★★★★★

This is Bell’s controversial masterpiece about “heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived.” Love, says this internationally influential pastor, wins in the end … and nobody has to go to hell. 

God wants all people to be saved. Will God get what He wants?

Of Bell’s works, I’ve read only this and Velvet Elvis, though I have three more in my review stack. I’ll be spreading them out over the next few months. I confess that too much Bell, with his colloquial rah-rah style, might push me off the deep end, but in Love Wins, the message overcomes the style and earns five stars. I also feel the book is very well organized, leading inexorably to a logical conclusion.

That said, this book does not probe any deep theological arguments. It’s far too short for that. It’s a common-sense approach to a troubling question: Can God be both loving and vengeful?

Actually, Bell’s book is chock full of questions! It makes you think about your perception of Jesus, of God, and of His eternal plan. Bell says, “Often times when I meet atheists and we talk about the god they don’t believe in, we quickly discover that I don’t believe in that god either.” When we hear that a certain person has rejected Christ, we should probably first ask, “Which Christ?” The antiscience, antigay one standing out on the sidewalk with his bullhorn, telling people that they’re going to burn forever? Or the one who invites everyone to share in his heaven?

Which invites another question. Which heaven? The one far away, a dream of eternal bliss, or the one Jesus constantly spoke of, here, now, on this earth? Bell’s “heaven” is very “earthy,” rightly recognizing that Jesus spoke not of a place but of an age … an age where God dwells with his people, on this earth. Bell is not denying an afterlife, he simply is putting the focus where Jesus did: the now. 

But what about hell? Well, there’s plenty of hell on earth now, too. Surprisingly, not everyone prefers heaven. Love wins, and we get whatever we want. But over and over and over, God speaks of restoration … helping those who have slipped into hell back on their feet and back into heaven.

That’s God’s agenda. So here we are at a final question: Does this magnificent, mighty, marvelous God fail in the end?

★★★★★

Wow! Powerful stuff, here.

Liao is not a Christian, he’s a Chinese rebel. That is, he’s a critic of the Chinese regime, for which he has been imprisoned and his works have been banned. Says Liao, “I will continue to write and document the sufferings of people living at the bottom rung of society, even though the Communist Party is not pleased with my writing. I have the responsibility to help the world understand the true spirit of China, which will outlast the current totalitarian government.”

So, in this book, he takes on the topic of how Christianity flourished under the Communist banner. Martyrdom, underground house churches, religious persecutions … these are the sorts of topics you’ll find in this series of 18 essays. Many deal with the period of Chairman Mao and the Cultural Revolution.

This is not really a political book, nor is it evangelical. It is a reporters-eye view of Christianity where it doesn’t fit in. In learning about his topic, Liao attends a Eucharist celebration, interviews church leaders, visits the sites of persecution, and lets real people tell their stories. Warning: These stories are as disturbing as they are inspiring. Christianity under Red China looks like the first couple centuries under the Roman Empire all over again.

Was it worth it for those who endured? I’ll let you decide after you read the final interview with its entirely different flavor, of a new young 2010 convert to Christianity. A dry surprise awaits you.

★★★★

I struggled in deciding on a rating for this one. For myself, I’d give it three stars; I just didn’t relate well. It’s a short little book, and even at that, it seems to lose a bit of focus toward the end and perhaps could have been even shorter. But for others, who have shared more of the pain that Pamela has (both physical and emotional), the book will prove inspirational and comforting, worthy of a five-star ranking. I settled on a compromise of four stars.

Rev. Feeser is opinionated but gentle as she shares the wisdom of a life still Becoming. This is a book for the heart, not so much for the head … a bit different from the sort of book I usually review. Yet it was a pleasant break, sometimes even delightful … and sometimes disturbing. Like Job in the Bible, Pamela endured a lot under God’s watchful eye. Like Job, she simply could never give up on Him. While her understanding and picture of God evolved over time, her love for the One Who Loved Her Into Being grew only stronger … overcoming periods of darkness which found her railing in anger at Him. In her love-hate relationship with the Creator, love won by a landslide, and this shared love is clearly her comfort and strength today.

“Bottom line, God, it’s you and me. I know we can do it.”

Spiritual living is characterized by creative chaos, insists Rev. Feeser. Yet within that chaos, her escape was music and poetic verse. Music appears to have grounded her, given her stability in a world of chaos. Over and over she found God hiding in the notes and the controlled breathing of playing wind instruments (Spirit = breath of God). I mention this because for all the writing I do about God, I know so very little about Him, and I think that for one person at least … God is music. I’m glad Pamela found Him there; we should all be so lucky.

★★★★

The subtitle of this book is an “Atheist-Scientist’s Guide to God.” It’s broken down into five parts of two or three dozen short essays each, which were compiled and organized by Vary over a period of six years. Each essay leads fluidly into the next, however, so it’s not as if Vary is publishing an anthology; this is, rather, a defense of his particular view of reality … a reality that transcends the material cosmos into the transcendental universe. Vary takes what he calls a “rational approach” to God, along the lines of thinkers Bernard Haisch, Paul Davies and Jacob Needleman, and much of his book details his perception of body-soul-spirit. The mind of “God” (in which we, with our limited minds, share) resides outside the physical cosmos.

Vary’s writing is intelligent and he’s extremely well-read. He is a retired research scientist with NASA, and I have to be honest, here: He’s way over my head at times. Part three, the central portion of the book, is simply incomprehensible. I can speak somewhat knowledgeably about quantum entanglement, black holes, and particle-wave duality, but if asked whether Vary adequately argues his hypotheses (among them, an explanation of how the material somethingness of the cosmos arises from nothingness) or whether he has truly formulated a convincing proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, I admit total bafflement.

A key part of Vary’s worldview includes what he refers to as Astrals, non-corporal beings that reside in the mesostratum. Spiritual manifestations with human-like traits, personalities, occupations and ambitions, who tinker in material affairs, fiddling with DNA, fine-tuning our evolution. How else do we explain how species seem to appear suddenly, fully formed and equipped with all sorts of specialized organs, then remain stable for millions of years? Yeah, I know, this stuff is out there, but once we dig below Vary’s tongue-in-cheek caricatures of our designers, he turns out to be quite serious. So, clearly, his is a controversial take.

And also a bit disturbing, since it implies that we humans, like the dinosaurs, are most likely still imperfect beings who will soon be discarded as non-working models while the DNA tinkering continues. 

Honestly? I had a lot of fun reading this one. I highly recommend it for pleasurable reading and fascinating learning. But I don’t think I have room for Vary’s “religion.”

★★★★

A writer is forever learning. In this review by Goodreads reviewer “Phil,” I learned never to park things atop the ark (too informal, I assume), and to be more sensitive about Jewish facial features. I made both modifications in my “corrected copy.” (Seriously, I did! It’s my job to learn and avoid what offends people!)

From Phil:

★★★★★

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, along comes Daniel Boyarin, a professor of Talmudic Culture and Rhetoric at the University of California.

You think Christianity’s unique contribution to Judaism was the introduction of a god-man? Wrong. Could it be the idea of a suffering savior? Wrong again. Maybe that Jesus rejected Jewish dietary laws and Sabbath restrictions, freeing us from the Law? Hardly; Boyarin paints a very Jewish Jesus in his reading of the Gospels, certainly a Jesus who keeps kosher.

Christianity’s one claim to fame may be the insistence that the Messiah had already arrived, but that’s about the extent of its uniqueness. Otherwise, Christianity is a very Jewish offshoot of a Jewish religion. Boyarin draws from texts like the Book of Daniel and 1st Enoch to explain the title Son of Man (which, it turns out, is a much more exalted title than Son of God) and in turn to expose the expectation of many first-century Jews of just such a divine savior.

This is a fascinating, controversial book presenting a very different look at Jesus as one who defended Torah from wayward Judaic sects (the Pharisees), rather than vice versa. I don’t think the arguments are fully developed yet, but certainly Boyarin introduces “reasonable doubt” against traditional scholarship. Let the arguing begin.

★★★★

Harper One appears to be doing a reprint of Rob Bell’s works, and sent me a nice little stack of books. So I’m beginning with Bell’s Cinderella work, Velvet Elvis, published back in 2005. I had actually never read it before. Had heard it talked about, but never turned the cover. It turns out to be a good book, but I really didn’t enjoy it as much as I did Bell’s latest, Love Wins. I’ll review that one shortly.

Velvet Elvis is written in a style exactly like I expect the young mega-church pastor to preach: friendly and colloquial, somewhat meandering, common-sensical. I don’t quite get the “Velvet Elvis” part, so let’s ignore the title and just say his is common-sense Christianity. It’s not terribly controversial (it’s actually more conservative than I expected), and it’s not theologically probing, but it’s clear Bell can think for himself … or rather, he can unthink some of the stray ideas that have led many Christians away from simply living a Christian life. I absolutely love this observation early in the book about what happens when you try to follow Jesus:

Over time when you purposefully try to live the way of Jesus, you start noticing something deeper going on. You begin realizing the reason this is the best way to live is that it is rooted in profound truths about how the world is. You find yourself living more and more in tune with ultimate reality. You are more and more in sync with how the universe is at its deepest levels.

What is Bell talking about? He’s talking about what it means to be a disciple of a first-century Rabbi who sees potential in each of us, and calls us to live like him. He’s talking about what happens when you quit pushing your religion on your neighbors and dwell like Christians among them. He’s talking about what happens when you view God’s dream for mankind as one of him coming down to make his home with us, rather than us peering into the heavens with a forlorn hope of rapturous escape. He’s talking about compassion, goodness, simplicity, all the things that can make this world a better place for all of us.

★★★★★

I don’t really review audio-only books, but I should make an exception to tell you about The Bible Experience, just in case you’ve never heard of it. This is a reading of Today’s New International Version of the Bible. If you’ve got a road trip planned, this should be your companion.

It employs a cast of a couple hundred actors in the star-studded cast—Samuel Jackson, Angela Bassett, and Cuba Gooding Jr. to name a few—and sound effects that bring ancient times alive. This is just a reading of the Bible, nothing more, yet the written Word is somehow elevated into an absolutely stunning audio experience. No book of any genre that I’ve listened to compares to this, and certainly no audio Bible version compares. This is the one you want.

Pick up the Gospel of John, lie down in a meadow, and put on your ear buds for a couple hours. Or tune in to Revelation and listen to the angels sing. If you’re looking for meaningful Christmas presents, then after you buy my books, buy this!

★★★

This is the first of a three-volume series about messiahs: Christ, the Messiah of 2000 years ago; Reverend Moon, the appointed Messiah of this age; and the many messiahs around us. In fact, everyone is a messiah. The book is well-written and easy to read, apologetic in nature, but it didn’t seem convincing enough to me to expect Bible-readers to embrace the ideas within. Thus, a three-star rating.

Nseka is a member of the Unification Church, and writes from that perspective. He believes literally in the Bible story; in particular, the story of the Garden of Eden and the Fall of mankind. This theme—the restoration of mankind from the Fall—pervades this entire volume. Adam and his wife Eve sinned, and history up to this point has been a redemption from sin.

Here’s how it works: Jesus is the Messiah, capital M, but the mission of the Messiah is to bring harmony. To establish the Kingdom of Heaven. Given that this has not yet happened—indeed, Satan has only grown stronger than ever—we may conclude that Jesus didn’t entirely fulfill the role of Messiah. For one thing, both Adam and Even sinned, and Jesus could only absolve Adam’s portion of the original sin;  both a male and female messiah are required to cover them both. Jesus represents only the second Adam. Had Jesus married, thus anointing a wife to serve as the female Messiah, perhaps he could have completed the messianic requirements. He didn’t, so we need a Second Coming.

Luckily, Reverend Moon is married. His first marriage didn’t work, but thankfully he found another wife, so the two of them can finish the job begun by Jesus. Jesus himself passed the torch to Rev. Moon, who serves as the Second Coming of Jesus. Rev. and Mrs. Moon are the True Parents, establishing a family and lineage under God in the Second Advent. Salvation comes through the marriage ceremonies for which Rev. Moon has become famous. Through the Blessing of a Moon-endorsed wedding (he plays matchmaker, selecting the wife for each man), humanity is able to conceive children within the lineage of God—children born without original sin, like Jesus.

And there you have it. Today, the Unification Church and the newly-inaugurated Kingdom of Heaven has grown considerably, and the providence of restoration has reached a point where Rev. Moon no longer needs to match people. So great has the movement grown, that in 2010 he retired from that service and instructed candidates on how to pick their own spouses.

No one has outperformed Jesus save for the Rev. Sun Myung Moon (p. 163).

★★

I met Mickey, this book’s author, on a public forum at Goodreads.com, where he insisted on spouting the most insane, impossible story of his Christian conversion. God gave him a new heart. No, I mean it, a real one. God sucked the old one out and replaced it with a new blood pump.

Mickey doesn’t know it, but I watched him for months, telling his story and enduring the ridicule. I can’t believe his story … I’m just not wired to swallow that kinda thing … but whatever the heck happened to Mickey that day, it left an impression. He may have been a hell raiser before his conversion, but today he’s an absolute saint for what he puts up with on Goodreads.com, and never loses his cool. My curiosity sparked, and I offered to review a book he had written.

Turns out he’s more than a saint. He’s the prophet Elijah, and he’s got a message for us. For one thing, we shouldn’t bother reading most of the New Testament. Stick to the Gospels and stay away from the Satanic influence of Paul. Mickey’s writing style is a bit unorthodox, and the punctuation questionable, but I’m not sure I’d have it any other way … somehow it sets just the right tone.

I was captivated for about 40 pages, while Mickey recounted stories of his childhood. Setting the stage, I assumed, for what was to come: a miraculous conversion experience. Reading the book is a bit like sitting on a log around a campfire, listening to grandpa reminisce. But the storytelling grew old, and I began to wish he’d get on with the supernatural stuff, so I was more than ready when the book turned preachy. Finally, we must be getting to the point! Okay, Mickey, I’ll swear off Paul, if you’ll tell me what happened to you! But the preachy stage came to an end, and the reminiscing began again. Along the way I learned how to drive safely, how to roast hot dogs, I learned just about everything except what I hoped. Mickey’s miraculous baptism by the Holy Ghost blew by in a couple sentences without fanfare, and the storytelling began to meander again without direction until it simply petered out on the final page as if he ran out of breath and decided to call it a night.

Mickey, you seem like a fascinating guy, it would be fun to stoke the campfire together, but your book doesn’t go anywhere.

★★★★

This little booklet serves as a basic textbook to introduce the Bible in the Dickinsen Series Program of the Massachusetts Bible Society. It’s intended for class session, recognizing that there may be two levels of learners in each class: some may be taking the course out of general interest only, while others may wish to pursue a Certificate of Biblical Literacy, requiring more in-depth exercises, and earning Continuing Education Units. The four books in the course include:

[1] What is the Bible?

[2] Introducing the Old Testament

[3] Introducing the New Testament

[4] The Bible in Context (a look at the culture and surrounding events of the various times in the biblical narrative)

Book one (today’s topic) is sort of a “What’s the big deal?” treatment, introducing the two Testaments, what’s hidden in the Bible, how it was put together, why there are so many translations, and why people argue so vehemently over words like “inerrant” and “inspired.” Above all, this introduction stresses tolerance and understanding for the different ways of reading scripture. It encourages you to examine your own beliefs objectively so that other opinions about the Bible can be appreciated (remember, it’s written to be used in class discussion), and it serves as a great lead-in to the coming volumes.  Robertson’s writing is engaging, written with humor and lots of little anecdotes. It reminds me a little of the “Dummy” instruction series. But as friendly as it is, it’s like any textbook: If ya don’t do the exercises, ya don’t get the benefit.

★★★★★

Latin re-ligio: To relink, to reconnect.

Buy this book! If I do a “best of 2012” summary this January, I guarantee this one will be near the top. Heart and head both feel satisfied as I turn the last page.

This is what progressive Christianity is all about. It will toy with your emotions, lift you to the heights of compassion, and fill your soul with awe for the beauty and mystery of life we share. God is in this book, until you set the book down and discover He has wiggled out of its pages and into your soul. Perhaps God was inside you all along, waiting to be reawakened?

Many of us do need reawakening; religion has become a turn-off for many. In no other area of life is the denial of progress held up as a virtue. But according to Felten and Procter-Murphy, stagnation, not change, is Christianity’s deadliest enemy. Vital faith is dynamic, flowing, and moving. Progressive Christianity, by its very name, is about progress. Rethinking the meaning of Christology, atonement, and the Incarnation is part of the journey. Losing interest in the Rapture is a necessary side effect.

“Living the Questions” is an enigmatic title, and the book begins with this insight: “To not ask questions is tantamount to forfeiting one’s own spiritual birthright and allowing other people’s experience of the Divine to define your experience.” It ends with the reminder that “those who embrace mystery are free to interpret the Divine in new and fresh ways.” In the pages between, however, we travel back in time to the Jesus of history, a man of vision and compassion, and a this-worldly concern largely ignored by the creeds of the religion that sprouted in his name. The essence of Jesus’ ministry might be distilled down into one word: compassion.

Then we’re reintroduced to God who, through the scriptures, is Mother, Father, the Wind, a Rock, and finally just Love. God, says John Shelby Spong (who along with Fox and Crossan is quoted liberally in these pages) is the life power itself, the power of love itself, the “Ground of Being.”

One final note: I’m not a poetry reader, but the occasional sprinkling of poetry by Cynthia Langston Kirk was mesmerizing … I suspect in part because the atmosphere of the book primed me to appreciate the poetic. 

★★★★

How do I rate a book that will bore most of you but titillate the rest? Half way between two stars and six stars, I guess.

I’m secure in my status as a religion nerd, so I’ll admit I loved it. This is an introduction to philosophical apologetics, a short little book that can be read in a couple hours, and understood in five or six hours. Philosophical reflection, Plantinga assures us, is not that different than just thinking hard. It’s an excursion into the joy of logic … for the fun of it, not necessarily to reach any meaningful conclusions. He spends half the book discussing the problem of evil, and the other half on natural theology. Thus half of the book presents a case against God and half attempts to prove he exists. In the second half, Plantinga briefly introduces the Cosmological Argument and the Teleological Argument, and then spends the rest of the book on the Ontological Argument.

Plantinga’s argument against the problem of evil is fascinating yet unsatisfying, and his discussion of the ontological argument is equally fun but equally unconvincing … like one of those puzzles where you know there’s something wrong and can’t quite place your finger on it.

One note: Do not try to read an electronic version! The constant referring backward to numbered arguments will be very frustrating without a paper copy.

This book will resonate with many, many people. It’s possible that some will find it comforting to read, simply to reinforce that they are not alone in their “spiritual-but-not-religious” mindset, but in my opinion the book’s greatest value is as a way for progressive/liberal/SBNR Christians to share their journey with their conservative family. Stover’s approach is not at all heavy-handed but gentle and explanatory, so it’s a simple way of communicating what so many of us feel.