Books for/about - new testament

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why

Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Authors: Bart D. Ehrman

ISBN: 0060738170
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Summary: Excellent work about a less-than-excellent subject.
Ehrman is an engaging, intelligent, skilled author. In this fascinating work he patiently explains the all-too-often unsung work of philogists. He is reasonable in his discussions of faith and history. Read this book and become enlightened once again about the nefarious doings of the anti-rational true believers around us. Another related book to read: Burton L. Mack's WHO WROTE THE OLD TESTAMENT?: THE MAKING OF THE CHRISTIAN MYTH.

Summary: Bias Observation by me.
One needs to know I am a captivated reader of Professor Ehrman so this is biased. Dr. Ehrman shows how the Bible is probably far from what it originally was intended and how it became what it is today. In it he tells of the early manuscripts and how scribes probably sometimes inadvertently and sometimes intentionally altered the early manuscripts. For those believers of an inerrant Bible written by a god, this book is probably not a good choice. Those of that persuasion will have to believe the god also had men nuance the subsequent changings after reading "Misquoting the Bible."

Summary: Not what the book title seems to imply.
The explaination is not clear and some arguments are not logical. I think the author could not put aside his biased judgement when reviewing the Bible as an open minded person.

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The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus

Publisher: Zondervan
Authors: Lee Strobel

ISBN: 0310209307
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Summary: The Tooth Fairy
I can't wait for his follow up "The Case for The Tooth Fairy."

Summary: OK book, but won't convince skeptics.
I read this book a couple of years ago, when I considered myself a skeptic. Now, I consider myself a Christian. This book is not what convinced me.

If you read the reviews, they are very telling. All the Christians love the book, all the skeptics (whether they be atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, or whatever) hate the book. Everyone is biased; it is impossible not to be. People come into a situation with preconceived notions, and will believe what they want to believe, even when presented with facts that seemingly contradict their views.

Thus, Christians can read this book and come away from it with the view that it reaffirms their faith; skeptics come away from it with the view that it reaffirms their skepticism.

Trying to make the case for faith based on historical and scientific evidence is flawed in and of itself. That's why they call it FAITH. Believing in the divinity of Christ is a leap of faith that one has to take to become a Christian - if it could be proven by scientific and historical evidence, then it wouldn't be faith at all. That's the whole point of it.

I think examining evidence for the existence of the historical Jesus is fine, but when you throw in the key issue of divinity and the resurrection, that's where faith comes in.

The reason I believe in the divinity of Christ has to do with what I feel in my heart, and the major changes that came about in my life due to the change in spiritual perspective that occurred when I went from "skeptic" to "believer". It really is about a personal relationship with God. It has absolutely nothing to do with the church, which is a severely flawed creation organized by man, who has the innate ability to pervert and corrupt everything he is involved with. Likewise, personal faith has very little to do with historical and scientific evidence.

It's very similar to being in love - no one can prove that they're in love - likewise, you can't disprove it. You can't even prove or disprove the existence of love. But you feel it in your heart - you know when you're in love. That's what faith is to me, and to millions of other Christians the world over.

Summary: Must read for all
Mr. Stroebel presents a well-documented case for Christ. His sources are impeccable. His conclusions are clear, though not necessarily the conclusions he had hoped to reach based on the evidence.

A must read for all who witness and all who question.

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	Searching for God Knows What Publisher: Nelson Books Authors: Donald Miller
ISBN: 0785263713 List Price: $13.99 Amazon Price: $10.77 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Better than Blue? I found that this book was not as fun or light hearted as Miller's earlier work: Blue Like Jazz. However I believe this book had more meat and substance to it. The life boat analogy is very insightful. The way we too often turn spirituality into a formula is also true. Ultimately I would recommend anything by Miller, this book included. Summary: Better than Blue Like Jazz I love Don Miller, and he is head and shoulders above any author out there as far as i am concerned. This book has so many amazing spiritual aspects that make you realize just how big God is and how small we are. And how if we use others to define us and not God to dedine who we are than we are missing the boat completely. Amazing book, you will love the chapter on the "Children of Chernobyl" Summary: See Also: "Blue Like Jazz" This is a good book. Maybe even a great book. It's hard to tell because Donald's earlier work "Blue Like Jazz" set such a high standard for himself and his writing that I doubt anything could have lived up to my expectations. For that reason if you have not read anything by Miller I would actually steer you toward "Blue Like Jazz" first. It is definately his best book, to date. However, if you have already read "Blue Like Jazz" and - like I did - am now searching for more Miller to read, then I would recommend this title to you as well. It may not be quite as good as "Blue", but to criticize it for that reason would like criticizing Da Vinci because "The Last Supper" doesn't quite measure up to the "Mona Lisa". Summary:

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	Encountering Jesus in the New Testament Publisher: Ave Maria Press Authors: Michael Pennock
ISBN: 0877939446 List Price: $20.95 Amazon Price: $20.95 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Awsome The book is like new, it is in perfect condition. I am relly happy with the service Summary:

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What Jesus Meant

Publisher: Viking Adult
Authors: Garry Wills

ISBN: 0670034967
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Summary: Intrigueing, ultimately flawed
Garry Wills is an excellent scholar and writer, with a wide range of interests. His book What Jesus Meant is a great read, and he makes a herculean effort to break out of the mold of much recent scholarship, particularly the Jesus Seminar. However in the end he succumbs to many of the same maladies he identifies in those he criticizes.

His forward on the nature of translation and the characteristics of KOINE greek does as good a job of illustrating the limitations of using the details of language to make theological points (i.e. the traditional conservative approach to original languages) as any I have ever read. He also does a great job of placing himself within the tradition of the historical Jesus debate as one who accepts the record as it is recorded-the only Jesus we have is the Jesus of faith. He finds all the attempts to identify "authentic" sayings of Jesus to leave us with a boring not very moving character. He places great value on the portrait of Jesus found in Paul's letters because they were written earlier in the transmission process than the Gospels and are closer to the original bearers of the tradition. I thought his discussion of the temptations of Jesus might have been the best thing in the book. Absolutely brilliant.

Wills does a great job of telling Jesus story. He attempts to do a Jesus narrative based on a harmony of the Gospels based on his own translation and understanding. It makes a great narrative. He reminded me ofhow much we have lost by turning the gospel story into a collection of related pericopes. His Jesus is no Jesus meek and mild, revealing a God of Looooooovvvvvve. (mispelling intentional, sound it out and you get the message). He places himelf in the group that regards Jesus as an apocolyptic visionary. He rejects every effort to try to turn Jesus into an ethical teacher. He places him as concerned with the Kingdom of God which is only found outside the constraints of time and space as we know them. Ultimately however he locates the Kingdom's expression in the interior life of the believer found through the access to the Father that comes through Him.

Ultimately, however, Wills paints himself in the same box he finds others in. Because the ultimate source of expression is within the self, he discounts much of the ethical teaching he disagrees with (i.e. homosexuality). Thus while fundamentalist of every stripe (left and right) are shown to be putting God in a box, I find Wills doing the same thing. However, I have a suspicion this may be due to our human limits-if we can eliminate all those contridictions we might make ourselves god.

All in all an excellent book, with parts that are stone brilliant. Highly recommend with slight reservations

Summary: Jesus' Words with the Religious Rhetoric Removed
Unambiguously, Garry Wills cuts to the heart of the gospel in his book "What Jesus Meant."

As in "Lincoln at Gettysburg" and "Nixon Agonistes" (my two favorite Wills books) the author looks at a familiar set of facts and draws startling insights. In this book I was fascinated by Wills'- a former Greek professor at Johns Hopkins University - ability to draw insightful and nuanced meaning from his personal translations of familiar New Testament verses.

Like Jesus, Wills subscribes to no later day political as he explores the meaning of the "resign of heaven" promised by God's son. Like Jesus, he speaks plainly and bluntly about power, wealth and even religion itself.

Able to be read in a single sitting, "What Jesus Meant" is sure to spark a personal internal debate over your understand of Jesus and the Scriptures. Finish it and you will join me in thanking Wills for enhancing your understanding of religion's role in our society today.

Summary: Balm for a bruised heart, at least for me...
Perhaps I liked this short but thought-provoking effort by Mr. Wills more than most readers because...I needed it more. I have been coping rather poorly with a family crisis for 18 months or so, and I am not traditionally religious, although a Christian believer (at least by my own lights.) I found the book by accident on the new book shelf of my local library yesterday, and three hours later I finished it, and felt blessed to have had the experience. Garry Wills is no flaming liberal, but neither is he the kind of conservative church-going Republican we get exposed to on the news on a daily basis. He presents here a Jesus who is divine, who has indeed been resurrected, and who was too radical for today's activists of either the right or the left, for different reasons. I loved the book and recommend it highly to all who are suffering, wondering where they have failed, and what to do next. It won't give you a free pass to new happiness, but it can give you faith that you do not wander alone, and that your unseen companion has the power and the intention of seeing you through your particular darkness. Thanks, Mr. Wills. I needed that.

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	The Prophet: 26 poetic essays Publisher: Knopf Authors: Kahlil Gibran
ISBN: 0394404289 List Price: $15.00 Amazon Price: $9.75 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: The Path to Godhood This is the sort of poetry that makes you weep, where you can read each line 10 or a 100 times, hoping, just hoping that you'll remember it forever. Narrating the struggles of man in life and in love, this work rings of an eastern spirituality reconciling with a distinctly western despair. Read it. Summary: A Little Bit of Everything I became aware of the Prophet when I read Weaver's The Sophist, which has a similar format. No matter what your interests or preferences, Gibran is sure to touch some part of your heart, mind, soul or all three through his insightful observations and poetic craftsmanship. I use the book as a morning devotional sometimes, reviewing the wisdom found there from day to day. Summary: referred by mother My mother read this book a long time ago and recommended it to me but I never read it. I just recentlyu read in (June 2006) and glad I finally did. This book short essays on the different aspects of life. These are teachings and they are meant to inspire and advise. They are written in such a way so that the words are not rammed down your throat. Summary:

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The Sermon on the Mount - Reissue: The Key to Success in Life

Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Authors: Emmet Fox

ISBN: 0060628626
List Price: $13.95
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Summary: This book gives new menaing to the word love
I read this book when I first began searching for meaning, a sense of connection, and inner peace. Emmet Fox's book took me back to the feelings I had as a little girl sitting in church filled with innocence, wonder and awe. I think he explains what Jesus really meant with his words rather than what his words have been distorted to mean.

This book teaches about love and acceptance. It is a beautiful guide if you really want to connect with the essence of who and what you are. It showed me how to really practice being loving to myself and others and how to find peace amongst the chaos.

This book is a wonderful addition to anyone's library. On a scale of 1-5 I'd rate it a 10!

Summary: A Trojan Horse
Christians beware! This book hides dangerous cultic teachings behind the so called spiritual insights in the Sermon on the Mount. It is indeed a deceptive Trojan horse filled with "Christian Science" heresies. Mr. Fox's teachings in this book subtly contradict almost all sound doctrines of the Bible such as the Reality of Sin, Vicarious Atonement, Justification by Faith, Redemption, the Trinity of God, etc.

According to Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, universally known as Christian Science, Jesus could not die for Man's sins, because Mankind never sinned; Christ did not really die on the cross therefore He resurrected from non-death. Christian Science also declares that the Scriptures cannot properly be interpreted in a literal way, and thus, the truth of scripture must be "spiritually" discerned before its message can be applied to our lives.

Therefore, this book is hiding harmful non-Christian metaphysics and psychic interpretations behind the words of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. Moreover, Fox here promotes a salvation by works and positive thinking that is foreign to the Bible.

For those who wrote positive reviews of this book I want to say that Christianity is not about spirits seeking and deep trances, but it is all about the finding of the only Spirit of God, deep thankfulness in sincere meditation on the Gospel of the Cross, and above all, a relationship with God through His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ who died for our sins, so that we can be saved by the grace of God through faith alone.

I am amazed by how "C.S." people perceive the teachings of Christian science as being enlightened and how they see themselves as being thinkers. This is complete ignorance. These people do not even know how to think, much less how to think critically. They are ignorant about the doctrines of the Bible, ignorant of theological, cultural exegesis, ignorant of historical / textual criticism, and ignorant about real, genuine science.

The religion of (non)Christian (non)science is theologically, philosophically, Biblically and scientifically false; its roads end in eternal damnation.

For those who want to read a good Christian commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, I recommend the books of D. A. Carson, John MacArthur, Dale C. Allison, D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, James Montgomery Boice, and Leon Morris among others.

Summary: Wonderful Mediation Reading
This book is great for those of us seeking a deeper understanding of how to live a spiritual life.

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The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You (2 Volume Set)

Publisher: Self-Realization Fellowship Publishers
Authors: Paramahansa Yogananda

ISBN: 0876125550
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Summary: A Must Read for any True Devotee of God!
This book is one of three work Yogananda produced during his life that can be truly concidered his "masterworks." The other two are "God Talks with Arjuna" his two volume commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, and "Autobiography of a Yogi" his autobiography. All three of these amazing books should be on the shelf of every devotee of God no matter what tradition/religion/etc they follow, and should be read at least once from cover to cover in a lifetime.

Summary: Insightful
An inspirational book which invites for instrospection and connection to your inner heart. It provides an opportunity to read the history of Jesus from the heart and not only from the mind.

Summary: From Him who has tasted to him who is hungry
Paramahansa Yogananda's commentary comes from his direct perception of truth. This is no theologic apologia but a restatement in modern terms of the spiritual reality perceived by Lord Jesus.
That Yogananda is completely one with the Christ consciousness (in Sanskrit: kutastha chaitanya) is thrillingly confirmed by occasional references to the bodily appearances of Lord Jesus during and at the conclusion of Yogananda's herculean task of putting words to the unspeakable. Even more important is that Yogananda's perceptions of that Consciousness are confirmed (and experienced) by those among the readers who are willing to make the effort to attain that same state of God-consciousness about which he and Lord Jesus (and countless other prophets) have witnessed.
Yogananda's final word essentially is "taste and see that the Lord is good" rather than calling people to a new theological formulation.

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