Reviews by Amanda Markel
The Liturgical Year
On 3/4 Amanda Markel wrote: As a conservative Lutheran, the structure of the Church Year is very important to me. From the beginning of the new year at Advent, to the season of Feasts and Festivals, to the teaching time of the year throughout the season of Pentecost, I mark my days by the flow of the church year even ... Book Review: “The Liturgical Year”
Five Cities That Ruled The World
On 10/29 Amanda Markel wrote: Douglas Wilson’s book, 5 Cities that Ruled the World, about how major cities throughout time (Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York) shaped global history is a fascinating read. I can’t say that I know enough about each city to identify any possible bias regarding their histories, ... Book Review: “5 Cities that Ruled the World”
Faces in the Fire
On 10/21 Amanda Markel wrote: Four lost souls on a collision course with either disaster or redemption. A random community of Faces in the Fire. Meet Kurt, a truck-driver-turned-sculptor with no memory of his past. Corinne, an e-mail spammer whose lymphoma isn’t responding to treatment. Grace, a tattoo artist with an invented ... Book Review: “Faces in the Fire”
Fearless
On 9/8 Amanda Markel wrote: Popular Christian author Max Lucado has a new book out: Fearless–”Imagine Your Life Without Fear.” From the back cover of the book: Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of ... Book Review: “Fearless”
Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage
On 7/30 Amanda Markel wrote: I had never heard of authors Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey before reading this book, but now I wish I had! Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage is the funniest book I’ve read in quite awhile. It’s like a combination of Chris Fabry (the Christian aspect, as well as the ... Book Review: “Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage”
100 Bible Stories, 100 Bible Songs
On 6/2 Amanda Markel wrote: I think 100 Bible Stories, 100 Bible Songs by Stephen Elkins is a cool, somewhat unusual idea for a Bible storybook. Instead of having only child-length Bible stories, it also comes with 2 CDs that have songs that accompany each story. There’s a nice combination of songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, and also a good ... Book Review: “100 Bible Stories, 100 Bible Songs”
Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions
On 5/22 Amanda Markel wrote: The latest edition of Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions by James Beverley is an excellent resource. Unlike a lot of world religion reference books, this one, as the title suggests, contains many pictures, which are very helpful in picturing how a religion is practiced. I also liked the ... Book Review: “Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions”
It Happened In Italy
On 5/4 Amanda Markel wrote: Elizabeth Bettina’s book about Italian Holocaust survivors was completely eye-opening and fascinating. I will be honest–my knowledge of Italy’s role in World War II is sketchy, at best. I know plenty about Germany, and that country’s treatment of Jews, but I had never even considered ... Book Review: “It Happened in Italy”
The Noticer
On 4/27 Amanda Markel wrote: Andy Andrews’ The Noticer is one in a long line of current self-help/spiritual books. And it reads just like all the rest. It’s an OK story–I did want to know how the book ended, so I read it pretty quickly. Several things about the book bothered me, however. First of all, the line between fact and ... Book Review: “The Noticer”
The American Patriot's Bible
On 4/23 Amanda Markel wrote: I really wanted to like The American Patriot’s Bible. It’s printed in the New King James version, which isn’t my favorite, but is a reliable translation. I love American history. And the material presented within the Bible is mostly good–summaries of events in our history, ... Book Review: “The American Patriot’s Bible”
Face of Betrayal
On 4/20 Amanda Markel wrote: I knew within the first five pages that I was going to love Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl. The characters are likable and easy to relate to, and suspense was built up right from the start. Aside from the main plot–where did Katie Converse disappear to shortly before Christmas?–there were ... Book Review: Face of Betrayal
Christianity Today Study Series: Faith & Pop Culture
On 4/6 Amanda Markel wrote: I love the idea of the Christianity Today Bible study, Faith and Pop and Culture. What place do things such as literature, movies and sports have in our faith lives? Are there types of entertainment that are inappropriate for Christians to enjoy? How far do we take our desire to be entertained? This is a very ... Book Review: “Faith and Pop Culture”
His Name is Jesus
On 3/19 Amanda Markel wrote: His Name is Jesus by Max Lucado is a beautifully packaged gift book. It comes in a sturdy slipcover, and has a nice weight, due to the quality of paper used. The cover immediately catches the eye, because of the artwork, and because of the embossing. This book follows Christ’s life from His birth to ... Book Review: “His Name is Jesus”
In the Footsteps of Paul
On 3/6 Amanda Markel wrote: The idea for In the Footsteps of Paul by Ken Duncan is a good one. A kind of a photo-journal of the places the apostle Paul visited on his various missionary journeys. The pictures in the book are beautiful. Some of them look exactly as I imagine the Biblical locations to have looked. Some show ... Book Review: “In the Footsteps of Paul”
Christianity in Crisis: The 21st Century
On 3/4 Amanda Markel wrote: Hank Hanegraaff’s latest book looks at the problems and pitfalls of the very popular “Faith movement” in today’s Christian churches. He isn’t afraid to name names (and, in fact, has a lengthy list of preachers who are giving false information, as well as what to look out ... Book Review: “Christianity in Crisis–21st Century”
Kiss
On 1/21 Amanda Markel wrote: I’m not normally one to pick up a mystery novel. Don’t usually like them, for whatever reason. But Kiss makes me want to go out and get more of Ted Dekker’s books–it was that good. I really enjoyed Shauna’s quest to discover what happened to her in the “missing” six months of her life and ... Book Review: Kiss