After admitting his folly of trying to divide Love into Need-Love and Gift-Love, one 'bad' and the other 'good', he breaks it down into the natural loves of Affection, Friendship, and Eros and the supernatural Charity. All of the natural loves are ambivalent, hence they can be good or ill depending on their use and the heavenly love is to be the highest and temper of all. A very interesting study. Affections spring from familiar objects, the exclusivity of Friendship and how it is used to bind people together or push people out, and the complexity of Eros which is not just sexuality and can spur great sacrifice. In Charity, Christ is both 'far fiercer and far more tolerable than those of the theologians. He says nothing about guarding against earthly loves for fear we might be hurt; He says something that cracks like a whip about trampling them all under foot the moment they hold us back from following Him'.
As a communications professor, Griffin has long studied the sociological and personal factors that influence relationships and communication. Lots of cartoons and his concise, yet easy going style make this a much better read than many books on the subject. It has a lot of insight and practical application.
How can one expect serious relationships to work in an era of broken hearts? A biblical view of dating and marriage for a period of life that is probably more confusing than any other.
The epic war between Rome and Carthage. "Most historians have prefaced their work by stressing the importance of the period they propose to deal with; and I may well, at this point, follow their example and declare that I am now about to tell the story of the most memorable war in history: that, namely, which was fought by Carthage under the leadership of Hannibal against Rome." And what a war it was. The adventures and genius of the chess game between these powers is awesome.
A history of the Israeli / Arab conflict as told by Friedman's adventures during the war in Lebenon and Israel.
His last and claimed greatest work covers the period of Rome from AD 14 (just before the death of Augustus) to AD 68 and the death of Nero. It contains a detailed and remarkable account of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero: some of the most powerful men to have ever lived. A must read for those who are curious about Rome and its imperial height.
A comprehensive comparison of the theology of Lewis and Schaeffer. For every topic both authors' opinions are noted, discussed, and contrasted. A great book to see what some of the greatest thinkers in the 20th century had to say about Free Will, God's grace, and other topics.
A very detailed study into the topics of Inspiration and the canon of the Bible. Vast research went into this now out-of-print work. He discusses not only the evidence behind the Bible's inspiration but discusses possible alternatives. The reasons for early church acceptance of the well known canon is covered along with the evidence for each of the books in the New and Old Testaments. From this principles are drawn for why certain books should be accepted and others such as the apocrypha or pseudepigrapha should not be.
While "prodigal" is often related to the first son of the father in one of Jesus' most famous parables, Keller points out that "recklessly spendthrift" describes God just as well. In this book, Keller unpacks how The Parable of the Prodigal Son may better be called the Parable of the Two Lost Sons. He notes how this parable was written to help save "younger brothers", whose reckless selfish hedonism leads them to flee from the Father, and also "elder brothers", whose relentless commitment to dry duty leads them to hate the Father and try to control him through good deeds. Both sons are lost and the Father tries to convince them both of his love and goodness, appealing to them to lay down their rebellion and join his party. Shockingly by the end of the story it is the "elder brother" who is still out in the cold. There are two ways of avoiding God. One is to be very very bad, the other is to be very very good. Jesus gives us a third way to live.
The war for Troy is the greatest story of armed force and heroic feats. All the world's greatest warriors meet and do battle along with the gods. The epic Rage of Achilles being the deciding factor. The famous greek warriors come to life through Homer's captivating story, the stubborness of kings and warriors, victories through blood soaked battles, and the overarching rule of honor.
Six books, published in 3 parts: "Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King", the trilogy follows a small hobbit named Frodo and the quest to destroy the One Ring of the Dark Lord. Tolkien's work has changed the meaning of fantasy forever as he has created a world with more depth than any save the sum of Greek culture. It is a story of little people in big worlds whose deeds are more significant than they could have imagined.
Starting with "Out of the Silent Planet" Dr. Ransom is kidnapped and taken to a strange planet. "Perelandra" continues with a satanic enemy on an eerie planet. Concludes with "That Hideous Strength" where Ransom fights the evils of scientific invention. A very interesting trilogy depicting one man's descovery of life on other planets. What would happen if man did find other life? It contains one man's slowly increasing awareness to the universal fight against evil.
It is made of seven books about the magical land of Narnia, where mystery and fantasy pull one into a world strangely familiar. Lewis wrote them with children in mind so the imagery is thick and the words are light. I read them in the classic order of the Wardrobe to the Nephew. Most of the books are stories of various adventures and characters in this interesting world. The Final Battle brings it all to its stunning conclusion. As one reviewer said "The Chronicles of Narnia are filled with dreams and a longing desire to partake in the adventures. C. S. Lewis had an unmistakable talent for writing. His books will be passed down for generations to come, leaving all those who read the Narnia books with a smile."
Dante the Pilgrim travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. It illustrates man's attempt to communicate with God and the reward and price of free will. A masterful book dripping with irony and humor. A vivid description of one man's imagination when it comes to the afterlife.
A great epic poem laid out in a series of Arguments. The heroic Satan convenes a high council of his followers immediately after their expulsion from heaven. In which, they decide what their next move against God should be. The decision is to strike Him through this new creation, Man. So Satan sets upon his great quest to journey to earth and convince the new Adam. It ends with the Parents dismissal from the Garden and the prospect of their hard life ahead. It is a good poem and interesting arguments. The interplay between Satan and his host, and the Parents and each other, is intriguing. Though a fanciful work, I had a hard time with the last argument mostly because of its extreme unreality and lack of necessity.
Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts and authorities in their fields about their faith. He is blunt with his questions on "How reliable is the New Testament", "What evidence exists for Jesus outside the Bible?", and "Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?". His frankness and style makes it a good book that reads like a novel but hits like a thesis. It is nice for those who wonder if the fantastical claims of Christ should be taken at their word.
A book written of the purpose of life, and how to think through the meaning of your time. It contains 40 short readings that are intended to be read one a day. He focuses on community, purpose, and our relationships intentionally using phrases and words outside the normal cliche. For anyone who has been wondering what to make of their live this interesting read may help provide some things to think about.
A historical account of the beginning and growth of the church in Cambodia during the turmoil and death of its dark recent history. Don Cormack's book is an excellent read and gives a unique personal touch to a well documented time period. He also shows a picture of missionary work at the ground level, and it may not be a terrible as expected.
Winston is a man controlled by society. The government with its leader, "Big Brother", has its hands in every aspect of life. Thought Police monitor and punish the independent people. Cameras record every word uttered and every movement made. History is what the government says it is. A frightening prediction of what the government could be and chillingly inspired thoughts of future dictatorships. This is still my favorite dystopic for its gripping characters.
(Also see other dystopic novels: Brave New World - Aldous Huxley, Anthem - Ayn Rand, Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury)
This is one of his lesser known plays and his craziest. Titus Andronicus, Roman general, returns from ten years of war with only four out of twenty−five sons left. He has captured Tamora, Queen of the Goths, her three sons, and Aaron the Moor. In obedience to Roman rituals, he sacrifices her eldest son to his own dead sons, which earns him Tamora’s unending hatred and her promise of revenge. Revenge is swiftly executed on both sides. A very violent and somewhat disturbing play but one with great lines and fascinating characters; the end is a climatic fury that I'll let you read yourself. Based on this play is an interesting movie, Titus, staring Anthony Hopkins. It fulfills the plot to the letter albeit with some stylistic interpretation.
A short and informative book on the AIDS epidemic, Dixon tries to both explain and defuse social and medical misconceptions. I read this after I realized how massive an issue this is in our day, yet I knew very little about it. A sad subject when one discovers that this tragedy could be stopped in a single generation but instead is set to destroy innocent millions.
