An affirming, concise religious introduction best suited for those new to Bible study.
A brief examination of Bible verses pertaining to love, joy, and peace.
Brownell begins each section of her debut Bible study with a dictionary definition of the subject at hand and then positions each concept within secular culture. She discusses love, for example, in terms of the free love of the 1960s, joy as it relates to temporary pleasures, and peace as the opposite of war. However, she soon discusses how readers can more deeply understand these concepts through studying Scripture. “The Bible shows love in a stronger context,” she writes, and she uses numerous Bible verses to help readers understand that context. Drawing primarily from Proverbs and the Gospels, for example, she uses descriptions of God’s love to show how people should be loving in their own relationships. Using examples from the Old Testament and the Psalms, she discusses the importance of finding joy through worship, even during hard times. Her treatment of the subject of peace is the shortest, citing multiple verses while urging readers to ask themselves several questions: “Do you have peace with God, with Jesus as your Savior? Do you have peace with God, knowing he is in control of your life? Do you have peace in your home and with those you fellowship with?” Brownell provides sections for note taking as well as lists of verses for further study. Readers who have recently started working through the Bible, perhaps even for the first time, will appreciate Brownell’s smooth, straightforward prose and concise conclusions. Her work provides an excellent springboard for further study, especially for those grappling with important biblical concepts and verses for the first time. That said, the book is extremely short given the broad topics it undertakes, and its analysis may not be deep enough for longtime students of the Bible.
An affirming, concise religious introduction best suited for those new to Bible study.Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5127-1518-7
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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