Book Reviews by BrentPrison
to Praise The book Prison to Praise by Merlin Carothers is an autobiography of the author’s life. The author shares how his experiences with suffering and death in two different wars affected his life. His initial experiences as an enlisted man, who at one point ended up in prison, starkly contrast with his later life as an Army chaplain during the Vietnam war. The problems he experienced in his own life, plus his exposure to the suffering of others caused him to seek out a better way to live. He found it. In addition to the basic message of Christianity, Chaplain Carothers shares a way to overcome any obstacle and truly live a magical life. His discovery is very scriptural, and his stories make it all very tangible in our century. At points in the book you may think I’m a ‘charismatic Christian’ to recommend this book. I’m not though. In fact, I don’t necessarily agree with everything about this book nor do I ask you to. I simply suggest that you read this and pay particular attention to the conclusion. I believe it holds a fundamental key for all of us who want to live a magical life.
Return
from Tomorrow The book Return from Tomorrow by George Ritchie M.D. may change your life as much as the experience it records changed the author’s life. Dr. Ritchie’s credentials and integrity are clearly established in the book. This lends much more weight to the amazing story of his near death experience. When Dr. Raymond A. Moody (author of ‘Life After Life’) heard this story he began his research into similar experiences of his patients. This led Dr. Moody to write his book which documents a series of near death experiences, all of which have degrees of similarity to Dr. Ritchie’s. In each case the people involved are directly, or nearly, declared medically dead by a Doctor but amazingly they return to life. Dr. Ritchie’s experience is by far one of the most detailed and lengthy I’ve ever read. To my knowledge it does not directly contradict anything mentioned in the Bible. For me, this story is a glimpse beyond death to our next existence and a powerful message with a direct impact on this life. Dr. Ritchie feels that part of his experience speaks to the very meaning of life, here and now. I encourage you to read his book and decide for yourself if his sense of this meaning is appropriate for you. I also encourage you to read the Bible, as an authoritative source of meaning in life. Dr. Ritchie’s book is simply an eye catcher which in my mind makes the words of scripture all the more meaningful. I encourage you to read this, and decide for yourself.
The
World’s Religions This book by Huston Smith is a fair and unbiased presentation of the seven main religions of mankind. Although the author does not call attention to it, this objective review demonstrates very clearly the differences between Christianity and the other religions. A good friend of mine once asked me how I knew what I believed, if I never exposed myself to ideas I may not agree with? This book is a good way to become familiar with the major religions and see for yourself which is most worth your time and attention. I’ve studied arguments for and against Christianity my entire life. I’ve also studied other religions. The crux of Christianity is the resurrection, without that, the faith of the Christian is in vain. In my research I’ve found that every serious author who set out to disprove the resurrection ended up writing a book which demonstrated its authenticity. In other words, their study of its falsehood convinced them of its reality. From my study, I am confident that Jesus Christ is ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). I encourage
you to do your own study, and decide for yourself.
Who
Moved the Stone? Frank Morison, the author of this book, set out to dis-prove the historical authenticity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This book tells what he found. I encourage you to read a quick excerpt from his book, posted at Amazon.com. Click on this line to access the excerpt, or if that fails, go to Amazon and do a search on the book title, then look for the excerpt link - it was available as of Sept. 2005. I encourage you to read this, and do your own research into this very important historical and spiritual event. As Paul said, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." I Corinthians 15:14 (New International Version of the Bible) Answers
to Tough Questions The subtitle of this book is a good description of its contents: "What Skeptics Are Asking About the Christian Faith". The authors, Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, respond to many difficult questions people deal with in considering Christianity. They deal with questions about God, the Bible, Jesus, Miracles and other topics. Questions like, "How can you believe a Bible that is full of contradictions?" and "How do we know that Jesus rose from the dead?". This is a good book for anyone investigating the Christian faith.
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