Book Review: Why God won’t go away by Alister McGrath

IN THIS BOOK, Alister McGrath offers an overview and critique of the movement known as the New Atheism.  He begins by looking at what the New Atheism is, with particular references to four names associated with the movement – Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens.  He also explains the differences between the “New” Atheism and other, more moderate forms of Atheism.  McGrath then addresses three themes often identified by the movement as arguments against religious belief – those of violence, reason and science.  He then assesses the current state of the New Atheism before asking what the future may hold.

This is an engaging and accessible book.  It’s succinct but thorough and as such is a very useful tool in understanding the New Atheism, its strengths and its weaknesses.  By looking at this worldview in such a way it’s a brilliant introduction for those wanting to understand the New Atheism better without focusing on only one issue or one associated ‘name’ or book.

McGrath is not a sloganeer and offers a perceptive analysis, asking difficult questions of the New Atheist worldview while attempting to give them a fair hearing.  It is interesting that although New Atheists accuse religious people of being irrational and ‘vile’, they frequently resort to insult to try and make their often incoherent point.  This appears to frustrate McGrath more than anything – rather than having a constructive conversation it becomes a shouting contest whereby reason  and rationality appear to have very little say – highly ironic since New Atheists like to accuse anyone with a belief in God as ‘irrational’.  Religion, to them, is evil, and God the cause of all the world’s woes.  But ‘evil’ is a moral statement, and if God is a delusion how can he cause anything?

The New Atheist tendency to proclaim itself as right and everyone else as wrong smacks of the very fanaticism it criticises.  It fails to back up its statements from history and ignores the criticism from other atheists, seeing them somehow as traitors to the cause.

I could go on far longer – but this is a review rather than an opinion post!  I will simply say this – if this is a topic that interests you, or indeed you are fascinated by either religion, philosophy, reason or science, this is an excellent book.





I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review: Outlive your life

Max Lucado is a story teller.  It comes naturally to him - using language to evoke feeling and emphasise his point.  Here, in Outlive Your Life: you were made to make a difference,  he uses this story telling once more.

The book is loosely based around the book of Acts.  I say loosely, because although intially it promises to immerse the reader in the story of the life of the new church, in reality each chapter takes a text as its theme.  The idea behind the book is that we can outlive our lives by making a difference to others.

I very much appreciate this premise, because I myself have a passion for making a difference - in whatever way we can.  So I was keen to read this, although these days I tend to find Lucado books not  as challenging as I would like.

I have to confess to being a little disappointed.  Although I appreciate what he is trying to do, the chapters seem almost like a collection stand alone sermons (complete with illustrations) than they do as part of a whole.  A book, in my opinion, needs to lead you on and draw you deeper.  For me, this was simply too bitesized.  And although I too like playing with language to make a point, Lucado can be a bit repetitive and in the case of retelling biblical stories, rather too keen on embellishment of detail.  I like to be drawn into a story and to use my imagination, but occasionally I felt he took this a bit too far in his descriptions.  Once you start mentally disagreeing with descriptions or finding them too detailed, your attention to the main point is lost.

And that, I think is the problem.  The book is too cluttered and does not hone itself, does not weave itself around a central point.  The introduction promises but does not deliver.

There are genuinely moving and interesting points that are made, but they were too disparate for me in my overall appreciation of the book.  This is a shame, because there are good things to be found here.  It just doesn't hold together and keep my attention.

In some ways, it felt like I should literally be listening to it - as if indeed it was a sermon series.  Perhaps there are those who will respond well to this, but for me, wanting to go deeper and to be drawn in, it felt rather frustrating.  I would put it down and keep forgetting to pick it up again, which didn't help with the cohesive (or non cohesive) element.  Of course, it may have just been me being inattentive!

I know that there will be those who disagree with me and for this I am glad: the idea of making a difference in our world because by loving others we are loving Jesus - which was a beautiful way to end the book - is a wonderful one.  I hope that there are those who read in a different way from me and therefore get more out of it.







 I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review: Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index

My initial reaction when I opened the package containing this book was one of surprise.  It was much smaller than I had anticipated, smaller than many other paperbacks.  This I found rather appealing as reference books are usually somewhat more hefty!

My husband picked it up and said 'what is it?' which is a valid question, so I'll tell you what it's not.  It's not a concordance.  Neither is it exhaustive.  The introduction could be seen as a little misleading on this front.

It is a topical index of subjects and words in the bible, arranged alphabetically, with sub-sections and occasional word studies. The word studies are interesting (from Strong's) although it seems a shame that it doesn't tell you whether it is a Greek or Hebrew word it's explaining.  The context usually makes this clear but for beginners this may be a bit muddling.  I like things to be both clear and thorough in these kinds of books, and adding abbreviations for 'Greek' or 'Hebrew' would not take up much space.

As I said, it's not exhaustive.  Looking up a topic I have been studying, I only found some of the references I knew were there.  Nevertheless, as a basic guide to a topic it's quite a nice starting point.  Also within the sub-headings there is a degree of interpretation from the writer(s) as to what certain passages are referring to, which may irritate some.

My general opinion is that I'm quite pleased to have this and it will make a handy little guide for me, as long as I remember what it's not. Therefore I come to it not expecting that it will tell me everything. Thus the tagline 'the best bible subject index ever' I find rather misleading and dare I say, incorrect (although no doubt it depends on what you categorize as a 'bible subject index'). Reviewing a reference book is not always easy, of course, as you get to know as you use it - and that takes time.

I want to like this little book, and in some ways I do. It is an extremely handy size, and I mean that sincerely. I love looking things up, and I will certainly use it when thinking or teaching about a certain topic.

I suppose my frustrations are mainly that it implies something about itself that feels a little exaggerated, and lacks some of the thoroughness I normally appreciate.  But then, can you have thoroughness without heftiness?!  I wonder.





I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias (ed.)

Beyond Opinion: living the faith we defend is an apologetic resource edited by Ravi Zacharias (see the Zacharias Trust).   It is divided into three main sections: 'Giving An Answer',  which looks at difficult questions posed against faith in God, as well as the 'questions behind the questions'.  This tackles areas such as postmodernism, atheism and scientific questions. The second part, 'Internalising the Questions and Answers', explores deeper issues of spiritual transformation and the third part, 'Living Out the Answers', addresses the role of the church.

This is not a book that you can read straight through, and it is difficult to encapsulate in a review.  It took me a long time to absorb and digest the various themes and dilemmas presented here.  With a range of contributors writing on various subjects, the book is a collection of voices and topics, all important to apologetics.

I found this book valuable, and challenging.  As it wrestles with some quite hefty philosophical and scientific thinking at times, it can take some effort to grasp certain passages.  However, I enjoyed the opportunity of familiarising myself with the thoughts and questions posed.  The myriad of voices means that naturally a reader may appreciate one chapter more than another, depending on areas of interest or preference of writing style, but the change of tone can be helpful, especially after being immersed in a very complex subject.

The book resounds with the call of 1 Peter 3:15, the defining statement of apologetics, that Christ is set apart as Lord in our hearts, that we should always be ready to give an answer (Greek: apologia) for the hope we have and that we should do so with gentleness and respect.

This book is more meaty than milky. It is not an easy or quick read, and won't be to everyone's taste.  However, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to think deeply about their faith, and longs to be able to explain it more fully.  There were moments in my reading where I was deeply interested, amiably befuddled, greatly challenged and even, I believe, spoken to in a way I was not expecting, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I was provoked to think more deeply about my faith, ponder the incredible nature of God and examine my own attitudes and lifestyle.

More than that, it emphasises the need for us to live our answers, to reflect our faith in our actions and to be genuine disciples, demonstrating God's love to all around us.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews

In the Butterfly Effect, Andy Andrews aims to show his readers how their individual lives matter, and the effect they can have on the world. Each action can ripple out and have incredible consequences. He uses examples to show how one person's actions can cause an entire chain reaction of events. This is written in gift book style and is a very quick read.

Firstly I should note that this is an American book and is obviously written for an American audience, in a very American style, with American examples. Naturally this means I cannot as easily identify with it, as I am not American. This is an observation rather than a criticism, although it does give the book an exclusive feel - I was outside, looking in.

The idea behind the book is a positive one: an affirming message about how one life matters. However, I felt the book lacked something. Although showing how one action can effect so many other events, there was no sense of what kind of action - good or bad.  There was no sense that we needed to make an effort to change the world, or impact the lives of others.  'Your life...and what you do with it today....MATTERS FOREVER' says Andrews.  I was caught  between 'Yikes!  Really?!'  and 'What, even hanging out the washing?'  which I confess was very irreverent of me (and possibly very British, what with the 'hanging out the washing' thing).

The book is beautifully presented with high quality images.  However, the way the book uses capitals and large fonts to make its point feels overdone, rather a lot of hyperbole,  when sometimes a 'gentle whisper' can be more effective.  When there are lots of capital letters, you get the impression the book is shouting at you. It also uses frequent ellipses (dot dot dot)...which I prefer to use sparingly...otherwise you lose the impact.

Not all our actions are good, and sometimes to change the world we need to make pro-active decisions in how we live our lives, how we work on things like forming our character.  The danger is that we assume that we can just sit back and have an impact - without doing much.  It seems it's trying to be motivational,but doesn't do much motivating.

I understand the point of the book, but I'm afraid it didn't do much for me.  This may simply be a matter of taste, and I appreciate that others may find it very valuable.   (This was my first impression from my first read-through, and perhaps I'll try it reading it again at a later date.)  It felt like it was trying to boost my self-image but didn't really give me any kind of challenge.  It just didn't inspire me enough.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster

The Sacred Journey is part of the Ancient Practices Series, edited by Phyllis Tickle.  In this book, Charles Foster addresses the practise of pilgrimage.  Journey is part of our humanity.  Physical pilgrimage and all its discomfort is an antidote to gnosticism, says Foster, something that comes up at various points in the book.  Nothing, he says, can truly replace the act of being 'on the road', of walking with a walking God - he who walked and invited others to follow him.

This is a thoughtful book, which made me feel part of a conversation.  I did not agree with everything he wrote, and sometimes found his interpretations of scripture stretched things a little, attaching more to the text than could justifiably be seen.  Nevertheless, his interpretations and his analogies are thought-provoking discussion starters.  I felt allowed to disagree, invited into the conversation - a fellow pilgrim, in a way.

The author's voice and opinions are fairly strong, but this sense of personality is not off putting, and makes this feel different from many other books.  He is not afraid to voice his thoughts and make a case for pilgrimage.  He does so with humility and self-deprecation and as such is an engaging author.

This book is a thoroughly honest yet gentle account of a practice often dismissed in post-reformation times. It calls for us to put aside our scepticism and allow ourselves to entertain new ideas, to re-visit old realities.

The Sacred Journey will appeal to those who hide a natural nomad's heart, who enjoy reflection and engagement, who love discovering new companions and new viewpoints on the roads of their lives. 

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Liturgical Year: the spiraling adventure of the spiritual life, by Joan Chittister

This book is part of the Ancient Practices Series and is the first I have read of it. Overall it focuses on the benefits of the liturgical year, of having a rhythm in our lives and living the Jesus’ life. By using the aid of the liturgical year, we can enter into Jesus’ story and realise it within our own lives. It focuses on particular elements of the year, including the main ‘feasts’ of Christmas and Easter and the preparation times surrounding them, as well as other factors such as the role and meaning of Sunday.

The first thing that struck me about the book was how quickly I was drawn into it, and how peaceful I felt in reading it. Immediately I felt an ally within the words encouraging my own spiritual desire to go deeper and search for new and old ways to mature my faith. Chittister uses language beautifully; frequently I would re-read a paragraph in delight. It’s not just the language, however, but the depth that it signifies.

It is difficult for me to encapsulate all the things I like about this book. It talks sympathetically and powerfully about the struggles we face in our ordinary lives, and portrays life’s potential in a way that excites and inspires.

‘Life is an intoxicant no amount of mundane inebriants – faster, deeper, more alluring, more captivating – can possibly equal. The problem is that for life to become its own exhilarant, we must learn to live it consciously, to live it deeply, to live it to the brim, beyond the visible to the meaningful.’ – The Liturgical Year, p170

This book encouraged me to slow down and examine the things of faith while also firing up the embers of my heart. The spiritual life is seen as an adventure, which I love. I also found it genuinely interesting and informative. Written by someone in the Roman Catholic tradition, some of the references and vocabulary were not known to me, which could be a stumbling block for some. Likewise the chapter on Marian feasts. For some of these things I needed more explanation, but that is outside the remit of the book and would detract from the main emphasis. Overall, I found in the book warmth and welcome and plenty of common ground.

I would recommend this book to any who feel weary of the shallowness of life and want to explore new ways of celebrating and learning about their faith. By focussing on the meaning of the liturgical year rather than merely the intricacies of the structure, there is much that can be taken and applied to our individual lives. Personally, it has sparked an interest in an entire new area of thought for me, informing my own learning, future writing and, hopefully, my own spiritual life.

To see earlier thoughts on this book, read this post.

plumbing the depths

Shortly after I wrote my last post, the book I had chosen as my next to review from Thomas Nelson arrived.  I am just over a third of the way through, and will probably not get to post my proper review until the new year, but I wanted to share some personal thoughts.  It takes a month for these books to get to me, but this one arrived at exactly the right time.  It is The Liturgical Year: the spiraling adventure of spiritual life, by Joan Chittister.

Curling up with this book gives me a strange sense of peace.  So many of the sentences and paragraphs trigger a whole host of related thoughts in my head, turning them over and pondering the import of them, enjoying reflecting on a deeper level.  of course, the Liturgical Year as it is called, the Christian year, begins with Advent.  So for me to start reading it now is very apt.  I needed some deeper reflection on the things of faith, related to the times of pause and celebration.

'Life is not meant to be escaped, we learn, as the liturgical year moves from season to season,' she says at one point. 'It is meant to be penetrated, to be plumbed to its depths, to be tasted and savored and bring us to realise that the God who created us is with us yet' (p60).

This idea of immersing oneself in the rhythm of the Jesus life finds a reverberation in my heart I did not know was there.  I am desperate to embrace a more reflective way of living, of finding the pause, of not mistaking distraction for fulfilment, or as Joan Chittister puts it, not racing 'over the top of [life],satiating ourselves with the obvious, unmindful of its depths. We become stale of soul.'

In this Advent season, this book has helped me begin to think and reflect deeply once more - always something I have had a tendency towards, but easily crushed and squeezed out by life's inanities, distractions and quick-fixes.  I look forward to reading the rest of the book.

Fearless, by Max Lucado

“Fear, it seems, has taken a hundred year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversize and rude, fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Happiness complies and leaves.”

These words are from the first chapter of Max Lucado’s new release, Fearless.

In this book, Lucado tackles the topic of fear – by covering 13 different kinds of fears we may have, sandwiched between the first and last chapters. These include fear of not mattering, fear of global calamity, fear that God is not real. He uses these chapters to engage with reader and to outline a scriptural response, using analogy, contemporary thought and situations as well as retelling biblical stories.

Initially I found it hard to focus on this book. I think this is partly because a lot of the language and analogies used are very Americanised, and as I am British it is harder to sink into the natural flow. This is not a criticism, more an observation. The book addresses the culture it inhabits, and although I too live in Western society, there are subtle differences in mindset and cultural emphases.

Nevertheless, once I had overcome this obstacle, it was a very accessible read. Lucado is a natural story teller, skilfully using evocative language and metaphors to get his point across. This can make you consider something in a different light, or even make you smile, as I did at various points.

In a culture obsessed with worry, this book is very relevant. Lucado addresses each kind of fear with sympathy, even solidarity, ensuring there is no great divide between writer and reader – we are all in the same boat.

I found this book very easy to read - for me perhaps a little too easy, as I prefer something a little more ‘meaty’ these days – looking for something deeper, you might say! Nevertheless in order to cover what he does it would be difficult for Lucado to do so in a more thorough way without making this a huge tome. In a sense, there is a book’s worth in each topic he covers.

Fearless is accessible and should appeal to a wide audience within its cultural (developed Western world) background, although it may have some difficulty crossing into other cultures. It is a good overview of our preoccupation with fear, making some sensitive yet pointed observations of our 21st Century mindset, and offsetting this with the values and attitudes of the bible.