Mark's #14 - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (270 pages)

Gilead is a Pulitzer prize winning book, and was voted as one of the 100 greatest novels of all time. I was interested in Marilynne Robinson’s novels after reading a blog about how they are all heavily influenced by Calvinism. I also heard the author, Marilynne Robinson speak as a guest on the White Horse Inn podcast… at the time I remember thinking, “This woman is really smart… much smarter than me.”

As I began to read Gilead, I realized that this was indeed very good literature… and that I do not yet have the mental faculty to process and appreciate such literature.  I was the kid who never read any of the assigned books in high school – the best I could muster at the time was the cursory glance through some ‘Cliff Notes’…   I now realize that I have only harmed myself as I missed an opportunity to learn the art of literature.

In college and seminary I worked hard to train my mind for reading other material and studying theology… yet, I still fall short in apprehension of great literature… I hope this begins to change as I read through 52 books this year.

Back to the review… I almost gave up on this book… after 100 pages, I scratched my head wondering where the plot was…  I tossed the book aside for a month or two…

Then I read a blog about Gilead written by John Piper entitled, “I love this book”.  Dr. Piper wrote about how he often reads through Gilead and savors the rich imagery and storyline.

Since John Piper is one of my theological heros, I decided to give Gilead another shot… I’m glad I did.  As I pressed on, the plot did indeed emerge, subtly, but powerfully and engaging.   The literature was still above my pay grade, but I could feel the way the book was moving me in deep and emotional ways…

As I don’t feel qualified to accurately rate this book, I won’t.   I am committed to growing in my appreciation and appetite for well-written literature.

Mark's #13 - Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices by Mosab Hassan Youseff (250 pages)

As Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of one of the seven founders of the Palestinian Hamas movement,  points out in the introduction to this book, most westerners have no clue as to the dynamics involved in the tension of the middle east.   Having read the book, I realized that I too fall into that category.   This is a great book at the inner workings of both the plight of the Palestinians and the Israeli spy agency called the Shin Bet.

Too often we offer simplistic solutions or ignorant remarks regarding the problems in the middle east.   Far too many Christians automatically support anything Israel does simply because they believe that somehow God is on the side of Israel and therefore they can do no wrong.  For a theological rebuttal to this position, let me encourage you to read this article by John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2004/165_Israel_Palestine_and_the_Middle_East/

Yousef's story is more than just a story about a terrorist turned good guy.  It is the story of a terrorist who saw the senseless killings and suicide bombings and decided to be a part of the solution towards peace.  To do so, he was forced to betray his father, his family, his culture and his people and become a spy for Israel.   over a period of about ten years he provided crucial leads and information from the inner-circle of one of the world's most deadly terrorist organizations - which was led, in part, by his own father.

Along the journey, one day Mosab met a man from the United Kingdom who invited him to attend a Bible study in Jerusalem. Mosab agreed to go, not realizing that he was taking the first step in a six year journey toward Jesus Christ.   This is an amazing testimony to the power of God's love and grace... In fact it was the love and grace through Jesus Christ that so contrasted with the God of Islam and the example of Hamas members that drew his heart to the truth of the gospel.

I would encourage anybody and everybody to read this intriguing and insightful book - especially those serving in the military community.   Ignorance is not bliss.  It's time we understood a bit more about what we're fighting for.

For those of us who are Christians, it's also time to think and pray hard about these issues.  God loves both the Israelis and the Palestinians... He shed his blood to purchase for himself a people from EVERY tribe, tongue and nation (Rev. 5:9).

5 Stars

PS - Sorry Ron, I beat you to the punch on this one... thanks for loaning me the book :)

Mark's #12 - The Jesus Storybook Bible (250 pages)

As a father of four daughters and a pastor, I often get asked for recommendations for a good childrens Bible.  If you have young children (2-8), then this is the book for you.

Perhaps surprisingly, most of the 'children's bibles' I've come across are theologically awful.  It seems these authors don't understand the meta-narrative of the Bible or even the basics of the Gospel.

Here's a test for you whenever you come across a children's Bible:  Flip open past the first few pages and read the account of Noah and the Ark... What is it communicating?  Is it just a nice cute little story about cuddly little animals and a big boat?  That's usually the case... However, in the context of the real Bible, that whole seen is heavy and difficult to imagine the suffering and loss on the face of the planet due to the sinfulness of humanity.   Next, turn to Jesus' death on the cross... most of the time, Jesus' brutal death will seem to jump out of context... leaving the kids to wonder, "Why in the world would anyone want to kill Mr. Rogers?"  Perhaps the worst part of most of these books is the message of moralism... "Now Johnny, be nice to your sister so that God will love you!" - That's not the Gospel by the way!

The Jesus Storybook Bible is different.  As I read the beautifully illustrated stories to my children each night, I was impressed with how much every story clearly, and in context, pointed to Jesus and The Gospel.   This book does not preach moralism, but our absolute need for grace through Jesus' sacrifice.

There were only a couple of the stories that I felt the authors missed the point theologically (see the story about the prodigal son).   Overall, it was a great experience with my daughters.  The book also comes with audio cds for you kids to listen to and follow along... If you want to be a deadbeat parent you can do that.

4.5 stars

go here for more info: http://www.jesusstorybookbible.com/

Mark's #11: The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Aurthur Conan Doyle (500 pages)

This is the first time I’ve read any of the Shelock Holmes adventures. The book consists of the 24 original short stories.  Each story offers a creative tale of intrique, suspense, and logical deductions by the world’s most famous detective – Sherlock Holmes.

Since each story is about 20 pages long, this book would have probably been better if I spread it out over time and occasionally read one of the 24 original Sherlock Holmes adventures.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the classic work by Aurthur Conan Doyle.  Not surprisingly, I found the stories to be more captivating than most, if not all of the modern Sherlock Holmes renditions, be they on the movie screen or stage.

If you’re looking for some good short story mysteries, does anyone do it better than Arthur Conan Doyle?  I think not.

No mystery on my rating of this book… “Elementary my dear Watson!”

4 stars.

Mark's #10 - Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn (413 pages)

This was the first Vince Flynn book that I’ve read… and probably the last.   The political/spy thriller was, well, not that thrilling.  It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t all that compelling.

Buddy has already reviewed this book. There he wrote something to the effect, “Flynn writes with a conservative bent”.  For which Buddy receives the award for biggest understatement on my52books.com. As a result, parts of the book seemed a bit strained to make a political point.

On the other hand, I found it ironic that throughout the story Flynn began to draw the reader’s sympathies toward one of the more moderate, educated, and sophisticated Islamic terrorists in the story (even though he was involved in an attack that killed hundreds of people).  By the end, this character was sort of a hero as he turned on another terrorist… all of which left me scratching my head.

The next time I’m looking to read in this genre, I’ll probably pick up a David Baldacci book.

2 stars

Mark's #9: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow The Bible as Literally as Possible (388 pages)

As the title suggests, A.J. Jacobs sets out on a quest to try to follow the Bible as literally as possible.   Jacob's is a self-professed agnostic liberal with some Jewish family roots.   This is his presupposition going into this one year experiment.  While Jacobs is exposed to many different religious experiences and mostly extreme religious groups (both within the Jewish and Christian context), he never really gets past his initial presuppositions.

Nonetheless, Jacobs writes in a witty and engaging manner.  Though I often cringed and disagreed with his conclusions,  I found his book to be an enjoyable read.   As a pastor within in the young, reformed, and evangelical movement, I find books like Jacob's to be very insightful, helping me see religion in general, and Christianity specifically through another perspective (c.f. 'Jim and Casper Go to Church').   I do believe we all have 'blind spots' and sometimes reading or listening to another person's perspective is helpful in analyzing what we are doing and why we do it.

A.J.  sets out on an adventure to follow all the laws and commandments of the Bible as literally as possible.  Along the way he discovers the vast variety of interpretations available as to what it means to follow the Bible literally.  He also discovers the great difficulty of following the law - To which I say, 'you're getting close to understanding the gospel now A.J." - Or as the Apostle James writes, "¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10).  Furthermore, Jacobs is immediately guilty of breaking the Law since it says that we are to "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Dt. 6:5)" As A.J. admits, an agnostic simply cannot do this...

A.J. decided to spend the first nine months of his Biblical year focused on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the remaining months focused on the New Testament (since that is proportionally the same as the Bible as a whole).  While I enjoyed his varied attempts at following 'the Law', I was really looking forward to his take on the New Testament.   Sadly, this part of the book was the weakest part.   He really didn't know what to do with it... especially since Jesus came to fulfill the law and offer a gospel of grace.   As a result, A.J. spoke briefly on a few random passages and went to visit some fringe elements of American Christianity such as Jerry Falwell's church and the snake handlers in the Appalachian mountains.  A.J. also had an old mainline theologically liberal pastor on his religious advisory board.  It's too bad too, since A.J. and his family live in Manhattan, New York.  He could have easily met and interviewed one of the sharpest, most thoughtful, influential, and gospel-centered pastors in the country - Tim Keller.

At any rate, I enjoyed A.J.'s unique take on religion and his self-depricating sense of humor... you might too.

3.5 stars.