Tag: Book Review

Review of Embracing the Body by Tara Owens

Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh and Bone by Tara M. Owens. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2015. Pp. 254 pages. $17.00 softcover In her book, Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh and Bone, spiritual director Tara M. Owens deliberately focuses on the recovery of understanding the human being holistically in a culture that has traditionally seen the human body as negative and dangerous. Intended for a general readership, Embracing the Body is written in a simple and conversational style, yet provides a beautiful and thoughtful narrative. Overall, this book of thirteen chapters o ers readers both practical …

Review of Spiritual Guidance across Religions by John Mabry

Spiritual Guidance Across Religions: A Source for Spiritual Directors and Other Professionals Providing Counsel to People of Differing Faith Traditions by John R. Mabry, ed. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Patch Publishing, 2014. Pp. 384 pages. $55.00 hardcover Let us begin with the following statement: Spiritual guidance is contextual. Often neglected in American culture, context in therapy, counseling, and spiritual care and direction is, nevertheless, of central importance. Paying much closer heed to the religious aspect in the context of pastoral care and direction, John R. Mabry has made a significant contribution to the field of spiritual guidance by editing the current …

Review of Toughest People to Love by Chuck DeGroat

Toughest People to Love: How to Understand, Lead, and Love the Difficult People in Your Life Including Yourself by Chuck DeGroat. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014. Pp. 177. $14.00 softcover. Toughest People to Love is a combination of pastoral care, church leadership, and psychological insight. Pastor and counselor Chuck DeGroat invites Christian leaders to see God “in the broken lives of people” (3) and to lead out of love rather than out of power and ulterior motives. He writes, “we lead from a posture of self-sacrificial love, the deep secret of God’s kingdom, instead of from a posture of competition, control, …

Review of The Cosmos and the Creator by David Fergusson

The Cosmos and the Creator: An Introduction to the Theology of Creation by David Fergusson, London: SPCK, 1998. Pp. 115. $23.99 softcover. The Cosmos and the Creator: An Introduction to the Theology of Creation is a collection of four essays based on the Cunningham Lectures given by Scottish theologian and Professor David A.S. Fergusson at the University of Edinburgh in 1996. Every chapter of the book represents an essay. In this book, Fergusson discusses the Christian doctrine of creation based on the failure of modern theoretical approaches to offer an adequate understanding of the God-world relation. In that regard he rightly states, “the …