Christian Retailing

Book Reviews CR April 2011 Print Email
Written by Production   
Thursday, 05 May 2011 03:23 PM America/New_York

Top Pick

RadicalTogetherRadical Together

David Platt

Multnomah Books

softcover, 192 pages, $14.99

978-1-601-42372-6

Christian Life

Platt—best-selling author of Radical, a call to authentic Christian living for the individual—turns his attention to the church in Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God.

As pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., Platt is in the process of working out the implications of the gospel in the local church. With that in mind, he examines six "essential" ideas, including that the gospel that saves us from working for our salvation in order to show our faith by our works, and that believers should be living—and longing—for the end of the world. 

Humbly admitting his own shortcomings, Platt acknowledges he and his church on the journey, too, but are experiencing some wonderful outcomes as members choose to adopt needy children, learn to make disciples and mobilize for ministry—no matter where in the world it may be.

Radical Together will be challenging and inspiring for pastors and believers committed to learning about God's plan for the local church, as well as fans of Platt's first book.  —Christine D. Johnson

 

Christian Life

ReviseUsAgainRevise Us Again

Frank Viola

David C. Cook

hardcover, 144 pages, $16.99

978-1-434-76865-0

Each life is a story, an unfolding narrative heavily molded by one's family of origin and environment. In reality, Viola asserts, an individual's script often works on an unconscious level and may not be aligned with God's best. Known for helping believers find a deeper Christian life, Viola urges readers to return to God's script in Revise Us Again: Living From a Renewed Christian Script.

The author focuses on 10 key areas, including how God speaks to believers and how the Holy Spirit works in followers' lives. Particularly interesting is Viola's discussion of "Christianeze," those Christian slogans and cliches that inhibit authenticity and mask the truth. He concludes with a reminder of the true gospel of the "new creation," pointing readers to 2 Cor. 5:17. 

Revise Us Again will challenge and refresh believers. Most importantly, it will help them solidify their identities in Christ by "putting off the old" and "putting on the new," as the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians.  —Brian Smith McCallum

 

WeirdWeird

Craig Groeschel

Zondervan

hardcover, 240 pages, $19.99

978-0-310-32790-5

Groeschel, senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and best-selling author of The Christian Atheist, offers another unusual title in Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working.

Asserting that normal people are often overwhelmed with the demands of everyday life and live with strained relationships, Groeschel is out to prove that running with the crowd isn't all its cracked up to be. Applying the principles of God's Word to modern-day issues, including time, money and sex, he invites the reader to follow the narrow path in their Christian walk—and be "weird."

Challenging readers to consider if they are living a normal life just to fit in, Groeschel invites them to turn and follow Christ. He describes what it means to be a believer, sharing his own struggles and revelations. 

This easy-to-read book has a youthful feel, and Groeschel often uses humor as he describes his own "weird" life. Weird will challenge any Christian, young or old, to re-evaluate his or her own lifestyle. —Adela L. Diaz

 

Fiction

AnEyeforGloryAn Eye for Glory

Karl Bacon

Zondervan

softcover, 368 pages, $16.99

978-0-310-32202-3

In a historical novel timed for the sesquicentenary of the start of the Civil War, first-time author Bacon gives a first-person account of the frontlines of battle in An Eye for Glory: The Civil War Chronicles of a Citizen Soldier.

Told through narration and letters, An Eye for Glory follows Connecticut shopkeeper and family man Michael Palmer, who, feeling a moral duty, enlists in the Union army despite his wife's objections. He fights at Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, where his lifelong buddy dies. Outraged, he kills a Confederate soldier at Gettysburg with excessive malice and feels he has lost his soul. After the war, at his wife's urging, he returns the soldier's Bible to his widow and experiences the true depth of God's grace.

Michael's journey of descent and redemption unfolds slowly and seems almost a subplot to the narrative of the larger war. Still, with attention to detail, An Eye for Glory offers an engaging look at the everyday experiences of Civil War soldiers. —John Leatherman

 

TheDeepestWatersThe Deepest Waters

Dan Walsh

Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 304 pages, $14.99

978-0-800-71980-7

Just married, Laura and John Foster are excited about their future together. On their way back East aboard the steamship SS Vandervere, where John will be reunited with his family to introduce his lovely bride, a hurricane brews in the Atlantic, destroying the ship they are on and leaving little hope.

Fearing her husband's death, Laura struggles with how God could be so cruel as to put someone so wonderful as John in her life only to remove him so soon. But facing an unknown future, she bears witness to the miracle-working hand of God and His faithfulness to turn tears into joy.

Inspired by real-life events from 1857, where God did bring about one miracle after another, The Deepest Waters reminds the reader that even in hopeless situations, God is still at work. Walsh's emotional work matches the compelling storytelling of best-selling romance author Nicholas Sparks. —Heidi L. Ippolito

 

Relationships

ProjectDadProject Dad

Todd Cartmell

Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 224 pages, $12.99

978-0-800-71999-9

"God made me to be a great dad." That is the thought that Cartmell, father of two and licensed clinical psychologist, wants his readers to begin with in Project Dad: The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide for Becoming a Great Father. 

With this groundwork in place, Cartmell proceeds with practical, biblical advice that is generously seasoned with tongue-in-cheek humor that dads will appreciate.

The book is organized into five key areas, each of which Cartmell links to a body part: eyes, mouth, heart, hands and feet. Throughout the book, readers will discover the significance of these body parts as they learn God-honoring ways to look at, talk to, connect with, act toward and lead their children.

Thankfully, Cartmell is quick to differentiate between being a great dad and being a perfect dad. Encouraging his readers to admit their mistakes and seek God for growth, he takes them on a journey of faith that will benefit fathers and their families.—Dave Stuart Jr.

 

Theology

Love-WinsLove Wins

Rob Bell

HarperOne

hardcover, 224 pages, $22.99

978-0-062-04964-3

Best-selling author and pastor Bell trades his to-date Zondervan home for its parent-company's broader religion imprint in Love Wins, a book some will see as similarly taking him from familiar evangelicalism to more open-ended spirituality.

Though he never uses the word "universalism," it is a summary—and judgment—likely to be made as he presents what is subtitled, "A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived."

Many will disagree with some of his reflections, which seek to rise above simple "in or out" pronouncements, but they also may be stretched in their understanding of what the Bible means when it talks about eternity, heaven and hell.

While pointing to what he sees as the church's "long tradition of Christians who believe that God will ultimately restore everything and everybody," Bell's trademark reflectiveness and wonder at the immensity of God's love ultimately emphasizes the importance of how people's view of the hereafter shapes their lives in the here and now.  —Andy Butcher