by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman ★★★★ A Finkelstein book will be controversial; let’s establish that up front. And because there exists very little archaeological evidence outside the Bible story of Judah’s first kings, speculation will be a natural result of any such study. We know absolutely nothing from history about…
Genesis 2:18, Man’s Helper
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” //So God made Eve, right? Nope, read your Bible. God made animals. Lots of them, and paraded them before Adam, so Adam could choose one for a “helper.”…
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Book review: Pagan Christianity?
by Frank Viola and George Barna ★★★★ No, this isn’t a “bash the Christians” book. It’s a “bash the church” book (lowercase “c”). The authors’ goal is to redirect Christians back to the original teachings of the New Testament, where the “Church” was never a building. “Pagan,” as used by the…
Acts 10:38, A Good Man
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, for God was with him. //Today’s verse is a call for Christians to unite. Whether you see Jesus as a wandering first-century…
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Book review: Paul
by Walter Wangerin Jr. ★★★★★ You may know Wangerin from The Book of the Dun Cow. I love Wangerin’s writing and I loved Paul. From the insatiable and inexplicable drive of the book’s hero, Paul of Tarsus, to the endearing antics of his biggest fan Titus, this is a captivating story in a…
Jude 1:14-15, The Book of Enoch
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly…
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Book review: The Final Days of Jesus
by Shimon Gibson ★★★★★ If you’re interested in the historical Jesus, you’ll be fascinated by this book. Shimon is a thorough researcher and archaeologist. He is up-to-date on current scholarship, while at the same time providing new insights and theories, with a writing style that keeps you reading. Shimon excels…
Genesis 6:19-20, Two of Every Kind
You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept…
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Book review: Love is Letting go of Fear
by Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD ★★★★★ This book is not the usual type of selection for a religion blog, is it? I’m not sure God is even mentioned in the book. But Love is, and God is Love, right? For all you Bible scholars out there, we shouldn’t get so…
Revelation 22:18-19, Do Not Add to the Scriptures
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in…