A casual discussion of a lifelong journey of faith that many readers will find relatable and enlightening.
A personal work that details what one woman has learned from her belief in Christianity.
Jones begins her examination of her faith by recalling a memory of a large rock on her parents’ land. There, she first felt close to her childhood idea of Jesus and realized what his love meant for her life. She addresses general questions that readers may also have about Christianity, such as, “But doesn’t [God] have an entire universe to care for? There are more than seven billion people in the world today. How does He have the time for each of us?” Remembering the special place of her childhood, she constructs a metaphor to address such concerns: “[I]n my innocent, childlike faith, [the rock] was a place I could go to feel God’s presence….God is still ready to meet with me whenever I reach out to Him. I no longer need my big rock.” Each chapter follows this pattern, introducing a doubt or concern and then presenting Jones’ reasoning with personal examples that support her spiritual beliefs. From her feeling that a lost pocketbook was a direct message from God about tithing, to her husband’s decision to attend seminary, the author reviews many moments from her history as a Christian for the benefit of those struggling to better understand their own faith. She writes with clarity, plainly and directly addressing both her own questions and those that might plague others. She also carefully controls her tone so as to never come across as judgmental; she maintains the voice of a warm, knowledgeable, and inviting guide without ever coming across as presumptuous or overbearing. However, readers looking for highly precise treatments of specific religious concerns may find that her book has a frustrating lack of organization. Jones structures her work around broad notions, such as “protection” or “empowerment,” which makes some chapters feel like collections of vaguely associated anecdotes, Bible verses, and generalizations. Nevertheless, this remains an approachable, insightful book about the big questions facing modern Christians.
A casual discussion of a lifelong journey of faith that many readers will find relatable and enlightening.Pub Date: May 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1449794811
Page Count: 122
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2015
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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