Oregon Books

>So if nothing else is understood, let it be clear that this book is primarily a call for each reader to get back to the Bible for himself. < (123)

>Before seeking for experiences of God or communion with God through the practice of certain guaranteed techniques, however, we ought to give our attention first of all to the written Word of God that He has gone to such lengths to provide for all of mankind. Jeremiah's attitude toward God's Word should be our own: Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart (Jeremiah 15:16). For anyone setting out on a spiritual quest to seek and know God, the most logical place to start is with His Word, the Bible. < (8-9)

That really is the theme throughout this entire book: the need for our very lives to be based upon the Word of God, not experiences, not psychology, not mysticism. Beyond Seduction is the sequel to The Seduction of Christianity, and the two books really go together well as a critique of what passes for christianity on the popular level. You can take Hinduism and dress it up in Christian terminology, you can do the same with humanist psychology, and with the ancient occult practices, and this confusion, or seduction as Hunt would call it, is the biggest plague facing the church today. This book was written in 1987, but I found its message especially timely given current trends in christianity. I guess the message "The Bible is all we need!" is a timeless truth that needs to be shouted from the rooftops in every age, but especially now when it seems that false prophets are out there to "seduce, if possible, even the elect."

One topic of particular interest to me this past year has been the emergent church. Though I've now lost my fascination with that movement, I do realize that many of my peers are being pulled in that direction; the blend of mystic spirituality with social activism is a powerful and alluring blend that continues to pull many into its snare. The truths in the two Seduction books by Hunt lay out a clear case against the emergent church, as it lays out the case against its predecessors. In fact, it may just be that the emergent church is just one of the current faces of that many figured creature that has existed since Christ: apostasy. Whether its gnosticism, or positive thinking/confession, the core issue is always "Yea, hath God said...?" and the antidote is to be found in The Bible.

He also chimes in (twenty years early) on the "missional" movement, and our desperate need to "contextualize" the gospel.

>As Oswald Chambers pointed out, "We must never confuse our desire for people to accept the gospel with creating a gospel that is acceptable to people." But modernism does exactly that - it takes the latest ideas from the world, dresses them up in biblical language, and passes them off as gospel truth. Much that masquerades today as Christianity on radio, on television, in many evangelical books, and in large, "successful" churches is in this category. < (20)

>What Herbert Schlossberg has said of evangelical colleges seems to be true of vast numbers of Christians: Instead of challenging the world with the godliness and purity of their lives, they seem "to have a vision, rather, for assimilating what they think is the best of the world into the Christian life." < (25)

Here's a quote he took from Andrew Murray that really convicted me personally, and actually has caused me to pray regularly for one of the fruits of the spirit I usually neglect: meekness.

>"In striving after the higher experiences of the Christian life, the believer is often in danger of aiming at and rejoicing in what one might call the more human virtues. Such virtues are boldness, joy, contempt of the world, zeal, self-sacrifice - even the old Stoics taught and practiced these. While the deeper and gentler, the more divine and heavenly graces are scarcely thought of or valued. These virtues are those which Jesus first taught upon earth - because He brought them from heaven - poverty of spirit, meekness, humility, lowliness...." < (42)

One final note: we're placing all this emphasis on God's Word as the source for truth, but what are we to do with the HUNDREDS of different versions available to us? At one point there were 2 new versions coming out a year, and the rate has likely increased. It is interesting to note that there are major differences in the underlying greek manuscripts and that English translations of the Bible can be sorted into two categories based on which greek texts they use: the Authorized Version (KJV) vs. RSV, NRSV, ASV, NASV, UPDATED NASV, NIV, TNIV, ESV, etc. I would highly recommend Edward Hills' "The King James Version Defended" as an excellent starting point to understanding this crucial issue.

I have just finished reading Dave Hughes, "Big Indian Creek", for about the 10th time. If you are a fly fisherman like me, and one who likes to get out and hike and camp along rivers, this book is for you. Every time I read it I feel like I'm there with Hughes, doing all the things I enjoy. It's a pretty layed back book, but it never fails to conjur up dreams. It always makes me want to drop what I'm doing, and head out the door to enjoy the great out of doors. It will definetly get your mind wandering.

Mr. Evanich's book covers the state of oregon in a mostcomplete format. The maps contained in the book are very useful in finding those off-the-beaten-path birding locations. The author's illustrations and knowledge on the subject of the state of Oregon are also quite impressive. This is a book for the serious birder.

The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon is internationally known to ornithologists and birders. Throughout the year, but especially during spring and autumn migrations, hundreds of thousands of birds can be seen on the refuge. Birds of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon provides the first exhaustive report on the 312 species recorded here over the last 110 years.

For each species you'll learn
* How common it is on the refuge
* Where it is likely to be found on the refuge
* Dates of its earliest, latest, and most frequent sightings on the refuge

C.D. Littlefield is a legendary figure to western birders and an internationally recognized expert on the birds of Malheur, particularly the Sandhill Crane.
--- from book's back cover

It is not all inclusive and the pictures are hand drawn, but it is well indexed and easy to find the bird for which you are looking. I have yet to see an Oregon bird that isn't included in this book. I am very satisfied.

This book was written in the early 80s about the herbicide wars that took place here in western Oregon. Chemicals banned for use in Vietnam were brought home, to be sprayed on forests here. Chemical companies, tooled up for the production of Agent Orange, were able to recoup their losses, while at the same time the government was able to collect data on the effects of these chemicals on human and animal populations.
This book tells the story of the people who lived in those forests and became activists, fighting to protect the lives of their children, as well as the health of their environment. (Ironically, the author's husband's jobs in Vietnam was to drop pamphlets assuring villagers that Agent Orange would not harm them.) This clearly written, carefully sourced book is as relevant and important today as it was when it was written twenty-five years ago. It should be read by anyone who cares about the environment, anyone who is interested in community activism or government and corporate corruption. It should be read by every Oregonian, as part of our history.

The author teaches Oregon Trail history at Eastern Oregon State College and has liberally used excerpts from diaries and letters to give a first-person feel for his narrative. The accounts of fording the rivers make you realize that none of them were routine, but an accident could happen at any moment. You feel the heat and dust of the plains and the cold of the mountains as these pioneers did. This was the first emigrant wagon train to Oregon; their experiences aided the passage of the thousands who followed. I had difficulty laying the book aside to eat or sleep.

This book is written from the journels of my family who came over to Oregon when there was no way to get there.The hardships they endured are enough to keep tears in your eyes through half the book.The women were tougher than most men today.This is a perfect example of what it really took to make America.I'm proud to be a Wilkes decendent.I live two miles from where my family spent there first winter in Oregon.

This is a very helpful campground guide for Oregon. Each listing gives a description of the campground and its surroundings, as well as vital stats like how many campsites there are. It includes out of the way forest service campgrounds with no amenities, as well as larger state campgrounds with many spaces and RV hookups, so this is a great guide for all campers.

This is a great camping guide. It has all the campgrounds listed. It could have had another rating like beauty of the campground, but I loved it. From the description I could tell if we would like the campground or not and if it turned out not to be the nicest one, we could look up all other campgrounds in the area. The maps were helpful, directions easy and descriptions mostly fit. It's amazing how many nice campgrounds there are in Oregon! Also it is very well organized and you can find your way through the book very quick.