TruthBook Religious News Blog

January 11, 2010

Leading stepfamily and remarriage expert Ron L. Deal, along with counselor David Olson offer help, hope, and healing to remarried couples in their new book, The Remarriage Checkup (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group). In addition to their 35 years of experience, the book is also backed by research from the largest remarried study ever conducted. Using the world-renowned PREPARE/ENRICH program, Deal and Olson explore issues such as communication, finances, sexuality, stepparenting, and spirituality. By bringing experience and expertise together, The Remarriage Checkup gives couples the tools they need to build a remarriage that lasts a lifetime.

Minneapolis,MN (PRWEB) January 11, 2010 -- Nearly one-half of all marriages in America are remarriages for one or both partners. Of these, 60-70% will divorce, giving remarriages an almost 25% greater chance of failing than first marriages.
The Remarriage Checkup
The Remarriage Checkup

In a culture inundated with marriage manuals and relationship how-to books, why do remarriages continue to fail at such an alarming rate?

“No one is telling remarried couples that while many of their strengths are the same as those of first marriage couples, there are a number of unique issues that, if not managed well, can destroy a remarriage,” said Ron Deal, a marriage and family counselor and the leading stepfamily and remarriage expert.

Seeing a need, Deal teamed up with fellow counselor and expert David Olson to offer help, hope, and healing to remarried couples. Backed by 35 years of experience, their new book, The Remarriage Checkup (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group), is also backed by research from the largest remarried study ever conducted.

Boasting over 50,000 participating remarrying couples, the National Survey of Couples Creating Stepfamilies was commissioned by Olson, the founder of Life Innovations and the PREPARE/ENRICH program.

“We examined the profiles of over 100,000 people to discover the qualities that best predict highly satisfying relationships and the roadblocks couples must overcome in order to beat the odds of divorce,” said Olson. “Some of our findings will validate what you already know about successful relationships; others will surprise you.”

Please click on "external source" for the complete article

Labels: book review, David Olson, marriage, Ron L. Deal, The Remarriage Checkup

Permalink | Link to External Source Article

Saturday Afternoon Book Review

Saturday January 9, 2010

This is the first installment of what we hope will become a feature of this blog: a solid book review on Saturday afternoon. This review, by Marius Nel (pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church and a Research Associate in the New Testament department at the University of Pretoria in South Africa), is on Everett Ferguson's big book on baptism: Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries .

Baptism in the Early Church - History, Theology, and Liturgy in the first Five Centuries - Everett Ferguson

Reviewer: Marius Nel

Everett Ferguson's magnus opus is a comprehensive historical study of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christianity. Ferguson's focus is primarily on early Christian literary sources, though he also gives attention to the depictions of baptism (mostly of Jesus) in various art forms, as well as the architecture of a number of surviving baptismal fonts and baptisteries. He attempts to be as complete as possible for the first three centuries and "representatively comprehensive" for the fourth and fifth centuries (xix). The primary strength of Ferguson's excellent study is its comprehensive focus on all the available primary literature, while also surveying (chapter 1) and engaging (in numerous footnotes) the relevant secondary literature.

Part One covers the antecedents to Christian baptism. Ferguson begins with a discussion of Greco-Roman pagan washings for purification and the role of water in the Mystery Religions (chapter 2). He concludes that while the use of water as a means of purification was common in the religious activities of Greeks and Romans it did not fulfill the same religious role as in Christianity (25). Washings for example, were a preliminary preparation for the initiation into the Mystery religions, while it was the center of initiation into the church (29).

Chapter 3 focuses on the literal and metaphorical meaning of words from the Bapt-root in Classical and Hellenistic Greek usage. The verb Baptiz? literally meant "to dip" (usually referring to a thorough submerging of an object in a liquid). Metaphorically it meant "to be overwhelmed by something" (for example the influence of wine) (38, 59). Pouring and sprinkling were distinct actions that were represented by different Greek verbs.

Please click on "external source" for the complete review.

Labels: baptism, book review, early Christianity, Everett Ferguson, Marius Nel

Permalink |

Sunday, December 20, 2009

New book journeys into Peruvian perspective on spiritual healing, life and death

Gift of the Jaguar by John Franklin, with Sharon Franklin, combines the healing traditions of Peru with a spiritual story of self-discovery

LYNCHBURG, Va. (MMD Newswire) December 16, 2009 -- An ethnographical novel set in the Andes of Peru, Gift of the Jaguar by Drs. John and Sharon Franklin weaves the tale of a youth's passage into adulthood-with the help of one scary cat.

On the verge of his 18th birthday and ready to take on his own plot of land and the responsibilities that come along with it, Juan is still plagued by dreams of his older sister Marta, who died when he was a young boy. When a deadly, black jaguar begins to stalk him, Juan discovers a powerful connection to the creature that is both a threat and a symbol of his fear of death. The shaman grandfather of his love interest, Rosa, sends Juan on a journey to a holy peak in the Peruvian Andes to discover the truth about his sister and his destiny.

Kirkus Discoveries testifies, "...the Franklins write with a deliberate precision that recalls the simple rhetorical grace of Peter Matthieson-specifically The Snow Leopard, another story of spiritual growth that focuses on the pursuit of an elusive beast. This is high praise, for Matthieson is a modern master, and the Franklins might be on their way. Truly a gift."

Gift of the Jaguar is based on the Franklins' many trips to Peru, where they have traveled since the early ‘90s from their home near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. "From the Andean Mountains to the Amazon Rainforest, we've taken groups of health care professionals and others to work with native Peruvian healers," says John. "In Gift of the Jaguar, the reader can experience the healing traditions of an ancient culture from a contemporary perspective on mind-body-spiritual wellness."

Dr. Theo Paredes, noted cultural anthropologist and a native of Peru, says "many people have an understanding of the ancient teachings of Peruvian culture, but only a few truly embody their essence in the way that John and Sharon do."

Gift of the Jaguar is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Authors
Drs. John and Sharon Franklin, licensed veterinarians, sold their animal hospital in 1999. John has since become a certified practitioner of Zero Balancing and of Feldenkrais and Awareness through Movement. Sharon is a Gold Seal flight instructor and teaches the principles of wellness and financial success through an all-green health and wellness product company. The couple lives in Lynchburg, where they run a home-based business that explores the well-being of the body, mind and spirit.

This is an interesting new book, and by clicking on "external source," you will be able to view a video, and find out much more about this new book

Labels: book review, Gift of the Jaguar, John Franklin, Peru, Sharon Franklin

Permalink | Link to External Source Article

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Shack--Some Preliminary Observations - Book Review

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It isn’t often that a self-published book rises to the top of the bestseller lists. In fact it is so rare that when it does happen, we ought to stand back and take notice.

Several years ago William P. Young set out to write a story for his children. Some friends found out about the story and encouraged him to publish it. After being turned down by both secular and Christian publishers, he and his friends founded their own company to publish the book. Starting with an initial advertising budget of only $300, the book took took off for the stratosphere.

As of this morning, The Shack is currently #2 on the Amazon bestseller list. It is #1 in the Religion and Spirituality category (beating out Eckardt Tolle’s A New Earth at # 2), and #1 in the Christianity category, coming in ahead of Tim Keller, Gary Chapman, Rick Warren, C. S. Lewis, Jim Tressel (Ohio State football coach), Don Piper (author of 90 Minutes in Heaven), Joel Osteen, Tony Dungy, Randy Alcorn and John Eldredge. It is also #1 on the New York Times Paperback Trade Fiction bestseller list. “The Shack” has already sold over 1 million copies, and the number is rising daily.

That’s impressive, and take it from someone who’s been in the book writing business for a while, numbers like that are what authors dream about at night. And to have this happen for what is essentially a self-published book, well, that’s just plain amazing.

So what’s going on here?

I don’t propose to write a full-scale review, but I do want to offer some comments both on the book and its popularity. Clearly the author has touched a chord with many people. I’m wondering to myself what it all means and what we might learn from it.

So for the moment, here are three preliminary observations. First, the book is mostly about the question of how to maintain your faith in God in the face of unimaginable tragedy. It’s about a father’s virtual loss of faith after his daughter is abducted and murdered on a camping trip. Second, the “shack” in the story is both a literal and a metaphorical place. The shack is the place where the daughter was killed. It is also the place where the man returns to meet God. Third, the book attempts to paint a picture of the Trinity that emphasizes God’s love. I think that message resonates with many readers, especially those who have been deeply hurt. To be told that there is a God who loves you and is in fact quite fond of you (a phrase used several times in the book) even when your heart is filled with despair and confusion gives hope to many people. And taken in and of itself, that message is true and needs to be shared.

But the way in which that message is delivered matters almost as much as the message itself. And it is for this that “The Shack” has sparked so much controversy. I want to consider some of these issues in the next several days.

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com . Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.

Labels: book review, Dr. Ray Pritchard, faith, God, The Shack, tragedy, Trinity

Permalink | Link to External Source Article

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Book Review: DO YOU BELIEVE? CONVERSATIONS ON GOD AND RELIGION

DO YOU BELIEVE?
CONVERSATIONS ON GOD AND RELIGION
By Antonio Monda;
translated from the Italian by
Ann Goldstein
Vintage Books, 178 pages, $12.95
How artists & intellectuals view God

Reviewed by Cynthia D. Bertelsen

Born from a survey conducted in 2003 for La Repubblica newspaper, Do You Believe? Conversations on God and Religion contains brief interviews with members of America’s intelligentsia about “religion’s central place in existence.” The premise is promising, if these people are indeed those who subtly and subliminally shape America’s thought processes. Antonio Monda, a cultural critic and writer for the Italian publications La Repubblica and La Revista dei Libri, teaches at the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, Tisch School of the Arts, in New York City. A traditional Catholic, Mr. Monda states in his introduction that, “from the perspective of my own religion [Catholic, apostolic, Roman], I’ve always found less than convincing the position of those who recognize the existence of God and the divinity of Christ but dispute (or even have contempt for) the church.”

In Do You Believe? Mr. Monda works with a somewhat skewed sample, since he personally knows most of the final 18 interviewees. The interviews are arranged alphabetically by last name. The list includes Paul Auster, Saul Bellow, Michael Cunningham, Nathan Englander, Jane Fonda, Richard Ford, Paula Fox, Jonathan Franzen, Spike Lee, Daniel Libeskind, David Lynch, Toni Morrison, Grace Paley, Salman Rushdie, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Martin Scorsese, Derek Walcott and Elie Wiesel. Several others whom he asked to participate declined to be included in the book. Mr. Monda names no names, so the reader has no idea who self-selected themselves out of the sample.

The breakdown of religious affiliation among the interviewees is five Jews, one Catholic, five Protestants, three agnostics, three atheists and one Muslim verging on atheism.

Aside from the major question -- “Do you believe in God?” -- the questions asked of each interviewee vary widely, with a few exceptions. Mr. Monda asks most of the interviewees to comment on Dostoevsky’s statement, from The Brothers Karamazov, “If God doesn’t exist, then everything is permitted.” And several writers cite the work of Flannery O’Connor in response to another of Mr. Monda’s inquiries, “Are there writers who have confronted religious subjects whom you admire?” In response, only Mr. Rushdie mentions one of the people Mr. Monda includes in this book, Saul Bellow. Mr. Monda asks a majority of the interviewees to comment on their religious education and upbringing.

Some of the most intense interviews are those with film directors Spike Lee, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, actress Jane Fonda, and Elie Wiesel, the writer/philosopher and Holocaust survivor. Mr. Wiesel says, as does Mr. Monda at the beginning of the book, that, “In the end, the existence of God is the only true problem, in which all other problems are subsumed and minimized. At times, I think that we are always talking about God without realizing it.”

Mr. Monda reflects his personal beliefs in the question that he shoots back to Mr. Lynch, “What about that is different from St. Augustine’s ‘Noli foras ire, in te ipsum redi, in interiore homine habitat veritas (‘Go not about, retire within: Truth dwells in the inner man.’)?” Mr. Lynch replies, “Transcendental meditation is a mental technique that I practice twice a day; it allows each human being to dive into his own ego and reach pure consciousness and pure happiness. In St. Augustine, on the other hand, it’s all closely tied to Christian revelation.”

The interview with the late Grace Paley makes for diverting reading. The writer, an atheist, turns the tables on Mr. Monda, quizzing him about his beliefs even as he is trying to ask her about her own. “Do you think you are happier than I am?” she asks Mr. Monda. Ms. Paley’s parents were atheistic Jews from Russia, and while the 83-year-old writer tells Mr. Monda she has no longing for religion she mentions that in the last 10 years she’s started attending a synagogue in Vermont, not for religious reasons but to connect to her community.

There are intriguing moments in these interviews. But Mr. Monda’s goal -- to illustrate how religion and spirituality, or the lack of it, permeates the work of major players in America’s cultural life -- falls short. As a European, Mr. Monda is accustomed to intellectuals shaping public opinion. But the days when books, magazines and newspapers heavily molded American political thought and public opinion seem far away. Today Internet blogs, talk radio, television, music and film generally crowd out print media in terms of the general public’s choices for information.

Do You Believe? presents a number of important questions that individuals and discussion groups could use to explore their own thoughts on the subject of belief. But the one- or two-sentence answers given to these deep questions may fail to satisfy readers looking for something more profound. The brevity of the book and the large number of interviewees precludes the depth that a topic like God and religion demands. Reading these short, tightly edited interviews is like eating a low-fat serving of fish at 6 p.m., leaving one salivating over a TV ad for greasy pizza an hour later.

Labels: Americans, Antonio Monda, book review, celebrities, Cynthia D. Bertelsen, God, religion

Permalink | Link to External Source Article

Monday, February 04, 2008

Christianity: whence and whither

BOOK REVIEW

WAYNE A. HOLST
February 2, 2008

THE CHRISTIAN WORLD

A Global History

By Martin Marty

Random House, 262 pages, $28

The Christian World: A Global History, by veteran, much-feted University of Chicago church historian Martin Marty, tackles a formidable challenge. The author sets out to present the vast Christian story, covering key themes from 2,000 years, in a rich, multilayered narrative.

This is not a typical church history in terms of perspective. Marty weaves strategic narratives from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania with the "classic Christian story" written from Europe and North America. The result is a different kind of "global history" and to accomplish this in 250 pages is a real achievement. He saves the reader much time and effort having to sift through many volumes in order to gain the same results.

Neither is this primarily a book about the development of Christian thought. It focuses more on Christian deeds. Marty begins with Jesus and shows how, from the beginning, his followers sought to reflect and extend his work. Jesus, and the Christian faith that resulted from him, were formed in a Jewish ethos. Because of the unique, messianic "Jesus is Lord" confessions of his first followers, Jewish-Christian tensions quickly developed. Those stresses wax and wane over time, but they have persisted.

Christianity was born in the biblical lands of the ancient Near East and soon spread widely through Asia. Because Christianity emerged at a crossroads of humanity, its followers quickly dispersed into a variety of African and European cultures, living and sharing their faith in a great variety of ways.

Variety was both a blessing and a curse. It eventually became necessary to define clearly Christian understandings amid a confusion of interpretations. Creeds such as the Nicene (325 AD) were formulated. To identify and organize believers, ecclesiastical forms (often following familiar Roman and Greek political patterns) were created. Within three centuries, the faith had evolved from a minority Jewish sect into a growing religion on three continents.

From the start, Africa had an important influence on what constituted Christian belief. Many early challenges to the developing "orthodox" faith (like Gnosticism) were first engaged here. Then, after the seventh century, African Christianity was forced to yield much of its pride of place to Islam, an upstart rival religion. Isolated pockets of Ethiopian and Coptic believers survived as vestiges of a once more powerful Christianity. Africa was without significant Christian influence for more 1,000 years, until the arrival of colonialism and the missionaries.

Rome became the first major Christian power centre in Europe, and a rise of papal influence coincided with the decline of the Roman Empire. Soon Christianity expanded beyond that empire. In spite of its strength in Western Europe, the Roman form of the faith had grudgingly to cope with the existence of other Christian expressions, such as Orthodoxy in the east and Celtic Christianity on its western fringes.

North American Christianity was born in diversity, with mainly European roots, and it also treated its native peoples badly. Blacks, who came to North America as slaves, adopted the faith as their own and reframed it into a powerful message of liberation.

In recent times, Africa has re-emerged as a new heartland of Christianity and an important place to study its global future. The standard denominations thrive there, but a haunting question continues to be asked: "Why is Christianity better than what we had?"

Modern Asian Christianity remains a minority voice among older, revitalized eastern religions. Asian Christianity is gradually finding a natural home in the East and some of it offers the wider Christian world tested models for interfaith dialogue and peaceful co-existence with other faiths.

U.S. evangelicalism notwithstanding, stagnations characterize two-thirds of North American Christianity.

This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that old Christianities appear to be losing ground while Christian populations explode in new places. The faith has an intriguing habit of going into decline, then surging unexpectedly. China is a contemporary example of this.

Conversely, Christian ascendancy should not be assumed as if by right. Africa and Latin America provide examples of early growth followed by subsequent decline and later recovery.

Marty ends his historical survey with a brief reflection on the future and poses the query: "Now what?"

Many modern devotees seek a humbler, more peaceful and inclusive faith than in the past. They see this as reflecting the spirit of its founder.

Christian numbers have remained steady at about one-third of humanity for more than a century. "Irrepressible" is a good, descriptive term, Marty says as he looks for signs of hope.

Christianity, with all its frustrating contradictions and splendid diversity, has existed for two millennia. It is not going away. More than two billion people claim this faith today. Among them is evidence that the appealing spirit of Jesus lives on.

Wayne A. Holst teaches at the University of Calgary and at St. David's United Church in that city.

Labels: book review, Christianity, history, Martin Marty, Wayne A. Holst