Logizomai Reviewed

Good friend of mine and fellow pastor, Nicholas Clark has posted an excellent review of my book Logizomai: A Reasonable Faith in an Unreasonable World on his blog Highly Exalted recently.  Here are the first two paragraphs:

Kyle McDanell introduces the wider Christian audience to an important framework from which to live out our Christian lives.  In his recently released book, Logizomai, McDanell covers a multitude of topics of cultural importance for today from the perspective of a Christian worldview.  He asserts that we are all theologians, whether we realize it or not.  We make statements everyday by our actions and sometime inactions and McDanell teaches us to evaluate those based on the gospel.  McDanell uniquely takes the gospel and applies it to the various aspects of our culture and ways of thinking.  We see a masterful connection between living out the gospel everyday as “salt and light,” and the post-modern American culture that we find ourselves so entrenched. 

This book is good for any believer who is serious about thinking about life and how we live in light of the gospel.  Logizomai will challenge your thinking and challenge the way you approach life at many different levels.  The subtitle to this book, “A reasonable faith in an unreasonable world,” accurately describes what this book is about.  It is no longer acceptable to take what the “preacher” says as gospel without going to the Gospels.  This book will make you want to refer to the Scriptures and better understand this reasonable faith in a world that is ever so unreasonable.

Head over to his site and read the rest and much thanks to Nick for his kind words.  I particuarly appreciate that he understood the book.  That is one of the best compliments I can give and I am grateful for his careful reading of it.


Highly Exalted (Nicholas Clark) - Logizomai 

"The Jesus Inquest" by Charles Foster

If the resurrection is proven to be a hoax, then Christianity falls.  Though liberals have tried to redefine the faith stripping it of any substance, the fundamental truth remains:  if Jesus did not die in our place for our sins and then was raised from the dead, our faith is in vain.  And Scripture affirms as much.  No other religion is really like this.  Christianity, then, is inherently a historical religion that is based on historical events.  If Jesus is still dead, then so is the religion named after Him.

One can see why modern debates over the historicity of the resurrection are so strong and frequent.  Books -  countless books - have been written on the subject covering virtually every aspect of the debate.  Non-Christians reject the resurrection.  All of them do.  Why?  Because of the resurrection happened, then Jesus is who He said He is.  And few are willing to pick up their cross and follow Christ.  On the other hand, orthodox Christians uphold that Jesus really did rise from the dead and thus call on everyone, everywhere to repent.

One helpful book that sorts through the debate is The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ by Charles Foster.  The author is not a theologian, but a trained barrister and approaches the subject from that perspective.  This is both a compliment and a critic as we will see.  The book is set up to present, without bias as much as possible, both sides of the argument.  Each chapter deals with a major issue of contention regarding the resurrection.  For example, the author presents the argument over the death of Jesus (He can't rise unless He first dies right?), the burial of Jesus (how do we know He was actually buried as the Gospels say He was, couldn't He have been thrown into a pit and eaten by wild animals?), and of course the empty tomb.  The author honestly seeks to present all of the major issues (there's no way he can be exhaustive here).

Each chapter begins with the non-Christian view labeled X.  X makes the case that the sources are tainted,  inaccurate, and contradictory, and that ultimately Jesus was not raised.  After their case is made, the author then presents the Christian case labeled Y.  Y then goes point by point made by X and defends the argument for the resurrection.

I liked this approach but it is fraught with danger.  For one, the book oftentimes reads as if X was on offense and Y was on defense.  This is simply the limits of a book like this.  Each chapter needs to go back and forth and that is simply not possible.  I say that the book oftentimes reads like this because it doesn't always read like this.  The tone of Y isn't always defensive, but is sometimes offensive.  The author writes in a way that doesn't make Y look timid or weak but can rather stand strongly behind their argument which is full of evidence itself.  However, rarely did Y raise new arguments.  They almost always had the same headings as X and made Y appear defensive.  I believe that X is forced to defend some of their unstantiated views as much as Y's claim that Jesus was raised from the dead.

That is what I found interesting about the book and what is helpful about this approach to this subject.  It is amazing the hypocrisy of X.  X frequently argues that the Bible is contradictory, the Gospel writers are bad historians with evil motives and intentions who freely doctor the facts to fit their agenda's, and that we simply can't trust them.  And then they turn around and use the Gospels as the launching pad to make some of the wildest claims which have less historical proof to them. 

For example, X raises the possibility that Jesus survived the cross and eventually escaped to India, France, or where ever.  To make this case, X relies on both the Bible and wild conspiracy books (like DaVinci Code and Holy Blood, Holy Grail Illustrated Edition: The Secret History of Jesus, the Shocking Legacy of the Grail) plus ancient documents that have less credibility than the Bible.  The Gnostic Gospels are more mythical than the canonical Gospels and yet many who reject Christianity on the grounds of the Gospel's historical problems run to these other writings which are clearly unhistorical.  X does this throughout the book.

Furthermore, X seems to make up wild conspiracy theories (leaning on "evidence" in the Gospels themselves).  For example, X makes the case that perhaps Pilate was in on the conspiracy to not have Jesus executed.  I'm not sure that is really worth the time that Y gives it in response, but Y does devastate the conspiracy.  X repeatedly raises these conspiracies and repeatedly suggest that they are well worth our time when they simply are not.  This goes to show that X has as much an agenda as Y and one ought to be aware of that agenda before sinking into the debate.

My biggest concern regards the author himself however.  This is a Christian book published by a Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson.  And yet the author seems non-committal to either side.  I can accept some of his criticisms of Lee Strobel and Josh McDowell, but it is a concern for me that an author of a Christian book to be sold in Christians stores would conclude with:

But even if all thsi is wrong and something of the kind was expected, one still has to ask, 'How did the disciples come to believe that the man Jesus was the first one to emerge so shockingly from the grave?'  For, rightly or wrongly, they certainly seem to have believed it.


Whether or not that belief was right is something about which you'll have to make up your own mind.

Really?  That's the best you can do?  If Jesus was really, historically, miraculously, and triumphantly raised from the dead, that's not something one can halfheartedly pick a side and run with it.  The consequences are too great.  If Jesus is a fraud then Christianity is dead.  But if Jesus conquered death, then we must submit to Him as Lord who offers either judgment or salvation.  To ignore the truth is to accept judgment deservingly.  To embrace the resurrection in repentance is to accept salvation and grace.  Though I know the author does not seek to make converts, as a Christian how can he not?  Isn't that exactly what the Gospel writers sought to do?

Overall, this is a book worth having especially if you are new to the debate and are willing to think.  With that said, I do have my concerns.  But at the end of the day, this book does show, at the very least, that the case for the resurrection of Christ (not to steal a Lee Strobel book title or anything) is very strong and the implications of that are intense.  We have no need to fear.


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”





For more:
Reviews - "Raised With Christ"  
Reviews - "The Case for Easter" 
Reviews - "Slave" by John Macarthur
Reviews - "Outlive Your Life" by Max Lucado
Reviews - "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns 
Reviews - "Saint Patrick" by Jonathan Rogers
Reviews - "A Century Turns" by William Bennett
Reviews - "Sir Winston Churchill"
Reviews - "On this Day in Christian History"  

Top 10 Reads of 2010

The end of yet another year means a review of the top books I was able to read and review of the past year.  The following are not of books that were released in 2010, but books that I read in 2010.  Just because a book isn't fresh doesn't mean that it is not relevant.  The following books are among the best and I believe are well worth our time and effort in reading.  Though I have read more books than I have reviewed, these are among the best. 


10.   "Adopted for Life" by Russell Moore - The issue of adoption is an issue that is being taken more seriously by Christians and rightfully so.  How can we who have been adopted not adopt ourselves?  Adoption is an intricate part of the gospel and perfectly illustrates the gospel.  One of the main reasons for the rise in concern over the issue is without a doubt because of Dr. Russell Moore's book.  Moore shows how our theology of adoption ought to affect our desire to adopt.  Certainly this is one of the most important books written in recent years that ought to be read by every Christian.  Moore shares his own story of adopting his sons with the reader providing both a robust theology (something every Christian needs more in our anemic Church culture) and practical advice on adoption and adopting. 

9.   "A Patriot's History of the United States"- This has to be one of the best history's of the United States I have read in sometime.  It covers America from Christopher Columbus to modern times.  By far the best part is their tracing and survey of progressivism in America prior to former President Woodrow Wilson on through the decades.  The authors offer the reader one of the best survey's on the issue and really show what progressivism was really about.  But that's not all.  The entire book is written from a more conservative book (though not purposefully conservative or trying to set an agenda).  Sadly most history's are written from a more progressive/liberal perspective and thus misinterprets the Founders and their intentions.

8.   "Their God is Too Small" - Last year I did a sermon series on the doctrine of God and one of the most recent attacks on the traditional and orthodox view of God is Open Theism which argues that the future remains open even to God who can predict (by essentially guessing) but He is not sovereign or provident over the future.  This has serious implications and the movement has gained some support among Christians and popular culture.  By far the best and most precise summary and critic from a Reformed perspective comes from the pen of Dr. Bruce Ware.  Ware is one of the leading voices against Openness Theology and this book shows why.  He has written other more extensive works against the movement in other books including God's Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism and God's Greater Glory: The Exalted God Of Scripture And The Christian Faith, but I found this one the most readable, practical, and pastoral than the others.  Ware is an excellent writer who provides the reader with great theology, based on sound exegesis, showing the reader why these issues really matter.  A great work of theology.

7.   "Slave" by John MacArthur - I believe that if Christians recovered the message of this book the Church would be better off.  We are not servants of Christ, we are slaves.  Servants can quit.  Slaves cannot.  But its more than that.  As MacArthur shows in this important work, the gospel takes us from slaves of sin to slaves of Christ, to friends of Christ, to adopted sons of God, to finally joint heirs with Christ.  That is beautiful!  Furthermore, the slave imagery perfectly illustrates sin.  In my years of ministry I have seen this repeatedly.  What holds many from the gospel isn't their lack of understanding of it, but their unwillingness to disobey their master:  sin.  The question isn't, are we slaves, but who/what are we enslaved too?  MacArthur has written an important work that should be read by all Christians.

6.   "the Gospel According to Jesus" by John MacArthur - Perhaps his best selling and most influential book, The Gospel According to Jesus remains a must read classic for Christians.  As the title suggests, this is a book about the gospel and MacArthur zooms in on the ministry and message of Jesus.  This is a well-written powerful book.  Though its context is in response to the Lordship controversy of 20 years ago, it is still a relevant read.  In this 25th Anniversary addition, MacArthur adds a new chapter (on being a slave of Christ) that only adds to the books content making his case even greater.  The gospel is not cheap and we cannot separate fruit from redemption.  Those who are redeemed bear fruit.

5.   "Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: 1859-2009" by Gregory Wills - My alma mater, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has one of the most fascinating, and cultural shaping histories in America.  If one wants to understand Southern Baptist theology of the 19th Century or of progressive theology of the 20th century or of reformed theology of the 21st century, all they need to do is study Southern's history.  Some of the greatest theological minds have walked the campus of Southern and its rich heritage continues to follow the school.  Dr. Wills has put together a fantastic history of the school released during its sesquicentennial (150th anniversary that is) and is a great read even for those unfamiliar with SBTS.  I would also point out a book written by another SBTS professor on the founder of Southern, James Petigru Boyce: A Southern Baptist Statesman (American Reformed Biographies) by Thomas J. Nettles.

4.   "Doctrine" by Mark Driscoll  - I love to study theology and due to my many responsibilities have studied more theology this year than I have perhaps my entire life.  2010 saw the released of Mark Driscoll's book on theology and it is certainly an impressive work.  Admittedly, it is not a traditional theology that seeks to deal with every issue.  However, the authors do deal with all the major aspects of theology in some detail shows the reader why such issues are important.  I particularly loved the pastoral side of the book (especially since I am a pastor) and its great readability.  The authors aren't just trying to impress, but teach and it comes through every page.  Driscoll is an important leader in Evangelicalism today whose voice is becoming much stronger every day.  This is a great read even if you disagree with some of his theology and methods.

3.   "The Sovereignty of God" by AW Pink - For those who have studied theology long enough, AW Pink needs no introduction.  Pink is one of the most quotable theologians of recent years and his writings remain with us.  In this class, as the title suggests, Pink deals with the difficult issue of the sovereignty of God.  Pink is essentially a Calvinist.  But even if one rejects Calvinism there is much to like about this book.  In short, I would say, I want to meet the God of this book.  Then again, maybe I don't!  Pink shows how imperative God's sovereignty is to our lives and why it matters.  Though this subject is difficult, Pink forces the reader to follow his argument and to take him seriously.  Of all the books of theology I read this year, this was perhaps my favorite though I disagreed with him on several points.  The writing style and the content is top-notch.

2.  "Raised With Christ" by Adrian Warnock - The resurrection has almost been forgotten, if not ignored, by most Christians today and that is a serious shame.  The resurrection, like the cross, is hugely practice and Warnock shows us how.  This is a book about the resurrection plain and simple.  The author provides evidence for its historicity, a theology for its meaning, and application for its practice.  As a pastor, I consider this to be an invaluable tool.  Christians need to learn to think in terms of the cross and resurrection and view everything through those two events.  This ought to be on the reading list of every Christian and I am glad I took the time to read its pages. 


1.  Decision Points by George W. Bush - Last year it was Sarah Palin, this year it is former President George W. Bush.  The President's book really needs no introduction and has sold millions.  I enjoyed this book a lot.  Though there is much I disagree with the President on, I highly respect the man for his actions as President and certainly for the way he has carried himself in his post-presidency.  The president walks the reader through many of his biggest decision in life (mostly in office), how and why he made them, what he would have done differently, and how he wants to be remembered.  The book is easy to read and the president honestly seeks to get the facts right.  Whether one loves or hates President W., everyone should at least hear him out here.


Well these are the best books I read in 2010, but they are not the only books or the only books worth mentioning.  Below are several more books well worth our time and effort in reading and considering and should be on all of our bookshelves. Click on the titles to read the full review.  Here's to 2011!


"Godly Jealousy"  
"Basic Christianity" 
"Manhunt"
"Ancient Word, Changing Worlds"
"The Good News We Almost Forgot"
"Dug Down Deep" by Joshua Harris
"Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is)"
"For Us and Our Salvation"
"A Sweet and Bitter Providence" by John Piper
"Just Do Something" by Kevin Deyoung 
"Religion Saves"
"A Century Turns" by William Bennett
"Humility: True Greatness" by CJ Mahaney



For more:
Reviews - Top 9 Reads of 2009 

"Finding Our Way Again" by Brian McLaren

One of the leading progressive voices in Christianity and theology is without a doubt Brian McLaren whose leadership in the Emerging Church has made it a serious threat to orthodox Christianity.  In all of his books, McLaren seeks to offer a new kind of Christianity for a postmodern world.  One of his most unique books of recent years is called Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices (Ancient Practices Series).  As part of the Ancient Practices Series, McLaren offers some of his insights into the issue of spirituality, the church, and (as the title says) finding our way again.

The book is broken down into three sections - Way, Practices, and Ancient.  However, I want to point out two issues with the book that kept coming up and sticks out most to me.  The first is McLaren's heavy emphasis on what he calls in other books Interreligious Dialogue.  McLaren is deeply concerned about peace among the different religions (particular the 3 Abrahamic religions) and encourages Christians to both learn from and contribute to other religious beliefs.  McLaren is emphatic that the inside/outside, us vs. them, I'm-right-you're-wrong beliefs common in a modern culture is dangerous and has contributed to wars, violence, and injustice.

This emphasis continues to show up in this book.  One of the main reasons, I believe, that McLaren emphasizes the three Abrahamic faiths is because this is a book about spirituality, not the gospel.  That is a serious critique from my perspective.  Merely being spirituality may make one feel better, it is still a rejection of the gospel.  Certainly there are similarities and places of common ground between the different religions, but McLaren acts as if the barriers between the faiths can be easily overlooked.  This is the false promise of spirituality.  Christians must be extremely careful when going down this stream.  Christians ought to be concerned about the gospel, not self-centered spirituality.  Though McLaren does write from a Christian perspective (and admits as much) it is oftentimes to find the gospel in his Christianity (a major critique of McLaren's theology and all of his writings).

The second issue that stood out to me came near the end and that was his discussion of Katharsis, Fotosis, and Theosis.  Though a detailed description of each goes beyond the scope of this review, one should note that to McLaren these three steps (in this order) are key to being more spiritual and getting more connected with God.  If we want to bring the Kingdom of God down to earth (a major issue for McLaren as he admits in this book and in all of his others), then we must grasp these three ideas.

Kartharsis is about cleaning out our dirty selves while the other two look to God.  I must say that McLaren has all of this backwards and I believe he knows this but somehow misses it.  Note what McLaren says in his chapter on Fotosis:

Katharsis prepares the way for fotosis.  As our insatiable lust for pleasure is tamed, in its place grows something beautiful and new: a hunger and thirst for truth and justice and goodness and beauty and every pure and holy reality, like the infrared to ultraviolet spectrum that is contained in the white light of God.  As we are driven less and less by pride, we stop craving to be in the spotlight, and instead we want to see everything in the light of God.  We stop wanting to be stars and instead we want to see stars and savor the beauty of their light.  As we are liberated from greed - the craving to accumulate things and have them in our pockets or on our portfolios or under our control - we learn the greater joy of accumulating light, of putting out our branches and leaves, so to speak, of being in the light and warmed by its power. -162-163

This is completely backwards and the complete opposite of what the gospel declares and what Jesus and the apostles taught.  McLaren acts as if we can clean ourselves out and then once we do we can see and savor God more clearly and fully.  This is backwards.  Scripture (and the gospel) teaches that once we meet God we are confronted with our sin and He - through Christ, the cross, the resurrection, repentance, and the gospel - begins to tear away at our old nature.  Just ask Isaiah in Isaiah 6.  The closer we are to our holy God, the farther we are from sin.  Sin will only decay after we have embraced the gospel, not before.  But since McLaren writes about spirituality and not the gospel he seems to completely miss this.

He says much here about hungering and thirsting for God and that is well, good, and biblical.  Jesus Himself told us to hunger and thirst for righteousness in the infamous Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12).  But what is interesting about those Beatitudes is that before we can hunger and thirst for righteousness, we must first become poor in spirit and mourn over our sin.  This is where spirituality falls well short and the gospel triumphs.  We are not our own solution, the cross is our only hope.  McLaren says little, if anything, about the cross outside of it serving as our ultimate example to follow.  No sin.  No real need to be reconciled with God. No concept of adoption, propitiation (except when he ridicules it as he does throughout his writings), or a command to repent and believe.  Just postmodern spirituality.

Clearly I disagree with McLaren on a lot of things and I am not surprised that I found little of help in this book.  McLaren is a great writer and it is not wonder that so many have read his books, follow his blog, and listen to every word he says.  But at the end of the day Christians must be extremely careful when it comes to McLaren and pay careful attention to what he is actually saying.  Certainly the Church needs to wake up and be more aware of the dire state she is in but McLaren is not the one with the answer.  I do agree that in order to go forward we must go back but McLaren doesn't take us back far enough in this book.  Medieval monks are great and Francis of Assisi is wonderful, but the Church needs to return to the cross and resurrection.  It is there that our hope lies.  Talks about spirituality, community, or kartharsis are empty apart from that fundamental truth:  adoption through propitiation - the gospel.


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”





For more:
Reviews - McLaren - A Generous Orthodoxy
Reviews - McLaren - A New Kind of Christian 
Reviews -McLaren - A Search For What Makes Sense: Finding Faith 
Reviews -McLaren - Adventures In Missing The Point 
Reviews - McLaren - Church On The Other Side 
Reviews -McLaren - Everything Must Change 
Reviews -McLaren - Finding Faith 
Reviews -McLaren - More Ready Than You Realize 
Reviews - McLaren - The Justice Project 
Reviews - McLaren - The Secret Message of Jesus 
Reviews -McLaren - The Voice of Luke  
Reviews - "Slave" by John MacArthur 
Reviews - "Outlive Your Life" by Max Lucado
Reviews - "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns 
Reviews - "Saint Patrick" by Jonathan Rogers
Reviews - "A Century Turns" by William Bennett
Reviews - "Sir Winston Churchill"
Reviews - "On this Day in Christian History"

"Decision Points" by George W. Bush

Perhaps the most anticipated and widely read book of 2010 came from the pen of former President George W. Bush in his book Decision Points released at the end of last year.  After almost two whole years of silence, the former President returned to the public eye to promote the book and did countless interviews and speeches promoting the book and as a result his book has sold more than recent books written by recent former Presidents.

Without a doubt President Bush was one of the most controversial, and oftentimes hated, Presidents of modern times.  The vitriol thrown at him on a daily basis was nonstop since the day of his election (which wouldn't officially be decided for several weeks) until today where most of what is going wrong with this country is still being blamed on Bush.

To read the book is to almost forget all of that.  This is both a compliment and a critique.  A compliment because it was nice to hear things from the President's perspective.  From the perspective of a voting citizen that dedicated a lot of time to following the President and the days events, all we ever got was fog.  Everyday was a reminder of a bias from the media and other outlets as politicians succumbed to political backbiting than actually trying to solve anything.  The first two years of the Obama administration has proven this.  Many of the controversial things raised during the Bush administration have been passed and continue in Obama's administration even though Bush's opponents opposed virtually all that Bush did.  This is political hypocrisy and it is why many American's are tired of the program and this is the sort of hypocrisy present in every party.

It was nice to be able to sift through all of the fog fed to Americans on a daily basis and see things from the President's perspective.  It is easy for us on the outside to say what we would do if we were in the President's shoes, but when we are brought inside the President's office we are humbled.  The President lays it all out on the line.  He goes into detail about Iraq, Afghanistan, 9/11, stem-cell research, enhanced interrogations, Katrina, and so much more.  The President's primary goal isn't to defend himself, but to explain himself.  The President masterfully takes the reader into his administration, presents the case for his decisions, and lets the reader decide without much of the fog that clouded his presidency.

This adds to one of my major critiques of the book:  Where was any of this during Bush's presidency?  Certainly Bush's awe of the office of the President prevented him from lowering himself into partisan politics of bickering, complaining, and blame shifting.  However, one cannot read this book without asking the question.  If Bush was this articulate and honest with the American people about the why of his decisions, perhaps the opinion polls would have been different and the last years of his presidency wouldn't have been so difficult.  Certainly the President made many mistakes and he admits that in this book, but the arguments put forward in this book are reasonable.  Even those who disagree with the former President will have to admit that Bush is no lightweight and certainly knew the issues he was faced with and made the best and reason decisions (from this perspective) he could make.  The fact that Americans turned to a man who could articulate his views reminds us of Bush's greatest weakness.  Bush failed utterly in defended himself and presenting a case to the American people.

Overall, however, this is one of the most important books to have been published in some time.  Whether one liked Bush or not is irrelevant at this point.  To gain a better understanding of the Presidency and to understand the decisions that our elected officials make is imperative to being a citizen and fulfilling our role as a voter.  Bush's book is readable and easy to understand though the issues he present are difficult.  The caricatures of Bush prevalent during his presidency are stripped away and we are presented with a man who loves his country and did the best he could given the circumstances he was given.  Love him or hate him, this is a must read for every American.

Bush tackles everything in this book.  Certainly I found reasons to rejoice, celebrate, and agree with the President and there were moments where I disagreed and wanted to skip to the next page.  However, Bush writes honestly and invites the reader to look at the evidence, listen to his argument, and make their own decision.  This is rare among politicians and presidents.  Bush doesn't seem consumed with his legacy (he trusts history's unbias lenses for that), but instead offers his account of things free from all the political and media fog.

I must admit that Bush's post-presidency has impressed me.  The first President I remember seeing on TV was Bush's father, Bush-41.  Though I was born during the Reagan administration, I remember nothing of it.  But all my life I have seen Presidents refusing to stay out of it.  Refusing to retire.  Instead it seems like many past presidents use their mantel as an opportunity to play president.  Many are looking to insure their legacy instead of trusting their decisions to history's lens.  Bush-43 on the other hand has respected his successor by staying out of the limelight.  I greatly respect the President for that.  He isn't interested in partisan politics or analyzing the political events of the day.  He's not a pundit.  He's a man who respects the office enough to not defend himself everyday.  When called upon, he serves.  Otherwise, he stays out as a private citizen.

If you have not read this book, read it soon.  Though long, it reads very fast and well worth the investment.





For more:
Blogizomai - Decision Points:  Matt Lauer and George W. Bush - The Full Interview
Short-Blogizomai -  Decision Points:  Sean Hannity and George W. Bush - The Full Interview  
Short-Blogizomai - Decision Points:  Bill O'Reilly and Geoge W. Bush - The Full Interview  
Short-Blogizomai - Decision Points:  The Tonight Show and George W. Bush - The Full Interview 
Reviews - "Ronald Reagan"  
Reviews - "The Audacity of Hope"  
Reviews - "Going Rogue" 
Reviews - "Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Faith and Courage"
Reviews - "The Story of Abraham Lincoln" 
Reviews - "The Preacher and Presidents"
Reviews - America:  The Last Best Hope - Volume 1  
Reviews - "A Century Turns" by William Bennett
Reviews - "A Patriots History of America" 
Reviews - "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine 
Reviews - "American Gospel"
Reviews - "Lincoln's Advocate" 
Reviews - "Manhunt"  
Reviews - "Sarah" 
Reviews - "Breach of Faith" 

I have read (but not reviewed)and recommend the following books on and/or by the former President:
A Charge to Keep : My Journey to the White House
A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush 
The Faith of George W. Bush 
George and Laura : Portrait of an American Marriage 

"Radical" IPhone App

Without a doubt, one of the most important (not to mention one of the best-selling) books of 2010 was Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by pastor David Platt.  Anyone familiar with Platt's ministry will find nothing new in this book, for certainly the message itself needs to be heeded.  We need to return to the gospel of Jesus Christ and be the sold-out disciples that He has called us to be.  Unfortunately, that message is what is radical.  Christians acting like their Lord.  Ain't that radical!

Platt calls us to a life of abandonment, a life of self-sacrifice, service, and submission to our Lord.  This ought to affect every aspect of our lives and our anemic religion duties aren't enough.  It takes more than church service to be this sort of Christ - a Christ-Christian.  I cannot overstate the importance of this book and how its publisher and others have made the book available in a variety of ways including paperback (fairly priced), audio book, special deals on 10 packs, and now . . .

An iPhone app.

I cannot think of a better book app to have than this one.  The message of radical is imperative for our American church today.  The folks over at christianaudio.com have given us a great app well worth our investment.  The app is the audio version of the book read by the author itself (which is my preference).  But beyond the audio, the app includes a full biography of the author, plus the ability to add notes about what you've read, and to skip to whatever chapter you want.

For an audio book app, this has all that you want and the fact that the book is one of the important to come out of evangelicalism in some time makes it a must have.  I strongly encourage everyone with an iPhone to invest in this app and to invest in this book.  Listen to the audio available from this app and/or read the book for yourself.  I am thankful that the folks at christianaudio are making such wonderful works available (this is the third app I have downloaded from them).





For more:
Reviews - "UnChristian" iPhone App