A bracingly clear and forceful exposition of Christian philosophy.
A pointedly detailed examination of what it means to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Hazelip’s compact and pointed nonfiction debut dissects what he calls “startling and liberating news of the gospel” by anatomizing the mission and message of Jesus. He focuses on the essence of faith-based salvation and repeatedly echoes the principal tenets of Jesus’ teachings: “Whoever you are and whatever you have done or failed to do,” Hazelip writes, “there is available to you a way filled with purpose, hope, love, joy, and peace.” In the process of explaining this way, Hazelip distills the priorities of the Christian message into 12 principles, starting with predictably conservative dicta, such as “Love God above all else—consider Him in all that you do,” and then branching into more contemporary-sounding sentiments, such as “Lovingly confront and address relational conflict,” and “Don’t make a show of your religion or bring attention to your own good deeds.” The nature of Jesus’ teachings is thus bullet-pointed in ways that both lifelong Christians and newcomers to the faith will find to be thought-provoking. Hazelip draws particular attention to the core of selflessness in Jesus’ creed, the “self-defeating nature of being judgmental,” and “doing what we can and using whatever we have, no matter how much or little,” to reflect one’s love of God through service to others. The book’s more theoretical passages are anchored by anecdotes from the author’s own life—day-to-day vignettes that ground his elaborations on what he refers to as the “hopeful step into the unknown” that is religious faith. The backbone of these passages is Hazelip’s assertion of the loving omnipotence of the Christian God, who “will see our true intentions, even if others do not.” The overall result is a handbook that reads as a fresh, insightful, and essentially optimistic summation of the heart of Jesus’ teachings.
A bracingly clear and forceful exposition of Christian philosophy.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-7018-6
Page Count: 110
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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