everyone should fully know. Called by God to rescue her people from the invading English, she answers the call when she is only sixteen years old. A little over two years later, she is dead but in the brief time she lived, she accomplished as much as anyone in history and became the legendary figure that she remains today.

At first glance, you might wonder how a poem can cover such a story but Kennedy explains: "I can say in a poem in a few lines what it would take pages to say in a regular biography and say it better. In today¿s world, few people have the time or the inclination to read a thousand page biography but Maid of Heaven can be read in less than an hour." The other advantages to the poetic form of writing become apparent as you read Maid of Heaven. The sheer beauty of the easy flowing verse brings to the story a kind of Homeric heroism echoing classic epic poems of the past.

"I was impressed by his clever English prose that was able to combine actual historical fact and the words spoken by Joan herself."
Virginia Frohlick - Founder and Director of the Joan of Arc Center- Albuquerque, NM

"Mr. Kennedy does an amazing job of putting such a lyrical story into capitivating lyrical form. "
Chris Snidow - Author, musician and leader of three Joan of Arc pilgrimages in France.

"Expertly Composed and Highly Recommended"
Midwest Book Review

Orthodoxy (Saint Benedict Press Classics)

G. K. Chesterton

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Total reviews: 86 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Christianity Vol. 2 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

While Chesterton dedicates this book to his mother, he claims that George Slythe Street is the books inspiration and creator. That is, G.S. Street was one of many critics to present an opinion about Chesterton's Heretics, and happened to have presented the opinion to which Chesterton responded. When on the first page Chesterton states that it was incautious of Street to provoke an individual that is all too ready to write books, and in the final sentence of the first chapter claims that he would write Street another book if he needed clarification with regard to a topic only touched upon by Chesterton, it quickly becomes clear that Orthodoxy is yet another shining example of Chesterton's mirth applied to frequently solemn subject matter. Orthodoxy, as Chesterton appears to agree, is, however, the appropriate conclusion to the work he began with Heretics. If Heretics presented all that is wrong, Orthodoxy can rightly be seen as presenting the standard by which Chesterton deemed such philosophies heretical. To truly appreciate either of the aforementioned titles, both should be read as if they were a singular work.

In Orthodoxy, Chesterton does justify his position maintained throughout Heretics in a manner as uniform as he might have been able to conjure. Throughout the work Chesterton utilizes his own experiences and thoughts to illustrate and, perhaps, demonstrate his seemingly inevitable arrive at truth. At times it almost seems as if Chesterton slips into irrelevant stream of thought tangents but never fails to reconcile his intended point, illuminating the necessity of what might have otherwise seemed entirely unnecessary. In fact, Chesterton masterfully builds what he claimed is not a properly thorough defense of Christianity into what might be one of the most poignant apologetic works ever. He does so in a way that makes Orthodoxy read like a suspense novel in that the entire effort bears its timeless fruit in the last few pages, if not in the last sentence, after supplying almost innumerable pieces of information that appeared just unrelated enough to ensure that the final piece would act as a blazing beacon of a keystone. While Chesterton might have failed to present that tangible evidence, that scientific process by which the claims of Christianity can be undoubtedly proved, he clearly and boldly presented that proof which every Christian exists for; the proof that every Christian can verify, albeit not as gracefully. While Chesterton's The Everlasting Man might be the work that he is best known for, Heretics and, especially, Orthodoxy are magnificent demonstrations of Chesterton's ability to cast light on the eventual obvious reality and significance of everything.

Editorial Review:

The most brilliant book of apologetics in the English language. Chesterton wrote Orthodoxy in 1908 in response to a challenge from one of his readers to state his creed. Rarely has any challenge been more gloriously and chivalrously met. This is early Chesterton at his best: sparkling paradoxes, breathtaking wordplay, trenchant argument and blinding logic. The reader is treated to a witty and insightful work, that illustrates how reasonable orthodoxy really is, despite the attacks of its critics. The book also provides a spiritual autobiography, as Chesterton employs his own discovery of orthodox Christianity in order to defend its beauty and its sanity against modern secular schools of philosophy. The book manages to intellectually challenge the reader, while still appealing to a child-like sense of awe at the world around us.

As a Man Thinketh

James Allen

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Total reviews: 162 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best Book Ever 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is amazing! It's short but powerful and since I got it, I read it every morning before school or work. It is a constant reminder to continue to maintain positive thoughts and weed out all of the negativity that impairs my performance at school, work and home.
Hightly Recommend it!

easy-smart reading 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is so helpful to give your thinking to the best way of enjoying life.
It is simple reading with out big words.

James Allen (1864-1912) knew what present day man/women is just starting to understanding 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

James Allen was one of our great thinkers. He understood what everyone is now calling "The Law of Attraction."
I can't say that he was ahead of his time, but that he gave time to understand, what has always been true, which is "The Way of The World," the way things develop from a thought to an actuality.
How he came up with his understanding of the world is unknown, but I suspect it was a higher power.
If you are interested in the grass roots of any of the books that have been written lately about obtaining the things that you want in your life, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, The Teaching's of Abraham by Jerry and Esters Hicks or The Secret Daydream (A guide to Your Child's future) and The Secret Daydream for College Students (The Guide to Surviving Conflict) by Charisse Rudolph, You will love the thinking that you will do when you read "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen.

Editorial Review:

Allen's practical philosophy of successful living has awakened millions to the discovery and perception of the truth that "they themselves are makers of themselves". Building on the Bible verse. "As a man thinketh, so he is", Allen insists that it is within the power of each person to form his own character and create his own happiness.

Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism

Scott Hahn, Kimberly Hahn

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Total reviews: 186 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The well-known and very popular Catholic couple, Scott and Kimberly Hahn, have been constantly travelling and speaking all over North America for the last few years about their conversion to the Catholic Church. Now these two outstanding Catholic apologists tell in their own words about the incredible spiritual journey that led them to embrace Catholicism. Scott Hahn was a Presbyterian minister, the top student in his seminary class, a brilliant Scripture scholar, and militantly anti-Catholic ... until he reluctantly began to discover that his "enemy" had all the right answers. Kimberly, also a top-notch theology student in the seminary, is the daughter of a well-known Protestant minister, and went through a tremendous "dark night of the soul" after Scott converted to Catholicism.

Their conversion story and love for the Church has captured the hearts and minds of thousands of lukewarm Catholics and brought them back into an active participation in the Church. They have also influenced countless conversions to Catholicism among their friends and others who have heard their powerful testimony.

Written with simplicity, charity, grace and wit, the Hahns' deep love and knowledge of Christ and of Scripture is evident and contagious throughout their story. Their love of truth and of neighbor is equally evident, and their theological focus on the great importance of the family, both biological and spiritual, will be a source of inspiration for all readers.

The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism

Richard P. Mcbrien

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the struggles of the very first Christians to the challenges and scandals of today, the Catholic Church has wrestled with how to organize itself, express its beliefs, and nurture its members. The Church has grown from a handful of disciples in the first century to over one billion members in the twenty-first, resulting in profound changes that demand a theological response. In this sweeping history, renowned scholar Richard McBrien reveals the evolution of the Church's relationship to the divine, its leadership of the faithful, and its role as a global religion. The Church answers the questions raised by this extraordinary history, including:

• Where did the idea of the pope's infallibility come from?
• Why are priests celibate and women barred from the priesthood?
• What inspired the Inquisition?
• What was the position of the Catholic Church on Hitler's policies in World War II?
• What is the Church's relationship to Islam?
• How will the growth of the Church in South America, Africa, and Asia shape its future?

McBrien helps the reader understand the evolution of the Catholic Church's understanding of itself through the centuries, its leadership, and its relationship to national governments and world religions. From Jesus's apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church explains in layperson's terms the evolution of the Catholic Church, its power, its scope, its theology, and its influence.

The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged

Josephus

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Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

an amazing reference 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

want to know how Christianity was working when the apostles were still the ones calling the shots? here is a first/second century historians perspective on what was going on in that time

Editorial Review:

This renowned reference book has served scholars, pastors, students, and those interested in the background of the New Testament for years. The insight given into the Essene community, the destruction of Jerusalem and the interpretations and traditions of the Old Testament in first century Judaism is invaluable. The outlook of Josephus, a late first century Pharisee and historian, on Jesus and the New Testament documents is enlightening and provocative. As an original reference, The Works of Josephus is essential to a full understanding of the first century, the time of Christ and the New Testament.

Complete and unabridged, this is the best one-volume edition of the classic translation of JosephusÂ’ works. The entire text has been reset in modern, easy-to-read type; numbering corresponding to that used in the Loeb edition has been added to the text; and citations and cross-references have been updated from Roman numerals to Arabic numbers.

JEFFERSON BIBLE CL

Thomas Jefferson

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Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Jesus said... 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have long believed that the way Jesus said to live was more important than his immortality (or mine). I knew our "Founders" didn't base our constitution on "Judea-Christian values", as is frequently proposed by some
political/religious leaders, but on principles of the Enlightenment which they believed would bring a new kind of government, free of religious oppression, first to America, and then to the world.

The only books on the subject are very large, very scholarly, very informative, but... how nice to have this little book on my coffee table where curious minds can explore the thinking of one of America's most forward looking leaders, and read just the words of Jesus, without the mythology attached to his death by future theologians.

The preface, the introduction and chapter about Jefferson's contemporaries is a history lesson every
American should review. No-one who has visited my home has found it in any way offensive, but all
find it enlightening !

Editorial Review:

Thomas Jefferson regarded Jesus as a moral guide rather than a divinity, and in The Jefferson Bible, he highlights Christ's ethical teachings from the Gospels. Discarding the scriptures' supernatural elements and dogma, this volume reflects the deist view of religion, focusing on Jesus' message of absolute love and service.

The Everlasting Man

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

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Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good book ruined by an incompetent publisher 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This may have been a fine work in its original form, but this edition (Wilder Publications, 2008) is so shoddy, it isn't worth the effort to try to read it. Based on my own experience with OCR software, I would guess that this publisher scanned an old copy, translated it to text, then reformatted it, and printed it. There is no evidence that anyone proofread it prior to printing. It it doubtful that it was even run through a spell-check program. Periods are missing at the ends of sentences; words are left out; "d", "h", and "b" are confused; apostrophies are inserted randomly (probably fly-spots on the original), "and" repeatedly appears as "an", "modern" almost always appears as "modem", etc. ad infinitum.
I read through about a fourth of the book before giving up in exasperation.

Editorial Review:

ReadHowYouWant publishes a wide variety of best selling books in Large and Super Large fonts in partnership with leading publishers. EasyRead books are available in 11pt and 13pt. type. EasyRead Large books are available in 16pt, 16pt Bold, and 18pt Bold type. EasyRead Super Large books are available in 20pt. Bold and 24pt. Bold Type. You choose the format that is right for you.

The book revolves around the beliefs and ideals of Christian religion. The theology is so eloquently described that it influences and shapes the thoughts of readers.

To find more titles in your format, Search in Books using EasyRead and the size of the font that makes reading easier and more enjoyable for you.

Surprised by joy: The shape of my early life

C. S Lewis

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Total reviews: 69 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

For C.S. Lewis Devotees Only! 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I love most of what C.S. Lewis writes. I can read the Narnia series over and over, and I adore Till We Have Faces. I find him an incredible philosopher and a brilliant mind and a fantastic writer all 'round.

This book is possibly the dullest thing I have ever forced myself to read.

I wanted to like it; heaven knows it had interesting parts, fascinating things I had never thought of before. I found it valuable for understanding what themes that Lewis meant to convey in all of my favorite books.

Oh, but I could have gone without that long and utterly boring chapter about going to boys' school, being hazed, and interactions with the Bloods; I could barely keep myself in the thing even in the most interesting parts about his childhood. Even his conversion came with little emotional interest. For a second I wanted to say that I was missing something, that I had the problem, but I'm not sure that this is so. It's just... boring. I'm not even sure it's applicable for the person on the brink of accepting Christianity, for intellectually, Lewis is on another plane entirely. What if the reader has never felt this stab of "joy," or at least, experienced it the way Lewis experienced it? I tried to remember such a feeling and, although I remember it, I do not recall it being such a life-changing event.

Furthermore, his conversion didn't seem like such a logical step as much as returning to an old friend, if that makes any sense. I think another reviewer hit the nail on the head when they said they doubted that Lewis ever truly left Christianity to begin with. This isn't to say he didn't become a true atheist -- but it was as though he retained some sort of regard for it, even when was most disdainful of it.

To sum things up, this book is painfully boring, but invaluable for the insight it delivers into Lewis's works of fiction than for the path he took to conversion.

Editorial Review:

In this book Lewis tells of his search for joy, a spiritual journey that led him from the Christianity of his early youth into atheism and then back to Christianity. This book, together with his early diary All My Road Before Me, form the closest thing we have to an autobiography.

What Happened at Vatican II

John W., S. J. O'Malley

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

During four years in session, Vatican Council II held television audiences rapt with its elegant, magnificently choreographed public ceremonies, while its debates generated front-page news on a near-weekly basis. By virtually any assessment, it was the most important religious event of the twentieth century, with repercussions that reached far beyond the Catholic church. Remarkably enough, this is the first book, solidly based on official documentation, to give a brief, readable account of the council from the moment Pope John XXIII announced it on January 25, 1959, until its conclusion on December 8, 1965; and to locate the issues that emerge in this narrative in their contexts, large and small, historical and theological, thereby providing keys for grasping what the council hoped to accomplish.

What Happened at Vatican II captures the drama of the council, depicting the colorful characters involved and their clashes with one another. The book also offers a new set of interpretive categories for understanding the council’s dynamics—categories that move beyond the tired “progressive” and “conservative” labels. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the calling of the council, this work reveals in a new way the spirit of Vatican II. A reliable, even-handed introduction to the council, the book is a critical resource for understanding the Catholic church today, including the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

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