Book Description
Are you a leader? This book will show you six stages of leadership development and help you identify where you are on the road to leadership.
Customer Reviews:
Some General Truths, but a Cookie Cutter Approach.......2007-07-09
I had to read this book for a seminary class and found that the book has very little to do with Biblical leadership. In this book, leadership is not about humble service, but being the guy up front. I really believe that this book will discourage those that want to serve the church because it will convince them that they have to be CEO material to lead the church.
This book is all about the author's system and contains very little scripture. There is plenty of scripture on leadership which this book completely overlooks.
Great Book.......2007-05-09
This is a very helpful and insightful book. I would highly recommend it.
Learning Leadership.......2006-12-27
This book contains no surprises. The title tells at the outset that this is a book about the process of making a leader. The writer then goes on to set forth all of the various steps and stages that take place in bringing about this end. As such, the book could be divided into two major sections. First there is the process of making a leader that in which we are given a guided tour through the early, the middle and the final stages of that process. Only in the last two chapters do we focus upon the practical applications of this tour as we view a leadership philosophy and a set of three challenges to pursue as we move along that process.
It seems to me that anyone who is already in a leadership position will be able to use this book primarily as a memento of where he has been, but I found myself wondering whether my reaction would have been any different ten or fifteen years earlier in my own journey. It is a bit like giving lessons for falling in love for the first time; before having gone through the experience you have nothing to relate the lessons to and after you have gone through the experience you have no real need for the lessons.
The central task of leadership is influencing God's people towards God's purposes (203), but this must begin with the leader himself seeing what those purposes are in his own life. A continuing theme in this book is that one ministers out of what one is and that ministry flows out of being. This means that my first great business on earth is the sanctification of my own soul and that a lifestyle of obedience to the Lord will only be taught as it is first caught. The application of this theme is that I as a leader need to focus upon my own spiritual life rather than focusing upon processes or techniques of leadership.
"In a crisis, we are what we really are. How we react in a crisis is often more important than solving our crisis" (Page 173).
How Leaders Develop and How You Can Too!.......2006-05-09
For 10 years I've used The Making of A Leader in my work developing leaders. First, the book has been instrumental in my own personal and leadership development. Second, I use the content in workshops and classes all over the world. The principles hold up well in a variety of cultural contexts. And never before have these principles and practices been more relevant than today!
In The Making of Leader, Dr. J. Robert Clinton documents his research of hundreds of leaders. Clinton discovered a generalized time-line consisting of six phases that represent the general flow of a leader's life. Development phases represent major segments of a leader's development. The six phases are:
1. Sovereign Foundations
2. Inner-life Growth
3. Ministry Maturing
4. Life Maturing
5. Convergence
6. Afterglow
Identifying phases gives a leader capacity to track progress in their development, and clarify insights and lessons. Armed with these patterns a leader has the ability to actually identify and develop leadership, character, vision, values, and relational skills. This is what separates Dr. Clinton's book from the rest of the leadership genre; he actually provides the tools to develop a leader, not just talk about what one is or does.
Each chapter covers roughly one development phase. Inside each phase we learn that there are Process Items that are specific types of challenges leaders typically will face during each phase. By identifying Process Items, leaders are armed with the means to see beyond their immediate circumstances to what the underlaying developmental lesson might be. I've been using these Process Items for years in my own life and in coaching other leaders to grow. They are tremendously helpful!
Just so you don't think this is just a how-to book, let me say that this book often invokes a deep spiritual response from leaders. It's as if leaders gain perspective on their circumstance and see patterns of development-or lack of development-with new eyes.
This book is written, of course, from a Christian perspective and for Christian leaders. But the appeal of the book goes far beyond just this segment of the population. Dr. Clinton offers a useful grid for recognizing the lessons and patterns of leadership development.
If you desire to be equipped with the tools to develop leaders, then this book is for you!
A Must-Have Book for All Leaders.......2005-12-04
Possibly one of the most significant shifts in the culture of church ministry over the past 10 years has been the emphasis on leadership and its development, both in our own lives and in the lives of those we have been called to lead. The downside is that most of us have a lot of knowledge about leadership skills and practices but no "big picture" understanding of how to "get there."
In 1988, Dr. J. Robert Clinton, who was at the time an assistant prof. of leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary, wrote what some consider to be the definitive work on leadership development. In "The Making of a Leader," Dr. Clinton developed a profoundly insightful text that will help any leader learn to recognize the lessons and stages of leadership development. Beware: This is not a book of "how-to's" that assumes anyone who works hard enough can make herself a great leader. This is a book that attempts to answer a single question: How does God develop His leaders over a lifetime? The result is an eye-opening look at the sovereignty of God as He molds and shapes those whom He has placed on the road to a lifetime of leadership.
I highly recommended this book for leaders or potential leaders who:
---[ Are wondering what God is doing
---[ Are beginning to seek their place in ministry
---[ Need a fresh challenge from God
---[ Need to understand how to select and develop young leaders
---[ Want to know how God develops leaders
Personally, I rate this as one of the most significant and life-forming books I've ever read...so much so that I try to re-read it every year or two.
Average customer rating:
- Timeless Principles for Fulfilling the Great Commission
- Unworthy of a Risen Christ
- Dated Text but Timeless Principles!
- Outdated, repetative dribble.
- Raising Leaders for the Harvest
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The Master Plan of Evangelism
Robert E. Coleman
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The Master Plan of Discipleship
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ASIN: 0800786246
Release Date: 1994-12-01 |
Book Description
Share the Good News the way Jesus did with this second edition of an indispensable guide to effective evangelism.
Customer Reviews:
Timeless Principles for Fulfilling the Great Commission.......2007-09-22
Coleman begins his book with a preface titled "The Master and His Plan." He begins his discussion with the problem in evangelistic methods. He lists objective and relevance as the crucial issues of our work. The question must be asked: Is it worth doing? And, does it get the job done?
We must have a well thought through strategy for fulfilling the Great Commission. For this Coleman offers his book as a study in principles. He follows Jesus' method as the model for the principles he sets forth in his book.
Chapter one is titled "Selection." Coleman begins with the observation that men were Jesus' method. Jesus focused on training a few men who were willing to learn, without neglecting ministering to the masses. Jesus concentrated on a few men because he knew that he needed quality leaders to carry on the work of the kingdom in his absence.
Coleman observes that this is seldom the practice in churches today. He says most evangelistic efforts are directed to the multitudes because of our emphasis on numbers of converts rather than a genuine concern for the spiritual welfare of those that are reached. But we must begin to intentionally disciple believers if we are to achieve lasting growth. This will be a slow, tedious, and painful process that will probably go unnoticed by people at first, but the result will be glorious.
Chapter two is titled "Association." Coleman says that Jesus had a very informal teaching method. The essence of his training program was just letting his disciples follow him, just to be with him. They were able to observe, discuss, ask questions, and listen to Jesus' teaching. His method was himself. Coleman points out what our problem is today. He says that our methods of preaching to the masses, occasional prayer meetings, and training classes cannot do the job. He says that the example of Jesus would teach us that preparing leaders can be done only by persons staying close to those whom they seek to lead. Coleman says the church has failed tragically at this point because this type of training involves the sacrifice of personal indulgence. Coleman says the church must have as its basis a personal guardian concern for those entrusted to its care.
Chapter three is titled "Consecration." Jesus requires obedience of his followers. We must count the cost and decide to take up our crosses. We cannot lead others if we ourselves have not first learned to be a follower, and the one we follow is Jesus.
Chapter four is titled "Impartation." In this chapter Coleman discusses the fact that Jesus gave himself to his disciples in love. Jesus modeled a self-giving life. Coleman also discusses the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers, and that Jesus imparted knowledge and teaching to his disciples that was not made available to those on the outside.
Coleman states that if we are to follow this example of Jesus it means that we cannot give away something that we do not ourselves possess. We must possess the life and love of God if we are to share it with others.
Chapter five is titled "Demonstration." Jesus didn't just tell his disciples how to live, he showed them. He modeled prayer, using Scripture, soul winning, and teaching naturally. Jesus' classes were always in session. The eye is always a better pupil than the ear, and we do well to follow his lead.
Chapter six is titled "Delegation." Eventually Jesus began giving his disciples assignments. He began sending them out to all the villages and cities to spread the gospel. This allowed them to practice what they had been learning. This needs to be applied in our churches today. We must give people opportunity to practice what we are training them to do.
Chapter seven is titled "Supervision." Jesus kept check on his disciples. A sort of on the job training. This must continue well on until after we know that the leader is capable of passing the vision on to others he or she is training. Disciples must be brought to maturity, says Coleman.
Chapter eight is titled "Reproduction." This is the most wonderful part of the process. Jesus' disciples are to reproduce themselves. A church program cannot do this, only disciples can do this. All Christians should be reproducing Christians. Coleman gives the analogy of the vine and the branch and says a barren Christian is a contradiction.
Coleman says, "The test of any work of evangelism thus is not what is seen at the moment, or in the conference report, but in the effectiveness with which the work continues to the next generation (p. 103)." This is lasting fruit. This kind of fruit can evangelize the whole world.
Coleman ends his book with an epilogue titled "The Master and Your Plan." We must evaluate our life's plan and if need be make some changes to allow the Master's plan to become our plan. Coleman says the methods will vary but we get our principles from the example of Jesus. Coleman encourages the reader to work with a small group of people and train them using the principles he has brought out from the life of Jesus.
Concluding Evaluation
I agreed with Coleman's book and I genuinely appreciate his conclusions. I sadly wonder, though, why a book that has had at least sixty-six printings (as of 1993) has not seemed to influence the American church much. I have never seen so many endorsements on a book as much as this one, yet who is actually practicing what it says? I still see, especially in my own denomination (SBC), programs and literature as being promoted to accomplish discipleship, and no talk, much less action, about discipleship as being something accomplished personally by individuals, as Jesus modeled.
This is the model that I wish to follow, indeed have already begun, in my ministry. How I wish that I had someone who would have discipled me when I became a believer, or even to do so now. But regardless, I must be faithful to what God has called me to do.
I believe this book contains principles that can revolutionize our churches if we would implement them. But this model requires Christians who really do seek first the kingdom of God.
Unworthy of a Risen Christ.......2007-08-26
While the idea of using discipleship to reach the nations is indeed a good one, from the outset this book takes such an ignoble view of the risen Christ as to leave Him feebler and weaker than many men now living. This book claims such ridiculous, and frankly downright heretical, things of Christ as though He chose and equipped the Twelve for ministry because there was simply no other way to reach the world. He had no need of them or us, but it was His good pleasure which created us and allows the human race to continue despite our egregious sins against Him. It is a sad day indeed when those who do not believe in Christ by any means hold to a higher view of His power, words, and grace than do people within the Church, such as that espoused by this book.
Christ is too lovely, too lofty, too down to earth and humble for such a view of Him as this presents. Discipleship is a great and biblical thing (2 Timothy 2:2), but do not do so from such an ignoble view of our Lord and Savior.
Dated Text but Timeless Principles!.......2007-08-21
While I agree with the previous reviewer that some of the writing and bible references in this text could stand for a modern rewrite, I think the principles that Coleman highlights are timeless and profound (if not profoundly simple).
He is NOT writing about methods. Coleman is highlighting the strategy and principles of Jesus. These principles can be applied in a multitude of methods across cultures, generations, and technological fronts. As a wise old friend has said,
"Methods are many, but principles are few. Methods will change, but principles NEVER do."
Aside from a need for a modern update and not just a cover change, this book is by far the most helpful resource on Jesus' strategy and philosophy of ministry, the very same He has called us to (Matt. 28:19-20), that I have ever seen. I am involved in full-time evangelism and discipleship ministry and have found no other source better for training laborers and leaders to follow Jesus in reaching the world. This would be a five star if not for the need for an update in the text and references.
John Fitzgerald
Outdated, repetative dribble........2007-07-27
When this book was first written it was very relevant, in 40 years it has become outdated. I think that is where the book misleads, it may have a new pretty cover, but was written in 1963. All the Bible text used are obvious and things that any person serious about outreach would already know, and he continually suggest outreach techniques that will not work on the emerging generation. He completely ignores Post-modernism, which is a real influence. And makes no considerations for technology, which can't be ignored. This book may have worked in 1963 but not 2007.
Raising Leaders for the Harvest.......2007-04-18
Although this book is entitled "The Master Plan of Evangelism," it is actually more focused on discipleship and leadership development. Coleman outlines the pattern that Jesus implemented in training the disciples. His aim is to encourage the church to embrace the fulfillment of the Great Commission through an "ever-expanding company of dedicated men reaching the world with the Gospel."
In his own words, this book "is an effort to see controlling principles governing the movements of the Master in the hope that our own labours might be conformed to a similar pattern" (p. 12). Coleman focuses on principles and strategy, rather than methods, utilizing the New Testament Scriptures as a "Textbook on Evangelism."
This book outlines eight guiding principles of the Master's plan. He clarifies that "His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow" (p. 21). This has a profound impact on the expansion of the kingdom. Church leaders need to understand that raising leaders is primary to the task of reaching the world, rather than focusing on developing programs to reach the world. Coleman shows how Jesus impacted multitudes by focusing on training and developing a few men. "He literally staked his whole ministry upon them" (p. 27).
In explaining Jesus' strategy, Coleman points out several key principles that can be applied in raising leaders for the church today.
* Jesus stayed with His disciples. He made it His practice to be with them. Knowledge was gained by association before it was understood by explanation. He actually spent more time with His disciples than with everybody else in the world put together.
* Jesus expected the men He was with to obey Him. They were not required to be smart, but they had to be loyal learners.
* Jesus gave Himself away. And He gave the Holy Spirit to them. Without His life in them, leaders cannot possibly continue the work that Jesus passed on to them.
* Jesus showed them how to pray, how to use Scripture, and how to engage in the work of evangelism. By being with Him, the disciples were "absorbing it without even knowing that they were being trained to win people" (p. 77). Class was always in session; they were always observing His words and deeds.
* Jesus was always building into His disciples to prepare them to take over His work. He sent them out with practical assignments. And Jesus made it a point to check up on the work He had assigned them to do; He didn't assume that it would be automatic.
* Most significantly, Jesus expected them to reproduce. By following Jesus strategy, "the conquest of the world was only a matter of time and their faithfulness to His plan" (p. 102).
Each of these principles point back to the reality that Jesus invested in men whom He loved, stayed with, trained and sent on mission to the world. He expected them to reproduce His life in others. Leaders in the church today need to adopt these same principles and focus on raising up men, not reaching the masses.
I highly recommend this book.
Customer Reviews:
a conversation between four persons with an interlocutor .......2007-06-19
This book is simply not a conversation (at least not for one of the participants). Further, Mark Driscoll doesn't seem to be listening to any of the other people who contribute to this book.
Driscoll's chapter seems to be a recycled piece of propaganda. His positions are "backed" by scripture references over 200 for his 15 pages. He advocates a "Biblicist" tradition that reads as a very reformed position (with the possible exception of a modified Arminianism or Wesleyanism). Driscoll's responses to the other person's chapters are especially revealing as he labels the other person's positions and then rejects them. For example he dismisses Karen Ward as the pastor of an "average" church and then even questions here leadership because of her gender. He mentions Dan Kimball's cool hair. I found Driscoll's "contribution" to the book to be of very little value. Further, he doesn't seem to be engaged in the emergent conversation unless you count the fact that he recommends Leslie Newbigin and Gruder's books on his website.
John Burke's chapter speaks of the messiness of ministry. He advocates a place where people are accepted and engaged by persons who attempt to incarnate Jesus.
Dan Kimball moves to explain how he moved from being Dispensationalist position to a missional theology. This missional theology is much more mysterious and adventurous than a mathematical puzzle.
Doug Pagitt seeks a theology which is embodied. This theology must be contextual and he argues for thinking in relational terms. I suppose that this chapter aligns most closely with what I think of when it comes to the emergent church.
Karen Ward takes the local theology of the "apostles" of the "Church of the Apostles" located in Seattle. She advocates a communal listening to the Scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary. Her chapter is an ad hoc correlation of comments from the theological soup of her congregation.
The Theologianhood Of The Believer..........2007-05-03
...is what emerging churches are about, at least according to this book (with the exception of Mark Driscoll's contributions). I say "contributions" because each of the five contributors not only writes a chapter of his/her own, but responds to each of the chapters by the other contributors. So by the time you've finished the parts written by the contributors, you have a pretty good idea of what the contributors are thinking about things.
In addition, this book contains some context for the conversations of the contributors, provided at the beginning and end by evangelical theologian Robert Webber. He contends American evangelical Christianity is at the beginning of the fourth of four roughly twenty-year cycles, seeking how to interact with a post-Christian, neo-pagan culture, finding that the questions to which they have answers aren't being asked anymore.
The placement of the names on the cover is a pretty accurate reflection of where the contributors are theologically. The only change I would make is swapping Karen Ward and Doug Pagitt.
Each of the five contributors have different diagnoses of the problems with American evangelical Christianity in the early 21st century:
Mark Driscoll says the problem is watering down the truth of Scripture, giving Jesus a makeover to make him more attractive to our culture. His prescription is to unapologetically present the message of Jesus as told by an authoritative Scripture. As I read his words, I remembered Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee saying "The chief sin of the church is ignorance of the word of God."
John Burke says the problem is that American Christians are both hypocritical, unchanged in their character and behavior, and judgemental, believing they have a monopoly on truth. His prescription is to invite people to come as they are, recognizing it might take a while for changes in people to take place.
Dan Kimball says the problem is that we're still stuck with those dispensational end-time charts, and scared that someone is going to ask a question to which we don't know the answer. His prescription is to create a worshipping community of missional theologians, people who are well-versed in the study of the nature of God, and inquiring into religious questions.
Doug Pagitt says the problem is any number of assumptions about the way we do theology, an unwillingness to address new questions raised by scientific advances, and an unwillingness to think about the increasing rate of cultural change. His prescription is to challenge these assumptions and address new cultural realities.
Karen Ward says the problem is the modern pastor-as-CEO model. Her prescription is an apprentice model of discipleship, distributing as much of the mentoring as possible. Her prescription also involves a metaphor of theology as the cooking of tasty, nutritious food, as opposed to the metaphor of theology as architecture.
Robert Webber provides a helpful summary of the contributions in his conclusion section. In my opinion, Webber's Appendix 2, "What is the Ancient-Future Vision?" and Appendix 3, "A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future" should have been placed immediately after the conclusion section, because Webber just wasn't finished commenting. It is unfortunate that some readers of this book won't read these parts because of where they are placed.
I considered my complaints about the placement of names on the cover, and the placements of the appendices to be insufficient to take the fifth star away from a revealing book about American evangelical Christians in the early 21st century.
Full Disclosure: I attend Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Doug Pagitt, one of the contributors, is my pastor.
A great look at the diversity of the Emerging Churches.......2007-04-20
After a while, studying the Emerging Church leaves you wondering if any of the major figureheads of the movement really agree on anything. Robert Webber has created a "boy band" (with one girl) of the Emerging Church with this book - putting together the right blend of different leaders from the movement to show five representative streams and make it an entertaining read all at the same time.
Although the idea may have originated to show the commonality between Emerging leaders, what is better highlighted is the diversity of belief between these folks. Through reading this book you learn what makes a Dan Kimball who he is and how that is different from the approach that a Karen Ward will take.
The book shows the commonalities found in the Emerging Church in a more inductive way. The Emerging Church's focus on those who do not know the faith yet is very apparent, and the missional philosophy of church is a major factor. Additionally, a general feeling that the things that these pastors were taught in seminaries didn't give them all that they needed. Dan Kimball who went to a Baptist seminary goes on and on about the Nicene Creed which was probably not taught all that much. Karen Ward, educated in the ELCA (she actually grew up as an LCMS Lutheran) expresses a dissatisfaction with how she was taught theology as a "big theology" instead of a more localized effort. Lastly, an overwhelming warm fuzzy feeling prevades the book. I don't think this is a mistake, these Emerging Church leaders don't see each other as enemies even when they disagree which says things both good and bad about the movement.
This book is also a rare look into what many theologians want to know about the Emerging Church, the specific theological beliefs of the Emerging Church. However, rather than finding specific theological beliefs, what the reader finds is theological beliefs from all sorts of different Christian traditions (liberal protestant, post-evangelical emergent, Calvinistic conservative, etc) tied together by a sense of urgency and purpose.
There are specific ideas about favorite theological "picking points" in the book. Scripture's role, the Trinity, and substitutionary atonement are all addressed. It would be remiss, however, for someone to claim that this book clears up how the Emerging Church sees these issues as a whole. It appears that the Emerging Church has beliefs, but they are far from homogenized as of yet.
Instead, what the reader finds is a clearer understanding of how they might fit into what this "Emerging Church" looks like. Five of the Emerging Church's most popular pastors seek to show not only the unity that they feel in being "emerging" but in the diversity that they express through their different takes on things from Baptism to ideas about physics.
It's a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who is far enough along in their research to know at least a few of the names in the book. If you don't know who Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball, and Doug Pagitt are - you should spend a little more time getting to know the movement before you read this book.
Driscoll gets both stars...the others: Zero.......2007-03-29
I was pretty apprehensive about reading this book. I really didn't know what to expect and didn't know really what the approach was going to be with this book. To be honest, the only reason that I picked up the book is because I went to the Resurgence Conference and Mark Driscoll was one of the contributors. I am glad I didn't "judge" Driscoll for being a part of this book before I read this, because I thought he was distancing himself from the people that contributed to this book. After reading, let's just say that Driscoll is definitely NOT a part of what is commonly known as the Emergent church and he is really a lot different than those a part of the wider used term, "emerging church."
The only thing that I got from this book, besides Driscoll admonishing the other contributors (Burke, Kimball, Pagitt, Ward), is to make sure that our theology is put into practice. I can say that it did make me think from that perspective. Outside of that, this book was very shallow and far from, and I mean FAR FROM, biblical ecclesiology. Mark Driscoll had to continually "exhort sound doctrine" to these other "pastors" and return them to the Scriptures. Driscoll was the only pastor that truly held to Sola Scriptura, while the others look more to our culture and those around them to form their ecclesiology, orthopraxy, and most dangerous: orthodoxy.
The two "pastors" that people need to really be warned of is Doug Pagitt and Karen Ward. They are far from Christendom (which they would admit and happily accept) and should not be given an ear to listen to. Burke and Kimball were on the edge but still held to the complete authority of Scripture, although I would definitely not adhere to a lot of the ways that they practice their theology and more specifically, their ecclesiology.
Again, Driscoll was the lone bright spot and because of the far reaching post-modern ideas of the other contributors, Driscoll sounded like John MacArthur more than an emerging pastor. Througout the discussion, just when you thought Driscoll was getting "soft" he "brought it" again.
As far as the frame of the book, it is set up to give each "pastor" a chapter with the other four being able to respond to that pasor's contribution. The original intent was for each author to show their thoughts on the Trinity, the atonement and Scripture. I found only Driscoll's chapter to be the only one who "followed the rules." But, what else should we expect from these emerging leaders? The sad thing is that since the authors were so shallow, Driscoll was forced to defend basic orthodoxy and wasn't able to give a great in depth study or defense of the above said topics.
If you would like to read about these different views on the emerging church, I guess it is okay to read, but it is just so messed up as far as their thinking on how church should be run that it is hard for me to recommend. I am glad I read it so that I could see that Driscoll is NOT Emergent in any way. He is far from Pagitt and McLaren and should be seen as the lone bright spot out of these that contributed to the book.
Please be discerning if you pick this book up and like a Berean, test all teachings to Scripture.
Disturbing modern trends........2007-03-21
This is a study that should be read. I find the evolving of Evangelicalism most troubling. Mark Driscoll is one of the founders of the emerging church. He too is now troubled by where this movement is headed. I figured the church had seen the worst with the "seeker-sensitive" movement, but this is one step further to the left. I realize in this post-christian era we should expect anything, but this movement is becoming most unbelievable! Truly these are the "last days" that Christ warned us about.
Book Description
A revised edition of the best-selling Robert’s Rules in Plain English, which still stands as the most concise, most-user friendly guide to parliamentary procedure on the market today.
Customer Reviews:
Reference book.......2007-06-10
Great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about running meetings in an organizational setting. Seems to me lots of meeting attendees think they know how to make motions and take actions but in my experence most meeting attendees do not know the basic rules of order. I use this small easy to understand book monthly as a reference at my Chamber of Commerce. A must have if you serve as a member of any Board of Directors or formal meeting group.
It's a practical guide to Robert's Rules.......2007-03-12
This is a nice book for the money. It's easy to read. It has a good layout.
Roberts Rules made easy.......2005-10-24
I found the book as represented and easy to read and it has all the simple answers that you might need quickly. Reading the full Roberts Rules of Order revised can take time this makes it easy to pick out the simple explanation and answers. Nice to take to the meetings for quick reference.
Roberts Rules in Plain English.......2005-10-21
The book is a decent primer and is certainly more readable than Robert's original book. Of course the original and all of its editions remain an example of very incomprehensible and convoluted language even for its era. However, I have to handle large meetings of very strong-willed, intelligent people, so I found the "Plain English" book not very useful. I need to know the details and complexities of handling important meetings so that I make the right decisions. I will stick with the more sophisticated texts.
Robert's Rules in Plain English.......2005-09-16
Was very disappointed. I thought the book would have contained the entire book of Robert's Rules written in language easily understood by all who read it. The book I received was very brief in dealing with situations that arise during a meeting. It dealt with very few situations.
Book Description
An inspiring description and story showing how a church can become an irresistible influence on its neighborhood, community, and world by building bridges over troubled waters to a dying culture through showing the love of God in action.
Customer Reviews:
This is where its at.......2007-07-03
This book is right on. If we all were able to show Christ to the world around us the way the book encourages us to do, we would live in a different world. This is a must read for anyone wanting to make an impact on the world they live in.
Church of Irresistibel Influence.......2006-02-25
This is an excellent book for anyone who is concerned about reaching their community with the gospel. It is a different approach to the challenge that churches face today in our culture where the local church has often become irrelevant in the eyes of the community.
Worth reading for every church leader..........2006-01-31
"The Church of Irresistible Influence" is one of the most compelling books that I've ever read about what the church can and should be. I'm not one to casually embrace huge concepts on a whim, so I'm not yet convinced that every notion from this book is appropriate or even workable in many churches. In fact, Lewis' church has undergone some significant organizational changes since he wrote the book. I would be most intrigued to read a sequel that describes the process of becoming a church of irresistible influence after several more years of experience.
In any case, perfect model or not, Lewis presents many extremely dynamic examples of how his church (and, more specifically, the people within his church) began to impact the Little Rock community in amazing ways. It's great to read those stories of connection, blessing, and service, particularly as so many churches are becoming painfully aware of how useless they really are to their communities.
I would strongly recommend this book to any modern church leader, not because I think that every church should adopt this exact model of church structure, but because it presents some big issues and paradigm-shifting ideas that have the potential to totally redefine the impact of the American church. It just might totally rearrange the way you think about church!!
An Excellent Guide.......2005-03-05
This book is an excellent, balanced, scriptural view of the need for the church to be engaged in outreach. It is not only a good view, theoretically, but it is extremely practical and motivational. Even though Fellowship Bible church has moved on from the approach described here, it is still an excellent stepping stone for a growing church.
Move on out!.......2004-03-24
Church is not just about a service on Sunday - but about becoming prepared to really live God's Word - and then living in the Word in our communities. What an inspiration. And I am not a Pastor ... just one of the congregation!
Book Description
Armed with their courage, their determination, their wits and a Bible, Robert Cornuke and Larry Williams embarked on a journey to confirm the Bible as historically accurate. In the process they discovered not only their goal but a faith strengthened by the evidence. "When I stood on those scorched rocks, my life was changed at that moment," Cornuke would later recall. Sneaking across borders, crawling into forbidden military installations, and using night vision goggles to avoid being detected, these men pursued their mission. In Search of the Mountain of God tells the amazing story of the discovery of what they and others are convinced is the authentic location of the biblical Mt. Sinai. Their evidence and passion will make a believer out of you.
Customer Reviews:
This book is completely horrible........2007-01-16
The fact that Cornuke lacks the letters PhD from his last name ought to tell you from the beginning that this book is not a credible source of Biblical archaeology. Cornuke can write a great adventure story, but this book screams more fiction than fact and reaks of irresponsibility. Biblical Archaeology is not done by taking a verse of scripture, then finding a landscape to match it. Cornuke's technique is as follows, "Oh look! A rock that is split! That must be where Moses struck the rock and water came out." The equivalent would be you walking out your front door and saying, "Look! A hill! That must be Gologtha!" This book is horrifically inaccurate and sensational, and barely believable. If Cornuke was credible his recommendation on the jacket wouldn't come from Nat'l Geographic Television. It would come from reputable archaeologists and scholars who would back his claim. Sadly this book is not credible, the reader gets duped, and he pockets your money. Look elsewhere for solid Biblical scholarship. But if you're in the mood for exciting fiction this is a good option.
Mount Sinai has been hidden for Centuries--This Book Reveals It.......2006-08-06
Ever yearn for some armchair adventure? Bob Cornuke is a former SWAT investigator and now turned explorer and adventurer. In this highly readable book, IN SEARCH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD (Broadman & Holman Publishers) you can go along with Bob and Larry Williams as they search for the real location of Mt. Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
For centuries, many have believed Mt. Sinai was in Egypt and in fact a Monastery is built on this site. Yet the archeology and some other characteristics didn't fall into place. Bob Cornuke used the pages of his Bible as the guide to find the real Mt. Sinai, the altar where the Israelites offered the Golden Calf and the twelve springs of Elim.
The pages of Scripture spring to life as the reader catches the growing excitement and inspiration from every discovery. Also the reader will experience when Bob confronts a Holy God and the fact that he is standing on His mountain. "I recalled the stern admonition: 'Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.' (Exodus 19:12). The night before I had glibly dismissed the text--but now my heart was pounding. I felt sick. I believed at any moment a bolt from heaven would strike me down. Without thinking, I turned to Larry and barked an order, "Let's go--NOW! We have to get off this mountain."
Readers will love the armchair look at Biblical archeology from this storytelling adventurer. The photos and the information will capture your imagination and set you thinking for hours on end about the truth behind the pages of the Bible.
REVIEWING SOME REVIEWERS.......2005-09-26
[Originally posted on 2004, May 6.]
I do quite a bit of reading with fairly critical eyes, and yet I don't hesitate to give IN SEARCH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD five stars. It is an exciting adventure story about a very significant subject. The evidence that Mr. Cornuke provides in support of his belief that Jabal al Lawz in Saudi Arabia is the REAL Mount Sinai is absolutely overwhelming. It is an excellent book that may very well challenge some of your previously held beliefs while it authenticates the historicity of the Bible's Old Testament.
What I primarily wish to do here is to correct some remarks in three of the other online reviews which I suspect might confuse others:
A READER FROM USA states that Jabal al Lawz cannot be the real Mount Sinai because Colin Humphreys evidently claims in his book, 'The Miracles Of Exodus', that Mount Sinai had to have been a volcano (due to its burning, smoking peak, and its trembling.) Yes, that would be true, but only if one feels compelled to attribute natural phenomena to all of the miracles described in The Bible. If a person accepts that God is quite capable of transcending His own creation, then finding a "rational" explanation for every miracle is not necessary, and probably fruitless. Because the circumstances on Mount Sinai when Moses met there with God describes what we commonly associate with volcanic activity, it does not at all follow that Mount Sinai MUST have been a volcano. God may heal a person of cancer, but that DOES NOT mean that God MUST be a surgeon.
WILLIAM E. THOMPSON seems to be reviewing two of Cornuke's books simultaneously and that is bound to cause confusion for those unfamiliar with the other book. The statement that the explorers should have (admittedly) returned to the site for further investigation is in regards to Cornuke's, 'In Search Of The Lost Mountains Of Noah', in which he relates his failure to locate Noah's Ark. Although Chapter Twenty-Six ('The Blood Of The Lamb') of that book is quite moving - in which the sacrifice of a lamb is compared with the sacrificial act of Jesus - I agree that the book ultimately should have been shelved until the author had legitimate evidence to offer. But that is no reason to avoid this superior book on the discovery of Mount Sinai.
In his review, ABUJIFAN far too easily dismisses the many indicators that point to Jabal al Lawz as the REAL Mount Sinai. He fails to address many of the historic landmarks that (coincidentally?!) happen to be in the same general location as the burnt Mountain, and also the coral reef that (conveniently) connects the lower tip of the Sinai Peninsula (across The Red Sea) with Saudi Arabia and the immediate area where all of these landmarks are found! He didn't mention the existence of the water-worn Split Rock (referenced in Exodus 17:5-6 and Isaiah 48:21 of The Bible) - an astonishing find! And he dismisses the photograph of the (presumed) Golden Calf Altar as a pile of rocks that "look like many naturally-occurring formations all over Western Arabia." Well, I've lived in the Southwestern U.S. all of my life, and unless rocks form quite differently in Arabia than they do here, that formation is hardly naturally-occurring, and I find it incredible that a person with a degree in archaeology would make such a claim. And therein, I suspect, is the rub. Is this a case of "professional jealousy"? Would it bother a pedigreed archaeologist if a testosterone-laden explorer armed with just his wits and his Bible made one of the greatest discoveries in the archaeologist's own backyard? Well, I don't know the answer to that, but I DO KNOW that 'IN SEARCH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD: THE DISCOVERY OF THE REAL MOUNT SINAI' is a real page-turner and a Five Star book, doggone it! That's all I have to say; I'm gonna go climb back under my rock now and wait to see who finds me first, an archaeologist or an adventurer.
disappointed a bit but also intrigued..........2005-06-08
I read the Search for the Missing Gold or whatever first and was VERY disappointed to see that this was basically the same story. Why couldn't they have presented the information in an orderly, systematic manner and not like a soap opera.
The good thing is that this should bring a lot of focus on the government of Saudi Arabia and why they don't cooperate with world-wide archaeology and quit acting like a medieval fiefdom.
Exciting read, low scholarship, high on Bible integrity.......2005-01-02
This is an exciting tale told from the perspective of "hands on" explorers who read the Bible as accurate in matters of history. Written as an easy read, the book is very interesting but weak from a scholarship perspective. Still, the excitement captured by the authors makes this a good book to read, particularly if you are interested in lands of the Bible.
Mr. Cornuke is a dedicated Christian believer, as evidenced from his writings and the way he uses Scripture to guide his searches. He has a background in forensics, which makes for an interesting view from which to handle archaeological evidence. His conclusions are in disagreement with the traditional route of the Exodus, which places the Israelites wandering around in the Sinai Peninsula. The problem with the traditional assertion is the lack of evidence and common sense. I give Mr. Cornuke a lot of credit for breaking with the tradition, especially since the tradition is not based upon Biblical information.
Mr. Cornuke places the crossing of the Red Sea on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula (straits of Tiran), offering as evidence Bible verses and an underwater land bridge. He attempts to excavate drowned chariots, but claimed that water was too deep. As for Mt. Sinai, Mr. Cornuke places it in Saudi Arabia. He offers some photographic evidence, for example, pictures of an altar with c calf inscribed on it. Of course such evidence by itself is not conclusive. But his assertions fit the known geography of the land a lot better than the Sinai Peninsula. I'm convinced that Mt. Sinai is not in the Sinai Peninsula, and is located likely in Saudi Arabia, although I disagree with the mountain Mr. Cornuke chose.
The book is written from the perspective of an explorer and is a fast, exciting read. Although the level of scholarship in this book is a little weak, the book makes up for this somewhat because of the "take you there with me" mentality of the authors. You really feel as if you are along with them, making the discoveries as you go through the ancient lands. If you would like a more detailed work that comes to similar conclusions (ie Sinai is located in Arabia), I would recommend the book "The Miracles of Exodus" by Colin Humphreys. This book offers a lot more scholarship, and retains the "take you there with me" mentality.
Book Description
The Complete Idiot's Guide To Catholicism explores the world's largest religious denomination and introduced you to the Catholic practice. It offers you a new approach to learning Catholicism, covering the rituals and symbols of the religion, such as Mass, the Seven Sacraments, and the holy days and their meaning. The authors tell you how Catholicism has spread throughout the world, its roots, and how it has grown and changed over the course of this century. It's a valuable tool for anyone interested in examining--or reexamining--this large and complex religion.
Download Description
The Complete Idiot's Guide To Catholicism explores the world's largest religious denomination and introduced you to the Catholic practice. It offers you a new approach to learning Catholicism, covering the rituals and symbols of the religion, such as Mass, the Seven Sacraments, and the holy days and their meaning. The authors tell you how Catholicism has spread throughout the world, its roots, and how it has grown and changed over the course of this century. It's a valuable tool for anyone interested in examining--or reexamining--this large and complex religion.
Customer Reviews:
This Book Contains Serious Errors.......2006-12-22
This book contains serious errors regarding Catholic dogma and discipline. For a book which presents Catholicism accurately, read "Catholicism for Dummies."
An example of a serious dogmatic error is the section on the perpetual virginity of Mary on pages 164-165. This book does not explain at all that the Church clearly teaches that Mary never had sexual relations. Rather, it presents a vague and historically-conditioned virginity which has little to do with historical fact. This is coupled with the book's gravely flawed "historical context" regarding the Church's thoughts on the relationship of the body and the soul. The book makes it sound as if the Church up until very recently considered the body to be sinful and as if the Church taught a radical dualism of body and spirit. On the contrary, the Church battled many heresies which taught these false doctrines.
Perhaps the most serious dogmatic error in the area of morals is the statement from page 273 on abortion, "However, the official teaching remains that the only time abortion is permitted when it is necessary to preserve the mother's life, which is covered under the concept of the lesser of two evils." This is not the Church's position. The Church's clear teaching is that abortion willed either as a means or an end is intrinsically evil.
An example of one error regarding Church discipline is on page 12 where it says, "Many spiritual practices--such as fasting before receiving the Eucharist and Lenten fasts--that once were mandatory are now optional." This is incorrect. Fasting before the reception of Holy Communion is still obligatory as is fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
This book is not useful to anyone who understands the Catholic faith, and it will be very misleading to anyone who wishes to learn more about Catholicism.
Not for Idiots.......2006-10-18
Concise.Funny. Insightful. Irreverant. A good quick introduction. Buy it for everyone in your RCIA program.
STOP BEING SUCH A COMPLETE IDIOT AND ACQUIRE FAITH IN ACTION: READ ITA FORD AND DOROTHY DAY.......2006-10-17
If you claim to be Catholic but fail to subscribe to the Catholic Worker newspaper you are not Catholic. (available here)
If you claim to be Catholic yet support directly or indirectly the Iraqi war, you are not Catholic (read Gaudium et spes, Pacem in terris, Father John Dear)
Forget this externalist formalist farcical treatment of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
To know what it is to be Catholic in the flesh and heart and spirit, study the writings of Sister Ita Ford, or her bio by Sr. Noone. Study Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister, or Monica Hellwig.
Be a true (not just practicing) Catholic and study deeply the great American CAtholic theologian and scholar, the Rev. Father Richard McBrien's comprehensive tome: Catholicism, well received and respected for a generation.
Continue with other great Catholic and American theologians and scholars and saints and contemplatives such as Jesuit Fathers Daniel Berrigan and Father John DEar who dare ask the hard questions with intelligence, insight and spiritual orthodoxy to the Gospel of Jesus. In particular illuminating is Jesus the Rebel by the Rev. Father Dear, and the commentaries on the Old Testament prophets such as Job and Ezekial by the Rev. Father Berrigan.
Then neither Dummy nor Complete Idiot shall you be, but Catholic in mind, heart, spirit and soul. Continue with the great Saint, MArtyr and Confessor of the Faith, Archbishop Romero, and of course the other Salvadoran martyrs and confessors like Fr. Ellacuria and the still living (when last seen) Father Jon Sobrino.
Such a telling shame cornerstone Catholic texts such as Pope John XXIII's PACEM IN TERRIS and Pope PAul VI's POPULORUM PROGRESSIO or even the US Conference of Catholic Bishop's ever-more-important treatise on Just Cause/Just war entitled GOd's Challenge and Our Response are out of print and no longer available, as they truly call us to put our faith into concrete action for Christ. As the great St. James wrote: Faith without works is dead.
Please check my other reviews for further excellent sources as well as warnings about the ill sectarian and shallow observances.
My gosh -- are we talking about the same book here?.......2006-10-02
I am perplexed by the many negative reviews that have been posted about this book. Not only are they negative, they practically vilify the authors.
As a cradle Catholic who has read volumes (and I mean volumes!) about Catholicism, I find this book to be absolutely right on target with where the Church is today. Those of you who excoriate this book are clinging to notions of what you want the Church to be, not what the Church actually is. Do you really believe that Catholics don't have premarital sex, use birth control, get divorces, and have abortions? In actuality, statistics within the Catholic church closely mirror those of the general population. To ignore the fact that, everyday, Catholics are faced with these same moral dilemmas and make the same mistakes non-Catholics make is to be living in some kind of Polyanna world. Sure the Church takes a stand against these things, but the Church also recognizes that these things can and do occur. The authors merely point out the reality that exists.
Consider this quote from another reviewer regarding abortion: "The Church isn't simply 'against it.' The Church teaches that abortion is a grave evil and that, if done with the requisite understanding and consent, it is a mortal sin...a sin that will separate the sinner from God for eternity. And this is not simply my opinion, this is formal Church teaching." ---> True, this is the Church's "official" position, but how many of us can imagine our parish priest refusing to hear our confession of this sin and telling us, "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do for you. You're going directly to Hell." I can't imagine any priest not willing to listen and sincerely help reconcile the sinner to God. In theory, it's one thing. In practice, it's another.
I find this book to be one of the most enlightening I have read recently. As one who has gone through a Diocesan-approved Catholic Biblical Institute Program, I find nothing in this book that disagrees with what I learned in the seven courses I have taken. There is a danger when people cling blindly to narrow precepts -- this is exactly what Vatican II has tried to discourage. Perhaps people should read some of the latest research and Catholic biblical scholarship before they go blasting this work. You might just find that the Church's thinking is very much in alignment with what the authors have written.
I would excommunicate this book from your library..........2006-08-25
...because as others have stated, it does have incorrect information in it, most glaringly that the Catholic Church is okay with abortion under certain circumstances. If you are a convert or just want to know the facts, pick up Triglio's book "Catholicism for Dummies" and the "Catechism of the Catholic Church."
Customer Reviews:
very good, eye-opening ... spicy, too!.......2002-05-28
This book was challenging, convicting and exciting. Brown writes humorously and concisely. At times he writes a bit too epigramatically or too much in pseudo-journalese. Brown closes humbly: he admits he's as guilty of greed and complacency as we are.
My favorite aspect of this book is that it is not just a book *about* liberation theology. This a *devotional* based on liberation theology (in fact, this was my devotional on and off for half a year). Happily, Brown includes whole passages of scripture for study. True, the third world (better, "two-thirds world") interpretations are jarring. For example, the OT reality behind Jesus quoting (and most Bibles mistranslating!) Isaiah's "day of the Lord's favor" almost knocked me out of my seat (see Luke 4).
Two other virtues of this book are 1) that Brown examines other parallel passages in each chapter (to provide a larger biblical basis), and 2) the pointed questions and scenarios Brown poses at the end of each chapter. This book is good for private or group study or just straight reading. Also, Brown offers a good list for further reading.
Some of the other reviews of this book are revealing. Why do we USAmericans get so upset about our capitalism and our money? Because our hearts (and our emotions) are where our treasure is, and vice versa? Why do we have so many problems with these "radical, militant, Marxist" liberation theologians? Because they point out how the God of the Bible has problems with greed, rugged individualism and national elitism? Why do we see Brown and "his ilk" twisting Scripture and eisegeting Marxism into the Bible? Because we don't like to hear Scripture echoed from the nouths of those for and by whom it was written: the poor and oppressed? If the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (I Tim 6:10) and if you cannot serve both God and money (Matt 6:24), why do we cling so firmly to money? What would the big loss be anyway in losing our economic clout -- if we truly hope for *heavenly* riches? The more you live and share with "the least of these" (Matt 25:31ff), I've found, the less radical Brown, et al. sound. Raving neo-McCarthyists deal the Bible a grave blow by capitulating social justice and economic parity into the hands of Marxists. Marx subverted God's Word to his ends (he was raised a Jew, remember), not the other way around.
I am looking for more contemporary books of this nature (it was published in 1984), but will probably "just settle for" reading Gutierrez, Romero, Arrupe, et al. -- precisely what Brown would hope for his readers to do, I think. (PS, I recommend Haugen's _Good News About Injustice_ and Are's _Israeli Peace, Palestinian Justice_. I also recommend watching _Romero_ and _The Mission_ for some liberation visuals!)
Jesus Christ as Activist.......2002-02-04
I really liked this book and it opened my eyes to a fresh interpretation of the Bible... I started thinking of all the things that never seem to get mentioned when I go to church... I looked at Communion in a completely different light... I saw the Good Samaritan story for what it is... When I listen to a televangelist going on and on about Faith in Christ it seems like they're just trying to convince themselves... I accept Christ... Now lets move on to what he told us to do... Robert McAfee Brown shows how the Christianity of the rich is like watered down milk toast... Every time I turn to some Christian radio program it's always about the evils of homosexuality, alcohol or adultery... It's like a broken record with these guys... I've studied every religion of the world and I never really considered converting to Christianity till I read Unexpected News... I don't see this book as Marxist propaganda... I see it as the only antidote to the Capitalist-Communist conundrum... Jesus spoke truth to power... He stood up to the religious leaders of the time and I'm sure he would have stood up to the Communists as well... The status quo church of today wants you to believe but they don't want you to actually walk in the footsteps of Christ because we would have too many people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King running around changing things... I've heard so-called Christians tell me, "Oh you don't have to do anything like that... Christ did it all for you... You just have to believe." I feel like saying, "I already believe... I just want to know what to do!" This book challenges you to actually do something...
Thoughtful Perspective Encourages Action, Responsibility.......2000-03-30
In this book, the author explores the fundamental beliefs of Liberation Theology, common in much of Latin America. Yet he goes further, selecting 10 specific Bible passages, and interpreting them from another perspective.
I found this book extremely thought-provoking. While there are portions that I personally do not agree with, many of Brown's comments will forever color my reading of the Bible. What does it mean that Jesus favored the poor and oppressed? What does that mean for me, as a North American Christian? Brown points a finger at every reader, saying that we have a responsibility to take an active role in helping those around us -- whether that be next door or around the world.
The author may step on a few toes as he goes about making his point, but I firmly agree with him. The rest of the world has a distict perspective on the Bible, and we need to realize that North America does not have a monopoly on Christianity.
In regards to the prevailing Marxist theme, I lived in Central America for four months and saw firsthand many of the realities that brought about the formation of this theology. Socialism, when God is brought into the picture, is not the evil that the United States likes to depict. In many impoverished countries and to many people, it is one of the few options to improve the quality of life.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with the courage to question entrenched beliefs and see life and Scripture through the eyes of much of the impoverished world -- all two-thirds of it.
Customer Reviews:
Our Christianity was not the first Christianity.......2006-11-02
For hundreds of years everyone assumed that the earliest Christians were orthodox New Testament Roman Christians, and"heretical" Christianities--like Gnosticism and Marcionism--developed later, branches off the original orthodox trunk.
Then in the 1930s this German guy named Walter Bauer decided to actually look at the evidence. Imagine! What he discovered was that pretty much everywhere he looked--Syria, Palestine, Egypt, etc.--the "heresies" weren't branches off any trunk, they were the original local Christianities. And they weren't small marginal sects, they were the main local Christianities.
The evidence shows that all around the Mediterranean, outside Rome, the orthodox New Testament Roman Christianity was a secondary sect, a sect that became dominant only after the conversion of Constantine gave it the advantage of Roman swords. Wow.
No wonder the big boys call this as a paradigm shattering book. Scholarly and technical, especially in the tedious first section of chapter one. Stick with it, because it gets fun and exciting.
Average customer rating:
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Christian Footings
Robert Imperato
Manufacturer: University Press of America
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ASIN: 076181857X |
Book Description
Christian Footings is an examination of presuppositions for Catholic thought as well as an introduction to the most important Catholic thinkers of our time.
Customer Reviews:
crystal clear.......2002-03-01
If you love walking down the beach to ponder and to stop and pick up shells, bits of
glass, small beach wildflowers and remnants of the sea, you will equally enjoy reading
Christian Footings by Robert Imperato. Each section of this theological treasure is filled with
pearls of wisdom collected by the author over years of scholarly reflection. Whether a novice
or academic researcher, readers of Christian Footings will find complex theological
conversations synthesized, with Hemingway precision, into inviting thought provoking
concepts. Imperato fearlessly sets a course to explore the wide-open issues of Creation,
Revelation, Personalism, World Religions and Jesus. The gift this author presents to readers of
the text rests in his ability to define and clarify the scope of each topic in context with works by
leading experts like Rahner, Bernard of Clairvaux, Teihard de Chardin, and Merton.
The result of this effort is a discourse rich in universal questioning yet direct in its
challenge to specific, personal, internal conflicts, which we must all resolve for ourselves.
Whether undertaking a personal analysis on spirituality or critiquing a Gospel parable, Imperato
pushes the reader to recognize that "In each case the conventional mind set is challenged." (p.
53) As a professor of Religious Studies at Saint Leo University, Imperato's approach is less
systematic and more practical in helping others come to terms with contemporary theological
dialogue, grounded in historical accuracy. Christian Footings is a compass to those of us
courageous, would-be sailors - students and mentors alike - who set out to journey on life's
insistent call to be a participant.
"We are part of the process and also hold the rudder, at least of humanity's future, in our hands."
(p. 9)
JUDITH PRUITT
St. Thomas University
Miami, FL
Books:
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America
- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time Chosen by the Members of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SF Hall of Fame)
- The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and Its Heritage
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- The Unknown God: Searching for Spiritual Fulfillment
- Thong on Fire: An Urban Erotic Tale
- Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics
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