Envy. It is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Not one we talk about much, though. If you want to read a Treatise on the Sin of Envy, try Lex Luther: A Celebration of 75 Years. OK, maybe a collection of Lex Luther comic books is not the final word on envy. But it is a starting place. After all, do you really want to start our study of envy with Aquinas? You do? OK. Aquinas defines Envy by quoting Damascene: “Envy is sorrow for another’s good.” That seems like a crisp, clean … [Read more...] about On Envy
Christianity
Green Lantern’s Light
Imagine you had a ring which would allow you to instantly create anything you could imagine. What would you make? Pretty obvious, right? You would instantly put on a goofy uniform and run around the universe fighting bad guys. Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years is a strange book. Like this whole series of celebrations from DC, it is a fabulous way to see the development of a superhero. That is not the same thing as seeing a “best of” series, though. In an overview like this, you see … [Read more...] about Green Lantern’s Light
Mapping the Bible
Imagine you are a person who has one of those study Bibles with maps in the back and you love those maps in the back and really wish there were even more maps because those maps are so great. (Maybe you don’t have to pretend this is you.) Imagine having looked at that map of Paul’s missionary journeys so many times and you wished there was even more maps of journeys with brightly colored arrows showing all the places someone stopped. In other words, you are a map junkie who really needs … [Read more...] about Mapping the Bible
Binging on Daily Devotionals
The Daily Devotional is a staple in the lives of many Christians. Set aside 15 minutes, read a short inspirational or thoughtful thing about God, think about it briefly, pray, and then go on with your day. Once you decide to do this, the first challenge is to find a good devotional booklet. R. C. Sproul was a natural in this genre. He perfected it in a radio program and a zillion books. To take one example, three years before he died in 2017, he published Everyone's a Theologian: An … [Read more...] about Binging on Daily Devotionals
What is Creation?
File this under: Books that should be much more widely read than they are.Creation and New Creation: Understanding God’s Creation Project, by Sean McDonoughIf you have any interest at all in Christian theology, you should order this book right now. You can even use the image of the book cover to the right to do so. Theology is a tricky genre. Books tend to fall into three camps. First there are the books written by and for academic theologians. Like all academic books in any … [Read more...] about What is Creation?
Explaining Christianity to Christians
Some books have the wrong title. This creates two problems. The more obvious problem: people who buy the book because of the title will be disappointed. The bigger problem: people who would really enjoy the book will never buy it because they have no idea it is a book written for them. The case in point: James Emery White’s Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions. The first sentence sets the tone: “I hope you begin this book with a healthy … [Read more...] about Explaining Christianity to Christians