Counseling and Confession by Walter J. Koehler

Who might this book interest? Since this book is from a conservative Lutheran perspective, I believe that this book would interest many Evangelicals, especially pastors and Christian counselors, of various denominations. It is a concise, well-written overview of pastoral counseling's relationship to individual confession and absolution.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary: The late Walter J. Koehler was a Lutheran Church pastor as well as a professor of theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Canada (back cover). I generally like to give more biography of the author, but it was difficult to find substantial information on Koehler.

This new edition of the book contains several Forewords as well as Prefaces. Dr. Harold L. Senkbeil begins by discussing individual confession and absolution (ICA), and its resurgence in recent times (8-9). Dr. Rick W. Marrs continues with a new introduction to the work (10-13). He concisely identifies the loss and resurgence of ICA as well, but in addition, he addresses soul care from before the 1930s and after 1982. He mentions many of the recent psychological developments such as: physiological-pharmacological, CBT, attachment, and systems approaches.

The Sacred Journey by Frederick Buechner

Who might this book interest? This book would interest a reflective person, who desires to listen to their own life as they find themselves reflected in Buechner’s book. Buechner says, “My assumption is that the story of any one of us is in some measure the story of us all” (6). While the details of our personal stories diverge greatly, our existential questions are often very similar. In Buechner’s story, we find an, at times, embarrassingly honest account of ourselves.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary: Frederick Buechner is a well-known author and preacher. One of his most well-known works, Godric, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. The Sacred Journey tells the story of Frederick Buechner’s younger years as he becomes slowly, subtly acquainted with God over more than two decades of his life. He says, “Something in me recoils from using such language, but here at the end I am left with no other way of saying it than that what I found finally was Christ. Or was found. It hardly seems to matter which” (110). I appreciate this expression because I’ve come to believe that the Christ of my own finding, actually found me first.

The Sacred Journey is a short, well-written account that highlights certain moments in Frederick Buechner’s life from birth till his later twenties. From his non-religious upbringing, it tells of his spiritual journey, and the people and circumstances, often not seeming important at the time, which rose to the surface in reflecting upon that journey. Using chapter titles inspired by Dylan Thomas’ poem, Fern Hill, The Sacred Journey contains three chapters: Once Below a Time, Once Upon a Time, and Beyond Time (9).

Freud and the Post-Freudians by J. A. C. Brown

Who might this book interest? Generally, this book would interest the educated layperson, Christian or not, who desires to know more about Freud and the psychological developments after Freud beginning with Adler, Jung, Ferenczi, and Rank, and working up to Horney, Fromm, and Sullivan. Specifically, Christians who are interested in the relationship of psychology and religion would benefit from this work. The author does discuss or mention the various theorists’ view of religion in addition to their views of humanity and psychological issues.

My Rating: 7 out of 10

Quick Summary: While I normally like to include some information about the author, finding information on J. A. C. Brown has proven a difficult endeavor. From what I could find, Brown was born in Scotland in 1911 and earned a medical degree from the University of Edinburgh. Also, he specialized in psychiatry and worked with the military, and later, with mental hospitals, and prisons. While initially holding that mental illness was a biological and individual issue, he came to view them as social problems. He died in 1964 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A.C._Brown).

Succinctly, J. A. C. Brown provides a solid, critical examination of Freud and the Post-Freudians up until the 1950s. While this book is older (it was last revised in 1964), it still continues to give valuable insight into Freud and those who followed after him. While it provides a very useful explanation and examination of its time period, this work does not address many of the important theorists since that time such as: Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck, etc. Yet, I would suggest that this book is a very good introductory work on modern psychology.

Doing Time in the Pulpit by Eugene L. Lowry

Who might this book interest? This book would most likely interest the preacher who already has a basic knowledge of Narrative Preaching and desires to deepen their understanding of it. In addition, it may interest those who are skeptical of Narrative Preaching by providing the philosophical rationale to consider it.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Doing Time in the Pulpit is the fourth book by Eugene L. Lowry that I have reviewed. My other reviews can be found here on the Christian Book Revue.

In my previous reviews (The Homiletical Plot, How to Preach a Parable, and Living with the Lectionary), I mentioned that Dr. Eugene Lowry is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships.

This work is about time in the pulpit: preaching. It is a verb, not a noun; an action. From the Introduction, Lowry says, “The phrase ‘Doing TIME in the Pulpit’ refers not to a jail sentence, although preachers may wonder from time to time! The phrase refers to the connection between time and the sermon” (7). What is a sermon? He states, “A sermon is an ordered form of moving time” (8).

Books that I've been reading, but not revueing...

While I have not been taking reading, taking notes, and writing about it, I have been reading some interesting books in July.

First, I have been reading two books on contemplative or centering prayer as well as attempting to practice it! Both of these books are by Trappist monks and provide interesting history, insight, and instruction in silent prayer (another name for it). I have been reading Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form by Basil Pennington and Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton. I am purposely reading both of them slowly (sometimes a few pages; sometimes a chapter) before praying. Often, they provide a valuable insight that I need for that time as I approach God in prayer.


Second, I have been re-reading Eugene Lowry's books on narrative preaching, The Homiletical Plot, Expanded Edition: The Sermon as Narrative Art Form and How to Preach a Parable: Designs for Narrative Sermons (Abingdon Preacher's Library Series). Yes, I have already revued these books here, but now, using texts from my daily quite time, I am working on writing my own narrative sermons based upon my imperfect use of his method. It has been both fun and trying. Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to preach them in the near future!

Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science by George Tsakiridis

Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science: A Look at Moral Evil and the Thoughts

George Tsakiridis

Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010

124 pages

Who might this book interest? While the author desires to address a broad audience of devout believers with doubts about the Christian life, this work is most applicable to psychologists and spiritual directors as well as those interested in a specialized study of Evagrius Ponticus’, a fourth century Patristic Father, work in relation to current cognitive science.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Dr. George Tsakiridis wrote this work as his doctoral dissertation at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.  He is currently an Assistant Professor of Religion at South Dakota State University and a faculty member of the Christ School of Theology at the Institute of Lutheran Theology.  His work is a creative assemblage of the Patristic spirituality of Evagrius Ponticus and cognitive science with a hint of Ricoeurian philosophy for additional seasoning.  For the most part, it reads in a fairly simple, straightforward way, especially for having been a dissertation.

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

Kay Redfield Jamison

New York: Vintage Books, 1996

224 pages

Who might this book interest? This book provides an “insiders” experience of manic-depressive or bipolar illness.  Anyone who struggles with this illness, or has a friend or family member that struggles with it, may benefit from reading this book. The added benefit to this book is that Dr. Jamison not only struggles with the illness but is a clinical psychologist and university professor which give it an added depth that is often lacking in these types of personal accounts.

My Rating: 7 out of 10

Quick Summary: Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison earned her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from UCLA, served as a professor there, and is currently a Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  In addition, she has struggled with manic-depressive or bipolar (although she does not like the term “bipolar”) illness for many years.

Jesus of Nazareth - Part 2 by Pope Benedict XVI

Jesus of Nazareth: Part 2.

Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection

Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011

362 pages

Who might this book interest? There are many different audiences that this work may interest. First, I believe that this book should be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about Jesus of Nazareth. Second, any Christian that desires to deepen their devotion to Jesus Christ. Lastly, this work will interest academics, specifically with a focus to Jesus scholarship and hermeneutical method. This work provides a seminal hermeneutic method that incorporates both scholarship and devotion. For all who read this work, Pope Benedict provides an account of Jesus Christ that goes far beyond his unquestionable scholarship to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

My Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: It seems to me that there is always a dilemma when a pope writes a book. In the circles from which I find myself, books written by popes simply cannot be considered scholarly, yet many popes were scholars before they ever became pope. I never would have known the scholarly and deeply Christian philosophy of Karol Wojtyla had he not become Pope John Paul II. In the same way, I do not know if I would have ever read Joseph Ratzinger had he not become Pope Benedict XVI. Both were academics and university professors long before they became pope.

Real Faith by D. Eric Williams

Real Faith: Studies in the Epistle of James

D. Eric Williams

Lewiston, ID: D. Eric Williams, 2009

166 pages

My Rating: 7 out of 10

Who might this book interest? I think that Williams’ book would be of interest to pastors who are preaching in or through the Epistle of James. In addition, the length of the chapters would make it a useful daily devotional.

Quick Summary: Pastor and Bible teacher, D. Eric Williams, provides us with a theological exposition of the Epistle of James in his work, Real Faith. Williams completed his bachelor degree from University of the State of New York and master’s from the Southern California Graduate School of Theology and has pastored for over 20 years in the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (4Cs). He states, “My ministry is focused on Christ centered expository Bible teaching that is covenantal in nature." This work on James is fruit of his approach.

Radical by David Platt

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

David Platt

Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2011

230 pages

My Rating: 10 out of 10 – this may never happen again!!!

Quick Summary: I read a lot of books! I enjoy reading and reviewing them. Some books are quickly read and forgotten. I find myself asking why they were published and why I wasted my time. Others provide useful information. I learn “how to” do something. Some books are intellectually stimulating. But then a book comes along that truly challenges my faith. Radical is just such a book. It is life transforming!

Dr. David Platt has earned multiple graduate degrees including his Ph.D from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and pastors The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. This book records his journey, along with his wife and faith family, into biblical Christianity. In our day, so many are toning down the implications of the Gospel, but in the midst of it, Platt is calling for a radical commitment to Jesus Christ and living biblical Christianity.

How to Preach a Parable by Eugene L. Lowry

How to Preach a Parable: Designs for Narrative Sermons

Eugene L. Lowry

Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989

173 pages

My Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: This short, helpful book provides many insights from a seasoned scholar and preacher into Narrative Preaching. In my previous reviews (The Homiletical Plot; Living with the Lectionary), I mentioned that Dr. Eugene Lowry is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships.

In introducing his work, Lowry acknowledges two concerns: preachers tend to “shy away from” parables and believe that normal preachers cannot preach narrative sermons. The exact opposite of these is actually true (13). Section one covers the steps to narrative sermon formation such as: listening to the text, determining the focus of the text, finding the sermons “turn,” and deciding the sermon’s basic aim. He summarizes by saying, “Three major moments, then, or three major preparation tasks are fundamental to a sermon: focus, turn, and aim” (35). I guess that “fire” could be the final one? He also introduces the four basic sermon forms: running the story, delaying the story, suspending the story, and alternating the story.

Love Wins by Rob Bell

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived
Rob Bell
New York: HarperOne, 2011
202 pages

Review: Usually, I do not succumb to the pressure of reviewing new, flash-in-the-pan books. I figure that in a year I’ll be able to buy the book for a buck in a bargain bookstore somewhere. Also, a year seems to allow enough time for the smoke to clear and a better perspective gained. Well, I caved! Probably, in a year from now, I will be looking in a bargain bookstore, see Love Wins for a dollar, curse at myself for paying full price, pick it up, flip to the contents and controversy, and think, “Oh, yeah, I remember this book… it’s by that guy, Rob Bell, who used to be an evangelical but became a universalist…although he denies it... I can’t believe I paid full price for this book a year ago.” That’s usually how it goes…

Living with the Lectionary by Eugene L. Lowry

Living with the Lectionary: Preaching through the Revised Common Lectionary

Eugene L. Lowry

Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992

92 pages

My Rating: 7 out of 10

Quick Summary: This short book provides many helpful suggestions from a seasoned scholar and preacher in utilizing the Revised Common Lectionary. In my previous review (The Homiletical Plot), I mentioned that Dr. Eugene Lowry is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships. This book was published in 1992; the same year as the Revised Common Lectionary debuted.

The Homiletical Plot by Eugene Lowry

The Homiletical Plot: the Sermon as Narrative Art Form (Expanded Edition)

Eugene Lowry
Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001

138 Pages

My Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Dr. Eugene Lowry is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships.

      When I was first forced to read The Homiletical Plot for a narrative preaching course in seminary, I strenuously resisted it. I hated it. Already having pastored for several years, I believed that the only valid type of preaching was expository preaching, book by book. Now, some years after that time, my own view of preaching has broadened, and while I still believe in expository preaching, I no longer believe expository preaching to be the ONLY valid evangelical method of preaching (my apologies to Dr. Killian). I finally developed an “itch” for expanding my preaching in new directions.

The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.

The Spirituality of the Cross: The Way of the First Evangelicals (Revised Edition)

Gene Edward Veith, Jr.

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2010

172 pages

My Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: Gene Edward Veith Jr. holds a PhD in English literature and serves in higher education as a professor and administrator.  He has written numerous books on Christianity and culture such as: Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture.  In addition, he is an orthodox Lutheran author, which brings us to the work under review, The Spirituality of the Cross. 

This interesting, well-written introduction to Lutheran spirituality kept my attention.

The Post-Evangelical by Dave Tomlinson

The Post-Evangelical 
(Revised North American Edition)

Dave Tomlinson

El Cajon, CA: EmergentYS, 2003

146 pages

Rating: 5 out of 10

Quick Summary: Former fundamentalist, house church leader, charismatic, and now, Anglican priest, Dave Tomlinson (www.davetomlinson.co.uk) pens this work on Postmodern Christianity.  He currently pastor’s St. Luke’s Church in north London and is a self-proclaimed Postmodern Christian, and author of several books.  From this book, he grew up in the Brethren Church, which tended toward fundamentalism.  I believe that this is important to understanding his perspective.

True Prayer by Kenneth Leech

True Prayer: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality

Kenneth Leech

San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1980

202 pages

Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: Kenneth Leech is a retired Anglican priest and spiritual writer. True Prayer is the second book in what became his trilogy on the Christian spiritual life. Previously, I reviewed the first book of the trilogy, Soul Friend: New Revised Edition (click on "Leech" on the LABELS list). While Soul Friend is a textbook on spiritual direction, this work is a textbook on prayer.

Inevitably, when I read Kenneth Leech, I encounter a chapter or section that is an absolute treasure chest filled with gold, silver, and precious jewels. It is priceless beyond imagination! This book is no exception!

Welcome to the Episcopal Church by Christopher L. Webber

Welcome to the Episcopal: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship

Christopher L. Webber

Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1999

133 pages

Rating: 4 out of 10

Quick Summary: Christopher L. Webber is a prolific author and Episcopal priest.  He has earned two advanced degrees from General Theological Seminary.  This work is an introduction to the Episcopal Church.  Admittedly, after having read Urban Holmes book, What Is Anglicanism (The Anglican Studies Series), this book was quite disappointing.  While I found myself disagreeing at times with Holmes, I still found myself saying, “he still makes a theologically informed, lucid point.”  I cannot say this with Webber’s book.  

Sacred Companions by David G. Benner

Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship and Direction

David G. Benner

Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2002

240 pages

Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: This is my fourth revue of a book by Dr. David G. Benner.  Personally, I have followed his work from psychology and pastoral care to Christian spirituality.  Interestingly enough, Larry Crabb, who wrote the Foreward, and Benner, share a similar journey from clinical psychology to Christian spirituality.  Benner is a Christian clinical psychologist and academic, who has written on many topics relating to the Christian faith, psychology, and Christian spirituality.  His book, Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel and this work lay the foundation for his brief, popular Christian spirituality books which follow this work.  I hope to revue some of these later…

Understanding and Applying the Bible by Robertson McQuilkin

Understanding and Applying the Bible,

Revised and Expanded

Robertson McQuilkin

Chicago: Moody Press, 2009

334 pages

Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: Dr. Robertson McQuilkin is the President Emeritus and was the President of Columbia International University from 1968-1990.  In a heartfelt and touching move, he resigned in 1990 to care for his wife, Muriel, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and has since passed away in 2003.  Their story is told in a short book called, A Promise Kept (Amazon link).

Returning to this revue of Understanding and Applying the Bible, McQuilkin has provided a standard, evangelical textbook on Biblical interpretation.  I used his 1992 text in Bible college as well as in seminary!  Thankfully, it was revised and expanded in 2009 to address more recent hermeneutical issues.

Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh

Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture

Adam S. McHugh

Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2009

222 pages

Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: My wife actually started reading this book because she thought that she was an introvert, but after a few chapters, she said to me, “He’s describing you perfectly.”  Once she finished reading it, I had to read this book, especially since it was talking about me!

The author, Adam McHugh, is an ordained Presbyterian minister and introverted personality.  He has an M.Div and Th.M from Princeton and has served in various pastoral and chaplaincy ministries.  He says, “My hope is that, through this book, God will begin or continue a process of healing introverts – helping them find freedom in their identities and confidence to their faith in ways that feel natural and life-giving, the way that God intended…Further, I hope that God will unlock in introverts the tremendous gifts that they have to bring to the church” (13).  As an introvert, I have to say, “AMEN!”

Pastoral Care Under the Cross by Richard C. Eyer

Pastoral Care Under the Cross: God in the Midst of Suffering

Richard C. Eyer

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1994

155 pages

Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: Richard Eyer is an experienced Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) pastor, chaplain, and professor of over 40 years and is the author of several books.  This book presents a well-balanced, practical theological perspective on pastoral care that is informed by psychology and medicine, but not controlled by it.  He interacts with our current cultural perspective of individualism, relativism, and utilitarianism to explain the wide canyon between it and a Christian view of pastoral care.

Soul Friend by Kenneth Leech

Soul Friend: An Invitation to Spiritual Direction

Kenneth Leech

New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992

 250 pages

Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Retired Anglican priest and theologian, Kenneth Leech, authored this “modern classic” on Christian spiritual direction.  Almost every current book on spiritual direction will quote or comment on this book.  It is like Dallas Willard’s Spirit of the Disciplines.  Everyone respects it and refers to it, but no one really wants to read it because of its scholarly depth and difficult prose.  In addition, this book is also thorough and scholarly.

Healing Emotional Wounds by David G. Benner

Healing Emotional Wounds

David G. Benner

Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990

137 pages

Healing Emotional Wounds (Amazon link)

Rating: 7 out of 10

Quick Summary: Because of my personal interest in a Christian approach to counseling and psychology, this prompted me to read and revue a third book by Dr. David Benner.  He is a Christian clinical psychologist and has written on many topics relating to the Christian faith, spirituality, and psychology.  In this work, he integrates psychology with Scripture to address the healing of emotional wounds.  We all experience emotional wounds that we do not deserve.  What can we do about them?

Spirituality and Pastoral Care by Kenneth Leech

Spirituality and Pastoral Care

Kenneth Leech

Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 1989

149 pages

Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Kenneth Leech is a retired Anglican priest who has written two modern classics on Christian spirituality, Soul Friend and True Prayer, which I hope to review at a later time.  He draws on his many years of research into the history of Christian spirituality and of experience as a priest to call pastors to the ministry of spiritual direction as a focus of pastoral care.  He covers the foundations of spirituality, spiritual direction, and the practice of spirituality in ministry.  I appreciate Leech’s broad approach which includes both the social as well as the individual implications of the Gospel.

Lutheranism 101 by Concordia Publishing House

Lutheranism 101
General Editor: Scot A. Kinnaman

Assisting Editor: Laura L. Lane

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2010

309 pages

Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: Lutheranism 101 is published by Concordia Publishing House which is the publishing arm of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).  The LCMS is an orthodox, confessional Lutheran denomination.  Lutheranism 101 is a very accessible, well-written, sometimes entertaining introduction to the LCMS.  I especially appreciated the short chapters... they kept it interesting and moving.  It does an excellent job of explaining Lutheran theology, history, and worship.  Also, it explains common Lutheran terminology and concepts, which many evangelicals would not be familiar with.

Strategic Pastoral Counseling by David G. Benner

Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short-Term Structured Model
David G. Benner

Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2003

2nd Edition

Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Dr. David Benner, a Christian clinical psychologist, has researched and written on many topics relating to the Christian faith and psychology.  In this work, he has written a pastoral counseling textbook for pastors who counsel, but who are not trained as professional counselors.  He has created a counseling model that utilizes pastors’ biblical and theological training in a pastoral counseling context.  While the strategic model is based on research of what pastors actually do concerning counseling, it attempts to focus this by setting pastoral counseling in its proper context of one’s overall pastoral ministry and makes use of the spiritual resources of pastors in addressing parishioners’ issues in counseling.

Surviving Small Church Ministry

Surviving Small Church Ministry Book List
I have served in small churches my entire pastoral career. I spent 5+ years as a full-time, solo pastor of a small church and have served as an interim as well as a bi-vocational pastor of small churches. It takes great patience and trust in God’s working to thrive in small church ministry.

Admittedly, I have not always had the appreciation for small churches that I should have had. In college and seminary, everyone wants to be the next mega-church pastor. Yet, there are so many solid, faithful pastors in small churches that should be honored. Their impact may be on fewer numbers, but it is nonetheless real and personal.

Care of Souls by David G. Benner

Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel

David G. Benner

Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998

252 pages

SHORT REVUE:

Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Dr. David G. Benner, a Christian clinical psychologist, has researched and written on many topics relating to the Christian faith and psychology (more revues of his books will follow).  In reading Care of Souls, it is obvious that this work is a culmination of his many years of scholarship, teaching, and clinical work.  The primary audiences for this book are pastors and Christian mental health workers.

What is Anglicanism? by Urban T. Holmes

What is Anglicanism?

Urban T. Holmes III

Wilton, Connecticut: Morehouse-Barlow Co., Inc., 1982

95 pages

SHORT REVUE:

Rating: 6 out of 10

Quick Summary: Urban Holmes, an Episcopal priest and seminary professor, wrote this interesting and accessible introduction to the Anglican Church generally, and the Episcopal Church specifically.  He succinctly covers the major principles of Anglican theology and practice.  His ability to present complex ideas with great simplicity makes this book well worth reading.  Unfortunately, it was written in 1981 and does not directly address current issues in the Episcopal Church, but for someone desiring a general introduction to Anglican thought, theology, and practice, it is a well-written, concise introduction.

Influential Books in My Life

Here are some books that have been influential and formational in my life.  These works cover over a decade of personal spiritual growth, education, and ministry.  These are not representative of my reviews.  If you are interested in more information and/or possibly purchasing a book, please click on the link below it.  If I listed multiple books by the same author, then I included a link to the author instead of the book.