The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood (Reader’s Den Review) October 23, 2011
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In a recent op-ed on CNN.com entitled “Why men are in trouble”, William Bennett stated the current challenges among young men today. He writes,
“Today, 18-to- 34-year-old men spend more time playing video games a day than 12-to- 17-year-old boys. While women are graduating college and finding good jobs, too many men are not going to work, not getting married and not raising families. Women are beginning to take the place of men in man way. This has led some to ask: do we even need men?”
He ends the piece with an unashamed exhortation: “Get off the video game five hours a day, get yourself together, get a challenging job and get married.”
While it’s easy to bemoan the current state of manhood (or the lack thereof), Bennett has helpfully put together an assortment of readings “on the path to manhood”. They are:
- Man in War
- Man at Work
- Man in Play, Competition, and Leisure
- Man in the Polis
- Man with Woman and Children
- Man in Prayer and Reflection
“There are examples worthy of emulation, stories worth knowing, lives worthy studying and remembering, and counsel worth hearing. I have tried to gather a wide sampling of material that can encourage and guide. And so, while this book cannot make you a good man, it should give you a helpful idea of what a good man is.” (xxii)
Book Review: Beyond Opinion October 12, 2011
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There are countless challenges to the Christian faith. Of course this is nothing new. Since the birth of the church, Christians have been called to not only proclaim the truth but also refute those who contradict (Titus 1:9). To the detriment of the church, we have often been on the defensive if not full retreat. In the early part of the 20th century there was the Fundamentalist mentality that argued that to be a faithful Christian and protect the truth from encroaching liberalism, we must therefore hunker down and maintain our ground. Thankfully, though, there were those who realized that Christians were to be salt and light in a fallen world which meant there was no option for retreat. On contrary, men like Carl F. H. Henry and later on Francis Schaeffer, saw it as their Christian duty to articulate and defend the Christian faith in light of the opposing tide of rising postmodernism.
In our present day the challenge remains. The church will forever be required to take a stand on truth and ably articulate a defense of the faith. What we have in this book edited by well-known Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias, is a collection of timely essays on whole array of apologetic issues. As is the case with most books of collected essays, there are hit and misses. Thankfully most are well written and offer a cogent argument in their respective issues. As most reviewers have already noted, two that stand out are ”Challenges From Islam” by Sam Soloman and ”Broader Cultural and Philosophical Challenges” by Joe Boot. As a young man who often ministers to youth, Alison Thomas’ “Challenges of Youth” to be particularly helpful in getting to the heart of this challenge.
In short, this book is a useful read which some excellent essays.
Book Review: Same Kind of Different As Me October 12, 2011
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There are some books that present a story and, while good, they the story simply fizzles away into oblivion. And then there are those books that “hook” you, grabbing you by the collar and not allowing you to put it down. Such is this book which tells the story of two polar opposite men, Ron Hall and Denver Moore. While Hall is a prosperous art dealer who travels the world, Moore is a struggling man living in the streets of Fort Worth. At the insistence of his wife, Hall begins volunteering at a homeless shelter which Moore comes to for aid. Eventually these two men meet at the homeless shelter and oddly enough strike up the most unlikely of friendships.
The book is structured by both men alternately telling their stories. Rather than giving up all the details of the story, let me just say that it is one of the most endearing and inspiring books I have read. In a fallen world where there is much hurt and pain, this book offers a redemptive snippet of a selfish man turned into a gracious and selfless man. For the discerning Christian, he will find several tidbits of questionable things. But by in large I think all will appreciate and enjoy this story. It is a story well told and ultimately a story of a friendship one will not soon forget.
