Book Reviews

Posted: 5/12/06

Book Reviews

Finding Our Way Home: Turning Back to What Matters Most by Mark R. McMinn (Josey-Bass)

Finding Our Way Home is inspirational and thought-provoking. From a very personal perspective, McMinn discusses our God-created desire for both adventure and “home”—that secure place in which we are fully known and loved.

These two forces are evident in our human relationships and in our relationship with God.

They sometimes are guided by God, but at other times controlled by our sinful selves. When we allow these desires to take us away from God and each other, there is a longing that draws us back to God and to wholeness with others. God pursues us actively, moving toward us with redemptive love, encouraging us to change direction.

What are you reading that other Texas Baptists would find helpful? Send suggestions and reviews to [email protected].

McMinn provides an excellent discussion of the “redemptive language of turning back” found in the ideologies of psychology, theology and spirituality. Additionally, he gives a beautiful commentary on the incarnation as God’s ultimate provision for “finding our way home.”

This book is worth reading more than once.

Margaret Hunt Rice, executive director

of student services and regional outreach

University of Houston-Victoria

Seventeen Roadblocks on the Highway of Life: And How to Move Around Them by Brian Harbour (Smyth & Helwys)

Last summer, our family traveled to our favorite vacation getaway—Pagosa Springs, Colo. But along the way, we were confronted with a roadblock. We waited on the side of the road for two hours while pavers paved and workers worked. Roadblocks are not something any of us look forward to, but we all face them from time to time.

Brian Harbour has written a new book that addresses this theme, Seventeen Roadblocks on the Highway of Life: And How to Move Around Them, which I highly recommend.

According to John 10:10, Jesus came to give us life—not just an ordinary life, but an extraordinary, abundant life.

This life Jesus offers is marked by joy, peace, confidence, security and fulfillment. Unfortunately, many Christians do not live up to our privileges. We don’t experience the abundant life offered by Jesus.

Why not? The simple answer is that so often we face roadblocks that prevent us from moving down the road to abundant living.

Harbour identifies 17 roadblocks and offers strategies to navigate around these roadblocks.

Harbour offers a wealth of illustrations and quotes for any pastor who wishes to preach about any of these roadblocks. For the Christian who wants to move around these roadblocks, this book provides Scriptures, models and strategies to help.

David Harp, pastor

First Baptist Church

Stanton

Holy Blood, Holy Grail: The Secret History of Jesus, The Shocking Legacy of the Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln (Dell)

As a pastor, I found reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail to be a difficult task on many levels. The hypothesis of the book was deeply disturbing.

The authors set out to prove that the historic search for the Holy Grail would actually lead to the discovery that Jesus married Mary Magdalene.

As a result of this theoretical marriage, Jesus had children, and his lineage continues in Europe. This “holy blood” secret had to be hidden from the Catholic Church because of its threats to the foundations of orthodox Christia-nity.

It was obvious from reading this book that Dan Brown used the hypothesis of Holy Blood, Holy Grail for background information for his best-selling novel The DaVinci Code.

But to me, Holy Blood, Holy Grail read more like historical fiction than scholarly research.

If you plan to read the book, it might be helpful to begin your reading with “Part Three: The Bloodline.”

Otherwise, you may find yourself lost and confused in the early details.

When you read how the authors dealt with the New Testament, you will understand how they came up with such a bizarre hypothesis for the book.

David Lowrie, pastor

First Baptist Church

Canyon