A digestible interpretation of many scriptural tales and Christian beliefs.
Debut author Rutland offers a book of summations and commentary on various portions of the Bible.
Beginning with grand concepts, such as the omnipresence and everlasting nature of God (usually referred to in the text as “Awesome Sovereign”), this book goes on to explore more tangible stories of the Bible. It covers a lot of ground, from the story of Cain and Abel to the life of Jesus, with varying degrees of specificity. For instance, it recounts the story of Noah in detail, down to the individual animals that he put onboard his famous ark. Rutland writes in a contemporary style, including unadorned dialogue, as when God instructs Moses quite plainly to “return to Egypt to rescue my people, the Israelites, from slavery.” This easy-to-understand language helps to make otherwise dense biblical passages relatively breezy and comprehensible. Although readers will likely be familiar with many of the events described, such as the issuance of the Ten Commandments, the author also extends his explanations to more obtuse portions of Christian texts. For instance, the book clearly provides the reasoning behind why Jesus Christ decided to make a fig tree wither; it also says that the reason that Joseph isn’t mentioned in ancient Egyptian texts is simply because “Egyptian scribes rewrote history and changed Joseph’s name to the Egyptian name, Imhotep, to ensure the Egyptian people no longer remembered Joseph.” Some of the arguments here may not convince more skeptical readers, but they do provide an easily navigable text for those who share the author’s beliefs or are simply seeking to understand those who do. Although some simplifications may not satisfy those looking for more in-depth analyses, they still provide insight into core ideas of many modern Christians.
A digestible interpretation of many scriptural tales and Christian beliefs.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5049-7204-8
Page Count: 412
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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