Book Review: Rumors of God, Whitehead and Tyson

Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson set out to examine the declining religious nature of the American public and attempt to enlighten the reader with a more thoughtful, insightful experience with their faith.  The premise is that the Christian of today is drastically removed in faith and devotion from the first believers in the church that we have lost our way.  They set down guidelines they believe will be both life-changing and motivational, but fall flat.  Perhaps it's simply that in this point in my Christian walk I'm not "in this place", so to speak, but I felt it generally oversimplified the faith of today.  As a Catholic, I feel that the rich tradition of the Church has continued though the Liturgy.  Maybe a Protestant viewpoint may differ, but I feel just as strongly that any believer of today can be just as passionate for the Lord as those in his time.  The idea of lukewarm Christianity being a new idea, unique to America and this time, is somewhat lacking and historically inaccurate to boot.  I think that this book seems to capitalize on the idea some have that the faith of those around them isn't as strong as their own.  It seems jaded at least.  I was looking for something less agenda-driven and something more personal, so this book, while having some interesting ideas, lacked any depth for me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com

Book Review: God's Love Letters to you

The book God's Love Letters to you is a 40 day devotional piece by Dr. Larry Crabb portrayed as an inspirational quick read.  The intent is to give you a snippet of scripture with a dose of prose and prayer and send you on your proverbial way. The entire text can be read in under a minute.  Truthfully, I think more insight could be garnered from simply taking the citations and reading them straight from the Bible, rather than the lukewarm look Dr. Crabb gives.   I found the book a little too simplistic and not always connected to the scripture passages it contained.  I prefer something a little more thought provoking and insightful and I feel this was lacking in both categories.  Also, in regard to the inspirational nature and the "...chance to completely change the way you think about love" (taken from back cover), this one definitely falls short.  I would possibly gift it to someone learning about faith and Christianity, or to an older child or teen.  But as for someone looking for a devotional that could truly deepen your faith experience, I would look elsewhere.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”