christian books

Book Review: Paul Faber, Surgeon

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Paul Faber, Surgeon by George MacDonald

Paul Faber, Surgeon
by George MacDonald

4 out of 5 stars

Paul Faber is an atheist, but still remains friends with Thomas Wingfold, the curate. The two have lively discussions about God and Christianity, but Paul still continues to deny the existence of God even though he respects Thomas as a person. Paul is called to the bedside of a young woman and, with his skill as a doctor, brings her back from the edge of death. Juliet is a lukewarm Christian at best, and she soon comes to think that Paul might have the truth on his side. Their romance is shadowed by secrets from their past. They try to create a perfect dream of love and happiness together, but they don’t trust each other with their darkest secrets until they begin to seek healing from Christ.
Juliet befriends Dorothy, the daughter of a local minister who has fallen into poverty and begins to doubt his faith when he feels that God has forsaken him. Dorothy also has her doubts about Christianity and feels miserable until she can find her faith again as she sees how God is working in her father’s life.

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Book Review: The Liberty of Obedience

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The Liberty of Obedience by Elisabeth Elliot

The Liberty of Obedience
by Elisabeth Elliot

5 out of 5 stars

This book explores the deeper meaning behind spiritual obedience to God, and how it is not limiting but liberating. Elisabeth Elliot draws on her experiences living with the Aucas native tribe to strip away all the distractions of American culture and all the social rules that we mistake for God’s rules. When you consider only the instructions of the Bible, obedience to those instructions becomes very simple and joyful.

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Book Review: From Plato to Christ

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From Plato to Christ by Louis A. Markos

From Plato to Christ: How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith
by Louis A. Markos

5 out of 5 stars

The philosophy of Plato prepared the way for Christianity to be widely accepted in the ancient world. Socrates and Plato had a way of asking the right questions, even if they didn’t know the true answers that can be found in the Bible. Their philosophy points the way for a searching soul to find the truth of Christ. There are some spiritual things that are well-known to all of creation in general revelation, and Plato used that limited knowledge to formulate his own ideas about virtue and spiritual life. His philosophy directly reflects and leads to the specific revelation of truth in the person of Christ.

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Book Review: From Achilles to Christ

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From Achilles to Christ by Louis A. Markos

From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics
by Louis A. Markos

5 out of 5 stars

Christians can look back on the pagan classics from Homer and Virgil and see the universal human longing for a Savior. As Achilles and Odysseus struggle through their heroic adventures, the Christian can draw parallels to Christ’s own heroic deeds, finding the completion of every myth in the person of Christ. In the Bible, God often uses pagan kings to reveal His truth and further His kingdom. The truth of Christ can be found reflected in all of creation and especially in the greatest creative literature of the ancient world.
The author says that “…the great, overarching symbols of literature can function as they do only because history and the universe are inherently meaningful and moving toward a purposeful end.”pg. 133
The pre-Christian myths of the Greeks and Romans include the same symbols and themes that are present in the Bible, and which find their final fruition in Christ.

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Book Review: The Mind of the Maker

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The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers

The Mind of the Maker
by Dorothy L. Sayers

5 out of 5 stars

Dorothy Sayers explores the intricacies of the creative mind, connecting how our creativity functions with how the Creator God also works within the Trinity. She examines the nature of art and why mankind feels the urge to create, just as God created us. We ask questions about life and death, free will, and what it means to be created in the “image of God”.

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Book Review: Walking with God

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Walking With God by John Eldredge

Walking With God: Talk to Him, Hear From Him, Really
by John Eldredge

DNF at page 52 .
The author reflects on what it means to truly listen to God’s voice and seek Him in every little aspect of our lives. The reader is encouraged to spend time in prayer and listen for that small inner prompting from the Holy Spirit that leads you in one direction or another.

I liked the basic premise of this book, but I felt like the author took it a little too far. Yes, we should seek God’s direction in all we do, but I don’t need to ask God what to have for breakfast. Just choose a healthy breakfast and get on with your day. Yes, God cares about the little details of our lives, but I don’t think I need to stop everything and pray to ask God for direction about each little detail. It’s also true that no detail is too small to pray about, and God listens and guides us in everything. But this book really just makes mountains out of molehills.

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Devotional Review: Hymns Vol. 1

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Hymns Volume 1 by The Daily Grace Co.

Hymns Volume 1
by The Daily Grace Co.

5 out of 5 stars

This daily devotional book gives you a traditional Christian hymn to read/sing each day, and tells about the composer/author who wrote it. There are Bible passages to read and a place to write in some of your thoughts as you answer the Bible study prompts.

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Book Review: George MacDonald Anthology

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George MacDonald by George MacDonald

George MacDonald
by George MacDonald (edited by C.S. Lewis)

4.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed reading through this anthology of MacDonald quotes, compiled by C.S. Lewis. It definitely gives you an insight into how MacDonald influenced and inspired Lewis.

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Book Review: Quest of the Dragon’s Princess

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Quest of the Dragon's Princess by Lee Watts Th.D.

Quest of the Dragon’s Princess
by Lee Watts Th.D.

5 out of 5 stars

Princess Samantha is searching for true love, and she seems to have found it with Prince David, until he humiliates her at the grand ball. The heartbroken princess decides to take matters into her own hands, and she sets off on a quest through a magic portal to find true love, expecting that somehow she will find her way back to Prince David. When Prince David discovers that she is gone, he sends his best knight, Sir Zachary, to bring her back. But he’s not the only one searching for the missing princess. The royal family has their own dragon, Hubert Firetongue the Incomparable. The dragon teams up with Sir Zachary and they follow Samantha through the magic portal. But when they arrive on the other side of the portal, she is nowhere to be seen. Unbeknownst to any of them, they are all being pursued by a murderous dark knight.

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Book Review: Christian Mythmakers

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Christian Mythmakers by Rolland Hein

Christian Mythmakers: C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Williams, Dante Alighieri, John Bunyan, Walter Wangerin, Robert Siegel, and Hannah Hurnard
by Rolland Hein,

5 out of 5 stars

Through the centuries, there have been Christian writers who have captured the essence of mythology to reveal spiritual truths. Their stories spark a new level of awareness in our imaginations and deeply touch our hearts. Through these Christian myths, we understand ourselves and our relationship with God in a new light.

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