Church Books

I love this book! It is a daily dose of inspiration. It is not overwhelming, but simply put and uplifting.

I really enjoy the Osteen's books and this devotional has been a blessing to me. It offers gentle encouragement. It is not as "meaty" perhaps as the Copeland's devotional, but nevertheless has been helpful.

Excellent and a very inspirational book, it helped me alot, i wish it does the same for others .. enjoy !!!

I have found Dodie Osteen's daily devotionals to be very comforting. I agree with her philosophy and her writing is thought provoking.

As a widow I have been having a hard time even wanting to live. The title of the book caught my eye then I noticed it was written by Joel Osteen's Mom, Dodie Osteen, who is also a widow. I figured "Why not give it a try?"

It has been a delightful way to start each day -- quick, easy reading, and thought provoking. I have used other daily devotional books in the past, but none has met my needs the way this book has.

In this book Cardinal Ratzinger studies the tension that arises when a split occurs between the state and religion. He tackles modern secularist notions, discusses abortion, and also addresses the notion that if not atheism, then perhaps agnosticism is the best position that man can hope for. The discussion he provides is well thought out and easy to grasp. You may not agree with everything he says, but the beauty and brilliance of the arguments put forth are undeniable.

A must read if you are interested in the recent and ongoing decline of western civilization. The causative factors are clearly delineated from many points of view, but always from the starting point of the pope's awesome faith and love for God and His Creation.

-Jeremy

Along with such classics as 'clash of civilizations' and 'rage and the pride' this book is a must read for anyone interested in the least bit in preserving their culture and faith in the face of the assault on the west by various non-western and supra-western cultures. For those who are pro partial-birth abortions, probably this book will be offensive because the Pope takes the Catholic church's view that abortion is immoral.

The central theme of this book is that the West is threatened by the new immorality of western moral relativism and that it is additioanlly partially threatened by the non-western immigrants who invade the west, however the greater danger is internal, the abandonment of religion and faith, and the denial of the fact that Christian roots are indigenous to Europe.

Many wont be able to stumach this book, and even some protestants will find the catholic overtones problematic. However it is an essential and important work.

Seth J. Frantzman

Pope Benedict has been a keen and precise critic of the cultural clashes that have been shaking the West over the last half a century. He doesn't kowtow to the latest politically correct fad, nor does he mince words to state the truth. In this book he clearly outlines the what the greatest threats are to the Christian culture and the civilization which is based upon it. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand better the position of the Catholic Church in the ongoing global culture wars.

Non-Catholics and those of nominal faith might be more comfortable reading
"Without Roots: The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam"
by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Marcello Pera first. The analysis is much the same but correctives, in the form of a return to a pan-European shared faith (by Pena--the head of the Italian Senate) and/or individual action (Benedict)will find a wider audience.

Either book is a must read for anyone commenting upon or interested in the current geopolitical scene. At the end of the 19th century, Dostoyevsky in "Notes from the Underground" and Pope Leo XIII in "On Socialism" (Quod Apostolici Muneris) warned where conflicts within Western Civilization were headed. 1917 and the horrors of communist and fascist totalitarianism were not adverted. Pera and Benedict are raising the same warning flags today. Is the problem as critical as they believe? Can a tragedy be averted? No one knows of course. But that there is a problem is irrefutable and these two book should not be ignored.

Recently purchased "America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It" by Mark Steyn. Rated it three stars and that was being charitable as Steyn not only provides little hope but the witty prose his newspaper columns are, rightly, admired for is flat and tendentious when spead out over 256 pages.

Benedict and Pera, in contrast, explain why the west is unable to condemn evil and what can be done to ameloriate that failing.

The longest story arc in the history of Dave Sim's "Cerebus" (which is also building on the events in the preceding "High Society" volume) begins here, this also being the first volume to feature the work of Gerhard as a background artist in its entirety (Gerhard's work revolutionizes the look of the series, very significant in its development into the indy darling that it was at its highpoint).

"High Society" saw Cerebus rise to the highest office in the city-state of Iest, and then fall back to his former status through an ill-advised war of conquest (as Cerebus grouches in an hilarious excerpt from his memoir show to the reader, one should be careful to invade only rich countries). He retires to a bar to write his book, and then, after a brief side-trip, he finds himself rather forcibly recruited by Mr. Weishaupt, the leader of the new 'United Feldwar States', to take up his old office as Prime Minister of Iest. He does not long remain there, however, due to the continuing conflict between Weishaupt and Bishop Powers of the Church of Tarim. So Cerebus is plucked from his secular office and elevated to the Papacy of the Western Church. Cerebus being Cerebus, he wastes no time in abusing his position for his own enrichment. Whereas "High Society" satirizes the political process and the manipulation of ordinary peole by politicians, "Church and State" is all about how clerics manipulate believers for perosnal gain (in this case, Cerebus telling the gullible multitude that Tarim will destroy the world unless they give him (in the person of Cerebus) enough gold coins).

On the personal side, Cerebus finds himself married to Red Sonja-takeoff Sophia after a night of drunken carousing, and proceeds to handle the situation with the maturity and sensitivity that readers will have come to expect from him. Sophia (globular cleavage ensconced in a chainmail bra) and her mother (who despises Cerebus) follow Cerebus from place to place, perhaps his primary supporting cast in this story. There is a brief appearance by Jaka, where, for perhaps the only point in the story, Cerebus demonstrates both genuine empathy and a willingness to put quieter pleasures ahead of love of money. Given the views that later made Sim a pariah in the comics industry, one always pays particular attention to his handling of female characters in his older stories. The sensitivity with which Jaka is depicted belies his later opinions.

The overall tone in script and art, on the surface, appears drier and less fun. The length of the written passages and the frequent use of cityscapes and room interiors for backgrounds makes the whole book seem as fun as a three hour course in industrial toothbrush manufacturing.
In truth this is one of the finest examples of what a graphic novel can be. Dave Sim's writing had matured beyond anything that was published at the time, and I will argue, anything since. It has, at times, so many turns and surprises that you rush to reach the end of each chapter and then he will turn completely around and deliver some of the funniest one-liners and slapstick. (one of the few times I have laughed out loud at a comic happens in this series). A classic cast of original characters as well as icons stolen from the golden ages of comedy. Gerhard's art is amazing and the book requires and second reading just to appreciate his work in full. This is a fun read for any fan of good writing or artwork and essential for every fan of a good comic.

I loved this book so much. Cerebus is an odd character, as Dave Sim never tries to make him likable. His entire mindset is mercenary, and he only desires ale and the money to buy it with. And yet we still love him.
In this book, Cerebus (through much political maneuvering) goes from being a cynical ex-prime minister writing his memoirs/ how to be a prime minister ("Don't listen to Lord Julius") to being an even more cynical (and married) Pope. As soon as he becomes Pontiff, he declares that the world's going to end and that everyone's going to die horribly if they don't give him gold. Lots of it. And forget about benevolence: annoy him with pleas or prayers and he'll throw you off a building.
Besides being a quite good satire of religion and religious leaders (I wish I'd have read this when Pope Benedict was appointed), this also includes quite a lot of just plain funny humor (Sophia's mother, the bit at the end where Lord Julius starts popping out of hidden compartments all over Cerebus's room), geniune emotion (The conversation betweeen Cerebus and Jaka especially), and a great and complex story. Now, to get to Church and State 2...

Church and State is where Dave Sim really breaks new grounds in art, plot, characterization, and scope. There is a definite shift from simple sight gags and cute one-liners - although both are present - to more elaborate storytelling functions. Church and State is an absolute must read for anyone who enjoyed High Society, as well as anyone who enjoys political or religious satire.

In my opinion the two volumes that comprise Church and State are the best of Cerebus. No longer Prime Minister and no longer caring about anything Cerebus is nominated to pontiff and decides everyone should give them gold. His object lessons with the young and old will give you a heartattack they are so funny. The underlying statements on religion, politics, and humanity is thought provoking and intense.

This book was used as a textbook in my high school. And it was one of the few books that did not get boring for me. And this book has plenty of colorful examples.

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in moral issues in society today. It carefully and honestly examines the position of the Catholic Church on several issues and discusses arguments and criticisms that have been raised in opposition to them. The book spoke to me in several ways, but as a young woman, I would say her analysis of feminist arguments and literature is very thorough and most welcome. She does an excellent job. It is, without a doubt, one of the best books I've ever read. Little's book is definitely a MUST READ for everyone. I particularly recommend it for women from all ideological backgrounds. Read it with an open mind, and if you don't, it will speak to you nonetheless. It is very honest and she addresses pertinent issues directly and without euphemisms.

Like so many other young women of the baby boom generation, I began my adult life in a "feminist" mode. However, I have long felt that, somewhere along the way, the proverbial baby had been thrown out with the bath water (no pun intended). Not only is the world not getting better, it is actually getting much worse. Thus I concluded that feminism was not only a failure, but a gross mistake.

I have rarely come across a book which outlines so lucidly why feminism is not only a failure, but an utterly destructive product of the 20th century. Fathers have only obligations and no rights, while everyone else claims rights (men included) but refuse any obligations. As the author explains, by confusing equality with egalitarianism, we have started a chain reaction which trivializes all differences. This has produced regression, not progress. We delude ourselves, claiming that current notions are better because they are "new", as if ideas improved like the latest soap powder. By constantly crying "discrimination!" (read "wolf"), we have lost the concept of the word, the "making of clear distinctions". We, and our children, are the losers. In the name of freedom, we're raising a generation of orphans and telling them that they're lucky for it, while (always the beginning of anarchy) violence is ever on the rise.

We kid ourselves if we say that we have no part to play in this breakdown: through our inability (unwillingness?) to truly discriminate, we have lost the distinction between freedom and licence. This state of affairs can only lead to a loss of freedom, since we don't know what we should be protecting.

I highly recommend this book to those who are not afraid of clear-sighted analyses, and do not resent arguments which demonstrate why we need to make hard choices for the future. If we fail in this task, we risk having the kind of future all of us would have wanted to avoid. Are we brave enough to admit error? This book is not for opinionated people who know what is or isn't right - but those who are willing to keep an open mind while reading the tough arguments that are presented will find it a rewarding experience to ponder its message.

I began my adult life, as so many other young women of the baby boom generation, in a "feminist" mode. However, I have long felt that somewhere along the way, we had thrown out the proverbial baby with the bathwater (no pun intended). Not only was the world not getting better, it is actually getting much worse. I concluded years ago that feminism was not only a failure, it was a gross mistake - but I couldn't explain why.

I have rarely come across a book which outlines, with as much clarity, why feminism is not only a failure, but an utterly destructive product of the 20th century. Fathers have only obligations, no rights, while everyone else has nothing other than rights (men included), and no obligations. The author points out how, by confusing equality with egalitarianism, we have started a chain reaction which has caused regression, not progress. By constantly decrying "discrimination!", we have lost the real, positive meaning of the word, which should mean the "making of clear distinctions". We, and our children, are the loosers.

I highly recommend this book to those who are not afraid of lucid analyses, nor of arguments which clearly show that we need to make hard choices for the future. If we fail in this task, we risk having the kind of future all of us would have wanted to avoid, had we been brave enough to admit error. This book is not for opinionated people who know what is or isn't right, but for those who are willing to keep an open mind when reading the tough arguments that are presented.

For those who take the premises of modern culture as given, the Church's position on issues like women's ordination, homosexuality, and contraception are impossible to understand. Unfortunately, many good Catholics are unaware of how much their thinking about these issues is rooted in the premises of the culture, rather than in the premises of their faith, and this has led to much dissent within the Church. Joyce Little offers a fantastic presentation of how the Church's teachings are grounded in the core propositions of the Catholic faith. In doing so, she not only helps us make sense of the Church's teachings on these hot-button issues, she also draws us into a deeper appreciation of the Catholic faith.

I first picked up this book because I am concerned about the issues that threaten to divide the Church. But reading the book turned out to be instead a spiritual experience. Little draws on the Catholic tradition to help deepen our understanding of our mission as humans (to be the image and likeness of God), how that mission is reflected in our very bodies (we are created male and female; and in the conjugal embrace we become a sacrament of the love that is embodied in the Trinity), and on the true meaning of discipleship (which we see reflected first in Mary and then in the apostles).

This book is not a negative screed against feminists. It is, rather, a hopeful, uplifting and spiritual vision of the gifts God has given us as men and as women, and how we can only realize our highest nature by answering the call to love. It is one of those handy little books that remind us of the beauty of the Catholic faith.

the book was very good. It happened in dayton Ohio. I thought that I knew what it was but I was wrong. if you like mysteries than you should buy this book. It is good for ages 9 and up. Evan though it says 9-12.

The Church Tower Mystery was a spine tingling thriller. All those, young or old, who love a mystery this is a perfect book for them. You never know what will happen next! It's an enjoyable book for everyone! This wonderful tale about two young boys tracking down a tricky bank robber. In this tale the boys find themselves in a web of circumstances. It was very fun to see how they worked their way out. I enjoyed it very much!

... and all through the church, two boys were stirring, caught in the lurch! Bad rhyme, but a fun book. I enjoyed Disneyland as an adult, and I enjoyed this book, too. I am betting our grandchildren will like it as they get closer to the suggested 8-12 reading range. The story is engaging. The setting is just old and quaint enough to be "ancient" to our young ones. It brought back memories to me. It's a good stocking stuffer for the bright youngster who enjoys a mystery, and it will stretch vocabulary just a bit as well.

I found myself thinking that this came from the author's own background, because it seemed very real to me. I could sense that he had had some of these experiences himself. I thought it was well plotted, and I thought the characters were engaging. I felt drawn into the mystery. You don't *have* to be a kid to enjoy this nostalgic trip back to the 50's.

Mick Zimmerle has written the kind of book you'll love your pre-teen to read; a story about a large, close-knit family with caring parents who create the kind of secure, loving home that allows boys to be adventurers in the best sense of the term. Mr. Zimmerle has set the story in a 1950s world where familiar neighborhoods were filled with responsible adult authority figures (except for a really creepy villain) upon whom kids could rely for their example and guidance. Eleven-year-old Tait and Marcus not only stumble into a neat-o mystery about some missing bank robbery loot -- an adventure that thankfully doesn't involve television or video games -- they learn a thing or two about looking for the hidden treasures inside of people different from themselves. It's a book about the security of unspoken buddy-to-buddy friendships that last a lifetime; and about good kids who stumble through childhood flaws born of the self-absorption of youth that are properly and lovingly corrected by an environment and culture that was still capable of rearing persons of character and responsibility. Baby-boomer readers will identify with the reminiscences of a warmer, simpler time, and kids will wander through the mysterious dark towers of a beautiful old church. Both will find what they're looking for!

This book is great, written with crystal clarity and well paced. It is a must for anyone reviewing the questions of what is knowledge and what are we really trying to teach in school and associated probes. It seems best for someone with a math or science backgrounds but I would be interested in the opinions of those with other backgrounds; a theologian recommended it to me. It is long but one doesn't have to target reading the entirety, certainly not by any date certain. Excellent anyway.

As far as I have read this book, it is very informative and indepth study.

This is the definitive text of Bernard Lonergan's most important work, Insight, with over 130 revisions, based on the meticulous labor of comparing three texts, line by line, word by word! All students of Lonergan's thought owe a great debt to Frs. Frederick E. Crowe and Robert M. Doran for having executed their task with such thoughtfulness, perfection and devotion. Corresponding pages to the second edition of Insight, which has been the standard one, are given in brackets. My previous review was based on the second edition.

If somebody loves you authentically so much so that you become better person than before, you can't help loving him dearly. It happens. And it can happen even through a book! In this incredable book called "insight", you are invited to a wonderland of a higly diffentiated intelligence, only to find that it is no other than your real self. At first you wonder, you ask, you think hard, and you get it! For the first time you come to know what is understanding. You begin to doubt, you reflect, and finally you judge that you are a knower! Now you are changed. Now you know you are consciously operating in your experiencing, understanding, judging, and deciding. Now you know what knowledge is, what it means to you, and how it means to you. You become a living, knowing, acting subject. And you come to love Lonergan, since he introduced you to yourself. To "read" Insight may take a long time, years or decades. However when you finish it, you will begin to take another long trip to yourself, where no one had gone before...

Lonergan, a Thomistic philosopher,tries to explain the procedures of human mind,discerning a transcendental method capable to establish a fundamental pattern of every operation present in cognitional action."What am I doing when I am knowing?",that's the previous question Lonergan attempts to answer.This is possible integrating the operations "experiencing","understanding" and "judging",an INSIGTH which brings a startling unity to knowledge and to the pursuit of understanding in every field.

This book has won a Southern Books Competition Award of Merit in Book Design from the Southeastern Library Association. This award is given in recognition of the book�s aesthetic appeal and design and for fine craftsmanship in its printing and binding. Congratulations to author Ruth L. Boling, designer and illustrator Tracey Dahle Carrier, printer Midas Printing, and the Geneva Press.

Ruth Boling's words and Tracy Carrier's illustrations combine to make a simple, yet powerful invitation for kids to experience the beauty of the Christian year. Most amazing are the details of Christian symbols on the mice's clothing and the facial expression on these very churchy mice. It's like looking at people in the pews I've known for years! The chart of symbols in the back is great. It would make a wonderful first communion, Sunday School, or Christmas gift. My kids love both the pictures and the text. I heard there is a matching Advent calendar but don't see that advertised here.

This charming book simplifies for children the traditions of the Christian church year. The delightful, rich illustrations are alive with wonderful, sensitive details. I cannot say enough about what a valuable resource this is for family and church communities. It makes all the special days throughout the church year more meaningful and more accessible to children and adults alike.

Along with Susan Hunt's Big Truths for Little Kids, this is my favorite book lately to give to parents whose kids have just been baptized. I do it more for the parents than the kids, though my 5 year old loves this book. It really shows the meaning and value behind the church calendar and symbols, in a lucid manner with nice illustrations. (Its a cutesy story about mice).

It often seems like Catholics I know and read tend to confuse the sign with the destination, while contemporary evangelicals (more Anabaptist than Reformational) throw away the sign all together, making it way harder to get to the destination.

Boling's work redeems it all - its a loving labor of 'sign-building!' C.S. Lewis said that the danger for Catholics at their worst is to become like every other religion (superstituous folk religion; syncretism), but the danger for (hyper-)Protestants at our worst is to become like no religion at all! Contemporary evangelcialism -- throwing away or relegating the sacraments to mere memorials, building churches without symbols or even crosses, stripping away all of the church calendar except Christmas and Easter (rescued there, only by Hallmark!), dispensing with all vestments and mystery in worship -- is becoming Lewis' nightmare.

I also think of Bunyan's allegory of there being 5 gates into Man-Soul: Eye-Gate, Ear-Gate, Nose-Gate, Mouth-Gate, Touch-Gate. We evangelicals (like Bunyan's Puritans) often close every gate except Ear-Gate in worship. In good Reformational fashion, (PCUSA pastor) Boling tries to open up Eye-Gate for us, with a rich, beautifully illustrated glossary of Christian symbols in the back.

Nothing real profound about the book, but such a nice little intro.

Great binding and illustrations the kids will like too.

Complete with spectacular illustrations, this is an easy to read and understand journey through the Christian year. A delightful church mouse shares his experiences of each key event in the life of the church (Christmas, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Easter, Pentecost, etc.). At the end are multiple pages with Christian symbols and their meaning. This is a wonderful book for families to share the with their children. Or, for adults wanting a charming and meaningful refresher course on the important days and symbols of their faith.

Horton and others clearly delineate the dangers which face the Church of Jesus Christ, and if you're looking for fluff or easy reading, here, find another book like Max Lucado. This is meaty reading and worthy of the purchase. Highly recommended.

With regard the authority of Scripture, most Christians would agree that the Bible is our authority in some sense. But in exactly what sense does the Bible claim to be our authority? I think evangelical Christianity is in serious trouble in that matter. In fact, it is facing big challenges for keeping Biblical faith. Some present-day evangelicals do not believe more in the Bible. The Scripture becomes just a very important thing, but not more a sufficient an inerrant Word of God. In their opinion, we have other sources to learn about God and his will for the Church today. So, if you are considering that questions into your heart, I would like to recommend you to read this book and The Compromised Church (from the same general Editor).

Some of the conservative church's greatest ambassadors deliver a great message in this book. Some very godly and inteligent men deliver a warning to the church of the future. The books basic theme is that the church must be circumspect so that it does not drift away from biblical dependence. The present day church has come to depend on so many sources for their theological understanding when ultimately scripture should be the only recognized voice. This book defends the traditional evangelical faith while giving and understanding of obvious needs of reform. Readers of this book will become acutely aware of the problems and solutions of the modern godly church.

Whenever one writes a book of this type you almost wish that its message would be heard and changes made to prevent it from coming to pass. That was my reaction when I first read this book while in Bible college. Now removed several years from that setting I can personally see the message from this book coming to pass before my very eyes.

The pragmatic age has dawned. We now have churches for every individual needs. Sound doctrine has been replaced by pop psychology and business data. Elders today listen more to the business gurus than to the Holy Spirit in the pages of Scripture. In fact, to stand firm upon the Word of God is now viewed as a fundamentalist, dogmatic, or even (as one former elder told me when he resigned from our church) "hard nosed." Pastors now resemble CEO's more than they resemble Jesus. As Leonard Ravenhill so put it, "We have many Degree's today with no heat. The early Church had much heat with no Degree's."

Thankfully many of the men in this book are standing against the tide of secular, man-centered teachings that are hitting the Church. Nearly everyone of these men have written books, articles, or preached sermons against the tide of the world invading the Church and the Church not becoming like Jesus Christ meant for us to be. May God have mercy on us in these last days!

In my humble opinion, everybody who dares call themselves evangelical, and this term is used widely today, should read this book and take its warnings and suggestions to heart. So many churches would call themselves evangelical today, but would not be able to give a proper definition for the term, or the history behind it. Read this book and you will get to see what it means to be evangelical!

I was skeptical about the 700 pages but I have been using it daily. As a new Episcopalian, this book explains the Book of Common Prayer as it is and how it got that way (history). I highly recommend it.

Though I am no longer a part of an Anglican jurisdiction, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer is a part of the modern liturgical landscape of the Western Church, and as a result, happening across this book necessitated a purchase.

While the "Oxford Commentary on the American Prayer Book" (published for the 1928 BCP) is a far superior work, this book is a worthy addition to that volume on the bookshelf of any liturgist.

Hatchett clues into the history of the entire Christian Church, the Latin Church before the reformation, the vast expanse that is Anglicanisim, and even into the modern liturgical movement - using each section of history to show the sources and aims of the 1979 BCP.

Whatever your opinion of the 79 Prayer Book, Hatchett's volume will provide you with a worthy source of information on the liturgy and practice of the 79 Edition of the BCP, and will serve any serious liturgist well.

Many people who study the Bible are familiar with the ways that commentaries work - some are line by line, some are passage by passage; some commentaries focus on particular elements (historical, linguistic, etc.) and others try to be general in approach. Marion Hatchett's book, 'Commentary on the American Prayer Book', is a general commentary that will seem at home to such readers as are familiar with biblical commentaries, only the subject is in this case the 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church USA.

There are several Books of Common Prayer, around the world, and through history. They all trace their development back to the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, whose formation began with the break with Rome during Henry VIII's reign, and continued until being more or less solidified in the 1662 version of the Book of Common Prayer. The American church, as with many provinces within and outside of the British Empire, found need to develop its own liturgies, owing much and holding true in many respects to the founding liturgy (which itself hearkens back to liturgies of the ancient and medieval church). Some of this history will be found in Hatchett's commentary, in the introduction, as well as scattered throughout the text and introduced as appropriate for the matter at hand.

This is a commentary on the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the most recent full-scale revision of the BCP; however, it does not ignore its predecessors, and particularly highlights the 1928 BCP, both in terms of convergence and difference liturgically and theologically. There is a still a faithful core of Anglicans in America who use the 1928 BCP; this commentary is not specifically helpful for that text, but can give general guidance in some respects.

This commentary goes page by page and passage by passage. Nothing is too small or trivial - the commentary includes discussion of the title page, the certificate page, the table of contents, even the overall design format of the book. The most interesting sections will naturally be those commentaries on the liturgies most commonly performed - Eucharistic liturgies, Baptism, and various pastoral offices.

Hatchett's commentary on the section of the Psalter is a bit disappointing. He doesn't address the actual psalms at all - granted, this is not a theological or biblical commentary on the psalms, and such a book could fill volumes on its own. Still, it was disappointing to find this large section of the BCP addressed with only a few general pages of commentary.

Most sections are introduced with background information, historical/developmental in nature, prior to the actual commentaries. The commentary gives appropriate page numbers for the 1979 BCP. The overall structure of this text follows the table of contents of the 1979 BCP. For comparison/contrast purposes with other books from other provinces or times, the page numbers will not be useful, but the section headings will be sufficient to find the similar sections in other prayer books.

Hatchett does plead the case for some exclusions and decisions based on sheer length and size of the volume - weighing in at almost 700 pages as it is, it is already a formidable text. To prevent the need for it expanding to two volumes (and thus becoming prohibitive in cost), certain decisions were made, such as not including the text of the actual BCP. One assumes that the typical reader of this commentary will have her or his own BCP, just as the typical writer of a biblical commentary will assume the reader has a Bible. However, not all readers will have both the 1928 and 1979 books; I think there is a place in the church's publishing realm for a two-volume (or multi-volume) format of this text with the BCP texts integrated within the same pages.

While this text is a commentary on the Episcopal (official American version of Anglican) Book of Common Prayer, given the shared history of liturgical development shared by churches in the English-speaking world, worshipers of other denominations will find interesting and useful information contained herein also.

Anglicans rarely tire of discussing the liturgy, be they high, low, or broad church types. This book can sustain many a conversation, settling some questions, and raising others.

Since, after serving many years in Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America congregations, I have just taken a position in an Episcopalian congregation, I was casting about for a meaty but accessible reference about worship. Hatchett has done a great job. Any serious church worker or congregant needs this book at hand for constant, lucid and easy reference. At almost 700 pages one will certainly not want to read it in one sitting but the style and importance of the book will invite periodic forays into the text and ideas it contains.

I can't really add too much to the previous review. Just suffice it to say that this is a treasure of a book for those who want to know the history of, and the whys and wherefores of the BCP of the Episcopal Church USA. Without reservation this is a 5-star book!

Was it the foolishness, unkindness, or evil of some human being that drove you from the Catholic Church, or which keeps you from exploring membership in her? You need not let a mere mortal keep you from the Lord and the Church He founded! Lorene Hanley Duquin addresses so many of the painful issues that keep us from reclaiming our birthright as Christians. This book is a faithful witness to the Truth of Catholicism even as it admits the flaws of some Catholics. You may find your very situation in its pages. It is an invitation to forgiveness and understanding that heals the wounded heart and the troubled mind.

As regards the author of this precious little book, the proof of the pudding is in the making. Lorene Hanley Duquin is half of "The Duquins" (she a revert, he a convert). They are tireless on behalf of the Church. Her book grows out of and complements Lorene's and her husband's own experiences and their work in "Come Home" programs in the Diocese of Buffalo, NY (one of which I had the good fortune to attend). Their most important work is heading and raising a faithful Catholic family, and one of their children is studying for the priesthood.

Don't choose to remain outside the Catholic Church until you've read this book!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough to those who are struggling with returning or staying with the Catholic Church. At first I was flattered when the author asked to use a posting I made to the AOL boards. I struggled greatly at that time with my own journey from just practicing again to truly starting to live my faith. When I read the book myself I was deeply touched with the great care and sensitity shown by the author in handling this topic -- something I wish I had access to when I was first returning. I often recommended it to people I know who seem to be on the same journey.

This book provided many answers to questions I've had as I've researched my Catholic faith. In my college years and for some time after, I lived as a distant Catholic--not because I had bad experiences, but because I didn't understand or know the Church's position on many issues. This book was a great start. I quickly found I was hanging up on erroneous, mainstream perceptions that really weren't Catholic beliefs/teachings. Through this book and many others, I've come to embrace the course set by Vatican II, and find myself much closer to the Church and her mission. My mom, steeped in a pre-Vatican II upbringing, read the book and has since bought three for her Catholic friends. I'm buying another two for her tonight. This book is recommended for those lurking Catholics like myself lost on the perimeter for whatever reason.

I recently returned to the church after a thirty-five-year absence, and this book was a big help. The author shares the good and the bad but most importantly the reality of Catholicism today. The book was given to me as part of a Landings program for people considering a return to the church and was a perfect complement to the course.

We use this book for an outreach program for Catholics interested in returning to an active life in the Church. We have not found a better book. It is wonderfully compassionate. It seems to crawl right inside the hearts and minds of the people we meet. At the same time, it does not hide a truthful presentation of what the Church is about. It's a fabulously well balanced, well written book to help those interested in returning and to help those who want to understand the struggles of those contemplating a return to the Church.