Religion Books

What a wonderful book. The biblical insights have changed my understanding of God's love for ever.

What a breath of fresh air. Excellent bible study. Powerful, new and extremely informative.

Very interesting, encouraging and informative bible study of God's love. I have read many books and this is the best I have found.

This is utterly new and powerful! What a treasure of biblical insight and wisdom!

This is the best book I have ever read for explaining scripture. It makes so much sense and puts everything about God's love for us into clear, cohesive, and proper prospective.

This book is an excellent way to explain death and dying to young children. It really can be used for any age group. It is a wonderful story. I work in a hospice and have used this book for young children and adults love the story.

I work in hospice and see many lives affected by great loss. Often children are forgotten as adults mourn. I give this book to parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to provide both attention to the children and a way to help them through a difficult time. This book is helpful and hopeful to all!

Good book, dragonflies are our 'mascot' for my cancer support group and we love this story.

This simple book is the best yet on the subject of discussing death with a youngster. It was enlightening for ME!

Death and Dying are a difficult concept to explain to young children. Water Bugs & Dragonflies gracefully addresses this subject with illustrations that are clear and meaningful enough to share with grieving adults. Because of this book, our family has adopted the dragonfly as a meaningful symbol representative of a beloved friend recently deceased. I highly recommend this book.

The great power of Arnold's book is in the real world examples of forgiveness he offers. Some of the examples have an "everyday" kind of quality to them while others are staggering in terms of the ability of people to somehow cut through their hurt, anguish and rage to come to the point of forgiveness. Arnold avoids the "Oprahzation" of forgiveness by reminding the reader that forgiveness takes both truth and grace into account He neither diminishes nor denies the hard realities with which people must live. Arnold devotes much space to the self-interested nature of forgiveness. We forgive because such an act works toward our own good. I would have liked to have seen him devote a bit more space to those instances in which people forgive because they see it as a way to display something of the character of God even when they themselves may never find peace through forgiveness. My only critique of the book is that author does not provide bibliographical references. The book is full of wonderful quotes and stories. I would like to have known the sources. Further, a recommended list of readings would have been helpful. However, having said all of that, this is the kind of book that makes you want to take off your shoes as you read...you recognize that you are on holy, holy ground.

Why Forgive? Hard as it may be this book shows in a simple and powerful way that the only way to true freedom is through forgiveness. While bitterness seems the roads to take and hatred towards those who have hurts us the excepted emotion, Arnold dares to tells us the true stories of people who choose the road less travel and in the end found the freedom to let go and change their world by forgiving. He also gives us a look into the lives of those who choose to be angry, only to destroy themselves. This book is moving and powerful, it is a striking lesson of something most people and talkshows refuse to speak about. I only pray that people out their struggling with bitterness and revenge read this book and know there is another way.

A powerful, emotionally driving book, "Why Forgive" provides a framework of forgiveness that not only defines why it is important to forgive, but also how not forgiving eats at us like a cancer until it kills our happiness and our very essence.

With true life stories of amazing acts of forgiveness, the book shows how forgiveness is required before truly moving on to complete healing when you have been wronged. The extremely powerful stories show how forgiveness has allowed individuals to regain their lives after severe tragedy has entered their lives. Instead of taking the easy path and allowing anger and hate to destroy them, they make a choice that results in a deep peace. Pick up the book, learn to forgive, learn how it is necessary for true peace, choose the road less travelled and choose forgiveness. If there is a book that should be required reading for everyone, this is a contender for that book.

This book will banish any lingering doubt that forgiveness and reconciliation is the linchpin of good in this world. Filled with compelling personal accounts of those who truly have the right to ask us all to forgive, the book has the power to change the direction of your life for the better. Don't miss it!

Forgiveness is the key to real freedom. The path to forgiveness is not always easy. The renewal of the act of forgiving makes the path easier to travel. The road to forgiveness becomes smoothly paved as we forgive and keep on forgiving. Our journey gets easier with each trip down the original path, leading to the paved road of freedom and happiness. See chapter 14, Not a step but a Journey.

This book serves as a constant inspiration to me in my own meditation practice; I have read it countless times. As a psychotherapist whose modality involves working with my clients in a state of mindfulness (www.wisemenopause.com), I also recommend this book as a clear, concise introduction to meditation.

I have an edition of this book that I picked up about 15 years ago. I keep returning to this book year after year and have never tired of it. It has survived many purges of my spiritual library over the years. This book is sweet, easy to understand, and helpful. It defines a meditation practice that is easy to apply to one's daily activities. It is helping me relate more gently to the world and my life and is helpful in learning to awaken to the spaciousness and freedom that are ever present.

Fabulous book. Chapters are different talks given during a retreat. Insightful, down-to-earth as usual for her writing.

This is one of my favorite books by Pema Chodron. It not only does a very good job of describing the essence of Buddhism, but it goes beyond that in making Tibetan Buddhism more understandable and relevant to a Western audience without deveating from the tradition. In short, it contains the heart of the teachings of the Vajrayana. A nice complimentary book if you are interested in going deeper into Tibetan Buddhism is Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. These books compliment each other and the latter puts all of the Buddhist traditions in historical context. Huston Smith's essay in The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions or Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. You get more bang for your buck with the former Huston Smith book, however.

The fundamental teaching of the Buddha involves the following realizations: 1) Life is suffering; 2) The cause of suffering is selfish desire; 3) To get rid of selfish desire, follow the eightfold path. The essence of the eightfold path is a moral life grounded in a strong loving-kindness practice (A Mahayana emphasis, but true of all schools). This book provides precisely that -- a path of loving-kindness that any person could follow and apply to their life. When asked what religion the Dalai was, he once said... "my religion is loving-kindess." While the Dalai Lama didn't officially endorse the book that I know of, certainly it is written in keeping with this spirit.

This book covers a LOT of ground in short volume of about 108 pages. It looks at the existential situation of not being able to escape our life and the human condition which is characterized by suffering. The Buddha said as his last words, "be a lamp unto yourselves." I believe the intent here was that no super mommy or daddy in the sky is going to come down and save you from the human condition. You must look deeply to see the truth and this will liberate you from samsara or the cycle of suffering. In this book, Pema Chodron describes the Buddha's teachings and more importantly practices to help you to arrive at a place of loving-kindness and equanimity.

What I most like about this book is that she keeps things simple. She also describes Tonglen practice and other forms of meditation and habits of thought that cultivate a mind that is not locked in conditioned thinking. Krishnamurti once said, "seeing the truth deeply is what liberates, not your efforts to be free." A corallary to this might be... yes... but what limits how deeply you can see is your depth of compassion for others, but primarily for yourself. This book is a manual about how to cultivate a loving-kindness that allows you to penetrate the insufficiency of living for things like money, sex, power and status. It is a good read for anyone.

If you are interested in a somewhat different Western perspective or something to contrast these writings with then try A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. This book by Jack Kornfield emphasizes an earlier Buddhist tradition namely the Theravada (Way of the Elders). Mahayana Buddhism was an outgrowth of these teachings and Tibetan Buddism (Vajrayana) a further extension and elaboration. Jack Kornfield is a Western psychologist who spent a number of years in Thailand as a Buddhist monk and his perspective is accessible, entertaining, practical and complimentary to this book. If you are looking for a more integrative read that relates to Western Psychology directly try Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation. This is a more difficult read, but extremely worthwhile. There are other recommendations on my listmania lists of this is your area of interest.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, but there are just a couple of things about it that make it not quite as good as I was hoping. First, her interpretation of the Four Noble Truths is problematic in my eyes. Basically she take Tibetan teachings on egolessness (which are great teachings in their own right) and superimposes them on the Four Noble Truths. Her interpretation does not ring true for me - she states that the 2nd Noble Truth is "resisting life causes suffering" and that the 3rd Noble Truth is learning to let go of our "selves"/ego. These are valuable teachings but do not represent the more usual (and probably academically correct, as well as more powerful, in my opinion) translations that I have read: that (very summarily put) the 2nd Noble Truth is that that craving/desire/grasping causes suffering and the 3rd Noble Truth is that ceasing to crave/desire/grasp results in the cessation of suffering. Her interpretation is not wrong, but it is a bit of a Chinese whispered version of the Four Noble Truths and I would have liked her book better had she not re-interpreted them like this. Secondly, she writes "from above" a little. I feel that she comes across like a lovely, cosy, caring and wise Aunty. For me this made her teachings have less impact. I preferred Tara Brach's "Radical Acceptance" (which deals with a similar subject - accepting life as it is) to "The Wisdom of No Escape": Brach's writing is a bit more raw and personal and she writes like one sister to another sister (or brother)).

Although I do not have any teenagers in my house, I thought it would be better to read this book too early, instead of too late. I believe I was right. This book reminds me a lot of Tedd Tripp's book, Shepherding a Child's Heart, but with an emphasis on teens and how to relate to the teenage populace.

I truly enjoyed the honesty and also the way in which Dr. Tripp directs us as parents at the heart instead of our children instead of fixing mere actions. Usually, we as parents believe all is well if our children would just obey us, whether they are obeying us for the right reasons or not is a totally different question. Paul's book sets up so the parent gets to the teen's heart so that they obey based on their love of the glory of God rather than merely trying to follow rules that are set up. What this will do is drive critical thinking in the teen so that they can make decisions for themselves in different situations and will not need to know, "did my mom and dad say specifically I couldn't do this or that?" Instead they will strive to seek the Lord's will and ask, "In what way does this decision either glorify God or take away from it?"

The book is set up in three parts:

Part I: Clearing the Debris

In this first part Dr. Tripp is really trying to lay the foundation of the family and how God desires it to be set up. He speaks to those involved (parent and teen) and also speaks to the parent understanding the teen so that the next parts of the book can fall into place. I sincerely appreciate the chapter on "Whose Idols Are in the Way?" Dr. Tripp drives home the importance for us as parents to seek out our idols and destroy them so that our discipline and time with our children becomes godly, instead of reactionary.

Part II: Setting Godly Goals

This is really the practical part of the book. After laying out the foundation Dr. Tripp shows what should be important for every godly parent. He helps show forth how to disciple your children to have godly convictions towards culture and wisdom in how to respond. The idea behind this chapter is so that when that day comes where the teen leaves home, you can be confident that your work in them has been accomplished and they are ready to decipher the world through godly vision.

Part III: Practical Strategies for Parenting Teens

This last part is only 40 pages of the 253 page book. It seems to be more of a wrap up instead of completely new ideas. It seems to be more of a conclusion than a separate part. Part II and Part III really bleed together to make the last half of the book the practical wisdom given from Dr. Tripp to the readers.

One of my favorite discussions in the whole of the book was found in chapter 11. Dr. Tripp sets up four verbs for parents who desire to model Christ to their teen. I believe a quick synopsis of this will give you an overall feel for how the book is laid out.

They are:

Accept: We are to accept our sinful children with the grace of Christ. We are not to enable their sin, but we are also not to be judgmental parents who are condemning to the teen. When condemnation and judgmental attitudes prevail the teen will shut themselves off and never feel as though they can openly communicate to the parent.

Incarnate: As Christ was incarnate God to the world and to us, so too we are to incarnate Christ to our children. We are to reveal love, grace, patience, gentleness, kindness, etc. and continue to show them the gospel in deeds instead of merely words.

Identify: (my favorite part of the entire book) Hebrews 2:10 says that Christ was not ashamed to call us brothers and we should not be ashamed to call our teens, brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be able to identify with them in their sin. We should not be ones who would ever say, "I can't believe you would do that, I would never have done that." If this statement is actually true, the parent is not a sinner saved by grace, but a Pharisee who sees themselves as greater than others by their works. To identify with the teen will show them that you too struggle with sin, and you can show them who you go to for comfort and forgiveness in that sin: Christ Jesus our Saviour. Without the reminder that we too are sinners, the teen will believe that you cannot relate and will run away from you during their struggles instead of running to you.

Enter: As Christ entered our world and culture for 33 years, so we too should enter the world that our teenager lives in. This means seeking them out, even if it is uncomfortable. Asking them questions and listening to what drives them, what discourages them, what excites them, what they struggle with and the temptations that they face every day. When we seek them out to find out where they are coming from, we show them that we truly have an interest in who they are and what they face instead of trying to just pigeon hole them into whoever we think that they should be and what they should be facing. It shows that we truly have interest and value them.

I truly enjoyed this book and believe it is of great help to any who have teens now or who will be having teens soon. Dr. Tripp continues to humble the parent and drive them to the greatest desire: to parent for the glory of Christ, not for the glory of the parent. Highly Recommended.

This book is AWESOME!!! I would highly recommend it. In fact I wish all parents were required to read it.

this was highly recommended by our daughter when i related afriend who was having difficulty with her teenager. I bought it and gve it to the friend and she said it was just what she needed to cope with the situation...she could not thank me enough.

Having read a number of books on parenting, this book was found to be the most inspiring in terms of causing us to reach to God. As Christians we are called to walk by faith in every area of our lives. This book shows us how to be loving and strategic in our parenting whilst reaching to God in faith believing for our children also to walk with Him.

Reading parenting books takes time of which parents have little. This book has been encouraging and convicting- well worth the time. I highly recommend Age of Opportunity to any parent!

The title really says it all. God's miraculous provision. Heidi Baker shares intimate stories of her life & walk with God through places most of us would never dream of being. She shares her failures, successess & the things God taught her through them too. She shares many awesome stories about God moving powerfully through the least of the least. This book will really teach you a lot & open your eyes to the world that God sent His son to save! Powerful stuff. She really lives the life God calls us all to, that is dying to self & giving our life over to HIM. Worth reading many times. This is one of my top 5 favorite books ever. Life changing. MUST READ!

Very heart touching! My husband and I couldn't put this book down until we finished it!

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THE FAST SHIPPING..THE BOOK LOOKS GREAT!! WILL DO BUSINES WITH AGAIN!! GOD BLESS

I read this book while on a mission trip in Swaziland (borders Mozambique). The plight of African orphans was before my eyes daily during this time, while the great HOPE of what God has done in the midst of similar children's pain was evident by the reading of this book. The accounts of God's work in the lives of these children are supernatural and awesome. The Baker's ministry make it evident that love changes people. My prayer is that this powerful account will motivate those who have been called to orphan ministry to move with boldness into the field. It certainly has called me to be more involved in bringing the hope of the gospel to orphans. For anyone who is interested in orphan ministry, I also recommend Fields of the Fatherless by C Thomas Davis.

An extremely well written book, that is hard to stop reading.
All serious Christians need to read a book about surrender, humility, and love for
God. As a result of the author's utter dependence upon God and their willingness to
live with and help the "poorest of the poor", they saw miracle after miracle.
Even people laden with disease and hunger and loneliness ran to God when Heidi
visited them and spoke of a God who loved them and would take care of them.
An important book which needs to be read. The average church today hopes to see
miracles, but won't until it does what the author's did through the help of God
who's just waiting for people to give up all for Him.

This book is a deeply moving and informative story about what has been going on in Tibet ever since the Chinese invasion and crackdown. It's a critically important story for anyone interested in the truth, in the ongoing oppression of Tibetans and Tibetan Culture, and in world affairs in general. The story of this one monk is representative of events at large. Whether you're a Buddhist or not, this book is not to be missed.

There is also a documentary about Gyatso Palden, called Fired Under the Snow, and if you are lucky enough to see it , it is also highly recommdned. I met Palden Gyatso at a recent screening and was deeply touched. He is old now, but free, and has devoted the rest of his life to telling his story so we can KNOW what's going on.
It is heart-wrenching but inspiring at the same time. Read it and spread the word!

An American friend was profoundly moved by the suffering she saw in Tibet recently...as red china gears up for the Olympics.
Palden Gyatso's is an incredible story of suffering and faith.
Tibetans' face an ongoing now 60 year struggle to retain their heritage and to not be `disappeared' up by a communist regime.
When I was much younger I read a book `With God In Russia"..this is its buddist counterpart!
What struck me about the other reviews is that they don't mention we the free world ESPECIALLY THE USA is now on the hook to Red China!
AND IT CAN HAPPEN ELSEWHERE!
MAO KILLED 60 MILLION...OR SO THAT'S THE NUMBER I READ....the other accountas of the book don't take this into account..what happened in Russia/china/tibet/Vietnam/north korea can happen elsewhere.....and china grows richer and stronger year by year.

I recently met Palden Gyatso at a Dalai Lama teaching and bought a copy of his book there, mostly as a way to support him. Though I read all the time I rarely finish a book as I usually lose interest 2/3 of the way through and move on to something else. But this book was an exception - incredibly interesting and inspiring - I finished it very quickly.

This is a great book. I am an activist for Tibetan independence and knew much about the atrocities taking place in Tibet since 1949, but this book put a face to the facts. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in Tibet, Buddhism, or in learning about a remarkable man who went through horrible oppression and has emerged gracefully.

This book is a testimony to the endurance of the human spirit, able to overcome the most nefarious system perhaps the world has ever known. The fact that Palden Gyatso is able to relay his story to you and me is nothing short of a miracle after what he had to endure for years inside China's prison system undergoing "reformation." The stories of torture, starvation and freezing nights will stay with you forever and make you question how strong your own beliefs are and whether you could do what Palden Gyatso did. I do not wish to reveal too much, but will say that calling the story compelling is a vast understatement.

This book is as important now as ever. China has the 2008 Olympic games and yet these brutalities continue to occur. Not to mention the fact that China is now relocating Chinese into the Tibetan region, threatening forever one of the world's great cultures through dilution of the society and culture.

Buy this book and see both the horrors of mankind and also his greatness in what he can overcome. If you like this book, I would also recommend Ama Adhe's book from a woman's perspective in the same system. We often hear the word hero, but rarely is it so appropriate as it is in describing these amazing individuals.

Very clear, concise, and practical. Every one of us must have a copy.

The step by step guide of the 16 stages of breath meditaiton according to the Anapanasati suttra is very inspiring. It has helped tremendously in my learning insight mediatation.

Great book for learning the right frame of mind and the concepts of learning the Insight Meditation. Although this is not the complete book of learning the complex practice of Vipassana-Bhavana, for conditioning the mind to a proper way of thinking, before embarking your quest to Insight Meditation or reviewing things thats on your way, this is a good book.

Breath by Breath is an outstanding and seamless synthesis of interventions and talks that Rosenberg held about the Buddhist sutra (i.e., text) on the 'awareness on breathing' during his thirty-year teaching experience at Vipassana retreats and courses. Rosenberg style is plain and direct and his personal anecdotes make this fundamental teaching even more vivid and present for both beginners and expert practitioners. Clear links to other relevant Buddhist teachings make this text a good introduction to the Dhamma (Theravada tradition), as well.
All things considered, one of best introductions to the matter, a book that sheds a contemporary and western perspective on an universal and antique wisdom by focussing more on the main concepts and underlying rationales of Buddhist mindfulness practice and breath awareness (and its consequences on any personal life) than on some particular technique or method.

mindfullness of the breath. and opener of many doors. larry quotes the buddha... "the summary of all my teaching is 'do not attach to me or mine'" really i guess larry has summed up a third of all buddhism by quoting this therevadan approach. the emotional and psychic enlightenment side of buddhism. the annihilation of the tainted self.

there is very little on mahayanan 'philosophical' enlightenment, but i am incredibly grateful to this great teacher for quoting the buddha and for his introduction to mindfullness of the breath. the last and most important third of buddhism comes through in the pages of this book... true love/loving kindness (metta).

of those coming to this book, some will have realised that we only truly learn or know through experience. these people are seeking for genuine experience through meditation. mindulness of the breath will lead to other types of meditation, discovery of how to talk to or learn from spiritual beings, and ultimately how to talk to the perfection that everyone is and has within them through mastery of the unconscious mind. (learning how to harness stream of consciousness, imagination/visualisation etc etc). the kingdom of god is like a baby seed that becomes a little sapling and then and then on it grows. you will find that one thing leads to another, but ultimately to uncover who you are you will need to rely on yourself and not be confused by other people. every snow-flake is unique and has its own unique route to the earth/attainment. you are all snow-flakes, but you just dont see this yet, or do not have enough experience/conviction to know this.

as a digression... what is suchness? put in circular terms suchness is: As is ness, thusness. things just are, what is is what is. 'is' is is. this view is the ultimate 'relative' statement... it indicates that all truth is relative. everyone has their own truth. on the other hand it can be said to be the ultimate 'objective' statement. this 'is' objective reality. is it emptiness?, is it form? actually... no. it just is. this can seem to be the ultimate buddhist statement. that all knowledge is beyond conceptualising, beyond formulation. as is ness is just as things are. this is the water approach, which levels all theories. it is empty of knowledge in knowing much. suchness is the water of the moon. female womb, sometimes empty, sometimes full. rising and falling, rising and falling. bringing with it peace. (but... do not become attached to suchness! without speculation/conceptualization, we will not see where we are walking, nor will we see what thing matters most, mistakenly believing all things to be of equal importance).

what is absolute truth? if you seek the truth you will find it, generally speaking truth is 'understanding'. but, actually only true love/loving kindness is the absolute truth, and only this truly understands, if i/you do not know true love, then i/you do not know God, however there are lesser, though still objective truths. truth can be seen as what is... reality, taste and see. everything that 'is' has its roots in the one absolute truth, which is true love. the truth is true love, without love there cannot be understanding (truth). love is the truth, and this should gear our entire understanding of reality. even 'this'(consciousness) has its roots in ineffable true love/loving kindness. in the christian faith, we believe that what we seek is what we find. if we seek relative truths in accordance with suchness then we shall find them... like-wise, if we seek absolute objective truth, eventually we will find perfect love. true love is the ultimate seed and root of all, of essence (existence/is) itself. love is the fire of the sun.
bringing with it warmth. the light of the sun, penetrates the darkness of the moon. rising and falling, rising and falling, a child is born.

some feel that knowledge is helpful... well yes and no. yes if that knowledge is truth/understanding. however no, very often, and this is since much of what people know leads them away from the ultimate truth... and so i say, it is not ignorance that matters, nor is it knowledge (which puffeth up). what matters is truth/understanding. And anything that engenders true love is in accord with God. "he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love". "he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." "everyone that loveth is born of God"(born anew, spiritually). knowledge is not sufficient, we must not forget the heart, seat of emotions.

the buddha realised that without the anchor of true love/loving kindness, one becomes a nihilist... and you only need see their actions and crippled emotions to realise how unsatisfying nihilism is. (freedom of mind is not everything).
this is also why certain types of philosophy are utterly unsatisfying. theyve ripped their hearts out.

larry may have given more than he ever realises, this man is a true master.

true love/chesed, snow-flake. xxx

blessing/prayer: may all of us who read this, including myself, see the ultimate truth, loving kindness and become it and be it/him/her, by the grace of the one truth, loving kindness. amen.

Get this work into your library. It is by far the most critical work on this subject you will ever read! A MUST HAVE.

This is book primarily deals with the history of the development of the Canon. It was quite interesting to read the history of various books and letters of the Old and New Testament and to realize how most Christians take for granted their acceptance as Holy Scripture. It was fascinating to discover that books like Hebrews and the Apocalypse had difficulty in finding their place in today's Bible,and why others such as the Shepher of Hermas were rejected. Reasons for the acceptance of letters and oppositions to others varied upon authorship, content, usage, and most of all inspiration.

Not surprisingly was that the need for a canon arose from the ubiquitous nature of heresies abounding in this era. Specifically one of the earliest heresies mentioned is the movement started by Marcion. Marcion's belief that solely the teachings and writings of the Apostle Paul is what made up the true faith led to the first collection of the New Testament epistles being collected together to form a body of doctrine. Later on many of the Gnostic gospels and sects were another impetus which drove the Catholic Church to canonicity of its collected documents and to determine what was to be standard for what was Apostolic and inspired.

Prof. Bruce follows the topic of canonicity into the Renaissance and the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. It was interesting to discover that with the revival of Classical Greek and Hebrew, that European theologians began to question the canonicity of the books contained in the Vulgate and the accuracy of that one-time prevalent translation. One example of how this controversy is carried over into current modern apologetics is how the Roman Catholic Church criticizes Martin Luther for questioning and suggesting that James and Hebrews be rejected from the Canon. However what Prof. Bruce points out is that for many in his day, Luther practiced what many in the church were doing in their re-examination and criticism of the canon.

Also from the Reformation is Luther's position of the Canon within Canon. Although I do not completely agree with Luther on this point, I do agree with the importance of studying Scripture with the view of placing the Gospel of Christ as the central theme of the Canon.

The closing chapters are very valuable regarding the criteria for canonicity in early church history and the criteria for the church today as well. I found especially intriguing the proposition of anyone finding one of St. Paul's lost letters to the Corinthian church and would they be added to the books of the New Testament? Please read the book to find the answer. I hope this unanswered question will entice you to read this work. However, in my review,I know that I am not doing justice in my appreciation for this book and what it has taught me.

Final Note: I would not recommend this book without some prior knowledge of the Ante-Nicene and the Nicene Church Fathers as their opinions about the canonicity are frequently presented. The reader should be familiar with the church fathers mentioned and their significance and contribution to the Christian faith in the early history of the church. Although one will benefit from the text without it, such knowledge would enhance the reader's understanding of the reasons and the importance of Prof. Bruce citing these individuals.

The book The Canon of Scripture, by F. F. Bruce, is a thorough scholarly treatment of the history of the Holy Bible as found in its present form: Old and New Testaments, 66 books constituting the authoritative writings of the Christian church. It is formal in style and thoughtful in content. It is nearly exhaustive, presenting ideas from a broad multitude of sources, yet manages to remain an engaging and fascinating read. Throughout, Bruce manages to be fair to the facts of history while remaining true to the convictions of the Christian faith.

Bruce's Canon of Scripture is the most thorough, scholarly, and readable account of the canon that I've come across. This book was recommended to me as a great place for a layperson (like myself) to read the story of how our Bible came into existence.

Bruce provides a detailed account of how Christ, the apostles, and early Church fathers interpreted and used the canon. He also discusses heretics like Marcion and soundly dismisses their claims. For Christians who trust the Bible as an inspired document, this book will be encouraging, as Bruce shows how the orthodox canon and orthodox interpretation have persisted throughout church history.

Although Bruce's prose isn't overly scholarly, his sense of story -- the way he structures this book -- is less than arresting. I found myself reading this book in chunks, skimming some sections and skipping others altogether. I imagine few people would enjoy devouring this book straight through. That said, this work is superior to a simple reference book, as Bruce provides a great deal of detail and appeals to a number of primary and secondary sources. Until a better book comes along, this one's essential for Christian households.

I bought this book because it was recommended as the most authoritative history of the New Testament canon in English. The book is scholarly and thorough. The author is an academic. The book reflects that for better and worse. The information is excellent and well documented. The writing style is often dry. It is best read in small segments.

Bill Breer

This book is excellent for helping a person to understand the Catholic faith as explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I ordered 16 copies to give to catechists who teach the Catholic faith.

Top notch reading.

I am working on a longer review for one section of this book (ch. 6-10), but one thing I would like to say as a whole is that I feel Peter Kreeft's book in no way represents the broader Catholic understanding of the Catechism. His is a conservative, even at times erroneous, or at least highly subjective, "catechism of the Catechism", which is nice for those of us who want the catechism in simpler language, but for those who want a much deeper understand, I would recommend going beyond this book (after having read it for themselves). It is only one man's understanding of the Catechism, and he's coming from an ultra-conservative background, so it is not the only way to read the Catechism. In my longer review, there will be more examples, but for now I'll point out one: on page 101, Kreeft states that "Vatican I defined what Catholics had always believed". This is not true; the majority of Catholic scholars believe doctrine developed over time, such as the infallibility of the Pope. They are no less true because they developed, but there are few things "Catholics have always believed".

I really enjoy Peter Kreeft's books, so this one was not a surprise to me. I like this book more as a reference guide to questions that I may have. It is truly awesome. I would have given it 5 stars except when I received the book I was dissapointed that it was a used book, when I paid for a new book. It was stained in the inside. Unfortunate... but I got over it pretty quick.

and then you will want to hang onto it as a reference book for your own personal library. Dr. Kreeft is a professor of Philosophy at Boston College and has authored many, many good Catholic books. Additionally, he is a outspoken defender of the Catholic Faith.

Catholic Christianity is a common sense, plain English, easy to read commentary on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It makes a great companion to the Catechism offering easy to read explanations for most of the content of the Catechism. It would also make a good introduction to the Catechism. If you have been a bit intimidated by the size and language of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this would be a good way to get started. It will give you a good overview that you can then follow up with the actual text of the Catechism. But this book, as good as it is, can in no way replace the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Dr Kreeft himself writes in the Preface, "Let no one read this book instead of that one."

This book will not act as an impediment to ecumenism, nor is it in any way anti-Protestant. Instead it can exert a strong unifying effect, presenting the Catholic faith as it does in plain English without the use of technical theological jargon.

All of us need to understand that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a tremendous gift to all who would understand the Catholic Church, its teaching and its practices. There is no excuse for anyone not knowing their faith in all its beautiful fulness. Every Catholic, everyone who loves a Catholic, and anyone interested in understanding the faith of the Roman Church can benefit from the Catechism and from Catholic Christianity.

The sub-title of Peter Kreeft's "Catholic Christianity" really does say it all: this is a thuroughly worthwhile catechism of Catholic beliefs based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Second Edition, as all good adult compendiums & catechetical resources on Catholic teaching should be. The book is very accessible, with a very user friendly format that is fully referenced to the Catechism. The writing is clear and concise, allowing readers to easily comprehend what Holy Mother Church actually teaches. Prof. Kreeft's book received an Imprimatur from William Cardinal Leveda, the current Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith ( Pope Benedict XVI's old post under JP II,) while His Eminence was still the Archbishop of San Francisco. So many books purporting to be true distillations of the Faith do not have this designation, which grants a book a bishop's permission to be published. Further, "Catholic Christianity" has a Nihil Obstat, granted by the Rev. Milton T. Walsh, STD. This declaration is given by a competent authority who has examined the work in question, and has determined that the book is free from doctrinal or moral error ( Richard P. McBrien's "Catholicism," for example, has neither designation.)
Aside from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Second Edition, there is no finer teaching tool for explaining the beliefs of the Catholic faith than Peter Kreeft's "Catholic Christanity," from perhaps the finest Catholic publisher in America today, Ignatius Press. This is the one to choose, my friends. Buy with confidence! Highly recommended!!