Book Review: Our Favorite Sins

BOOK REVIEW

OUR FAVORITE SINS
The Sins We Commit & How You Can Quit
Todd D. Hunter
Thomas Nelson, 2012

I was excited to receive this book after requesting it from BookSneeze. It’s got a great design and the review makes it out to be the best new book on battling against daily struggles with sin. But, it’s not. I cannot, and will not, recommend this book.

Maybe I should have read the endorsements, particularly who they were from, before getting my hopes up. Our Favorite Sins reads little better than a twist on self-help which Hunter seemingly does not like… At the end of his book he recommends his readers to leave the realm of self-help requiring me to conclude that he does not want anyone to read this book either.

Book Review: As One Devil to Another

BOOK REVIEW

AS ONE DEVIL TO ANOTHER
Richard Platt 
Tyndale House Publishers, 2012

As One Devil to Another is critically acclaimed for accomplishing the best diabolical correspondence since C.S. Lewis introduced the genre with The Screwtape Letters. In As One Devil to Another Slashreap trains his young protégé, Scardagger, to win over souls from Heaven just as Screwtape taught his nephew. The book aims to uncover the very real problems plaguing society today with total accuracy. Anyone who picks up this book will be trapped, in a good way.

Family Ministry and It's Importance in College Ministry

BOOK REVIEW

TRAINED IN THE FEAR OF GOD
Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective
Randy Stinson and Timothy Paul Jones, Editors
Published by Kregel Academic and Professional, 2011

Due to the nature of this book, my review will be different than normal. I feel it is necessary to go into more detail regarding specific issues because of the relevance of the truth this book is able to communicate at this specific time to our culture. Thus, this is not a thorough review of every chapter, though I endorse it with confidence and certainty that every chapter is able to successfully speak to the topic of its focus. Instead, this review is an in-depth look at specific chapters that demand much attention in my ministry context. 

My Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos

BOOK REVIEW

MY IMAGINARY JESUS
The Spiritual Adventures of One Man Searching for the Real God
By Matt Mikalatos
Published by BarnaBooks

I don’t tend to read a lot of fiction. Between seminary and the college ministry I lead, my nose can mostly be found in other places. My Imaginary Jesus caught my eye though. I did not realize what I was getting myself into prior to requesting this book from Tyndale, but turns out to be a very convicting read.

Matt Mikalatos has received praise from Relevant Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Josh McDowell, Tremper Longman, and Adam Sabados for what this book. To give you a better idea, Relevant Magazine says, “Think Monty Python meets C.S. Lewis…” Yeah. I agree.

Book Review: Every Single Man's Battle

BOOK REVIEW

EVERY SINGLE MAN'S BATTLE
Staying on the Path of Sexual Purity
By Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker
Published by WalterBrook Press

Prior to marrying my prized wife, Emma, I read Every Man’s Battle. This was an influential book in my attempt at biblical manhood. I recommend that book to all men regardless of their situations in life (not necessarily young boys though). In Every Single Man’s Battle Arterburn and Stoeker offer another work in the same vein. It builds primarily on their previous work together, thus the reader may be best served by purchasing it as well.

Book Review: Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

BOOK REVIEW

DUG DOWN DEEP
Building Your Life on Truths that Last
By Joshua Harris
Published by Multnomah Books

What do you think you know about God? Is it true? Are you a Christian who doesn't really care about who God is? What about theology? Is it a foreign word that causes you to cringe when you read or hear about it?

Truth is, we are all theologians. We all have some kind of idea of who God is, even if that idea is that "he isn't." You see, what you believe about God, whether he exists or doesn't exist, whether he is good or evil, all powerful or completely weak, it is still theology. You have developed a doctrine about God that you think is right, or at least you may think it is most plausible.

Why Do Protestants and Catholics Have a Different Bible?

Reasons for Rejecting the Apocrypha or Deutero-Canonical Texts

Prior to reading further on in this post it is important that you first read this. Protestants and Catholics disagree on a number of doctrines, most of which are secondary in nature. While these issues are strong enough to cause a number of denominations to develop out of the Reformation, it should only be for the purpose of kindling better relationships with the one true catholic church which is all Christians united under Christ. Doctrines such as the canon of Scripture which I am about to discuss are of major importance, but they should not take priority over our fellowship and unity with brothers and sisters in Christ. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread,” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, ESV). We are all united under Christ into the body of believers which make up the one true church.