Add comment July 18th, 2010 02:43pm Albert McIlhenny
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Winston Churchill (Christian Encounters Series) – John Perry Thomas Nelson (March 2010) Topic: Biography Summary: Biography of Winston Churchill with an emphasis on the influence of Christianity in his life Rating: 
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Add comment July 17th, 2010 07:49am Albert McIlhenny
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The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World – Stephen Mansfield Thomas Nelson (October 13, 2009) Topic: Biography Summary: History of the founding of the Guinness Brewery and its subsequent development Rating: 
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Add comment July 5th, 2010 09:37am Albert McIlhenny
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The Many Gospels of Jesus: Sorting Out the Story of the Life of Jesus – Philip W. Comfort and Jason Driesbach Tyndale House Publishers (May 2008) Topic: Noncanonical and Disputed Writings, Gnosticism & Dualism Summary: Survey and evaluation of “alternate gospels.” Rating:
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Add comment June 21st, 2010 11:14am Albert McIlhenny
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Backgrounds of Early Christianity – Everett Ferguson Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (September 2003) Topic: Church History; Paganism Summary: Survey of the cultural setting into which Christianity emerged Rating:
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Add comment June 19th, 2010 05:00am Albert McIlhenny
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History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years – Diarmaid MacCullough Ambrose Video Publishing, Inc (March 2010) Topic: Church History Summary: Six-part video series on the history of Christianity and its role in modern society Rating: Read Review… |
1 comment May 18th, 2010 07:28pm Albert McIlhenny
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The Loser Letters: A Comic Tale of Life, Death, and Atheism – Mary Eberstadt Ignatius Press (March 2010) Topic: Atheism Summary: A fictional account of letters written from an admirer of the New Atheists to her “heroes.” Rating:
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2 comments April 5th, 2010 02:15pm Albert McIlhenny
Reviewing books is an interesting hobby but there is always a certain defensiveness about it. I can critique all I want but at least the author has put his words into print. Even blogging is not as adventuresome; I could always delete or edit a post later. Particularly given the availability of various self-publishing venues, I have decided to place some of my own thoughts in print.
The topic I will be tackling is the whole issue of whether Jesus was based on various pagan deities as presented in the film Zeitgeist and authors such as Tom Harpur, D. M. Murdock (Acharya S), and the duo of Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. It is almost commonplace to state the whole thing is silly but few Christians ever bother to explain why it is silly in any but the most basic fashion. Givent the vast internet presence of such drivel, I believe it is time to make clear exactly why it is silly.
I will not at this time be dealing with the more general topic of “Jesus Mythicism” – the thesis that Jesus never existed. It is, like its predecessor, built on long discredited ideas from the nineteenth century but dealing with it in detail as well would cause the book to baloon greatly in size. There will naturally be some overlap and I will hopefully have a chance to turn to the more general subject in the future.
You will probably notice some of my future reviews will focus on books that pertain to this discussion. I guess I might as well make double use of my time and review some of the books I am reading as part of my research. I will still be reviewing other books as well but you will probably notice a definite correspondence to the issue of the historicity of Jesus and accusations of “pagan copycat” theses.
Tentatively, the book is titled Myth of the Pagan Christ: Refuting Zeitigesit and Affirming the Uniqueness of the Christian Message. I am in the process of writing some parts and rewriting others. I hope to have it finished in some form in the next few months but things could always change. I will be posting updates as I progress.
Add comment April 4th, 2010 07:41am Albert McIlhenny
I wish to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very blessed Easter Sunday. It is on this day the Church in the West celebrates the victory of Jesus Christ over death and the tomb. Christ has risen!! The Lord has risen indeed!!
2 comments April 2nd, 2010 01:09pm Albert McIlhenny
Almost three and a half years ago, I wrote a review for Ergun and Emir Caner’s book Unveiling Islam. With 9/11 still a vivid memory, I thought it important to understand Islam from the perspective of those who lived under it and how best they could be reached with the Gospel message.
The Caners seemed almost too good to be true: they were not the only converts but they certainly were the ones who understood both Islamic and Western popular culture the best. It was almost as if they came from central casting. That might not have been too far from the mark.
Some damaging accusations have been circling around the Caners – particularly Ergun who is president of Liberty University Theological Seminary. At first they were in relation to his claims to have debated Muslims and his naming particular ones with whom he had debated and the contents of those exchanges. James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries questioned whether any such debates took place. It appears they were at best quick, informal exchanges and some of those mentioned denied ever had any such exchanges with Caner.
I had been willing to let all of this pass and give Caner the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he had not undestood the term “debate” in the context of an apologist’s claims would be construed as a far more formal setting than he had claimed. Perhaps a lapse in memory had confused two individuals – I have done that myself on occasion. Besides, it had no bearing on his testimony as an ex-Muslim and the points made in the book.
Recently, more damaging accusations have been made against Caner. These call into question whether he was ever a Muslim at all. I had heard such things from some Muslim apologists against others and they all had the tone of the “no true Scotsman” fallacy. Thus, until now, I had again given Dr. Caner the benefit of the doubt.
Now it turns out these may have been more than just vague accusations. This item gives evidence that Dr. Caner may have been dishonest in describing his past and stating he was Muslim. If the accusations are true, it would appear his knowledge of Islam is neither as extensive nor his commitment to Islam as deep as he claimed.
I have absolutely no way of telling whether he was truly a Muslim or not. It is now important that Dr. Caner step forward and give an honest account. His current policy of editing his website as various inconsistencies appear will not stand. He should give a full disclosure of the nature of his previous status as a Muslim and either defend himself with evidence or apolgize for misrepresentation and let the chips fall where they may.
I have no doubt he has a better grasp of Islam than many Christians. He had some exposure to Islamic culture at least at the basic level from his father. But this is far from being the committed Muslim he has stated in the past. If he was not truly a Muslim but only an occasional wanderer into his father’s mosque and subculture, then he has misled the public about his past.
This is not only unfair to Muslims but to Christians as well. Those who have pointed to the Caners as examples of how Muslims can be brought to faith in Christ may now have their credibility called into question as well. Then there are the effects any such discrepancies might have on the work of Liberty University and his publisher Kregel Publications. Both have placed great trust him and have invested in his personal integrity.
For now, I am not removing the review but will wait to see how this affair plays out. I will add a note at the beginning of the review pointing to this post. The review may be withdrawn or substantially changed in the future.
Add comment March 31st, 2010 08:58pm Albert McIlhenny
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Reinventing Jesus: What The Da Vinci Code and other Novel Speculations Don’t Tell You – J. Ed. Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace Kregel Publications (May 2006) Topic: General Apologetics Summary: Defense of the Christian faith from recent attempts to undermine its credibility Rating:
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Add comment March 22nd, 2010 11:17am Albert McIlhenny
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On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision – William Lane Craig David C. Cook (March 2010) Topic: General Apologetics Summary: A step-by-step guide to Christian apologetics Rating:
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Add comment March 21st, 2010 12:00pm Albert McIlhenny
Robert Wright interviewed physicist and Anglican priest Sir John Polkinghorne for Slate’s Meaningoflife.tv feature.
Add comment March 20th, 2010 09:40am Albert McIlhenny
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The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia – and How It Died – Philip Jenkins HarperOne (November 2009) Topic: Church History; Eastern Christianity Summary: Analysis of the expansion and fall of the Christian Churches of the East Rating:
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Add comment March 2nd, 2010 10:17am Albert McIlhenny
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Glo: The Bible for a Digital World – Immersion Digital (Designers) Zondervan (October 2009) Topic: Bible/Bible Study Aids Summary: DVD Bible and study tools with ease of use and state of the art graphics Rating: 
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Add comment February 15th, 2010 12:00pm Albert McIlhenny
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Glorifying God: A Yearlong Collection of Classic Devotional Writings – Thomas Watson (Patti Hummel, ed) Thomas Nelson (November 24, 2009) Topic: Prayer & Devotion Summary: A year’s worth of Scritptural insight in devotions by the 17th century Puritan Thomas Watson. Rating:
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Add comment February 14th, 2010 08:38pm Albert McIlhenny
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Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church – N. T. Wright HarperOne (February 2008) Topic: Eschatology Summary: Survey of how the ideas of heaven, hell, and the end of all things are commonly misunderstood by many Christians Rating:
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2 comments February 14th, 2010 05:41pm Albert McIlhenny
Well there was something about the best laid plans…
I had intended to bring this site back to life a month or so back but did not for reasons that are not important at the moment. A lot has happened since then and I have been working hard on other projects. But the time is ripe to revive Christian Book Reviews. I will give more info as time passes about my other projects but reviews will being again her starting today.
Add comment November 20th, 2009 09:03am Albert McIlhenny
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Americanism: The Fourth Great Western Religion – David Gelernter Doubleday (June 2007) Topic: Politics Summary: An apologis for the claim of Americanism as a viable religion Rating:
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