* If you wish to write a book review, please submit it to dmorgan@erskine.edu .
Books:
Friendlationships
Promises for a Jesus Freak
Redeeming Love
The
Stranger on the Road to Emmaus
Friendlationships:
From Like, to Like Like,
to Love in Your Twenties
by Jeff Taylor
Buy on Amazon.com
|
Rating: |
  |
There have been many books published within the last ten
years in Christian circles on dating. Joshua Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye
started the craze, and books both in favor, against, or in between have been
written afterwards. Joshua was only 21 when he wrote his bestseller. I turn down
that alley this August. Meaning, I better crank out my biblical worldview book
that I have been talking about for more than two years.
Since Joshua's "thriller" he has written a sequel, Boy Meets Girl,
and he has written two other books on overcoming lust (Not Even a Hint)
and one's relationship to the local church (Stop Dating the Church).
Men like Henry Cloud and John Townsend have a totally different approach on this
matter, as seen in
Boundaries in Dating
and
How to Get a Date Worth Keeping
(only authored by Henry Cloud). For interested buyers out
there, the second title guarantees a dating relationship in six months. However,
Neil Clark Warren tells you how to know if someone is worth pursuing in "two
dates or less" in Date...or Soul Mate?. You choose which deal is better
(maybe it takes six months to score two dates with someone).
Haley Dimarco wrote The Dirt on Dating and also co-authored
Dateable: Are You? Are They?. She also teamed up with her husband Justin to
write Marriable: Taking the
Desperate Out of Dating. These
books ate a hoot to read. Even if one disagrees with their approach, there is
plenty of humor to be found. I found Dimarco's The Dirt on Dating to be
the most practical and the most enjoyable read. It really does cover a lot of
ground. The Dimarco couple seem closer to Townsend and Cloud than Harris.
If you are having trouble deciding which approach to dating is best then
there is a "Five Views" book out there titled Five Paths to the Love of Your
Life. A notable contributor is Douglas Wilson, who obviously presents the
courtship model. I haven't read this book yet, but I intend to very soon. I
never thought I'd see the day when there is a viewpoint book on dating.
However, the most interesting book of dating and relationships is the one I
have most recently read, Friendlationships by Jeff Taylor. Unlike the
other titles mentioned, this one is unique in the fact that it solely focuses on
those in their early to mid twenties (who also are the most paranoid about
relationships). Also, I found Taylor's advice to be the most useful. I don't
think those of us in our early twenties need a "How To" program, but we need
sound advice and Godly wisdom on this subject.
The problem is not necessarily that people don't get dates, but sometimes our
relationships with the opposite sex can be a little rocky. This is something I
have discovered in college, we need to be careful as to how we approach
the opposite sex. Even friendships can get very complicated if not
treated with care. This is where Friendlationships knocks the ball out
of the park. How do you know if your friend likes you? How do you know if they
just want to be friends? How do you go from "Like" to "Like Like." What about
long-distance relationships? What if you like an undateable person? How do you
send positive (but not awkward) signals? How do you deal with awkwardness? Jeff
Taylor asks the right questions, and nine times out of ten I think he provides
the right answers.
The only critique I have of the book is that it is short (only 129 pages, not
including the two appendices). At some points I was wishing for more detail and
more elaboration. However, maybe Jeff will be so kind as to write a follow-up
book. He is talented writer, and he likes including examples from Seinfeld
(a favorite show of mine). What more can one ask for?
I can't explain my recent interest in dating/relationships. I guess I have
seen a lot of heartbreak at college, and I know that people in their early
twenties have anxiety about finding that "special someone." We all have desires
we want fulfilled whether they be sexual, emotional, and spiritual. And to top
it all off, we don't want to be lonely. However, that desire for companionship
and communion with another person will never be ultimately satisfied in a
significant other. Only Christ can fulfill our needs and satisfy the desires of
our hearts. The gospel of grace is the solution to our loneliness. We are
already loved with an unconditional love. It is a love that will not let us go.
At Erskine I encourage my friends to look forward to their wedding day. We
have a big wedding that is being planned for us, and our Bride-groom is waiting
(Revelation 19:6-8; 21:1-3).
Paperback: 175 pages.
* Reviewer: Daniel Wells (Orlando, FL. Class of 2008)
Promises
for a Jesus Freak
by DC Talk
Buy on Amazon.com
|
Rating: |
|
Promises for a Jesus Freak is a great compilation of favorite bible verses from the members of DC Talk. The introduction emphasizes the important of God’s word. They tell how many Jesus Freaks throughout history have never had a full Bible but only single Bible pages or handwritten scriptures. They explain how even single verses are very important to have and memorize. They explain that many people who did own a Bible were very often persecuted or even killed.
Promises for a Jesus Freak is a great book to get you started into the actual Word of the Bible. It is meant for the reader to find a verse by divided categories and read the context and go deeper into the word. The verses are in different translations mainly, NIV, CEV, The Message and Phillips.
Paperback: 189 pages.
*
Reviewer: Davey Morgan (Greenville, SC. Class of 2007)
Return to the top
^
Redeeming Love
by Francine Rivers
Buy on Amazon.com
|
Rating: |
|
Francine Rivers is arguably one of the best Christian fiction authors of our time. Of her many novels the most memorable is most assuredly Redeeming Love. Rivers is known for her inclusion of biblical stories and references throughout her novels. Redeeming Love featured characters based off of, and even named after those in the Book of Hosea from the Bible. In this fantastic array of a more modern setting in the early twentieth century, characters that are so real they could be standing right next to you at any moment, and a plot that makes you experience every emotion twice, some you didn’t even know you had, Rivers is able to convey the true horror of sin and the unremitting love of Jesus Christ and His amazing ability to forgive all sins.
Redeeming Love concerns a young girl, born into prostitution, who finds herself the object of one man’s affection and true unfaltering love. The young suitor persists in seeing her, spending every dime he earns to visit her at the brothel and convince her of his true love for her, and most importantly of God’s. Through a series of horrid and remarkable events the young girl becomes married to the gentleman and gradually grows to see that he truly does love her, a different kind of love than she has ever known, one of caring, concern, tenderness, devotion, and affection. As time progresses and she makes friends with neighboring farming families she too grows to love her husband, and worship him. Her husband sees this new worship of him and knows it is not what God wants, that his lovely wife should be worshiping his Holy One.
Join these remarkable characters in their journey to see, love, and worship God. It is a long journey, filled with obstacles of denial, hatred, unspeakable sins, but most importantly, coming to Christ. Rivers makes this novel so realistic that it becomes an experience you’ll never forget.
Paperback: 464 pages.
*
Reviewer: Marissa Mankin (Chapin, SC. Class of 2009)
Return to the top
^
The
Stranger on the Road to Emmaus
by John R. Cross
Buy on Amazon.com
|
Rating: |
|
One of the best experiences of my life happened while reading The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus (which I shall hereafter refer to as Stranger). Granted I read it in less than twenty-four hours with my youth group during a bible study we called Stranger 24; regardless I walked away with a better understanding of the Bible and the Lord’s plan.
Unlike most devotionals or books about the Bible that taker a closer look at a particular book or even verse of the Bible, Stranger takes a step back to look at the overall “BIG” message of the Bible. Cross excellently abridges the Bible, including all the basic stories you’ve known growing up, but making sure to include their importance in The message of God, while also including some lesser known tales. While taking a step back, Cross also takes a step forward and delves into the purpose and significance of every tale, linking them all to The message. You walk away from the book with a deeper understanding of the history before Christ’s coming, the significance of sacrifices and burnt offerings and the prophecies of the Lord’s coming of the Old Testament, and the lack of them in the New Testament. You learn why the Lord sent Jesus, why Jesus died for our sins, and why He was called “the Lamb of God.”
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone needing to regain that basic understanding of Christ’s sacrifice and The message of the Lord in the Bible, why it is His word, and why we need to know it. Stranger is an excellent reminder of the overall message of God’s undying love for us.
Paperback: 304 pages.
*
Reviewer: Marissa Mankin (Chapin, SC. Class of 2009)
Return to the top
^
