Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola & George Barna

The subtitle reads Exploring the Roots of our Church Practices.

The book starts out in the first chapter by asking the question - Have we really been doing it by the book? In the other eleven chapters Viola and Barna document from early historical sources their findings that contemporary church life, ministry and structure have little or no Biblical basis. They point out how many of our current church practices are borrowed from pagan Greek and Rome culture.

You may not agree with all the conclusions of these authors but much of what they say should give us a reason to assess the scriptural foundation of our current church practices.

The author Frank Viola follows up this book with another book called Reimagining Church. In this book he presents what he calls Organic Christianity an alternative way of doing Church. This is an excellent book much more positive than Pagan Christianity.

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Super Heroes and Philosophy

One of the most striking pop culture developments today is the Superhero story. First depicted in Marvel and D.C. comic books now presented on the big screen. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the X-Men, all of these Superhero stories have become part of our cultural language. Not only are these stories full of action, adventure and suspense but they also present deep philosophical themes and ideas to the viewer. Interesting and important questions faced by all human being. Questions regarding ethics, personal and social responsibility, justice, crime, punishment, personal identity, destiny, the meaning of life, family, virtue and many other important questions. These superhero stores raise these questions.

 This is volume 13 in a series of books on Popular Culture and Philosophy. The book is a series of essays written by multiple authors.

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Is God Anti-gay? By Sam Allberry

The subtitle reads and other questions about homosexuality, the Bible and same-sex attraction.

This book attempts to answer many of the questions the Christian has about homosexuality and same-sex attraction.

The book begins with a look at God’s original design for mankind and then examines what the Bible says about homosexuality. How the Christian responds to this subject is important. The Church has not done well in addressing this subject in the public forum. The LGBTQ community has felt deep rejection by the Christian Church seeing Christians as people who are harsh, hateful and judgmental. The Christian must learn to be more careful and sensitive in their discussion and dealings with the LGBTQ community. The book talk about responding sensitively to those who experience feelings of Same Sex Attraction (SSA).  The Church must be a place of love and grace for all people including the homosexual.

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Demons by Michael S. Heiser

The subtitle reads What The Bible Really Says About The Powers Of Darkness.

Heiser debunks many of the popular beliefs about the powers of darkness. He elaborates on what the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism and the New Testament teaches on this subject pointing out the connects between the Old and New Testament views.

The book is divided into four sections: (1) Deals with the Biblical vocabulary for the powers of darkness found in the Old and New Testament. (2) Examines the powers of darkness described in the Old Testament and in second temple Judaism looking at what Heiser calls the three divine rebellions which helped proliferate evil in the world. (3) Elaborates on the powers of darkness defined in the New Testament pointing out the correlation and development of these beliefs from the Old to New Testament. (4) Deals with common questions and misconceptions surrounding the powers of darkness.

Heiser offers a unique perspective on this subject.

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Fight by Craig Groeschel

The subtitle reads Winning the Battles That Matter Most.

Groeschel talks about the battles we face as Christians using the Old Testament story of Samson as an example throughout the book.

The book is divided into five sections (1) Fight Like a Man – God created man to be a warrior, we are itching for a fight, God has planted a divine desire in us to fight for righteousness. (2) Strong Men With Weak Wills – Samson had unique God given abilities but a dangerously weak will. (3) Spirit-Led Not Emo Driven – We get into trouble when we allow our emotions to drive our actions instead of following God’s guidance. (4) Small Steps Big Destruction – men don’t ruin their lives all at once they ruin them one small step at a time. (5) Failing Forward – When we face failure, we can choose between two responses: remorse and repentance. We can blame ourselves; we can blame others or we can take responsibility for our choices.

Great insights from Samson story.

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The Battle for the Keys by Justin W. Bass

The subtitle reads Revelation 1:18 and Christ’s Descent into the Underworld.

Chapter One – Many of the early Christian writers affirm Christ’s descent into Hades and spoke about it frequently in their writing.

Chapter Two – It is virtually unanimous that in the O.T., Greco-Roman world, and during the Intertestamental period that all mankind descended to Sheol/Hades.

Chapter Three – To possess keys in the ancient world was symbolic for possessing authority and power.

Chapter Four – Explores the different compartments of the underworld. Death, Hades, Paradise, the Lake of Fire, Hell, Tartarus and the Abyss.

Chapter Five – Is an exegetical discussion the fundamental passages in the New Testament concerning the Descent of Jesus into Hades.

Chapter Six – Death and Hades are seen as personified in Rev. 1:18. Christ has stripped Satan of his power and authority over Death and Hades, Christ alone possesses that power.

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Reading Moses Seeing Jesus by Seth D. Postell, Eitan Bar, and Erez Soref

The subtitle reads How the Torah Fulfills It’s Goal In Yeshua

These authors speaking from Jewish eyes point out that the Torah anticipates man would break the law of God which leads to death and the only remedy for the breaking of the law is the Messiah. What the apostle Paul taught in his New Testament Epistles about the Messiah and the law is in fact what the Torah is saying. The Old Testament itself teaches that the law cannot save us only the Messiah can save us.

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The Case For Easter by Lee Strobel

The subtitle read A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Resurrection.

This book examines three major evidences for the death and resurrection of Jesus.

First, did Jesus really die or was the resurrection a hoax? Strobel interviews Dr. Alexander Metherell a prominent physician who has extensively studied the historical, archaeological and medical data surrounding the death of Jesus. The evidence supports that Jesus did die as a result of crucifixion.

Second, was the body of Jesus really absent from his tomb? Strobel interviews Willian Lane Craig considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on the resurrection of Christ. He argues that there is conclusive proof that the tomb was vacant on the first Easter Sunday morning and offers compelling proof for the resurrection of Jesus.

Third, was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross? Strobel interviews Gary Habermas the author of seven book on the subject of the resurrection of Jesus. Habermas talks about the compelling eye witness testimony of those who saw the resurrected Jesus after his death on the cross.

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iGods by Craig Detweiler

The subtitle reads How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives.

Technology may both improve and complicate our lives, this book will give us some insight into how this is true.

Chapter 1 attempts to define technology and how our relationship with technology may alter our understanding of our world and God.

Chapter 2 looks at Steve Jobs, the Macintosh computer and the cult of Mac.

Chapter 3 give us a brief history of the internet and how it changed the world.

Chapters 4 & 5 looks at the history and influence of Amazon and Google.

Chapter 6 & 7 examines the social network and our frenemy, Facebook - how we have surrendered personal information in order to connect with friends.

Chapter 8 explores You-Tube, Twitter and Instagram.

The concluding chapter considers where the drive for smaller, faster and smarter gadgets is taking us.

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Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

The subtitle reads Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul.

This is an older book published in 2001 that talks about the recovery and release of a man’s heart, passion and nature. The first part of the book examines the nature of the masculine soul, a man needs a battle to fight, he needs something and someone to fight for. The second part of the book talks about the wounds that come to a man though life and the subsequent healing that God provides. These wounds nearly always come from a father and of course our healing comes from God the Father. The third part of the book looks at the battles engaged by the masculine soul. A man looks for validation, for without it he doesn’t know who he is and what he’s here for. God provides this validation. The final part of the book talks about living a life of adventure and purpose “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

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Men of the Bible by D.L. Moody

A classic book written by D. L. Moody examining the life and character of men in the Bible. Moody investigates how God shapes and deals with these men using them for His purpose. The book looks at Abraham, Moses, Naaman, Nehemiah, Herod, John the Baptist, the man born blind, the penitent thief and Joseph of Arimathea.

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The World Turned Upside Down by Michael S. Heiser

The subtitle reads Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things

This book is based on the 2016 Netflix T.V. serious called Stranger Things. To date 2020 there are 3 seasons of Stranger Things with a fourth season to be released in the future.

Michael Heiser says “the good news of the gospel can be found as we reflect on the insightful, artful storytelling of Stranger Things.”

The story of the gospel is framed by a supernatural worldview. The same is true of Stranger Things. In this story there is the looming threat of a malevolent, otherworldly intelligence that seeks the destruction of all that the characters we hold dear in this story. A lot of the material in Stranger Things is analogous to the Bible’s story of God’s desire for a human family and of the supernatural agents bent on its failure.

Family is the heart of Stranger Things from Eleven’s forlorn, isolated existence, to the relentless search for Will, to Hopper’s tragic loss, every character in the story shows a yearning for companionship and the secure of a family. The Demogorgon and the unearthly overlord of the Upside Down aim to destroy these characters through violence, deception and manipulation. These threats draw the heroes together, because they cannot defeat evil by themselves.

At the end of season 1 Eleven conquered the horrific Demogorgon and saved her friends but at a very high cost. Eleven is the Christ figure in this story. In the opening of season 2 the kids in the party are resigned to the loss of Eleven except for Mike. The powers of darkness refused to surrender to their defeat by Eleven in season 1, the hellish gate had been closed but all was still not well in Hawkins. The final scene of season 2 leaves the viewer with hope that Eleven would return.

The goal of the book is to discern the elements of Stranger Things that make us think about the story of Jesus and God’s salvation plan.

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The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer

Volume 1: Ancient Times – From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor.

Volume 2: The Middle Ages – From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance.

Volume 3: Early Modern Times – From Elizabeth the First to the Forty-Niners.

Volume 4: The Modern Age – From Victoria’s Empire to the End of the USSR.

The Story of the World covers many of the historical persons, places and events on every continent throughout human history from ancient times to the present. These books are designed to be read aloud by parents (or grandparents) to elementary-school children. Each volume contains 42 chapters and each chapter contains two historical stories.

I began reading volume 1 to my granddaughter and as I read ahead, I couldn’t put it down, I then ordered the other 3 volumes and read them as well. Even though these volumes are written for elementary-school children there is much an adult can learn from The Story of the World.

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The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone

A book about race and religion in America.

The Cross and the lynching tree are separated by 2,000 years but there is a relationship between the two. The cross is the universal symbol of the Christian faith, the lynching tree is a symbol of black oppression in America. They both symbolize death but the cross represents a message of hope and salvation while the lynching tree represents a message fear and white supremacy.

Everyone in the white evangelical Church should read this book. It contains a view point the Church needs to hear.

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Think Christianly by Jonathan Morrow

The subtitle reads looking at the intersection of Faith and Culture

As Tim Keller says “There is no more crucial issue facing us today than the relationship of the Church and the gospel to contemporary culture.” This book is about engaging the world and the culture, we live in. Each chapter of the book contains an in-depth discussion about a specific aspect of contemporary culture including an interview with an authority on the subject and a list of resources for each topic considered. The book examines topics such as Jesus, the Bible, truth, tolerance, relativism, sexuality, social media, injustice, faith in the public square, faith & science, bioethics and stewarding God’s creation.

How can Christians make the case for Christian marriage in a culture that thinks Christians are backward, bigoted and intolerant? Is it reasonable to believe that Christianity is actually true anymore? Why is the next generation not embracing the Christianity of their parents? There are many questions this book addresses that every informed Christian should think about.

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Prayer by Timothy Keller

The subtitle reads Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God.

This book is divided into five parts. Part one deals with the necessity and importance of prayer. Part two talks about prayer as both a conversation and an encounter with God. Part three looks at what Augustine, Martin Luther, Calvin and Jesus taught about prayer. Part four drills down further into prayer viewing it both as a conversation and an encounter. Prayer as a conversation includes meditation in God’s Word the listening aspect of prayer. Prayer as an encounter includes experiencing the presence and reality of God as we seek God’s face. The final part of the book deals with doing prayer. Keller talks about praise, repentance, forgiveness and petition – asking God for help. The final chapter deals with the practice of daily prayer.

Keller book on prayer is theological, devotional and practical.

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The Case For Miracles by Lee Strobel

The subtitle reads A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural.

Strobel begins Part one of the book by interviewing Dr. Michael Shermer a skeptic looking at the case against miracles.

In part two of the book Strobel interviews Dr. Craig Keener an expert on the subject of miracles. They explore Biblical and historical miracles as well as looking at documented modern miracles.

Part three of the book is comprised of two interviews one with Dr. Candy Gunther Brown who weighs in on the STEP study which examines the effects of prayer and Tom Doyle who talks the miraculous dreams and visions of Jesus experienced in the Muslim world.

Part four of the book is two more interviews one with Dr. Michael G. Strauss who talked about the fine-tuning of the universe and the miraculous embedded in nature which points to God as creator. The second interview is with J. Warner Wallace a cold case detective who talks about the evidence of the resurrection.

The last part of the book part five includes two interviews one with Dr. Roger E. Olson who talks about the de-emphasis of the supernatural amongst American evangelicals who seem to be embarrassed by the supernatural. The second interview is with Dr. Douglas R. Groothuis who talks about when miracles don’t happen.

Strobel build a strong case for the miraculous.

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When to Walk Away by Gary Thomas

The subtitle reads Finding Freedom From Toxic People

There are some people who get in the way of you becoming the person God created you to be and for you this person is toxic. These are the kind of people who drain us, demean us and distract us from other healthy relationships and unfortunately sometimes you have to walk away.

This book is a study of the life of Jesus. There are 2 dozen time recorded in the gospels when Jesus had to walk away from some people or let others walk away from him. The first 2 chapters of the book talks about Jesus playing defense in this way. Chapters 3-5 help define what a toxic person is like and looks at the key characteristics of a toxic person. Chapters 6-10 stress the importance of protecting your mission as a Christian from the attack of toxic people. Chapters 11-19 talks about how to handle toxic people you can’t walk away from because they are family. Chapter 20-21 talks about how a man left his toxic ways behind and how to be less toxic toward yourself.

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Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

The subtitle reads Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

This book was written in the 1980’s before social media and the internet but it is still relevant. The book talks about how our culture has moved from communicating ideas through words and print to conveying ideas visually through television. Postman says that through this form of communication, the visual median, we have lost something, for one thing this median always seek to entertain above educating the audience. We have moved into the “Age of Show Business.” All that is offer on television from “Sesame Street” to documentaries and even the news itself is a form of entertain. His arguments are compelling and worth reading even though the material is dated.

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The Gospel in Twenty Questions by Paul Ellis

Paul Ellis author of “The Gospel in Ten Words” has also authored this book “The Gospel in Twenty Questions.”

All twenty chapters of the book addresses questions about Christianity or what the Bible teaches. Questions like:

How can I read the Bible without getting confused?

How do I endure to the end?

Is it God’s will for me to be sick?

Is grace a license to sin?

What really happened at the cross?

Who can take communion?

Questions about faith should never be discouraged of dismissed. This is an excellent book to use in Small Group discussions.

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