A well-paced, if unevenly executed, guide that offers straightforward fundamentalist Christian ideas.
Lake finds self-help advice in the teachings of the Bible in this debut work.
Life is full of difficulties, notes the author—even for Christians who’ve put their faith in God: “We are not promised an easy life because we are believers,” he writes in the first chapter of this spiritual guide, adding that “Sometimes the negative events of life can discourage us. Sometimes our own minds become our worst enemies.” Even so, God has armed Christians with the Bible, he asserts, which contains many useful principles to help stave off uncertainty and fear. After offering a quick, six-page summary of the Old and New Testaments, Lake describes how one may employ their principles to lead a more “meaningful life.” He demonstrates this by telling the story of a man named John—a nominal Christian who doesn’t take the Bible literally and who’s generally unsure about many aspects of life. As John explores religion—largely through trial and error—he eventually discovers what Lake earlier calls the “unchangeable truth of the Word” and finds fulfillment in the love of God. Along the way, the author addresses theological issues (such as what grace is, and why it’s important), existential concerns (the purpose of life, the nature of choice), and practical ideas regarding marriage and higher education, among other topics. Lake’s prose is clear and plainspoken, and the book moves along at a pleasant pace as he mixes his spiritual ideas with the warm language of the self-help genre: “A truly successful life requires focus and determination. Life is a game of focus. Sin breaks focus. The many distractions of life in this world break focus.” The author’s worldview is quite conservative, however, which may limit his potential readership; for example, he doesn’t believe in evolution, condemns extramarital sex, and is critical of “much of what is routinely acceptable on television and in the movies.” Also, his unsubtle allegory involving John, his tendency to describe Christianity in terms of war, and his frequent mentions of Satan give some of his advice a prickliness that makes it less persuasive.
A well-paced, if unevenly executed, guide that offers straightforward fundamentalist Christian ideas.Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-973649-97-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2019
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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