Review: God and Marriage
God and Marriage by Geoffrey William Bromiley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is one of those little books that turns out to be a big blessing. It’s a little different from most other books on marriage in that it is strongly doctrinal and not so much advice. There are certainly practical aspects but it is put upon a strong foundation.
Bromiley develops a biblical theology of marriage in four parts—God the Father and marriage, God as the husband of Israel, God the Son and Marriage, and God the Holy Spirit and marriage. The chapter on Israel is outstanding. He traces the rise and fall of Israel from the perspective of their practices concerning marriage.
The number of books on marriage has to be nearing infinity and much of them range from worthless to harmful. The bad marriage books turn out to be nothing but manipulation manuals or technique how-to’s. There is a place for some of that, but only if you have a solid theological foundation to stand on. Bromiley does a lot of work here to put some rock under your feet. I highly recommend it.
Review: Mind Siege: The Battle for Truth
Mind Siege: The Battle for Truth by Tim LaHaye
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
“Mind Siege” by Tim Lahaye and David Noebel is a reworking of an older book, “The Battle For The Mind.” This edition has been updated with current information. The copy I have was printed in 2000. “Mind Siege” is very informative about Humanism and Secular Humanism. Lahaye shows that Humanism is unquestionably the established state religion in America and that this religion is observed and honored throughout the government, public schools, big business, entertainment, and news media, etc. In short, it’s everywhere.
Lahaye also discusses the fervent indoctrination practice of Humanist adherents. They have an extremely aggressive program of brainwashing the general public in order to create good world citizens after their own image. This book is a real eye-opener and should be read by every Christian in this day. Unfortunately, we do not seem to understand who the enemies are and what the battle really is.
The only weakness to the book is that the author’s conclusions are somewhat lacking. Some of the solutions offered are not necessarily in line with spiritual warfare and the Christian commission. We have powerful weaponry in Jesus Christ and we should not abandon it to try to fight the world on their terms. While the practical applications could be more biblical and thorough, this is still a very worthwhile book. We have to know what the problem is before we can begin to address it. On that score, this book is helpful.
Review: Genesis in Space and Time; The Flow of Biblical History
Genesis in Space and Time; The Flow of Biblical History by Francis A. Schaeffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Concise book, especially given the title. Space and time refer to the historicity of the accounts. In other words, they happened in space-time, or in even other words, the stories are true. Schaeffer grasps the meta-narrative of Scripture and presents the first eleven chapters of Genesis as foundational.
Schaeffer was an intellectual and grapples with high concepts. You may need to read it, let it simmer, and come back to it again. I wouldn’t consider this intro level, but it is very strengthening to a biblical worldview. I recommend it.
Review: The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be
The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be by Farley Mowat
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A heart-warming biographical of a boy and his remarkable dog. One of the charms of this book is the view into a bygone era for boys and dogs. We did this as a family read-aloud and enjoyed it. Whenever I do a read-aloud, I am also an inline editor. I had to skip a thing or two in this one, but overall a good story.
I am not generally in for the “heart-warming” reads. I don’t think it will really be spoiling anything to warn you ahead of time that nothing lasts forever. As a boy and his dog progresses to a man and his dog . . . you probably know how these things go. If that is too sad for you, just skip the last chapter and go on your merry way.
Review: Lost in the Barrens
Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Excellent tale of adventure and survival. Two boys get separated from their hunting party and stranded when their canoe is wrecked. They must survive the oncoming winter and make their way back home. We did this as a family read-aloud and everyone was gripped by it.
I enjoy Mowat’s books. If I understand correctly, though this is a fictional story, the techniques for survival in these conditions are true to life. Mowat was a naturalist and his environmental views are peppered here and there, but I found them barely distracting. This is a fun and gripping read. I recommend it.
