An entertaining and thoughtful look at mediumship that will likely intrigue believers.
A spiritual medium recounts his experiences with the dead, expounding upon the joys and burdens of communicating with those in the afterlife.
Vliet states that, from a young age, he has been able to see the spirits of those who have died. In his memoir, he expounds on various elements of human life (“your body is the lightbulb, the spirit is the electricity, and the soul is the light”) and offers anecdotes from his own experiences honing his skills as a medium. The author reports that at one point his abilities briefly faltered during a particularly heartbreaking time in his life, because “mediumship is a heart-based activity. My trouble was that I had shut my heart down after so much loss.” He took mediumship classes from the JVP School of Mystical Arts, leading him to give a memorable reading on stage that quickly went awry. Through it all, Vliet asserts, he never stopped attempting to use his abilities to help others—even going so far as to seek out a woman in order to deliver a message from a particularly insistent spirit who began interfering with his daily life. Treating the existence of spirits as fact, the author does little to convince readers that they are real. This approach works just fine for a very specific audience—namely, those who already believe in a tangible afterlife. While the dialogue sometimes reads as wooden, Vliet’s narrative voice is pleasantly personal and straightforward, at times even touching upon poetic (“A miracle happened before us all—a beating human heart was un-breaking”). Readers will find much to think about when it comes to his theories on the process of passing on—such as his sense that “emotionally driven suicides go to a hospital on the other side [to] receive spiritual support they couldn’t get here.” Vliet ultimately presents his life as he believes and experiences it, offering readers the choice to take it or leave it.
An entertaining and thoughtful look at mediumship that will likely intrigue believers.Pub Date: May 4, 2025
ISBN: 9798282391442
Page Count: 253
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 10, 2025
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
A remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.
A duo of French mathematicians makes the scientific case for God in this nonfiction book.
Since its 2021 French-language publication in Paris, this work by Bolloré and Bonnassies has sold more than 400,000 copies. Now translated into English for the first time by West and Jones, the book offers a new introduction featuring endorsements from a range of scientists and religious leaders, including Nobel Prize-winning astronomers and Roman Catholic cardinals. This appeal to authority, both religious and scientific, distinguishes this volume from a genre of Christian apologetics that tends to reject, rather than embrace, scientific consensus. Central to the book’s argument is that contemporary scientific advancements have undone past emphases on materialist interpretations of the universe (and their parallel doubts of spirituality). According to the authors’ reasoned arguments, what now forms people’s present understanding of the universe—including quantum mechanics, relativity, and the Big Bang—puts “the question of the existence of a creator God back on the table,” given the underlying implications. Einstein’s theory of relativity, for instance, presupposes that if a cause exists behind the origin of the universe, then it must be atemporal, non-spatial, and immaterial. While the book’s contentions related to Christianity specifically, such as its belief in the “indisputable truths contained in the Bible,” may not be as convincing as its broader argument on how the idea of a creator God fits into contemporary scientific understanding, the volume nevertheless offers a refreshingly nuanced approach to the topic. From the work’s outset, the authors (academically trained in math and engineering) reject fundamentalist interpretations of creationism (such as claims that Earth is only 6,000 years old) as “fanciful beliefs” while challenging the philosophical underpinnings of a purely materialist understanding of the universe that may not fit into recent scientific paradigm shifts. Featuring over 500 pages and more than 600 research notes, this book strikes a balance between its academic foundations and an accessible writing style, complemented by dozens of photographs from various sources, diagrams, and charts.
A remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9789998782402
Page Count: 562
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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