Book and movie reviews of Christian friendly content.
The Church in the House a Return to Simplicity By Robert Fitts (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Robert Fitts opens The Church in the House with a mission statement for a house church. Once he has readers engaged in the subject, he then builds a biblical case for house churches, including a detailed discussion of what […]
A Spirituality of Fundraising By Henri J. M. Nouwen (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Based on a speech Henri Nouwen gave in 1992, this book is the eventual outcome. In it, Henri challenges us to consider the spiritual aspects of raising money for Christian service and outreach opportunities. It should not be an unpleasant reality but […]
Shaping the Next Generation By Dr. Daniel Egeler (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Mentoring Millennials: Shaping the Next Generation is ideal for anyone mentoring those in the Millennial generation. (Sometimes called Generation Y, the Millennial generation consists of those born after 1982 and whose parents are baby boomers.) The book opens with a compelling call to […]
Three Gospel Meditations on Jesus By Henri Nouwen (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)Heart Speaks to Heart is three prayers to Jesus from Henri Nouwen. The prayers were written in the days preceding Easter, with an eye towards Jesus’ death and resurrection. As such, the prayers are suitable for the Easter season, but they are also appropriate […]
By George Barna (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) In Revolution, Christian futurist, George Barna deftly and convincingly communicates that our world is on the leading edge of a revolution—and that virtually everyone is oblivious to it. Barna states that “this revolution of faith is the most significant transition you or I will experience during our lifetime,” […]
Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out By Brennan Manning (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)This book was not written for people who have their act together, but instead for the “bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out.” It is for me and it is likely for you. A ragamuffin, by the way, is “a shabbily clothed, dirty […]
The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church By Diana Butler Bass (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) If you follow the media at all, you have likely heard of the demise of interest and attendance at mainline churches in the United States and abroad. Although there may be some truth in that assessment, it is only […]
The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why By Phyllis Tickle (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)The subtitle to The Great Emergence provides a concise summary of this book’s content: “How Christianity is Changing and Why.” To respond to this statement, Tickle first explains what emergence is, then how we arrived at this point, and concludes […]
Spiritual Insights from a Real Shephard By Phillip Keller (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)The idea of a shepherd overseeing his flock is a powerful metaphor of the relationship between God and his people. Unfortunately, today’s world has largely lost touch with its agrarian roots, missing much of the deeper meaning of a shepherd’s watch and care over […]
Reviewed by Peter DeHaan Shot documentary style in the 1960s, A Time for Burning captures honest, balanced, poignant, and candid insights into race issues and segregation from a different era. In the decades since, some things have changed dramatically, while others are disappointingly the same. The film chronicles one minister’s attempts to nudge his all-white […]