See the introductory remarks in my discussion elsewhere on this site of the same author’s What Jesus Meant, noting that reading Wills’s books on the Bible was (somewhat surprisingly to me) a net plus. Some other notes on this book: An excellent introduction puts Paul in context. Wills’s book is similar to Sarah Ruden’s Paul … [Read more…]
Given the author’s aggressively liberal politics, I began reading this (and his other) works on the Bible with some trepidation, but was pleasantly surprised. Not that the political liberalism is absent, mind you, but it does not overpower much that is good and worthwhile, whatever one’s politics. The book’s foreword, in particular, is wonderful. There … [Read more…]
Here are some thoughts on effective evangelism, from someone who may or may not be an especially effective evangelist: You need to have good answers to obvious questions like: (1) Why does God let children die of cancer? (2) Why are good people who don’t believe in Jesus sent to Hell? On the other hand, … [Read more…]
Some Christians say yes, and criticize those who would make it easy. But let me hazard a more laid-back answer. And let me note at the outset that Our Savior said, “For my yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:30. It’s not so bad being a Christian, considering the alternative, which is … [Read more…]
Here’s an obvious but important asymmetry that occurred to me when I was reading Mary C. Neal’s 7 Lessons from Heaven about her near-death experience. In the book, she discusses not only her own visit to Heaven, where she met Jesus, and the effect it had on her life, but also the similar experiences of many other people. … [Read more…]
The topic of this post is the extent to which a Christian, in addition to having faith, needs to worry about performing good works. Sure, maybe it’s presumptuous for me to opine on such a profound issue, but let me start by noting that it would be a mistake to agonize over reaching the right … [Read more…]
This is another topic where it’s rather presumptuous for a nontheologian to weigh in at all, but let me reassure the reader that in my humble opinion this is also another issue where it’s a mistake to agonize over reaching a definitive resolution: Clearly there will never be such a resolution, and since we might … [Read more…]
There can be both selfish and unselfish reasons for wanting to be good and wanting to be godly. They are not inconsistent and may not even be that distinct. *** Faith and love can both be cultivated. Whether we’re considering when they’re beginning or when they’re already extant, it’s romantic but foolish to think otherwise. … [Read more…]
The book is short (121 pages), and rather quirky. Taking the temple at Bassae (in the rural mountains of the Peloponnese) as the touchstone, the authors riff on the different ways the classics have influenced and are influencing us. It’s an enjoyable read, but nothing much here that’s directly bearing on Christianity.
This was a very informative book, and the point I found most interesting was that the Muslims accept the proposition that one verse of the Koran can abrogate another part of it (the author likens it to a constitutional amendment). The book is objective. It points out some problems with old texts and so forth, … [Read more…]