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The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others © 2004
Paraclete Press
335 pages

This book is the answer to a question: What would the Christian life look like if everyone loved God with their entire being, and loved their neighbours also? The answer is attractive. In The Jesus Creed, McKnight paints a picture of the sort of kingdom-charged [...]

As a minister, I’ve led a number of weddings and funerals. I’ve always said: funerals are easier, but weddings are a lot more fun. Here’s Limburg’s pithy take on the purpose of funerals (Encountering Ecclesiastes):
Funerals remind us that we ought not get ourselves confused with God.

This section is the middle of three in the chapter, “Humankind under Indictment”. Now that we’ve seen how Adam completely blew it (§4), we turn to the role of sin and death in the life of a believer. Only after that will we examine the role of the law in human failure. Then (finally), we [...]

The Snakebite Letters: Devilishly Devious Secrets for Subverting Society As Taught in Tempter’s Training School © 1998
Ignatius Press
155

I’ve read C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters many times, and often wondered why someone didn’t pick up that genre of writing and run with it. Last week while browsing the shelves at Crux Bookstore, I found this [...]

We’ve all had that sinking sensation when we try to revisit an old haunt, only to find it pales in comparison to our own memories of it. In Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold expresses this emotion far more eloquently:
It is the part of wisdom never to revisit a wilderness, for the more golden the lily, [...]

On the Ground: Poems ©2004
Graywolf Press
64 pages

Appreciating poetry is akin to fine wine-tasting or jazz collecting. It can seem like a mystery to the uninitiated, but a consuming passion to the lovers. I’ll be honest: my poetry acumen is woefully inadequate, but I still enjoy reading it. There were times in this book that I [...]

Here’s a frustrating-yet-true observation on Biblical interpretation from G. K. Beale (in The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text).
All interpretation is a matter of probabilities and possibilities.

I was listening to a discussion yesterday on CBC Radio One. They were debating whether it was wise to allow corporate sponsorship into public schools. On the positive side, it was a tremendous source of income. It also filled a need: kids need chocolate bars and pop, right? On the negative side, the interviewee questioned [...]

Black House © 2001
Random House
625 pages

Having just finished The Talisman, I decided to jump into the sequel. This book surpasses its predecessor in every way possible. The writing style is mature and polished. The horror is truly horrifying. The plot is captivating. The character development is rich, without slowing the pace of the narrative.
To make [...]

Here’s a quote that makes me want to stand up and applaud the Qohelet of Ecclesiastes (in A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up: A Rereading of Ecclesiastes)
Wisdom . . . includes the free exercise of intellect. . . . Wisdom means lucidity, the ability to stare into the darkness and [...]