Category Archives: Book Review

‘Gilead’ and Christian Apologetics

Posted on 28/04/2012 by | 2 Comments

Estimated reading time is between: 1 – 2 minutes

Bring it on!
It’s all happening on the Christian Apologetics-front. Paul Whitfield has preached at Hills Bible Church on responding to the New Atheists. The Global Atheist Convention is on in Melbourne, and the Reason for Faith Festival is up and about in response to it. Bring it all on, I say! Let me surprise you all, then, by offering a novel – yes, a novel – as an apologetic tool.

Marilynne Robinson is described by Christianity Today as a “narrative-Calvinist.” Being a Calvinist is an excellent start, but who ever heard of a “narrative” Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Review, Contemporary Issues

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Book Review: “William Tyndale” by Brian Moynahan

Posted on 30/03/2012 by | 3 Comments

Estimated reading time is between: 1 – 2 minutes


William Tyndale: If God Spare My Life, by Brian Moynahan, Abacus, 2003.

William Tyndale was a pioneering Bible translator, whose work on the English Bible indirectly became 84 percent of the King James Version. Tyndale was converted to Lutheranism after studying at Cambridge – in fact he arrived at Cambridge one year before Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg castle church door. His conversion to what was commonly known as the “evangelical” faith led him to leave England in order to translate the Word of God into English, from the original languages.

Once he left England, his work became infamous, and Tyndale himself became a wanted fugitive. The story of his life is one of hiding, working under cover of disguise and intrigue, and releasing his work into England from the Continent. His writings included direct attacks on the papacy, the clergy, commentaries, and treatises on King Henry VIII’s marriage issues. His greatest work was his Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Review, Church History

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‘The Happiness Equation’ and Buddhism

Posted on 25/02/2012 by | 3 Comments

Estimated reading time is between: 1 – 2 minutes

I have just finished reading Nick Powdthavee’s book The Happiness Equation. It is an economics/psychology book. (Powdthavee is a behavioural economist.) In it, he explains the research about happiness in the world of economics.

For example. in his discussion about the happiness related to having children, he concludes “for an average person in the UK, the first year of having a child is exactly the same as winning a serendipitous sum of money of around $3,750 for that year.”(p. 90) In other words, he works out how much money can buy a certain amount of happiness, then applies that to real life situations. It’s disturbing, interesting, and ultimately a bit of a stretch. One large weakness of the book is that it lacks substantial conclusions. He has very little to say about what we can and should do with his findings. That isn’t such a bad thing, but Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Review, Contemporary Issues, Life Application

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