An intense series of incantatory prayers for Christian readers to ponder.
A debut author provides a divinely inspired prayer book for Christians.
Right out of the starting gate in his slim book Friedrich declares: “I am a spiritual messenger and gifted clairaudient.” He can, he informs his readers, hear voices from angels and has been having these and similar supernatural experiences since his childhood. He also mentions that in February 2017, he was contacted by Jesus directly, who told him he would shortly begin receiving messages from the archangel Michael and the Celtic deity Ogmios. The rest of the work consists of Friedrich’s transcriptions of the communications he received from these two over the course of the next two months; as Jesus informed the author, these would resonate with readers and grant them direction in their lives. Friedrich offers no explanation for why, once they started talking to each other, Jesus didn’t simply deliver these messages himself. In fact, the author after that point simply steps out of the way and lets Michael and Ogmios do all the talking, in the form of incantatory prayers presented as somewhat strident meditations on the Christian faith. Contrary to Jesus’ characterization, there’s actually very little in these prayers that would give direction to a life—instead, most of them consist of platitudes that supply a kind of satisfying directness. “Place your fear on one side of the scale / Place your conviction or All Mighty / God our Lord on the other,” Ogmios challenges. “To which will it tilt?” At one point, Michael asserts: “The angelic souls that whisper in the wind / Know the truths of All Mighty God. / They will assist you and bring forth signs.” Both Ogmios and Michael consistently urge the faithful to open their hearts to God—bracing exhortations that will be familiar to many of Friedrich’s readers from hearing them at weekly worship services from eloquent human sources.
An intense series of incantatory prayers for Christian readers to ponder.Pub Date: March 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5043-7728-7
Page Count: 74
Publisher: BalboaPress
Review Posted Online: July 3, 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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