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. 

The True Meaning of Sola Scriptura

I have recently been involved in discussions with Catholics about the Protestant belief in Sola Scriptura. In case you are not familiar with the phrase, it translates from Latin as “scripture alone.” There is a misconception held by Catholics of what this means for Protestants.

First, it does not mean that the only truth is Scripture. What do I mean by this? There are plenty of truths found outside of Scripture. The Bible is concerned about revealing God (Jesus) and who he is. Scripture’s primary concern is not science, math, psychology or any other field though it touches on every subject one could imagine.

Journey to Christmas: For Five Strangers, the Nativity is Now Reality

REVIEW: Journey to Christmas, DVD
Tyndale House

Some wonder about the truth behind Christmas. Not Santa Claus, but the Nativity. Either the Christmas story is true, or millions of Christians have been misled and believe a completely demented lie. This small group study, Journey to Christmas, seeks to answer the questions behind Christmas. Five people take a journey through the Middle East, walking in the footsteps of Christ witnessing firsthand how people lived during Jesus' time.

Abbie Hoffman: What Can Christians Take from His Life?

Abbie Hoffman was a character of the 1960s who stirred up controversy beyond what most dream of. You could say he did just to do it. Some of Hoffman’s actions had no true purpose behind them, primarily what he did as a youth. What can Christians learn from Hoffman though?