Deus Misereatur

  So much of our social encounters feel off these days: marriages, sex roles, parental responsibilities, educational tasks, and more. Even Christianity in North America seems off kilter with allegations of patriarchal heavy-handedness, charges of abuse, and stories of deconversion. Into this odd time steps Joshua D. Chatraw, the Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism and Cultural Engagement at Beeson Divinity School, and Jack Carson, the executive director of the Center for Apologetics and Cultural Engagement and as an instructor at Liberty University. These two have teamed up to publish a new 192-page hardback, “ Surprised by Doubt: How Disillusionment Can Invite Us into a Deeper Faith ”. The book is about the credibility of the Christian faith. But it reaches deeper into the questions, misgivings, and suspicions of those who have felt burned by their Christian experiences. And it’s readable, friendly, serious without any of the highbrow paternalism of some apologetic approaches. ...

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi My rating: 5 of 5 stars When I was 20 years old, I was stationed in a Muslim country for two years. During that time I read the Quran (in an English translation from Oxford), interacted with Muslim acquaintances, and saw Islam lived out in it's communal context. Therefore I was excited when my mother gave me a copy of "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus". With bazillions of reviews already plastered on the various sites and venues, mine will be short and succinct. Nabeel Qureshi has woven together a very personal and personable volume written to give "an insider's perspective into a Muslim heart," as well as equip readers "with facts and knowledge, showing the strength of the case for the gospel contrasted with the case for Islam," while chronicling his own inner struggles, sacrifices and doubts when grappling with the Christian faith. The style of writing is au...

Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion by Os Guinness My rating: 5 of 5 stars Slick spin and polished patois throb and thud their way through every aspect of American society. Whether it’s left or right, liberal or conservative, revisionist or traditionalist, each group has its own particular guild-talk and encoded lingo that fulfills and fortifies their respective self-perceptions. On top of this, much of our communication has become self-serving and self-absorbed, as we post and present and publish our blogs, statuses, thoughts and tweets. As all of this self-important and self-fulfilling hype clouds our associations, “social” media and society what, then, happens to the Gospel? Increasingly it falls into the trap of just being another slice of profile-raising that craves all the “Likes” it can garner. In “Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion” Os Guinness, author, editor, and founder and past senior fellow of the Trinity Forum, has comp...

Net Galley Review Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World Darrell Bock, Josh Chatraw, Andreas J. Köstenberger B&H Publishing Group One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN. 37234 www.bhpublishinggroup.com ISBN:  9781433682261; $12.99, March 2014. Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur . It happens all over the country. Our kids finally grow up and head off to college. In the midst of the mind-numbing academic load, they pick out a few electives that should be simple enough to manage and make the scholastic weight less burdensome. So they happily pick a religious studies course or an introduction to the New Testament, thinking this ought to be a breeze. But not too many days into the new class they are confronted with a professor whose program is intended to stretch and shake them; but sometimes it is calculated to subvert their faith. The presentations come packaged with what appear to be overwhelming evidences, irrefutable facts, rea...

Imaginative Apologetics: Theology, Philosophy and the Catholic Tradition Foreword by John Milbank Andrew Davison (editor) Baker Academic 6030 East Fulton Road Ada, MI 49301 http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com ISBN-978-0-8010-3981-2; $25.00; 2012. Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur (3/13) Approaching Apologetics (4 stars out of 5) After having completed reading a rather tedious book written by some over-the-top Atheists, I was quite delighted to receive a copy of “Imaginative Apologetics: Theology, Philosophy and the Catholic Tradition”. In this 198 page paperback edited by Andrew Davison, he and his co-writers have pulled their heads, and keyboards, together to produce a useful little resource. The book begins with an intriguing foreword by theologian John Milbank, who defines the apologetic endeavor as part of the ongoing contestation between Christ and Caesar; simultaneously defending the faith and defending “a true politics of civic virtue” (xxii). It then ...

The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails Ed. John W. Loftus Prometheus Books 59 John Glenn Drive Amherst, NY 14228-2119 www.prometheusbooks.com Copyright: 2010 ISBN: 978-1-61614-168-4; $21.00 Reviewed by: Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber Doubtful Deliberations - 1 star out of 5 Not too many years ago the heat of fundamentalist-like frenzy swept through various media, endeavoring to persuade many that the end was near; the end of Christianity especially. Carried on the crest of this foamy wave came the 414 page paperback book edited by John W. Loftus, “The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails.” Loftus declares that the book is written for the “honest believer” (21). It becomes quickly apparent that by “honest” the editor doesn’t mean someone who is convinced and investigative, as much as one who is doubtful or uncertain about their faith. And to this audience most of the authors write with a rather pugnacious design and deportment that is intended to reinforce and intensify that ...