Divine Books

I ordered the Gift of the Red Bird by Paula D'Arcy. The book was mailed on June 13, 2007 via US Postal Service. Unfortunately the item has yet to arrive. I have a tracking number but no way of contacting Amazon.

This book was exactly what I had hoped for in that it was an individual description of a personal spirtual quest and the finding of the divine on this earth. A very uplifting, down-to-earth story that reads amazingly quickly

Very inspirational. I was totally filled with the Holy Spirit. I think I would like to go on a retreat like that. We have so much to learn. Please try it.

A very good book. It was an excellent testamonial. It is well written. I plan to use it to finish our year end Bible Study/

Gift of the Red Bird, a Spiritual Encounter, reads like a journal from Paula D'Arcy's life. On August 18, 1975, on a return trip home to Connecticut, Paula's car was struck by a drunk motorist. Her daughter, Sarah, died of head injuries on August 20, and her husband died three days later from a ruptured spleen. Paula was alive and three months pregnant with her second baby daughter, Beth. For this reason, she went on living.

Gift of the Red Bird tells of a story of extreme loss and ache, of searching for answers, of making sense out of the pain, and of looking for some light in the darkness.

This is Paula's journey, and when she goes on a wilderness retreat -- where it's just her, God, and nature -- she begins to get some comfort for her wounds.

A deeply moving narrative, this book may be short, but the message is deep and lasting. It's a journey well worth taking for anyone who has ever had a tragedy hit their lives where they've had the same questions.

Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing The Wisdom Of The Divine Feminine is a spiritual book and audio CD guide to invoking the sacredness of Mary Magdalene, who is mentioned in the New Testament more than any other woman. Chapters include a Magdalene litany for turning oneself over to become a vessel for Divine Feminine grace, teachings on enlightenment Jesus is said to have imparted to Magdalene alone, a guide to creating one's personal shrine to Mary Magdalene, and much more. Written by a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Invoking Mary Magdalene is a profound, reverent, and respectful guide to expressing faith and paying homage. The sessions on the accompanying CD are Guided Visualization to the Cave of Baume (11:45), The Holy Gnostic Rosary (31:37), Union with the Holy Bride (13:00), Magdalene as Grail Guardian and Queen of Shadows Meditation (9:47), and Prayer of Archangelic Protection (0:52).

This book contains some very solid, practical ways of starting up a spiritual practice devoted to the Magdalene. Unfortunately I could not get past the whole "let's throw Kali, Sekhmet, Hecate, and the Magdalene into a blender!" concept that she tries to sell. None of these goddesses have a thing in common with the Magdalene except maybe their gender. I would've loved to have seen some genuine cross comparisons and rituals between her and very similar goddesses who are equally as popular, and would've made far more sense to include: Isis, Astarte, Aphrodite, Ishtar, and Inanna are just a few I can rattle off the top of my head. I think that she is trying to market this book for the type of person who would be much happier picking up a book on Teen Wicca. Nonetheless, this book has a lot of excellent ideas in it and I found that the information included was just what I was looking for--when I ignored all of the "dark godddess" nonsense, that is.

This book is an excellent guide for everyone, from the intellectually curious and to the serious spiritual practitioner. Houston gives us the background on Magdalene and then takes us step by step through many techniques and practices to strengthen our own life and consciousness.

I loved this book! I found it accessible and based on good scholarship (the author graduated from Harvard Divinity School). In my view, the book is an open-hearted meditation on different aspects of Mary Magdalene in history, legend, and myth. Each chapter covers a different aspect, such as Magdalene as healer, the Gnostic Magdalene, relating to the Magdalene as the Beloved/Friend, and Magdalene as the Dark Goddess (including possible connections to the European Black Madonnas). Houston is very clear that she is offering ideas and possibilities for readers to use and modify for their own practices. She also concludes that any relationship with the Magdalene and (indeed the Divine in general) is best self-defined. While she talks about her spiritual relationship to Mary Magdalene, she never prescribes a certain way for others to approach the Magdalene. No doctrine, no dogma, no proscribed rituals, no clergy, no authorities to submit to.
The book is very consciously written for both men and women. In fact, Houston specifically addresses her readers as "women and men." Just because the subject of the book is the Magdalene and the divine feminine does not automatically exclude men, a fact that the author takes care to note.
As for the "rewritten" prayers, the fact is that many prayers and epithets of the divine descend to us from ancient times, and often have pagan roots. For example, many titles of the Virgin Mary derive from names for pagan goddesses; the Virgin Mary is often called "Stella Maris" (Star of the Sea), a title originally given to the Egyptian goddess Isis. The only "rewritten" prayer in the book is the Gnostic Rosary (the rosary, by the way, also has pagan origins). Some people will enjoy this Gnostic take on the rosary, and of course, some will not. The author lays out a wide variety of ways to relate to Magdalene--she is well aware that not all the practices will fit everyone.
As far as the author's discussion of Magdalene's possible connections to goddess of other cultures, she does so on two levels. First, she looks at the cultural and spiritual significance of the early European legends about Magdalene in light of the pre-existent pagan goddess worship. While Houston doesn't make an historical pronouncements, since good documentation doesn't exist at this time, she points out that Roman colonists established temples to Cybele and Diana (and other gods/goddesses) in England and France, and in addition, the indigenous pagan cultures (for example, the Celts) venerated goddesses of their own. Discussing Magdalene's legendary presence in France and England, and how these legends interacted with the pre-existent goddess worship is a fascinating and completely reasonable subject. Also, much scholarly debate abounds in regard to the Black Madonna statues in Roman Catholic churches, and their possible connection to Roman and Near Eastern goddesses like Isis. Since a high number of these mysterious Black Virgin statues are in regions of France where Magdalene was and still is fervently venerated, talking about Magdalene's connection to these statues is logical.
Secondly, Houston talks about Magdalene on an archetypal and mythological level. This conversation is not meant to be historical, as Houston clearly notes. It falls in the area of depth psychology and cross-cultural anthropology, such as when Houston mentions possible resonances with goddesses of other cultures.
I found this book a great resource and a springboard that helps me think about Mary Magdalene in new ways. My spiritual practice has deepened and I feel a connection with what Houston refers to as "the Magdalene Path," the spontaneous grassroots movement that is demanding the re-inclusion of the divine feminine in the West!

I can't help but feel, after reading this, that there must be a fair number of people, particularly women, who feel alienated by or at least out of sync with traditional religion. That is probably unsurprising since most of the more traditional religions, particularly the three key relatives: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are very paternalistic, male dominated, almost outright misogynistic, and exclusivist. I'm not quite sure a make-a-religion kit is quite the answer, however, and that is what my impression of the book was.

"Invoking Mary Magdalene" presents the reader with an introduction that is very tantalizing, because it presents the theme that literary texts and traditions associated with Jesus and Mary Magdalene have been suppressed through time by the powers-that-be in the Roman Catholic Church and also by the more jealous of the disciples of Jesus. This is very topical now, since the book and film "The De Vinci Code," which dealt with this same topic, appeared on the scene to raise public consciousness about alternative religion.

Unfortunately, Ms Houston does not stick to the literary documents and information about the subject but wanders from these facts into discussions about the divine feminine, Hecate, Sekhmet, Isis, Astarte, Ashtoreth, Aphrodite, etc. It struck me as a feminist's attempt to creat a religon by for and managed by women. But with this she has gone beyond the concept of the historic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene to an archaic pantheon that is well past its shelf date and was ultimately passed over by the ancients themselves as unfulfilling.

I was particularly put off by the borrowed and rewritten prayers and meditations, like the Lord's Prayer and the Nicean Creed among others. Prayers and meditations arise from the spirituality of the writer and the community the reader feels with that spirituality. If it doesn't matter where they come from, one might as well recite King Akhenaton's Hymn to the Aton or solar disk.

While I could believe that a mystery religion of the type Ms Houston suggests may well have existed at the time of Christ, I'm not sure that resurrecting it will in any way improve ones spiritual life today. Certainly there were a number of mystery religions that arose to fill the needs of the civilized world during the period of the 1st century BC and that of the 1 century AD: The rituals of Demeter and Persephone for women, of Artemis of Ephesus probably also for women, those of Mithraism for military men, of Zorothustra for both genders, and probably others of which I am not even aware. All of these and Christianity as well, arose as the growth of civilization--and of education--spread more widely and left the individual of the time with a sense that both the pantheon of deities and the large body of philosophical traditions failed to meet the psychological and emotional needs--let alone the quest for answers to eternal questions like "why are we here," and "what is the meaning of life"--at the time. As one of my classics professors once said, it was a time where, if a man named Jesus Christ had not existed, a man like Jesus Christ would have arisen. The time was just right.

Maybe this could be said of Mary Magdalene and our own time, but I don't think that inner peace or answers to philosophical questions can occur just by saying the right formula of words or performing a set of rituals selected ad hoc from a book. It takes reading and contemplation, probably things the author has herself done in order to write the book. But so far as I'm aware, there is no way to achieve spirituality but by hard work and personal growth. If this book helps you do that, fine, go for it. It didn't do anything for me.

If you'd like your child to actually read this book it may prove difficult. It's a very small version of the book including old English fonts, The s looks like f etc.

The 1777 Primer was the text for the children of Early America. The only book, besides the Bible, that was found in every home and used by every student. The alphabet, prayers and lessons were memorized and studied by all the grades from Kindergarten to six the grade.

The publisher has done an excellent job in reprinting The Primer. After reading the primer we bought seven copies for friends and family. I would like to see a copy in every home again.

Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...the Lord's Prayer...the young Infant's or Child's morning and evening prayers...A Dialogue between CHRIST,Youth,and the Devil. The New England Primer, Improved for the more easy attaining the true reading of English. To which is added;The Assembly of Divines, and Mr. Cotton's Catechism.
Wow!
This was foundational material in the educational training of the Founding Fathers.
This is the foundation that God blessed in our nation's history. A totally opposite worldview was instilled in the youth of the past, as compared to what is taught today. What an amazing treasure this little book is.

This is a great reference book to help us learn what the first schools in America taught. This book is referenced in the The Truth Project by Focus On The Family which goes in to much more detail about where our school system started and where it is today. To see how Christianity started the American school system get this book and read it. Hopefully this will provoke more thought about why our government is taking/has taken Christianity out of American schools.

We heard about this small book and have now bought more than 30 or them. When we show it to our friends, they all want one. People have bought them for their children, grandchildren, and as gifts. It is the perfect illustration of the religious and Christian roots of our nation. It is incredible to think that this was a public school text! Buy it, and share it with your family and friends.

William Lane Craig is one of the deepest readers you will ever encounter. His knowledge is vast as is his writing ability. Few books have challanged me to study as much as the works of Craig.

Having said that, let me state that THE ONLY WISE GOD is no easy read. It takes time and you will need your Bible open to examine the passages that Craig covers as his defends his understanding of God's middle knowledge (or the more popular name, Molinism). The differences between Craig and Molina though are that Craig is evangelical and believes in justification by faith whereas Molina was a Catholic theologian who rejected the Reformation movement. Craig's defense of middle knowledge is two fold, first he describes what middle knowledge is and then he seeks to defend it from its common attacks. The book is a deep, philsophical study into the knowledge of God and man's free will. The book is neither Calvinist nor Arminian but seeks to stay true to the biblical teaching concerning God'sovereignty.

Overall, this is a good book. While the casual theological and philsophy reader may find Craig's book hard to grasp, the serious student will no doubt walk away with a deeper understanding of what middle knowledge is and whether it is based on the teachings of the Bible.

Does the Bible teach that man is free or that God is sovereign, or both? If only the first, then how can God know the future? If only the second, then how are we responsible? If both, then how do they work together to give God His providential control, and us our genuine, real freedom?

Craig tackles these difficult questions in this very abbreviated version of his more scholarly work. Craig defends that the Bible teaches both God's providence and human freedom, and the rebuts objections that if an act is known in advance, it cannot be free (the fatalist fallacy). Then Craig applies this to other areas (like time travel and newcombe's paradox). Finally Craig defends Middle Knowledge against philosophical objections (primarily the grounding objection) and theological objections. What we have left is a robust understanding of both our freedom and God's control. Craig convincingly argues, to the dismay of Calvinists, that we need not be determined for God to be soverign, and aruges against open theists that God can foreknow our genuinely free actions.

This book is short, and for a popular audience, but it is also difficult material. I highly recommend it, but only for those interested in seriously contemplating it.

William Lane Craig is one of Christianity's brightest philosopher and apologist. In The Only Wise God, Craig tackles the confounding and apprarent contradiction between freedom and God's foreknowledge. So, if God always knew that I was going to read The Only Wise God, then I could not do otherwise since God's foreknowledge necessitated my action. Yet, Craig argues that this isn't the case. Just because God knows I will do something, doesn't make that action inevitable. Craig argues that I could have exercised my ability to refrain from reading his book, and that if I had done such a thing God would have known this. Moreover, Craig deals with the three primary objections to the idea of God's foreknowledge and shows how all three of them are inadequate or deficient. For the serious student who wants to uphold the truths taught in the Bible, one must believe in God's infallible foreknowledge of the future.

In addition, Craig also refutes logical and theological fatalism. Craig demonstrates that logical and theological fatalism have many aspects in common and the only factor that differentiates the two is that theological fatalists have thrown God into the equation. Some previous reviewers have chided Mr. Craig for interacting with D.A Carson's book, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility because they feel Craig's arguments are inadequate. First, the book is very short in length, only 151 pages, and second the purpose is not to conduct a point by point refutation of Carson's work. The point is simply to show that in the Bible God's causation of good actions and evil actions are described differently, and that God is not directly the cause of sin. Yet, the theological fatalist must grant that if God is totally sovereign and controlling every event in history that He is equally responsible for both the good and bad, and in the exact same way. Furthermore, there is no way to get around the oft mentioned notion that God is the author of sin since He is the first cause of everything and second causes only do what the first cause impels them to do.

Finally, Craig deals with the subject of how God can possess knowledge of all true events. Craig believes that God possesses this knowledge innately and that He knows all truthful propositions simply because He is God. In the last chapter, Craig explains the idea of middle knowledge which positis that God has knowledge of all counterfactual situations. Therefore, God knows what any individual will freely choose in any set of circumstances. Craig mentions the two biblical proofs(I Kings 23:6-13, Matthew 11) examined by the Jesuit theologians to prove that God has middle knowledge. Also, Craig shows how this concept grants God a wide degree of providential control over creation while allowing creaturely freedom at the same time. To prove that God does not possess middle knowledge, but only natural and free knowledge, opponents are going to have to refute Craig's arguments and show how the biblical passages do not apply to middle knowledge but to something else. The refutations offered by the likes of Reformed Baptist, A.H. Strong, and Francois Turretin are inadequate and do not stand up to Scripture. Turretin actually says that God does not know how individuals would have reacted in different circumstances, when in Matthew 11 Jesus obviously alludes to the fact that He does know just how they would have acted given a different situation. Overall, this is a strong work and one that will not be easily refuted since Craig's argumentation is very sound.

This book is awesome! W.L Craig does a great job at showing that divine foreknowledge is compatible with free will. He holds that there are two ways of looking at foreknowledge - Chronological and Logical.

Chronologically, God knows ahead of time whether or not Jones will cut the grass on Saturday.

But logically, Jones chooses of his own free will whether or not he will cut the grass on Saturday, and God's foreknowledge is based on Jones's free choice. In other words, God didnt force Jones to cut the grass on Saturday. But He knew what Jones would freely choose, and based on Jones's choice, God writes this day in His book (Psalm 139:15-16).

By the way, if Jones decides to go golfing on Saturday, then this would prove that God foreknew something different than what we thought He foreknew!

The bottom line is this: Just because God knows what we're going to do ahead of time doesnt mean we MUST do it. We choose to do it of our own free will, and God acts based on what He knows of our free choices ahead of time.

Craig also shows how fatalism and determinism are flawed in their denials of free will. He stresses that God knows about all possible worlds and all possible humna decisions and what they would or wouldn't do in certain circumstances. Craig calls this middle knowledge. He references 1 Samuel 23 and Matthew 11:20-24 as examples of this.

He also deals with the question of why would God create a world where some people would use their free will to reject Christ? Why not create a world where no one could reject Christ?

Craig replies by noting that there is apparently no possible world in which all persons would freely choose Christ. God has in fact created a world with an optimal balance between saved and unsaved - and those who reject Christ would have never accepted Him under any circumstances.

My head and my heart were greatly affected by this book. I love Dr. Craig's writings! His book "Hard Questions - Real Answers" is another favorite.

W.L. Craig's "The Only Wise God" examines the question of whether divine foreknowledge and human freedom are compatible. Craig is one of the leading contemporary philosophers of religion - this small book is one of his early popular works.

To get a sense of the question one could take an argument such as the following:

1. God knew that you were going to read this review today
2. God's foreknowledge is infallible
Hence
3. You will read this review today

An implication of this argument, if true, is that divine omniscience and freedom may not be compatible. This conclusion is not particularly appealing from either theological or commonsense perspectives. From a theological vantage point it seems unlikely that the sense of individual responsibility inherent in most religious traditions could exist independent of individual freedom. Whereas from a commonsense perspective freedom appears to be an all too obvious brute fact - you could have chosen not to read this review.

Some theistic commentators have attempted to get out of this box by advocating a type of open-theism wherein does not know all future facts. From the Christian perspective, however, the majority position is that God does possess infallible foreknowledge - hence the original dilemma remains. Further complicating this is the related question as to the nature of time itself (is it tensed or tenseless) and God's relationship to time (is he in time or outside of it).

Craig takes a view of time known as presentism (only the present exists) and argues that divine foreknowledge and freedom are compatible. In doing so, he uses an approach credited to Luis de Molina known as middle knowledge. In accordance with molinism God's foreknowledge stems his knowledge of all future counterfactuals. Hence if you had chosen not to read this review God would have known that. Craig does a nice job of presenting this argument - well worth the read.

Overall, the book is an excellent popular-level introduction to a range of interesting theological and metaphysical questions. Though it is aimed at theists, I think any reader interested in metaphysical questions regarding time could also find it a useful introduction. "Divine Foreknowledge Four Views" is also a good read and some of Craig's detailed philosophical work regarding time is excellent as well.

The book sparks your imagination! This book is exciting to read as each main character is developed and then the characters are woven into this complex tale of fantasy. The vivid descriptions throughout the book have you captive so that you do not want to put the book down until you know the fate of the main characters and how the quest ends! I can not wait to read the next book!

May 8, 2006
From Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI
USA)

Seer's Quest by Chad Corrie is an entertaining introduction to the world of Tralodren. This is the remarkable story of Dugan (an escaped gladiator), Vinder a dwarven ax for hire, Cadrissa a young mage, and a blind elven seer with his assistant. Depicting the tale of this diverse group's journey to Takta Lu Lama for the purpose of retrieving information lost for over a thousand years, Seer's Quest is a riveting action/adventure fantasy novel of three mercenaries and a young knight who unexpectedly joined together in a quest, even though they are all entirely distrustful of one-another, and the elven seer foretells of an even grander endeavor of which they might all engage. The first volume in `The Divine Gambit Trilogy', Seer's Quest is very highly recommended for all 'sword & sorcery' fantasy buffs for its remarkable detailing of a highly intricate world filled with adventure.

Seer's Quest by Chad Corrie is an entertaining introduction to the world of Tralodren. This is the remarkable story of Dugan (an the escaped gladiator), Vinder the dwarven ax, Cadrissa the young mage, and a blind elven seer with his assistant. Depicting the tale of this diverse group's journey to Takta Lu Lama for the purpose of retrieving information lost for over a thousand years, Seer's Quest is a riveting action/adventure fantasy novel of three mercenaries and a young knight who unexpectedly joined together in a quest, even though they are all entirely distrustful of one-another, and the elven seer foretells of an even grander endeavor of which they might all engage. The first volume in the "Divine Gambit" trilogy, Seer's Quest is very highly recommended for all "sword & sorcery" fantasy buffs for its remarkable detailing of a highly intricate world filled with adventure.

Seer's Quest by Chad Corrie is an entertaining introduction to the world of Tralodren. This is the remarkable story of Dugan (an the escaped gladiator), Vinder the dwarven ax, Cadrissa the young mage, and a blind elven seer with his assistant. Depicting the tale of this diverse group's journey to Takta Lu Lama for the purpose of retrieving information lost for over a thousand years, Seer's Quest is a riveting action/adventure fantasy novel of three mercenaries and a young knight who unexpectedly joined together in a quest, even though they are all entirely distrustful of one-another, and the elven seer foretells of an even grander endeavor of which they might all engage. The first volume in the "Divine Gambit" trilogy, Seer's Quest is very highly recommended for all "sword & sorcery" fantasy buffs for its remarkable detailing of a highly intricate world filled with adventure.

While I enjoy the story line the unbelievable lack of proof reading of this book and the next book will probably keep me from buying book three in the series. On seemingly every page I found run-on sentences, incorrect punctuation, or extra words. It becomes very distracting and I've found myself searching for the next screw up instead of trying to enjoy the story. I don't know if Mr. Corrie is proofing his own books or what but whoever is should be fired.

This book & cards are rich with goddess symbolism and truth from the history of many cultures.Isha Lerner integrates traditional Tarot with new feminine based Tarot beautifully.She includes several layouts. I love that she called on the wisdom of her goddess friends for the artwork and inspiration to co-create this powerful oracle. I feel the Goddesses right there with me as I read the pages of this book. I bought 8 copies as gifts ...so far everyone is impressed

Isha Lerner has been a mentor of mine for years and I cannot say enough about how her works have changed my life...I started out with her first set "The Innerchild" and have added the others to my own collection and will never part with them ! I highly recommend...and be ready for the profound changes in your own life.

I was disappointed with this deck, especially after having read all the rave reviews... I did not think the illustrations beautiful as some of the other users did... Although I could see a lot of effort went into creating this set.. I have other Tarot sets, and I just could not get into this one...

I purchased this deck a few months ago during a troubling point in my life and upon opening the deck, I could tell this was THE deck for me. The images themselves are just breathtaking! I have used this deck often and now it is the one I go to first. It's a bit different than a traditional Tarot as the images are all female and most of the major arcana are given different names. The readings I have gotten from the cards have been extremely accurate and I love the chakra cards which can be used alone or with the other (alchemy) cards. The book which comes with it is lovely, although the writing style is a bit "flowery". However it is very sincere and you can feel the wisdom of this deck and "understand" it even without the book. There is a section on each card where it will recomend a food, herb or flower to help balance you. Beautiful deck for women!

The first thing that struck me was the sheer beauty and power of the illustrations. You would not even need a "lwb" to be able to interpret what this deck means. The chakra section is just wonderful on its own, I am just dazzled by the deck! Finally a deck for those of us that just are not drawn to the more traditional types of decks. Bottom line - Buy this deck and have fun!

Samuel Storms rightly echoes the Divine initiative, and avers that 'even if one grants that God elects, based on His foreknowledge of man's faith, nothing is proven, for God foreknows everything.' pg 30

From there he moves to show how pre-destination is biblical, and so much more than foreknowledge on God's part as to who would choose Him. He argues against the Armenianists, even tho he is fair and does reflect their view.

This book ties in with the Downgrade Controversy of Spurgeon, wherein two
specific tendencies were visible:

1. Those who believe wholly salvation is of God, and those who do not.
2. Those who believe wholly in the Inspired Word of God, and those who do not.

It is just a half-degree off-course that we steer into the unconventional waters of Open-Theism and Arminiasm.

'The theological assertions of Arminus and the Remonstrance have been adopted in part or in whole by individuals and groups such as John and Charles Wesley (and Methodism in general), Charles Finney, classical Pentecostal denominations (such as the Assemblies of God), the Nazarenes, and Free-Will Baptists.' pg 37

An excellent and thoroughly biblical defense of the Calvinistic view of divine election. I cannot recommend it highly enough to all, as it is superbly presented and convincingly clear in its factuality.

Their are very few books written just on election, this is one. It is probably the best I have read on the reformed view. I do believe that all "points " must rise or fall together. That is why SS didn"t go into the middle road much.He seemed to link arminians and Open Theists together. Which isn"t bad because arminians will eventually become open theists. When did you see a list of arminian books that didn't include clark pinnoch. I gave it 4 points because I would of rather read more of his views and less of Piper and Murray, I know theirs.

The Case for Divine Election

Great book, an easy read, tons of reference's to my other favorite authors.
I have not read anything by Sam Storms Before this turned me on to his writing style.

Sam Storms' book Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election has been considered a classic and a must read by many. I am embarrassed to say that I had not read this `classic' until Crossway released its recently expanded version twenty years after it was first published by Baker.

Storms writes:

"Divine election is certainly one of the more profound and controversial doctrines in Holy Scripture. To some it is an idea conceived in hell, a tool of Satan to thwart the evangelistic zeal of the church and thus responsible for populating hell with those who otherwise would have been reached with the gospel. To others divine election is the heart and soul of Scripture, the most comforting and reassuring of biblical truths, apart from which grace loses its power and God his glory. To the former, then, election is a primary reason why people are in hell. To the latter, it is the only reason why people are in heaven."

Storms tackles the doctrine of election exegetically, theologically, and contextually; within the current predominant views of election. Early on in the book he interacts with the Arminian view of election. This treatment becomes a touchstone throughout the book for interacting with the Arminian position. I was thankful that Storms seemed to keep the punches above the waist when interacting with Arminian theology. From my seat he interacted constructively and fairly with the views while avoiding the oft employed and ever distracting theological strawmen. As a result Storms earns your trust theologically as he labors to be consistent and biblical. This serves the reader well as you interact with his chapters on the Freedom of the Will, Faith and Repentance, and Amazing Grace.

I mentioned the chapter on Amazing Grace above, this chapter is worth the price of the book. I found it to be encouraging, edifying and extremely helpful. Below is a quote from that chapter:

"To say that something is done by grace is simply to say it is done by God. If salvation is from beginning to end a manifestation of God's grace then it is from beginning to end a work of God. To inject any human effort or contribution whatsoever is to reject divine grace. Either election is unconditional and altogether of God and his grace or it is conditional and therefore a cooperative venture in which God and man both contribute."

In the second half of the book Storms strolls through the books of the NT at a helpful yet expeditious pace as he examines the doctrine of election. This section would be most helpful for teachers as the gather their resources in sections such as Romans 9.

I also enjoyed the three appendixes, Three Problem Passages, Who Can and Who Cannot Pray for God to Save the Lost, and The Divine Decrees.

I highly recommend this book for a consistent and helpful look at the doctrine of election. It is not exhaustive but it is nevertheless helpful. The reading level is moderate but his style is refreshing; Storms writes in a clear and passionate way serving to undermine the fallacious view that Calvinists are stuffy and lacking Spirit wrought affections.

This book deals with the first 2 points of Calvinism (Total Depravity and Unconditional Election) directly, but only mentions the other 3 points of Calvinism (Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints) indirectly. That was fine with me, since that was the author was trying to do - talk about Election. Some said this book is only a good introduction to Election. While that may be true, Storms does an excellent job in covering Election, Free Will, Total Depravity, and Unconditional Election. You have to start somewhere, and this is an excellent book to do that. And for $12.23, where are you going to get this good of a start?

I found Storms to be very fair and sensitive to the Arminian views. Some of the Arminian views were new to me. I did not know that John Wesley taught that after the fall that man did not have a Free Will any longer. And, I did not know that they taught prevenient grace. I had never heard of such a thing. That is the grace that they believe that God gives to every person so that the person is able to make a choice to accept or not accept Jesus Christ. So man (according to Arminianism) now has a Free Will. This is the grace that allows them to have a Free Will. That is the Arminian view of Election - they believe it is Conditional on man's choice. That helped me a lot.

Total Depravity - I appreciated Storms teaching on Total Depravity and the Free Will of man. When it comes to Free Will, it depends what you mean by Free. Man is free to sin, he is free to hate God, and man has a darkened and reprobate mind. Man is Free to do a lot of things, but he will never choose to obey and love God. The Calvinist would say that man's will is free, but it is Limited or in Bondage.

Psalm 14
2 The LORD looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned aside,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

So I appreciated the discussion on this topic. It is important to know what we mean by Total Depravity and what we mean by Free Will. Many will be surprised to learn that both Calvinsim and Arminianism teach the Free Will of Man. They just disagree what Free Will means.

Unconditional Election - Storms has 5 chapters on the doctrine of Unconditional Election. In these chapters he covers the main verses in the NT that are relevant to this doctrine. This section was easy and fun to read. I liked it because he took the verses and explained why Election is Unconditional. He was also good to show supposedly problem verses and explain how they fit in with Unconditional Election.

In chapter 13 he gives a Good Illustration of a Bad Illustration that others use to argue against Election. I agree with the author, there are a lot of bad illustrations out there that people use to explain their position of Election. The problem is that they are such bad illustrations that they do more harm than good. You find yourself talking about the illustrations more than the Bible. These illustrations make it hard to talk to people about Election because they rely on illustrations more so than on clear teaching of the Bible. Instead of examining the Bible, they get caught in their own illustrations. It is very unfruitful.

Storms also deals with the topic of God's Justice and Fairness as it is relevant to the topic of Election.

I read the other reviews and knew that there was a lot of talk, but truly there was almost no guided meditation whatsoever. Maybe five minutes worth. The rest was talking about Contemplative Prayer and the benefits of it, but there was almost no actual meditative content. Very disappointing.

I really enjoyed this CD. I especially liked Father Keating's explanations on contemplative prayer and I also enjoyed the guided prayer sessions. Like other reviewers I found that some of the psychological explanations were at times tedious and off the mark but the basic notions that change is difficult due to developmental experiences and related defense mechanisms made sense and I would have no problem recommending this CD to many of my clients. However, there would be a few caveats. Mostly, I would encourage them to listen to the entire CD but to have patience and wait for the last few sessions. Personally, I have worked at incorporating centered prayer in my life by practicing it a half an hour a day and have found that it does help change your emotional reactivity to the events of daily living in a positive manner. Interestingly, my wife did not like the CD at all. She found it tedious and somewhat impractical. It just goes to show how two people can go through the same experience and come out with different conclusions!

I liked the discussion of contemplative prayer techniques. However, I could have gone without the child psychology lecture that takes up the first 2 out of 3 CD's.

This is an excellent audio presentation by a very gifted Cistercian monk who is well versed in the Scriptures and the Christian contemplative traditions.

It has helped me discover the presence of God - hidden, waiting, healing - but above all else a relationship with divine uncreated love overflowing. Surely that is better than mere calm and a relaxed state of mind!!

I found this audiobook very helpful. I think it offered a good guide for the newly contemplative, as well as those who have been pondering God and the universe for a long time. I have drawn on its wisdom often since 9/11, also.

Bruce, as a recovering Catholic, I can tell you that Christians of denominations OTHER THAN CATHOLIC do meditate- even Episcopal heathens like me. =) Maybe you can find some Protestants and actually ask them about this. We're not hard to track down. (And it's actually the Catholic church that has detailed guidelines regarding posession & exorcisms).

This book is the most important book in my spritiual library. So awesome that I have purchased four or five copies for friends. They all feel exactly the same about this book.

THIS BOOK IS AN AUTHENTIC APPEARANCE OF THE MASTER OCCURRING IN 1948 IN JOHNNESBURGH AND DELIVERING 14 LECTURES CONTAINS REVIEWS OF THOSE ATTENDING UPLIFTING THEOLOGY

Excellent book. Giving insights into Christ Conciousness and earth personality.
Even the Master had to withdraw from his earth personality Jesus to connect with Christ Conciousnes.

An earth personality with its illusions, beliefs, concepts, judgement .......... just like everyone else .....

Astral groves of the lost souls....... & more ........

IT is the teaching of Christ of what is.
Not the usual bible from the church.

I believe the book is highly overated by the previous reviewers. I regret buying the book. Compared to the author previous book,"Spiritual Healing" this book is like a bible. I don't understand why the points are numbered. There is no connection with the subject or content of the numbered points. All in all, I don't understand what the author is trying to tell us. At less, in the previous book, he made enough sense for me to follow up on this book.

Wow, what a book. It is actually more than just a book. Books normally give just you more ideas and other peoples experiances. This book is direct from the source. I am from a traditional Christian family home and i today still believe that Christ is Lord. I have wondered about the lack of "transforming power" in peoples lives who follow the Saviour. I have learnt that the very things that we hold onto, like rigid beliefs, are the very things which prevent us from knowing God as He is. Fights and Division occur when we believe in our beliefs as if they are God, our beliefs about God are just beliefs about God. God is much more than a belief. I can believe that cars exist but my belief in itslef is not a car. There is one Reality, The Reality, which is God's Love. And then there is what we make of it - Personal reality. Realise that personal reality exists only in the physical and is an illusion: the false. Personal reality leaves alot to the imagination for we don't see Reality as it is; we see reality as we are, through our beliefs, by which we interpret what we see through our existing miss-conceptions. That is why the mind of man cannot express Reality for wha it is. Only can the mind of man express Reality for what it is not. The mind can only formulate ideas, ldeals and beliefs based on it's own experiance. Ideas, ideals and beliefs can easily be changed for better ones adopted from someone who supposedly is more enlightened; but the Truth unlike the mind of man is "unchangeable". Ideas of the mind can never be the truth. When Christ said "be still and know that I am God", He was telling us to still the mind - to know Me stop making up mental formulations that block your relization of Me. It is acceptance of "that" He is and not "What" He is. The "what" is only the mental once agian trying to understand the indescribable; He said "I am that I am". Intellectually describe what a strawberry "tastes" like; you can't because the experiance is not in the mind - just like experiancing God. Personal reality, "the self/ego/personality", create in the mind only separation as it focuses on differences and opposites - all of these exist only as perceptions and are only in the mind of man. God's Love, is the Reality, and is only "one-ness". God is the omnipresent, the all in all, anything else is a fall in consciousness. For what shall separate us from the Love of God. Read Romans 11:33-36, Matthew 15: 7-9 and Proverbs 2:2,10 & 3:5.

Maya Deren was an experimental filmmaker in the 40's who traveled to Haiti in the hopes of making a film about Haitian dance. She was also a dancer. See "In the Mirror of Maya Deren," and definitely see "Maya Deren: Experimental Films."
Occasionally I think about voodoo, and this is the best book about the real thing I've ever seen. I know, she was the white daughter of a prominent immigrant psychiatrist. It's a bit of a time capsule if you look at it in anthropological terms. The film she shot in Haiti was edited into "Divine Horsemen: the Living Gods of Haiti," after her death by a couple of her friends. It's beautiful.
If you've never heard of Maya Deren, buy "Maya Deren Experimental Films."

This is actually the first book I read about Voudoun/Vodou etc. I found it informful, insighful, and personal. Maya served the Loa and it shows in her chapters dedicated to the individual Spirits. It is a shame that we lost her so early, Im sure she could have gone on and continued to aid the clarification of the negative misconceptions of Voudoun. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Haitian Voudoun, although be warned that parts read a bit too much academically (for me at least) and can make that section almost unbearable to read, but for the most part it is excellent.

Being that Vodou is a verbal Religion,compared to Islam or Christianity Maya Deren did a fantastic job! She explains and understands the religion more than many practioners I know.The video is also fantastic! I applaud her tremendously! What major leap.Many writer in Vodou now stumble when they try to attempt what Deren has over 50 years ago.

The story behind this book is more interesting then the book itself. Maya Deren was one of America's first avant garde film makers (wiki). In the late 40s, she won a Guggeinheim grant and went off to Haiti to study voodoo. Of course! She eventually produced Divine Horsemen, the Voodoo Gods of Haiti, which is represented as a definitive work on the subject. Having now read the book, I have to say that this fact, if true, reflects poorly on the english language literature on the voodoo faith.

Divine Horsemen was a damn sight better then the last book I read on Voodoo- Secrets of Voodoo by Milo Rigaud. Secrets of Voodoo is translated, poorly, from the french, and I couldn't understand a damn thing in it. At least Divine Horsemen is written in English.

The biggest negative in Divine Horsemen is Deren's writing style, which is trey "pompous undergradute." Towards the last hundred pages I found myself skipping entire paragraphs of hemming and hawing. On the positive side, Deren actually presents Voodoo as a comprehensible faith. Rigaud takes the approach of "Voodoo is crazeee," for example, he simply lists a bunch of voodoo gods in alphabetical order. Deren, on the other hand, creates a schematic organizing the voodoo faith on a vertical axis of "Principles": crossroads, underworld, earth, heavens, sea, fire, female & ancestral. Then she adds a horizontal axis of ethnicities that provide their own gods: Dahomey, Nago, Ghede, Juba, Ibo, Quita, Congo, Petro.

So then you have the Dahomey god ("loa") for crossroads, the petro loa of fire etc. Sure, it makes for multitudinous pantheon, but it's understandable.

Your basic Voodoo ritual is led by a Houngan(a priest) and then you have a series of sacrifices to one god from each principle. The overarching principle is that of "the crossroads" which in voodoo refers to the intersection of the real world/spirit world. Voodoo is totally non-hierarchical so none of this stuff is written in stone. Rituals take place inside a building called a peristyle. It's ususally a makeshift building that has a pole in the center. People gather around the pole, make sacrifices to the loa and then the loa possesses various people, dance around, demand food to eat and occasionally make prophecies.

So Voodoo- it's fun. Still haven't figured out how to make my own zombie, but I'm working on it.

The other reviewers do a good job of discussing Deren's history of Haitian Voodoun, however, it should be noted that regardless of the merits of this as an historical text, the book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in her film practice. Perhaps this is obvious, but it is unmentioned by some others.