Recently, someone on one of the message boards I frequent posed the question, "Why is the Salvation Army looked upon more favorably than other religioRecently, someone on one of the message boards I frequent posed the question, "Why is the Salvation Army looked upon more favorably than other religious charities?" The overwhelming consensus was that they have a mission to help people without judging them or preaching to them, and people felt that that was rare among Christian organizations these days.
There's More to Life than Making a Living Mastering Six Key Essentials on the Way to a Life of Significance is a charming little book that's has something to offer everyone looking for more in life than the 9 to 5 rut. Without a doubt, it is a Christian book, but only because the author is Christian. His advice is sound whether one is Christian or not. Jack C. McDowell worked with the Salvation Army for 40 years planning and executing fundraising campaigns. Often, he would help other organizations such as the YMCA, United Way, churches and at least one synagogue raise funds for their projects. He found that once a community saw the benefits of giving generously to outstanding causes, all organizations benefited.
My favorite segment of this book was his discussion of tolerance. McDowell eloquently emphasizes the necessity of what he calls "active tolerance" with personal experience. In his opinion, you should not only "live and let live" but you should actively seek out the opinions and advice of people you don't agree with, who you may not like, or may think are real losers. (No, he doesn't call anyone a loser.) Through active tolerance, you can gain a perspective that you may not have gained otherwise. To me, this is a true Christian attitude. How much more effective is it to engage people in ways that make them feel validated than to take a holier-than-thou attitude and let them know you think they're going to hell.
I strongly recommend this book for all Christians. Mr. McDowell personifies Christianity the way Jesus taught it. His life is about feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and clothing the needy. His live is about loving your neighbor as yourself and remembering that everyone is your neighbor, not just the people who are like you.
Now, I am going to make a little plug. I have a sum of money set aside in my wallet for the next Salvation Army bell ringer I see. It's not loose change or whatever dollar bills I happen to have. This past week, the work the Salvation army does has really been brought to the forefront of my consciousness. I hope you'll take a look at what they do and drop something in the next kettle you see to.
(By the way, my next two book reviews should be on The Shining and The Hero of Ages, neither of which should lead to religious introspection.)...more
Since joining GoodReads, my reading has become much more prolific and eclectic. Thanks to the reviews of the members here, I have been much more succeSince joining GoodReads, my reading has become much more prolific and eclectic. Thanks to the reviews of the members here, I have been much more successful at finding books that appeal to me and are worth my time. One of the books that I read this year as a result of GoodReads reviews was “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson. “Gilead” was one of the most profoundly moving books I have ever read. It touched my heart in a way that few books ever do. It spoke of faith and forgiveness in such a reverent manner. I may have to review my top-10 list and find a way to make room for “Gilead” on it.
The thing about “Gilead” is that it was a stand-alone novel. It had an ending that was natural and made sense. It left no room for a sequel. Robinson’s latest novel set in the Iowa town of Gilead, “Home”, is not a sequel. Instead, it is a parallel novel. It takes place in the same time period as “Gilead”, but is told from the point of view of the youngest Boughton child, Glory. Glory is a 38-year-old spinster who comes home to take care of her aging father. Some time after she arrives, her wayward brother, Jack, comes home after a twenty-year absence. “Home” examines the relationship that develops between Jack and Glory as they get to know each other and take care of their now-fragile father. Through Glory’s loving and accepting eyes, we get to see a side of Jack that is quite different from the person John Ames sees in “Gilead”.
I had a few problems with “Home”. Most importantly, Robinson chose to use an third person narrator for this story instead of letting Glory tell it in first person as John Ames did in “Gilead”. While the point of view is mostly Glory’s, Robinson lets herself comment on other character’s thoughts and feelings. It seems sloppy, especially when it happens mid-paragraph. It was also strange reading about Jack when I already knew a lot of his story from “Gilead”. I knew who Della was and why he hadn’t brought her with him. Knowing what I knew, it made his reactions to certain news stories make sense. However, he never once comes out and tells Glory the information he told John Ames in “Gilead” about Della. Glory doesn’t find out until the very end though a very implausible circumstance. It was very, very odd already knowing the story of Jack as “Home” is unfolding. That said, I really don’t think “Home” stands on its own the way “Gilead” did. I think if the reader hasn’t read the first novel, there is no way he or she is going to understand what is going on in this one. On the other hand, “Gilead” totally spoils “Home”. The whole thing is given away before the reader even picks it up. I also felt that I wanted to know more about Glory and the period between childhood and her return home. We get a bit of her story, but I would have liked it to have been more substantial.
I am giving “Home” three stars because it is beautifully written. The imagery is subtle but amazingly well done. I could see the Boughton house, garden and barn so clearly in my mind. The setting really came to life and almost became a character of its own. I liked that we got to see a bit of Lila Ames as a real person instead of an idealized wife and mother.
I’m going to end this review with a question that kept coming to my mind. Why did the Boughtons choose Glory as the name for their youngest daughter? The other girls were named Faith, Hope and Grace. In my mind, I kept thinking that the fourth girl should be named Charity, not Glory. I thought Glory was an unusual choice. ...more
Sometimes, verbs can be so inadequate. I really can't say that I "liked" The Violent Bear It Away A Novel by Flannery O'Connor. On the other hand, I cSometimes, verbs can be so inadequate. I really can't say that I "liked" The Violent Bear It Away A Novel by Flannery O'Connor. On the other hand, I can't say I "didn't like" it either. Maybe what I can say is that this book "moved" me, but in a negative way. Maybe the verb I want is "disturbed". Now, I do like reading books that make me feel something strongly, even if if that feeling is negative. This definite falls into that category.
I do have to say that I'm very, very glad that I have read short stories by Flannery O'Connor and that I was aware that she was a devout Catholic born and raised in the Bible Belt. If I hadn't known that she was Christian, I probably would have thought that this was an anti-Christian novel. The characters of the old man and the boy were so negative and so hateful, it would really seem that the message is that Christianity is about hate. It's quite clear that these two character's just don't understand what Christianity is about. The most telling statement is when the great-uncle says, "Who will be left when the Lord's mercy strikes?" Since when does mercy strike? Is mercy about violence? Interestingly enough, even though the old man talks about baptism, the resurrection of believers, and the cross; he never mentions Jesus Christ.
On the other side of the spectrum, we have the boy's uncle, the old man's nephew. He was kidnapped and baptized by the old man when he was a young boy and spent his teen and adult years rejecting everything the old man preached. He's not just an atheist, he's an anti-theist who sees it as his job to save his nephew from the old man's corruption. At first, we hope that he will provide the boy with a chance at being normal, but he is just as full of hatred as the old man and the boy. He has been corrupted by the old man's preaching of vengeance as much by rejecting it as the boy has been by accepting it.
Ultimately, this is a book about hate and misunderstanding faith. The meaning is clear in a scene fairly early in the book where the boy sneaks into a Gospel meeting and the uncle follows him and watches through the window. The little girl missionary who preaches is the only person in the book who gets Christianity right. She says:
"If you don't know what love is you won't know Jesus when He comes. You won't be ready. I want to tell you people the story of the world, how it never known when love come, so when love comes again, you'll be ready."
The fact that the atheist uncle and the prophesying boy have the same reaction to the girl's message says everything about how filled with hate they are and how alike they are despite their opposing beliefs. Even more telling is how the uncle reacts when he holds his young, mentally challenged son later in the story:
Without warning his hated love gripped him and held him in a vise. He should have known better than to let the child onto his lap.
The Violent Bear It Away A Novel is unrelenting in its negativity. The dysfunctional hatred these men share has horrific consequences. There is no redemption for any of them because they cannot and/or will not love. I was left very sad an depressed by this novel, but it did make me think. I feel richer for that....more
"The Faith" is a very basic primer in the basic tenets of the Christian faith. It's very readable, but a bit light. It does a terrific job of focusing"The Faith" is a very basic primer in the basic tenets of the Christian faith. It's very readable, but a bit light. It does a terrific job of focusing on the things that all Christians--Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant--have in common rather than the things that divide them. The author makes a strong case for the positive contributions Christianity has been making for the last 2000 years and how they are a direct result of living the Gospel.
Personally, I didn't learn anything new in reading this book. In his preface, Colson says:
Most professing Christians don't know what they believe, and so can neither understand nor defend the Christian faith--much less live it.
I read this back in the late Seventies or early Eighties. It was very compelling reading at the time. Lindsey was so convincing in what he was saying,I read this back in the late Seventies or early Eighties. It was very compelling reading at the time. Lindsey was so convincing in what he was saying, but it really was a bunch of bull. ...more
Not just for Lutherans, this book tells the story of Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation. It not only covers the foundations of LuNot just for Lutherans, this book tells the story of Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation. It not only covers the foundations of Lutheranism, it discusses the conflicting theologies amongst Protestants in Luther's day. This book is the most clear discussion of the Reformation I have ever read....more