Book and movie reviews of Christian friendly content.
By Rosalind Rinker (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) “I have discovered,” says Rosalind Rinker, “that prayer’s real purpose is to put God at the center of our attention, and forget ourselves and the impression we are making on others.” So begins the preface of Prayer: Conversing with God, aptly establishing the foundation for the rest of […]
Joining the Revolution to Lift the World Out of Poverty By Peter Greer and Phil Smith (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)Over half of the people in the world live on less than four dollars per day and one billion of them live on less than a dollar a day. Most of them reside in developing countries. […]
An Adventure of the Human Spirit By River Jordan (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)River Jordan proclaims herself to be a private person. She keeps personal things to herself and her faith is personal—strong and real, but personal. So why would a reserved novelist alter her preference and her practice to write about her spiritual journey? The […]
Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture By Adam S. McHugh (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture confirms that slightly more than half the population is introverted. However, the typical church experience is geared towards extroverts. We should expect this, given that most pastors and worship […]
How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself By Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)As implied by the subtitle, the main premise of When Helping Hurts is that efforts to help those who are less fortunate often do more harm than good—to both the receiver and the giver. In communicating […]
Why Small is the New Big for Today’s Church By Tony and Felicity Dale and George Barna (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Rabbits reproduce quickly and with abundance, while elephants do so slowly and infrequently; this is a metaphor for the church. The established institutional church is likened to the elephant, while the house church is […]
A Manifesto for the Church in Exile By Rob Bell and Don Golden (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)Jesus Wants to Save Christians, Rob Bell’s third book, is consistent with his unique style, first unveiled in Velvet Elvis and later fine-tuned in Sex God. This installment is equally insightful and no less thought-provoking. The subtitle, A Manifesto […]
Identify and Understand Your Unique God-Given Spiritual Gifts By C. Peter Wagner (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)Having read many books on spiritual gifts, Discover Your Spiritual Gifts is clearly one of the best. In a simple and easy-to-understand manner, Wagner succinctly explains what spiritual gifts are. He teaches on their proper use and exposes ways in […]
Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God By Frank Viola (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)The dedication page in Frank Viola’s book, From Eternity to Here provides a gripping preview of what to expect; it reads, “to every follower of Jesus who knows with their deepest parts that there must be more to the Christian faith.” His goal, […]
How an Outsider Gained God’s Favor By Harry L. Brewer (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)The front cover of the book, Ruth: How an Outsider Gained God’s Favor, asks the rhetorical question, “Ever feel like an outsider?” Ruth was definitely an outsider. She was a foreigner and not a member of God’s chosen people, yet she makes […]