Bookwi.se – Page 204 – A few thoughts about books, kindles and Christianity

Movie “Red”, Spy Thrillers and a Deal

January 4, 2012 by Adam Shields

I watch the movie Red tonight with my wife. I really like spy thrillers, especially the post-cold war spy thrillers. I find it interesting that from multiple angles, different story-tellers are staring to deal with the retirement of those wet-work spies from the late cold war or near term post-cold war. Red is a fun (not all that serious) movie. The bad guys are using the government for their own personal gain. And the retired good guys have to stop them.

It was a decent movie. But if you like a good spy novel that deals with some overlapping themes here are a few I recommend. (Links are to my reviews).

Once a Spy and Twice a Spy – both are about a retired spy that has developed Alzheimer’s. No one know what he is capable of and what he remembers. There is real humor and some real issues with both aging and Alzheimers and spy masters.

I Am A Follower: The Way, Truth and Life of Following Jesus by Leonard Sweet

January 3, 2012 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: “We have been told our entire lives that we should be leaders…but the truth is that the greatest way to create a movement is to be a follower and to show others how to follow. Following is the most underrated form of leadership in existence.”

I am completely convinced of the basic thesis of this book. The evangelical church in particular, is too focused on leadership, organization and numbers. What we should be focused on is following, discipleship and modeling faith.

Len Sweet gives a good defense of why our focus on leadership actually counters the gospel (that Jesus Christ is King and Lord of all). Sweet does not suggest we should have anarchy, but that we need to focus on Christ (and not any other human) as our one true leader. All others are just ‘first followers’.

One of the metaphors (about how a duck imprints on the first moving thing they see, not necessarily their mother or father) that Sweet uses at the end I think really focuses on the problem of why we need to make sure we are following Christ and not others.

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Not Really a Review of The Origin of the Bible edited by Philip Comfort

January 2, 2012 by Adam Shields

With the new Kindle Lending Library, you can borrow one book from Amazon per month if you are a Amazon Prime Member.

I have decided that I am going to experiment with books that I might not otherwise read. But I am also going to take advantage of the 1 book per month rule and if I have not finished it the book is going back to Amazon.

So I returned The Origin of the Bible at the end of December even though I only read about a quarter of the book. I often spend two or three weeks reading a book because I read between 5 and 7 books at a time. I am going to try to read a few less books at once, but that is just part of my reading style.

I just did not get into this book. I was looking for a traditional defense of the theology of scripture. This book does that, but I was unconvinced. I am convinced that scripture is important and that we as Christians need to be seeped in it. But I think debate over the term inerrency is missing the point. NT Wright’s book on scripture was right, scripture has authority because God has authority, and it is his word.

2012 Reading Priorities

January 1, 2012 by Adam Shields

I am mostly a ‘Read by Whim‘ reader. But that does not mean that I do not make plans about what I want to read. While I may change my mind, these are my plans over the next six months or so.

I have really enjoyed my six months just reading Luke. I have read about 8 books that have been directly or indirectly on the book of Luke. When I finish up my current commentary I will be moving on to six months on John. I am still looking for books, but I have already picked up (or had) RC Sproul’s commentary on John, The Historical Reliability of John’s Gospel by Craig Blomberg, Metzger’s commentary When Love Comes to Town: The Gospel of John and NT Wright’s two volume John for Everyone

Complete 2011 Books of the Year List

January 1, 2012 by Adam Shields

Here is the Complete Books of the Year 2011 List (with Honorable Mentions). In reverse alphabetical order by name of author.

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber

I read a number of good memoirs this year (Brennan Manning, Eugene Peterson, Ian Cron, etc.) but Surprised by Oxford was my favorite. A beautifully written book about a student finding God while studying literature in Oxford. If you like books about books and memoirs that are as much about ideas as timeline, than you will like this. I also highly recommend Ian Cron’s Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me. I had a hard time deciding which I liked better. Cron’s book was very good and I really recommend it as well.

The Good, Mildly Frustrating and Bad About the Kindle Fire

December 30, 2011 by Adam Shields

I have not purchased a Kindle Fire for myself. I have a Kindle with Keyboard and an iPad so I did not feel the need to buy a Kindle Fire. But my Mother got one for Christmas, so I have spent a good bit of time over the last week playing with it, helping her use it and getting a good overall impression of its good and bad.

Conclusion

I will start with the end. If you have an iPad you will not want to buy a Kindle Fire. But if you would like a small tablets to watch videos, surf the web, do some occasional reading and play games, the Kindle Fire is a very good option.

The Good

The screen is quite good. I watch some videos and they were sharp and clear. It is a bit reflective but I did not think any more reflective than the iPad. It will be hard to read in direct sunlight, but that is true with any LCD screen.

The interface is easy to use and the cover-flow idea works for people that are new to tablets. I think it is easier to use than the standard Android system, especially for new users.

The speakers are mobile speakers, so you can’t expect huge sound, but they are sufficient.

The 7-inch size is much better for reading than the iPad. If you are going to have an LCD screen (I really prefer eink for reading, see below) I think the 7 in size is the most natural.

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Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir by Carolyn Weber – 2011 Books of the Year

December 30, 2011 by Adam Shields

Summary: Girl finds God at Oxford in one of the most beautifully written memoirs written in recent years.

Memoirs are an increasingly popular form. Especially since Donald Miller, the memoir seems to have found a new life by showing how a person found God. In many ways, this is just an updating of the traditional testimony that has been, and in some churches still is, a common part of the church liturgy. I have read a lot of memoirs over the past few years. Many of them quite good. But none were as well written and literary as Surprised by Oxford.

Carolyn Weber grew up in London, Ontario. Child of divorced Hungarian immigrants, she had to work hard to make it through high school and college while working to support herself and family and making excelling grades. Caro, as she was known, won a full scholarship to study literature at Oxford. She eventually received her masters and doctorate from Oxford and now is a professor of literature.

Economics of Good and Evil: The Quest for Economic Meaning from Gilgamesh to Wall Street by Tomas Sedlacek

December 27, 2011 by Adam Shields

Economics of Good and Evil: The Quest for Economic Meaning from Gilgamesh to Wall Street Takeaway: We have begun to think that modern capitalism is the only right way to think about economics. This book tracks how economics has been thought of throughout history and calls us to rediscover some of what has been lost.

Very few book do I read that just surprise me by their originality. The Economics of God and Evil is one. Sedlacek is a Czech Economist, journalist and Economic Advisor to the first Czech President after the fall of communism. This book was originally written and published in Europe (and was adapted as a theater piece) before being reworked and now published in the US.

Few really well documented books (footnotes are about a third of most pages) also clearly explain fairly academic subjects as well as this book does.

The concept is that Sedlacek traces several texts that show how we have thought of economics in history. These include the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Old Testament, Ancient Greece Philosophy, Christianity and New Testament, Descartes, Mandeville (who I had no concept of) and Adam Smith. He showed how the concepts of economics were different under each of these worldviews and how they influenced the rise of Western Thought about economics. Throughout he gives hints about places where he thinks that modern economics may have ventured away from what might be a better explanation.

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2011 by Adam Shields

This is a scan of our actual Christmas card (I need a new scanner). I really do hope you have a very nice Christmas. We have received more positive comments from this card than any we have ever done. It was my wife’s idea and I think people enjoy it so much because it is … Read more

Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch – 2011 Books of the Year

December 24, 2011 by Adam Shields

This is the one of the first books I read in 2011. And it actually came out in 2010, but still I think it is a book that more people need to read. The evangelical church needs to recover a sense of secular vocation and Culture Making presents that better than most that I have read. Andy Crouch is one of the most innovated thinkers of the modern Evangelical world and his new project with Christianity Today on the City and the Church continues to show that. You can see the roots of Culture Making in his current project. ~~Culture Making is currently on sale for $3.99 on kindle, so pick it up.~~

Cover of "Culture Making: Recovering Our ... — Cover via Amazon

Takeaway: If you work in a creative field inside or outside the church and you have not read this book, you are doing yourself a disservice.

It is common for me to recommend books that I am currently reading. After all they are in my head, I am thinking about them. I think everyone else should be thinking about them so I can talk about the ideas that are in them. But this is a book that I honestly think most Christian need to read.