Bookwi.se – Page 213 – A few thoughts about books, kindles and Christianity

Bookwi.se Reviewed Books on the Holy Spirit

January 9, 2012 by Adam Shields

Since Bookwi.se now has more than 400 book reviews, I felt it was time to start making the back catalogue a bit more useful. Over the next couple weeks I am going to add a series of topical books review summaries that highlight particular book subject areas. This will be a bit subjective and I plan to continually update these posts. At some point I will add a page that lists all of the subject areas to make it easier to browse. I am a topical reader. I tend to read at least 4 or 5 books in an area over a six month period before moving onto another areas. I want to make this useful for people, so if anyone has a suggestion about renaming the category (currently a very boring ‘Book Review Topical Index’) or suggestions for navigation I am very open.

Books Reviews Directly on the Holy Spirit

Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit by Clark H Pinnock

I think that the Holy Spirit is quite neglected, both in my own theology and in general among most Christians. Some Christians seem to have replaced the Holy Spirit with the Holy Scripture as the third member of the trinity. The book started out with one of the best theologies of the Trinity that I have ever read.

If you read one book on the Holy Spirit, this should be it.

Who is the Holy Spirit: A Walk with the Apostles by Amos Yong

Yong uses the paralellism of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles to look at how the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to work in the world. What is most interesting is the use of Luke and Acts to compare the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

The biggest problem of the book is that it is a little too wide ranging. It it were a bit more focused I think the argument would have been a bit better. There are times when Yong spends so much time talking about the work that the Holy Spirit is doing through the apostles that the Holy Spirit almost drops out of the picture. That being said, it is well worth reading.

Book Give Away

January 9, 2012 by Adam Shields

I have been cleaning up my house and decided that it is time to give away some books. Most of them I purchased and read before I stared Bookwi.se, a couple of them are review copies.

Here are the rules. Ask for the book(s) you want. Please only ask if you are going to read them. If you ask for more than one book, I would like you to post at least one review on Bookwi.se. Anyone is free to write up a short review (whether or not the book has been previously reviewed on Bookwi.se). I will pay for all shipping.

Here are the books:

Paul: In Fresh Perspective by NT Wright

January 9, 2012 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Paul is a formidable character and NT Wright believes he is often misunderstood.

Honestly I am not sure how to review this book. First, it is not new. I originally picked up a copy at a used books store four years ago and never got around to reading it. Christianaudio.com had a site wide sale and I picked up the audiobook.

I listened to this on and off over the past three weeks, so I did not give it the attention it really deserves. But this is really the last books that I have had on my NT Wright list before I start reading Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with NT Wright. I started it last year and felt I needed more background on NT Wright before I finished. Since then I have read 8 NT Wright books.

Got some books to give away

January 6, 2012 by Adam Shields

I have had a very nice Christmas break. I have not worked hardly at all and I honestly have not read all that much either. I misplaced my kindle somewhere (I lose pretty much everything, and usually it will turn up eventually.) Today my wife and I worked on cleaning out two closets and turning … Read more

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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