Living History Books

Basil Davidson was a pioneering Africanist when the study of Africa, or at least from the perspective of Africans, was unfashionable even laughed at. This English socialist was on the front-line for over 50 years and nothing can take that away from him. This book is a selection of his writings and a good intro to Davidson. However, there are a few dissappointments. His prediction of what was to happen in SA was out (OK, predictions are a dangerous game). What really dissappointed me was his support for people like Bernal and Diop whose work has been exposed as inaccurate and wrong. This reluctance to "face facts" when it comes to the bad side of Africa means that Davidson exhibits an almost naive optimism in Africa that just doesn't square with happened/is happening. Nonetheless, Davidson was a great Africanist and this book should be read.

There is so much more to Africa than ever makes it to the news and the school books. This book is a survey of Davidson's main interests: Africa's rich pre-colonial history, the manufacture of the ideology of racism by European intellectuals to justify the atrocity of the Atlantic slave trade, and the courage and success of African freedom fighters against staggering odds.

This is an EXCELLENT book for those seeking to truly strengthen their church. The author gives a lot of personal experience mistakes that church members can avoid. It is an invaluable source if you want to spiritually support your pastor as he carries out his call for the ministry of the gospel.

This is a must have for all church leaders and members. It changed my attitude about my Senior Pastor. I have recommended it to the leaders in my church.

This book is a most excellent read. It is good for people casually interested in espionage and those with more background in it. One of the most overlooked areas was the periods between the world wars and the late 19th Century which is well treated. It is also written in a fast paced style that is never boring. I highly recommend this book. I have several other books by the author after reading this one and have been impressed with them all. A definite "can't miss" book.

John Wortman p.4 The Fine Art of Spying is a collection of true, and truly amazing, stories written by Somerset Maugham, Anthony Abbott, Winston Churchill, Fletcher Pratt, Alan Hynd, Kurt Singer, and other famous authors. But The Fine Art of Spying would not have come together without the editing of Walter B. Gibson. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about clever and incredible strategies that people use when they find themselves in difficult situations. Although The Fine Art of Spying is a book about the exiting events and missions that certain spies go through, the book does not include 100% concentrated action. So, if you are looking for a pointless, plotless, "everybody dies" novel, (which I DO enjoy reading) I don't recommend this book to you. Otherwise I recommend it to anyone. Although this is a great book, it does have a couple of boring parts. There is a story in The Fine Art of Spying entitled "The Traitor." This is one of the book's less enjoyable stories, in fact, I think it is the worst one in the book. "The Traitor" is about one spy trying to get another spy to work for his network. This may sound okay but it wasn't because the first spy did nothing to persuade the other spy. This makes it bad because there was no conflict and without conflict there is no action. Don't worry, however, there are really only two bad stories. "The Traitor" and "Prisoner in the Legation" are those stories, but I found "Prisoner in the Legation" not to be as boring as "The Traitor." There are, however, many good stories in this book. One of my favorites is called "Encounter at Treasure Island." This story is about an ordinary guy who gets tangled up with some Japanese spies and tries to get on the inside of their network and obtain enough information about them to get them arrested and convicted. The Fine Art of Spying is a great collection of some excellent spy stories. I liked this book because most of the stories were extremely exciting and they told what real people have done in actual situations. Many of the strategies that these people thought of I would not have dreamed of, so my attention was held. Even though the interesting aspects varied from story to story, some stories were very boring, while others almost forced the reader to continue. Over all I highly recommend The Fine Art of Spying.

This book has alot of information in it. Much of it seems geared toward people who are thinking about getting a golden or have a golden puppy, neither of which apply to me because my two goldens are 3 years old. I did learn a few new and interesting things from it and it was worth what I paid for it. For the new or prospective golden owner this book would be extremely helpful.

I borrowed the local library's copy of this book an found a lot of good information on what I needed to know before I got my Golden puppy, and what to expect with age. For such a thin book it touched on a lot of good topics. It starts off with how the Golden was historically used to explain certain behaviors, and even has a list of questions to evaluate whether a Golden is really going to fit into your lifestyle. If you already have a Golden Retriever or are just thinking about getting one, I recommended at least reading this book.

I have to say that this is one of my most treasured books. It's insight is direct, and very sensible. If you have a relationship that you have trouble understanding, I am sure this book will help you understand it. It has greatly helped my relationship with my wife. If you are seeing a marriage counselor, you must have this book (and a highlighter!) I still refer to parts of it after having it for two months. It is well written, It does not beat around the bush, it is not frilly, it is very meaty and will not leave you pondering about what the author is trying to tell you. I am in control of my feelings, and this book greatly helps me in maintaining that. Jade Clayton Author- McGraw-Hill Illustrated Telecom Dictionary

This book enabled me to take a hard look at my relationship and identify the source of my unhappiness. I could start to see how I was partially responsible for the bad treatment I had been getting from my husband by not putting my foot down. As I woman, I think we all have a tendency to just hope our mate will understand why we're not happy. This helped to me to articulate the problems to my spouse and not be a particpant in my own victimization. Also it gave me a better undestanding of how relationships can suffer from mismanaged anger, fear, and power.

John C. Maxwell compilates profound treasures in this gem! I have read each page probably fifteen times in the past two years and have sent several copies to close friends. From Anne Frank to Albert Einstein, "Your bridge to a Better Future" is one of those books that just absorbs you in the moment, but stays with you all day long. I enjoyed this book, but what's wonderful about it is that one need not to feel they have to start in the beginning: if they start at the end or the middle, they will take something with them every single time they open it!!!!

This smartly packaged gift book helps the reader enjoy inspiring quotes from many noted authors and statesman of our century. John Maxwell provides practical application and commentary on each of the quotes in a way that helps you evaluate your own goals and dreams. The brief quotes can be read in quick 'bites' or feasted on when time allows.

First let me say this is a great book I would recomend it to anyone. I read some of the 1 star reviews and was amazed how misinformed these nay sayers were. One person said that it taught that life is for us to fulfill our own perpose instead of living for God. What the book teachs is that serving God is our purpose. Another person said Rick Warren wrote this book just to make money, I guess he doesn't know Rick warren gives away 90% of his income and lives off 10%. He accepts no sallery at all from his church, that doesn't sound much like a person who is motivated by money only to me. The people who have writen these negitive reviews obviously don't get what they call a simple book or have not read it at all. The gospel is not complicated God made it delibritly simple. The purpose driven life is a book that will change your life if you read it with humility and are willing to live a life that is purposely serving God.

This is a tremendous book for everyone including the ones whose faith is lost or non-existent. It gives the reader a more confident starting point to turn their life around and incorporate values that God has laid before us. Rick Warren's undeniable faith is an illuminating source of God's will that inspires oneself to take that leap of faith and place your salvation in the Hands of God.

I had heard of this book many times but never bought or read it. I was especially impressed a few years ago when someone (in Atlanta, I think) used material from it to help her deal effectively with someone who broke into her house. The person had already shot someone the same day. She was struggling with many issues before the intruder came. Together they talked about content of the book in a way that made a difference.

Finally, I was moved to get the book after the faith forum between McCain and Obama at Saddleback Church in August 2008. I was so impressed with the way he dealt with both candidates. I wanted to read more about what Warren says and learn more about how he says it.

I highly recommend the book.

My copy, from Christmas 2004, says "over 15 million copies sold". I see cover copy on books in stores now showing 20 or 30 million sold.

So, this is not a new or little-known book, and obviously, many people have read it and find it very good, and indeed it is. Warren gives five Biblical purposes for life, consistently using scripture (in many different translations where they help convey meaning). And while the book does occasionally reference other "PDL" products like the journal, it doesn't appear to be a sales tool for these other products.

In fact, the The Purpose-Driven Life Journal in conjunction with a good study translation (New American Standard, New Internation, or King James) is a great way to study and make notes.

Wow-really good book!! On a side note, would have prefered the Bible references at the point of reference ( eg Psalm 23:1 and not '2' so as to prevent the need to continually turn to the back of the book. I am at day 12 and I am really impressed at how applicable this book is to my life. Again, I wonderful read

It's ok. If you are a true eminem fan then you know all of his lyrics already, when i purchased this book i thought it really dug into the mind of this genius but it doesnt. He just tells how his life was messed up at the time in every song and some stupid stuff that was going on while he recorded each track, its really not that interesting. I am a die hard eminem fan and i didnt find this book that great. It's nice beacause it gives lyrics to some of his sick freestyles but other than that, if you really love eminem then you know everything else that is in this book and you dont need it, unless you want it like I did. I dont regret it but i have trouble recommending it to true eminem fans because it is really not necessary.

This book is alot about his raps on paper. If your into his lyrics, great book, if you want an autobiography, then maybe look elsewere.........

"The struggle" has always been a mainstay that epitomizes the hip hop persona. Eminem is able to detail his struggle to make it (a.k.a. "the come up") in his book "Angry Blonde" through his descriptions of each of his songs off his first two albums and the complete lyrics to each song. His introduction paragraphs to each song are the best part of the book. These paragraphs reveal how he came up with the idea for the track, how he felt when he wrote it, and tell the reader a lot about the creative process.

Eminem's first two albums truly tell the story of the man; "The Slim Shady LP" when he was struggling just to get by and in "The Marshall Mathers LP" with his reaction to overnight celebrity. Two of the most successful albums of all-time (not just in hip hop history), these albums sold over 28 million records combined worldwide. To look into the mind of a man that could make music that would be heard by so many people and to read those words that so many heard is truly motivational. As an artist whose dream is to reach as many people as Eminem, his words and story are an inspiration and provide me with one of the driving forces behind my career.

I went and bought this book and it was what i had expected it to be, very good but nothing excellent. It provides an excellent insight into what eminem was thinking and the circumstances surrounding him as to why he decided to write the songs and the songs beginnings. It's good because this is written by eminem in his own words and through his feelings. the pictures are a nice supplement and so are the extra freestyles that are provided at the end of the book. very good and an essentiality for all Eminem fans.

It's one thing to hear his music, but to read what's behind it makes us realize why he is the way he is and why he is one of the best in the game- a must-read.

It is interesting how Bercot tries to reconcile the salvation by grace sayings of the Church Fathers with their works-related statements. He attempts to do so by the example of a son who received half his father's kingdom for picking a basket of apples! He wrote,

"The fact that the gift was conditioned on the son's obedience doesn't change the fact that it was still a gift. The early Christians believed that salvation is a gift from God but that God gives His gift to whomever He chooses. He chooses to give it to those who love and obey Him."

Although Bercot seems sincere, I see some very serious flaws in his logic. First of all, the son still earned his wages for his actions. So it was not actually a gift, but a very generous wage, because the son worked for it.

Secondly, Bercot is doing a bait and switch on us. Granted, the example he gives sounds almost like a gift. But if we read him carefully, he is not speaking of a single act of obedience (like picking a basket of apples) being required for salvation, but rather a lifetime of love and obedience. How much more WORK could we do? From a temporal perspective, that is not a small price to pay!

Granted, from an eternal perspective, a lifetime of obedience seems small compared to an eternity in paradise. But this still begs a very important question. If our salvation is conditioned on a lifetime of obedience, doesn't that amount to "earning our salvation" by a lifetime of good works? If a lifetime of obedience is not "works" then what is?

So it seems to me that Bercot, though sincere, is wresting with the scriptures here. By using subtly flawed logic, bait and switch, and trying to soften the meaning of the word "works," he seems to desire, for some reason, to squirm out of the Holy Spirit's words:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is funny how people read this book and still come out the other side with a "Paul" or "Apollos" stand. The church is an organism not an organization. I am neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant. Yet I do admit I would have troubles with someone who has a image of the virgin Mary in their home with candles burning in front of it and holds the pope as supreme. I would also have trouble with someone who profits from the Gospel and does not define and live by Gospel precepts. To walk away from this book and say "see the Protestants are wrong or see the Roman Catholics are wrong" is siding with your religion in order to avoid persecution. Both are wrong. Both are idolatrous and are consumed with "their" orthodoxy over orthopraxy. With ritual over love.

For those of us who think our own religion is the "true church" and none other, this book will really give you an eye opening experience as to what it meant to be a genuine Christian before about 350 A.D. There is no theology presented in this book, because at the time the Christian church began, after the death of Christ, there were no division of beliefs for all were of one faith, one baptism and one flock. The original faith of Christ was held together with no internal schisms for 300 years.

It was a time of true suffering to be a Christian, suffering to the point of having a hot iron put on the bottom of your feet and other atrocities too horrible to mention. Something people in the U.S.A. in modern times have not had to deal with, for we can all worship as we please. It shows how all religions that exist today (24,000 roughly since the Reformation period of about 1550 A.D. do not entirely follow the true teachings of Christ as much as we think we do). Before Christianity was accepted as a religion by Constantine, and the Milan Edict was issued, no one accept true believers in God wanted to became a Christian, because being a Christian meant suffering and truly carrying your cross to bear and was no accepted by society, as Jesus so often mentioned in the gospels. It wasn't until Constantine came into power that it became popular to belong to the church, where the church began to have some presence in that the converted emperor built lavish and beautiful cathedrals throughout the land, as well as, had scribes make beautiful bibles for all to read, that began to attract the masses to join the church. Prior to this time, Christians gave all their money to poor and lived in poverty and sometimes starvation for the good of the whole community. How many of us today can really say we have given our all to help the poor? I know myself, I cannot truly say that I have concentrated on the needs of our poor, but I know now I am going to pay more attention to this area of my life and become truly giving to those in need.

After reading this book, no longer will I judge others for their beliefs erroneously thinking that my religion is the true church, because as Jesus said, "all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". This book will open your eyes and let you really see the truth from God's point of view, free from theology biases and just plain make you aware. I cannot give this book a higher rating than 5 stars, but if I could I would give it a 10 star. It is the best book I've read in 2 years. It was so good, that I didn't go to bed the night I bought it, until 5:00 a.m., until I finished it completely.

If you are one of those people that have made up their minds and do not want to change their minds about their beliefs, then this is not the book for you. If you are a seeker of truth, wisdom and God's enlightenment through the Holy Spirit, this book will make you radiate with sincere love for your fellow man and put a smile on your face from ear to ear. Read it if you dare.

When we are reminded that the early Christian church operated under the inspired authority of the apostles it should give give one pause as to how far we have drifted from what the apostles taught and the early church practiced. It is interesting how "mainstream Christianity" has morphed to become almost the polar opposite as to what was originally taught and practiced by the early church under the direction of the apostles.

I struggle with this book by David Bercot - as a critique of the evangelical church in America I would give this book 4 stars, but as an historical glance at the primitive church it would only receive 2 stars. Bercot begins in his introduction by saying that he will allow the early fathers to speak for themselves. Yes, he does this to some extent, but he fails to give the reader any historical context. He also only allows the fathers to say the things he wants them to say - in other words, there are many other things these early fathers said that are not included because they either contradict his thesis or are not as flattering. I could lift numerous passages from the Gospel of Truth (we think Valentius was the author) that would sound great; I could also find numerous passages from almost any of the fathers Bercot used that would be far less flattering. Historical context is everything.

After my critique of a similar work someone sarcastically wrote to me, "...You think nobody can possibly read the early fathers and understand them. I guess we all need a Ph.D. to be able to understand anything." I certainly do NOT want to give anyone the idea that only pinheaded Ph.D.s can read/understand the early fathers, but it is not an easy task. Most of us have some idea of what the apostle Paul means when he tells women not to cut their hair, and tells the men not to wear their hair long. While commentaries on 1 Corinthians are fairly easy to find, very few people have scholarly works sitting on their shelves to help them understand what Tertullian means when he describes how to deal with "sinners" in the church,

...when you lead the penitent adulterer into church to beg the intercession of the brethren, place him on his knees in their midst, covered with sackcloth and ashes, in an attitude of humiliation and fear, in the presence of the widows, in the presence of the priests, moving all to tears, kissing the footprints of all, embracing the knees of all. On Purity 13

I do not want to come across as demeaning and I do not want to critique each and every issue I disagree with in this book, but there are many shortcomings I think should be pointed out. I will mention the places where I agree with Bercot, and I will try to illustrate why I disagree on some issues. My overview of Bercot is that he takes a very simplistic reading of these early writers. My primary methodology will be to give examples from these writers that either contradicts, or shows a different angle, from what Bercot reports.

Bercot's introduction is the martyrdom of Polycarp - it is almost impossible to criticize the use of this inspiring passage. In Chapter 2, however, Bercot reveals what to me is a telling bias when he says, "...these men were not church fathers! Most of them were fairly ordinary, hard-working Christian leaders with above-average education. They would have been highly indignant at being called 'church fathers.' The only 'church fathers' they recognized were the apostles." (p.6)

This statement is silly. My guess is that Bercot is anticipating an anti-Catholic bias in his audience that would view the term "church father" as a four-letter word. The second century fathers certainly would not have considered themselves to be "fathers" - they only became fathers in the next few centuries! As a good friend suggested, most of these men were fairly educated and thus could not have been "fairly ordinary" during this timeframe. They lived in a world where the overwhelming percentage of the population was illiterate. Indeed, most of these writers were far from ordinary men since they were leaders in the church. And they ARE now known as "fathers" precisely because they were extraordinary.

In Chapter 4 Bercot begins his direct critique on 20th century North American evangelicalism (remember this book was written in 1989). I basically agree with many of his comments regarding divorce and abortion - if he were writing now he might criticize the basic evangelical position on homosexuality. I have my own concerns regarding feminism and the effect this issue has had on American Christian men, but Bercot's comments on women in Chapter 4 reveal either a lack of understanding of the biblical text (at least of NT scholarship) and the ancient world, or a rejection of the best evangelical scholarship on the topic. I realize that many fundamentalists and ultra-conservatives would agree with Bercot.

Gordon Fee released his NIV commentary on 1 Corinthians in 1987 where he showed, quite convincingly, that the "women shall keep silent" passage in 1 Cor 14 almost certainly was not in the original Pauline letter. Because of this it is problematic to use the complimentary text from 1 Timothy since most non-conversative scholars doubt Pauline authorship of that NT letter (the fact that I DO hold to Pauline authorship of the Pastorals does not change my mind - this is NOT a good argument from the biblical text). Bercot's comments regarding women in the ancient world are stunning - is he really saying that women were seen as equals in the Greco-Roman world?

"But Roman women were hardly known for their submissive character. As one Roman commented, 'We rule the world, but our women rule us.'" (p.36)

When I read this I found myself thinking, "Who said that?" I followed the footnote and found that Bercot is citing a secondary work...and only gives us the page number! Bart Winer said this on page 176!? This is Bercot's ONLY scholarly notation for making such a claim.

He says that the early church went against the ancient culture by denying women any role in leadership. I would say that the apostle Paul went against Greek, Roman, and Hebrew culture by OPENING the doors of leadership to women. This is not the place to present this data. It was the non-Pauline early church that went against the Pauline tradition left to us in the New Testament.

Chapters 5 and 6 are basically just "good preaching."

"This was one of the secrets of the early Christians. They were able to reject the ungodly attitudes, practices, and entertainment of their culture..." (p.42)

It becomes clear reading these chapters that Bercot is Wesleyan, or anti-Reformed, in his theology. Bercot wants to challenge evangelicals to shun what Bonhoeffer coined "cheap grace." While I agree with this challenge, I do not like using these early writers for support. Each of these early church fathers had their own challenges: Clement of Alexandria did cite the New Testament quite a lot, but he also cited, and was heavily influenced by, Plato as well. Although he attacked the Gnostics, he embraced some aspects of Gnosticism. Tertullian stays away from Greek philosophy, but he holds a very strict view on repentance and restoration - he actually joins the Montanists (the group Bercot calls heretical on page 37), the sect that had women serving in leadership. He eventually left the Montanists because they were also too "liberal" regarding repentance and started his own group.

At the end of Chapter 6 (pp.66-67) Bercot tells us that the Gnostics preached salvation by grace alone. I have read and studied 15 or more Gnostic texts, and I have read numerous scholars whose expertise is Gnosticism - I have never heard Gnostics referred to in this way. Gnostics believed that salvation was obtained through learning gnosis, knowledge. This knowledge helped them traverse through the heavenly levels by equipping them with secret passwords. Salvation through grace alone? I have never seen or heard anything in Gnostic texts that made me think of salvation by grace alone.

Tertullian is one of the strictest second century fathers yet he says this regarding the struggle against sin,

"It is a fact that there are some sins which beset us every day and to which we all are tempted. For who will not, as it may chance, fall into unrighteous anger and continue this even beyond sundown, or even strike another or, out of easy habit, curse another, or swear rashly, or violate his pledged faith, or tell a lie through shame or the compulsion of circumstances? In the management of affairs, in the performance of duties, in commercial transactions, while eating, looking, listening -- how often we are tempted! So much so that if there were no pardon in such cases, no one would be saved. For these sins, then, pardon is granted through Christ who intercedes with the Father." On Purity 19

I am not sure what Bercot would say about this passage, but it seems to go against his focus in these two chapters.

In Chapter 7 Bercot attacks the doctrine of Predestination. One of his targets seems to be Martin Luther. I have never read/heard Luther attacked for predestination and I have no idea if he held to this position. I agree with Bercot that the second century fathers did not promote predestination, but a significant part of his argument comes from a lengthy passage in Origen's On First Principles. In this same document Origen presents his speculative theory of universalism. This is one of several issues that led to the "Origenist controversy" which caused problems for several centuries. For Bercot to use anything from this document seems ironic at best.

Chapter 8 is on baptism. Bercot basically maintains that evangelicals have marginalized water baptism. I agree with him for the most part.

Chapter 9 is on prosperity and the "name it, claim it" teaching that was far more popular in the 80's. Again, I basically agree with Bercot on his criticism, I just would not use these early Christian fathers as evidence. As I mentioned earlier, these men were NOT ordinary. Few believers had wealth in the second century - most were of the lower class. But there were wealthy believers who did not give away all of their possessions and were not urged to do so. One interesting point is that Bercot uses a quote from Clement of Alexandria's Who is the Rich Man Being Saved. It might be interesting to hear a few of the points Clement gives in that treatise.

Rich Man is Clement's commentary on the story of the Rich Young Ruler as told in Mark's gospel. It is important to remember that giving away one's possessions to live in poverty (or at least to live a very simple lifestyle) was not something new in the day of Clement, or during the time of Jesus for that matter. Neo-Pythagoreans, most notably Apollonius of Tyana, promoted a rigorous asceticism which included a rejection of material possessions. Clement does his best in all his writings to present Christian faith as THE best philosophical system, so he tends to take some positions that appear to go against typical orthodox thought if it will help him accomplish his desired goal. He also has in mind people like those in the Montanist movement which advocated the rejection of material worldly goods in favor of the soon coming heavenly kingdom.

In chapter 13 of Rich Man Clement argues that the Lord enjoins us to "give drink to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, to take the houseless in, and clothe the naked," but that this is impossible to do IF you have given ALL of your material possessions away.

"Riches, then, which benefit also our neighbours, are not to be thrown away. For they are possessions, inasmuch as they are possessed, and goods, inasmuch as they are useful and provided by God for the use of men; and they lie to our hand, and are put under our power, as material and instruments which are for good use to those who know the instrument. If you use it skilfully, it is skilful; if you are deficient in skill, it is affected by your want of skill, being itself destitute of blame. Such an instrument is wealth." Rich Man 14

"So that (the expression) rich men that shall with difficulty enter into the kingdom, is to be apprehended in a scholarly way, not awkwardly, or rustically, or carnally." Rich Man 18

When Bercot presents the early church as one that embraced poverty, he is correct - the majority were poor and were encouraged to embrace that state as something they could not easily change. To say that the early church fathers consistently taught the rejection of wealth is just not accurate.

In Chapter 10 Bercot focuses on the proper Christian attitude towards war? Bercot does admit that "the early church made no law that Christians could not serve in the army...Neither Jesus nor the apostles ever strictly forbade Christians to serve in the military," but he goes on to say that the empire was experiencing peace during the second century and soldiers were more like police officers. (p.97)

Here is the historical context: every 20 to 40 years Christianity would get slapped around. Pastors and bishops would be arrested, thrown in jail, and some would be executed. Laypeople would be tortured and forced to sprinkle salt on the altar to the empire at the risk of being thrown to wild animals in an amphitheatre. Roman soldiers were known for their cruelty in battle, but they were also known for their cruelty towards Christians during these times of persecution. Even during times of peace Roman soldiers had license to make harsh demands on average citizens.

With this context in mind, why would Christians be encouraged to serve in the military? I know a man who was a pastor in Cuba when Fidel Castro led the Communist takeover. He fled with his family, but many of his friends were ripped from their beds in the middle of the night, beaten, imprisoned, and some killed. Would it surprise anyone if Christians in Communist Cuba were discouraged from enlisting in the military after the takeover? You cannot compare military service in modern-day USA with the Roman empire. You might disagree with the actions of the USA in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq, but you simply cannot objectively compare Christians serving in the USA to that of the Roman Empire. You cannot compare soldiers in the US military to those in the Roman empire.

The early fathers discouraged military service, but they also discouraged believers to be involved in politics. Overall, they speak negatively about politics. Does this mean that we should discourage believers from serving in the political arena as well? The problem with this presentation is that the New Testament does not have this prohibition against military service or politics. As much as I respect the early fathers, the NT is our primary authority when it comes to the teaching of the apostles.

In fact, we are given a fairly positive view of military service in the NT.
- Jesus heals the daughter of the Roman centurion with no indication of displeasure for his military service - Luke 7:1-10
- Peter shares the gospel with Cornelius - Acts 10
- Paul refers to believers in the household of Caesar - Phil 4:22
- Paul uses soldiers as a positive analogy - 1 Cor 9:7; Phil 2:25; 2 Tim 2:3-4

The remainder of the book is basically an attack on Constantine, Augustine, the Nicean Council, and everything else Catholic. Bercot argues that the second century church was far more dedicated, yet the writers he uses complain in many places about the worldliness of the church in their day. Were there growing problems in the church after the second century? Yes, as the church grew numerically and into new cultures, and as church leadership became more structured and hierarchical, problems increased. Theological issues developed due to heretical movements - a growing theology led to theological disputes.

My overall critique of Bercot's book is this: he points to the second century church as an ideal that should be emulated. While I think there are positives to be seen in every era of church history, I do not think the second century, or any other era, should be pointed to as the "ideal." In addition to the various specific critiques I have offered, the second century writers also held numerous doctrinal positions that Bercot would NOT want us to embrace: purgatory (Origen), mortal and venal sins (Tertullian), forgiveness of sins rests with the bishop (Ignatius, Cyprian), and many others. It appears to me that Bercot takes the Early Church Fathers on CD and does a "Ctrl + F" to "Find" passages that speak to a particular issue. If he likes a passage, he uses it. If the passage does not support his thesis, he ignores it.

The writings of the early church fathers must be read with a good secondary scholar in hand and used with care. I would recommend W.H.C. Frend, Hans Lietzmann, and Henry Chadwick. Historical context is critical.

R.A. Baker
Ph.D., Ecclesiastical History

This book is the bad Hollywood remake of a classic film. I think previous reviews are split into two different categories - one set reviewing the thoughts and ideas of Epictetus (who deserves 5 stars), the other reviewing sham 'author' Sharon Lebell (who deserves 1 star). The source material being abused here is absolute genius. Sadly it gets butchered by a woman who by her own admission doesn't know Latin and had no idea who Epictetus was until the publisher approached her and asked her to 'write' this book. The translator is never revealed (bad sign), but previous reviews are correct that the actual text has been stretched, paraphrased, and regurgitated into lame self-help-isms. It's a testament to the power of the original work that some of the main the ideas still come through. Forget the terrible remake, go watch the original!

This book was recommemed by a specialist in treating people with attendtion deficit disorder (ADD). The pieces of wisdom are good bits of wisdom but I feel it would have been better if the author could have elaborated. The pieces of wisdom are only one two pages. Some only a paragraph or two. Perhaps given examples or some type of historical context as Robert Greene id in 48 principles of power.

Sirs: In the Amazon provided title for this book, they spelt part of the title wrong, with: 'mannual', rather than the correct 'manual'.

I have read this four or five times, and I have found that it is truly a manual to live by. If this manual replaced the Bible, the New Testament, and the Koran, people would be much more peaceful and contented. It has great common sense advice, and such a simple, humble tone. It reminds me of the Tao Te Ching, but less mystical. Every time I read it I feel better about life. I think anyone would benefit from reading it.

While some reviewers might object to the "updated" terminology of Lebell's adaptation of Epictetus' philosophy, I must say that the reason this edition is so effective is largely because the "abstract", "scholarly", "dry" language that one usually encounters (with conventional translations of Epictetus' philosophy) is here replaced with a pleasing approximation of how Epictetus himself would likely speak TODAY (assuming his native tongue were English).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Though I certainly do esteem my copy of this excellent, conventional-book edition, I must say that the alternative AUDIO edition is infinitely more powerfully effective for ME. Indeed, since discovering the AUDIOBOOK edition (an excellently judicious abridgement of this conventional-book edition) some years ago, I've found myself listening to it over and over and over, and I expect to do so for the rest of my life! I certainly can't say THAT about any other audiobook (with the possible exception of the audio edition of "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie). If everybody would listen to that audio while commuting to/from work (and/or at bedtime or upon waking), this would likely be a kinder, saner world.

Therefore, IN ADDITION TO (or, initially, instead of) this conventional-book edition, you should absolutely purchase the "audio download" edition of this book so that you can have it as either a conventional compact disc or as MP3 files (for your iPod, MP3 player, computer, etc.). [As of this writing, you can find Amazon's "audio download" edition by first "searching" on the ISBN number of the CASSETTE edition (1574530887) and then clicking on the "Also Available" audio download edition link near the top of the page.] The price for the "audio download" edition is remarkably low; indeed, it may well amount to the greatest "self-help" bargain you'll ever encounter!

Regarding this TEXT edition, be aware that only the latest (2007) edition [ISBN: 9780061286056] includes two RECENTLY WRITTEN essays by author Lebell: "Epi-Who? How a 200-Year-Old Dead White Male Changed My Life" and "Why Would Anyone Want to Be a Stoic?". These helpful and gratifying essays (appended to the reprinted text of the prior, 1995 edition) should prove helpful/entertaining to most readers, especially newcomers to Epictetus' teachings. Oh, btw, the latest edition also features all-new cover art.