Christianity Books - Page 3

Unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity ... and Why It Matters

David Kinnaman, Gabe Lyons

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Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Christianity has an image problem.

Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like "hypocritical," "insensitive," and "judgmental," young Americans share an impression of Christians that's nothing short of . . . unChristian.

Groundbreaking research into the perceptions of sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds reveals that Christians have taken several giant steps backward in one of their most important assignments. The surprising details of the study, commissioned by Fermi Project and conducted by The Barna Group, are presented with uncompromising honesty in unChristian.

Find out why these negative perceptions exist, learn how to reverse them in a Christlike manner, and discover practical examples of how Christians can positively contribute to culture.

unChristian also includes forward-looking insights from respected Christian leaders, adding their assessment of the problems and their thoughts about how Christians should respond. Exclusive contributions from: Chuck Colson, Andy Crouch, Louie Giglio, Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, Kevin Palau, Chris Seay, Andy Stanley, John Stott, and Rick Warren.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Chrisian Spirituality

Donald Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 460 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Why am I reading this? 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have not read this book in its entirety, but I'd say I've read about 2/3 of it, skipping around. The reason that I haven't read the whole thing is that it's simply too fluffy for me to read it straight through. I just wanted to begin with that disclaimer.

I was loaned this book by a friend who had recommended many great books for me to read. With such a cool title, I was excited to sit down and read this book. I am not exactly sure how I would classify myself in terms of religion. I was raised a Christian but am closer to being agnostic now, though I still have a special place in my heart for Christian theology and tradition. I thought that this book, which claims to be "non-religious," would be a good read that would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, Mr. Miller is anything but non-religious. Throughout this book, he comes across as the kind of abrasive postmodern Christian that makes me want to turn and run. Namely, Miller is all about wallowing in guilt, and moaning about how awful and repulsive we humans are. He seems to have a severe problem with self-obsession, and desires to transfer this shortcoming to all humankind. Look, I know humans can do horrible things, but it's this kind of negativity that turns me off from Christianity.

But it's not the theology that's the biggest problem with this book. It's the writing itself. This book is really just a collection of essays. That's fine, I enjoy essay collections. But, as we all learned in high school English class, an essay should have a clear point, with every sentence furthering the argument. Miller's essays ramble on page after page, are full of unrelated anecdotes, and have bizarre metaphors that only serve to cloud the meaning of whatever he's trying to convey. There are a few times throughout where he has a shining moment where he says something bordering on the brilliant. But then these instances are buried between pages of what amounts to fluff. It's the kind of situation in which you read three pages, then stop and look back through those three pages and realize that you don't remember anything that you just read.

One of the biggest shortcomings of this book (related to the overbearing religiosity) is that I was expecting Miller to be open-minded. He is anything but. He has a very narrow world view and perspective on Christianity. Furthermore (as other reviewers have mentioned), he seems to be trapped in an arrested adolescence. How old is he, 30? His words read like those of someone half his age. Many times, he mentions past irresponsible actions of his, which I expected to be self-deprecatory, but he always stops short of saying (or even hinting) that irresponsible things he's done in the past are wrong; he simply seems to mention them like they're no big deal. There is not alot of soul searching or questioning here, just alot of "here's what I think." I could have used more soul-searching, more questioning, more doubt. Something to justify the "non-religious" claim in the title.

In many places throughout the book, Miller comes across as a sweet guy, a genuine man of faith who only wants to do right by Jesus, and I commend him for that. Still, why did he write a book about it? And why am I reading it? The two biggest problems with this book: it's not really "non-religious," and it is about twice as long as it needs to be. It gets two stars instead of one because Miller occasionally has moments that are insightful and well-written.

Editorial Review:

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened." In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God.

Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day

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Total reviews: 181 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN LIFE, YOU CAN BE BETTER!

Is this as good as it gets? Or can you enjoy more of what life has to offer? Not only can you live happily every day, bestselling author Joel Osteen suggests you must discover the potential within yourself and learn how to use it to live better, and to help others better themselves as well. God didn't create you to be average. You were created to excel! You have everything you need to fulfill your God-given destiny, and there is no limit to what you can accomplish if you discover how to be a better you! Become a Better You will guide you in the process of uncovering your hidden resources. Addressing such topics as building your confidence, developing better relationships, finding peace within, and staying passionate about life. Joel Osteen will encourage you to reach your unique God-given potential, and will help you to enjoy every day of your life, despite your circumstances. As you incorporate Joel's easy-to-grasp principles into your life, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much more God has in store for you, and how quickly you become a better you! "God is preparing you for greater things. He's going to take you further than you thought possible, so don't be surprised when He asks you to think better of yourself and to act accordingly."

For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women

Shaunti Feldhahn, Jeff Feldhahn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 97 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Powerful and Illuminating 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't be fooled by the size of this little book because within its pages is a message all men need to here. I first read this book several years ago and have since given it as a gift to several close friends. I highly recommend this book to you. Don't make the same mistake that most of my male friends have made by believing that her wants and needs are the same as your own... their not!

Editorial Review:

Finally - You Can Understand Her!  Women: complicated and impossible to understand?  Have you given up trying to "get" the woman in your life?  If so, you are in for a pleasant eye-opener: She can be understood.  Even better - you can make her happy.  Which will make you happy. The bestselling author of For Women Only teams with her husband to offer men the key to unlocking the mysterious ways of women.  Through Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn's national scientific survey and hundreds of interviews, For Men Only reveals what you can do today to improve your relationship.  And believe it or not, as Jeff assures men, "It's not splitting the atom." What makes her tick?  What is she really asking (but not actually saying)?  Take the guesswork out of trying to please your wife or girlfriend and begin loving her in the way she needs.  Easily.  For Men Only is a straightforward map that will lead you straight into her heart.

Mother Angelica's Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures

Raymond Arroyo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Mother Angela Private nd Pithy Lessons From Scripture 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Mother Angelica is her usual straight to the point commentator on the scripture. She makes it fun learning about scripture and brings it down to a practicable level. This is a book that makes learning about scripture fun, brings a fresh point of few to scripture, and gives you valuable information about interpretation of scripture.

Just Love this Book 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Thank-you Raymond for putting this priceless advice in book form.
Mother's wisdom comes shining through her honest and easy to comprehend nuggets of faith.
I would be so bold as to say that her clarity helps to further inspire the already 'inspired' word.
Thank-you Raymond and Mother Angelica for the advice!

Like a Spiritual Grandmother 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

For those days when nothing goes right or when everything goes right Mother Angelica is there to gently nudge you on your journey to Christ.
This book makes you place yourself in the moment with God from the safety of your grandmother's knee making the spiritual lessons feel like coming home.

I found myself shaking my head in amazement at how much Mother sees in the Scriptures and how blind I have been ... until now.
This book has helped me view my human imperfections from a new point of view and has allowed me to see that this is exactly the same point of view the Saints had of their own failings and misgivings.

Yes, the Apostles and other Saints really were human. And now I have a clearer understanding of the struggles they felt in their own spiritual journies even as they walked alongside Jesus.

Thank you Mother Angelica and God Bless you!

Editorial Review:

The Word is made fresh by the irrepressible Mother Angelica as she personally escorts readers through the Scriptures, offering lessons on daily living---the perfect companion to the New York Times bestseller Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality.

23 Minutes In Hell

Bill Wiese

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 191 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

23 Minutes In Hell 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great book to give to believers and non believers to learn the truth about hell. Many scriptures in the book to prove hell is real!

This book is a MUST READ FOR EVERYONE EVERYWHERE 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I cannot even express the detail in the book, it is as if you are actually there as well. Everyone on earth should and needs to read this book, it could be the difference between spending eternity in Heaven or Hell and after reading this book, you will certainly know without a doubt, you do not want to be in Hell for even 23 seconds. It is an amazing story by an amazing man and I couldn't put it down. Thank you to the seller who packaged it so nicely and got it to me within two days after a friend of mine told me about it, I couldn't wait to read it and thanks to Amazon I was in two days. AWESOME MUST READ!!!

Editorial Review:

One man's story about what he say, heard, and felt in that place of torment. Bill Wiese saw the searing flames of hell, felt total isolation, and experienced the putrid and rotting stench, deafening screams of agony, terrorizing demons, and finally, the strong hand of God lifting him out of the pit. MP3 format

He Loves Me!: Learning to Live in The Father's Affection

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Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Assurance of His love 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Have you ever fallen into a performance trap? Felt like God only loved you if you were performing to His standards? Doubted His love for you during hard times? Wayne Jacobsen has penned He Loves Me! to offer warm, personal encouragement for Christians who feel removed from the love of their Father.

Jacobsen writes strongly, sharing his conviction and personal experience of God's unfailing love. Revisiting familiar parables and scenes from throughout the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, Jacobsen builds a case for God's ongoing desire to enter into relationships with each and every one of us.

He Loves Me! keeps a tight focus on God's love. Jacobsen repeatedly turns the readers eye away from themselves and places their sights upon the Heavenly Father. Rather than exploring the message of salvation, Jacobsen's work is written for those who have already entered into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but who may not feel confident in His love.

While an excellent resource for new Christians who seek to understand the basis of their new position in Christ, He Loves Me! also offers a healing balm for those wounded by works-based religious belief systems. A theme that occurs repeatedly throughout Jacobsen's works is that Christianity is not a religion, a set of rules that Christians must follow in order to please God. Rather, it is God's invitation to enter into a relationship with Him each day through the death of His son on the cross. It is refreshing to read a work from a man who is so clearly grounded in this truth and who proclaims it loudly.

Jacobsen reassures us that we will never be good enough for God, we will never be able to please Him with our own efforts at righteousness. Our status with Him is dependent entirely upon Jesus' work on the cross. Our position in Christ rests not upon our striving to fulfill the laws' commands, but rather the holiness that knowing Jesus will produce in our lives as we let His love fill us full to overflowing. I went into Jacobsen's body of work with a degree of skepticism, being unfamiliar with his teachings. I wondered if I'd encounter claims of universal salvation, the dismissal of sin or a philosophy of `easy-believism'. Thankfully none of these were present, only a rallying cry to return to the foundations of faith - knowing Jesus and following Him.

However, there are some weak points present in Jacobsen's work. Few scriptures are provided to back up his points, and single verses at times serve as the foundation for suppositions that are widely divergent from those held by the majority of the body of Christ. For instance, he posits that believers no longer need to fear God, but a brief survey of the word `fear' as used throughout the New Testament would display that the matter of fearing God is not as one-sided as presented here. Scripture speaks to the fear of God in a believer's life, as well as fear not being present in perfect love. All instances of the term `fear' need to be taken into account to form a balanced view of God's thoughts on the matter. Jacobsen's beliefs regarding sin should also be closely compared with scripture; it seems that they may ultimately lead to the doctrine of complete sanctification within this life when followed to their logical conclusion. Readers will need to proceed with discernment, eating the meat and spitting out the bones.

If you've been entrenched in a struggle to trust in Christ's work on the cross on your behalf, these teachings regarding God's love may take some time to sink in. Jacobsen acknowledges that tuning in to God's love and experiencing Him daily takes time, patience, and trust. With each chapter Jacobsen provides points for personal application, as well as questions that can be explored in a group discussion setting. Seeking God in prayer that focuses upon the suggestions offered, and discussing these teachings with others will serve to deepen understanding and belief.

For myself, I'm inspired to read through the New Testament once again, seeking to understand the love of God through His word as I seek to draw near to Him. I am confident that He Loves Me! will reach many believers who are seeking to regain an authentic, personal walk with Christ as they emerge from works based expectations.

Editorial Review:

Do you find yourself picking through circumstances like children plucking daisy petals attempting to figure out whether or not God loves you?  If you find yourself least certain of his love in those critical moments when you most need to trust him, there is hope for you.  Where?  At the one event in human history that forever secured your place in the Father’s heart—the cross where Jesus allowed sin and shame to be consumed in his own body so that you could freely embrace a relationship with his Father.  There you will discover that what he always wanted was not the fearful subservience of slaves, but the loving affection of sons and daughters.

To Bless the Space Between Us: A Collection of Invocations and Blessings

John O'Donohue

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Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When we stand before crucial thresholds in our lives," asks poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, "where can we turn for guidance and protection?" On To Bless the Space Between Us, he shares words of wisdom and encouragement to help us traverse such crossings. Covering seven universal levels-Beginnings, Desires, Thresholds, Homecomings, States of the Heart, Callings, and Beyond Endings-O'Donohue delivers with uncommon clarity and lyrical beauty a series of invocations and blessings for everyday grace and contemplation. To illuminate "pathways of presence through the geography of new worlds," he calls forth the omnipresent aid of the divine that will lead us beyond our limitations. For it is "when we are true to the call of experience," O'Donohue assures, that "we are true to God." In the tradition of his classic Anam Cara (Bantam Books 9780553505924), To Bless the Space Between Us is presented with an earthy eloquence and incomparable resonance by this master of Celtic consciousness-offering listeners an atmospheric and thought provoking collection that rekindles the passionate heart. Music by acclaimed Irish harpist Áine Minogue.

Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Do you ever feel like your life is moving at the speed of light? Are you constantly trying to keep up with all of your commitments and responsibilities? In this day and age when modern communication and technology cause our lives to move faster than ever, many people struggle to strike a balance between all the segments of their lives -- family, friends, career, social obligations, and self.

As co-pastor of Lakewood Church -- America's largest church -- Victoria Osteen understands intimately how day-to-day responsibilities can pile up and at times feel overwhelming. As a wife and mother, she sets the tone for her household and acts as a role model for her family. As a minister, she reaches out to an enormous community of people who look to her for guidance, strength, wisdom, and encouragement. She knows as well as anyone that operating in so many different roles can be extremely demanding, yet she has managed to find balance, living her life in the unforced rhythms of grace. If you ask her, she'll tell you that she loves her life and she wants you to love your life, too.

No matter where you are in your life, no matter what responsibilities you may carry, you can find peace, balance, and enjoyment in every area of your life; but it all starts with you. You have more power inside you than you realize; all you have to do is learn to tap into what you already have! As you begin to recognize your own abilities and influence, and use them in healthy ways, all the other areas of your life will fall into order.

In Love Your Life, Victoria shares from her personal life experiences and her journey of faith the lessons she's learned that have made her the woman she is today. As you read, you'll feel like you're in a conversation with a trusted friend as Victoria shows you how to tap into all that God has given you to live effectively -- as a positive influence on the world around you. You'll be inspired by stories of victory and challenged to live at a higher level. You'll read about people who have accomplished incredible things by overcoming their fears, and people who have changed the world around them by simply recognizing their own value.

A life well lived does not come easily; you have to set out for it, look for it, and make it happen. Love Your Life shows how to turn the challenges of each day into opportunities to love and appreciate all that you are.

Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life, 8-CD set: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

Wayne W. Dyer

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Total reviews: 205 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, a God-realized being named Lao-tzu in ancient China dictated 81 verses, which are regarded by many as the ultimate commentary on the nature of our existence. The classic text of these 81 verses, called the Tao Te Ching or the Great Way, offers advice and guidance that is balanced, moral, spiritual, and always concerned with working for the good.

In this set, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has reviewed hundreds of translations of the Tao Te Ching and has created 81 distinct essays on how to apply the ancient wisdom of Lao-tzu to today’s modern world. This work contains the entire 81 verses of the Tao, compiled from Wayne’s researching of 12 of the most well-respected translations of text that have survived for more than 25 centuries. Each chapter is designed for actually living the Tao or the Great Way today. Some of the chapter titles are “Living with Flexibility,” “Living Without Enemies,” and “Living by Letting Go.” Each of the 81 brief chapters focuses on living the Tao and concludes with a section called “Doing the Tao Now.”

        Wayne spent one entire year reading, researching, and meditating on Lao-tzu’s messages, practicing them each day and ultimately writing down these essays as he felt Lao-tzu wanted you to know them.

This is a work to be followed slowly, one essay a day. As Wayne says, “This will forever change the way you look at your life, and the result will be that you’ll live in a new world aligned with nature. Writing this book changed me forever, too. I now live in accord with the natural world and feel the greatest sense of peace I’ve ever experienced. I’m so proud to present this interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, and offer the same opportunity for change that it has brought me.”