Review: Quit Going to Church by Bob Hostetler

Bob Hostetler's "Quit Going to Church" isn't so much about what's wrong with modern churches as it is about what's wrong with the way modern Christians live their lives. Hostetler starts by explaining that we need to stop attending church in a routine manner and start being the church in our actions and hearts. The rest of his book deals with how exactly we can do that.

Hostetler's chapters focus on:

• Quitting prayer and making a habit of keeping company with God
• Quitting reading the Bible and using the Bible to relate to God
• Ending the sharing of your faith and starting the sharing of your life
• Spending less time focusing on the ten percent tithe and more time realizing that everything you have belongs to God
• Discontinuing in heartless volunteer jobs and using your gifts for God's glory
• Putting a stop to judgment of the poor and instead spending time with the poor
• Stopping niceties and being real instead
• Quitting fellowship activities and starting parties
• Giving up on being good and instead dwelling in God's presence
• Denying enjoyment of worship and focusing your worship on God's happiness
• Quitting our worries about doing God's will and instead taking risks

Hostetler provides insights that aren't necessarily mind-blowing, but that are enough to inspire Christians to action. Although I had a few objections to some of his thoughts. Hostetler's comments on the need for worship to focus less on styling that pleases us and more on God are truthful, but his insistence that all worship should be joyful (implication - charismatic) ignores the fact that there are different times appropriate for different kinds of worship, and that some people are more reflective in their worship. And Just because someone does not display outer joy does not mean they do not have inner joy. 

As I read Hostetler's writing, I worried that the book would take on an "everyone needs to be a missionary" attitude. Hostetler makes it clear that we all have different gifts to be used for God's glory in different ways, but in certain chapters his suggestions seem to go against this by implying that every Christian should do dramatic things like spending more time with the homeless. I'm pretty sure that Hostetler did not mean to convey that extreme an idea, but there was enough to intimidate me, whose gifts seem to be more in words than in action. 

So, overall, I found this book surprising and inspiring, but it was not without its quirks.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Searchers by Joseph Laconte

Joseph Laconte's "The Searcher" is full of interesting information that would likely provide wonderful insights if only it had more room - perhaps if each chapter received its own book. Laconte's background and expertise as a history professor shows, as he includes numerous historical and cultural stories for context. Unfortunately, those stories and Laconte's explanations have little to do with the one story his book claims to be all about, that of the Road to Emmaus, which is found in Luke 24.

Laconte uses pieces of the Emmaus story to launch into specific topics that actually don't shed any light on the Luke 24 passage. For example, Laconte uses the travelers' mention of the Pharisees' actions to discuss the various evils that have been committed in Christ's name, such as the Spanish Inquisition. Another chapter uses the travelers' story (which tells of the women being greeted by angels at Jesus' grave) to discuss our modern perceptions of angels and what angels really are like. Laconte provides lots of interesting information, but only toward the end of his book does her really, finally spend a good amount of time talking about the actual Emmaus story and what readers can learn from it.

"The Searchers" contains plenty of interesting tidbits of information, but leaves readers "searching" for insights on the Luke 24 Road to Emmaus story - an element of Laconte's book that is surprisingly missing.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review of it.

Review: The Devil is in the Details by Tony Kessinger

Confession time. I received Tony Kessinger's "The Devil is in the Details" for review about two years ago. I never reviewed it. Having now read it - devour might be a better term - I wish I had read it sooner. Despite a few, very small flaws and lack of clarity in certain parts (which are naturally complicated), Kessinger provides a surprising, informative book that is about more than just evil and sin.

Kessinger starts with describing the basic history of evil presented in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament and passages regarding Satan's fall. Here, he presents interesting facts that add to the Biblical account and retells the Biblical story without becoming boring. Kessinger then moves on to discussing Satan and his demons with more specific regard to what they are capable of, as well as how that works with God's omnipotence, leadership and position (the highest possible) - using Job's predicament as an example. This discussion of Satan naturally leads to explanation of the end times, which is where Kessinger sometimes confuses. 

Toward the end of his book, Kessinger spends a good amount of space discussing some of the false and confusing teachings out there. This is perhaps the most interesting part of the book, but also the most controversial part of the book - especially when he brings up Arminian beliefs versus Calvinism. Overall, this section of the book stands firm, offering thought-provoking and challenging arguments. But this is also the section where Kessinger names Joyce Meyers and Joel Osteen as preachers of the prosperity gospel, and I can see where he gets that from, but I do not think Meyers and Osteen are as extreme as the clearly false prosperity gospel Kessinger presents. 

Kessinger also names Peter Kreeft as a believer of religious pluralsim, referring to one particular chapter in a book of Kreeft's that talks about an out of body experience Kreeft claims to have had. I don't know about the out of body experience, but I do know that Kessinger gives no context to his quick accusation - no context of the book the chapter he refers to is from and no context of Kreeft's other works. And Kessinger's description of religious pluralism is one similar enough to his description of universalism to confuse and cause the reader to draw the wrong conclusions about Kreeft. I actually had Kreeft as a professor my freshman year at The King's College, and I never got the impression that he believed in universalism or any kind of religious pluralism that lead to universalism, nor do I believe TKC would hire a professor who believed such things. I did email TKC about it, and this was their response:

Thanks for taking the time to write us and share your concern. Before taking Kessinger at his word, you might consider listening to this short talk given by Peter Kreeft called "Ecumenicism Without Compromise." In it, Kreeft states that ecumenicism cannot include compromise on beliefs.

Therefore, I am not convinced of Kessinger's statements on Kreeft. Those statements are very short, however, and the general principle behind them - that universalism is wrong and does not agree with Jesus or the Bible - still stands.

"The Devil is in the Details" seems in part like a mini "Systematic Theology" (anyone who attends a Christian college will know what I'm talking about here), give or take a few items. The book does not seem cohesive overall, but it makes a great textbook, and I would love to see Kessinger expand it into something as extensive as "Systematic Theology." Meanwhile, this book will go on my bookshelf as a book to be reread in the future in order to commit more of it to memory.

Review: God Forsaken by Dinesh D'Souza

Dinesh D'Souza presents an incredible amount of evidence in his book "God Forsaken" with the goal of disproving the atheist's argument that a loving God is not compatible with the God in the Bible or the world full of evils that we live in. In fact, D'Souza does such a good job of presenting the various arguments against Christianity and God that, until he begins to refute them with just as much articulation and persuasion, you almost begin to believe that he is an atheist. But then again, he does hang out a lot with atheists, and he debates with them often.

D'Souza presents a clear and scientifically supported argument for the fine-tuned universe, a universe in which human beings could not exist at all (or exist with free will) without the perceived moral and natural (disasters) evil in the world. In addition to this, he explains pieces of the Bible that are easily misunderstood and shows how the Christian God can be both loving and allow evil to exist. I will not go into detail summarizing his arguments here. There are long, but they are extremely convincing.

My one problem with D'Souza's book is that he talks about evolution in his discussion of the fine-tuned universe, and he clearly believes in evolution - maybe even the big bang (which he also references a few times). The way he presents evolution in his book makes sense, and it does not conflict with the Biblical account. But it does leave me with questions. He explains how death could exist before man (such as with the dinosaurs), but not how that is compatible with the perfect world of the Garden of Eden. He talks about the evolution of man, of consciousness and intelligence, but never points out how that works with what is presented in the Bible - how man could be unique and made in God's image if he evolves in the same way as all the other creatures out there, albeit a bit more conscious, moral and intelligent. It's great to see how even the atheist's scientific arguments of Darwinism can actually work with the Bible and not against it, but I wanted more from D'Souza on this topic. Maybe there wasn't enough room for it in this book, but it left me hanging and I hope he expands on it more in another book.

Another thought: While the evidence seems to point to the world we live in as necessary for our existence, clearly the Bible indicates that originally those evils did not exist in the Garden of Eden before the fall. So if God created a world free of moral evil and crimes of nature then, why can't we live in such a world now? At least when it comes to crimes of nature (Moral evil is easily explained by the fall.). Was the Garden of Eden then on a different planet? I'm not saying the fall could not have affected the way the world operates, but why did the fall compel the universe to work in this way with no other way possible for human beings to live? When did the necessary laws for human beings to exist and for our fine-tuned universe to exist change? I'm quite certain there's an explanation there, but D'Souza does not give it.

That said, I could not put this book down. I gobbled it up. D'Souza writes with such clarity, he easily persuades. A person would have to be blind, ignorant and hard hearted to not take something away from this book. I highly recommend it. And there are plenty of gems to be found in it that I have not mentioned here.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review of it.

Review: Anything by Jennie Allen

Once I delved into Jennie Allen's "Anything" and understood what the book was about, my skeptical nature kicked in, expecting yet another book emphasizing missions and evangelism to an extreme degree. But Allen's writing moved me in a surprising way. While her content is not as explicit on the everyday applications of giving up everything to God, it has just enough to ward off my criticisms.

Allen still encourages readers to give everything and anything to God, but she does it in a way that does not push - a way that seems to imply we can give control to God, obey Him, go through the hard times of life with His help, and still make it out happy - and perhaps even do all this without getting involved in missions. My only complaint is that she could have explored things more from the perspective of the average Christian. Allen is a writer, speaker and pastor's wife, so evangelism seems to come naturally to her. I wanted to know how I could use my talents for God without becoming an evangelist.

I'll defend my faith when called upon and I'll live my faith out but I do not feel called to missions or evangelism. I found answers in Allen's book, but only because I was really looking for them. The more I read, the more my soul stirred. And while I'm no missionary, I found myself inspired to consider what it means to give anything to God. I desire God's will for my life, and highly recommend Jennie Allen's "Anything" to anyone with the same desire.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for my honest review of it.

Review: Our Favorite Sins

Todd Hunter's "Our Favorite Sins" has the right idea. For the most part, Hunter's insights are thought-provoking and inspiring. Many of his chapter start with specific examples of sins, only to veer away from the topic at hand to discuss sin in a more general sense. This lack of organization would annoy if it weren't for the strength of the rest of his writing.

I found it difficult to put down the book as Hunter found more and more ways to explain his main point - that our evil desires come from within and must be reordered if we are to deal with and quit our sins. Hunter uses the example of Joseph, whose desires were reordered in such a way that he was able to think of God first when Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce him. He refused her.

Hunter says that we can refuse sin, too, if we reorder our desires. Hunter's suggestions, which he gives in the last quarter of the book, clearly show his Anglican background, however. While reading and memorizing prayers, listening to Scripture at church and participating in communion are all good things, Hunter seems to place their importance over that of the Bible itself, of reading the Bible for oneself. And his insistence that these "spiritual disciplines" be done on a regular daily basis morning, day and night would likely have most Christians overwhelmed.

I understand the importance of making certain things regular parts of our lives in order to grow spiritually and stay strong, but Hunter never addresses the possibility that those things can be taken too far - to the point of creating a works-based faith. He never really seems to get to the heart of solution, either. His insights on our sinful desires are wonderful, but there is so much more to be said and done beyond the few spiritual disciplines Hunter focuses on. I know this from personal experience.

So, if you can read the beginning of Hunter's book by itself, or read the whole book with what I've written in mind, you'll be able to take a lot away from this book. Just be careful.

*This book was given to Poorhouse Dad for free in exchange for my honest review of it.

Review: Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley's book "Enemies of the Heart" is a highly convicting book. Stanley takes new and thought-provoking angles on the issues of giving, greed, jealousy, anger, guilt, and much more.

Stanley writes that everything we say and do comes from the heart — that's every single thing, whether we want to believe it or not. It's easy to make excuses, but what we really need to be doing is monitoring our heart. Jesus may have moved into your heart, but you may still need to give him full access. Undetected issues of the heart will surface and affect your relationships with God and and with others. We must treat the root problem: our heart.

Stanley looks at four main issues of the heart. He says guilt is an issue of feeling that "I owe you" and requires confession and restitution for true peace, even after acknowledging God's forgiveness. Anger is an issue of "You owe me," but most debts cannot be paid, and Stanley writes that we must consider what we've really lost, choose to let it go and forgive the offender, and stick to that decision despite our fluctuating feelings. Greed is an issue of "I owe me," and jealousy is an issue of "God owes me." But God owes us nothing. He gave us what we really need: the cross.

Stanley goes into much more depth than the above summary. His book is not a self help book, but it forces the reader to examine his or her heart and consider the changes that need to be made. We say we can't exercise in our present condition, but we actually can't get out of our present condition without exercising. The discomfort is a part of the cure, and it takes a habit to break a habit.

I highly recommend this book.


**This book was given to me in exchange for my honest review of it.

Review: Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

I’ve been tempted to read books by Josh Harris ever since I went to high school with a guy by the same name. I had high expectations, and in many ways Harris’ book “Dug Down Deep” both lived up to and failed to live up to those expectation.

In “Dug Down Deep,” Harris admonishes readers to make theology a higher priority in their lives. “What we know about God shapes the way we think and live,” Harris writes. “What you believe about God’s nature — what he is like, what he wants from you, and whether or not you will answer to him — affects every part of your life. Theology matters, because if we get it wrong, then our whole life will be wrong.” 

With several references to Wayne Grudem’s “Systematic Theology” (bringing back many memories for those of us who had to read it over and over again in college), Harris’ book becomes a mini “Systematic Theology” written for Christians not normally interested in extensive research. Consequently, Harris uses more stories and less Scripture.

For many, Harris’ words will be sweet reminders of truths they already know. Others will be bored with the theology presented because they also already know the basic. And hopefully, many Christian young in their faith will learn many new truths. No matter how readers view the theology presented, Harris’ words should spur them on to a greater desire to know theology, to know the reason for their faith. Harris’ compelling argument for the need to have a solid knowledge of doctrine and theology makes his book work on so many levels. 

While not a textbook by Grudem, “Dug Down Deep” navigates the foundations of the Christian faith, among them being sin, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Church.

Harris’ discussion of the Holy Spirit may raise the hairs on the backs of some readers. Harris makes it clear that, while he does not adhere to some of the manipulative and false teaches of some Charismatic churches, he does believe in and practice the speaking of tongues. His belief may discredit him to some or at least disappoint certain fans. To his credit, though, Harris emphasizes the common denominator of both sides of the argument: opening your life to the Holy Spirit so that He can change you, use you, and bless you. Harris even references another writer who does not believe in the modern existence of tongues.

My feelings also clashed with the book when I got to Harris’ chapter on the church. I would have been encouraged by more on why its important to attend church and become a part of a community, but, instead, Harris focuses on the Great Commission and the missions side of church, which made me feel inadequate about the gifts that God has given me that glorify Him but don’t necessarily involve missions. There were a few other things I wasn’t sure what to think about, but I won’t mention them here.

Bottom line for me, personally: I got a lot out of the first few chapters encouraging the seeking out of solid theology, but the rest of the book was old news — been there, done that. But I’m sure there are plenty of others out there that need this book. As for me, Harris just made me want to skip his book to go read Grudem.


* Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

Review: J.R.R. Tolkein by Mark Horne

Summary: Mark Horne takes readers from the beginnings to the end of the famous author J.R.R. Tolkein's life, giving particular emphasis to Tolkein's inspirations for Lord of the Rings and Tokein's interaction with other key authors including C.S. Lewis. Horne also emphasizes Tolkein's commitment to his Catholic faith.

Review: This is part of the "Christian Encounters" biography series, so, naturally, there are more references to faith than there might be in other biographies of Tolkein. But the religious elements are not prevalent, so non Christians could easily enjoy this book, especially Tolkein fans. And the book offers a lot of tid bits about where Lord of the Rings characters and locations came from, which followers of the books and movies are bound to enjoy. An easy read (aside from a few parts that are hard to follow, as is typical of a biography), and an enjoyable read, this biography is a good read even for the person who doesn't typically enjoy biographies.

On a Personal Note: I was sad to learn that Tolkein was a strong Catholic. The fact may be obvious to most, but I had no idea, and learning this fact made me lose some of my admiration for the author. In my opinion, Catholicism and Christianity are not the same, and if Tolkein believed in certain things like Purgatory, praying to Mary, and confession to the priest, I'm afraid... well... you can defer the rest.

* Disclaimer: I received this book from BookSneeze in return for my honest review of it.

Review: Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont

Review: I don't even know how to summarize the point of this book — that's how bad it is in my mind. Unless you learn from stories, and stories, and lots more stories... in fact, nothing but stories, then maybe you'll get something out of Clairmont's cluttered, unorganized life stories. And maybe you enjoy the two (rather pointless) chapters on how great poetry and reading books are. But I don't see what any of these things have to do with stained glass hearts (aside from the end of chapter reflections and suggestions and maybe one chapter or two).

I expected a book on redemption and finding beauty in the broken pieces, but the majority of the book didn't really deal with that. I was left so bored that when I got to the chapter on books (where Clairmont gave the reader permission to stop reading a book that didn't catch the reader's attention in the first 50 pages), I stopped reading and started skimming... which quickly led to reading the first and last sentence of paragraphs... which led to skipping to the end of chapters... which led to being glad I was finally done with this book.

Maybe if you're a Patsy Clairmont fan or a Women of Faith attendee you'll enjoy this book. But I consider it shallow spiritual growth if this is all you can learn from. My advice: Read a book that gets deeper into Scripture, or read Scripture, and skip this book entirely.

Summary (from Book Sneeze): Much like stained glass, life's broken pieces become the prism through which God's grace shines most brightly and beautifully.

"Life is no doubt full of difficulties, but it is also filled with promise and possibility," says best-selling author and WOF speaker Patsy Clairmont. In Stained Glass Hearts Clairmont guides readers to view the  difficult experiences of life through the lens of God's grace. Using art as a theme, and likening people to stained glass windows, she shares that it's when we're surrounded by darkness that His healing light shines most brightly within us. Encouraging women to step back and see life from this new perspective, Patsy offers help and hope for the dark places of life.

Along with character studies of women in Scripture, and modern-day, relatable stories, each chapter includes:

Chalice—memorable quotes
Mosaic—recommended music
Spires—scriptures and readings
Litany—sample prayers

Review: Ascent from Darkness by Michael Leehan

Summary: "Ascent from Darkness" by Michael Leehan is a very dark, very deep, yet very enlightening account of Leehan's "ascent" from his practice of Satanism to his embrace of God and Christ's sacrifice. The majority of the book follows the darker parts of his lives, but testifies to the power of prayer as various Christians enter Leehan's life and pray for him and encourage him. Leehan's experience included death, suicide, demons, sacrifice, cutting, rituals, and much more. But a fight within him eventually led him to the Lord and freed him from the weight of darkness.

Review: This book was an extremely intense read, like reading a mystery suspense thriller. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next. While I have always been critical of "spiritual experiences," this book convinced me of something I've always known: demons and spirits are out there, and they're battling for our souls, influencing people like Leehan was to manipulate believers for the worse. Leehan's writing isn't too explicit, but it's enough to emphasize just how real the spiritual battle is and just how prepared we need to be. It has certainly motivated me to surrender more to God and His Word in obedience and love. Leehan's testimony may be difficult for some to read. Aside from Satanism, Leehan slept around and treated people poorly. He even ended up in jail for several months, and almost committed suicide. There's a lot to relate to in his story, and it may bring up unpleasant memories or temptations. But it also ends with a wonderful admonition to follow Christ through all the ups and downs. It's a powerful read.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

* Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review of it.

Review: The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook by Jeff Kinley

Summary: Sin is like a virus that festers within us, ready to take over and turn us into full zombies. So goes the premise of Jeff Kinley's book, "The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook." Alternating between a fictional story and nonfiction commentary, Kinley explores what it means to have a zombie monster within us, hungry for sin (or brains, as the case may be) and battling the Holy Spirit within us.

Kinley writes that, when we become Christians, we are freed from sin. Sin is evicted from our house, but waits for its chance to move back in. It's a constant battle that can only be won if we renew the way we think and give everything up to God.

The fictional part of Kinley's book follows Ben, who lives in a zombie infested version of our world. Each person has the virus within them, but when infected by a full zombie, the infection spreads and eventually leads a person to become a full zombie hungry for flesh. Ben goes through several encounters with various zombies, leading up to the end times of this fictional world.

Review: Although it can be a bit graphic, "The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook" is an addicting read because the fictional story is very suspenseful and emotional, and the nonfictional chapters are great food for thought. Kinley goes in depth, explaining why we have a battle within ourselves, why we sin, and how we can "kill" our inner "zombies." On the journey, he covers all the usual grounds. Don't be a pharisee. You can't change on your own. But Kinley also comes out with new, enlightening thoughts, like the fact that you can't replace a bad habit with a good habit. You have to look to God. It is a choice, and it's a hard choice. You may fall several times. But what baby doesn't fall while learning to walk?

My only complaint is that the book felt incomplete. The fictional story came to an end too quickly, and left me wanting to know more — left me asking, "That's it? What happens next? You can't leave it there!" To feel like the nonfiction parts lack nothing, you must read all the nonfiction chapters and make the connections between them. Personally, I would have liked Kinley to expand more on the sinner who know's he's sinful and stuck in something like an addiction, who doesn't try to cover it up with good works, and who feels like he lacks the will power to say no to sin. While Kinley is correct when he writes that it is a choice, he's also correct when he says it isn't an easy choice. Many people will be left wondering, "If I can never seem to make the right choice, am I still a Christian?" This is something that I've been exploring myself a lot lately, and that I hope to write a book on eventually, as it seems that there are no books out there that fully answer this question.

All in all, Kinley delivers big time. His zombie analogy really brings his points home.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

* Disclaimer: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for my honest review of it.